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#just like my angel murderbot
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I'm going with 10 All Time Classics from the Captain America (MCU) fandom. I mean, they're all classics to me, at least. In no particular order:
1. This, You Protect by owlet
First installment in the Infinite Coffee and Protection Detail series, which are all amazing. It's a “Bucky escaping Hydra and rebuilding his sense of self” fic, which he does while spying on Steve. With eventual Avengers Family and a lovely cast of OCs bonding with Bucky in the meantime. It has a very distinctive perspective and writing style; Bucky's in constant internal (and sometimes accidentally external) dialogue with himself, making it hilarious and tragic all at the same time. I love it. I've recently been getting into The Murderbot Diaries by Martha Wells and this Bucky has a similar sassy-but-vulnerable vibe? Read this if you like that, anyway.
2. The One Who Knows by Dira Sudis (dsudis)
This is a Political Animals AU, in that no-powers Steve is inserted into the Political Animals world and Bucky is TJ. Discusses being outed and depression but is ultimately hopeful. The author is one of my all time faves and has written lots of great stories for this and many other fandoms.
3. Blue Scales by chaya
Steve is a merman AU. He's still Captain America, though. It's crack with heart, I love it.
Best line: "May your scales and your love story be our weird secret forever.”
4. Our Lingering Frost by eyres
AU where Bucky is rescued from Hydra in the 50s (?) and so is around for Steve to be found.
5. Assets Out of Containment by follow_the_sun
It's a classic to *me*, OK? Bucky goes undercover at Jurassic World just as that movie's plot kicks off. They're Hydra dinosaurs! It's just great. Also has a podfic and crossovers with Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.
6. Not Easily Conquered (series) by dropdeaddream and WhatAreFears
Some of the greatest fanfiction I've ever read, the whole series is epic. Anyway, it's a "Steve doesn't go into the ice" AU with added queer angst when (never sent) love letters from Bucky resurface. I particularly like the second installment in the series The Thirteen Letters, which are just Bucky's letters and are insanely well-written.
7. to memory now I can't recall by Etharei
Time travel AU! Featuring post-CATWS Bucky accidentally switching places with CATFA era Bucky.
8. If Wishing Made It So by Leveragehunters (Monkeygreen)
Genie!Bucky AU! This author is great at writing AUs with fantasy/genre elements, it was hard to choose. They've also written an excellent werewolf!Steve AU and a horse!Steve AU that I really love.
9. Into That Good Night by Nonymos
An Interstellar AU! Very angsty and tragic but with an eventual happy ending.
10. Goodbye Piccadilly, Farewell Leicester Square by Speranza
Speranza must be one of the best writers in the fandom, so it was hard to pick just one of their fics. Other strong contenders were All the Angels and the Saints and The Fifties, so check those out too! But this one has a special place in my heart. Steve, Tony and Natasha accidentally time travel to WW2 London, leading to an accidental run-in with CATFA-era Bucky. The author does tragic and romantic time travel tropes so well, but with a happy ending.
I now realise that most of these are AUs, so here’s a bonus rec for a non-AU in-universe story that’s severely underrated and deserves more love:
+1
Heart, Have No Pity on this House of Bone by Sena
This story follows Bucky in-action in the Pacific Theatre. It’s very well written and, from what I can tell, well researched. Steve only appears in Bucky’s imagination and the story focuses on the horrors of war rather than romance, but it’s gripping! And it explores unrequited love, being closeted and period-typical homophobia, which I also enjoyed. I’m still holding out hope for a sequel.
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heartfullofleeches · 1 year
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FUCKING. YES.
What (some of) my ocs put you as in their phone:
Liu/Lucille (butcher/cannibal Yan): "Bambi" or "Belle/Beauty" The latter related to one of their favorite movies as a kind. If she could love her beast, you'll do the same won't you?
C.C/Saffron (Yan incubus): "Bae <3" with a string heart and flower emojis after. Will just as quickly change it to "Lil' bitch" if you ignore him long enough
Amyas (Yan cupid): "Answer immediately"
Baron (Yan demon): "MJNW" He's trying to spell mine, but his fingers are too fucking fat to hit the right keys
Maddox (Yan reaper): "Them"/the gendered variant. Simple, to the point - brings a smile to their face everytime they see it on the screen.
Alasdair (Yan Angel): "My light" Bro lights up a whole room with those eyes, but pop off king
V (incel Yan): "Kitten"
Miller (streamer Yan): "P1"
Erin (Yan Bully): "Pain in my ass" when you first give it to him. "Everything" after he finally let's his heart bleed.
Theodore (Teacher Yan): "Dear" for you, but he asks you put him in your phone as "Teddy"
Devlin (immortal Yan): "Boo (at night I think of you...)" His favorite song from that time period and what he plays outside your window.
Silas (immortal Yan): "THE LOVE OF YOUR LIFE DUMBASS" He sends a lot of "prank texts" to people and almost send you a five paragraph long threat when it was meant for your boss.
Selene (Yandere housewife): "Sweetheart, My One/My Only" She gets so embarrassed when you find out.
Orion (Yandere Devil): "Prized Jewel"
Gemini/Gemini (Twin Devils in one body): "Our Missing Piece" They change it constantly, but that's what it's been for the longest
Daina (Yan Final Girl): "Rid3 or Di3"
Dea (Worshiper God): "My Universe." Stuff like that seems so small to them, but it just feels right.
Cherry, Clementine, Lemon (Yandere robots): "Master" Cherry and Lemon put hearts at the end, Clementine puts a sword
Lime (Yan cat hybrid bot): "Owner~" with a tongue emoji at the end
D.kay (Yan Murderbot): "SUNNI" (sunny) or just a long string of those heart eyed emojis
Milk Tea (Yan cow hybrid): Pet
Eggnog (Yan cow hybrid): "Bunny or J.J" The name of the rabbit plush they own as a child. Without it they aren't sure they'd be alive today. The same goes for you.
Root beer Milk (Yan cow hybrid): "Partner in Crime"
Bluebird (Former Darling Yan): "Saving Grace" or your name with a key emoji at the end.
Gus (Clown Yan): "Cutie Pie"
(And that's it for now. If there are any characters you'd like to see just lemme know and I might do a part two)
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augustinajosefina · 6 months
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A request
Please suggest books to me! Preferably in the glove kink/lesbian space atrocities, urban fantasy or dark academia genres but I'll happily try any SF/fantasy at least once.
So far I've read and loved:
Before 2023
The Imperial Radch (Ancillary Justice/Sword/Mercy) - Ann Leckie
Jean le Flambeur (The Quantum Thief/The Fractal Prince/The Causal Angel) - Hannu Rajaniemi
The Windup Girl/The Water Knife - Paolo Bagicalupi
Memory of Water/The City of Woven Streets - Emmi Itäranta
2023
The Locked Tomb (Gideon/Harrow/Nona the Ninth) - Tamsyn Muir
The Masquerade (Traitor/Monster/Tyrant Baru Cormorant) - Seth Dickinson
Teixcalaan series (A Memory Called Empire/A Desolation Called Peace) - Arkady Martine
Machineries of Empire (Ninefox Gambit/Raven Stratagem/Revenant Gun/Hexarchate Stories) - Yoon Ha Lee
The Murderbot Diaries (All Systems Red to System Collapse) - Martha Wells
The Broken Earth (The Fifth Season/The Obelisk Gate/The Stone Sky) - N. K. Jemisin
Klara And The Sun - Kazuo Ishiguro
Xuya universe (The Citadel of Weeping Pearls/The Tea Master and the Detective/Seven of Infinities plus short stories) - Aliette de Bodard
This is How You Lose the Time War - Amal El-Mohtar and Max Gladstone
The Goblin Emperor/The Witness for the Dead/Grief of Stones - Katherine Addison
Some Desperate Glory - Emily Tesh
2024
The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue - V. E. Schwab
The Craft Sequence (Three Parts Dead/Two Serpents Rise/Full Fathom Five/Last First Snow/Four Roads Cross/Ruin of Angels) - Max Gladstone
Babel: Or the Necessity of Violence: An Arcane History of the Oxford Translators' Revolution - R. F. Kuang
The Luminous Dead - Caitlin Starling
Last Exit - Max Gladstone
Dead Country - Max Gladstone
Read and liked:
The Moonday Letters - Emmi Itäranta
Great Cities (The City We Became/The World We Make) - N. K. Jemisin
Piranesi - Susanna Clarke
Autonomous - Annalee Newitz
Dead Djinn universe (A Master of Djinn/The Haunting of Tram Car 015/A Dead Djinn in Cairo/The Angel of Khan el-Khalili) - P. Djèlí Clark
Even Though I Knew the End - C. L. Polk
Station Eternity - Mur Lafferty
The Mythic Dream - Dominik Parisien & Navah Wolfe
Shades of Magic (A Darker Shade of Magic/A Gathering of Shadows/A Conjuring of Light/Fragile Threads of Power) - V. E. Schwab
The Stars Are Legion - Kameron Hurley
Ninth House/Hell Bent - Leigh Bardugo
Machine - Elizabeth Bear
Our Wives Under the Sea - Julia Armfield
She Is A Haunting - Trang Thanh Tran
Sisters of the Revolution - Jeff & Ann Vandermeer
Station Eleven - Emily St John Mandel
Was uncertain about:
Light From Uncommon Stars - Ryka Aoki
The Kaiju Preservation Society - John Scalzi
Paladin's Grace - T. Kingfisher
The House in the Cerulean Sea - TJ Klune
In the Vanishers Palace - Aliette de Bodard
Uprooted - Naomi Novik
And read and disliked:
To Be Taught, if Fortunate - Becky Chambers
A Psalm for the Wild-Built - Becky Chambers
The Priory of the Orange Tree - Samantha Shannon
The Calculating Stars - Mary Robinette Kowal
The Space Between Worlds - Micaiah Johnson
How High We Go in the Dark - Sequoia Nagamatsu
Shadow and Bone - Leigh Bardugo
The Passage - Justin Cronin
(My pride insists I add that I have, in fact, read other books as well. Just to be clear.)
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sixofravens-reads · 5 months
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re: 2023 new releases. hope you're ready for a long message because there were a lot.
hot new releases/things that were relatively popular
He Who Drowned The World, Shelley Parker Chan (Chinese mythological historical, very gay, very stabby a la Baru Cormorant. Book 2 of 2. A particular favorite of mine from this year)
Witch King, Martha Wells (New fantasy book by author of murderbot fame. I didn't actually click with this one but I'd be remiss to leave it off)
House With Good Bones, T Kingfisher (Southern gothic rose horror by the very talented Ursula Vernon)
Translation State, Ann Leckie (high sf alien horror regency romance. Wheeeeee. I had a lot of fun reading this. You can read it as a standalone, but you get deeper context if you've read the ancillary justice series, also highly recommended)
Will of the Many, James Islington (futuristic roman empire aesthetic rigged murder school. Not precisely good but appallingly catchy, I read all six hundred pages in pretty much one sitting. If you liked red rising you'll like this, if you hated red rising you will Not)
OH YEAH THE ACTUAL NEW MURDEBOT NOVEL (System Collapse)
A Power Unbound, Freya Marske (book 3 of 3, magic alt edwardian romances with murder. This is more romance proper but it's about equal with the action plot and Marske is very good. I don't think you've read these so you'd have to start at book 1)
Some Desperate Glory, Emily Tesh (The book that absolutely knocked my socks off, my pick for the best sff release of the year. I forget if I've already told you about this one)
Starling House, Alix Harrow (Southern gothic house drama. Similar feel to Ninth House or The Book of Night)
The Adventures of Amina al-Sirafi, Shannon Chakraborty (Divorced lady pirate adventure-drama a la Arabian Nights.)
Emily Wilde's Encyclopaedia of Faeries, Heather Fawcett (Charming, heavily fairy tale trope themed, vaguely reminiscent of the Lady Trent books)
more obscure new releases from this year that I thought were cool, but not in the Hot New Reads You Can't Miss Because Everyone's Read Them category
Under Fortunate Stars, Ren Hutchings (sf timey wimey space shenanigans with aliens. Immensely cool premise.)
Small Miracles, Olivia Atwater (fallen angel sent to tempt a too good mortal. Extremely charming)
The King Is Dead, Naomi Libicki (vaguely persian flavored fealty romance, very heavy to the fealty. Original, thorny, and intriguing)
The Deep Sky, Yume Kitasei (What if we terribly traumatized everyone going on a generation ship by making them go to viciously competitive boarding school together and then act surprised when a murder mystery occurs. Heads up that it's more interested in the human drama than the SF worldbuilding)
The Saint of Bright Doors, Vajra Chandrasekera (early modern fantasy world anti-imperialism fever dream narrated by a cult survivor. Brilliantly written, spectacularly original, one of the best books I read this year)
Things for 2024, content warning for being (obviously) things I haven't read and thus without quality control
The Warm Hands of Ghosts, Katherine Arden
The Familiar, Leigh Bardugo
The Dead Cat Tail Assassins, P Djeli Clark
Long Live Evil, Sarah Rees Brennan
Goddess of the River, Vaishnavi Patel
The Woods All Black, Lee Mandelo
Exordia, Seth Dickinson
A Sorceress Comes To Call, T Kingfisher
Running Close To The Wind, Alexandra Rowland
Wow tumblr just lets me keep writing words. I didn't think they let me have this many in asks. Oh, and pro tip-- keep an eye out for tordotcom's most anticipated upcoming books for the first six months of 2024. They should be publishing it within the next week or so and I always add masses of books to my tbr from there.
oh holy crap, thanks!! I'll have to check these out!
thoughts on a few of em:
He Who Drowned The World - still have to read She Who Became the Sun lol but hopefully I'll get to em next year!
Witch King - Martha Wells has been recced by like All my sci-fi mutuals now lmao I REALLY gotta get into her!
House With Good Bones - THIS ONE IS ACTUALLY ON MY SHELF!! I just didn't fucking read it this year whoops. Very excited for new Kingfisher
Starling House - I was on the fence about this one since I really didn't like Once and Future Witches, but those comparisons give me hope! I'll add it to the library list!
Some Desperate Glory and Emily Wilde's Encyclopaedia of Faeries are 2/3 of the books published in 2023 that I actually managed to read (the 3rd is The Woman in Me lmao), I can't remember if you recc'd Some Desperate Glory, but it was SOOOOOOOO GOOD OMFG
Small Miracles - my aunt has been trying to convince me to read Atwater for quite a while, I'll have to give this one a try!
The Saint of Bright Doors - I have this one on hold!! Saw a post for it a week or so ago and it sounds absolutely delightful!
The Familiar - SO SO EXCITED for this one! I hope Bardugo is maybe...slowly....extricating herself from the Grishaverse and going to write more books not related to it... (not that they're all bad, I loved the Six of Crows duology, I'm just not into it anymore and I reeeealllly like her adult books lol)
Running Close To The Wind - oh yay new Rowland! I still haven't read her last book (the one with the guy on the cover who looked EXACTLY like my boss to the point where it became an Office Meme that [Boss] Is A Gay Romance Cover Model, still meaning to get a UK version of it but haven't yet) but I'll have to look this one up!
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ofliterarynature · 6 months
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OCTOBER 2023 WRAP UP
[loved liked ok no thanks (reread) book club* DNF]
The Sunset Years of Agnes Sharp | Conrad’s Fate | Hold Fast Through the Fire | All the White Spaces* | The Game of Courts | (Artificial Condition) | From Below | Creatures of Will and Temper | The Saint of Bright Doors | (All Systems Red) | Over My Dead Body | The Twyford Code | A Conjuring of Light | Small Miracles | A Murderous Relation | Realm of Ash | The Magicians of Caprona | The Hourglass Throne | Raw Dog | Graveminder | The Devil and Winnie Flynn
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
I am getting to this SO LATE, forgive me if I don't say a lot because I have forgotten so much. Work has eaten all of my time and energy against my will (should I get a new job? Probably). Anyways.
The Hourglass Throne - Will definitely need to reread this before the next book comes out (even thought they're all pretty well self contained for a series!) because WHAT? I have only half an idea what's going on, and no idea how to feel about the ending. Do I grieve? Not grieve? ??????? I think book 2 is still my favorite, but these books are addictive and a joy to read.
The Magicians of Caprona - I think at this point it's fair to say that I don't think DWJ could write a book that is uninteresting to read, but this is definitely my least favorite of at least the Chrestomanci books so far.
Realm of Ash - book 2 of the Books of Ambha series; I didn't like the first book in this series, why did I continue? Hope, that it would build on the things in the first book that I actually liked, and bring the sisters back together. It was better, I guess, but not in any way that really made me like it. I wish I'd followed my impulse and returned it to the library without listening.
A Murderous Relation - another Veronica Speedwell mystery, reliably enjoyable as always :)
Small Miracles - This was a DELIGHT. This was a fun romp (I'm told) in the vein of Good Omens, but with small stakes - and small miracles. The fallen angel of petty temptations is hired by an angelic friend to help the most sinless (and miserable) mortal have a little fun. But there's more to it than meets the eye, and the case gets tangled up the mortal woman's niece, pretending to be a school counselor, difficult family relationships, rants about chocolate, and inconsiderate siblings who rudely keep picking the same human gender as you. It's sweet, comforting, very queernorm, and a little romantic (f/gf)
A Conjuring of Light - I finished my Shades of Magic reread! Thank god. I was so thoroughly not impressed with books 2 & 3 this time around - they're just one book, divided in two, and I don't think it was divided in the right spot. It's so disappointing that these did not age with me, but you will also have to pry my copies away from me because they're one of the few books I've ever gotten signed in person (and the original covers are just cool). I fully intend to submit myself to the new spinoff series because hope never really dies lol.
The Twyford Code - This was such a strange and delightful book, that I'm not even sure I'm mad about the twist at the ending, I had such a good time reading it. (past me, listening: wow, this would have made such a cool fiction podcast, right? Joke's on me haha). I did honestly think I'd forgotten what this book was about for a bit, but then I was going through some old kid's books from my grandma that were *exactly* like the series in this book, and I had a big AHAH moment that delighted me.
Over My Dead Body - this was my first/nonfiction attempt at jamming in some spooky-ish books before the end of October. Overall, good. I did learn some new facts and there were some interesting parts; but I didn't always appreciate some of the author's commentary, and when it say's "America's Cemeteries," it really only means its urban cemeteries, which was a bit disappointing.
All Systems Red/Artificial Condition - Murderbot, my Beloved. rereading for the new book, and I'm trying my hardest to NOT do it on audiobook this time - and it's really worth it to read it in text, I promise, even if Kevin R Free's voice still echoes in my mind.
The Saint of Bright Doors - this was such a strange and wonderful read, I am so delighted to have read this, I love an unapologetically weird book. The vibe definitely reminds me a bit of The City & The City, or in some ways The Undertaking of Hart and Mercy; except I had other problems with those books and didn't finish them, but I did like this one. I know this won't be everyone's cup of tea, but maybe give it a shot.
Creatures of Will and Temper - another spooky book, and ooh boy could I go on an entire rant, I didn't want to finish this one but felt I had to for reasons. I'll let you look up the plot yourselves, but picture this: Victorian London, two sisters (one who likes swords!), and a whole lot of queer characters I wasn't expecting. I was delighted! Except you gradually learn every single queer character is involved with this club that has made a pact with a demon. What exactly does that mean? Who knows, because the book does not tell you until at least 3/4 of the way through, and we only have the word of the jacket copy and our sainted demon slayer, who is sketchy af the moment we get him alone. Turns out it's a chill demon who doesn't want blood sacrifice, cool cool, but maybe it should have been thought through a little more? Also the main/only successful romance in the book is between a 17 year old girl and a woman who is at minimum in her 30's, explicitly encouraged in part by the demon. hmm. Overall the writing and rest of the story was just ok, and the ending was disgustingly saccharine and just bad. Would strongly not recommend, but if someone wants my copy you're welcome to it. 2 stars.
From Below - another spooky book, and somehow still the most successful even though I didn't like it much. I almost DNF'd this in the first half, and while I wouldn't say I wish i had, I think my time could have been better spent. But really - if you are diving at an untouched ship wreck, that went missing with hundreds of unaccounted passengers and crew, in an area of the ocean entirely inhospitable to life, shouldn't one of the things you expect to find be human bodies??????? I got so worked up, lol, but once the spooky stuff started I had a better time.
The Game of Courts - new Nine World's novella! I love that Victoria takes the time to explore the various characters in her books outside of the main narrative. Getting to learn more about Conju ourside the current story was much appreciated, even if getting to see an outsider POV of earlier Kip was maybe the main draw. Probably not my favorite of the Lays novellas, but worth reading - and maybe a good starting place for those who are new to the series? Now if only I could get myself to read Derring-Do...
All the White Spaces - bookclub pick that got rescheduled to Nov (more time to reread Murderbot tho, so yay me). The description of this - trans guy on an antarctic exploration that goes wrong - sounded interesting, but it was kind of meh for me in the end. For one I was expecting more horror, but the description of "polar gothic" I've seen since really fits better. I also wasn't a fan of the supernatural explanation, and the whole thing felt hopeless from the beginning, once we got a grasp on the *actual* details of the situation, so I didn't quite know what we were here for. Not my cup of tea.
Hold Fast Through the Fire - NeoG book two!!!! This series is turning out to be very akin to the Tarot sequence in that they not perfect books or 5 stars by any means, but are so fun and addictive to read. This series is space opera, post-post-apocalypse where Earth has two colonies, and the series is about a team in the space!coast guard. Getting into the specific plot of this book isn't actually important, but there's a good 50/50 split on plot vs talking about our emotions!!! I love it, it definitely shows some improvement over book 1, even though I don't know that the author has got the POV's quite balanced out. Jenks is lucky I love her because her drama sure does keep taking over (and I cried so hard for her in this one you guys). Would recommend. Did I mention that almost everyone is queer?
Conrad’s Fate - a good book, but this is also the point where I really started questioning the recommended Chrestomanci reading order. I think chronologically it's book 2? And I'd already forgotten so much from The Lives of Christopher Chant, I do not understand and wish I'd read them chronologically. Much more fun than the Magicians of Caprona.
The Sunset Years of Agnes Sharp - I was SO excited when I saw there was a new Leonie Swann being published in english, even if it wasn't the sequel to Three Bags Full (which I read last year and loved). I was even MORE excited when the book opened and was being narrated by the pet tortoise!!! Alas, it was not to last, I did not get another murder novel narrated by an animal. That being said, still pretty good, it reminded me of the Thursday Murder Club (which I liked less), but probably won't be a favorite.
DNF'S - Graveminder and The Devil and Winnie Flynn were both books I own that I tried to fit in for spooky month that did not work out. Winnie Flynn I admit I dropped almost immediately, the vibes were peak bad YA and I wasn't going to torture myself. Graveminder I tried, because I liked the idea, and it wasn't bad per-se, but something about the way it was executed (and the many many POV's) just wasn't working for me. Might fit someone else better though.
Raw Dog I really wanted to like, because the history of hot dogs and a description/ranking of hot dogs are both extremely up my alley - and I did make it 40% in! But there were just a number of factors building up against this - the author's sometimes very (overly?) sharp commentary, my lack of interest in her dysfunctional life, the lack of any comparative rating system for the hot dogs, the food waste, and the sheer number of bodily excretions used as descriptors for the food finally tipped me over the edge. I could have kept listening but I didn't really want to. Perhaps for someone, but not for me.
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phynoma · 2 months
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Oh hi!
I'm Phyn! I write things. I'm not going to get into a bunch of identity stuff, but I'm queer, I'm an adult, and I like writing queer adult stuff. Mostly horror (see: queer) and absurdity (see: the world)
I have degrees in english, theology, and more theology, which just means I have a bunch of experience doing critical thinking and analysis of storytelling, and enough imposter syndrome that I don't know how to put that on a resume.
FANDOMS!
If you're already following me it's probably for Pillars of Eternity, TMA, or LOTR/Silmarillion. I cycle through hyperfixations every few years. It's still TMA/TMAGP right now. You can find my TMAGP sideblog here, where I just collect art.
Other things I like: Fallen London, everything by Pia Foxhall/not_poignant, re:dracula, SILT VERSES, Rivers of London, Murderbot, Critical Role, Saga, Wicked+Divine, anything by Neil Gaiman, I Am in Eskew, norse myths, egyptian myths, jewish myths, the dragonlance books (don't judge me they were foundational), pretty much everything Mike Flanagan makes, and much much more
WRITING!
I'm on ao3 as Phynoma! What do I write? Well. I write in-depth explorations of characters placed in harrowing situations which draw out the very inmost parts of their vulnerabilities and--
Smut. I write smut, okay?
Almost all of these fics are explicit and PLEASE FOR THE LOVE OF GOD mind the tags, I am *very* careful with my tagging for good reason!!!!
HERE YA GO, YA FILTHY ANIMALS!
The Magnus Archives:
I mentioned this is my current fixation, right?
an extant form of life: pollen fic! You could say, maybe, that the Consuming AU uses pollen tropes, but I'm counting this as my first-ever pollen fic. Jon/Tim, Jon/Martin, maybe Jon/Tim/Martin, we'll see if Sasha gets thrown in there. Ongoing.
Hey, Jude: A hurt/comfort fic about what happened after Jon shook Jude Perry's hand. Jon & Georgie & the kindness of strangers (not those strangers) Oneshot.
The Consuming AU: My pride and joy. My baby. I started this halfway through listening to TMA the first time and finished the original fic in about two months in time for the Rusty Quill Big Bang of 2023. Canon is basically the same, with the addition of "what if there was a Entity of Hunger, (fear of) Intimacy, and Codependence?" Also Jon is turning into a succubus. Main fic is complete at a little over 100k words. Sometimes I add one-shots to the series.
~Incredible bookbinding done by @bluejayblueskies HERE ~Art of human-looking Rhia (by me) HERE and commission of eldritch angel Rhia by @isbergillustration HERE ~Commission of Naadia by @dcartcorner HERE
Kittens & Kink AU: Fluffy Somewhere Else one-shots. Cat play. Mostly nonsexual kink. Oliver/Jon/Martin. Ongoing, until I get bored of it, basically.
Pillars of Eternity:
The In-Between Series: A series of fics following the relationship of Watcher Mirad and Aloth Corfiser, ten years or so after the events of Deadfire. The world of Eora is ripe for a new cataclysm, and these two elves are trying to finally have the relationship they've been dancing around for two decades. Ongoing, on hiatus as my hyperfixation is elsewhere. I do plan to finish it, though.
Moments: same universe and characters as above, focusing more on events that happen in canon-- ie, during gameplay. Complete.
Faetales:
Mat & Kal: Fae AU: You know how sometimes you keep writing characters and put them through a blender so many times that they just become something completely new? That's this AU. Mateo and Makalo are two ancient fae beings trapped in the human world during the events of The Ice Plague (by not_poignant) who become bound by each others' lives and deaths. They hate each other, they love each other, they're in weird psychosexual sadistic codependency with each other. They're a cat-person and a snake-person. I'm not a furry but I like some of their ideas, okay? Series complete.
See commissioned art of Mat & Kal by @shojoshark HERE
The Silmarillion:
Mistakes Were Made: Imma be real, this is just straight up torture porn. Sauron is punished by Morgoth after the loss of the Silmaril to Beren & Luthien. Basically, I was annoyed by all the fluffy Angbang fics I was reading and wanted to depict them in all their horrifying, codependent glory. Complete.
Cost of Surrender: I read a really good fic about what it took for Mairon to grovel/debase himself to Eonwe to gain his freedom and I took it a bit further. Complete.
Good Omens:
the beautiful and the fitting: pretty sure the title of this is a quote from St. Augustine, too. I almost didn't include this one because I don't even remember what it's about. Fluffy sex times with nonsexual beings, I think. I started writing it because Good Omens is one of my favorite books, but tbh the fandom for the show exhausts me and I don't know if I'll come back to this. Abandoned, probably.
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introducing language module 💿
some design details: its design looks a bit more like clothes than some of the other modules - this is cus a large part of its function is for interfacing with humans, and the rough internal logic of my module designs is clothes represent some connection to humans. Also I wanted to visually depict “languages” somehow - my first thought was like, an angel halo of mouths. But i realised if I went that route I shouldn’t just do mouths - there’s a different timeline where Lan just has multiple rings of mouths, eyes, ears, hands, and letters, but instead I went with CDs. I think they also fit better cus they’re more inorganic, and align more with what languages would be to robots. Its hands are floating/detached as a gesture towards that initial concept, though. 
[ID: A digital illustration of a feedsona of Murderbot’s language module. It has a rectangular head, with slots on either side where CDs are half-way slotted in. More CDs are floating around its head in a halo. Its wearing glasses, and its design resembles a vest over a long-sleeved button-up shirt with large sleeves. Its hands are detached slightly from its arms, and it looks mildly annoyed. /end ID]
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twilightofthe · 10 months
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okay i put all my cranky thoughts into a separate post that's now drafted and it made me feel better so i'll be able to watch this episode now lol but if it gets me worked up again i'm posting the rant i'm sorry i cannot be helped or changed or saved <3
ANYWAY AHSOKA EP 2
also i forgot to say so last episode but kevin kiner my ABSOLUTE BELOVED the return of the king is real so happy to have you here my dude the ending and full theme was absolutely gorgeous
anywayyyyyy so i am guessing sabine did not make like satine and survived her shish kabobing
well there's ahsoka
oh yeah there's bean she's fine she'll be fine xD
damn filoni really gave more handwaving to having a character survive a major impalement vs me twisting myself into fucking knots writing anakin getting run through lmao
ahsoka sorry but actually i'm gonna blame u for this you still kinda seem like a mess and i don't think you were a very good teacher to sabine and now ur dropping back in on her when she's convenient to you?
well at least we know why she's so adamant against training baby yoda lol
ope here's goth girl and the fuuuuck is his NAME again i keep calling him fucking bryan
i like the fancy sithy-looking sundial tho
pfff second ep is "toil and trouble" guess we're getting witchy!
OH YEAH WAS SABINE'S KITTY OKAY
THEY BETTER BE OKAY
I SWEAR TO GOD
yea ahsoka what happened to showing up in the nick of time and saving kanan and ezra from inquisitors in rebels u were slowwww girlie
OK GOOD THE CAT IS OKAY
that's all that matters
ope one more droid hanging around ezra's place
GIRL UR SITTING UP ALREADY?!
GIRL HOW CAN U BREATHE
we do love the mechanic girl of my heart
sabine does love her explosions
no huyang hera just likes explosions
sabine works best under explosive pressure we LOVE HER
ope back to corellia i guess? we can reuse the old solo sets?
sabine
you were just
impaled
"but she's not the one who needs to hear it right now" ahhh there's the sabine and hera dialogue. ugh but i'm still not used to natasha and mary i can just hear tiya and vanessa doing it instead :(
WHY DO Y'ALL KEEP MAKING SABINE AND AHSOKA ANGRY EXES TF
"ancient ppl from a distant galaxy" waaaaaaait are they bringing in those eu dudes
no wait i think i remember something about these guys that was mention as the big bad in the canceled animated rebels sequel
or it could just be the chiss lmao
that could be it too, makes sense why they'd want thrawn
ok that is some real cool galactic map visuals i am an absolute sucker for a good starmap
ok but wait how the fuck did y'all get a map to thrawn anyway did the space whales write it
also sorry morgan but i don't personally think thrawn would go for u nothing personal you are hot but you don't quite seem his type
waaaait is fucking thrawn gonna have force sensitivity now THAT would be absolutely hilarious and he'd hate it so much
who's marrok i have no memory
y'all you can't just make thrawn work for you didn't he only work with the empire cuz he had to because it would advantage his people somehow (has read zero thrawn novels and only seen rebels)
please tell me sabine is in the fucking vents of ahsoka's ship
THERE'S THE GHOST WHERE IS CHOPPER
I AM NO LONGER FUCKING ASKING
okay so i think my issue with Mary is she doesn't have any of the same authority and purpose Hera's meant to hav
CHOPPER
CHOPPER
MY MURDERBOT
MY SON
MY ANGEL MY EVERYTHING
Anyway
yeah
oh yeah harping in that the new republic is a total fustercluck
ew a capitalist
bro you know hera used to steal from people like you for the rebellion
sdlkfjsdk omg sabine's mom needs to talk to the teacher to keep her from getting expelled
but also y'all sabine is like 25-30 right now she's not a kid
@ ahsoka bitch you have no fuckin clue what you're doing doooon't talk about readiness
y'know maybe the imperial era just advanced medicine so later impalements don't kill people
oh oh so it IS ezra's!
sabine go find luke he'd love to have you
STOP WITH THE GAY DIALOGUE
ok so yeah she likely doesn't have force sensitvity
goddammit huyang neverMIND
so sabine IS force sensitive :) and kanan and ezra just never brought it up :) great :)
hera my beautiful ship nerd ily
bitch do NOT fuck with hera she has more presence than anyone ever
hera my dude you know better than anyone that if a ship wants to take off you gotta go try and stop it in person
ah i have been waiting like 5 long years to watch hera best pilot there was kick aerial ass
we STAN
chopperrrrrrrrr
oh yeah ahsoka's fighting an inquisitor too lmao
CHOPPER GET THEIR ASS
CHOPPER ADD TO YOUR KILL COUNT
ok this hera and chopper banter is perfect i do love it
VICTORY FOR MY GHOSTS
oh and good job ahsoka lol
aghhh sabine and her therapy cat i'm ;_;
theeeeere's sabine's mando armor
SABINE AND KANAN'S FUCKIN KNIFE I'M GONNA EVEN IGNORE THE BAD MULAN HACKJOB ATTEMPT
okay it seems like mary's kinda on and off for hera so far, she has her moments but she can't hold them
rosario keeps losing me i'm sorryyyyyyyy
natasha is doing GREAT
aaaaaand we redoing the end of the rebels epilogue!
god this makes me miss zeb
and kanan obvs but i've come to accept his death
zeb's still hanging around where is he!!!!!
ah all is right
sabine has her gay haircut back
here we go gay roadtrip to find ezra time
alright so i'm still not really vibing with jedi!sabine at All but i have concluded that this show is watchable but honestly not that good, writing-wise, sorry dave, so i think i'll be able to watch it with my brain turned off
goddammit first i thought the holograms visiting morgan were nightsister witch ghosts xD
RIGHT RIGHT HIS NAME IS BAYLAN NOT BRYAN
morgan stop simping for thrawn i guaranTEE he's not your type
oKAY
we are through with the two episodes! it is very late for me so i'm gonna sit and think on what i've seen so far and shitpost a little. i did really like seeing my rebels blorbos again even if the live action actors don't quite have their groove yet. obviously very excited to retrieve ezra <3 so yeah that was that and i'll be back for more next week!
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timetravelbypen · 7 months
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Book asks book asks!!
🫖 A book that is comfortable, safe, home
🎠 A whimsical read, strangely sweet
🐿 A series you'd like to have more and more and more of
Yay, book asks!!
🫖 A book that is comfortable, safe, home
*hugs my multiple copies of The Night Circus and sighs* :)
🎠 A whimsical read, strangely sweet
I think I have already waxed poetic to you about Beetle & the Hollowbones, but everyone on the internet, go read Beetle & the Hollowbones RIGHT NOW. (If anyone needs persuading, it is a spooky cute queer middle grade graphic novel, featuring reconnecting old friends and protecting new ones, and some of the most gorgeous colors around. Also, I would die for Blob Ghost.)
Also I think it might be slightly too literary to be properly called whimsical, but I just finished When the Angels Left the Old Country and it's fantastic. (Very queer very Jewish immigrant coming-of-age story, except with an angel and a demon who are best friends.)
🐿 A series you'd like to have more and more and more of
Hello yes I would like seven hundred Murderbot books. I will read about Murderbot forever and ever. Murderbot is life.
Thanks for the ask! :)
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penna-nomen · 9 months
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Tropes preferences
thanks for the ask @cultofsappho!
Rules: How much do these tropes affect your decision to click on a fic?
-10 -> very dissuaded 
0 - don’t care either way 
+10 -> very enticed 
nope -> if it’s a hard no and you’d never click on a fic with that tag or you even have the tag blocked or you’d insta click out of the fic if it wasn’t tagged. 
Bonus points for explaining the rating and whether it’s conditional.
Age gap: +5
Humans: meh
A vampire or a Timelord or an angel with a human (yes, we’re talking Destiel): yum!
Codependency: +7
I like it if it stays fluffy. If it turns dark, I’m likely to bail
Obsession/Possessiveness, jealousy: -3
Not really my thing. If it isn’t a big factor and I like the rest of the premise, I’d still read it
Opposites (grumpy/sunshine etc): +10
Classic. grumpy/sunshine, order/chaos, mundane/magic, loner/big happy (found) family. Love them!
Enemies to lovers, Enemies with benefits: +8
This ties well with the opposites above. Give me two people who think they are on opposite sides who are really a perfect fit – either as friends or lovers.
Enemies to best friends would be fantastic. I’d give that a +10
Friends with benefits: 0
Kind of tired of it. Not looking for it, but I’d read it if there’s more to the story
Sex to feelings: -5
I’d want to make sure it’s not tagged PWP
Fake dating/relationship: 5
The thing is, I started having ideas for plots as soon as I saw this category. So if someone else already wrote those plots for me, yay! But I’m thinking of twists. Fake friendship / relationship (like Red White & Royal Blue). Faking dating / friendship. Co workers who are rivals who fake date and then learn to appreciate each other and become an unstoppable team
If this is in combo with an Opposites or Enemies to lovers or Enemies to best friends, I’d be staying up late to read it
Friends to lovers: +1
Kind of tired of it. Not looking for it, but I’d read it if there’s more to the story
Found Family: +10
Yes! Combine it with Opposites or make it an Enemies to Found Family and I’m watching my email notifications to see if you’ve posted an update to this story
Hurt/Comfort: +7
Make the hurt mild. I get queasy if there’s a lot of violence and graphic details with the hurt. I think I need at least 70% comfort to 30% hurt
Love Triangle: -9
I’ve definitely walked away from stories that prolonged this. Decide already.
Poly, open relationships: +2
As long as it’s not tagged as PWP
Mistaken/hidden identity: +5
If this is like silly, Shakespearean comedy levels, I’ll bump this to a +10
If it’s angsty drama that could be resolved with a simple conversation, we start veering into negative numbers
Monsterfucking: 0
Generally no, but I did receive a lovely Regency tentacle monster fic in an exchange and I loved it. Humor will sway the score upward
Pregnancy: -5
Not an automatic pass if it’s an element of the story, but I wouldn’t want to read a story solely focused on this
Second Chance: +10
I have to give this a high score. I’m a fan of White Collar and Psych and The Good Place and Schitt's Creek and Murderbot, all of which featured characters making new beginnings, and of course a main element of Pride & Prejudice is Elizabeth giving Darcy a second chance. So yeah, a lot of fic in my fandoms has this
Slowburn: +8
I usually enjoy this, as long as it feels like the characters are making progress
Soulmates: +5
Soulmates, lovers or friends who are meant to be – I like it as long as it doesn’t get too convoluted. I like it more in combo with some of the other elements above like Opposites, Enemies to something else, or just humor in general
This was fun! Open tag to anyone else who wants to participate! I'd love to see your answers
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le-trash-prince · 6 months
Note
for the book ask: 10, 15, & 17
10. What was your favorite new release of the year?
System Collapse by Martha Wells! I know I was probably loudest about A Power Unbound, but I had a lot of personal feelings about System Collapse that I didn’t voice. The Murderbot Diaries have very quickly become my favorite book series, and I was introduced to them just after I learned I was autistic and started trying to unmask and had to begin processing a lot of trauma and grief and the utterly horrific experience of visibly falling apart in front of people who matter to you. I will be rereading this one many times.
15. Did you read any books that were nominated for or won awards this year (Booker, Women's Prize, National Book Award, Pulitzer, Hugo, etc.)? What did you think of them?
I read quite a lot! I’ll just talk about a few.
Even Though I Knew the End by C.L. Polk: sapphic supernatural noir. I LOVED this one, and it’s such a quick, easy, and fun read that I can’t recommend it enough. Perfect if you love ladies, angels & demons, and mystery!
Witch King by Martha Wells: I also enjoyed this one—not quite as much as Murderbot but I think I just need some more time with the world so I will NOT be complaining about more books in this series. I liked the MDZS influence, but I also liked that the story did its own thing.
A Psalm for the Wild-Built by Becky Chambers: This one and its sequel were soooo cozy. Tbh I was hooked as soon as I found out that it was about a tea monk and a robot, like hello this was written for me.
A Snake Falls to Earth by Darcie Little Badger: This one was really cute. I liked the storytelling, and I loved all the characters. The bits about the Lipan language were both heartbreaking and healing.
17. Did any books surprise you with how good they were?
YES, THE JASMINE THRONE BY TASHA SURI. I didn’t know anything about it when I started reading it—someone had just dropped it in the tags of a post of mine on sapphic spec fiction, so I got it from Libby and just started reading. And I was blown away! I don’t always have the brainspace for epic fantasy, but I do love expansive worldbuilding, especially when it’s not based on western european cultures. The plot was so interesting, the relationship dynamic was so interesting—there was so much to bite into in this book. I would recommend it to anyone who likes epic/high fantasy and also ladies.
Thank you for asking!
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tinx-methinks · 1 year
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Update to this post: tinx-reads-2023
Books I've read since last time:
K.A. Applegate: The Change, The Unknown, The Escape, The Warning, The Underground, The Decision, Megamorphs 2: In the Time of the Dinosaurs, The Andalite Chronicles, The Hork-Bajir Chronicles, The Departure, The Discovery, The Threat, The Solution, The Pretender, The Suspicion, and The Extreme. GOD she does Aliens SO WELL. I care about her Aliens SO MUCH argh. I didn't think I would like the Andalite or Hork-Bajir Chronicles at all but now they're all I can think about ahhhh!!!
Hide by Kiersten White wasn't super good... it felt kinda like the author was trying to rub her own back and the novel wasn't as exciting as I'd hoped.
The Legend of Beacon Swamp by Jacob Peyton had it's moments where it could have been interesting but it was so poorly written that any joy you could still derive from it vanished into the murk.
All Systems Red by Martha Wells was the STAND OUT FAVE from this group of books. All my homies love Murderbot.
Even Though I Knew the End by C.L. Polk wasn't bad and would've been more enjoyable if I'd just read it for what it was but I was thinking about some of the weirdness in the world building the whole time. I think the angels in this universe are evil and also the main character is kinda really bad.
Consequences by Aleatha Romig was pitched to me as erotica. Which it wasn't. Tried to make me think it was romance. Which is wasn't. And then the ending would've been good and interesting if the entire book hadn't been wayyyy too fuckin' long.
A Curious Beginning by Deanna Raybourn was a bookclub book that became a real slog. The main character was smug and mean and I really hated the twist in this book. I thought the author was English but it turned out she was from Texas which really shook me though.
Deadly Kiss by Ariel Marie was the first one in a romance series about lesbian vampire princesses. It was alright, but felt a little confused at times. I think I might take a look at the second one in the series though... it was charming and had some decent erotica.
As for Short Stories...
Kakekomi Uttae by Dazai Osamu was super interesting because I read No Longer Human last year and felt like this piece had SO much of the author's personal voice in the place of Judas.
Graveyard Rats by Henry Kutner which I read cause I'm hunting down the short stories from Del Toro's Cabinet of Curiosities with a friend. Neither of us thought this was very good, however. We both preferred the netflix adaption.
The Autopsy by Michael Shea was fantastic. I enjoyed this one a bunch. I ended up going through the episode again because of it and I love the changes that were made from the text but for me the text had sooo much more to offer with little details in mannerisms. Plus some of the thoughts about death as a personification just really worked for me. I liked this one a lot.
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smirk47 · 1 year
Text
Heyyy tag 9 people you want to get to know better meme
tagged by @sshepardcommander​ 🥰
alright let's see
Three ships: 3? ONLY THREE????! Three is not enough ships. errgh. UH ... ok, I guess if we stick to shows rather than books/podcasts/etc, and if we also just go with my three most recent ships I’ve gotten brain-rotty about: Robin/Nancy - Stranger things, Ava/Beatrice - Warrior Nun, and Laudna/Imogen - CR campaign 3. Alternatively, if we were to go with like, 3 FORMATIVE ships: Cabot/Benson - SVU, M/S - X-files, and Syd/Vaughn - Alias (plus an honorable mention to Buffy/Faith AND Buffy/Angel).
First Ever Ship: eyyyy - like @sshepardcommander​ I believe mine was also Mulder/Scully. I discovered fanfic for the first time because of them!
Last Song: some sea shanties last night because we were playing Ukatoa and it was ~thematic~ (and also fun!)
Last Movie: I think rewatching the Willow (1988) movie last week probably - hadn’t seen it since early 90s. Holds up surprisingly well! Last new movie was probably Glass Onion.
Currently Reading: re-reading Network Effect by Martha Wells because I’ve just been in a Murderbot-y mood lately
Currently Watching: Dimension 20 Starstruck Odyssey - I go through phases of being on the right mental bandwidth for various actual play shows, and right now I am DEEP into catching up on main cast D20 stuff
Currently Consuming: last thing I ate was a sausage egg and cheese sammich  on an english muffin (plus a bowl of salad to be “healthy” or whatever) for dinner. It was fantastic.
Currently Craving: Delicious birria tacos from the awesome food truck a few minutes away.
TAGGING people. (no pressure if any of y’all don’t wanna though): @dufrau @random-french-girl​ @diverboydmciver​ @itcameuponamidnightqueer​ @yarrowace​ @noblealice​ @hjea​ @bloomsberries​ @ariabauer​ (and anyone else who feels like it!)
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uovoc · 1 year
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I posted 3,382 times in 2022
That's 807 more posts than 2021!
493 posts created (15%)
2,889 posts reblogged (85%)
Blogs I reblogged the most:
bane-of-technology
earl-of-221b
mareliini
tanoraqui
chimaerakitten
I tagged 3,374 of my posts in 2022
#moon knight - 387 posts
#matthew swift - 262 posts
#the sandman - 177 posts
#murderbot - 172 posts
#patter - 134 posts
#natsume's book of friends - 116 posts
#bee and puppycat - 104 posts
#the owl house - 98 posts
#mob psycho 100 - 82 posts
#tumblr - 71 posts
Longest Tag: 139 characters
#which then raises all kinds of other questions like whether the body can keep going with just matthew or if it's being fueled by the angels
My Top Posts in 2022:
#5
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Posted August 24, 2022
#4
The enmity Between Dream and Desire is so funny Dream dislikes Desire on a personal level but respects that they play an important role in the universe just like him whereas Desire wishes Dream would go die in a hole and does their utmost to make that happen
Posted August 29, 2022
#3
Every time a girl breaks up with Dream:
Dream: Desire I'm in my gallery. Desire it's me. Desire did you do this to me. You did didn't you. Desire pick up
Desire [totally did it]: Nope. you're just an asshole. bye.
Dream: Elder sister I'm in my gallery. Elder sister pick up. Be real with me here. Am I the asshole
Death: Dream my sweet brother. I love you so much. You were 100% the asshole
Posted August 31, 2022
#2
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all right this one hit
Posted July 11, 2022
My #1 post of 2022
learning to cheerfully dislike other people is I think a critical component of getting along with people who don't like you. Like as soon as I got a solid grasp on the fact that there is a wide swath of humanity that gets on my nerves and that it's my problem, not theirs, it got easier to be around people I find annoying. Once that's settled, it's easy to flip the reasoning around and conclude that if someone doesn't like me, that's a quirk of their own strange and arbitrary tastes, not a judgment upon either of us as a person. You can't like everyone. Not everyone will like you. It's fine. It's not a personal attack in either direction. We can exchange cordial nods across the room and then go on with our lives
Posted October 21, 2022
Get your Tumblr 2022 Year in Review →
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garden-ghoul · 2 years
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from @unopenablebox!
Favorite color: feelin a rich wet earthy brown today
Currently reading: ninefox gambit. okay I’ll be frank the main reason I wanted to do this meme was to get people to rec me space books because I’m in the mood for space books. I’ve been rereading the silly little standards (murderbot, ancillary...) and I’ve recently been recced binti but my appetite for space books is somewhat insatiable.
Last song: the man I knew by dessa. no-one is doing songs about complicated horrible relationships like her.
Last series: I only ever watch tv shows when I’m too stupid for anything else so it’s some garbage little anime
Last movie: I would... I would never watch a movie. last one I can remember is angel’s egg
Sweet / spicy / savory: they GOTTA be in combination
Currently working on: desperately trying to please the reviewers whose problem with my manuscript is “just not enough DATA in general” and writing a novel about complicated horrible relationships in space lol
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lasersheith · 4 months
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January 2024 Reading Review
I read 7 books and 2 short stories in January and wanted to spew my thoughts into the void
The Books:
Witch King by Martha Wells (414 pages)
The Sunbearer Trials by Aiden Thomas (405 pages)
Holes by Louis Sachar (240 pages)
The Reapers are the Angels by Alden Bell (225 pages)
Feed by Mira Grant (571 pages)
Deadline by Mira Grant (581 pages)
Blackout by Mira Grant (512 pages) The short stories:
As Yet Unsent by Tamsyn Muir (26 pages)
The Mysterious Study of Doctor Sex by Tamsyn Muir (25 pages)
My Thoughts:
Witch King
I loved Murderbot Diaries so I was really excited to see Martha Wells also writes fantasy, and this book has a really cool magic system regarding witches and demons and demon offspring that can move their souls into different human bodies under certain circumstances. There are some cool things to think about in this book, regarding self image and reflection, friendship, love, sacrifice, family of origin, and family of choice.
I wanted to love this but I will absolutely settle for liking it. I thought the characters were all really great but something wasn't working for me in the pacing and the jumping back and forth between past and present. Individual scenes and story beats were great though. Somewhere in the 3.5-4 stars range for me.
The Sunbearer Trials
Very cute Middlegrade/YA meso-american mythology style spin on something like Percy Jackson meets Hunger Games. The main character is a young trans half god but his god mom isn't one of the biggest baddest coolest gods so he thinks he's a nobody and turns out to be the big special boy etc. It was cute, I liked how many queer characters were included and nobody made a big deal about it, and the bully character(s) didn't misgender or deadname anyone but were still assholes. There were some clunky trans allegories that could have just been text and some missed opportunities for better character development but overall I liked it and will definitely read the sequel. 3.5 stars.
Holes
I read this in like 7th grade and remembered it being really fucking good and turns out middle school also had impeccable taste. It's just a really good book. There's so much book per book too, we follow essentially 3 different converging storylines and fall in love with 5-8 wonderful characters all in the span of less than 250 pages. Absolutely 5 stars.
The Reapers Are the Angels
Woof. This is a book that takes place in several years after a zombie apocalypse and the main character is a girl somewhere around 16 years old that's been orphaned and her adopted brother died and she has to move on from her place of safety when zombies get to it. I know a lot of zombie books are supposed to be really dark and gritty and edgy but this one was just weird to me. I think there are things to be considered about the nature of humanity, obsession vs love, loss and grief, and pretty typical zombie genre themes and such here, but I didn't care for it. A generous 2.5 stars. Did not continue the series.
Feed/Deadline/Blackout
Also zombie books, a trilogy. Reading this in 2024 was bizarre at times. It's set decades after the zombie "apocalypse" where the US has basically "learned to live with the virus" and follows a team of reporters who score the job of reporting on the campaign of a republican presidential candidate. If you can make it past the soul-crushing comparisons to the state of modern US politics and public health, this is a very fun series. It's also grim and edgy and dark but never loses its sense of humor. It's weirdly more a political conspiracy series with zombies than a zombie series, but in a good way? Almost every reporter runs a blog with some kind of pun in the name. The author makes some BOLD choices and had me gasping aloud sometimes, crying other times, and laughing my ass off in between. Overall 4.5 stars.
Short Stories:
Both of them are from the Locked Tomb series and were perfect. You should read the Locked Tomb series. Seriously. It's so good. If you're reading this, you're on tumblr, so I know you have at least one of the following if not all of them: religious trauma, colonialism/imperialism trauma, at least one gay situationship that almost killed you, and/or a thing for hot girls with swords. 5 stars.
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