#monthly roundup

[sitp-recs]

12 fics I’ve enjoyed recently…

Last year I did a short-lived “weekly rereads” series to spread love for old favourites that kept me afloat when reading new things became a struggle. I was looking for ways to stay active and contribute to the fandom with minimal effort, and I found solace in revisiting fics that I hold dear in my heart. This year, spring brought the @dronarryfest to pull me back into reading mood. Fandom is starting to speak to me again after a very long time, and the euphoria hit me with inspiration to write this short rec post for my recent reads. I am joining the party a bit late but on the off chance these escaped your radar, here are some fics I’ve really enjoyed during my catch up moment in February/March, and a few I’m planning to dive into next. It’s so nice to be able to write comments and rec blurbs again! What have y’all been reading lately?

HP fics:

Wet Leather by @lqtraintracks (E, 492 words) - Harry/Sirius

I live for LQT’s rare pair drabbles especially when it’s for my beloved Sirry because nobody writes this ship like them. The A+ characterization always takes my breath away: so much tension laced with yearning, it feeds my horniest deepest Sirry cravings tripping between guilt and absolution. This short is full of heat, want and sweet indulgence, with the usual tenderness underneath driving me up the wall and making me soft and hot for these two. Also, “my drenched little pup” excuse sir I’m??? 🥵

Nightswimming by @sweet-s0rr0w (M, 5k) - established Drarry, Dron, implied Dronarry

One of my instant faves this year, what a masterclass in tension building! As always, I’m so impressed by sweets’ short form. The brilliant banter and relentless sexual tension put me at the edge of my seat praying for MOAR. The atmosphere is so captivating I could feel the temptation on my fingertips, and have I even mentioned Ron’s spot on voice?? Superb bromance dynamics, late night drive aesthetics, an impressive amount of characterization within 5k and a teasing ending full of promise, come and feast!

Borrowed Time by @the-starryknight (E, 7k) - Dron + Harry

Another delicious Dronarry treat, now showcasing established Dron, body swap, the sexiest UST you’ll see today and an incredibly satisfying payoff. Once again Starry delivers peak romance with their “hot & sweet” trademark mixing compelling dialogue, witty flirting and uncomplicated smut full of want but also trust, understanding and intimacy. Forget the maddening anticipation, the domestic slice-of-life tone made me swoon - the characters are so clearly fond and familiar with each other it’s only natural for them to come together like this.

Heart to Hearth by @jtimu (E, 7k) - Drarry

This fic is a breath of fresh air and I still remember how excited I felt reading it for the first time. I’ll never get tired of seeing Harry get utterly horny confused at an attractive and carefully guarded Draco being competent at his odd yet surprisingly fitting job. Repairman Draco is indeed mouthwateringly efficient with his long hair and coveralls, and their tentative and awkward dynamics are just excellent. Love the subtle humour, the bits of repair magic theory and the earnest slow burn, with a smooth progression towards deliciously indulgent smutty times. Amazing concept, perfectly executed.

Long Haul by @wolfpants (E, 8k) - Drarry

Wolf is killing it lately, loved their Dronarry but this fic stole my heart with the long haul love premise. The image of their encounter - Harry holding his passport between his teeth, Draco with Muggle headphones around his neck - stayed with me the whole night. Harry loves flying and connects with NYC for the same reasons I do, so this fic spoke to me in a very personal way. I love everything from the title and bold flirting to the scorching hot and intimate smut with smooth daddy Draco! Not too long ago I prompted Florence’s “End of Love” for Wireless - unknowingly, Wolf wrote the NYC fic I’ve dreamed about when I thought of it 💜

Permanent by @citrusses (M, 14k) - Drarry, Dron

I’ve always been drawn to time travel and Citrus set up a thrilling, mysterious mood that’s impossible to resist. I was deeply intrigued not only by the plot but also by the complexity of these characters - a belligerent Harry with daddy issues and a saviour complex (yes pls!), edgy and focused Hermione, perceptive and kind Ron charming his way inside our hearts, and a lonely Draco trying to make sense of the plot, handle his feelings and find his foot in the post-war world. I loved being inside his mind - such brilliant characterization - and seeing the golden trio through his eyes. This fic has a wistful, melancholy tone mirroring Draco’s longing for Harry that hit me right in the solar plexus. It is also a great Ron study, and I’ll admit that made me fall even harder for Dron. Finally, it is tender and devastating as all good things are. A brilliant read and an instant favorite.

Dick Chicken by @oknowkiss (E, 15k) - Harry/Draco/Ron

Believe me when I say this is the Seinfeld AU you didn’t know you needed because you don’t wanna miss out on this. Hands down one of the most entertaining fics I’ve read in a while, this is hysterical funny, witty and steamy. The perfect mix of crack-y and casually horny vibes with a quirky Draco, a lovable and relatable Harry, and a hot Ron who’s 100% there for the ride, this chaotic trio will pull you into an unhinged journey and you’re gonna thank them for that 🤣 superb Harry pov, a warm and playful atmosphere that feels intoxicating, and a glorious shower scene followed by a fake orgasm competition. You’re heard it right. Run don’t walk!

Knot Your Average Coworkers by @thecouchsofa (E, 22k) - Drarry

Office romance is my kryptonite and I couldn’t stop giggling as I made my way through this wolf!Draco treat. I was instantly smitten with the charming characters, the delightful silly knotting jokes 🌝 and the good old oblivious friends/coworkers to lovers dynamics that always gets me. Pining Harry wooing Draco through cooking is SO my jam, the perfect mix of sweet comfort & unbearable UST that fills me with joy and anticipation while also wanting to smash their heads together “kiss kiss fall in love” style. Yum!

Cargo Case by @sleepstxtic (E, 23k) - Drarry

This was such an exciting ride, I love the inherent yearning & intimacy of break up/make up stories and this case fic kept me engaged and rooting for Drarry (and Pansy/Parvati!) the whole time. It was wonderful to see them not being antagonistic after a break up for a change - there’s delicious ust, fabulous Draco & Pansy brOTP, not to mention their super cool job. I was as invested in the plot as I was in the romance, and I’ve had a really fun time following them around. Undercover boyfriends for the win!!!!

Truth to Materials by @toomuchplor, lately (E, 54k) - Drarry

Another fabulous plor fic as per, this artist!Draco story immediately won my heart with the hilarious opening scene and the perfect combo of Draco’s “brazen gay” voice and Harry’s “bi panic” mind. What a delight! Love the clever dialogue, the mood so chaotic horny but the humorous tone making me giggle my way through the delicious loo sex scene. Unique premise, great pacing, fantastic cast and charming characterization - this fic is so easy to devour it doesn’t feel like a 50k journey at all. The story is great fun, very engaging but also delivering multiple tender and heartkick-y moments. It checks all my boxes including our king Ron Weasley putting a banana into Draco’s sculptural arsehole 🤣 what else could I ask for?

Skybound by @xanthippe74 (T, 61k) - Drarry

As a longtime fan of Ghibli’s movies, I was over the moon to see one my own faves adapted to fit the HP universe. This is the Howl’s Moving Castle AU we deserve, a light, enchanting and fun read with a lovely smooth Draco and a lovely earnest Harry making such a great pair. I love how Xan played with the original material making adjustments here and there, and giving life to Timpsy, the apprentice elf with a whole subplot involving mistreatment of magical beings. Very sweet and creative read!

Other fandoms:

a man—with human flesh by spqr (E, 14k) - Paul/Duncan, Dune

I love that this author writes for all of my favorite ships, I feel so spoiled! This is (yet another) banger following the 2nd Dune movie and a fascinating dive into Paul’s fractured mind struggling between his long-standing affection for Duncan and the intrusive thoughts under BG’s influence. So intense, vivid and thought-provoking. I was hooked from beginning to end and deeply immersed in this universe. Love me a fic about emotional implications and complications while delivering excellent character studies, this is the shit I live for right here 🤌🏼

Next up on my to-read list:

Home series by @hoko-onchi-writes (E, 22k)

In which Draco grows up hiding and finds out he doesn't want to do that anymore. And he doesn't want his son to hide, either. (…). In which Harry grows up in darkness, falls in love, fucks up, learns some things, and falls in love again.

Passing Stranger by @lettersbyelise (E, 53k)

Five years after the war, Harry, listless and depressed, stumbles upon Draco Malfoy playing the violin in an underground bar in Muggle London. The catch? Draco lost his memories five years ago. Ignoring his friends’ advice, Harry befriends an unwitting Draco, overlooking the fact that their mutual attraction might not survive if Draco’s memories return.

The Star Splitter by @oflights (E, 219k)

On a routine time travel assignment to the past, Draco stumbles upon 7-year-old Harry Potter and witnesses his neglect and mistreatment by the Dursleys. In the moment, there is only one solution, even if it goes against all his training as a Time Agent: he has to bring Harry back to the future with him. In which Draco burns his life down for the sake of his former school rival.

#monthly roundup #Sitp recs #it’s been so long since I wrote a rec post 🥺 #feeling energized!

[somefanficrecomendations]

December Monthly Roundup

Here's December's fic round up!

DC/BATMAN

Worlds Saddest Breakfast Club by motleyfam   (gen)7k, Hurt/Comfort, Jason Todd-Centric Following a couple of Very Bad Weeks™ (which may or may not have involved being kidnapped and mildly tortured), Jason decides the best way to cheer himself up is to break into the Manor for a 3 a.m. snack. Turns out he isn’t the only one awake.

Batstream by RandomReader13 (gen), 6k, Bats on social media, Humor   “I want it on record that I think this is a terrible idea and I’m only doing this to mitigate the damage." AKA Red Robin decides it's a great idea to livestream patrol while Batman's off-world. It goes about as well as you'd expect.

cards on the table by wesslan (gen) 67k, WIP, Fortune Teller AU, Tim Drake-Centric  Tim's parents faked their deaths and fled the country years ago, but neglected to take him with them. He spent some time on the streets, and now at 16, he makes a living as a fortune teller, stalking and hustling the shit out of Gotham's elite by telling them eerily accurate fortunes based on the information he gathers about them.  His life is peculiar but he wouldn't change a thing. When he gets booked for the big Wayne Halloween party, however, he finds himself getting all tangled up with the Waynes, and the more fortunes he tells, the tighter the snare becomes.  or: Tim just wanted to scam Gotham's elite, not end up on the Batfamily's watchlist. But it seems they just won't leave him alone..

(a not so) lonesome town by wesslan   (gen), 10k, 2-part series, Sentient Gotham, Jazz music. Two works in which Gotham City is sentient and adopts enough kids to rival Batman himself (Batman is one of them).

Banshee in a Well by liverobinreaction (bugbee) (gen), 43k, Meta Tim, Resurrection Powers   Tim is five years old when he drowns in his parents' pool. He dies quietly, waiting for parents who love him, but will never be there, to realise that something is wrong. They never show up, and he sinks into oblivion.  When he wakes up and claws his way out of the water, the sun has set, and the lights of his house are on. He is cold and wet and his lungs burn.  But most of all, Tim is alone.  (If you die and no-one is there to see it, were you ever alive in the first place?)

HUNGER GAMES

right here in the old therebefore by californianNostalgia (Katniss/Peeta) 14k, Canon Divergence, Ghosts There’s a ghost at the Hanging Tree. Katniss sees him first when she’s six, her hair in braids, the song about the growing gallows fresh in her mind. This changes nothing. This changes some things. (In which Lucy Gray killed Coriolanus at the lake.)

How Rue Became the Mockingjay by aimmyarrowshigh (multi) 5k, Different 74th Victors AU Katniss Everdeen and the girl from Eleven are ruining their best-laid plans – the Capitol’s and the Rebels’. So Caesar, they say. Announce the change. An alternate chronology for The Hunger Games.

CROSSOVERS

Annabeth and the Nine Step Career Plan by feeling_the_aster_9145 (Annabeth/Percy), 76k, PJO x DCU, Annabeth gets Lex Luthor arrested, BAMF Annabeth. Annabeth Chase does not accept limitations. Everyone knows that. If she wants something, no matter how impossible, she will find a way to make it happen. Though, perhaps she will allow Bruce Wayne and his ridiculous paranoia-induced company restrictions a small portion of the credit. Actually… now that she thinks about it, the man may have had a point in his worries. Wayne Technologies does not accept college interns. Annabeth always has a plan B.

A Lesson in Superiority by Nation-Ustria (gen), 96k, WIP, Batfam x Harry Potter, Damian Wayne is Harry Potter, Wizarding Politics “The good news is, he’s not cursed,” Constantine says. “And the bad news?” Dick asks sharply. Constantine squints. “I wouldn’t call it bad news so much as, er, news.” He turns to Damian with something like a grimace. “You’re a wizard, kid.” “...I’m a what?”

#batfam fic rec #hunger games fic #percy jackson fic rec #harry potter fic recs #fanfiction #Tim Drake #Jason Todd #katniss everdeen #batfamily #damian wayne #Batman #monthly roundup

[schittscreekficrec]

Did you make a resolution to read more fic in 2024? Let us help you out with some recommendations from @scfrozenover! This was a great fest, gifting us with fantastic content to spend our holidays with. Thanks to the mods and writers and podficcers for bringing us so much wonderful content!

A Cold Winter's Night by TrueIllusion @trueillusion82 [david/patrick, T, one shot]

Merry Christmas, David Rose by lonely_ampersand @smblmn [david/patrick, E, one shot]

Late Fees and Future Dreams by @queenmabcreates [Patrick & Johnny, G, one shot]

Unexpected Places by iola17 @beaiola [david/patrick, M, one shot]

A Rose for Christmas by @lizzie-bennetdarcy [david/patrick, M, one shot]

Holiday Rosé by AuthorByNight @wearpersistencewell [david/patrick, T, one shot]

You taught me everything I know about exterior illumination by Characterassassination @characterassassination-at-9am [david/patrick, T, one shot]

A Schitty Blizzard Chronicle by @sasstrick [david/patrick, E, one shot]

Picture This by Turkey_Virgin @tyfinn [david/patrick, T, one shot]

@stereopticons also participated in the fest:

we’ll take a cup of kindness yet [david & rachel, G, one shot]

We hope you have a great 2024!

#schitt's creek fic rec #schitt's creek fic #schitt's creek #monthly roundup #sc frozenover #sc fanfic

[lostdrarryfics]

lostdrarryfics monthly roundup! March 2024

Below you will find the requests we could not locate in the month of March. Please let us know if you recognize any!

You can also browse our lengthy lost fic masterlist, where we have compiled every request we have been unable to find over the past few years. We're always hoping someone will recognize a fic so we can let the asker know what it was!

1. I read this at least 5 years ago. I think it was on ao3, eighth year, where Harry gets turned into a kid (around 7years maybe? Definitely under 10) and McG makes Draco take care of him. Harry has big scars on his back from the Dursleys and they cause him to have seizures (? Or something like spasms maybe that are painful) fic is not The Dragon and The Golden Baby by jolly_love, or Baby Mama Drama by Stars-and-Stones

2. multi chapter post war fic I read a while ago on Ao3. I remember that Draco had to get married? but definitely live with Harry in Grimmauld Place in order to avoid Azkaban. I remember one scene where Harry takes Draco to the burrow for Sunday brunch with the Weasleys plus Teddy and Andromeda. I think Harry was talking to someone else and Ron pulls Draco aside and starts threatening him about doing anything suspicious he’ll beat him up and send him straight back to Azkaban. (Something along those lines) This triggers Draco because he was also being abused during the war and caused him to have a panic attack bc it reminded him of the past. Harry meanwhile finally notices Draco is missing and finds him hyperventilating with Ron. He tries to calm him down but Draco faints. He takes him upstairs to rest in a bed and tells everyone that he appreciates their worries but if they do that again they’ll have to face his wrath (something along those lines) and that when Draco wakes up they should be kinder towards him. Another scene is (80% sure/20% I’m mixing this detail up with another fic) teddy seems to really like Draco and is always happy with him or crawling towards him. There’s a scene where teddy is crying and Draco is looking for someone to help Teddy, but no one is near them, so he does it himself and Teddy immediately calms down with him. After that scene, there’s short snippets of Draco playing or putting his attention towards Teddy, while Harry watches them from afar and it makes him happy they get along.

3. not sure if it's on ffnet or ao3, but basically harry is heir of ravenclaw, hedwig starts teaching The Ways Of the Dark and he joins voldy because he's in love with Draco. i believe it was set in 6th year, because the bathroom scene still happens, but harry does it on purpose to not give away his disloyalty to voldy. (spoilers: harry goes full to the dark side but only because of draco. he has no loyalty to voldy beyond what he can learn and what he has to do because, again, draco. he is very much dark tho, people try to bring him down). it's fast paced from what i recall.

4. dark fanfic, not explicit or anything such as sex (that I remember) I believe it was drarry, so I remember it was a dark fanfic one of the darkest ones I had read, it included some death eaters cutting out a little muggle girls heart (I remember this because I cried about it.)because her blood wasn't pure and they tortured others, I read it on fanfiction.net I believe, basically they decided to kidnap muggles and torture them for fun because they didn't view them as clean blooded individuals. Harry or Draco I can't remember watched this happen.

5. dark one on AO3: I believe Voldemort had won the war and the golden trio and others had decided to hide children in camps,They hid muggle born and halfblood children in a camp where it was discovered after a death eater raid that all the children in that camp were found and killed, Draco was not trusted at first but over time harry and everyone else trusted Draco and Drarry happened during the story and was the main shi, I also want to say tried to save a child screaming for help during another raid but the child was killed before he could but that could be a different fanfic and I don't know if it was part of the fanfic or not (I just remember it right now thinking about that scene it sounds like hell on and I think Ginny was dead in this sadly, and Draco was a spy for Harry and the others for some reason reason because I remember him being morally grey, however I have no idea if these are two different fanfics

6. dark drarry fanfic, anyway I don't remember much only that they were at the yule ball in fourth year and Harry was on good terms with the Malfoys I believe, Anyway I remember them talking about Draco's grandfather being apart the original death eaters (The Knights of Walpurgis I believe) and this was either in front of the other Slytherin's and I believe Lucius was there (maybe Narcissa also) or maybe Draco was the one who mentioned it but for some reason I remember Lucius being there, I'm really sure it wasn't Lucius x Harry (Lucius was more of a parental figure I believe).

7. dark fanfic on AO3: I believe Voldemort had won the war and the golden trio and others had decided to hide children in camps, the death eaters Drarry happened during the story and was the main ship. Voldemort won the war. The golden trio + others where hiding children that weren't pure bloods (such as muggleborn and halfblood children). All children in one in one of the camps were found and killed by death eaters during a death eater raid this was later found out during a protest against Voldemort. Later on in the story a child was exploded/killed in front of Harry and he couldn't do anything. A medical place was bombed where they had taken survivors of the raid and Harry didn't know if Hermione had survived. Draco was a spy for the order or whatever organization headed by Harry for some reason. I think children were enslaved by death eaters if they weren't pure bloods and were treated badly. Draco was morally grey in this or he had made bad moral choices

FOUND! 8. For Draco to be inciated into the death eaters he has to kill a little boy. The boy asks Draco to kill him for some reason I think so Draco will live. The golden trio or Harry don't like Draco. Harry gets mad at Draco later on for killing the boy. The boys body was burned. Draco is taunted by the boy's death and feels guilty for killing him. The boy's name is mentioned but I don't remember it

9. I’m pretty sure I read it on ao3 and Charlie brings a girl to the burrow for either Christmas or some other celebration and they observe Harry and Draco and how the Wesley’s ignore draco? And she thinks they don’t accept the gay relationship. I think Charlie is also gay if I remember correctly and asked her to come to help him come out? Pretty sure at some point draco and Harry tell their love story and all the weasleys have never heard it cause they never wanted to ask.

10. it was set during the war and I think Draco was either hunting for horcuxes with the trio, or staying with the order/spying. The 4 of them end up staying at the Dursley’s while the family are away and Hermione sews fish into the curtains (and possibly the furniture too?) as a way to get revenge on the Dursley’s for the way they treated Harry. Harry and Draco were definitely together, but this is the only scene I can remember

11. Draco and Harry are elemental mages. Draco is an ice mage and Harry a fire mage, and they are linked or something like that. They are childhood friends, I believe, and Remus and Sirius are involved. It is set at hogwarts, for sure, so not the fantasy au that comes up in searches. It was a wip on ao3 when I read it and the last chapter I remember involved Draco venting his powers in the shrieking shack and Remus being concerned about him, as they have been negatively affecting his mood/temperament as they develop.

12. top Draco/ bottom Harry. Harry wears panties and Draco finds out. No established relationship other than Auror and healer. I read it on A03 2 months ago. It’s one chapter long. I’m pretty sure Harry gets hurt and they have to take his pants off to address it and that’s when Draco, his healer, sees them. It’s a short fic and that’s basically all that happens I think

13. 8th year centered. post war. it's from draco's pov. harry and draco always meet at the astronomy tower. harry keeps inviting draco to do things together but draco always refuses. harry thinks that he and draco are dating but they aren't. there's this scene that harry and draco are at the astronomy tower and harry invites draco to hogsmade. Draco refuses because the thinks it won't be a good idea to people see them both together. Harry says it's no problem but that he really wants to be able to tell Hermione and Ron about them. Draco asks what he's taking about and Harry tells him it's about their relationship. Draco goes like: WHAT??!! and asks Harry since when they are dating.Harry says since when he thinks they are dating and i think Draco comments about how they never even kissed. Harry says something about how he thought Draco wasn't ready yet and realizes that only he thought that both of them were in a relationship. He goes to apologize but then I think Draco kisses him or something. There might be a part where Harry teaches Draco how to cast the patronus but maybe i'm mixing two fics up. i read it on Ao3 and that is chaptered and longer than 20,000 words

14. Harry has a twin, and they were separated at birth. I don't remember if it was a no magic au, sorry. Anyway, Harry's twin was raised by Sirius (lily and James are still dead) and Harry by Bellatrix. They meet for the first time in summer camp for troubled youth, and shenanigans ensue because they're identical. I know one of the twins ends up with Draco, and the other one with Fred. It was incomplete, I think.

15. it was a professors fanfic where draco and harry worked together at hogwarts and i remember they didnt like each other, and i also very much remember that draco lived under some sort of aquarium under the great lake inside the common room. this seems really odd, because im sure my memory is wrong but i remember reading specifically that it was underwater and that it was located somewhere in the common room of slytherin.

16. I don't remember much of it but what really does stand out to me it's that I'm pretty sure it was already complete 'cause I remember it having a proposal in the end of it and pretty sure it was on Yule and I remember that there was I think at least Molly bashing? Anyways, it had something to do with Molly stealing from Harry and Arthur only finding out about it much later and actually being invited to the Yule celebration! And pretty sure one of the background pairings was Sirius/Charlie. It wasn't Lily's Boy, I'm sure of it! And I'm pretty sure it was Sirius/Charlie 'cause I remember it having a scene in a forest, where Dumbledore took Sirius and Charlie and that's where their relationship began. I think they were hunting Horcruxes? Or doing something like that.

#monthly roundup

[blysse-and-blunder]

in lieu of a reading week

11pm, tuesday, feb 20, 2024

hello beloveds. just wrote two increasingly passionate paragraphs about what social media and my use of it over the years has done to benefit my life, and got so genuinely moved that i had to come talk to you about it.

reading really wild mix of reading material of late. surprisingly high amount of YA, because people keep recommending me things and i keep going 'sure, let's try it!' so i'll use that as an organizing principle and save discussing some of the others for a future post. in order of completion:

firekeeper's daughter, angeline boulley, read by isabella lablanc. finished in a rush, very engaged in the last three-four hours. i was never prepared for the next thing this plot threw at me, though in retrospect saw how it all made sense. i didn't know a thing about it going in, which i think actually enriched the experience a lot, but for a novel set in michigan's UP and sugar island, it resonated with a lot of things i associate with ontario after living here for five+ years. the hockey, the ojibwe /anishinaabe names and cultural connections, the murdered and missing indigenous women. but it also mixes in elements reminiscent of, like, braiding sweetgrass (and tangentially mexican gothic) and various fan fiction tropes i recognized in their shape if not their execution. highly recommend the audiobook-- they cast the audiobook's narrator very carefully, and she does a superb job juggling the mix of scientific jargon, teen narrator unreliable/dramatic narrator (loving), and Anishinaabemowin.

castle in the clouds, kerstin gier, translated by romy fursland. maybe 33% through. it's giving grand budapest hotel and somehow also the princess diaries? it's also reminding me somehow of, like, the kind of novel i wanted to write as a second or third grader, which means eva ibbotson, and a particular flavor of plucky, intelligent heroine. i was hooked by the first page+ but have yet to see a ton more of the same high action and suspense, and have let this one slip a little further onto the back burner. it's cute escapism at the moment, though that may change.

fourth wing, by rebecca yarros, read by rebecca soler (and apparently also teddy hamilton, although i haven't gotten to him yet?) about 25% through. trying desperately to give us a gritty, hardcore, new and dangerous and fun take on dragons and their human riders, while also trying to be idk divergent? the hunger games? there's a love triangle, the protagonist has naturally ombre hair, the premise of the novel is brutal training where young adults are all dying in improbable droves due to how cutthroat and brutal it is. a testament to the narrator that i am, despite myself, having a great time. there are a few too many supporting characters who want our main girl straight up dead for me to really find the threats believable, but i'm intrigued by the prospect of alternate versions of this world's history than what she has learned and a potential for discovering how their kingdom has? manipulated them? could be asking too much.

fairest, gail carson levine. finished in a long saturday morning spent reading in bed. i was such an intense and dedicated fan of the original ella enchanted novel that i couldn't read most of levine's other books (exceptions for her short stories made grudgingly) because they weren't sequels and weren't the same and wouldn't be as good. in fairness, reading this now as a much-older-than-the-intended audience, perhaps i was too harsh-- but i think little-me was right to be a little suspicious. it's a snow white retelling, and again i think largely successful in building a more detailed plot in which the elements of the retold fairy tale are embedded, but where the focus in ella was on language and obedience and free will, here we're trying to articulate things about beauty and body image, and it's harder to say that it really succeeds? i like that we gave the Wicked Queen more nuance, positive and negative qualities, moments of sympathy, a name and a precarious political position. i was not nearly as charmed by the romance (fine, fine, it's not ella and char but it couldn't be, it's fine). i still love the use of unfamiliar / fairy-tale languages and how levine puts them on the page in such fun spellings. probably aimed at the youngest audience, of the four titles here, but treats its reader as almost more intelligent than fourth wing, possibly? YA from ~twenty years ago was a different world.

listening graded like twenty quizzes today with just a mess of random panic at the disco bumping in my headphones. it's a hell of a feeling, etc. i'm halfway through this particular round of grading, and they're doing so well, so it's mainly a quick check to make sure they got the basics right and i can jam while doing so.

watching spent a very pleasant ~2 hours yesterday watching as much as we could of the film amadeus with @hematiterings, @pep-squad-lizzie, and @dimir-charmer. love a film that isn't afraid to lean into all its sensory indulgences, and to be a little heavy-handed with its symbolism (the chocolate is about repression!) and to, just generally, spend money on costumes, locations, hiring lots of extras, and so many wigs. there's a live event performance of this film with orchestra + choir being advertised all over our subway right now, so it does very much feel like we're being followed by this guy:

...but what's sticking in my head right now is the costumes.

playing 41+ hours into hollow knight. i have opened half of my stag stations! i have the dream nail, surprisingly early i think! i have saved bretta! i have somehow missed the mantis lords, i think, but have made it to the city, the resting grounds, and have now been throwing myself fruitlessly against the crystal guardian and a soul warrior in alternation. i am...not good at combat. current plan is to grind to get quick focus, and i'm close! also, @spoonierbard stepped in and gave me a much needed morale boost by winning me the final mask shard necessary to get increased lives, which has helped tremendously, and the grubs rewarded me with the grub song charm which has helped tremendously.

making many potential projects, none executed (or even really attempted). soon, hopefully. fallow section for now. does music count? music counts, right? i joined a second choir! enticed by the chance to perform mozart's requiem in full with an orchestra, and finally fulfill the broken promise of 2020. that's my hobby right now. oh i also just cleaned out a ton of storage in my phone + icloud, which felt generative in its own way. besides backing things up better than i have in a while.

working on submitted the travel money application i've been thinking and dithering about since...this time last year? no real expectation of getting it, but it did actually help me consider some next steps in the diss, so that's nice. now prepping to take my class on two fun on-campus field trips next week, one to the manuscript library and one to the medieval collection in our little hidden art museum! i need to write some notes up for the TAs and docents to use, and finish organizing my list of desired manuscripts, like, yesterday. midterm grades posted today, a little late but hopefully not too bad, still well before the drop date. the aforementioned quizzes (i have like 28 more to grade, but they're reasonably painless). plus i was going to work on my fucking dissertation this week, and prep to teach the next few lectures in advance so i'm not scrambling monday nights, plus send a bunch of emails, design a CFP poster, put in some RAship hours so i can speak intelligently in my meeting tomorrow, and....prep for the guest lecture i'm giving on the 28th! it's a reskin of the conference paper i gave this summer, freshly edited, but i need to expand the intro bits to include a useful overview, since these students aren't a conference of celticists.

weirdly at peace with how my work-life balance is balancing right now, though. it's the extra sleep and the increased sunshine, and the little cat who is being so so whiny right now. i must conclude these lines and feed Herself.

#in lieu of a commonplace book #ilcb #going to cave and admit the truth and tag this: #monthly roundup #click for gratuitous cat pic featuring: housemate blurred for anonymity #Spotify

[marveltrumpshate]

January 2024 MTH fills

The best way to see all the fills that have been shared with us is our monthly roundups tag or our #MTH-fills channel on our Discord, but you can also view them through the following methods:

Our Tumblr tags: 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023

Our AO3 collections: 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023 (only has works posted to AO3)

Completed works tag list

To find specific content, use our completed works tag lists above which includes instructions on how to search for a particular character, gen or romantic relationship, universe, and fanwork type. 

SOLO CHARACTERS

Goose

@secondalto - Cross-stitch piece of Goose for @rivetheadgirl

GEN/PLATONIC RELATIONSHIPS

Pietro Maximoff & Wanda Maximoff

Lalaith Quetzalli/@lalaithquetzallicaresi - Mood board for rufferto9 for their fic, "An Archer's Tale"

SHIPS

Arthur Harrow/Khonshu

@tiptapricot - "Consummation of Consumption" (MCU Arthur Harrow/Khonshu fic about unhealthy, codependent sex featuring religious fanaticism and devotion) for @lintillathearchaeologist

Bruce Banner/Tony Stark

heyjupiter/@twentyghosts - "Under the Tuscan Mistletoe" (Bruce/Tony 1990s non-powered AU fic where Bruce and Tony have a holiday fling) for @kalika999

Bucky Barnes/Clint Barton

@claraxbarton - "Running Start" (Bucky/Clint non-powered soulmates identity porn AU fic) for Col1999 (MTH 2022) - "where we go" (616/MCU fusion Bucky/Clint asexual relationship fic) for @foxprints (MTH 2022)

Lalaith Quetzalli/@lalaithquetzallicaresi - Fic cover for @rufferto9 for their fic, "An Archer's Tale," a Clint/Bucky werelion AU - Mood board for rufferto9 for their fic, "An Archer's Tale," a Clint/Bucky werelion AU

Bucky Barnes/Darcy Lewis

@anonymousmink - Art of Bucky cuddling Darcy from behind in bed for @bekala

Bucky Barnes/Howard Stark

@ruquas - A wartime epistolary fic in the form of handwritten letters between Bucky and Howard for @fuckyeahhowardstark

Bucky Barnes/Steve Rogers

blackthorn_possum/@possumwoodpie - Podfic of "Surprise of the Night," a 1930s Bucky/Steve fic where Bucky and Steve go to watch a blue movie by and for lou2

Clint Barton/Phil Coulson

@cakeisnotpie - "All the Difference" (Clint/Coulson AU fic where Phil is a homeless vet who crosses paths with Clint, who takes contracts to go after bad guys) for @oper1895 and stillcentre

Jake Lockley/Marc Spector

@tiptapricot - "Warm Pipes" (MCU Jake/Marc shower fic where Jake helps Marc find their body again) for @rufferto9

Loki/Mobius

Lalaith Quetzalli/@lalaithquetzallicaresi - Loki/Mobius edit of them smiling fondly at each other with the phrase "Wherever you are, that's home" for @t0nystark1er

Steve Rogers/Tony Stark

Juulna/@juuls - Podfic of "felt with your two hands," a post-Endgame Steve/Tony fic where Tony helps Steve shave by and for @ishipallthings - Podfic of "lonely rivers flow to the sea (Topographies Remix)," a post-AoU Steve/Tony mutual pining fuck buddies fic by and for @ishipallthings

@longhornletters - Beta service for "Behind the Mask," a Steve/Tony Noir/Civil Warrior identity porn fic by and for @gottalovev (posted December 2023)

#monthly roundup #january 2024 #mth 2022 #mth 2023

[not-poignant]

November 2023 Writing Round-Up

Here's the monthly round-up of everything written and posted in November 2023! What a HUGE month it's been!

Underline the Black 68

Underline the Black 69

Underline the Black 70

Underline the Black 71

Underline the Black 72

Underline the Blue 05 

Underline the Blue 06

The Nascent Diplomat 38

The Nascent Diplomat 39 (Augus+Gwyn Tier+)

Underline the Blue 09 (Augus+Gwyn Tier+)

Underline the Blue 10 (Augus+Gwyn Tier+)

Constellations 03 (Gary+Efnisien Tier+)

Chapter Commentary - Underline the Black 29 (Mosk+Eran Tier+)

Chapter Commentary - Underline the Black 30 (Mosk+Eran Tier+)

Game Theory Edit - Chapter 3 (Gary+Efnisien Tier+)

Game Theory Edit - Chapter 4 (Gary+Efnisien Tier+)

FANFICTION

A Stain that Won't Dissolve 25 (Alex/Sebastian, Stardew Valley)

A Stain that Won't Dissolve 26

Palmarosa 09 (Astarion/Raphael, Baldur's Gate 3)

Palmarosa 10

Palmarosa 11

*

Thanks to NaNoWriMo, I wrote 62,000 words this month. It would have been a lot more, but some real world stuff came and rained on the parade a little. The next two months will have a slimmer schedule to conserve energy and health. :)

*

In November, I realised how powerful my Ream account can be going forward (a mirror subscription of Patreon that cleans up very nicely, with its own in-built e-reader), and that has inspired me to create books or compilations of all of the previous Chapter Commentaries so no one needs to search anymore to find them all. They're (almost) all now in book or compilation form at both Patreon and Ream. I will eventually be doing this for Song Spotlights and more :D

I've activated Collections over at Patreon, so for folks looking to quickly find things who don't want to scroll a lot, they can check the Collections tab!

MERCH TIER RELOADED: I've also revamped the Evan+Vexteria tier, so it's now a merch tier as well. Not only do you get everything in the previous tiers, but you also will get a merch drop every 5-6 months, as long as you've been subscribed in that tier, during that 6 month period, for four consecutive months. The first merch drop went out about a week ago.

*

On the writing side, I started strong with NaNo, but hit the wall after about 60k. It's been rough. I'll be taking care of my health over the next few months in a more conscious and deliberate way.

Constellations is officially launching on AO3 in December!

For those who remember the Merchantverse novel Tradewinds, this is coming in book / e-book form to Patreon and Ream only in the Gary+Efnisien Tier or higher. It is a completed Fae Tales Verse story, that focuses on merchant fae in the southern hemisphere, and Seelie vs. Unseelie merchant traders. This will come either in December 2023 or January 2024.

*

Sending out love to all who are enjoying the stories and worlds, and to those who contribute to this writing existing in whatever forms you do. I'm endlessly grateful. If anyone ever has any questions about Patreon / Ream etc. or the Schedule and so on, let me know and I'll help out. :D

I'll see you all in December! Which is now! We've just passed our first heatwave, which saw a fire severe enough and close enough to the suburbs that several members of my family needed to evacuate. They are safe, thankfully. My flowers are doing well, and I've kept everything alive despite the heat, and the stonefruit is officially in season. Cherries, nectarines, peaches, apricots and more? Summer might be oppressively hot, but the fruit is wonderful.

#housekeeping #monthly roundup #monthly round up #schedule coming next!!

[fibula-rasa]

Favorite New-to-Me Films: December ‘23

(in order of collage above R to L)

The Man Without Desire (1923) [letterboxd | imdb]

Somewhere in Dreamland (1936) [letterboxd | imdb]

A Christmas Carol (1971) [letterboxd | imdb]

Tři oříšky pro Popelku / Three Wishes for Cinderella (1973) [letterboxd | imdb]

Our Hospitality (1923) [letterboxd | imdb]

少女革命ウテナ アドゥレセンス黙示録 / Revolutionary Girl Utena: The Adolescence of Utena (1999) [letterboxd | imdb]

---

In December, I created themed still and gif sets for The Hobbit (1991), It’s a Gift (1923), The Life and Adventures of Santa Claus (1985), and The Curse of the Cat People (1944).

Coming up this month on the blog, I’ll resume the Lost, but not Forgotten series and post a full round-up for 2023.

Also, thanks to the gracious people who contributed to my ko-fi and gifted me supplies from my wishlist, one of my dream cosplays, Nazimova in Salome (1923), is soon to become a reality! So stay tuned for that!

#2023 #monthly roundup #1920s #1923 #1930s #1936 #1970s #1973 #1971 #1999 #1990s #animated movies #classic film #classic movies #film #silent film #american film #silent movies #silent cinema #silent era #czechoslovak cinema #japanese film #japanese animation #silent comedy #fleischer studios #buster keaton #british film #ivor novello

[brickcentral]

Monthly Roundup

Hello everyone, it's time again to look back at the last month and summarize the happenings in the monthly roundup 👋

At first we gave shoutouts to these community members:

@andi_nugroho.art @legohabit @ness_bricks @nicky_sunsun

Monthly Theme 🏆📸

This month things got adventurous! @monsieurkek took us on adventures in his #bc adventurer theme. 🔦🗺🧭

There were a lot of great adventurous photos to look at and @monsieurkek picked a great winner! 🔍

Congratulations to 🏆 @photomark6

Also, the community vote is open, so don't miss your chance to vote for another winning photo on our Discord.

Tips

Also, this month @thebrickdwarf gave us some great tips about creating effects by placing objects in front or at the back of the main subject. 

You can find the tips on our Instagram account Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4

and soon on our blog too!

In line with this, there will be a small challenge on our Discord again next month, so go ahead and read the tips. 

More info about this soon on our Discord!

Features

Also, @sarouxbastoux did his best this month to bring you some beautiful images and photographers in the features. 

At this point I would like to remind you that you should tag your pictures with #brickcentral or even better, share them on our Discord too, so that our feature mods have a change to find your pictures.

Artis Spotlight

@theaphol also introduced us to another great LEGO photographer this month and featured @archiminibricks in our artist spotlight. 

Photo Essay

We also had two wonderful photo essays this month. 

First, @photomark6 showed us a great story about the LEGO CITY 60347 Grocery Store set. 🛒🥕

Second, @alexandrecoelho conjured up a great setup around LEGO CITY stunt sets and presents us the "Lunacy Wheels stunt show". 🏍🏁

Furthermore, he has shared an exclusive BTS with us!

Thanks to all of you for your contributions this month!

For the next month i’ve thought about a great topic for the monthly theme and i’m looking forward to see your creations. Charge your camera batteries, get your LEGO bricks & figures ready and get excited! 📸

Also, @monsieurkek will be responsible for the features and show you some great photos from the community. 

See you next time! 

@joschka-vanderlucht, Community Engagement Mod

#brickcentral #lego #lego photography #photography tips #monthly roundup #afol #minifigures #brickcentral adventure

[srkgirlblogger]

things i enjoyed reading/watching/listening to this september:

articles

shah rukh khan and masculinity in the modern age by prathyush parasuraman

kudmayi's rousing outro in rrkpk is indicative of pritam's shifting sensibilities by prathyush parasuraman

when will tamil cinema give us a happy queer romance? by deepan kannan

a few favourite things by baradwaj rangan

the spirit of rangeela, at 25 by baradwaj rangan

tribute: hrishikesh mukherjee by baradwaj rangan

review- "omkara" (2006) by baradwaj rangan (heed spoilers if you haven't watched this film)

‘jawan’ is being called a ‘mass movie’ – but what does this term really mean? by nandini ramnath

tollywood's kingmakers by rohitha naraharisetty and divya kandukuri

youtube

how to survive a writers' strike by entertain the elk

in defense of nicolas cage by in praise of shadows

hunger hurts: cannibals and why we're obsessed with them by lola sebastian

sofia coppola shares her rich film archival by w magazine

weaponizing aaliyah and the culture of female rivalry by yhara zayd

beef: a response to toxic positivity by quality culture

'super shy' and 'new jeans' are like nothing i've ever seen by jordan orme

behind the scenes of 'some like it hot': secrets, scandals and marilyn's mystique by matt baume

baaje payal with meenakshi seshadri by DD National

the making of 'valley of the dolls' parts 1 & 2 by be kind rewind

movies

"Guide" (1965) dir. Vijay Anand

"Puss in Boots: The Last Wish" (2022) dir. Joel Crawford

"Band Baaja Baarat" (2010) (rewatch) dir. Maneesh Sharma

"A Nightmare on Elm Street" (1984) dir. Wes Craven

shows

The Afterparty (2022-)

Moral Orel (2005-08) (rewatch)

(my serializd account)

music

"Guide" by S.D. Burman (the Spotify version sucks, every song sounded better remastered and visualised on the big screen)

"Bollywood Bops for Manwhores" by meeeee :p <3

"Dil Se" by A.R. Rahman

"The Land is Inhospitable and So Are We" by Mitski

#monthly roundup #articles #video essays

[nikrei]

March Comics Round-Up

For my own edification, here's what i read during March:

JLA (224-257) (1984-1987)

Okay the transition of the justice league from focusing on world ending threats to street level is both hilarious and the stupidest shit i have seen: it's the fuckin justice league. They have other comics to be street level in. I like all the new characters but its just such a funny direction to take the justice league in. Also the reason they give for switching up the team is that they want full time members, not part time, but then it only takes like 15 issues for them all to be broke and hunting for day jobs.

Fury of Firestorm (1-42) (1982-86)

Ronnie and Martin continue to be a delight, i continue to hate Ed, and Lorraine is my baby girl.

Saga of the Swamp Thing (1-50) (1982-86)

Issues 1-19 are Not Great and also I hate martin pasko now, but oh wow does alan moore's run make up for it, it is so so good. If you are not completionist scum like me just skip to issue 21. (Issue 20 is where moore wraps up all the problems pasko made)

Blue Devil (1-19) (1984-86)

100% a comedy and a breath of fresh air from all the super serious drama going in all these other runs. Dan is definitely not a hero no sir and I love him.

Jonni Thunder (1-4) (1985)

She is The Most hardboiled wet cat detective of all time, if you like noir at all plsplspls read this it's only 4 issues. If you are reading Infinity Inc please read this she shows up in that halfway through and you will love her so much more if you know how much of a wet cat she is.

Deadman (1-7)(1985) but actually (1967-68)

Apparently a reprint of Strange Adventures 205-214, which i didn't realize till i looked it up, like, this seems like it's from a lot earlier than the 80s.... and it was! Actually its the 60s introduction of Deadman. I enjoyed it but it is... very 60s....

Red Tornado (1-4) (1985)

Hes my guy and I love him but this is very much a continuing sort of story for him rather than an intro or standalone so not recommended unless you are already into him.

Crisis on Infinite Earths (1-12) + all tie-ins (1985-86)

Second read thru of coie but the first with all the tie-ins as well. I Love this event So Much and hugely recommend it for anyone into this era but man it has a problem with killing off all the girls (Kara gets a lot of screen time and respect, but Tula, Lory, Helena, and Kole all get one panel or offscreen deaths which sucks) and also overall I don't like how the reset treats the wonder fam (everything to do with earth-2 wonders (justice for lyta omg)) and basically killing/erasing earth-1 wonder woman (returning her to clay, erasing her, her (married during the crisis) husband, and her version of themyscira) in a way that seems solely calculated to keep Diana young and pretty and also destroy her damn legacy (space titan donna retcon I am looking at you).

Amethyst Princess of Gemworld (1-13, 1-17, 1-4) (1983-87)

Read one issue of this as a coie tie in and had to read the whole thing. Its amazing, I love it, it is the ultimate pre-teen girl power fantasy (at least in the first run including all the blood). If I had been introduced to this in th 9-12 range I would have gone fucking feral (the only thing its missing is 'oh no I have to be a boy for reasons' that was complete catnip for me as a child)

#actually made it through coie this month 🙌 #have added two more big runs to the reading list tho rip #next month im really gonna be juggling #nik reads dc #monthly roundup

[bloodmaarked]

➫ monthly book round-up: february 2024

books read: 6 [1 DNF] [-14%] average rating: 3.6 [-4%] average speed: 7.8 days [-20%] total pages: 2,083 [-27%] yearly goal progress: 11/50 best of the month: the space between here & now, sarah suk worst of the month: knife skills for beginners, orlando murrin

4* reads:

the space between here & now, sarah suk

a song of wraiths and ruin, roseanne a. brown

3.5* reads:

flux, jinwoo chong

when we were birds, ayanna lloyd banwo

3* reads:

gleanings, neal shusterman

DNFs

knife skills for beginners, orlando murrin

currently reading:

saving time, jenny odell

the murder at the vicarage, agatha christie

#monthly roundup #the space between here & now #sarah suk #gleanings #neal shusterman #knife skills for beginners #orlando murrin #when we were birds #ayanna lloyd banwo #flux #jinwoo chong #a song of wraiths and ruin #roseanne a. brown #currently reading #booklr #bookblr #bookworm

[somefanficrecomendations]

January Monthly Roundup

BATFAMILY

Three’s a Crowd (But I’m Here if You Are) by JUBE514 (Bernard Dowd/Tim Drake/Conner Kent) 20k, Identity Reveal, Fluff      Bernard pops the top off his water bottle, a roll of his wrist at the perfect angle and it comes right off, and pops the faucet in Tim’s very nice kitchen to cold. Tim presses a kiss to the back of Bernard’s neck before Tim moves to the fridge to get his own water.      Bernard used to not drink as much water, but Tim drinks enough water for three people a day so Bernard naturally has followed- and now Bernard has no acne so he’s sort of mad about it actually. “The main character has two hands.” Bernard chimes easy and teasing. “Polygamy is the awnser here babe.”      Tim peaks over the door of the fridge. “Oh? Is this you telling me something?” —      Tim Drake, Bernard Dowd, and Kon-El have two hands each. They use them to hold onto each other.

My Evil Twin From Another Universe by FabulaRasa (Hal Jordan/Bruce Wayne) 22k An interdimensional anomaly strands another version of Hal in this universe, and two Hal Jordans in one universe is several Hal Jordans too many.

this week in heroblr by UnidentifiedFroggy (multi) 22k, WIP, Social Media, okay im sorry y'all did SUPERBOY just say he's a tumblrina??? #SUPERBOY AS IN KON EL AS IN SUPERMANS CLONE #DIED IN THE CRISIS SUPERBOY #holy shit #superblr #heroblr - a viewpoint into tumblr as it might exist within my own exceedingly self-indulgent form of the dc universe, told through epistolary fashion in batfamily social media fic tradition. features heroes getting cancelled, takes of middling veracity, plenty of queerness both on heroblr and in the hero community, my self-indulgent ships, and something vaguely resembling plot and lore told obliquely through tumblr drama and outsider pov interpretations of superheroes

The Big Boss by Crowlows19 (gen) 4k, POV Outsider The story of Bruce Wayne and his family as told by his insane Wayne Enterprises calendar and the poor assistant that had to manage it all.

Batman for Dummies by Havendance (gen) 38k, No Man’s Land, Helena Bertinelli-centric In the aftermath of the quake that shook Gotham, Helena Bertinelli takes on the mantle of the Bat. (It isn’t like Batman’s using it.) If she’d known the cowl came with a certain moralizing little bird following her around — well, she probably still would’ve done it, but it would’ve been nice to know in advance. (Or: Tim and Helena team up 2: electric boogaloo. Now with more bats!)

Older Sibling Duty by Icestorm238 (gen) 2k, Batfam Names are important. The Bats tend to bypass their real names, however, in favour of increasingly dumb nicknames. The older sibling trio of Dick, Jason, and Cass are the primary instigators of this. After all, it is their duty.

AITAH For Tricking My Brother Into Drugging My Other Brother? by TaxiCabToSlowtown (gen) 1k, Social Media, Am I the Asshole? Okay, look, I know how that sounds, but hear me out. My (M, 19, "Fred") little brother (17, I’ll call him “Percy”) has problems. These problems stem a lot from the fact that his parents abandoned him for long periods of time as a kid and he didn’t have a proper upbringing. I should mention that Percy’s parents then are not the same as our parent(s) now. We’re both adopted, and I’m messed up too, I’ll admit it. Our Father (45, I’ll call him “Arthur”) had sort of turned his house into a home for kids with really traumatic families.

Welcome to the Family by ViiA01 (Hal Jordan/Bruce Wayne) 67k, WIP, Batfam Bruce’s children want to meet the man that their father deemed worthy of a smile. So they do, in the only way they know how. By breaking into people's houses and lurking in dark places. Bruce just wants his children to stop stalking Earth’s Green Lantern, if only because they're ruining his plans. And Hal? Well, Hal is convinced that Bruce has concocted a plot to get around his ‘no killing’ rule, by having his children stalk him until his heart gives out from the stress.

A Series of Unfortunately Timed Coming Out's by Queerbutstillhere (multi), 7k, Coming Out The batfamily had this gift.  This wonderful skill. They are such talented, brilliant, capable individuals. But they are absolutely horrendous at wisely timing coming out to their family members. These are their stories . Aka: "I love you all but could we stop coming out to each other during the middle of battles?"

Call to a Lonely Earth by Drag0nst0rm (gen), 7k, Angst, AU-17776 Fusion There are no children left in Gotham. Not until the multiverse spits one out right in front of Batman, at least.

buy the ticket, take the ride by Anonymous (gen), 13k, Vegas Tim had always figured that if he ever woke up in Vegas sans-memory, it would be when he was older than fourteen. But there were some things he couldn’t control, and apparently whatever had happened last night that he didn’t remember was one of them.

CROSSOVER

Keystone by Kalinjdra (gen), 26k, WIP, HPxDC Harry Potter double-checked his lists before sending off the letter to an unknown cousin. He hoped for maybe some money at least, he didn't expect to get a scary bodyguard brother instead. Jason Todd has never stopped searching for his real parents so when Tim offers solid information in exchange of taking care of some kid, he really doesn't have anything else to do but take it. No one really could have foretold what followed.

#batfam fic rec #Batman #fanfiction #batlantern #Tim Drake #Jason Todd #conner kent #kon-el #batfamily #damian wayne #harry potter fic rec #monthly roundup #complete #fic rec #wip

[schittscreekficrec]

Happy December, friends! Hope your holiday season is shaping up to be lovely and that these fics bring you some holiday joy!

liv’s recs: you turn me into somebody loved by wardo_wedidit [david/patrick, M, one shot]

I’m your moonlight, you’re my star by doingthemost @sarahlevys & singsongsung [twyla/alexis, M, multi-chapter]

It’s Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas by @this-is-not-nothing [david/patrick, T, one shot]

Unadulterated Loathing by fairmanor [david/patrick, G, one shot]

julie’s recs: like it was the first time by LFTPD [david/patrick, E, one shot]

skirted by @apothecarose [david/patrick, E, one shot]

We Could Turn the World to Gold by @middyblue [david/patrick, T, multi-chapter]

Love Without End, Amen by @chelle-68

ali’s recs: David Rose: Style Consultant by @smallumbrella369 [david/patrick, T, multichapter]

May Your Days Be Merry and Bright by @asoftplacetoland [david/patrick, E, one shot]

shot glass of tears by @blackandwhiteandrose [david/patrick, T, one shot]

Drifting to you by @jamilas-pen [david/patrick, T, multichapter]

jette’s recs: The Holiday by singsongsung [david/patrick and stevie/alexis, NR, multi-chapter]

Warm breath in the cold by @5ambreakdown [david/patrick, T, one shot]

Welcome to the Party, Pal by @weathereyehorizon [Patrick & Stevie, M, one shot]

A Holiday Escape by @lisamc-21 [david/patrick, E, multi-chapter]

#schitt's creek fic rec #schitt's creek fic #schitt's creek #monthly roundup #dp #ta

[someonelookingpraediti]

Monthly Roundup February 2024

Monthly Goals: ✔️ Take part in a "social" read ✔️ Read a current subscription book ✖️ Read a backlog subscription book ✔️ Read a free book ✖️ Annotate a book ✔️ Read a sequel I've been putting off

I've done a little better this month, although I still didn't manage to hit all my goals. My reading has... suffered. I'll explain more at the end of the post.

An English Murder - Cyril Hare ★★★☆☆

This was on my Christmas reading list, it just took me a while to get into it! I enjoyed it, but it was just a pretty standard murder mystery.

Grieving Gold - Daniel McDaniel (DNF) ★☆☆☆☆

This was my "free" book of the month. I got an ARC from NetGalley, but I gave up after 71%. It was an alright plot, but the writing really wasn't good.

Castle in the Air - Diana Wynne Jones ★★★★★

This was my sequel for the month. It didn't feel like much of a sequel at first, but it really tied up at the end. I think I actually liked it more than the first one!

An Enchantment of Ravens - Margaret Rogerson ★★★☆☆

February's theme for Book Club was "Fae-bruary". I enjoyed most of this book, but I really didn't like the ending. It didn't seem very well thought out.

The Invocations - Krystal Sutherland ★★★★★

My "current" subscription book for this month was January's Evernight pick. I absolutely loved this dark fantasy story, and I'll definitely keep an eye out for this author!

The Salt Grows Heavy - Cassandra Khaw ★★★☆☆

This is March's pick for Book Club, which means I'm going to have to find a buddy read as March's social read. I didn't enjoy this as much as I thought I would, although it was very atmospheric.

Right, so. I've really fallen out of the habit of reading, and I'm missing so many opportunities to pick up a book. I've also completely stopped posting on this blog. I haven't posted about any of the books I read this month, and I've got four unboxing posts to catch up on. I'll catch up, I promise, and probably back-date them so they sit in the right sort of place.

There is an explanation, it's just... not a good one. You know that phenomenon where a mutual you follow suddenly discovers k-pop, and overnight, they become a k-pop blog, and never post anything else ever again? Well, I'm trying really, really hard not to do that.

But yeah, around Christmas, I finally caved, and listened to a few BTS songs. And... this happened,

Nothing else is quite the same anymore. I go online, and I think, okay, this is fine, but I could be listening to BTS. I try to read, and... I could be listening to BTS. I try to sleep, and I could be listening to BTS. It's really taken over my life, if I'm being honest.

It's okay, I can shake it. I'll get back into reading. I'll catch up with my blog posts. I'll change my alarm back to the Twilight soundtrack, so I don't wake up to Born Singer every morning. (I won't.)

#roundup #monthly roundup #reading #2024 #reading goals #BTS

[blysse-and-blunder]

in lieu of a commonplace book: a new term

saturday, sept 2 — sunday, oct 1, 2023

been running around and then lolling around and then running some more, and the last time i really understood what day it was i think it was aug 28?? though i have gotten a new wall calendar for my room so hopefully that...makes a difference?

anyway. lots of things viewed, read, played etc., but this is the ilcb where i talk about michael sheen's sex show. y'all have been warned.

reading finished this month:

light from uncommon stars, ryka aoki — there was a lot about this one to like, and lots of things that i think...could have worked better? the dialogue stood out to me as weirdly stilted. the author got so much good, fluid, lyrical writing into the descriptions of the violin maker, all the meaningful resonances of the violin, and everything else kind of paled to that. a lot of vision in this one, and hopefully readers who are less picky than i am will be able to chill out and enjoy the representation, the demons and space and music and donuts.

the empress of salt and fortune, nghi vo (audio) — stunning. short, but suggests/captures an entire world. adored the emphasis on little artifacts and material details, the flashes of actual history and the absolutely elegant touches of fantasy.

clouds of witness, dorothy l. sayers (audio) — a lord peter wimsey mystery is always a wonderful excuse to listen to a voice actor just go nuts with posh RP accents, but i do miss my girl harriet even as i know that i'm reading all the prequels on purpose :(

one last stop, casey mcquiston —i didn't think i liked casey mcquiston before, but this book was genuinely a delight. is this how everyone felt about rwrb? the romance tropes worked for me this time, the dialogue here felt natural and fun (especially the secondary characters), and the little turns of phrase and comparisons and twists hit just like you'd hope. the history! the queer community! the roommates! and you know what, fuck it. a little tooth-rotting fluff can be good for the soul.

listening bounced off of the new olivia rodrigo (sorry 😥) and the new chappell roan (sorry sorry 😥) and won't be trying to articulate why for now, haven't spent enough time with the new mitski (liked it on the first listen though) so this section of the post is going to go to noah kahan's stick season, which i have listened to on repeat for the last few weeks. i think i've got a favorite song chosen, only to notice something new about another one—it's not just 'northern attitude' and 'homesick,' though obviously the lines 'i'm mean because i grew up in new england' and 'i was raised out in the cold' / 'i was raised on little light' do fucking resonate. but so does. most of it.

at some point i have added both 'halloween' and 'the view between villages' to my liked songs, and for some reason i get a real kick out of the line in 'new perspective' about calling an intersection downtown just because it's gotten a target. but anyway here's 'stick season', simply for the line 'and i'll dream each night / of some version of you / that i might not have / but i did not lose.'

watching masters of sex (2013). if i'm honest, this is a little bit of a dodge—i watched the entire first season of this show back at the beginning of the month, it fully took over my staycation cat-sitting gig time, and then i haven't been able to get back to it now that i'm home. i think i'm scared to dip back in, honestly? because i can't let myself get sucked back in that strongly.

this show is maddening. it's fascinating. don't ask me if it's good. it's based on this book by thomas maier, which i may have to actually read, because i keep getting distracted wondering about how much the script is changing, adapting, etc. i've taken my intro psych class (and then some), i had to read about masters and johnson, and i feel like the show must be taking liberties— but also, is it?

this show isn't mad men, but it does have that period midcentury / postwar aesthetic, and they do a very good job mentioning bits of history/current events that tie it to the actual history. and there is actual history here, and i love that. but also, i have never been this aware of a show making choices for baldly strategic reasons— you can so tell that this show was written for weekly release, plot threads come and happen for an episode or two at most, only then to be either dropped (for future use if necessary?) or solved.

then again, there's some very competent and tightly-constructed stories, e.g. the episode about the nuclear attack drill and how everyone behaved, how it did and did not matter to them, how their worlds were and weren't also symbolically ending in the intertwined subplots. also a big fan of the one where they're hearing about the new research on the female orgasm! and freud! it's so interesting to have this all framed as ~the frontiers of science!~ and then see how in some ways it's more progressive than you'd expect (than we are today still, on primetime).

the other lead, lizzy caplan, is new to me, but she kills it, kills it, as ginny johnson. allison janney is in this?! caitlin fitzgerald aka tabitha from succession is in this? see what i mean, like half the cast is people who either were in big prestige tv enterprises or who would go on to be, which to me says something about the way this show was viewed as a good move for your acting career in 2013. (link to a piece of historical journalism discussing this show and nbc hannibal as not-to-be-missed viewing for 2013. wild.)

i've never thought this much about how television has changed from the early 2010s to now. this feels like a bridge, connecting pre-peak TV to where we've ended up, where it's not as 'prestige-y' as it would be now, but is still going for the sophistication and intensity. michael sheen wears a funny little bow tie and got a golden globe nom for this, but he could not be further from aziraphale here—it's like watching a totally different person (acting_patrickstewart.gif), he smiles so little and is routinely so awful to various women in his life, including those he purports to love. i distract myself watching him make acting choices in response to some of the (frankly wild) things that they've given masters to say and do, and that's. all i'll say about that.

okay that was mortifying. let's move on.

playing have now completed (for the second time) the first act investigations in pentiment, with new scenes unlocked (the spinning bee! storytime with brother sebhat! midnight in the library!) and still not a solid answer to the mystery. methinks there is a message there, but we won't know for sure until i can next find a time for me to continue with either of my play-through companions. when i play with A, we make choices based on 'i would never pick that if i was playing on my own, but since you're here, you'll be the voice of chaos egging me on,' which if nothing else has led to a lot of cackling.

things this game also excels at, besides narrating women's stories and moral ambiguity: animating children and animals. we shook hands with this dog and it was perfect.

making hungry for a handicraft. sewed a bra back together (unpictured), glued a handle back onto this little ceramic pitcher, glued a hairclip back to its backing and a slipper sole back to its upper slipper (all hail having appropriate adhesives for a job!) watched as squirrels made a meal of the valiant, late-blooming tomatoes.

working on the court romances chapter has a new direction, but it does feel a little like an albatross around my neck at this point. i sent my committee the body and soul debates chapter, but at my most recent meeting it was clear most of them hadn't finished reading it so the discussion was largely 'where's chapter 2? why isn't that here also?' they still gave me the equivalent of a little pat on the head and said 'keep going', so. i'm taking drastic steps (enlisting other on campus resources, my therapist, etc.) to try and fucking make some fucking progress.

#ilcb #in lieu of a commonplace book #monthly roundup #this got longggg