#swamp thing twin branches

[couldtransitionsaveher]

ALEC HOLLAND from SWAMP THING: TWIN BRANCHES

JUSTIFICATION:

"mad botanist. incredibly trans haircut. goes to a party and gets told she’s “like a doll” and is called “doll boy”. says she doesn’t feel right in her body, says she doesn’t know how to act right. gets really confused at the concept of “man points” and masculinity as a competition. constantly comparing herself to her identical twin brother. transitions to sentient plant swamp thing. has a crush on a girl who wears cat ears. psychic connection to plants and her best friend is a plant named boris." - Anonymous

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Did you make your daily click today?

[franticvampirereads]

April has been such a great reading month for me. I think I’ve read almost 12 books this month? Which doesn’t seem real but I guess it is. So here’s what I read in April:

Lazarus (AFTG 3.5) 5⭐️ {story link}

All Hail The Underdogs 5⭐️ {review}

Power Plays & Straight A’s 4⭐️ {review}

Foster In New York 4⭐️

Delinquent Daddy & Tender Teacher vol 1 4⭐️ {review}

The Foxhole Court 5⭐️ {review}

The Raven King 5⭐️ {review}

Mad Man 5⭐️ {review}

Mad Man bonus epilogue 5⭐️

Swamp Thing Twin Branches 4⭐️ {review}

The King’s Men -currently reading

Proficiency Bonus -currently reading

My favorite books this month were the All For The Game books. This reread was so good! It brought back so many memories and little things that I’d forgotten about them.

[kissandscry]

Swamp Thing: Twin Branches by Maggie Stiefvater & Morgan Beem.

If you’ve not read this, do yourself a favor.

[abstracted-psychopomp]

just read maggie steifvater’s swamp thing graphic novel. alec holland is so incredibly trans femme

[slaughter-books]

Day 16: JOMPBPC: Cool Colours

Cool coloured graphic novels! 💙💜💚

[brightbeautifulthings]

Swamp Thing: Twin Branches by Maggie Stiefvater

"Living things can't live without other living things. But the difference between parasitism and symbiosis is communication."

Year Read: 2025

Rating: 3/5

Thoughts: I loved this in concept, but it never quite took off in execution. I think the biggest problem is that there just isn't enough story here. It's an origin story, sure, but just when things start to get interesting, it's over. I'm curious whether it was meant to continue as a series but ended up a standalone due to reception, because it would make a lot more sense as the beginning of a series. I always enjoy Stiefvater's writing, and the reflections on plants were probably the most interesting part for me. The characters are hit or miss. I enjoyed the dynamics between Alec and Walker/Alec and Abby, but the rest of the characters are just sort of there. They pop in long enough to be irritating and to emphasize that Alec isn't one of them, but I already can't remember anyone else's name.

The art is green and lush as one would expect in a graphic novel about plants. It's lovely to look at, but it's less lovely to read. In a good comic, the transitions are so seamless that I can move from one panel to the next without even realizing it. In this one, I was constantly confused about what to focus on or where my eye should go next. The panels are cluttered with irrelevant details and distracting but ultimately pointless sounds (e.g., shoes squeaking), and it makes it difficult to focus on the actual story. In part, I think this helps show us Alec's perspective (he's so clearly uncomfortable in his environment), but I'm not convinced it was intentional and not just an irritating artist quirk. I wanted to like it, but overall the book doesn't really stand out.

[type1diabetesinfandom]

Just a reminder that representation is subjective, and something that speaks to you may be the same thing that infuriates someone else with the same represented condition! Be kind!

[wordingg]

Swamp Thing: Twin Branches by Maggie Stiefvater with Morgan Beem

I found Swamp Thing: Twin Branches written by Maggie Stiefvater art by Morgan Beem in the bargain bin at Ollie's. Very unfair to this book, as it was quite good. You deserved better Swamp Thing: Twin Branches, but at least I benefitted.

This book is a graphic novel following two twin boys in their last year of high school, Alec Holland and Walker Holland. (Huh. Jeez. I wonder which one is going to turn into a plant monster.) These two twins couldn't be more different. Alec loves plants and science, he has trouble relating to people and would rather spend time in his home lab experimenting. Walker is the life of the party, always happy and ready with a joke, and always there to divert attention and agitation away from Alec when he needs it. Right when the two of them are poised to go to the same college, their parents' marriage falls apart when Alec and Walker walk in on their dad cheating on their mom. In an effort to get away from the messy divorce their parents are going through, both brothers head south to stay with relatives for the summer.

Before Alec can set up his lab in his aunt's garage, his cousins dogs get into his boxes and end up eating a bunch of his specimens. Alec is devastated and retreats into himself and into a hastily put together lab in the local high school science lab. Alec is going through his own drama, tension with his brother and cousin, attraction to the cute girl he shares the lab with, angst over whether college is the right place for him. But, behind all that, something strange is happening to his cousin's dogs. Something strange is happening to anyone who comes into contact with his specimens.

This was my first exposure to DC's young adult graphic novels, and I think it was a pretty good one. Full disclosure, I do really like Swamp Thing, so I might be a little biased. This book takes a while to get going, but once it did, I really liked the way the artist depicted the weird animal/plant hybrid creatures. I also thought the character work was pretty good. It's a slow build, but it felt well deserved. I also liked Abby's character redesign a lot, I thought she was very likeable. It ends kind of abruptly at the end, but it says this was season one, so I assume they'll be more later, which I would be interested in reading.

I recommend this book to anyone who is okay with a middle grade horror book with a slow build.

[quitealotofsodapop]

Awh! Baby Yuebei loving dinos is everything to me!

Now I wanna see her family take her the dinosaur exhibit at a museum or science center or something. The science center near me has a whole exhibit for all things dinosaur related including fun interactive learning activities for little ones like fossil ecivission in rubber sand and life-size dinosaur animatronics in fake habitats we can walk through. I can't remember the rest rn, my favorite exhibit is the astronomy room! It's so dark in there, whole different vibe from all the others. But the whole building is like a science playground, the cubs(stoplight trio included, tho Redson is probably too much of a know-it-all to let himself enjoy it) would get a kick out of it. I can already imagine which exhibits some of them would enjoy.

-💜

yes! since Yuebei Xing as a character is tied to skulls and bones, I figured it would be cute that she'd have an interest in beings mostly know through their bones.

I know some larger museums have big sand pits to emulate excavations, like the one in New York. The zoo-aquarium in my granddads town has one of those walkable habitats too! The water/fake swamp was actually an aquarium for brackish water fish!

Now I'm loving the idea of Wukong letting the cubs go on a Museum Day to Megapolis, and ofc little kids love Natural History cus thats where the dinosaurs are! Tang pouts and wants to come along too - until Pigsy points out that he's a grown man that can pay his own ticket.

Wukong gets MK and Mei (and Redson since he's been pretty much adopted into the squad) to help bring the kids around to all the exhibits. When Wukong gets too tired to run around (especially cus of his condition), the Stoplight trio take over cub-wrangling duty while Wukong chills at the museum's cafe. Mei and MK treat it like a super-dangerous mission and try their best to engage in what's caught the cubs attentions. MK noticeably blanks in fear when he sees a model of Carboniferous bugs. Redson is a bit of smarty pants, but he's interested in the provided literature/the more obscure creatures on display. Tang is barely any help with babysitting since he gets as easily distracted as the cubs! XD

Yuebei is having the time of her life. Can't keep still for a moment - there's so many things to see and touch! And if there's an excavation pit - she's jumping straight in like a fox. No regards for her nice clothes, she's covered in sand and clay within seconds. Just absolutely feral over these bones.

Mei, pointing to a model: "Do you know what that is Yuebei?" Yuebei, holding a plush dino: "Ty-ranno-saur-us rex!" Mei: "Omg you're so good at this! What about that one?" Yuebei: "Pterro-dact-ill!" Mei: "Yup! Pterodactyl! It's a pretty cool dinosaur huh?" Yuebei, suddenly very serious: "Not dinosaur." Mei: "Huh?" Yuebei: "Not dinosaur." Red Son, reading a museum pamphlet: "She's correct. Pterosaurs are a different branch of archosaur separate from Dinosauria. It's like comparing snakes to lizards." Mei: "Omg! You're so smart, baby girl!" Yuebei: "Thank." (*smug "I know" face*)

If Macaque is around post S3, he helps out with wrangling the kids, but he'd quickly get over-stimulated by all the sights and sounds - so MK would take over for him so dear bama/baba can sit down with Wukong and de-stress. Wukong and Macaque might just wander off into the quiet art gallery if it's nearby (usually is in my experience) and poke fun at the historic art.

The Eclipse twins I feel are more into the astronomy side of the museum (hard not to since Space) and demand that they stay for a lecture on objects in the solar system. And if there's a planetarium - oh boy you know the cubs (and the grown-ups too) are gonna be entranced by the projections of all the stars and planets.

Wukong, pointing to a star: "Hey I know that guy! We fought one time!" Tang: "...what?" Wukong: (*pointing to Zeta Piscium*) "Wood Wolf of Legs; Revati." Tang, gasping: "The Yellow Robed Demon." Wukong: "Yeah!" Luzhen, in baby babble: "He's very far away." (*tries grabbing for the projection of the star*)

The gift shop is decimated. XD

[queenxxxsupreme]

Benevolent Creatures (Jaskier x siren!reader)

A/N: Hi babes!!! I will be posting a little something shortly to just explain a couple things but nonetheless, I hope you enjoy this!

Warnings: nothing outside of canon for the Witcher Netflix

Word Count: 4.5k

“Where is Jaskier leading us, Geralt?” Cirilla asked quietly. Geralt looked over his shoulder to where she sat atop Roach.

“I don’t know.” He answered.

Just ahead of them was Jaskier. He strummed his lute as he walked down a narrow path of moss-covered stones.

Ciri’s eyes flickered to her right. Something scurried beneath the underbrush.

“How much longer until we get to wherever it is you’re taking us, Jaskier?” Geralt stepped over a tree root, then guided Roach by the reins over it.

“Not long at all.” The bard spoke over his shoulder. “We’re nearly there.”

“And where exactly is there?” Ciri raised her eyebrows. “We’re in the middle of nowhere.”

“You’ll see.”

Geralt didn't like how silent everything was. There were no crickets, no frogs, no birds. There was no sign of life anywhere in the swamp.

Roach huffed and whinnied, jerking her head back. Her ears flickered back and forth as if she too was trying to find some sort of sound.

“Shh, girl.” Geralt signed axii, calming her down.

“What’s wrong with her?” Ciri furrowed her brow.

The witcher looked to his Child Surprise, then returned his gaze ahead.

“She knows something isn’t right.” He pulled back a branch from a black willow tree that dangled in the path.

Just a few moments later, the walkway opened up to reveal a pool of water. A wooden bridge that seemed to be decaying crossed over the water and led the way to a small wooden structure on the other side of the pool.

The wooden structure— which appeared to be a home —sat up on wooden stilts four feet off the ground. The front porch wrapped entirely around the home. Green moss and vines of all sorts grew along the sides of the structure, appearing as though it was being engulfed in greenery.

“Jaskier!” Geralt hissed. “What are we doing here?”

“Relax, Geralt.”

As he climbed the stairs to the house, Jaskier straightened out his jerkin and tucked his hair behind his ears. But he decided that having his hair behind his ears wasn’t a good idea and made him appear as though he was trying too hard. So he shook his head out to give himself a bit of a roughened look.

Letting out a breath, Jaskier raised his hand to knock on the door. Before his hand even touched the door, it was pulled open.

You stood just inside your home, a soft smile on your lips.

Without so much as a second thought, the bard embraced you in a firm hug. His arms wrapped around your waist and then around your shoulders. He buried his nose in your hair, inhaling your intoxicatingly sweet scent.

You kissed his neck since that was all you could reach, your fingers grasping his jerkin.

Jaskier pulled away so that he could properly kiss you. His hand found your chin, tilting your head up.

You smiled against his lips. Your hands came up to hold onto either side of his face. The sound of his heart beating quickly filled your ears. It was a familiar sound you always longed to hear.

He pulled away first, blue eyes finding yours.

“You smell odd.” You furrowed your eyebrows as you looked up at him, brushing your thumb across his stubbly cheek.

You couldn’t quite place what he smelled like, but it wasn’t his usual scent. There was someone else laced with him, someone’s scent that made the hair on your neck stand on end.

“Well, I haven’t properly bathed in days— thanks to a series of unfortunate events.”

You opened your mouth to speak, ready to offer him a bath, but you heard movement to your right. You turned your head, eyes landing on the witcher and the child Jaskier had been traveling with.

You could sense her Chaos, the powerful aura radiating off of the girl. But she wasn’t what concerned you.

The white haired witcher carried twin swords on his back. A part of you wondered if they were the same swords he had decades ago. The same swords he used to try to murder you with. The same ones that he used to kill your sister.

A scar on your forearm burned from the sight of the swords. Instinctively, you placed your hand over the scar.

You took a step away from Jaskier, brows drawing together.

“Julian, what is the meaning of this?”

Geralt’s nose scrunched as he realized who you were. Your voice was far too familiar to forget. His medallion trembled, causing him to place his hand over it. The wrinkle between his brow deepened with frustration.

Without any explanation to the girl, he reached an arm out to guide Ciri behind him.

The simple action made you even more tense and unsure of the situation. He was preparing to fight you.

A growl began to vibrate in your chest, animalistic and primal.

“What the fuck, Jaskier!” Geralt demanded, drawing a sword from his back.

As you growled once more, dagger-like claws grew from what had once been human nails on your hands.

The bard came to stand between you both, holding his hands out to either of you.

“No, no! There will be no fighting!”

“Witcher.” You spoke through your teeth.

“What is she?” Ciri asked quietly, her question directed to Geralt.

“Siren.” Geralt let out a breath. He didn’t want to let on that he was worried. Should you choose to do so, you could very easily incapacitate him and slaughter Ciri and Jaskier. “Jaskier, why the fuck have you brought us here?”

“We will be safe here for a little while, Geralt! At least until we can get some sort of plan figured out.”

Your eyes shot to the bard, unaware of his intentions. Never had he brought anyone to your home.

“Ciri will not be staying here.” Geralt told him, yellow eyes finding yours.

Your lip curled up into a snarl. Human teeth were replaced with what looked like dozens of sharp canines.

“Alright, darling.” Jaskier turned to face you, reaching out to place a hand on your arm. You turned and stormed into your home before he could put his hand on you.

“Don’t you dare touch me!”

Jaskier followed quickly behind you.

“Y/N, I don’t—,”

“You brought a witcher here to my home, Julian! And now I cannot stay here!” You spun around to face him. Your chest ached with betrayal.

“My love, my dear heart. Geralt isn’t here to cause you any harm.”

“You can’t see into his mind.” You shook your head, walking away from him once more. “He’s already made his decision and decided my fate.”

“He’s probably made that decision based on what he knows of other beings like you, but my heart, you aren’t like them.” Jaskier took your hand to stop you from moving away from him. “You are different. All you need to do is show him.”

You looked up at him, searching his blue eyes for a few moments.

Gods, you had missed those blue eyes so much.

“I won’t beg a man for my life, Julian.”

You pulled your hands out of his and turned to walk away again. This time, you only made it a few steps before he spoke.

“I’ve told you stories of Geralt before, my sweet. You’ve heard the ballads of our journeys. I am so, so sorry that I brought them here to your home.” His eyes fell down to his hands momentarily. “I wouldn’t have done it if I had any other choice, dear heart. That girl out there, she’s in danger and this is the only place that I know she is safe. And Geralt trusts me, he trusts my judgment enough to allow me to bring her here…. So I-I suppose all I am asking is that you just please, please my love, my heart, trust me as well.”

You looked past him to the front door that was left open. The witcher still stood at the bottom of the stairs that led to the porch.

Your stomach twisted with the idea of letting him into your home, into what was perhaps the only safe place you had left. After what had happened the last time you encountered the witcher, the mighty Butcher of Blaviken, you didn’t even want to be in the same providence as him.

“I do trust you, Julian.” You murmured.

Jaskier kissed your knuckles and then your lips, smiling at you.

“I owe you one.”

“You owe me more than that.” You raised your brows as he took a step away from you.

“Indeed I do.”

***

While Jaskier talked with Geralt and Ciri outside, you busied yourself with straightening a few things in your home.

There was a small stack of books that had grown on the kitchen table. You picked them up and crossed the room to the wall of bookshelves on the opposite side of the room.

“I didn’t think sirens were capable of appearing….” Ciri trailed off as she walked into your home. “Human.”

“They aren’t.” You placed the last book on the shelf. “Sirens are only capable of looking like sirens.”

“But you said she was a siren.” She looked over to Geralt.

“It’s…. complicated, Ciri.”

You crossed your arms, eyes set on Geralt.

“Because something is complicated, you refuse to explain it to her?”

The witcher gritted his teeth together.

“You are standing before what is perhaps the last Nixe on the Continent, Ciri.” Geralt held your gaze. “They were nearly hunted to extinction at the beginning of the century.”

“Why?”

“Because they are extremely dangerous. Far more than the sirens you’ve seen from Skellige.”

You tilted your chin up, trying your damnedest to remain calm and collected while the witcher spoke of the truth he knew.

“Every creature must hunt for their food.” You said. “A lion hunts for its food just the same as a fawn. Doesn’t mean the lion should be killed.”

“Your kind turned into a problem when you began slaughtering hundreds of humans purely for entertainment.”

The tension in the air was thick and uncomfortable as neither you nor the witcher backed down from the glaring contest.

Jaskier clapped his hands together, making you look in his direction.

“Alright! Geralt, let’s go outside.”

“Come on, Ciri—,”

“No, she stays here.” Jaskier pointed to Ciri.

Geralt’s eyes shot over to the bard.

“I am not leaving her here with—,”

“Yes, you are.” Jaskier grabbed Geralt’s arm. “If Y/N wanted to spill blood today, she would have done so already. You know that. Now, outside! Come on!”

You watched as Jaskier ushered Geralt out of your home and closed the door behind himself.

Ciri looked around your home for a couple moments before her green eyes flickered to you.

“How long have you known Jaskier?”

“A while.”

“Geralt said you were dangerous.” Ciri’s blue eyes looked you over. “You don’t look dangerous.”

You wore an off white dress that brushed the floor as you walked. There was a slit up one side of the skirt that came just above mid-thigh. Over the dress was a dark green underbust corset. You wore no shoes, finding the material irritating and the restriction caused by them unbearable. Brown leather bracelets encircled both of your wrists and ankles.

You twisted a ring on one of your fingers as you moved towards the kitchen table.

“Come have a seat, child.”

She sat down across from you, curious to hear what you had to say.

“My kind…. We are very similar to sirens found on the coasts. We both are only women, and we both can produce what you know of as a siren song. But only sirens can fly, and only nixes can shapeshift.”

“That’s how you are able to appear human? By shapeshifting?”

“Yes.” You nodded, rubbing your arm absentmindedly. “Centuries ago, nixes existed just as any other creature. I suppose you could say we are dangerous, but humans are dangerous as well.”

“How are you dangerous?” Ciri tilted her head to the side a little.

“Just as sirens do, nixes hunt humans.”

The girl shifted in her spot, her eyes falling to the deer mandible on the table.

“Don’t worry, child.” You reached over to offer her a comforting hand, but at the last minute, you decided against it. You returned your hand to your lap. “Julian wouldn’t have allowed you here if I was like that.”

“Nixes…. What did Geralt mean when he said nixes kill for entertainment?”

You let out a soft breath.

“Nixes and humans are very similar, dear. Humans kill for pleasure too. They start wars, they slaughter their neighbors…. But my kind, we had a few slip ups where we went too far…. And there was no going back. For that very reason, we were hunted to near extinction.”

The front door opened and automatically, you stood up. It was only Jaskier, who offered you a gentle smile.

“Ah, sorry about that, ladies.”

“Where’s Geralt?” Ciri asked.

“He had to take Roach into town to be stabled.l since Y/N doesn’t have a stable she could stay in.”

“I have no need for a horse.” You reminded him. “They tend to have a strong dislike for my kind.”

You sat back down in your chair as Jaskier came to stand next to your chair.

“I apologize for his behavior, my sweet.” He placed a hand upon your arm and leaned down to kiss your head.

“There’s no reason for you to apologize for the ways of another man.”

“I hope Ciri isn’t giving you any hassle.”

The girl wrinkled her nose at Jaskier.

“None at all.” You smiled, shaking your head softly. “She’s just curious.”

***

Jaskier took Geralt away from the house in hopes that maybe you wouldn’t hear their conversation. But the witcher wasn’t keen on putting space between himself and the monster that had been left with his Child Surprise.

“I will not go any further, Jaskier.” Geralt spoke firmly, stopping his tracks just a few feet from the porch.

“Geralt, you—,”

“You led us straight to a fucking siren, Jaskier.”

“You don’t understand, Geralt! Ciri is safer here than she is anywhere else!”

“She’d be safer in a wyvern’s nest than here.”

“In all our years, Geralt, we’ve come across plenty of monsters that weren't actually monsters. Y/N is one of those–,”

“I promise you, Jaskier, she isn’t what you think.”

“But she is, Geralt!” A smile came to Jaskier’s face. “I’ve known her for seven years, and I swear to you she is one of the kindest, most gentle beings I have ever met. And-And I cannot have you holding such a harmful bias against someone I love!”

Geralt shook his head, rubbing his brow.

“You said the same thing about the blacksmith’s daughter in Caingorn last month.”

Jaskier shook his head and waved his hands dismissively.

“No, no, Geralt. Love isn’t black and white my friend! It’s shades of gray. Y/N— She is my one true love. The one my heart yearns for every bleeding second of the day. The one I long for when I am away. The one that causes a fire in my–,”

“Does she know your love isn’t black and white?”

“Yes! She does! And she is welcoming to my love.”

The witcher raised his brows. Jaskier let out a sigh, brushing his hair back.

“Geralt, please. She’s someone important to me. I love her and I trust her with my life. Yes, in the past she has hurt people…. But what matters is that she isn’t that anymore.”

Geralt shifted his weight from one foot to the other, his eyes flickering to the house.

He wanted to trust Jaskier, but sometimes the bard’s judgment could be distracted by the presence of an attractive being.

“The first time I feel that Ciri’s life is in danger, we are leaving.”

“Thank you, Geralt!” Jaskier embraced him in a tight hug. “And I will speak with Y/N about her…. Hospitality. Though I’m sure showing up on her doorstep was quite the surprise. Y/N isn’t keen on strangers, but she is a sweetheart once you get to know her.”

The witcher grumbled, disagreeing with his friend.

***

With two satchels over his shoulders, Geralt made his way into the house. His eyes flickered around the room in search of Ciri. He spotted his Child Surprise sitting at the table with you and Jaskier.

Jaskier’s chair was pulled rather close to yours, his arm wrapped around yours and your fingers laced together.

For a split second, Geralt saw you smiling as you spoke to Ciri. But then your eyes flickered over to the White Wolf and in the same instant, the smile fell from your lips.

“It’s getting late.” He spoke, placing the bags down beside the table. “Jaskier mentioned a guest room where Ciri could rest.”

“Just down the hall.” You nodded once.

Ciri’s stomach growled with hunger. She smiled sheepishly, bringing her hand up to her stomach.

You and the witcher were the only two to hear thanks to your enhanced hearing.

“My apologies, child. I wasn’t aware I’d be having company.” You frowned, feeling a bit guilty that you didn’t have the proper food for her.

“In the morning, I will go into town and gather what supplies we will need.” Jaskier volunteered.

You stood to your feet and moved around your home, picking up a netted bag.

“Where are you going, Y/N?” Jaskier’s eyes followed you.

“I can’t have her going to bed with an empty stomach.” You gestured to her. “I’ll be back in a few minutes. For the meantime, start a fire in the hearth, please.”

As the front door closed behind you, Ciri looked at Geralt.

“I quite like her.”

He grunted and rolled his eyes.

“You shouldn’t be so quick to pass judgements.”

“Same could be said for you.”

Geralt turned his head to look at the bard, who moved away from the table to start a fire in the hearth.

***

After a small dinner consisting of fish cooked over the fire, you found yourself sitting alongside the young girl as she asked you questions.

“Are Nixes from a specific area?”

“We can inhabit any water source. Lakes, rivers, ponds, seas.”

“And swamps?”

You smiled a little, nodding your head.

“Yes, even swamps.”

“Where are you from?”

You looked over to her for a few moments, trying to think of a good answer.

“When you’ve lived as long as I have, child, you don’t keep track of something so trivial.”

She nodded her head and fell silent for a little while.

“I think it is a good time for bed.” Geralt stood to his feet.

“Y/N, have you got anything Ciri can change into?” Jaskier asked. “At least until her clothes can be washed tomorrow?”

“Yes, of course. But I do think she could use a bath before changing into clean clothes, don’t you think so, dear?”

“A bath would be lovely.” Ciri nodded her head enthusiastically. The poor girl was smudge with dirt and grime. Her greasy hair was pulled back into a braid and she smelled less than pleasant. A bath would be the perfect way to finish the night.  

“There’s a pool of water not too far away–,”

“It’s getting dark outside.” Geralt interjected, causing himself to be at the other end of your glare once more. “There are things outside that could harm Ciri.”

“I can keep her safe, witcher.”

Geralt locked his jaw.

“Geralt.” Jaskier said his name as if to encourage him to let you take the young girl out.

“Fine. Ten minutes.”

You nodded once, a wordless agreement.

***

You sat on the edge of the pool of water. One foot was dipped into the water. You leaned back on your hands, your eyes flickering around the edge of the woods.

While the princess bathed, you sat guard.

Crickets, cicadas, and frogs made a beautiful and tranquil sound that resonated through the woods. Every now and then, something would splash as it broke into the water on the other side of the pool. Ciri would jump and turn in the direction of the noise. You would tell her that it was a bullfrog or a fish breaching the surface, and you may have lied a little bit to her whenever the noise came from an alligator. The animals had no interest in coming close to you, so the girl was safe.

“Y/N? Can I ask you something?” Ciri brushed her wet hair over one shoulder. You gave her a nod in reply. “Geralt is usually a very good judge of character…. I don’t think I’ve ever seen him so hostile towards someone within the first few moments of meeting them.”

You turned your head to watch a black and white ringed snake slither along the top of the water and away from yourself and Ciri.

“This isn’t my first encounter with him.” Your eyes flickered back to her. “The Continent is unfortunately far too small for those of us unfazed by time.”

“I take it you don’t like each other.”

There was a long pause as you gazed at her, tempted to tell her all the gory details of the first time you ran into the infamous Butcher himself.

“He killed my sister.” Your voice fell to a quiet murmur.

“I…. I’m sorry for your loss.

You sat up, brushing the dirt off of your palms.

“She was the reason for her own demise in the end. Witchers rarely give my kind a second chance. The White Haired One saw us as more than just beasts. He gave my sister and myself a second chance. She could not control her urges.”

“Urges?”

You nodded lightly, reaching your hand out to skim the surface of the water.

“Every monster craves something. Most act on their hunger, slaughtering entire villages to satisfy their cravings. Some act on the pain that rests inside them. They destroy whatever they can get their hands on in an effort to get others to feel the same pain they do.”

“And what is it you do?” Ciri tilted her head to the side just a little.

“Survive.”

[the-forest-library]

December 2024 Reads

Orbital - Samantha Harvey

I Who Have Never Known Men - Jacqueline Harpman

Ghost Wall - Sarah Moss

Fox 8 - George Saunders

The Muse of Maiden Lane - Mimi Matthews

Finding Mr. Write - Kelley Armstrong

Cole and Laila Are Just Friends - Bethany Turner

P.S. I Hate You - Lauren Connolly

Not in My Book - Katie Holt

The Rules of Royalty - Cale Dietrich

Wrong Answers Only - Tobias Madden

Lily and the Octopus - Steven Rowley

The Mistletoe Mystery - Nita Prose

A Night in the Lonesome October - Roger Zelazny

The Legend of Sleepy Hollow - Washington Irving

A Matter of Execution - Nicolas Atwater and Olivia Atwater

The Scholar and the Last Faerie Door - H.G. Parry

Cursed Cocktails - S.L. Rowland

Games Untold - Jennifer Lynn Barnes

Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats - T.S. Eliot

So Thirsty - Rachel Harrison

Hunting November - Adriana Mather

Two Sides to Every Murder - Danielle Valentine

Demon in the Wood - Leigh Bardugo

Thistlefoot - GennaRose Nethercott

Ghost Squad - Claribel A. Ortega

Heartwood Hotel: A True Home - Kallie George

Understood Betsy - Dorothy Canfield Fisher

The Death and Life of Benny Brooks - Ethan Long

Jeremy Thatcher, Dragon Catcher - Bruce Coville

The Boy, the Mole, the Fox, and the Horse - Charlie Mackesy

In a Jar - Deborah Marcero

Frog and Toad Are Friends - Arnold Lobel

Frog and Toad Together - Arnold Lobel

Frog and Toad All Year - Arnold Lobel

Up in the Garden and Down in the Dirt - Kate Messner and Christopher Silas Neal

A Little Like Magic - Sarah Kurpiel

Sugar and Spice and Everything Mice - Annie Silvestro and Christee Curran-Bauer

Mr. Santa - Jarvis

I Shall Never Fall in Love - Harri Conner

Bunt! Striking Out on Financial Aid - Ngoni Ukazu

Swamp Thing: Twin Branches - Maggie Stiefvater

Shadow of the Batgirl - Sarah Kuhn

She-Hulk, Vol. 5: All In - Rainbow Rowell

Briony Hatch - Ginny & Penelope Skinner

March: Book One - John Lewis, Andrew Aydin, and Nate Powell

Cat People to Judge in Art and Life - Nicole Tersigni

Pen & Ink - Isaac Fitzgerald and Wendy MacNaughton

March Sisters: On Life, Death, and Little Women - Kate Bolick, Jenny Zhang, Carmen Maria Machado, and Jane Smiley

Everybody Needs an Editor - Melissa Harris

We All Shine On: John, Yoko, and Me - Elliot Mintz

Never Play it Safe - Chase Jarvis

Women Living Deliciously - Florence Given

Things to Look Forward To - Sophie Blackall

Real American Girls Tell Their Own Stories - Thomas Hoobler and Dorothy Hoobler

The Wood in Winter - John Lewis-Stempel

50 Ways to Rewire Your Anxious Brain - Catherine M. Pittman and Maha Zayed Hoffman

Democracy or Else - Jon Favreau, Jon Lovett, and Tommy Vietor

What I Ate in One Year - Stanley Tucci

Greekish - Georgina Hayden

The Vegetable Eater - Cara Mangini

Bold = Highly Recommend

Italics = Worth It

Crossed Out = Nope

Thoughts: So, uh, I read a lot of books this month. I leaned into beating my total from last year since I was close and read a lot of short reads, graphic novels, and the children's books I was giving for gifts.

There were some good reads this month, including two new canine narrators that I adore: Fox 8 and Snuff from A Night in the Lonesome October (which really should be a big tumblr book as it has Jack the Ripper, Dracula, the Wolf Man, a witch, a clergyman, a druid, Victor Frankenstein, Sherlock Holmes, a Rasputin-coded mad monk, and occultists along with their familiars scheming over the fate of the world).

Goodreads Goal: 476/400 

2017 Reads | 2018 Reads | 2019 Reads | 2020 Reads | 2021 Reads | 2022 Reads | 2023 Reads | 2024 Reads

[franticvampirereads]

Swamp Thing is one of the DC characters that I didn’t know a single thing about. But I really enjoyed the plants and the nature and the southern summer vibes that I got from this. So now I kind of want to do a deep dive into his character/background. Another thing I really liked about this graphic novel was the twins dynamic. They were yearning for stronger connections but were having trouble relating to each other after some family drama. In the end they were able to overcome that, if not in the way they or I thought they would. So. This is getting a solid four stars and now I have some researching to do.

[thelonelyrainbowguy]

Currently reading:

The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes by Suzanne Collins❗️

Nach dem Sommer (German version of Shiver) by Maggie Stiefvater❓(reading a little at a time and writing down English translations of words or phrases that are unfamiliar to me to help me learn as I go! I’ve read the English version multiple times.)

Books I’ve read so far in 2023:

❗️=read before, ❓=first time, ⁉️=partially read in the past

The Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater ❗️

The Dream Thieves by Maggie Stiefvater ❗️

Blue Lily, Lily Blue by Maggie Stiefvater❗️

Lament by Maggie Stiefvater ❓

Ballad by Maggie Stiefvater ❓

Swamp Thing: Twin Branches by Maggie Stiefvater ❓

Acceleration by Graham McNamee ❗️

All Systems Red (Murderbot Diaries #1) by Martha Wells ❓

Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo ❓

Glass Houses by Rachel Caine ⁉️

The Dead Girls’ Dance by Rachel Caine ❓

The Devouring Gray by C.L. Herman ❗️

The Deck of Omens by C.L. Herman ❓

Summer Sons by Lee Mandelo ⁉️

A Darker Shade of Magic by V.E. Schwab ❗️

A Gathering Of Shadows by V.E. Schwab ❗️

The Whispering Dark by Kelly Andrew ❓

Gregor the Overlander by Suzanne Collins ❗️

Gregor and the Prophecy of Bane by Suzanne Collins❓

Gregor and the Curse of the Warmbloods by Suzanne Collins❓

Gregor and the Marks of Secret by Suzanne Collins❓

Gregor and the Code of Claw by Suzanne Collins❓

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins ❗️

Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins ❗️

Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins ❗

The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams❓

Blood Water Paint by Joy McCullough ❓

Gallant by V.E. Schwab ❓

Animorphs 1: The Invasion by K.A. Applegate

Animorphs 2: The Visitor by K.A. Applegate

Animorphs 3: The Encounter by K.A. Applegate

Animorphs 4: The Message by K.A. Applegate

Animorphs 5: The Predator by K.A. Applegate

Animorphs 6: The Capture by K.A. Applegate

Animorphs 7: The Stranger by K.A. Applegate

Animorphs 7.5: Megamorphs 1: The Andalite’s Gift by K.A. Applegate

Animorphs 8: The Alien by K.A. Applegate

Animorphs 9: The Secret by K.A. Applegate

Animorphs 10: The Android by K.A. Applegate

Animorphs 11: The Forgotten by K.A. Applegate

Animorphs 12: The Reaction by K.A. Applegate

Animorphs 12.5: The Andalite Chronicles by K.A. Applegate

Animorphs 13: The Change by K.A. Applegate

Animorphs 14: The Unknown by K.A. Applegate

Animorphs 15: The Escape by K.A. Applegate

Animorphs 16: The Warning by K.A. Applegate

Animorphs 17: The Underground by K.A. Applegate

Animorphs 18: The Decision by K.A. Applegate

Animorphs 18.5: In The Time Of Dinosaurs by K.A. Applegate

Animorphs 19: The Departure by K.A. Applegate

Animorphs 20: The Discovery by K.A. Applegate

Animorphs 21: The Threat by K.A. Applegate

Animorphs 22: The Solution by K.A. Applegate

Animorphs 23: The Pretender by K.A. Applegate

(I’m unsure which Animorphs books I’ve read in the past since I only ever read some of them, as a kid, and never in order.)

[nerice]

elden ring sote bingo let's fucking GO!!

dawn of the final 24 hours before my life gets eaten. details under th cut >>

the eclipse

what the fuck were they doing at castle sol what was the point !! "the sun has not been swallowed your companion remains soulless" how was this supposed to connect to/help resurrect godwyn. may we find out when it happens!!

scythe fixes

my partner contributed this one it seems 2 be a vry specific gripe towards scythe builds that i do not understand bc i run my game with two toothpick daggers and refuse to upgrade vigor lmao

death swamp

i think it wld be funny. do it miyazaki

malenia's severed arm/oath ring

WHAT IF WE. FOUND IT >:) no idea why it'd be in the realm of shadow but i wanna pick up specifically the oath ring fr item description lore juice so bad :3

messmer blasphemy arsenal

why is he running around talking abt those unworthy of gold when he's fully stacked w/ anti erdtree insignia!! battle trophies? just to flex? let us know!!

butterfly trio

fringe theory that i don't subscribe to that the trio statue in the haligtree is *not* prodigy twins + godwyn but instead twins + messmer, on account of cape & the fact that they all get butterfly items (nascent for miquella, aeonian for malenia, and smoldering for - presumably - messmer bc of his fire theming) don't rly care for it but am curious abt the butterfly symbolism nd if it will show up

lake of rot expansion

THIS HAS BEEN BOTHERING ME SINCE I FOUND IT. why is that upper portion there, completely inaccesible, with the other end suspiciously faded out!!!! no other part of the giant ass world map has smth like this LET US GO THERE!! blue dancer portal i believe in u

marika's dad

that guy in the painting. who's a talking corpse pulling a sword out of his fucked up body later in the trailer, LOREDROP US

age of rot

easy. malenia resurrection phase three full ending truther. yes i realize this wld be the worst possible fate for her i love dying and despair

sleep swamp

we kind of saw it in the trailer. might not be an actual inflicting-the-effect soup location but again i think it'd be funny!!

godwyn's resurrection (mermaid boss)

with or without connection to whatever the eclipse is. there's no way they're not gonna use that huge disgusting model of him from the deeproot depths 2 fuck us up. miquella can save him but he cannot save him tm :)!

messmer destined death user

every possible evil flame theory under the sun has been floated for him nd which shade of fire it is he's actually wielding. i think he's camp destined death for juice nd (possible) melina connection

gloam-eyed queen is marika's sibling/twin

my fav little pet theory!! assuming the guy in the painting is marika's dad and assuming (spicily) that the woman in the painting isn't actually her but another numen / empyrean / possibly sibling / most likely 2 be the gloam eyed queen aka whoever marika has slain at the beginning of the sote story trailer when she claims godhood. i just think this game loves sibling beef too much 2 not go there. conversely i don't think melina is the gloam-eyed queen but i do think there's a connection/possible inheritance avenue w.

malenia death consequences

THE ONLY THING I REALLY CARE ABT FOR THIS DLC it cannot be a 10/10 without this, indulge meeeeee pwease she's a fkcin optional boss and the entire reason for miquella's quest. it has to matter COME ON !!!! idc if it's a lot to code and account for u built this house

melina/messmer siblings

melina is the odd one out whose parentage is so far unconfirmed. nd there are no only children in this game. so w/ the addition of messmer > obv conclusion that might still be fully off lol

miquella anti-griffith path

yes ive seen the theories. yes ive read berserk. yes it makes sense and the parallels are off the charts. when i first found the bewitching branch nd the lore bits abt miquella/st trina i also sent my partner a long essay abt the parallels. miquella the beloved defender of the weak, (+ there is LITERALLY AN ECLIPSE HE TRIED TO CAUSE) however all the "miquella is evil" theories are supremely boring sorry. playing it straight wld be such a waste. u meet miquella nd he turns out to be a mastermind manipulator who used dream control and charm and even malenia was tricked etc etc IT'S BORING gtfo

boss w/ 3rd phase

haven't had that yet. bonus points if i get my resurrected malenia insect body horror for this (wldnt even count bc it's not a consequtive phase) but a girl can dream uwu

final boss fight @ the vagina tree roots

sorry for the uninitiated. but yeah this wld be a dope final boss location and either way i wanna go there!!!!! give us pussy

outer god of sleep

this shot in the story trailer. "abandoning his fate" can be interpreted either way, abandoning (unalloyed) gold for existence as st trina OR WHAT I'M PUSHING. him even abandoning his fate as empyrean i.e. godhood since power in this game always comes at the price of outer gods whispering in ur ear nd i want!! an outer god of sleep !! to have been that for miquella. sleep was his destined path like rot was for malenia, and he wants no part of it >:3

torrent's origins

this is a filler square u_u but also i'm genuinely curious if we will get more lore abt him. it's confirmed miquella was riding torrent when he set out, and the torrent we have now is a spectral steed, first seen with melina and then gifted to us by ranni in disguise so like. how do we get from a to b to c d e f here chat !!!!

blue dancer lore

ANOTHER 10/10 REQUIREMENT. ive made my case and it's a strong one. ik all of the malenia content wishes are copium at best but getting vicarious lore on this one is extremely feasible imo

age of unalloyed gold

there's no way we aren't getting a miquella themed ending right. riiiight??

full melina lore

TRULY THE MOST ENIGMATIC CHARACTER there's a billion theories (geq being the strongest one) i don't even care what her specific lore details are gonna be but it'll be so interesting if any of it gets elaborated on !!

all new npcs fucking die

they're such a merry band in the story trailer :) wld be a shame if something happened to them :))))))))

[radiant-fanon-maker]

Day 7 of drawing canon diabetic characters

Flower boy ^-^

I haven't read this book, but I want it so bad, but I don't have money to buy it T-T

@type1diabetesinfandom

[brightbeautifulthings]

March

J | F |

reviews Dare Me by Megan Abbott (5/5) Exit Strategy by Martha Wells (4/5) Artificial Condition by Martha Wells (4/5) Rogue Protocol by Martha Wells (4/5) Runaways, Vol. 6: Come Away With Me by Rainbow Rowell (4/5) Solutions and Other Problems by Allie Brosh (3/5) It Ends with Us by Colleen Hoover (3/5) Runaways, Vol. 4: But You Can’t Hide by Rainbow Rowell (3/5) Runaways, Vol. 5: Canon Fodder by Rainbow Rowell (3/5) Swamp Thing: Twin Branches by Maggie Stiefvater (3/5) Along the Saltwise Sea by A. Deborah Baker (3/5) Tidal Creatures by Seanan McGuire (3/5) Seasons of Flesh and Flame by A.G. Howard (3/5)

etcetera TMST: Reading Outside Our Comfort Zones Readalikes: Dare Me by Megan Abbott & Whores on the Hill by Colleen Curran