#thebedlamstacks

[thenatashapulleyuniverse]

hilarious that "characters steal a banana truck" won. anyways that happened in The Half Life of Valery K (2022). thanks for playing :)

part 1 was so popular the people wanted a sequel

[welcome-to-the-end-of-eras]

Ranking the pulleyverse characters based on how much I like their names

Obviously this list is subjective but like. We all know that some of these are objectively true.

1.) Keita Mori: I personally think this is a top tier name. It flows well together, it fits his personality, there’s a lot of cool symbolism behind/because of it, it’s really a fantastic name for a character. No notes, 10/10.

2.) Raphael: it’s a really cool name, and I think it’s fun that he doesn’t have a set last name; it’s adds a bit of mystery to things. That and calling him Raphael TheBedlamStacks is funny as shit to me. Is it a little dramatic??? Yes, but so is he so it works. 9.5/10.

3.) Valery Kolkhanov: again, I think this name is super fun, and super creative, and it really does fit his personality well. I’m only putting it lower than Raphael because I thought his name was Valerie (English pronunciation) and I got my hopes up for the first proper female pulleyverse mc, but if that weren’t the case his name and Raphael’s would be equal. 9/10.

4.) Joe Tournier: Comparatively a pretty average name, but I have to admit the French last name sounds kinda pretty. If his name had stayed Jem Castlereigh or whatever the fuck, it would be significantly lower on this list. 8/10

5.) Konstantin Shenkov: I like this slightly less than Valery’s name because it’s a little bit clunky comparatively, but it’s definitely not a bad name. Don’t like that Konstantin is spelled like that tho, it looks a bit odd. 7/10.

6.) Aubrey/River Gale: there’s something off about these names that I really can’t put my finger on, but it’s just. Slightly off-putting to me. They’re such an ethereal person that I feel like their name should be a little. More, yknow??? If they were River Sterling that would be a different story, I like that name a lot, but River Gale sounds anticlimactic almost. 5/10.

7.) Thaniel Steepleton: this kills me. This kills me so bad. It’s no secret that he’s my favourite, my babiest of girls, but god almighty pick a different fucking nickname. It sounds so stupid. Nathaniel isn’t a bad name, it’s a bit proper but it’s definitely not a bad name, so why on god’s green earth would you remove the easiest two letters to pronounce and call that a nickname, it’s fucking stupid. And it sounds so British, it’s atrocious. 3/10. And that is ONLY because of how much I love him.

8.) January Sterling: objectively speaking, the reason behind his name is funny as fuck, but literally any other normal person would just. Go and change his name. Or let him go by his middle name. Why he decided to stick with January is beyond me. 1/10.

9.) Merrick Tremayne: it’s so British. Like. Annoyingly British. Love him to death but his name sucks so bad, and it just puts me in mind of the evil stepmother from Cinderella. RIP to the real Merrick Tremayne, you never had to get made fun of in school for how bad your name is. 0/10

10.) Missouri Kite: I cannot STAND this name istg. “Oh it’s translated-” HOW DOES A SPANISH NAME TRANSLATE INTO A WORD IN TWO SEPARATE LANGUAGES??? MISSOURI COMES FROM A NATIVE AMERICAN DIALECT IN THE MIDWEST REGION OF AMERICA, AND KITE IS A RANDOM ASS BRITISH WORD FOR A PIECE OF FLYING CLOTH, HOW THE FUCK DO THOSE COMBINE TO MAKE A NAME??? IT’S SO STUPID. -5/10.

Edit: I didn’t include Flint Kang and that was an oversight on my part, but tbh I don’t have much of an opinion. I’m going to say he’s a step below Shenkov, his name is also a little clunky but also a little nasally so it’s not as nice. 5.5/10.

[spittinwatches]

i must get back to my roots (raphael thebedlamstacks) (I HAVENT DRAWN HIM SINCE JUNE 2023??????)

[coeur-d-artichaut]

{ here is my late Chicago book haul! I picked up quite a few books, and it was hard not to bring more tbh 🙈 } • • • #bookhaul #bookstagram #thebedlamstacks #thebearandthenightingale #theshininggirls #books (à Chicago, Illinois) https://www.instagram.com/p/B2949GKgp46/?igshid=1i9tgszwpzm7w

[thenatashapulleyuniverse]

My favorite of hers used to be Watchmaker, before I let Bedlam marinate within me, then I went crazy over the themes. I haven't seen such intricate thematic building in any of her other books after that point. I can talk for hours on metamorphosis and time and mortality and love being patient and ruthless and the repetitive nature of a Tremayne man before Merrick decides to break the cycle. Like it's such a good book guys!!!

And the thing is, Bedlam isn't even EXPLICITLY QUEER. Like sure, Merrick and Raphael cuddle in one scene, but there are no kisses, and no dramatic heart wrenching speeches. No "I can't breathe" "You"re my family" "You aren't even one tenth mine" not that I don't love a heartwrenching speech but you find the love and devotion and pain between Merrick and Raphael through the setting, the worldbuilding, the words NOT spoken. The statue on the plinth holding the girl's broken bones is meant to be such a clear parallel of their relationship. Merrick takes Raphael's rosary and that rosary could represent so many things!! YOU LIKE IT BLACK DONT YOU. HE LAUGHED. It's also the only book with a 1st person narrative. And I say this all the time as a joke but never think of bedlam beyond the 300 pages she's given us, BUT I MEAN IT!! Because the world is so rich and we know Merrick will die before Raphael and that hangs over their relationship post novel, you can explore so many concepts!!!

I did enjoy Kingdoms, and Valery, but they have gotten so predictable that before Kingdoms was even published, I already guessed the plot twist of M = Missouri just based off of summary and a few tweets she made. And Valery doesn't even throw me for a loop because it's her 5th novel following the same forumla, just... without all the whimsy. (we have bingo cards man.)

She's got an amazing prose and style, and I do enjoy her brand immensely, but I'm still holding hope for her to branch out of her comfort zone. She can do it!! I believe in her! I will be here SEATED if she decided to write something contemporary, or even choose to focus on a hetero relationship (Akira/Grace is so so so good I love their dynamic so much if she can repeat that with another set of characters in a different novel I will CONSUME) (She'll never write a damsel or a strong man coming to save her cliche or whatever like I TRUST HER) I think I would die over a bittersweet ending or a tragic one in a good way

okay rant over

obviously don't answer if you've only read one of her books. But we're all obsessives here on tumblr, so I'm guessing most people will have read several if not all of them

[bibliobethblog]

Hello everyone and happy Saturday to you all. I was inspired by @salboreads to post this #bookstackforacause today which was first started by @contemporaryfiction and @katrin.loves.books March is Colorectal Cancer Awareness month and this is a cause very close to my heart as I work in Bowel Cancer Screening. I’m passionate about raising awareness of the benefits of screening and it’s wonderful to hear of the cases of cancer we’ve been able to find and treat that people have been completely unaware of. It might not be a particularly pleasant thing to talk about but boy, is it important! Latest figures show that almost one third of people who were sent a screening kit in England last year didn’t complete it. Hopefully that will change as we get more comfortable speaking about this kind of issue. For every dark blue book stack posted in March @contemporaryfiction and @katrin.loves.books will donate $1/€1 to the @colorectalcanceralliance and @deutschekrebshilfe respectively. Thank you to them for spreading awareness for very personal reasons of their own. Make sure you check out their posts and if you post a stack, use the hashtag #bookstackforcoloncancer Have a lovely weekend everyone! 🤗😘 #bookstagramuk #scottishbookstagrammer #booksforcharity #mapsofourspectacularbodies #maddiemortimer #maggieofarrellhamnet #thebedlamstacks #natashapulley #carimora #thomasharrisbooks #stephenkingfangirl😍📚 #billysummers #thechangeling #victorlavalle #bowelcancerawarenessmonth #screeningsaveslives #darkbluebookstack https://www.instagram.com/p/CpYTbNZr6eH/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[shadowseaofbooks]

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Natasha Pulley, autrice già famosa per L’orologiaio di Filigree street, in Le torri di vetro mette in piedi una storia ispirata ad una reale spedizione in Perù, aggiungendovi un tocco di mistero. Lei stessa ha intrapreso dei viaggi per conoscere la cultura e il territorio di cui si apprestava a parlare. Se doveste scrivere un libro, viaggereste per documentarvi o lo fareste unicamente da casa? O parlereste solo della realtà che avete attorno? Vi aspetto sul blog per leggere l'articolo completo! ⋆ #natashapulley #letorridivetro #thebedlamstacks #lorologiaiodifiligreestreet #quechua #inca #markayuq #mithology #perú #español #travel #bookstagramitalia #ticonsigliounlibro #libriconsigliati #leggereinsieme #consiglidilettura #bookpic #mylibrary #leggere #letteratura #lettura #libridaleggere #igbooks #igreads #booklover #bookstagram #bookstagrammer #booknerd #bookworm #bibliophile ⋆ (presso Bedlam) https://www.instagram.com/p/CPOFmxPKJ9y/?utm_medium=tumblr

[saintlygames]

they fell in love in two weeks this is real

[uniquely-sarah-elisabeth]

Merrick Tremayne by uniquely-sarah on Polyvore

[lisa-lostinlit]

Happy Release Day to THE BEDLAM STACKS by Natasha Pulley! 🎉 . Have you read this one yet? Is it on your TBR? ________________________________________________________ 📖Summary: In 1859, ex-East India Company smuggler Merrick Tremayne is trapped at home in Cornwall after sustaining an injury that almost cost him his leg and something is wrong; a statue moves, his grandfather’s pines explode, and his brother accuses him of madness. . When the India Office recruits Merrick for an expedition to fetch quinine—essential for the treatment of malaria—from deep within Peru, he knows it’s a terrible idea. Nearly every able-bodied expeditionary who’s made the attempt has died, and he can barely walk. But Merrick is desperate to escape everything at home, so he sets off, against his better judgment, for a tiny mission colony on the edge of the Amazon where a salt line on the ground separates town from forest. Anyone who crosses is killed by something that watches from the trees, but somewhere beyond the salt are the quinine woods, and the way around is blocked. . Surrounded by local stories of lost time, cursed woods, and living rock, Merrick must separate truth from fairytale and find out what befell the last expeditions; why the villagers are forbidden to go into the forest; and what is happening to Raphael, the young priest who seems to have known Merrick’s grandfather, who visited Peru many decades before. The Bedlam Stacks is the story of a profound friendship that grows in a place that seems just this side of magical. ________________________________________________________ #thebedlamstacks #natashapulley #pubday #booklover #bookstagram #bookstagramit #bookstagrammer #booknerd #bookworm #igreads #igdaily #instareads #vsco #vscocam #vscobooks #instabook #bookphotography #bookphotographer #bookphoto #bookstagramfeature #iphonephotography #igdaily #goodreads #cozy #totalbooknerd

[decoratingreader]

Happy belated #bookbirthday to this gorgeous book! And thank you so much @shaelyncherie and @bloomsburypublishing for this beautiful hardcover and candle 😍😍 This is one I plan to read this month!! . SYNOPSIS In 1859, ex-East India Company smuggler Merrick Tremayne is trapped at home in Cornwall after sustaining an injury that almost cost him his leg and something is wrong; a statue moves, his grandfather’s pines explode, and his brother accuses him of madness. When the India Office recruits Merrick for an expedition to fetch quinine—essential for the treatment of malaria—from deep within Peru, he knows it’s a terrible idea. Nearly every able-bodied expeditionary who’s made the attempt has died, and he can barely walk. But Merrick is desperate to escape everything at home, so he sets off, against his better judgment, for a tiny mission colony on the edge of the Amazon where a salt line on the ground separates town from forest. Anyone who crosses is killed by something that watches from the trees, but somewhere beyond the salt are the quinine woods, and the way around is blocked. Surrounded by local stories of lost time, cursed woods, and living rock, Merrick must separate truth from fairytale and find out what befell the last expeditions; why the villagers are forbidden to go into the forest; and what is happening to Raphael, the young priest who seems to have known Merrick’s grandfather, who visited Peru many decades before. The Bedlam Stacks is the story of a profound friendship that grows in a place that seems just this side of magical. . 💭Do you read #historicalfiction ? Will you be adding this to your #tbr ? . . . #bookish #bibliophile #bookgram #bookworm #bookstagramfeature #totalbooknerd #bookishfeatures #bookstagramit #bookporn #bookstagram #bookblogger #read #goodreads #booklover #bookphotography #bookstagrammer #booksofinstagram #📚 #📖 #thebedlamstacks #natashapulley #mustread #shelfie #flickthewick #bookishcandles #bookishmerch

[thenatashapulleyuniverse]

2, 23, and 32 for the fic writer ask game?

2. Which of your fics is your pride and joy?

idc if the bedlam stacks isnt popular anymore, my writing peaked with Ship of Theseus and maybe even There'll Be No More After Me (which I had workshopped in a creative writing class lmao)

His mind was cruel. He dreamt of the long-gone impressions of the frigid sense of snow against his body; the rain and water catching inside his boots and drenching his hair; the sun, too, with its humid kiss creating sweat across his face. All those things rendered foreign. He dreamt of hot, careful hands against his hips, his chest, his knuckles, his face. His fingers itched for the ghost of a solid body, something tangible, something he could sink his nails into. His lips dreamt of a weight against them, and something heavier than language sitting in his throat. Even crueler, he dreamt of that peace that came with growing old.

like HELLO i dont think ill ever write something that beautiful again

23. What’s a story you’d love to write but haven’t even started yet?

WALK WITH ME HERE. This has been stewing in my brain for weeks.

I call it my TMH Masquerade AU but basically: A very eccentric trillionaire from Tharsis (not Gale, would have to be some OC of sorts) wants to host a 3-month long Earth culture event, and so they personally host only the best of Earth performers and artists at the Tiangong. This includes the UK's Royal Ballet.

January, mid to late 20s, is practically in the prime of his career. He and his company and other performers are set to perform at a Masquerade Gala. He's wearing a polar bear mask. His cage is uncomfy but hey it's only a month of being on Tharsis and then he can go back home.

House Gale is invited to show up to the event. River (mammoth mask) never did well at these sorts of events like Aubrey, so they step outside for a moment and run into January, who had needed a break from all the people.

So basically in this AU, my goal was for a younger River and January to meet, fall in love over the course of his short duration there, and then Jan would devastatingly come back years later to Tharsis in worse conditions to find out the person who he had a short fairy tale textbook romance with is dead and had run away with somebody else.

32. A character you enjoy making suffer.

Raphael thebedlamstacks (i love immortal characters)

[zakiarez-blog]

What do you do when you don't even need to go out to get coffee? You grab a book and curl up on the bed. 🛏 . Currently reading #thebedlamstacks by #natashapulley. This book was a surprise find ar a dollar store for only $3! Honest confession, I was drawn by the cover so I bought it. You never know when you going find amazing stuffs on you way to buy mop and plastic bowls.🔍 stay woke! . Thanks a ton @timhortons for letting me try the #premiuminstantcoffee and in my preferred medium roast variety. While trying to cut back on dairy I'm going to enjoy black coffee every time I need a little caffeine kick. . . #freesample #timhortons #coffee #complementary #book #goodreads #summer #summerintoronto (at Toronto, Ontario) https://www.instagram.com/p/BzoLSQPHCif/?igshid=12fnhxmz50ku

[incorrect-pulleyverse]

Inti: As I handed Mother her 50th birthday card, she looked at me with tears in her eyes and said : ‘You know, one would have been enough’

[spittinwatches]

im not even gonna talk about my version 1 raphael thebedlamstacks like what do you mean i imagined him with short curly hair and a beard lmao

it is so FASCINATING to compare the development of my missouri kite from when i first drew him hours after i read the kingdoms to now because like............... he got SO much softer and babygirlified.

[coeur-d-artichaut]

{ a little post for my first PSL😇🧡 the perfect drinking after shopping for books 📚 One of the little gems I found in The Dial bookshop is the hardcover of The Bedlam Stacks by Natasha Pulley! I've heard good reviews of it and I can't wait to read it (eventually...when I'll actually have time to read)😅} • • • #autumnvibes #psl #bookcover #thebedlamstacks #bookstagram #bookaholic #bookhaul (à Chicago, Illinois) https://www.instagram.com/p/B3CkWhrAJgs/?igshid=9xabokgbzv4h