scullymurphy

[scullymurphy]

i don’t think people understand how much of life is grief. not just people dying, but losing the version of yourself you thought you’d become. grieving the city you had to leave. the friends you lost not in argument, but in silence. the summer that will never come back. the feeling that maybe you peaked at 12 when you were reading books under the covers and believing in forever

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they should invent a 2025 where good things happen

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happy pride 🌈

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So honored to be included in this awesome list (and furiously taking notes for my summer reading list). xoxo, @cr0ftisprocrastinating!! 😘

(apologies in advance for the sycophantic screed you are about to read)

I have just binged your fics and feel compelled to tell you that they made me laugh out loud, kick my feet in glee, and weep uncontrollably. I loved them all but Nowhere Else To Go is my favourite bc I’m an absolute glutton for punishment and the agony of angst was particularly delicious (and obviously the cause of my weeping).

Anyway, I mostly want to thank you because, one PhD candidate to another (I know you’re doing a DPhil but, yknow, tomato tomato), I want to thank you for providing me with a much-needed escape from all of the theory that is constantly threatening to completely colonise my brain. I’m such a snob when it comes to FF and romance, so it’s so refreshing to find fic that makes me FEEL something for once in my goddamn life while also having beautiful prose AND correct grammar.

Also, massive props for somehow finding time to write fic while studying?! I am incapable of pretty much anything but getting stoned at the end of every day so my hypothetical hat goes off to you. I can’t wait for whatever your brilliant brain cooks up next.

So that this isn’t just me gushing I suppose I should ask a question: what are some of your favourite romance novels? I am constantly chasing the feeling of reading Conversations With Friends for the first time (which I saw is also a fav of yours), so I trust that any rec of yours will be a good one.

Oooh my god what lovely words!!! Ackkk!! Thank you!!!!!! You are both extremely kind but also extremely generous in coming here to say this after enjoying them - so thank you very much :’)

Also: solidarity! I hate theory. I said at the beginning that my thesis was going to be ‘vibes based’ and now I’m near the end and it KEEPS SNEAKING IN (like…obviously) and it makes my brain melt so yeah. Ugh. I hope you are doing well and all your friends and family are telling you regularly how clever and brave you are for pursuing this. At this point compliments are my only coping mechanism 😭

Please also share your recs bc you sound like my kind of reader!!! My FAVOURITE things in a romance are: really good characterisation, yearning, men who do not know what to do with their feelings. Like, I need that man to be suffering and longing. With that in mind it will come as no surprise that I truly love Pride and Prejudice so, so much. There’s also a fic version! Universal Truths by @scullymurphy is a delight and does yearning very well. There is also a published fan fic esque novel about their marriage which I really enjoyed (this made me feel very sad at points so fyi if you want pure fluff: Mr Darcy Takes a Wife by Linda Berdoll) (this might not actually have been sad but it really put me in a melancholy yearning mood for some reason).

I was raised, perhaps slightly too young, on Philippa Gregory novels. The Other Boleyn Girl still has a special place in my heart. (There was also a really dirty one with a young girl who was a witch who was drugging the man she wanted to marry, sleeping with him and having threesomes with his wife?? Definitely lower on the romance list but in terms of smut…. The Wise Woman). (That one obvs was my actual favourite, lol).

For the classics Georgette Heyer is very good, but sometimes I want a quick read and one with smut, so for more contemporary, ‘fill the void and gobble them up in the evenings’: Scarlett Scott for regency, Annika Martin for billionaire romance, Ursa Dax for alien stuff, especially the Alien God series omg they’re so good, and then Kimberley Lemming for genuine fluff and jokes in a fantasy setting.

I actually really love alien romance as a sub genre and find it fascinating and could talk for hours about why, but it is high risk high reward, in that sometimes they are not good. But hey! Such is life.

Anyway v invested if you have any recommendations to share. I feel I am missing like a major major romance series that I adore but I can’t think of it at all, alas. Very much in the market for some good ones though, I’m currently reading Connie Willis’ novels and oh my good god. If you haven’t read To Say Nothing of the Dog you must, it is perfect and exquisite in every way!!

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I explained the concept of "blorbo from my shows" to my 71 year old immigrant grandfather because I referenced it in passing and I thought nothing of it, until today when he said "I think I'll watch peaky blinders tonight and see my blorbo from my shows" referring, of course, to Cillian Murphy playing Tommy Shelby

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auror partners

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Came to fanfiction incredibly late and discovered Universal Truths which led me to BL/FD and thank you for helping me through a rough time. The stories are amazing but the PLAYLISTS. I can’t stop listening and they help create the world so much! Plus the 90s was my time so it’s great to hear all the songs again! Thank you thank you l!

Hey, you are *never* late to fanfiction! In fact, you're right on time. I'm so glad UT and BL/FD helped you through some rough times. I was going through some stuff when I wrote BL/FD and being a part of the community helped me immensely too. In fact, the whole reason I write is to give people a happy escape from the real world, so your words really touched me. I can't hope for more than to spread a little love and comfort. And music is my passion, so I'm touched that you vibed with the playlists. I had so much fun imagining those songs in the scenes and then sharing them with amazing readers. The 90's were a special time to be young and having all the incredible music to remind us of it is really a gift. So thank you again, kind reader. You made my day with this one! xoxo ~Scully

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Me and a fellow writer lovingly describing our extensive lists of plot bunnies to each other:

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Hey :)

I hope you don’t mind me reaching out, I am an avid reader of (read:devourer of lol) fanfic and I absolutely adore your bending light and falling dark set. I was wondering if you’d be ok for me to bind it for me and also my bookbinding buddy. We are doing a little 8th year bind for each other and I would simply love for it to be yours!! It’s completely not for profit, just two fic obsessed girlies making a pressie for each other lol

Obviously if you’re not happy with that I completely understand! I shall just continue admire it in my kindle lol.

My account is @_the_librocubicularist_ if you’d like to check my profile.

Many thanks

Lizzie

Hi Lizzie,

So sorry for the late reply and thanks for your sweet message! I'm totally fine with bindings for personal use and Iove the idea of your exchange with a friend! Please go forth and bind! And send a pic if you are so inclined. I love to see them.

Thanks again,

Scully

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Sometimes Darcy gets accused of not actually being in love with Elizabeth at the time of his first proposal, that he just proposed out of lust, and like yeah lust was definitely a part of it, but I believe him that he truly loved Elizabeth.

Marriage was a big deal. He'd never really be able to divorce her. This was gonna be it for life—and while Elizabeth for life might be wonderful, he's also getting the Bennets for life.

I don't know how much he knew about the Bennets' financial situation beyond the entail, but he had to have known there was a strong chance Mrs. Bennet would end up living with him after Mr. Bennet died. He could afford to set her up in her own house, but they'd still have to spend a lot of time together. And it wasn't just Mrs. Bennet—he'd be saddling himself with the lifelong care of potentially multiple of Elizabeth’s relatives, which is bad enough when you actually like the people, but these are people who he can't stand, and rightfully so! I'd despise living with any of them except Elizabeth and Jane, and maybe Kitty. He's not being a snob when he criticizes them—they legitimately suck. (Well, he is being a snob and dumbass by saying it out loud, but Elizabeth herself knows the criticism is justified.)

On top of all that, he knows marrying Elizabeth is gonna piss off his own family, and potentially jeopardize his friendship with his bestie Charles.

And you're telling me that Darcy was willing to take on all of that shit just for sex?? Sex is easy to get. Hell, even sex with a pretty, kind, smart wife would be easy for Darcy to get. Elizabeth is not his only good option.

I know people's genitals make them do all sorts of wildly stupid things, but I don't think even Darcy's penis is powerful enough (and I've read fanfic, I know how powerful Darcy's penis is) to make him propose to Elizabeth Bennet if he didn't truly love her.

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I spent all of yesterday binge-reading The Grand Sophy (a day AWESOMELY spent) and ended up drawing this very late at night! It's sketchy and messy but I think I actually quite like the style of it - the anatomy needs a bit of work

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coffee and sunlight

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Oh, and by the way, that Supreme Court ruling is where that Harry Potter money goes.

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The UK Supreme Court has overruled Scottish Courts and declared the Scottish Government was wrong to include trans women in the definition of 'woman'.

Scottish Government needs to grow a spine and tell them to get fucked as far as I'm concerned. The UK can shove their 'Family of Nations' schtick up their arse.

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Reblogging this after googling 'Justice for Lavender Brown' and seeing it come up in the search results. What an amazing, AMAZING gift this was from @sumbul -- I still can't get over the creativity and cleverness. As we get on toward the warmer months, I always starting thinking of Italy and how much fun it was to write Bending Light. And this illustration truly encapsulates the fic. Thank you, sumbul, wherever you are!!

Bending Light - Lavender’s Photo Diary

Oh my FREAKING god. 

The amazing @sumbul​ thought up the most clever, cool, interesting concept for my WIP, Bending Light: a photo diary (by the lovely Lavender Brown, who would absolutely keep a photo diary) of the happenings and scenes of our five main characters (Draco, Hermione, Theo, Lav & Blaise) as they live out the unsupervised summer of their dreams in a small Italian town post 6th year. 

I am so BLOWN AWAY by the level of detail, the perfect mood, the snippets of writing in Lav’s voice, I just can’t even express it. This is so creative and wonderful. THANK YOU, @sumbul​ 😭😭😭😭 

(first two entries before the cut and next three after)

Keep reading

[scullymurphy]

Quidditch draco