#Cloaked in Shadow

[aurorawest]

Reading update:

Look, I am clearly on a mission to read every mlm book written, AND I love a lovable rogue, AND I love magic, AND I love the World’s Fair. That said, this book didn’t grab me the way I thought it would? It was a solid read, but I never feel head over heels for it the way I expected to. I think part of my issue with it was that Hutchinson was deliberately anachronistic with the acceptance of queer relationships, which is not something I have a problem with in theory, but it just didn’t really work for me. That said, it was a lovely book, and I really liked all the characters.

DNFed this after 12 pages. It read like crap fanfiction. It was like...you know that dude you know, who thinks he’s really great at writing? And you read his thing because you’re nice, and it’s just like...oof. Someone should have knocked you down a peg or two before you self-published this.

And then I DNFed this one, too! I was so bummed—the premise sounded so fun: real life partners have a home renovation show, and also have to solve crime. But then, the main character is ALSO a YA author, and his boyfriend is ALSO an actor, and the murder took way too long to happen, and what made me nearly throw this book across the room (a mere 10 pages after I grit my teeth and said to myself “It’s not that bad, I’m going to soldier through it”) was a pointless, rambling, utterly obnoxious aside about the main character’s writing process. Quote: “More recently, I’d taken to writing on my mobile phone, using Microsoft’s Word app.” OH my FUCKING GOD DUDE JUST STOP. Literally this is where I put the book down. He goes on for a solid two pages about his writing process.

Whew well after the two-DNFs-in-a-row fiasco (I can count on one hand the number of books I’ve DNFed in my life, so that was a bad experience), I had to choose something I knew I’d love. Thank you Cat Sebastian, who’s never written something I haven’t adored. This is a sequel and we get to hang out with James and Leo again. I still love them, I still love the setting (post WWII), I love how queer the mystery is. I hope we get another book.

Then my copy of Nona The Ninth came, and I knew I’d be seeing spoilers since I was too lazy to block anything, so I read it. I...didn’t love it? There was stuff that I loved so so SO much, but then there was also stuff that I’m just predisposed to not like, which is a personal taste issue. I would have liked things to be a little clearer at the end. I appreciate that Muir doesn’t baby her readers and just tosses them into things, but I kept waiting for that moment where I Got It, as I did in Gideon and Harrow, and it never came. I know this book wasn’t planned as a separate book, and was split out from Alecto The Ninth, which is maybe part of the issue? That OH SHIT moment was maybe always in Alecto. But of course, even if I didn’t love the book, Muir’s writing is amazing. Read this for the Sixth House, if nothing else.

I wanted to like this book more than I did. It was a fun premise—kind of a queer Back to the Future. Unfortunately I found the main character incredibly obnoxious. The point of this book, I think, was to teach him that the world doesn’t revolve around him, and that also, being queer in 2022 is really different than being queer in 1985, and that people who lived through unaccepting or less accepting eras carry that baggage. Except I just continually wanted to smack him for accusing everyone of homophobia or being a coward. Also the author 100% copped out on the time travel stuff, which was lame.

I did love the 80s nostalgia though.

Currently reading:

The first thing I noticed when I cracked this book open was that Enfield, UK was included on the map. My wife is from Enfield, so that made me grin. I think she’s going to read this solely for the fact that it’s largely set in Enfield. I’m only about 100 pages in but I’m liking it so far—it’s an alternate history type book where clocktowers control the flow of time, and it centers on a young mechanic who meets a clock spirit. I enjoyed Tara Sim’s City of Dusk a lot, so I picked this one up after I read that.

Captive Prince Brainrot. Jord and Aimeric 😭😭 And I’m even having feelings about Ancel??? And Berenger? I’m totally reading these out of order, because I’m saving The Summer Palace for last.

[bixels]

They're the same character.

[puppetmaster13u]

Prompt 171

Danny would like everyone to know it was a complete accident. Look, normally he was really good at not altering the timeline! He was! 

But the dude was definitely not in the right Time, and he had to get his trust which took so long, like damn he thought he had anxiety. Seriously though, kevlar in the 1700s? Yeah that wasn’t right, and Peepaw always complained about the messes that the speedsters caused, so he was trying to prevent a mess by tugging the dude away and helping him out. 

Falling in love maybe a little, was not in the plan. But honestly the man had a worse sense of self preservation than he did as a teen and was also straight up adorable, in a wet cat  who could kill you sort of way. 

So maybe he helped the dude grab a child that was going to be drowned. It wasn’t like anyone else saw them! Even if similar situations might’ve happened a few different times. 

Still, no one saw them! 

So why is there now a small cult who worships the Shadowed one and Radiant one, aka his companion (who would not give his name save for B, which, fair, probably didn’t want to accidentally wreck the timeline either) and well, him?! At least they worship them as guardians of children, but uh. Should he maybe, perhaps, fix this…? 

[amanitacurses]

[pixel-lightart]

Uh Oh, All Dadow!

[foxylady13]

Gwyn and Azriel in ACOSF

I figured I'd put together a little post of Gwyn and Azriel moments throughout ACOSF, outside the Azriel bonus chapter, so that others could see why us Gwynriels ship them without needing the bonus chapter.

These moments include looks that others notice or just them looking at each other, interactions of them together, and just moments I find foreshadowing for them.

Without further ado:

♧ Gwyn had been distracted today—one eye on the other side of the ring. Cassian could only assume she was watching his brother, who had given Gwyn a small smile of greeting upon arrival. Gwyn hadn’t returned it. - Chapter 39

♧ Gwyn let out a high-pitched noise that was nothing but pure excitement. Azriel, on the other side of the ring with the rest of the priestesses, half-turned at the sound, brows high. - Chapter 44

♧ He nodded to Gwyn and Emerie, the former glancing toward Azriel, who watched in silence.

“We slice the ribbon in two,” Emerie asked Gwyn warily, “and our training is complete?” Gwyn again glanced to Azriel, who drifted closer. She said, “I’m not entirely sure.” - Chapter 51

♧ Azriel had winnowed her and Cassian here after training, but hadn’t lingered. Apparently, Gwyn wanted him to go over dagger handling, so he’d left them with a promise to return in an hour. - Chapter 55

♧ Cassian glanced over at Az, but his attention was fixed on the young priestess, admiration and quiet encouragement shining from his face. - Chapter 60

♧ Azriel went wholly still, as if he, too, had felt the shift. As if he, too, were aware that far larger forces peered into that training ring as Gwyn moved. - Chapter 60

♧ Azriel clapped his hands, and all the females straightened. “You’ll work in groups of three.”

Gwyn asked Az, her teal eyes bright, “What do we get if we finish the course?”

Az’s shadows danced around him. “Since there’s no chance in hell any of you will finish the course, we didn’t bother to get a prize.”

Boos sounded. Gwyn lifted her chin in challenge. “We look forward to proving you wrong.” - Chapter 60

♧ Gwyn threw Azriel a withering stare as she strode past him. “See you tomorrow, Shadowsinger,” she tossed over a shoulder. Az stared after her, brows high with amusement. When he turned back, Nesta grinned. “You have no idea what you just started,” she said. Az angled his head, hazel eyes narrowing as Gwyn reached the archway.

“Remember how Gwyn was with the ribbon?” Nesta winked and clapped the shadowsinger on the shoulder. “You’re the new ribbon, Az.” - Chapter 60

♧ “There are plenty of other unspeakable things that could be happening to her,” Cassian said, voice thickening. “To Emerie and Gwyn.” The shadows deepened around Azriel, his Siphons gleaming like cobalt fire. “You—we—trained them well, Cassian. Trust in that. It’s all we can do.” - Chapter 68

♧ “Azriel slaughtered all of them within moments. He didn’t hesitate. But I could barely move, and when I tried to get up … He gave me his cloak and wrapped me in it." - Chapter 68

^That is confirmed by Cassian from Chapter 14 when he said “I heard that Mor had brought one in. Azriel was the one who made it out there first, and he killed any of the Hybern soldiers left, but by that point …”

While these scenes do not have romantic feelings or connotations, I would rather have Gwyn and Azriel romance built upon in their book, and there is potential from these scenes to have that happen.

Now, I might be forgetting some so if I have.... please leave a comment, or even reblog, with the scene 🥰

[aetherean-alchemist]

QSMP February drawing of the day

Day 2: Q!BBH updated design/concept art

An agent of destruction and a reaper of death

[mhacontainmentzone]

[ID: digital fanart, Tokoyami standing in profile and holding a silver keyblade (crescent-shaped "teeth," red moon gem near the hilt). Dark Shadow emerging behind his head and shoulders, arm like a partly furled wing. Tokoyami dressed in an overlarge short-sleeved hoodie and capris, both black, with white tennis shoes. The hoodie billows forward from implied wind. He glances sidelong at the viewer. /End]

Tokoyami Fumikage in the style of Tetsuya Nomura (Kingdom Hearts), because reasons.

The keyblade's name is Tsukuyomi.

[leapdayowo]

I got some finals stuff done (about half of them), so of course I had to finish this piece :D This isn’t exactly how Tango and Tanguish’s reunion went, but I really wanted to paint them hugging + Helsknight being there

Also these two pieces are on the same page in my sketchbook :3

[cucumber-icepop]

Gaze upon my unimaginable horrors, boy

[hayweerc]

Part 4 Q&A✏️ for my AU.

[s-aint-elmo]

thinking about book cerise/raven again and the way it converted me completely in the span of like 300 pages. listen. listen. it's about cerise trusting raven with her biggest secret. it's about raven coming to cerise for help about her now uncertain destiny. it's about cerise letting raven in and becoming her friend despite her need for secrecy and solitude. it's about raven inspiring cerise to be proud of who she is, simply by showing her that they all have a choice. it's about cerise outing herself to save raven. it's about raven fighting smarter than all the hoods and wolfs combined to help cerise win the right to choose her fate. it's about cerise coming out of her shell and welcoming friendship and camaraderie because of raven's efforts. it's about raven being afraid and unsure in a dangerous place doing dangerous things, and wishing she were wrapped up in cerise's cloak instead, to ward all the bad things away. it's about

[mishapen-dear]

just some silly little drawing ideas, qbbh in clothes from older history i.e. 1930’s 1920’s (idk if you draw him still but if not that’s ok! :D) or baghera and pomme fluff!

lo! a human person whom no danger nor destruction ever follows!! do NOT look into the darkness beneath his hat no it does not matter how much his normal human eyes are glowing do NOT look. looking too closely gets you too close to his teeth. which are also normal

[tippenfunkaport]

something something, visited by three spirits that push you to reinvent yourself

and meanwhile, the three mother-type figures in Adora's life were all key to her to figuring out what she really wanted and who she wanted to be but literally...

Light Hope "died" trying to right a wrong from the PAST

Queen Angella died trying to preserve Adora's PRESENT

and Shadow Weaver died to give Adora a chance at a FUTURE

[periodcostumefantasylover]

The Darkling in every episode 2x07 of Shadow and Bone

[vxmpirehunterd]