#So support your local library

[noodyl-blasstal]

Characters Out of Context

➥ Include one character quote — of your choosing ⁠— from each chapter of your WIP (or as many chapters as you'd like).

➥ Give absolutely no context, save for what's between two parts of an interrupted sentence, should that occur. You may mention who said it.

Tagged by @liltaz-asatreat (thank you so much!)

There’s currently 20+ chapters in my big WIP and I’m not going to do that to you all, but here’s 8 lines!

Neverwinter Library

Chapter 1: Customer Service Sucks

Kravitz - “Ma’am, you make a wonderful and eloquent point, these books are incredibly valuable, you’re correct. It would be remiss of me to throw them out instead of gifting them to a bibliophile like yourself!” With a vicious smile, he levitated the stack of withdrawn books onto the desk in front of her.

“Would you like a bag?”

Chapter 4: Taking a Leap

“Don’t make me regret this Agnes” Taako’s hand shook slightly as he reached for the bowl in the fridge, but he knew this was going to be okay. He’d been practising. Lup made the mix with him, he’d checked it, everything was fine. “There’s no need to make a fuss, magic boys deserve treats, and my magic boy only gets the best. No shop bought cookies here” Taako pointedly refused to make eye contact, but did curl his waist very slightly towards Angus’ head before hip checking him out of his way.

Chapter 6: Collision

Edward -  “There’s really no need darling, we’re far too busy to look at your little pictures. Maybe we can cut costs by swapping out the other staff for volunteers? I bet some older people would love a nice relaxing job like that - it must be nice to just read all day!”

Chapter 10: Accidental Encounters

Taako - “Yes, Krav. It’s a date. Now it’s a date with me, my sister, and Barry. Welcome to the Tacco-Bluejeans experience!”

Chapter 14: Kitchen Therapy

Angus - “No Mr Kravitz, Sir. We were near the door. I was just very excited because I saw Uncle Barry and Aunt Lup and my Dad so I walked fast to get a hug and giggled because I was happy. I’m just a little boy, Sir. A little boy who was happy to see his family.” Angus looked up at Kravitz, trying hard to summon a few tears.

“Am… am I in trouble, Sir?” He sniffed loudly.

Chapter 17: Double Entendre

“I think this is the best thing I’ve ever put in my mouth.”

Taako opened his mouth, but Kravitz held up a hand before he could.

“NO! Don’t. I’m at work, Taako.”

Chapter 21: Officially on the Case

Taako - “You’re okay bubbleh, you’re fine.” Taako reached an arm round his shoulders and squeezed him. Then broke the moment.

“But if you ever scare me like that again, you won’t be.” Angus couldn’t help the fear that ran through him, but Taako was already speaking before he could react.

“That sounded awful in my mouth, I was trying to joke. It sounded like him. I’m sorry Angus, forget I said that.” Taako sounded panicked, and Angus just burrowed his way into Taako’s side - worming into his lap for a firm cuddle.

Chapter 23: (TBC)

Taako -  “Bones” Taako sounded exasperated.

“Are you legitimately telling me that you’ve had access to a free lawyer this entire time and have only now thought that maybe it would be helpful to get them involved?”

I think most people have already been tagged, but @faintlyglow @finniestoncrane might not have been yet? (Sorry if I doubled up!)

Anyone else who fancies it then please take part, I always love to see people’s work!

[strongindependentcheesecake]

Friendly reminder that if you're in the U.S. and have a library card you can get a bunch of free entertainment on your phone! Libby gives you access to your library's catalog of e-books and audio books, and Kanopy has a large selections of movies and shows!

Both of these are completely free and only need a library card number!!!!! And keep in mind there are tons of other benefits, these are just the ones I'm talking about!

[soracities]

Hi, do you or any of your followers have any recs for audiobooks? Preferably that are free, I just would like to listen to something while knitting but not sure how to start exploring since I don't know who are good narrators or things like that. Thanks so much!!

i don't listen to audiobooks unfortunately but any audiobook devotees please please send in your recs for anon, thank you 💗

[shinesurge]

OH hey denver folks: Mutiny is officially the second comic shop on the planet to carry Kidd Commander books (next to Danny the Comic Shop), I met Jim and The Professor at the show this weekend and they were really into the comic! If you're in the area and want to help support me and a local shop (and also help make me look like a good investment lmaooo) maybe stop in and grab a book! I already got paid for these so don't feel bad about not going through my shop, this would save you shipping costs AND make me look like a good investment to the store. I didn't have a lot of stock so there aren't very many, I think they have volumes 1 and 2 and three copies each of the specials, so if they run out somehow or just haven't put them out yet or something going to the counter and asking about them would probably also help my reputation a little bit hehe

[moderndayaliens]

kids these days don't go to their library, borrow the juno (2007) film soundtrack, burn it onto their ipod touch, and listen to it until they're sick of it like they did anymore. what has this country come to

[ritz-regrezzez]

25 days of moodboards day twelve! (nostalgia)

[spongebob-connoisseur]

You guys do know you can borrow Spongebob dvds and comics at the library?

Go support your local library now‼‼‼

This is a threat!

[arson-09]

maybe an unpopular booktwt/booktok/bookstagram opinion but buying limited special editions of a book or book series you havent read is so odd to me. Like theres people who have actually read and want that limited limited edition but you just buy it to look pretty on your shelf. Yeah you can buy books you plan to read but i have seen so many posts of people buying DOZENS of books and just having them on their tbr or displayed on their shelf.

its a big part of the growing issue of overconsumption on booktok/bookstagram/booktwt. Theres nothing wrong with buying a book you like but these people doing expensive book hauls, especially off of amazon (which has tons of its own issues to unpack) are so weird to me.

Support libraries!!! read a book from the library before you buy it!! this benefits way more people in the long run and is much more sustainable.

[generalized-incompetence]

“You have, like, books here, right?”

Myrtle, the librarian, looks up from her desk, at the library, where she has been finalizing a new order of library books. 

“Yes,” she says. “We do.”

Read on AO3 here

“Oh!” says the man with a relieved smile. “Great.”

Myrtle eyes him over the stacks of books and notepads on her desk. She has been a librarian for nearly four decades, and she’s seen all sorts, though she can’t recall anyone ever asking this particular question. The man in front of the desk is… hm. Muscular is the best word she can think of, though she would have more choice adjectives if she was a few decades younger and/or inclined in that direction. Chiseled, perhaps. Blonde, predictably, with the sort of haircut that had been popular on Ken dolls, back in the day (do they still have Ken dolls? Barbie has certainly traveled; she’d heard something about a breakup?). His smile is pleasant enough, though somewhat vacant, and judging by his question, this might be the first library he’s entered in his life.

But, librarians didn’t judge - not books by their cover, and not patrons by their questions - so she shifts away from her computer and says, “Can I help you find anything in particular?”

“Oh!” says the man, brightening at the offer of help. “The thing is, this guy Mike? He’s, like, really smart? And I’m not? So I thought, maybe, if I read some books and stuff, he might like me more?”

He looks so hopeful that Myrtle doesn’t have the heart to tell him that changing oneself is rarely worthwhile, and that his best hope with this “Mike” likely involves who he is now. The man misinterprets her silence and blunders forth with, “Not like like, obviously. Just as, um. Is there a word for, like, people who hang out all the time, and talk a lot, and think the other person is really smart and cool and funny and just make each other, um, I guess. Happy?”

Myrtle raises an eyebrow. “...Friends?” she says.

“Yeah!” says the man with the biggest smile yet. “Yeah. Friends.”

Myrtle has always considered her duties as a librarian to extend past the books and towards the well-being of her patrons, but she feels this man may need more help than she is able to provide. “What kind of books does this Michael enjoy?” she asks. “Any subjects he’s interested in?”

“Aliens,” says the man instantly.

“Aliens?” says Myrtle.

The man nods enthusiastically. “He knows everything about them,” he says. “Like, all the stuff the government’s been covering up - he got access, or I guess I gave him access, and he says it’s just what he thought the whole time and people are super not paying attention. And then he said a bunch of science things that sounded really smart. So maybe if you have some books that could, um, explain that?”

“You’re looking for,” says Myrtle slowly, “scientific books about aliens?”

“Yeah!” says the man.

Myrtle takes off her glasses, polishes them on her sweater, and puts them back on. “I’ll… see what I can do,” she says.

“Oh! One more thing,” says the man. “Sorry, I know you’re a librarian and everything, but reading, like, kinda sucks? So if there’s any books you have that you, like, don’t have to read to get smart - could you find those?”

Ah, she thinks. Thoughts of UFOs fly out of her head as she recalibrates her illicit judgments. There are reasons she is a librarian, and this man is one of them. She is suddenly and overwhelmingly grateful that this man has chosen this library, on this day, to walk in and present her with an opportunity to unlock literature, outside the written word.

“Have you ever tried,” she says, “audiobooks?”

An hour and a half later, she has loaded the man down with several audiobooks; a stack of graphic novels; links to browser extensions for changing font size/spacing and rendering text to speech; and, of course, a brand-new library card. 

“Now, these are all just starting places,” she says, methodically scanning out each graphic novel in turn. “If any of them don’t work for you, you don’t need to push it. But if it does work, then you feel free to come back and ask me for more, alright?”

The man, who, to his credit, did not flee when she went Full Librarian, swallows. “I - I guess,” he says. “But, I mean. Are you sure? Like, this isn’t really reading, right? Picture books are for babies.”

“These aren’t picture books,” she says snippily. “They’re graphic novels. It’s a perfectly legitimate form of literature, and if anyone gives you a hard time, you send them straight to me.”

He pulls the closest book towards him and flips through the pages, lingering over some of the more vivid illustrations. She’s had this conversation so many times she could have it in her sleep, but it still breaks her heart a little, to think a little thing like formatting has stood in his way for so long. 

“We’ve only had writing for about five thousand years,” she tells him, “but we’ve always had stories. True purists should still be sitting around a fire carrying on the oral tradition. There are plenty of ways to read that don’t involve words on a page.”

“Huh,” says the man, staring at a full-page spread of a detailed spaceship. “That’s - that’s kinda cool.”

“It certainly is,” says Myrtle. She finishes checking him out and slides the rest of the books and resources across the desk. “Good luck with your Michael,” she says, looking him straight in the eye. “And everything else.”

“Thanks!” he says with a bright smile. “You know, I always thought libraries sucked? But you don’t suck at all.”

Myrtle refrains from a sigh. “Thank you,” she says instead, and waves him out.

—

She thinks of him a few times over the next couple weeks. She doesn’t seriously expect to see him again; there are return bins outside, and her shifts are fairly irregular. But roughly three weeks later, she looks up and there he is, with a slight, nervous-looking man in tow.

“Hey, it’s you again!” says the man with an oversized wave. “Mike, this is the nice librarian lady who gave me all those, um, graphic novels. Hey, librarian lady, those links you gave me were so cool! I never knew there were all those things that would read emails and stuff to you, so you don’t have to read them at all!”

Myrtle does try to remain somewhat detached, but she can’t help but feel warmed by this outcome. Even better, Mike responds to this speech with a fond smile, first in the man’s direction and then in hers. “Thank you,” he says. “That was, um. Overdue, I think.”

“Oh, no, I turned all the books in on the day they said!” says the man quickly. “No library fines here!”

Mike laughs and pats the man’s arm. “Come on,” he says. “Didn’t you want to look for the Predator sequels?”

“Yes,” says the man, and tows Mike inside. Myrtle watches them go, still feeling like a job well done. Maybe she needs a new slogan, she thinks. Libraries: We don’t suck at all! She snorts and shakes her head. She’ll work on it. She has plenty more patrons to practice on.

[tryintheirbest]

if y'all don't fuck with the public library what is wrong with you????

[tired-fandom-ndn]

Finished Hunger Pangs, which was so fun and delightful and just overall an incredible book. It reminded me of the weird supernatural smut books I used to steal from my mom but with a way better story and actual diversity lmao

I also grabbed Crewel Intentions and tore through it in less than an hour. It was short and sweet and a wonderful teaser to the next book.

Which I am very eagerly awaiting.

[gentlelarkspur]

Please look upon these hilarious mockup photos I made for the tshirt/sweater designs I'm selling over on Etsy.

Tag yourself, I'm the "no YOU hang up" vampire XD

[londondziban]

Stop labeling YA authors as creeps for depicting sex in their novels.

Depicting sex and sexuality in young adult literature is not a bad, harmful thing. In fact, it is beneficial for teens to be able to read books aimed toward their age group that discuss and depict sex in a non-judgmental, positive way. Sex and sexuality within YA novels open the conversation for teens who may otherwise feel shame for the feelings they experience and the things they have an interest in, or already do. YA novels that depict sex and sexuality can discuss the complicated feelings that surround both experiences and help promote more accurate information and views of sex and sexuality than are presented within television, film, and online.

Teenagers can and do have sex. Whether they should or not is a matter of opinion that does not change the fact that it happens.

No, authors are not "creepy" or "perverts" for writing about teenagers experimenting with sex and sexuality. Writing sex into young adult novels doesn't make an author a creep. An author doesn't have to be a teen themself in order to ethically write sex into young adult literature.

And no, sex does not need to be framed as something negative for it to be "okay" to write about in young adult literature. Authors shouldn't have to write about bad things happening to their teenage characters after they've had sex. Teens don't need, and shouldn't, see sex as something that will always lead to diseases and social ridicule. Yes, sex can lead to consequences and yes teens should be well informed of that. No, depicting teens never having safe, positive sexual experiences is not a good idea. Fostering fear around sex and sexuality within teens does nothing but harm.

Your push of purity culture harms kids more than it helps them. Creating safe, open outlets for them to learn and feel seen is the best thing to do when helping teenagers. Ridiculing authors for writing sex and sexuality into their young adult novels is not only harmful, but it is censorship.

And no, I'm not saying adults should be writing full-on smut about teenagers. I can't believe I have to clarify that but the reading comprehension on this site has always been, and will always be, piss poor. I'm saying complete censorship of discussions of sex and sexuality within literature for teens does the opposite of what you all seem to think it does; It is harmful.

Stop feeding teenagers the narrative that sex is inherently negative. Stop trying to pretend like teens don't experience sex and sexuality. Stop shaming the adults who are attempting to change the narrative for teens. Stop shaming the adults who are attempting to create safe, open conversations and spaces for teens. Stop trying to censor authors.

[teawiththegods]

This is a literary masterpiece! 10/10!! Highly recommend!! Edge of your seat fun!!

[terrible-romance-reviews]

who cares what i was reading im gonna return to my roots and become a die hard cassandra clare fan, i just checked out the ebook of chain of iron from the library (i own a physical copy and i was definitely halfway through it at one point, i remember absolutely nothing at this current moment though) and i am going to read it with such speed, just you guys wait

[poisonandpages]

Shoutout to my local library for being so cool