#TRC also has those vibes

[alexiethymia]

I WAS ONLY ABLE TO FIND OUT NOW THAT MY FAVORITE GHOST HUNTER FOUND FAMILY BOOK SERIES JUST GOT ADAPTED?? It was utter perfection. It felt like I was reading the books. The utter domesticity. George was adorable. Locklyle was perfect. The casual hand holding and forehead touches and cradling of faces. It manages to be heartbreaking at times how much they have such married couple energy not because of how they bicker but because the world they’re in has aged them prematurely and it’s like they’ve already had their silver years and golden years together. Him just casually buttering her toast for her?? Tenderly treating her wound?? He was outright looking at her lips in that scene! We always knew he was do-or-die for Lucy but seeing this series outside of Lucy’s POV makes it adorably apparent how besotted with her he is, and that struggle of wanting to let her in clashing with his suicidal tendencies was portrayed with so much angst. Netflix may have its problems, but it has also brought my favorite YA novels wonderful adaptations. I already got Six of Crows and Lockwood & Co., so here’s to hoping for A Darker Shade of Magic too. To add, as long as I’m wishing, I’m hoping The Raven Cycle gets one too.

[es-3]

i love how no one can remember anything from trc except for vibes and so here’s a list i compiled of everything i remember from the entire series

blue made out with a ghost

the ghost was the funniest character and then everyone realized he was a ghost and then everyone forgot about him

persephone lived in the attic

there was a tree that showed them their worst fears when they went inside it and for whatever reason they took turns going inside it like why did they do that and also i think ronan dreamt it????

im pretty sure the trees spoke latin

was that a thing

now that i’m thinking about it i have no idea

boat shoes

the set up for manmouth manufacturing was set up in a way only teenage boys with no supervision could set up

they pulled a little defense against the dark arts teachers but with latin class instead and but i don’t remember how many latin teachers there were

blue and gansey talked on the phone

and then they took little drives but i don’t remember how often that happened

adam straight up killed a dude

blue is NOT a prostitute but she IS half tree

ronans objects of worship were confined to one downtown block

uhhhh i think there was a part with a lake in a cave and i’m pretty sure there were like deer or something and i think blues dad might have been but i do remember they got split up at some point in that cave

latin teacher killed noah

noah had a red car

i’ve heard there was a toga party but i don’t remember anything from it

ronan did not like lamps

adam is the eyes and ears for a sentient forest

the pig

bees

robot ones too

declan dated a bunch of girls named ashley

there was like a hole??? in the ground?? at school i think??? and henry forced gansey to go in it and then trama dumped and then gave him the most traumatizing exposure therapy of his life

gansey has seen ronans dick at least once

adam and ronan ran around pushing each other in shopping carts

“she makes me quiet”

ronan did imaginary drugs and it ended with his organless brother getting kidnapped because his drug buddy had a big fat crush on him and i’m pretty sure there were fireworks involved in the rescue

did gansey go around knocking on doors and talking to people in different accents or was that lockwood and co? or was it both?

adam and ronan went around moving rocks because the trees that talked to adam told him to

blues aunt had lovely cubby hands also i think she might have been a bad guy but i don’t actually remember

oh there was like a crazy lady they found in a tomb idk why i forgot about her

gansey didn’t want to find glendower that one day because the aesthetic was off

maura and calla and persephone met on the side of a road

ganseys sister can fly helicopters

adam and ronan blackmailed their latin teacher for a fake crime with fake evidence that they dreamt up by making dream latin teacher do those things

the gray man was very slay

also he killed ronans dad

and he worked for the latin teacher

oh and there were sleeping mice

and a sleeping mom

and a toaster that didn’t work anymore

there was a grocery store scene i think and im pretty sure there was fighting in that scene

henry was kidnapped when he wasn’t wearing any pants

that’s all gang, tune in next time to see if i can remember anything from the plot

[railway-lands]

songs that are trc characters to me

downhill by lincoln - ronan. "and if i meant every word that i ever said you'd probably think i was an evil, broken person, and you would be right." THATS HIM. THATS SO HIM. and the "i was born into the world on a silken cloud and i got bored of the world before i hit the ground" is ronan and dreaming. he was born into the world through niall and mor, got the gift (and curse) of being a dreamer, which results in him finding the world too- small, too mundane for someone like him. also "i have never spent a moment loving anyone but you" is pynch coded

i bet on losing dogs by mitski - pynch. this one brings the scene where ronan beats adam's dad up in trb. and also just. each other. theyre each other's losing dogs. you get what i mean? (this could also be jordeclan as well but it leans more pynch in my mind.)

father by the front bottoms - adam and declan. they both have very complicated relationships with their fathers - adam hates his, declan resents and loves his in equal measures, and tries to hate him (and fails). the "part native american" part reminds me of niall's dreaming. idk why. and the "fall asleep at the wheel and crash my car" is declan to me. it runs in a similar vein to his thoughts about diving into the ocean and never returning.

little moth by chloe moriondo - declan. okay listen. GREYWAREN. THE MOTH. GRHEJFSKRH ITS SELF EXPLANATORY TO ME OKAY. RAUGHGHGH

alligator skin boots by mccafferty - adam. ok listen i know i've talked a bunch abt this song and trc before but hear me out. "i aint sorry with broken wrists" is him sacrificing himself to cabeswater to me. "twinkle twinkle little star, alcoholics don't get far" is his dad. "i climb from these walls" is leaving it all behind, his trailer and his old self and henrietta in the dreamer trilogy.

bottom by mccafferty - pynch. just has those vibes yk

bug like an angel by mitski - the lynches. also has those vibes.

the entirety of stick season by noah kahan - adam.

[karouvas]

adam from trc? (for the characters ask game!)

Why I like them: Difficult to sum up since he’s one of my favorite characters of all time, I mentioned he’s probably my second favorite specifically male character in media and I stand by that <3. He has a lot of traits that appeal to me between the control issues and emotional repression and being curious and wanting to know what is up at all times and being a resourceful smart bb who can probably (the traits that most make me vibe with male chars tbh), his ambition and drive and desire for autonomy is really admirable to me but I enjoy that his arc in original trc is about learning he’s worthy of loving and being loved and about the value of that, that vulnerability isn’t automatically going to lead to being ruined in a sense. And his whole journey/arc in original trc is really beautifully done, one of my favorite character arcs ever to this day. On the flip side he’s a freak and a menace and I adore that as well, his internal monologue and pov is truly unhinged in the most fascinating and fun way. I definitely wouldn’t be nearly as attached to him without that. And I love stories about identity and masking and characters who feel alien and other having malleable relationships to identity to conform… so that might have started a bit with my love for Adam I’m realizing.

Why I don’t: I’m satisfied enough with how the arc played out in canon to not hold this against him when it comes to my feelings about his char especially since the breakdown of Blue and Adam’s relationship is pretty compelling to me in general, but anytime I see fandom takes that act like he Never treated Blue badly during their relationship at all and blame her for everything … Bombastic side eye doesn’t begin to cover it. But that’s only related to fandom bs, in terms of moments I actually dislike him which are not reckoned with by the narrative at all obviously it’s the racism re: Henry in TRK, ugh.

Favorite episode (scene if movie): tbh so much of my favorite Adam content comes in his internal monologues and PoV rather than what he’s Doing in a scene… but DC Party scene is incredible <33. If you made me pick another scene would go with him blackmailing Greenmantle nefarious king <3. Oh but also being unbothered by Kavinsky’s death iconic… wait I actually changed my mind pretend I never said those things it’s definitely the sacrifice scene in TRB yes that is my final answer.

Favorite season/movie: I love his entire arc and journey in trc so much so it really could be any book each for different reasons but I’ll say TDT, I love a Downward Spiral that’s interesting and messy <33. But also his BLLB arc rules… but it is the more obvious answer since it’s more positive/uplifting so yeah will stick to TDT answer and unpopular opinion but he’s the best part of that book for me.

Favorite line: lonesome internal monologue is iconic for a reason it’s incredible… also his whole internal monologue about being jealous of all combinations of his (hot) friend hanging out without him is soo real and iconic. Oh also ik I slander TRK but his monologue about loving magic and not knowing he was capable of love before and then Cabeswater showing him the images of his friends in moments linked to heightened emotions surrounding them… went off. If we’re going with just dialogue World’s Ending Folks! tirade is iconic + the internal monologues surrounding it… so much fun to dissect together.

Favorite outfit: the white shirt and cargo pants from BLLB ig my man has no drip… actually changed my mind it’s the secondhand tweed suit Gansey’s dad gave him he wears at Harvard for symbolism reasons.

OTP: Adam/Gansey. I love him with Ronan too and find stuff to be compelled by re: him and Blue but Adansey just hits on a different level emotionally and narratively they are everything…

Brotp: Persephone I love their psychic mentorship in BLLB.

Head Canon: would not have said this was my take before this reread but I do actually think of Adam as having some more internalized homophobia than most of the fandom, not as intense and exacerbated by religious shame as Ronan’s but there in a subtler way. I think Adam at the beginning of the series has some level of awareness about his attraction to men without fully registering it/accepting it, when he thinks about a model for success in TRB&TDT it’s this very heterosexual WASP ideal him watching Declan and Ashley as a model is very this to me for instance and I reblogged some older meta posts about this I agree with (stopping myself here because I kind of want to make a separate post about my thoughts here at some point).

Unpopular opinion: He’s quite an emotional mess for most of the series so fanon portrayals of him as totally cool and collected and put together rub me the wrong way especially after rereading where it Really stood out to me how much fanon and canon tend to diverge... He’s a logical, pragmatic person and a brilliant problem solver but that boy is emotional as fuck (Not soft at all which is totally different from emotional imo) and his efforts to deal with that logically make it worse (I can relate but that’s beside the point), he’s also really not smooth it’s just that Ronan and Gansey’s disasternous is more telegraphed and it makes Adam’s easier to downplay, also a trademark of Adam narration is that He prefers to see himself as a totally logical in control of emotions person and will downplay his emotional investment/emotions as a factor even when his feelings come out in other thoughts and especially especially when you look at his actions….

A wish: makes me deeply sad that even though he clearly values knowledge, loves when other people love knowledge for it’s own sake and get’s a taste of that passion himself when it comes to how much he loves being a powerful psychic/doing magic, he never gets to have that in his academic pursuits because they’re all tailored to get him out of Henrietta / help him win at the capitalist American dream… I so want for him to find a major he’s actually passionate about.

An oh-god-please-dont-ever-happen: well from the Greywaren spoilers I heard (I read CDTH and MI when they came out and now that I’m done rereading the original series am rereading them and will then read Greywaren so will.. try to reserve judgement but what I’ve heard to me is 😬) but aside from that I did always hate the idea of him losing his psychic powers and I’m glad that specifically didn’t happen.

5 words to best describe them: ambitious, observant, obsessive, practical, neurotic

My nickname for them: don’t have one, but I did call him a Freak (affectionate) a lot while rereading so I guess you could count that

thank you so much! (send me a character for ask game)

[drynnki]

It's fic rec time!

Hello friends! Happy new year. I read some really good fucking fics the past few weeks, and although I don't have much of a following I wanted to highlight a few! They not in any particular order, more likely just the order I've read them in.

I Can't Hold It & I Have Nowhere to Put it Down by @aalstroemeriawrites

Ronan Lynch/Adam Parrish | Post-TRK | Mature | In Progress

I don't think I've read a better version of this time period! A lot of the time in my own writing I struggle to reconcile my aggressively academic writing style with the magical-realism of trc, so I'm always super impressed when someone clearly has their own style, but still leans into the trc-like language. Aalstromeria straddles the line so perfectly!

The storyline was so compelling, and definitely fills the void of "what the hell happened between TRK and TDT??" in a way that feels satisfying and complete. This fic has it all! Angst, tasteful smut, Richard Dick Gansey III. Can't wait for the last chapter!!!

Magnetic by MonsieurBlueSky (@mychemicalrachell)

Ronan Lynch/Joseph Kavinsky | Ronan Lynch/Adam Parrish | Re-imagination | Explicit | Completed

HUGE TW: Kavinsky is his own warning, Drug Abuse, Alcoholism, Self Harm, Suicidal Ideation

I. cried. violently. through the whole second half of this fanfic. I am still not okay. If you are in a place to get through the intense sections, this becomes a beautiful story about love, loss, family, and learning to understand yourself again after tragedy. I have severe PTSD and have known several people who struggled with drugs and alcoholism, and this is one of the most realistic and heartbreaking stories about those things I've ever read. Honestly, I cannot overstate the beauty of this fic.

If you can't tell, this entire fic is pretty much entirely heavy angst, but I promise it gets easier. Declan and Matthew are featured heavily, and the brothers learn to love each other and themselves again. Oh, and Robert Parrish gets his ass kicked. Twice.

You Gave Your Body to the Lonely by @mitski-hoe

Ronan Lynch/Adam Parrish | Blue Sargent/Richard Gansey III | Noah Czerny/Henry Cheng | No-magic AU | Explicit | Completed

This was such a lovely fic, and one I just had such a great time with. It's always interesting to see how different people write these characters, how their strengths and flaws fluctuate. The author has a really strong sense of how they wanted these two to be in this fic, and they stick to it. Don't worry, I'm not saying Ronan and Adam are strangers here, just different versions of themselves. They still have all the same buttons.

Also, tasteful smut <3

Henrietta: Without Magic, With Medical Careers by @avalonjoan

Ronan Lynch/Adam Parrish | Blue Sargent/Richard Gansey III | Opal <3 | No-magic AU | Teen-Mature Depending on Individual Work | In Progress

Do you need a sick-fic? Do you need Ronan and Adam being fluffy and gushy and almost gross? Do you want to hear about the intimate details of the US healthcare system? Then boy, do I have the 39-work series for you! This is my feel-good fic, my go-to, the OG. I've been reading it since it started and honestly I just love these boys and Blue being happy and like a family. Kavinsky is in it and also not an asshole most of the time. Maybe a scoundrel, but a big softie. There's smut, too, if you're looking for that! If not, it's easy to avoid since there are so many high-quality, not-explicit fics in this series. Highly highly highly recommend for some good vibes <3

Anyway, that's all! I just wanted to share these since I adore them and half of them tore a hole in my chest </3 stay safe, stay warm!

[fancifulpurposelesslovely]

Okay I put this in the tags if another post last night but deleted it bc it wasn't actually the place and I'm gonna share my thoughts but might not even tag this idk.

Re: that post abt the trc fandom disappearing post greywaren

First: I like a lot of the dreamer trilogy. I pretty well liked greywaren. I'm not as attached to either as I am to trc, but I did genuinely enjoy them.

Second: I am a trc fandom baby. I am a fandom INFANT. I got into these books about 3 weeks before Greywaren came out, and got to Greywaren about 3 weeks after it came out.

Third: They ate my brain for 3 months. I read TRC twice in the space of two weeks, then TDT, with greywaren specifically twice in a row. I then followed with Scorpio Races and All the Crooked Saints. I genuinely coukdnt read anything not Stiefvater for THREE MONTHS bc my brain was like "this is where the dopamine lives, nowhere else".

Third: I also read a fair amount of Maggie's blog and her thoughts about the series, including the notes that came out right after Greywaren was published. I've read 11 of her books. I own the writing seminar she put together and have watched about half of it just to listen to her talk. I like her art a lot and think her music is neat. I am Not Normal about Maggie Stiefvater.

So. Given the givens, my thoughts. The post I saw was the one going around about how the fandom died after Greywaren came out. I can't really speak to this bc I couldnt look at the tags until I finished Greywaren. So I only really know the fandom post-Greywaren. TRC is what brought me back to tumblr tho, after probably 4 years of only casually being interested in what was happening over here. I needed people to yell with and I found them here.

What I can speak to and apparently cannot prevent myself from speaking to is a lot of the notes on that post. There was a lot of talk of her being bored with the series, of wishing she had taken more time, of feeling betrayed by it not being the series she wanted/she had promised.

I am in many ways a Stiefvater apologist. I am. Yeah, she was probably kind of bored with the series. She was overwhelmed. It was 7 books and 10 years, and she was tired. She's stated that she's never going to write a series again. She's over the whole concept. Series are hard, the final book in a series is especially hard. I think we can look at George RR Martin and Patrick Rothfuss for truth there.

And maybe it feels as tho she should have gone the way of those 2. Not finishing the story, or putting it odd for longer to get it right. But a- I feel like that actually would have sucked more and gotten her more shit, and b- I have a feeling it wasn't an option given her contracts. And taking more time was probably not an option given her contracts. She had signed on for 3 books, possibly within a timespan, and three books she had to give them.

As go "this wasn't the Ronan series she promised" and "I hated the universe/big pieces of thr plot", we go back to the scholastic contracts. They didn't let her write the story she wanted. She had different titles she wanted, there was a whole different plot and vibe. The fucking Moderators weren't her idea. And yeah this comes directly from her statement post greywaren publishing, where she still had to be careful and still needed to sell books, but personally I believe her. If you've ever listened to her talk about writing, you know she has specific stories she wants to tell. Stories that matter to her and feel important. She'll make concessions based on marketability or what she believes the audience would like more, but she wants to tell a specific story. And she didn't get to do that with TDT and I think it pissed her off more than she let on.

I also think it's pretty fucking clear she isn't super happy with Greywaren. She literally nailed a copy of it to the wall. Like pounded a handmade wrought iron nail through a hardback copy of the book and then put it on the wall in her study. She was soooo fucking done. And it might feel like a betrayal of her readers and the series to be tired of the series and to give us a book that feels tired of and annoyed with the series, but she's a person as well as an author. She has opinions and desires and things she does and doesn't want to be doing. And for the sake on contracts, commitments, and not disappointing readers, she kept writing books she maybe didn't care about anymore. There's enough neurodivergence in the fandom that the difficult nature of that should make sense, right?

I saw at least one person say they aren't going to get any more of her books, and like obviously that's a choice you get to make, it feels like a shitty one. Personally I'm pretty excited to see what she does next. She's apparently working on a fairly long adult novel that's got her excited again. I love reading stuff written by people who are excited to be writing it, so I think this none is gonna be a good time. But idk, her writing style just makes my brain go brrrr.

Also i don't know how relevant is to the point I'm making but I still need to say it:

Idk how many people know/remember/consider that 2 of these seven books were written and published while she was like. Actively dying. Or suffering from a condition that was pretty damn close to killing her. TRK and CDTH were written in the fucking height of her symptoms while no one was paying attention and getting a dx was really fucking hard. She talked about putting a lot of her experience with illness into Ronan, and Addison's is a disease of lack of energy and sleeping too much and missing a lot of your own life because of it. And maybe thats why Greywaren felt right to her, and maybe that's why TRK and CDTH feel different to the books before and after them. Or maybe I'm reading too much into it all and my hyperempathy is getting the better of me.

Idk yall I just. Like Maggie.

[krogerkryptid]

About Me It occurred to me I have no information about myself besides the sparse info in my bio so get to know me post here we go!

General Info She/They user and 21 year old college student just waiting to get to grad school, I practice a lot of folk magic from the Scottish Highlands since it's where my blood? what my heritage is.

Interests I have so many ✴ A lot of book series (TRC and the Dreamer Trilogy, SOC and CK, PJO, and I've been reading a lot of new stand alone books I've really enjoyed ask me about them!) ✴ Scottish folklore including, myth, legend, and folk practice within rural and urban communities in the middle ages and through Scotland's loss of independence ✴ General folklore of many regions, I've taken a lot of courses on different regions and practices and they have all been fascinating if anyone wants to tell me about what they know I'd love to listen ✴ Tarot, I have a genuine problem I love all the pretty art in the decks and I find the practice of shuffling and reading to be incredibly relaxing and based on the people I've read for I'm pretty good at it? I feel like -I- can't say that's it's definitely up to interpretation ✴ Cosmologies of the world, this is such a cool one! What did certain cultures do to study and observe the universe? ✴ I am consistently thinking about the X-Files it is so special to me I am the target audience ✴ Cryptids (I love Mothman he holds a special place in my heart) ✴ Anything supernatural or paranormal. I love going legend tripping or going to alleged haunted places. It's such a fascinating thing when it ties in with local lore and what actually truly happened. Tell me ghost stories or anything else super spooky that has happened to you! ✴ I enjoy a whole lot of podcasts so I wont list them but WTNV is a given if you want to hear about any of them I am happy to tell you ✴ This isn't much of an interest but it ties into them. I am genuinely interested to hear about what others are interested in. Ramble away! Info-dump please I love seeing what people are passionate about!

The Disclosure Form I obviously do not tolerate any type of bigotry! Don't bring those vibes to my blog please. I also don't identify as a witch right now since I'm doing a lot of study into the connotations of that term in the Scottish lens! So that's why I don't mention it in here as of now. Please send me asks or messages if you find something I post to be confusing or possibly offensive I am not perfect but I can work to educate myself to be better!

[enderwalking]

I disappear for one single day to deal with irl stuff and miss your birthday??? Unbelievable, happy belated birthday!!

I get what u mean about aus sometimes just being about the vibes, I think why I'm so hung up on tomoyo in particular (other than my brain being a nightmare that wants No Holes in The Story) is I'm mentally fiddling with a kurogane ctechno's backstory to keep the anarchism in play, so already the role of tomoyo has gotta be a bit different. And because of that my brain wants to figure out All the changes, and what those would mean for c!techno in this au. Rotating him in my head and demanding to know who his catalyst is and all that. Who looked at a violent c!techno in this au and said "we're gonna get you some standards for killing. And also make you a pawn in multiverse chess. Have fun!"

Yuuko cgeorge would definitely be a vibe, and it's easy to make cdream feiwong reed work (the atrocities! The holding onto the past! He would be more than willing), but I think what I like so much about the reverse is where the base motivations lay? Feiwong reed is clinging onto a single person at cost of everything else. Which reads as very similar to c!dream in canon clinging onto a version of the world that no longer exists, but phrase that another way: his base motivation lies in the world being changed in a way he views as negative, and trying to prevent that change/bring it back to its previous state where its already been changed. Which is also what yuuko is doing! It's just that we view yuuko as being in the right because she's. You know. Preventing the collapse of the multiverse. Doing less atrocities. It would be a characterization of c!dream that would borrow a bit more heavily from early days smp I think, but with the pragmatism and bastard energy of current lore. Or maybe not even that, maybe it's just a question of, who does cdream become if his allegiance is no longer happy memories of an 8 person server of friends, but instead the smooth functioning of a multiverse? What is he like if he has different eggs (<- cursed metaphor but whatever it gets the point across)

Also with the whole plot point of feiwong reed being theorized to be like... a fragment of Clow formed entirely from the wish to keep yuuko alive, I think it would be neat to put an earlier days, somewhat kinder and more friendly cdream up against a late days cgeorge who has become so single minded in focus, who cant tolerate the world as it currently exists. To have cdream remembering an early days cgeorge while dealing with the current cgeorge. And yet, the things one could do with cdream and dreamxd if we go the cgeorge is yuuko route...

Oh I figured out my hang up, it's that I can picture a world where cdream chooses the world over cgeorge, especially if cgeorge has become antagonistic to said world, but I struggle to picture a world where cgeorge wouldn't sacrifice the world to keep cdream. However, I also am not a cgeorge or c!dnf scholar, so I'm very open to being told I'm wrong on this bit

yeah trc is especially difficult to cast full aus for considering that there are so many characters that are all so intertwined and it's like, sometimes you just gotta take a character concept and strip it down and run LMAO. like in my ffx au ctubbo's role is most analogous to rikku's role in the game. they are not similar in vibe in the least, but it Works okay i PROMISE.

the thing that is off to me about cgeorge as feiwong is like. cgeorge is so profoundly defined by apathy and inaction? and even in his stream about destroying everything and becoming a god, it's not out of some desperate drive towards an end goal, if anything it's the complete opposite. this is cgeorge essentially throwing in the towel, he's giving up on the entire world but he's also decided to make it the whole world's problem in the process. if his dream hadn't literally handed him the tools for the job, he probably wouldn't have gone on nearly such a rampage; think about how quickly he gave up mining down his statue: "it's such a chore to even destroy myself". that's not to say cgeorge is incapable of fighting for things, but his coping mechanism of choice is not to dig in his heels or press onwards, but instead is to just. give up. disengage. and his constant dreaming just enhances that sense of passiveness.

so yeah i feel like cgeorge in a yuuko-esque role where he's like. trapped in stasis. forced to inaction in some ways. and is trying to fix things to an extent but is limited in his scope just by the nature of his existence? yeah. idk. but also i will confess that some of the finer details of yuuko's stuff does escape me as it has been a Hot Minute since i've reread so i could be bullshitting here LOL. also i think that if cdream had to play multidimensional chess and create a 9000 step plan to ruin lives across the whole of reality all for cgeorge's sake that he would 100% do it in a heartbeat and that arguably you could interpret his actions in canon to be him doing just that, so there's that as well

[noa-ciharu]

Fai’s post eyeloss vibe shift:

Alright. So after eye loss Fai's official arts became like this:

Very beautiful, very detailed, very subtle but also - slutty energy. That eyepatch isn't helping at all. Also this is probably most kurofai shippy art we got - and it's around Infinity angst arc.

And it's not just art, but Fai's general behavior:

You're really hopeless "Kurogane" - Fai plz stop with this vampire divorce thing. But since "no sex before divorce" is a thing in Clamp mangas, it's forgivable Infinity angst banging

It's us fans, don't mind us, keep on going 👀

Fai and his slutty blood drinking. It's all innate instinct to him to lick wounds like this so ho genes

And it's not just behavior, outfits too:

What is that collar Fai plz wear more of it.

Yes. Like that. Slutty outfit. Excuse the angst for a moment, this is Fai vibes appreciation post. I was about to say how that O-ring has no practical use but:

BDSM arc. Thank you for this Kurogane. I'm sure there's at least one fic that explores this concept. And it's not just infinity angst arc, it happens after it too:

Fai asked for private room for him and Kurogane, undressed him and licked his blood while looking like that. Talk about being subtle. That half lidded eye tells enough. Fai get a ro - oh you already did :D good :D

He always had a bit of slutty energy around him, but how did it come to this I have no idea since -

oh. I think i have an idea after all.

Kamui’s blood is responsible for Fai’s slutification! There’s no other - Fai signed up for slutty vampire divorce the moment he changed into a vamp!

He woke up felling sassy and divorcey; them slutty vamp vibes be doing him good. For mental health purposes I’m not including “good morning Kurogane” panel. Seeing it once in lifetime is enough.

Fai lying with sus face and slutty black turtleneck; and Kamui’s genes. Fai makes such obvious lying face that mostly consists of either half-lidded eyes + flat smile combo or plastic grin + closed eyes combo (like in that cursed panel).

So basically this one panel set Fai’s slutification in motion:

Y’all just know it wouldn’t have been the same if he was given Subaru’s blood instead. Fai would half angst and half serve wet sad sad kitten looks; with Kamui’s blood he half angst and half serves slutty stubborn kitten looks. Infinity arc wouldn’t be nowhere near BDSM as it was. Because:

Yes Syaoran, there’s something not normal about him. It’s the succubus slutty vamp vibes. Also it’s the same slutty black turtleneck Fai has later on; clear as day whose vibes he picked up along genes.

But Kamui went a step further and:

What is that leg garter?? What purpose does it serve boy?? Looks? Being sexy? Do I even wanna know?

Canon facts that he’s the slutfier:

1) that one pic with Fai. It’s one of sluttiest official arts of Fai and Kamui contributed to it at least 80%; rest of 20% are Fai’s natural ho genes.

2) This twincest vibes:

Sluttiest pic of trc!Subaru we have (maybe even tb/x!Subaru?) and it’s with Kamui. Plus them earrings. Coincidence - maybe but? It’s all Kamui’s vibes and he’s rubbing of on his not nearly innocent as he seems but still naive brother.

3) No thoughts, just whatever they have going on:

Fuuma’s expression seems so tender here... and horny. He’s only like this around Kamui so? Also on unrelated note, how did Kamui feed for 3 years in acid Tokyo? Did he bite random people or maybe slashed enemies during fights or maybe - alright, sin stops here. Moving on.

So yea... it’s all in Kamui’s genes, no wonder Fai became a whore along with vampire :D I want main crew to meet with twins in TRC and have Fai thank Kamui for passing on his sassy genes :D Kurogane both suffered and benefited from those genes so he’d probably be conflicted about entire thing

Bonus:

TW: Seishirou

Bastard rectangle priest with vampire fetish is giving Fai vibe check here: if he attacks and Fai yields - it’s Subaru’s blood (oh would he be mad as high hell, i’d pay to see it 👀🍿). If Fai retorts back - it has to be Kamui’s. Since Fai took defensive stance instead of dropping to his knees, bastard man safely concluded it is Kamui’s blood.

So to bring conclusion to this senseless 300% serious brainrot:

[queenlilith43]

The Eldest Curses

So we know of the eldest curses. We know they are the oldest child of a Prince of Hell. But what do they do? What powers do they hold? And how far do they have to fall?

In this post I'll go over some theories and all the information we know about them, confirmed eldest curses, and their respective parents.

I'm sorry if my hate for Asmodeus comes out, but as my friend @patalliumapples said, "You hate Asmodeus so much and it’s so funny to me. Like I hate him too but it seems like he personally murdered your family and it’s so funny."

Tags: @apple-bottom-jeansx @the-blackdale @murderbabies @unorganisedbookshelf @revati3008 @patalliumapples @tenacioushubb @hardlymatters @pjo-tsc-trc-otherthingstoo if you gave me a theory idea you'll be tagged later in the post.

What We Know

Eldest curses are the oldest children of any given Prince of Hell at a moment. So if a Prince of Hell has seven kids alive, the oldest one will be his eldest curse. However, this is unlikely, because they die easily. The magic is too much for them to handle.

There are two confirmed eldest curses living right now: Magnus Bane and Tessa Gray.

Magnus Bane

Age: Anywhere between 380-400 years old

Parent: Asmodeus

Powers: He's very powerful, but any specific powers based on his demon parent? Not really. Unless you count sexy as a power.

Contact with Demon Parent: Magnus has met Asmodeus several times. He summoned him when he was very young, and the regretted it. Then there was the Crimson Hand, his little demon-worshipping cult. Magnus ran into Asmodeus again in The Red Scrolls of Magic and City of Heavenly Fire, but hasn't been under his sway . . . Yet.

Tessa Gray

Age: 147-ish, born in 1862

Parent: Belial

Powers: Tessa, being half Shadowhunter, is special. She doesn't have many regular warlock powers, but she can shapeshift into anyone she likes. However, after absorbing the power of the angel Ithuriel, it's harder for her to change. It's also not a good idea for her to shapeshift when she's pregnant, as found out in Ghosts of the Shadow Market.

Contact with Demon Parent: She has not talked with Belial. Her children, James and Lucie, have had contact several times throughout the Last Hours, but she herself has not talked to Belial. Belial did consider possessing her, but between Ithuriel protecting her and his sexism, it's unlikely.

The Other Stuff

Eldest curses are supposed to be powerful. They're literally demon royalty, and Magnus and Tessa's uncle is Lucifer. Just think on that.

So I'm just gonna talk about some stuff Asmodeus brought up in The Red Scrolls of Magic. I was going to analyze some quotes but it just was taking me too long and I was getting too angry at Asmodeus. My solution is to just do a brief summary of what he said.

Eldest curses have some powers. We don't what, but I can gather they were made to rule. (On iron thrones as Asmodeus said, which is very specific)

And Asmodeus sure loves his. Why? Because he's a manipulative son of a bitch that's why. (The hate is strong right now.)

Asmodeus has had a lot of kids, because he's the demon of lust, but Magnus is very powerful. He's strong, and Asmodeus wants to mess with him to take control of him.

And now onto the theories!

Theories

And the crackpot clowning starts here.

@the-blackdale came up with the theory that some ✨ necromancy ✨ will be in order and Magnus dies at some point, but comes back to life in TBVOTD.

@murderbabies suggested that to summon Lucifer needs blood to be summoned. Blood of an eldest curse, most likely, because we know warlock blood has some powers. I really don't think it would rivers of blood, but enough to draw a small sigil. (As we know from Chain of Iron all the Princes have a sigil that might be used to summon them.)

@patalliumapples and I have the headcanon Raynor is actually Sammael's son, but it's unlikely to actually be canon. Still, a nice thought.

I think Aldous Nix, the warlock from The Bane Chronicles who making a Portal to Pandemonium, is an eldest curse. Maybe Belphegor. He is dead now, but before that, he was at least 1000 years old. That was before Sammael did his little Incursion thing, and that means there had to be a very powerful demon to get to the surface to be his father. So possibly an eldest curse.

Basically assume every warlock is an eldest curse unless confirmed otherwise.

So combining the two theories from @the-blackdale and @murderbabies is that maybe the death or at least one eldest curse would be needed to get Luci back into this world. They paint a sigil with that blood, and bring Lucifer in through it. Not sure when necromancy would be in order, but maybe Asmodeus would bring his son back to show him what they had done.

@revati3008 brought up that maybe Max is an eldest curse who was placed strategically so Magnus would adopt him. And who did this? Asmodeus. Because he wanted to manipulate his child.

Just imagine that. Asmodeus holding the knowledge of their child's parentage over Magnus and Alec's heads. Sounds like something he would do. This would also be even more causally cruel if Max is an eldest curse, because most of those die under the weight of their own power.

But that's super-likely because of a vision Magnus had in TLBOW and also based solely on vibes.

And then the good ol' key theory. @tenacioushubb is the mastermind of this one.

The core idea of this theory is that the eldest curses are analogous to keys. And these keys are needed to unchain Lucifer from a prison. This theory does require Luci to be chained up, but this could explain why demons are coming from Pandemonium in the first place. Lucifer being chained up (probably in Pandemonium) would be the source of all the demon energy. Him coming to our world would be the "wicked powers" aspect of that series.

Also, as @patalliumapples pointed out to me, maybe this how Asmodeus is going to use Magnus. Though this stems from something I noticed before, and ties into something I call the "Castle Theory" which is legit just based off some lyrics from Halsey's Castle.

Sit down and grab some popcorn this one's complicated and very crack pot.

So here are the lyrics that inspired me:

I'm headed straight for the castle

They wanna make me their queen

And there's an old man sitting on the throne

That's saying that I probably shouldn't be so mean

I'm headed straight for the castle

They've got the kingdom locked up

And there's an old man sitting on the throne

That's saying I should probably keep my pretty mouth shut

Straight for the castle

I've said before this song has the same vibes as Clary going into Edom to rescue Jocelyn and the others. This will come up later.

Focusing on Magnus-he already was going to be made to be a king. In one of his dreams in TLBOW, Magnus dreamt of ruling a ruined world. Those chains on his arms from the thorn were there, too.

In The Red Scrolls of Magic while Asmodeus was info-dumping on us, he mentioned the eldest curses were "meant for thrones of iron." Which was so random. Why specify iron? We all know it's deadly to faeries, what does he want?

So I looked up what iron is supposed to do in the Shadowhunters Codex because I didn't know if there was anything else it did. Whelp, turns out a nickel-iron alloy called meteoric iron (normally found in meteors) is a good magic conductor, along with most iron being toxic to the fae.

And my mind was spinning. Rushing to check the Bane Chronicles, I looked at what the Hotel Dumort was built of. It actually was demonic metal, but I'd you had enough iron that can conduct magic,

So if Magnus sits on a throne of iron with enough demonic magic in him, it could unlock Lucifer down there.

Another theory that a few people have brought up is Magnus being possessed by a demon. I feel like it would be a demon Asmodeus sent to posses Magnus, not himself, but at least Asmodeus is smart. He has some sort of brain, unlike Belial, who just acts like he does, and then fails.

Last theory is something I'll do another post on because it needs a LOT of research to back it up.

This theory is that the eldest curses are similar to the Nephilim from the Bible.

These Nephilim were the children of fallen angels on earth. Same as the eldest curses. Though these Nephilim were giants, hundreds of feet tall.

But in one of Magnus's many visions, he dreamt he was tall. And this was after sitting on that throne, after ruling his own world.

Again, more research needed, but I think it could explain their power.

Feel free to add your own theories and thoughts! If I missed any canon info that could be helpful also tell me and I'll edit the post so it's included.

[likeadevils]

uh well there’s gansey (?) and adam (I am only certain about this bc of this post and I’m pretty sure gansey and adam are from the same series) and blue? blue might be from that book with blue in the name though. there’s another boy with a very british name though (willam or something) cause I think it’s like four dudes and one girl.

yes! 4 dudes + 1 girl. gansey, adam, blue are all there, but blue is in all 4 books, it's just the 3rd book that has the word blue in its name. and it's kinda blue-centric so you got the vibe! the 3rd boy is ronan (so irish) and the 4th boy is noah!

and uhhhh I get it mixed up with foxhole court a lot??

soo valid because get this: the 4th book in trc is called "the raven king" which is also the name of the 2nd book in "all for the game" (book #1 is "foxhole court").

But I’m pretty sure the raven cycle is modern day? it might be about immortals? or gods? this the one about resurrecting some king? I’ve been told it’s among the heroes of olympus school of like, good characters but badly thought out plot.

yes, modern day is right! and yes, it's about finding and waking up a dead welsh king. i'm kinda biased about the plot because while i agree that it's not very Structured i really vibe with it so i personally would not call it Bad. but also i'm mostly into the characters, themes and writing style hehe

I think people ship adam with gansey. i am certain that whoever they ship adam with, the fandom is invested in their relationship more than the main character, who I’m pretty sure is blue. that might be because the boys just have more character to invest in but it might just be misogyny, I truly have no idea.

i think most people ardently ship adam with ronan, they have a whole r-ship going on, but gansey x adam is a very popular ship too, but usually simultaneously going with ronan x adam. blue is technically the main character but in the sense that it's an ensemble cast, pretty much equal focus on the gangsey (yes that's the fandom name for it), with their families and other characters being supporting. the best ppl in the fandom are those who know ships are pointless because they are literally all 1 big queer polycule 👍 they're all very much in love with each other it's a running theme in the books!!

im pretty sure it came out like 2015-2018, it’s part of that post dystopian ya craze that focused on fantasy and morally gray main characters. i think the boys are homeless or at least low class. Idk

came out in 2012-2016 and idk about that second part bc i wasnt around in that time but that makes a lot of sense! no they're not homeless (except adam for some time) or low class (except adam and blue) because the other 3 are all Very Rich... trust fund rich so yes balances them out lol (the class differences informs a lot of the dynamics too, esp b/w adam and gansey)

I HAVE NEVER HEARD OF NOAH IN MY LIFE also im so sorry for calling an irish person british I will make up for it by ronan being my favorite character now (unless i really don’t like him)

thats literally so funny of the authors there’s already so much The Animal Fantasy Title books and I feel like this is an snl skitch in real life

I have literally only pieced together this plot through aesthetic mood boards I am very excited to have something about it conformed and also now I feel like reading it

the literal first thing I thought when you brought up the second ship was like. oh this is some good poly material. love a good everyone just loves and supports each other in different ways vibe

the only reason I thought there was a homeless plot line is because most of the mood boards had like, abandoned buildings and people walking places and a general wanderlust-but-sad-about-it vibes. also bro you really know how to sell me on a book

[fikefilms]

𝒐𝒏𝒆 ,   hi my name is … jay ! also rip at my photoshop being full & me not popping up in the tags . 

𝒕𝒘𝒐 ,   the character that’s gotten my interest is … ezra ! 

𝒕𝒉𝒓𝒆𝒆 ,  the reason this character got my interest was because … pls i feel like he’s trying so hard to be an insider that a part of him has been lost ? like he’s molding himself into those around him and that’s going to lead to some shit . i also like the angle that not only is he the scholarship kid, but there’s this small town boy trying to make it big vibe and i just know he’s hungry TM for influence . there’s also something sinister lying underneath it all i just know it . 

𝒇𝒐𝒖𝒓 ,  what are some characters that would inspire your portrayal of the character you’re interested in? ok so hear me out wes from htgawm would be the obvious choice , right ? but i kinda see laurel castillo because she’s like the silent weapon in the first season , the one no one expects to be good at this . some others are dan humphrey from gossip girl , adam parrish from trc , richard papen from tsh , beth harmon from the queen’s gamit , ryan atwood from the oc , mona vanderwaal from pll .

𝒇𝒊𝒗𝒆 ,  which character, if accepted, are you most interested in interacting with? is it cheating to say all of them ? aside from his connections cause i feel like those are obvious , i have to say theodore . ezra is either gonna have to betray him down the line or not follow his heart if they’re rly good friends and i think that’s spicy . 

𝒔𝒊𝒙 ,  i’m excited to see this happening in the group … it’d be a shorter list to say what i’m not excited to see . i’m kinda buzzing at any competitions that the players are going to have to play out ? ezra & isabel are working together to win , but how are they gonna get over there only being one winner ? betrayal , angst , drama , but also just letting go and having fun after a stressful week of assignment ! 

𝒔𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒏 , what’s an event or task idea that you have that can fit into the grad school and royal/rich lifestyle aspect of this group? murder mysteries , trips to one of the royal lands , defending someone famous / wealthy in court ! 

𝒆𝒊𝒈𝒉𝒕 ,  any questions or comments for the admins? just that this is stellar ! 

[starrlikesbooks]

Let’s talk about upcoming books!

It’s hard to believe the year is nearly over, but it’s equally hard to believe that it’s somehow still 2020  ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ Either way, the new year means at least one good thing- cool new books!

Click the read more for a little on each and why I’m excited! And have a great new year! 💓🎉

The Echo Wife by Sarah Gailey is Gailey’s third full-length novel, and their second Adult novel. It’s an SFF story about a woman whose husband is cheating on her… with a clone of herself… which he made by stealing her research. The layers of betrayal! Obviously her and the clone have to kill him, what other choice do they have? I’m super excited for another one of Gailey’s fun, complex characters and the concept alone sounds so, so cool.

The Valley and the Flood by Rebecca Mahoney I’ve already had the pleasure over reading and I am PUMPED to get other people to read it! This is a magical realism story about grief and baggage mixed with a southern (western?) gothic vibe with the town in the desert full of otherwordly “neighbors”. This is a beautiful story of PTSD and healing and as well as a lushly magic one.

The Mirror Season by Anna-Marie McLemore is another one I’ve already been lucky enough to get an advanced copy of. This is a magical realism story about the trauma of two characters’ unfortunately closely connected sexual assault. This one is heavy, and if you’re sensitive to stories involving rape and/or blackmail you may want to avoid it, but it’s well written and honestly an excellent story of healing and reflection.

Lycanthropy & Other Chronic Illnesses by Kristen O’Neal I…. have also already read! Sorry- I am just a very lucky reader of books! This is a really modern online friendship based story of a girl and her community of people with chronic illnesses, like the one that forced her to come back home from college. But it turns out her best friend’s chronic illness is a little… weird. I love the humor in this book, I love the characters, I love the representation of these illnesses and the online communities they form, and I honestly think that anyone who 1) like werewolves and 2) is still on tumblr will love this book.

Blade of Secrets by Tricia Levenseller combines three of my favorite things- bladesmiths, magical quests, and the author of The Shadows Between Us. A magical bladesmith takes a commission from someone far more dangerous than she knows, and winds up with an uber powerful sword able to steal secrets, on the run, and with some surprising friends. I can’t think of anything I don’t like from that, and I know I already love Levenseller’s characters, so!

Mister Impossible by Maggie Stiefvater has… that title, but is also the sequel to Call Down the Hawk, Stiefvater’s Ronan Lynch centric TRC spin off. CDTH was incredible and ended with a massive cliff hanger, so I’m chompin at the bit for this book. More magical dreams! More disembodied voices! More murder and art theft and Declan Lynch failing at pretending not to be weird af!

May the Best Man Win by ZR Ellor has the potential to make me cry right from the get go. This is a MLM trans lovers-to-enemies-to-friends-to-lovers story and my God I’m vibrating. Basically it’s a battle for prom king between exes who had a messy break up because one of them ended their relationship in order to come out & transition. The cover is so cute and I’m ready for this to be fluffy and fun.

One Last Stop by Casey McQuiston is McQuistion’s sophomore novel after Red, White & Royal Blue, so… obviously? This one is sapphic and involves falling for someone who is literally in the past. I trust McQuiston so much I’d need this book immediately even if the concept didn’t sound amazing, but I’m feeling blessed that it does!

Violet Ghosts by Leah Thomas is about being best friends with (and crushing on) a ghost while also coming out to yourself as trans. As an enby who likes ghost books- may I just say trans rights? This book also involved parental abuse, so beware if you find that distressing or triggering!

Blood Like Magic by Liselle Sambury not only has a stunning cover and a main character who looks like she means serious business, but it’s a dark urabn fantasy about witches. The main character fails her ritual to come into her magic, she’s forced to kill her true love or strip her whole blood line. Ah, I love difficult choices, gray morality, and magic, so I’m already in love with this.

The Box in the Woods by Maureen Johnson I’m astounded and super excited to know is going to exist at all. I loved the Truly, Devious trilogy, and while this isn’t exactly a part of that it is the same main character and it is still a mystery about an unsolved murder! Plus, I love summer camps, so a summer camp murder mystery makes me happy.

Gearbreakers by Zoe Hana Mikuta is a sappic enemies-to-lovers about two girls on opposite sides of a war fought by giant Windups. This is a cyberpunk book of spies and pilots and gay love, and it’s also the first in a series!

Any Way the Wind Blows by Rainbow Rowell is the third and (most likely) final book of the Simon Snow series and it’s gonna be GOOD. My only wish is for it to be about 500 pages longer because I want a full out door stopper of tying up loose ends.

The River Has Teeth by Erica Waters is the second book by the Ghost Wood Song author- which was on my most anticipated list for 2020 last year! That one was creepy and folky and queer, and this one looks to be the same. This one has a sister disappear and some strong magic to find out what happened to her, and if their mother was the one who did it.

Mark of the Wicked by Georgia Bowers is a dark fantasy about a girl who comes into her powers but has some different ideas about how she should be using them. I love morally gray or just plain dark main characters, so I’m ready to jump right on this one. This one also involves memory loss/blacking out and being framed, which always adds a cool mysterious layer!

Among Thieves by M.J. Kuhn involves queer, selfish thieves forced to band together. I have a soft spot for characters who are really flawed and don’t want to work together (especially if it leads into found family!) and this also has a slow burn sapphic relationship and a lot of possible betrayal in it, so I’ll probably go crazy from reading it.

Beyond the Ruby Veil #2 by Mara Fitzgerald doesn’t have a title yet but it does have a great plot to work off of. I loved the first book- which was creepy, had a completely awful, villainous main character, and full (I mean full) of murder- and it ended in a way that point to the sequel being just as good if not better. The first one had the quality of just watching the world burn, and I have a feeling this one’s going to be the same thing with maybe more flames. If you plan on picking up either of them, consider checking out the CWs, though!

Little Thieves by Margaret Owen got added to this immediately because Owen definitely gained my love and trust via The Merciful Crow duology, and I’m certain it’s going to be incredible solely because she’s a wonderful writer and her characters are a lot of fun- and speaking of characters, she’s already shared some drawings and info on them and they’re GREAT I cannot wait to meet them. This is a retelling of The Goose Girl story, from the maid’s POV!

Jade Fire Gold by June C.L. Tan was originally on my 2020 most anticipated but then 2020 happened so… yeah. But it is actually coming out in 2021, as long as the world doesn’t end again (fingers crossed). Inspired by East Asian mythology, this one is about a dangerous cult, a peasant cursed to steal souls, and an exiled prince!

The Heartbreak Bakery by A.R. Capetta is going to be one of those cute, fluffy, feel good reads, which I think we probably all need about now. I love Capetta’s work and their very queer characters, and I love the idea of a magical baker both breaking up and then getting couples back together. Also, the MC is agender- we love to see it.

The Second Coming by André-Naquian Wheeler follows a teen with a traumatic past falling for a boy who might be the second coming of Jesus Christ. Honestly, I’m a little nervous about this one- but also I almost wrote my own queer second coming story, so who am I to talk? I don’t know much more about this book, but I’m excited to see what it turns out like!

[25centsoda]

Initial Thoughts

Mister Impossible spoilers under the cut! 

Okay I am still feral but can use real human words now (like a human not a dream-- okay okay sorry) SO here are my disorganized first thoughts having just put the book down about twenty minutes ago, expect little in the way of chronological order

I was not jazzed about the book when I first got it, gonna be honest. The title, okay I guess, I can understand - the song Mister Impossible is a banger and definitely fits the mood. Would’ve prefered a line from the song rather than the title, which is, as some have pointed out, a bit more of an action-novel title than what we were expecting from the Dreamer Trilogy. But fine. Okay. 

Then I read the summary in the inside flap and I went :/ Hmm. Sounds a bit too high-stakes for me - listen, finding one dead king? Fixing one local ley line? That I can vibe with. Finding another dreamer a city over? Underground criminal magic market? Cool. Tangible. Fantastical! But tangible. World-ending stakes? I’m sorry, you’ve kinda lost me? But okay, okay, I trust Mrs. Stiefvater, I want to know more about dreamers and dreams, I’ll bite. 

The three quotes that come before the story itself? Another :/ Another hmm, okay. I’m not terribly jazzed. It’s not caught me. Even the first page! Didn’t catch me. I had to intentionally set aside critical-mode as I started the book

*takes a moment to set aside critical mode again because I did genuinely enjoy this book*

MATTHEW AND HIS CRISES, AA. Poor boy. “Was I made to be this way, or am I this way because I am me? How much free will do I even have? How much does it even matter? How much does anything even matter?” My philosophy phase last summer would’ve totally vibed with you, my dude *fistbump*

ALL OF THE MODERATORS EXCEPT CARMEN WERE DREAMS???? I’M SORRY?????? WHAT

No seriously they were all dreams?!?!? Since when?? Since how?? If they’re killing Zeds, were they killing all but their own Zed?? Did they all have sweetmetals?? Did Ronan dream them, too?????

If so that’s incredibly fucked up

SPEAKING OF SWEETMETALS

Bro what was that. I’m sorry but what was that.

Listen okay it makes sense in the context of the story I guess, but I couldn’t help but read it more as a part of her metaphor for like “dreamers are artists” and I totally get where she’s coming from looking at it as part of the metaphor, especially considering her recent/semi-recent health issues BUT as a story? Idk I just didn’t feel like I could mesh it with the story itself, see it as a thing on its own outside of the metaphor

TRC I could see both the metaphors and the story. CDTH I could see both the metaphor and the story. All The Crooked Saints I could see both the metaphor and the story. Here I was having trouble

Speaking of the metaphor

Why was Ronan committing ecoterrorism

I was almost getting like. Idk y’all read the latter half of Maximum Ride? We were edging into that territory where we were losing the thread of the story in the metaphor. Anyways

BRYDE

BRYDE

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

I had to go scream at a friend when I read that part!!! Ronan dreamt himself a father figure, a teacher, a leader!! I’m FERAL

This part I felt was well-done

But BROOOOOOOOOOOOO, a dream that is also a dreamer???? WHAT. The power that takes, the power that has. Unstoppable.

MATTHEW FELL ASLEEP AT THE END AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

Wait tho what was that at the end. I do not understand.

I get why Hennessy killed the ley line

BUT WHY DID MAGGIE

I saw Ronan and his dreamt fire and his internal conflict/angst. I saw Hennessy and her lace. Get it.

BUT WHERE DOES IT MAKE SENSE THAT ALL THE LEY LINES SHOULD DIE. WEREN’T WE GIVING MATTHEW AND JORDAN FREEDOM. WEREN’T WE WAKING BACK UP THE ARTISTS OF THE WORLD.

And Matthew was gonna go to school and be a real person instead of his brothers’ pet T_T

How could they do this to my sweet boy

And the book ended with Jordan??? I didn’t feel like she was a main-main character, enough to be ended on like that?? I thought the Dreamer Trilogy was about the dreamers primarily and dreams secondarily. CDTH even opens with stuff about the Lynch brothers (fantastic, btw, still catches me and gets me excited with the very first line even after three reads and about two years)

this is saltier than I intended whoops

Also

Also

Carmen and Lilliana

Appreciate the lesbians! Very much appreciate it. Feeeeeelin like it fell a little flat. Idk I saw possibility for more in the last book, maybe, but this book went from “hint of hint of space for development” to “they are KISSING, they are RUNNING AWAY TOGETHER, they are PAINFULLY OBVIOUSLY DATING”

Lowkey where did that come from

And where was Adam aaaaaaaaaa. I was worried about him! What happened to him! But then turns out Ronan just threw his phone away too fast bro, Ronan, plz 

I think that’s it? I think that’s it. No wait I did really like Jordan and Declan, that was nice. Henessey’s characterization was well-done I think; she be self-destructive and #struggling and desperately in need of some lesbian aunts (good for her on getting them).  ADORED Matthew and his personality and crises. Overall the book was just not the vibe I was expecting/necessarily came for; the stakes were too big, I think, was the most major issue.

What I’ll be looking for in the next book

WHAT IS HAPPENING NOW THAT THE LEY LINES ARE DEAD. Will Matthew be okay? Will Ronan be okay? We established that he doesn’t work without a ley line, right, boy just nightwashes out of life?

ALL OF THE MODERATERS WERE DREAMS??? MRS STIEFVATER EXPLAIN

Ronan just. Did a bunch of ecoterrorism. For nothing? What’s up with that lol. Is somebody gonna arrest him

Opal was mentioned but we never saw her. Where is she? Is she okay?

HOW IS JORDAN AWAKE, WHAT. Is the sweetmetal, like, inside her now, because she made one? Also why did we end on her. I feel like “It was a very nice day/she felt awake” is a VERY different mood from the devastation we were just reading. Matthew slipped out of consciousness AND HE WASN’T EVEN A KING. Like this was TRK-level dramatic but then our last bite of story was not that. I Must understand.

Somebody better talk to Ronan bro seriously kid needs therapy, he made his own father/mentor/leader figure. Declan was worried Ronan joined a cult but turns out boy made one. Plz help him

Hennessy better be vibing. She doesn’t have the Lace to contend with anymore

I think that’s it legit! This was waaaaaaay longer than I thought it would be lmao and less comprehensible/deep but hopefully in the future I will be back with more organized thoughts because boy does this book invite them (and no those thoughts will not be majority salt)

[handcat]

NOPE. Book Tag

Source: here

thank you @sunel0 <3

Questions:

1. NOPE. Ending: A book ending that made you go NOPE either in denial, rage, or simply because the ending was crappy.

everything, everything, it has been years since i read that but that twist/ending was bullshit, i have never felt more rage in my life, fuck that book, fuck, i dont remember all of the details of it but in general it felt like shit, it just brushed away all of the stakes and demonized people with mental illnesses and generally felt like garbage, god i am pissed

2. NOPE. Protagonist: A main character you dislike and drives you crazy.

main guy of giovannis room i forget his name because im dumb, first of all, i love that book, i really do, im not saying i dont like it i just want to make that clear dfasafds, but i would kick main guys ass any day of the week <3

3. NOPE. Series: A series that turned out to be one huge pile of NOPE. after you’ve invested all of that time and energy on it, or a series you gave up on because it wasn’t worth it anymore.

this was awhile ago lol but the maze runner books, i loved the first one and then i got part way into the second and realized i hated where the story was going and stopped reading, that was in like middle school and i do not remember what i didnt like but i was pissed

4. NOPE. Popular pairing: A “ship” you don’t support.

idk, i cant really think of a specific one offhand, aside from like obviously gross ones but yeah idk, best i can think of is in trc when ppl ship kavinsky with people, or really like any dream pack stuff, but to each their own, i just dont vibe with all that lol

5. NOPE. Plot twist: A plot twist you didn’t see coming or didn’t like.

can i say everything, everything again? it really pissed me off, i still remember the pure rage i felt reading that 

6. NOPE. Protagonist action/decision: A character decision that made you shake your head NOPE.

every decision made by zebulon in the death and life of zebulon finch, i love those books but he is stupid as fuck <3

7. NOPE. Genre: A genre you will never read.

okay i have read high fantasy before but generally i just don't vibe with it, idk its hard to get invested for me :/

8. NOPE. Book format: Book formatting you hate and avoid buying until it comes out in a different edition.

not super applicable but i CAN’T read ebooks, my brain just does not comprehend, similar thing with audiobooks, i only listen to audiobooks of things ive already read bc i space out a lot and miss chunks lol

9. NOPE. Trope: A trope that makes you go NOPE.

stories that are like super futuristic technology stuff with like tech genius characters??? is that a trope??? does that make sense??? anyway i hate that, i dont think ive read many books like that so ill use the mcu as an example :) it just feels like theres no stakes because everything can be solved by just inventing a new machine! also most uses of time travel, i forgot that one (exceptions would be like bill and ted or paper girls but they are rare)

10. NOPE. Recommendation: A book recommendation that is constantly hyped and pushed at you that you simply refuse to read.

i haven't seen it much recently, but captive prince, just the whole premise and shit that ive heard about it makes me very uncomfortable

11. NOPE. Cliche/pet peeve: A cliche or writing pet peeve that always makes you roll your eyes.

too many pop culture references and shit like that, i feel like i dont see it a lot in stuff i read, but like an example is more recent rr stuff, like it just rarely works and takes me out of the story and i just do not like it

12. NOPE. Love interest: The love interest that’s not worthy of being one. A character you don’t think should have been a viable love interest.

i couldnt think of one soooooo colin greenmantle! he’s a weak bitch who didn’t deserve piper and im glad she killed him!

13. NOPE. Book: A book that shouldn’t have existed that made you say NOPE.

all for the game... its bad

14. NOPE. Villain: A scary villain/antagonist you would hate to cross and would make you run in the opposite direction.

dr leather from zebulon finch!!!!!! why was he like that???? hweee.... fweee..... bitch ill kill you!!!! he was my first thought, idk if hes the scariest but he was fucked up!!! meat etiquette???? people garden????

15. NOPE. Death: A character death that still haunts you.

noah czerny, i do not see it <3

16. NOPE. Author: An author you had a bad experience reading for and have decided to quit.

cassandra claire, i started the mortal instruments in middle school but tbh with just everything ive heard about her and the content of her books... no

okay! now tagging people! i said i wouldnt tag more people but im actually curious so im going to! as usual no pressure! @audikatia @darkadam @pynches @gaynanlynch @adamparrishthot @czernydefencesquad uhhhh and anyone else who wants to! yeehaw!

[dangerously-human]

rules: list down the lyrics of songs that live rent free in your head that inspire you/vibe with/spill creative juices.

I have been thinking about this VERY INTENTLY on this ever since @wherehefoundtheporcupine tagged me. I for some reason thought this was supposed to be 5 songs and idk where I got that from, so we’ll just go for that, yeah? Most of these are songs that I daydream Endeavour fics to, but there’s also probably going to be a little bit of Continuum in here, and maybe some general writing jams, too (I’m finally starting to move my “songs to write to” playlist over to Spotify, which has been a fun project). In all honesty, whatever I’m listening to lately, I will probably find a way to connect to what I’m writing or obsessed with in one way or another, so these aren’t exactly… themed? Anyway…

“Butterfly Culture” - Benjamin Francis Leftwich: I have waxed eloquent (well, close enough) on this one before. It captures the exact shade of yearning I was searching for in the early days of writing Those Binary Stars, and it’s such a giant Morse mood - especially Morse with Joan, IMO, but also just in general? The sound and overall mood of the song is what really does it for me, but the lyrics are good too:

Even while your widening smile Was shaking in the smoke Your head was full of hope

Because I am a member of the butterfly culture Where we work and we take We play and we pray to god That the girl in that dress will undress And distress you with the way that she moves

“Paris” - The Chainsmokers: This was such an Alec song when I was writing for Continuum, and I feel like it captures Morse pretty well too. It’s just got that wistful air to it, the view of someone who wishes they could be someone they’d like better, someone arrogant but with a low opinion of themself at the same time, and the sense of life passing you by even in the moment as you’re living it - a nostalgia for the moment you’re in and knowing you’re going to miss it and you’re not even all here now (especially “Getting drunk on the past we were livin' in”):

I don't know if it's fair but I thought, "How could I let you fall by yourself While I'm wasted with someone else?"

If we go down then we go down together They'll say you could do anything They'll say that I was clever If we go down then we go down together We'll get away with everything Let's show them we are better

“Home” - Lynton: Weirdly, I can’t find the lyrics to this anywhere online, so I sat and listened very intently to this last night to transcribe them as best as I could; I should probably post them for the benefit of some future soul on the internet. I *think* I found this song via a Maggie Stiefvater post at one point, and it really does have a kinda TRC vibe. It’s got this sort of bittersweet acceptance thing going on, both melancholy and like someone trying to reclaim happiness in spite of disappointment in themself. For Endeavour fic (and especially if you’re going to do “the one that got away” with Joan), how great is this bit about names, right?:

But I let you slip through my hands These shifting sands to pull me under Farther from you

How I stretch out my arms My lungs burst in two Calling for you But I just call out strange names and hope one is the same As the one once bestowed on you

“Youth” - Daughter: It probably does not get better than this for lyrics to inspire writing of any and all kinds of angst, tbh. Unparalleled poetry. My soul is on fire just reading this again. I’m going to try not to paste in the entire song here, but if you want to read (or better yet, listen to) something that feels like a blade, highly recommend you check out the whole thing:

And if you're still breathing, you're the lucky ones. 'Cause most of us are heaving through corrupted lungs. Setting fire to our insides for fun Collecting names of the lovers that went wrong

We are the reckless, We are the wild youth Chasing visions of our futures One day we'll reveal the truth That one will die before he gets there (excuse me while I sob over how well this fits with Endeavour as a prequel, knowing what end Morse comes to, I did not need to do this to myself AND YET I DID)

Well I've lost it all, I'm just a silhouette

“Burning” - Mitch King: Well, now that we’ve had a series of kinda downers (look, that’s what puts me in the writing mood, what can I say)… This one isn’t exactly peppy, but it’s not depressing, either. I think it’s a brilliant description of Morse (and tbh Alec and maybe Julian, were I ever to write for Continuum again - I have a Type when it comes to favorite characters, clearly), always burning too bright and reluctant to simply be:

Hold, and take back the fear Don't let it affect your conscience too Cause you are burning and it's hurting And you are burning Brighter than the sun

You don't need to be a preacher or a sinner Just a neutral man with love in heart Storms are clearing more than before now And your conscious mind is ascending above

I actually very rarely listen to music while I’m writing, but it does help for the planning and playing with words in preparation bit! Especially when I’m doing something a bit more mindless and I can let myself wander a bit... I’m going to tag @althoughsolemn, @loubuttons, @ladyaj-13, @mudlark2019, and @jasmiinitee (apologies if any of you were already tagged, and no pressure, of course) - I’m always interested to hear what gets the writing juices flowing for other people, and it doesn’t have to be limited to any one fandom/project!