#and it has lovely illustrations like kid's chapter books used to have way back when

[bruinhilda]

Way back when I was a kid in the 80s, I ended up with this kid's book. This was a bit unusual only because by this point, I was reading adult books. This is not a bragging thing or any crap like that. I just read a lot more than I did anything else, plus I was always this weird, so instead of a library of kid's fiction, my room was stocked with books like this:

(Yes, this is an actual book. It's great, I still have it and its sequel.)

But when you're a kid in grade school, there's the school book fair, and it's that time when your parents give you actual money to buy whatever book you want. And even though you're not going to find cheesy space opera there, dammit, you're going to find SOMETHING to buy.

I bought this book about a St Bernard and his family. The book is full of the expected canine shenanigans and missteps, and the comedy of a dedicated dog doing his best for his human charges, dangit. Up to 2/3rds of the way through, when the plot screeches to the left field as the tornado hits.

I reread the crap out of that book, but at some point I decided I wasn't likely to reread it again, and we were moving, so I let it go. I promptly forgot the title and all the character names. When the movie Beethoven came out, my initial reaction was that this looked like an adaptation of that book, which didn't help my recall of the title any. (Beethoven is NOT an adaptation. It's possibly a ripoff of the general concept, but aside from them both being stories about highly intelligent St Bernards protecting their families, they have little in common.)

Cut to my adult years, and vaguely remembering this book, and wanting to reread it after all, see if my memories hold up. Except. I can't FIND the damn thing.

Couldn't remember the title at all, just that the dog's name started with a B. Searching the general plot just resulted in endless results for Beethoven. It seemed like nobody else had ever read this book.

I tried on and off, and gave up. And then I tried again recently, not expecting much. But this time I got a hit. People on Reddit were discussing not just my book, but an entire series. Armed with the title, I found the paperback cover online, and finally, I had it.

May I introduce you to Judge Benjamin, Superdog. It's LOOOONG out of print, but Ebay had a nice hardcover for under $4. And I have reread it at last, and it all came back to me. You should have made this movie, folks! Don't tell me St Bernard vs a tornado wouldn't have sold, especially post Twister.

Oddly, the tornado in the book? Real. It gives a date and everything. This 1982 book is set in 1974, and contains the actual 1974 Super Outbreak as its climax. The author notes state that she owns a St Bernard named Judge Benjamin, so I suspect the book is semi-autobiographical. Except told from the point of view of a lovable dog.

And as Reddit said, it's a series! I have acquired 3 more as of yesterday, and look forward to reading them. And the others, whenever I track them down.

[justheblueberry]

handbinding of A Study in Scarlette by kittebasu

There are people who want to live forever, and then there is Shinichi, who just wants to live a little longer than this.

this bind has been in my head since i first read the fic like, three years ago. i dreamed up so many ideas for it, for so long, and now it's finally done! the typeset was actually done in early 2022, back when i was still using google docs, but it went through a few iterations because i was just. so. fiddly. with every aspect of this book. it needed to be perfect (as close to perfect as i, an amateur bookbinder out of my depth, can get) and it had to be absolutely over the top, to reflect the insane amount of love and care that the author put into the fic itself.

the first time i read this fic, i barely knew what detective conan was, much less all of the intricate plot details; i was just along for the ride, but by the end i was completely invested. i went back and watched through the anime as well as a few movies (it took me six months) and then read the fic again. and then a few more times. kaishin and the world of dcmk has utterly gripped me. it's 100% this fic's fault and i love it so, so, much.

i went through a few iterations of visual designs and i'm really happy with the little details i managed to squeeze in.

the entire color scheme is based around red, because 1) it's a murder mystery, 2) for scarlette shinamoto (and the title of the fic as well as the original holmes novel it references), and 3) the irony of "lady red" actually being red. the secret fourth reason is that i think red/gold is a super sexy color combo.

i sewed the textblock with red thread to reference holmes' "scarlet thread of murder".

another detail i love is the five yen coin bookmark, it was one of my first ideas and it turned out even better than i thought.

i wanted the endpapers to evoke a sense of the white marbled floor of the ballroom, with the glow-in-the-dark kaitou kid caricature being the luminol on the floor, and the little pops of red looks like blood that's been mixed in. i lucked out in that the other side of the endpaper was like a lavender-purpley color, i like to think of it as a little wink wink nudge to the color of the actual Lady Red.

the chapter pages got a few reworkings, but i'm happy with the illustrations i ended up doing for each of them. the chapter titles are one of my favorite things about the fic, each one has so much meaning packed into it and flows so beautifully, and i wanted to put as much care into making them pop as possible.

the cover was a linocut carving i designed and carved, which i then printed onto the bookcloth, and ironed on htv on top.

i also threw in a couple of my drawings of my favorite scenes.

this is getting way too long, so i'll end it here. i'll have a separate post detailing the process every step of the way, if anyone wants to take a closer look. this fic is kind of directly responsible for getting me into fanbinding, so it's safe to say it altered the course of my life. i now spend way too much time (and money) looking at book stuff.

kittebasu, if, somehow, you see this and would like an author copy, i would be honored to make one and ship it to you; i would be overjoyed to gift you with any art i have the ability to make, because the fics you wrote have irreversibly altered my brain chemistry, and being able to give back in any capacity would be a dream. (thank you.)

a few postscripts:

i am not selling any copies of this fic. partially because i believe in the gift economy of fandom as well as firmly keeping fanbinding a hobby that will stay unmonetized, but also because it took me months (years, if we are counting when i first finished the typeset) to finish this and i do not have the strength.

however, if you are also a fan of this fic and would like a copy, i honestly, fervently, encourage you to give fanbinding a try! renegade publishing and its discord server are an absolutely wonderful and free resource. i knew nothing about bookbinding and had zero materials when i first started, but i've learned so much thanks to the lovely people there. if you're still apprehensive about getting started, i'd be willing to share my typeset of this fic as well as answer any questions about the making of this book if you DM me.

[quitealotofsodapop]

Mentioned in a Post a while back about a Jttw/LMK AU I had regarding the "Yellow Robed Demon" Arc when Tripitaka got turned into a tiger.

Book Summary;

Tripitaka manages to escape his capture (for once) and passes on a message to the King of Baoxiang from his daughter, Baihuaxiu, explaining that she was kidnapped and made the forced bride of a demon (ironically making it a magical version of what befell Tripitaka's mother when he was a baby).

Kui Mulang rolls in with a human glamour and goes: "Nu-Uh! I'm but a humble human hunter. THIS guy is a tiger demon who attacked a girl some time ago. I save her and we've been living a simple life for the last 13 years!" (Lie)

So the dude pulls an Uno-Reverse and transforms Tripitaka into a tiger (or in some versions, glamours him into one). The King and his subjects believe this 100% since Tripitaka and the Pilgrims don't look so great without Wukong there to act as PR (he was exiled at the time for the White Bone Spirit incident).

Tripitaka is apparently aching-beautiful no matter his form though;

Wukong even feels kinda bad for his Master, since the transformation is so good that he can't even see through it with Gold Vision. Also imagine a sad giant kitty, that would bum anyone out.

Of course things are resolved by the end of the arc; the gang reunite with their monkey, Ao Lie gets his own badass chapter, the Princess is saved, Bajie kills the couple's two half-demon wolf children, the Yellow Robed Demon is revealed to be Revatī - the Wood Wolf of Legs after Wukong catches the demon commenting on his performance during the Havoc (Wukong has a few Columbo moments in the book like this), and Tripitaka is transformed back into his squishy monk self.

Bonus - Tripitaka as a tiger from a book illustration + the 1999 cartoon.

The book illustration + description suggests he's a rare Pseudo-melanistic "Black Tiger" seen in India, possibly an Indo-Chinese Tiger, or a South China Tiger with a darker back.

So here's where the timeline shifts...

The Wood Wolf of Legs ain't happy to be dragged away from (what he believed to be mutual) his true love on earth + his two kids, so he curses the Tang Monk to not only retain part of the glamour he imposed upon him, but to transform him fully into a carnivorous feline demon. Also as an extra "F-k you!" to the Jade Court he and his past love fled from, since the Queen Mother is a celestial tigress herself.

The Pilgrims freak out, obviously.

Guanyin is called up and is like;

Guanyin: "Well, you did unjustly punish and exile your best bodyguard because you didn't trust his judgement, seeing him only as a murderous beast... so *your* punishment is to deal with the rest of your Journey as one of the very same creatures you see as mindlessly bloodthirsty." Tripitaka, now cursed to stay a catboy: "Dang it." (≽^╥⩊╥^≼)

He still gets to wear the robes and walk upright -think Master Tigress from Kung Fu Panda but as a wimpy, twink-shaped, monk.

Tripitaka aint' having fun. He's a life-long vegetarian who's suddenly an apex hypercarnivore. He tries his best for the longest time to stay on the veggies (and durian weirdly enough since tigers like those), but eventually he will need to chow down on some bleeding protein.

And his team literally consists of the main diet of a tiger...

Wukong, a monkey: "Master isn't looking too good." Zhu Bajie, a pig: "I don't like the way he's been looking at us. I burnt my finger making the campfire and he looked ready to pounce!" Sha Wujing, a fish: "I'm not surprised. Cats are of few beasts that absolutely require meat protein to survive." Ao Lie, currently a horse: "If he goes feral, I vote we sacrifice the pig first." Wujing & Wukong: "Agreed." Zhu Bajie: "HEY!!" (₍•̀ ⚇•́ ₎) Tripitaka, meditating hard: "Perhaps if I eat a watermelon, it would sustain my desire for flesh?"

What worse?

Tripitaka is still considered smoking hot. Now by demon standards too!

The Trio of Lion Camel Ridge prepare to attack the Pilgrims when;

Azure Lion: (*sees that the Great Monk is actually a beautiful tiger.*) Azure Lion, lowering his sword: "Guys, do not mess this up for me." Peng & Yellow Tusk: (*annoyed groans!*)

[mellowquint]

Fanbinding Masters of Mayhem - a Ninjago and Lego Monkie kid crossover!!!

FINALLY after weeks of putting the project on the shelf i finally have the (motivation) free time to complete this amazing bookbind!!! Shoutout to my best friend who came to me and ask if i could bind it. So what better birthday gift than to bind her current favourite crossover story? At the time of this post i have not given the gift to her yet so fingers crossed that she likes this 🤞😖

Thank you FictionForLife_NZ for creating this absolute hilarious masterpiece!! I have been wanting to read an LMK crossover fic for the longest time and low and behold, the ao3 algorithm has answered my prayers lol. Me and best friend really love the character interaction that the Ninja’s have with the LMK crew 😂. Also the shipping!! Best friend absolutely LOVES dragonfruit but was sad that they didn’t have as much of a fandom dedication as opposed to spicynoodles. So imagine her suprised (and scream) that dragonfruit is the main pairing in the story and their many iconic moments together!! Also the climax truly had me at the edge of my seat!! And that ending?? Gosh couldn’t have asked it better myself Ninjago writers really should take notes ✍️!!! Anyways enough rambling here’s the fic if you would like to give a read, absolute 10/10

Flip through

Some close ups

also yes excuse me and my terrible phone and room lighting it did not do this book justice.

Unfortunately I couldn’t find any fanart that was related/tagged so there was no illustrations for the book. However thats when i had the idea of making the chapter title in the same font as the Ninjago font! To make it seem like every new chapter is an episode!

Also unfortunately couldn’t tag the author since i can’t find their tumblr. If any of you know if said author does have tumblr please let me know!

If you’re all curious on how i make this, i recommend going to the first bookbinding project that i did, its all the same process except with some new improvements that im gonna talk about under the cut

I definitely learned a lot from my mistakes from the last time that i did this, and of course gain new mistakes as well 🥲.

The edges aren’t trimmed

The cover isn’t aligned

The printing for the covers are garbage

Book would not lay flat, instead forever stuck at a weird 120 degree angle

Overall a lot of stuff

This was a given by the fact that i have no experience and was impatient. But since this is a gift for Best Friend ofc this has to actually look good, so here are the improvements that i made

Signature printing— i will admit it took some time and effort but after the old cannon printer finally died permanently jammed, managed to convince parents to buy a more advanced and better printer that can now do double sided printing!! No more wasted signatures from here on out 😮‍💨

Cover printing — not wanting a repeat of the last time that i did it i went to my local Officeworks to get it printed by them. Here i discovered the beauty that is known as ✨Poster Prints✨. Now all of my yellow lines and elements actually do show an pop against the darker background!! Unfortunately this does have a drawback because the prints are sensitive to any type of scratching. Not the scratch and all the colors come off way, more like the scratch it and lines will show up kind of way as you can really see in the front cover :') . Will work on improving this is future projects.

Trimming the edges — originally in book one i trimmed the edges using your typical box cutter and cut it myself. Bad BAD idea i was doomed at that moment. So imagine my surprise the Officeworks ALSO do CUTTING service!!! My jaw dropped and i immediately went back the next day with my text block and asked them if they could trim all edges. After some inspection they put it through the guillotine and all of my edges are perfectly trimmed. Saved me all the time, money, and storage.

Laying book flat — this was definitely the biggest pet peeve that I have with my first book. The way i do it now is i now put a one cm gap between the front cover, side cover and back cover. And also using the right paper (cardstock) to connect the text block with the covers. Now the book can actually fully open!!!

Cover alignment — I printed out the front and back in regular paper and use that as a template on where i wanna fold the prints to find the cover. Worked like a charm

once again shoutout to best friend for giving me the brilliant idea when making the covers!! had it not been for her to point out about clause's book of spells i would have never made the coolest cover page that I've made in my entire binding experience!! all in all im pretty dang proud of myself for being able to improve on my bookbinding skill.

[aliciavance4228]

I Hate Lore Olympus (Sorry Not Sorry)

Note: I know that "hate" is a big word and that "dislike" is more fitting. But I never thought that I would ever encounter a comic that is so bad from its very beginning, so I have all the right to use it.

I remember that back when I was around 13 I heard for the very first time about Lore Olympus. I was already into Greek Mythology back then, but I hesistated reading/watching Lore Olympus and I remember myself abandoning it exactly in the middle of episode 10.

So I'm going to talk here about every little aspect that I didn't like about it and made me willing to abandon it so far.

The Colors

Look, I know that associating each god with a specific color based either on their role or personality isn't a new idea; we already see that in Disney's Hercules. At first I was like: "That must be interesting. I mean, it’s an easy way to distinguish each one of them, right?" But then I realized that the main reason why the creator chose to do that in the first place was because she wasn't too good at drawing. There are panels in which the characters are looking normal, and others in which they don’t look like themselves. The only thing that indicates you that yes, this is [Insert Name], is purely their color.

Also, I do not like the choice of color for many characters as well. For instace, the only reason why I believe that Hades is blue and Persephone is pink is because of the "boys=blue; girls=pink" stereotype. Also, why are Zeus and Poseidon purple and green, respectively? For me, it would've made more sense if Zeus was either white or golden and if Poseidon was the blue one. For Hades I think that either black (mortuary color), purple (associated with the riches) or at least a shade of grey would've been a better choice. As for Persephone, I think that ivy, teal, liliac and indigo would've all been better options.

Oh, and... why is Minthe red? Judging by her pointy years the creator wanted to make her look like some sort of a she-devil instead of a nymph. Mint green would've been a better color choice for her.

The Art Style on its own

This is a very subjective opinion, but I don't like this way too colorful, cartoonish design. I quess I'm just way too used of Seinen and Josei, lol.

On a serious note though, back when I was 6 I literally had a fairy tale book full of graphic/explicit illustrations. Inside the "Bluebeard" chapter there was literally an image with all of Bluebeard's previous wives beheaded, tied and thrown into a pool of blood. Not a very long time ago we used to tell our kids stories about cannibalism and child abandonment (looking at you, Hansel and Gretel!), because children are capable enough to understand that life isn't just rainbows and love and that bad thing are happening too. Are you really going to tell me that a pre-teen cannot read a comic series unless it's extremely colored and looks like something made by Disney?!

Minthe

You could've made Minthe either Hades' ex or a girl who tried to seduce him while knowing that he is already in a relationship. In these cases I would understand why you would choose to villainize her and turn her into the Big Bad Guy. But the fact that she and Hades were already in a relationship and he was willing to have an affair with another woman without any hesitation justifies her anger completely, anyone would be angry if they would know that their partner is cheating on them. The choice of making Persephone the mistress instead of her and then acting as if Minthe was in fact the bitch all this time is horrible.

Persephone

I want to know:

Why does she look and act like a child? Just because she was initially an "innocent flower girl" or something like that before she was kidnapped in the original myths that doesn’t mean that she has to act straight up like an infant. This kinda reminds of some sort of a Betty Boop situation: she's basically a character with the head of a child put on the body of a grown sexy woman; which not only that makes men thirsty over her, but helps them to easily manipulate her as well.

And look, I know that Homer is partly to be blamed for this as well: he describes her as trim-ankled and buxom all the time, so in this case it's alright to criticize the poet for the amount of unnecessary fanservice. Don't take this part too seriously.

Why is she only 19 whereas Hades is 2000+? Look, I know that even in the original Greek Mythology there is a generational gap between Hades and Persephone, but you could've made her at least a few centuries older. Was it that hard?! In this comic Hades is both physically and mentally WAY older than her, which instantly makes this relationship creepier than in the original myths. What is next, making her a minor?!

Why is she this little cupcake uncapable of doing anything wrong? Give me a complex character as a protagonist, not a Mary Sue. I understand that you wanted a compassionate and emphatic Persephone, but you know that just because someone is nice that doesn’t mean that they're automatically naïve or stupid, nor that they cannot have layers, right?

Hades

Look, I know that for a significant amount of time Hades was considered the equivalent of Satan and by extension depicted as evil by the Christian Hollywood. But just because he wasn't the devil that doesn’t mean that he automatically was this innocent shy awkard cute saint that never does anything wrong and should be raised in glory. You could've at least give him a dark and dour personality: make him morbid, brooding, sarcastic, surly, insufferable... I don't know, just anything. Besides, I don't like how the narrative acts as if he has no fault at all, when it's quite obivious not only that he cheated on Minthe, but that both of them are toxic and abusive in this relationship, not only her.

Ah, and... he's a creep. He's more of a creep here than in the original Greek Myths, and he's literally kidnapping her there. It's very obivious that he likes Persephone only for her body and nothing else. Even Plato wrote: "This is the reason why Haides, who is wise, consorts with her [Persephone], because she is wise." once.

Remember that moment from episode 8 when she asks him to help her with her hair, and he not only that immediately assumes that she wants to have sex with him, but also tells her that they can do that in the kitchen but to be careful because he has loud neighbors or something like that? That was straight up disgusting in my honest opinion and not exactly something that the ultimate gentleman this narrative presents him as would say.

Demeter

I vaguely remember one moment when Demeter shows Persephone a greenhouse or something like that, which turns out to be a cage. I can't tell for the moment if it was a dream or something that actually happened, but depicting Demeter as an overbearing mother is an instant big no for me. If anyone dares to demonize her just because they ship Hades and Persephone then I invite them to sleep in my trash can, no discussion.

Aphrodite

I just want to know why is Persephone more beautiful than the Goddess of Beauty. You cannot make the Goddess of Beauty less attractive than your MC, just because all the focus is on her.

Overall, I am very glad that I didn't continue it, and that because, from what I heard, things are becoming creepier and creepier with each chapter, and the entire comic is an insult to Greek Mythology (I can tell).

[piracytheorist]

So as I mentioned, I got my copy of the Family Portrait stories!

It feels weird to suddenly have to turn the pages the left-to-right way, lol. But I guess it wouldn't work the right-to-left way for a book translated to English.

Opening it there's this cute illustration, as well as the winter-y one on the back, which kinda makes me wonder: why is it bound on the book?? I wished there was a safe way for me to rip it off and hang it on my wall. Anyway, both illustrations are super cute!

And so my collection continues to grow!

I might order the Eyes Only guide soon, I'm just wary of it including spoilers from a few future chapters. So we'll see. In any case, this might be the first time since I was a child collecting Disney's Ducks comics (and I wasn't that meticulous with those, even) that I've made such a collection! Should things keep going well I intend to keep buying the volumes to the end of the story :D

Spoilered thoughts about the stories included in the book below!

The first mission with the Eden kids going camping actually reminded me that I can find the dynamic between Anya and Damian pretty funny, at least from seeing how stubborn Damian gets. The illustration especially of Damian holding Anya's hand with Anya going like "He can be nice for real??" and Damian going like "How dare she manipulate me into feeling bad for her!!" is terrific and the only way I'll ever see this dynamic, thanks. Also really loved the moment of Damian kinda and dismissively admitting to himself he's also scared of the thunderstorm. Also found it really funny how at the end, Loid is described as handsome XD the writer knew her audience!

In the second story I think I lost count how many times I laughed. While with a deep, interesting layer, Yuri is just so entertaining to me. The most normal guy ever, wishing he was an ingredient so his sister could chop him into her dishes along with pieces of the cutting board 🥰

No, but really, I think there was a lot of care in writing Yuri here. His inner monologue is unending and bound to give Anya a headache, though it was quite sudden to hear him refer to her as a bastard and the spawn of Loid's loins 😳 but I liked the darker tone as he "acted" as a cop and took out his frustrations on the actor, picturing him as a potentially-abusive Loid. It ticks at a very interesting dynamic which I very much hope Endo explores at some point :D

(I actually wonder if there will be a moment post-identity reveal (where Yuri also knows about both Loid and Yor) and he makes a really ugly quip at Anya and Loid goes all protective like "Say whatever you want about me, but hurt my daughter again and I won't hesitate, bitch")

While I found Anya's "interrogation" scene funny, I found it a bit repetitive that she used the same technique that she used with the Red Circus guy from the bullet-in-butt date. Small note, but still XD

For the third story I have both praises and criticism... I understand how it was needed for the story, but I don't like it when characters' disabilities are taken away. It would have made for a bit more complicated setting but it would have been a little more respectful to have Alessa unable to see Franky because she had eye surgery for whatever reason aside from being blind before, and she had bandages on and couldn't see. And Franky would feel like he's on borrowed time because he knows from day to day she'll get the bandages off and she'll face him.

Also, making her nineteen instead of sixteen is just on the verge. And because I have met people who are now professional singers... nineteen is way too young to be considered for opera. She could be training, of course, but it's a very long-term investment. There's a reason most opera singers you see in concerts are in their late twenties at the earliest. And I get that she comes from a musical background and she has a talent or whatever, but again. She could have been aged up to mid-twenties and to me it would have made much more sense.

But as for the good parts, I was actually surprised by how convincing Franky was about wanting to deceive her. And when Twilight turned and asked "Are you sure you're okay with this?" I might have felt a chill. I should have given Franky more credit, haha. And the banter between them was nice, with Twilight teetering on thinking of Franky as a friend, and how Franky ended up handling the situation... that was good, I liked it.

I had already read the last story through a fan translation, so I wasn't surprised by anything new there. It was just as fun and wacky as you'd expect it to be. By the way, I liked the point that story drove on, that despite the painter's success and fame, he only had a cheap apartment for himself and donated all his earnings so that future art students could paint without worrying about the cost of their supplies. Very in touch with the whole story's message :)

What struck me as odd was when Loid hugged Anya to keep the pretense of him being a doting father. I was like "He would not fucking do that" cause we know homeboy isn't ready for such proximity, and an actual hug between Anya and Loid has to have a big impact, the times he held her up while she slept or whatever notwithstanding.

But the ending was really sweet, with Twilight feeling a sense of warmth and getting a bit of honesty in his smile. The last illustration by Endo was very fitting!

Overall, it was interesting to hold a book in my hands and read about the characters that way. I think Aya Yajima did a good job capturing the characters, and I'm always happy to read Endo's afterwords, he really seems like a very chill and down-to-earth guy.

[spookyscarydemonbabe]

Blog Spotlight

Hello everyone! since i don’t have a ton of time to work on fics and stuff like i used to, i figured i’d use this opportunity to share around some other creators 🥰 i want to be able to show this community more love and support and so i’m going to try and make this a weekly thing! all of the content creators deserve to be shown love and support and if anyone has any creators they’d like me to mention in one of these id love to check out their work and mention them!

the very first creator i’ll be mentioning is my lovely friend @wheels-of-despair

they’re someone that i’ve been mutuals with for a while and i’m so glad that they’re the very first person i’m using for my blog recs!

They write for a variety of Joseph Quinn’s characters and honestly i love to see how much of a genuine fan they are of his characters. She always makes sure to do her research too! For her more historic fics she will always make sure everything is very true to the time period.

They also have their own specific universes for their fics which i love! You’re able to see the difference in personalities when it comes to interacting with the characters.

They collectively have 50+ fanfics already posted for her characters and that’s not including all the other extras 👀

Because they’ve written so much i’ve decided to pick my favorite fic for each of the characters they write for 🥰

Eddie: Wake-Up Call

I’m an absolute sucker for lazy mornings 😂 absolutely adorable and his mannerisms were captured so well! though it’s a shorter fic you’re able to get all the perfect parts in one little package 🥰

Billy: The Little Plant That Could

So sweet! It’s so simple and yet so touching, even if it is just bringing an adorable little plant back to life, i actually got excited to see Billy’s reaction at the end c:

Ralph: Worth It Chapter 5

Picking out just one was a bit tough 😅 but i do love that these fics are written in a way where they can be somewhat read as one-offs as well :) this is the one fic that actually made me shed a tear as i read it, Ralph is just his sweet self as always and it’s hard to not love that!

Tom: The Boyfriend Cure

Though this is their only fic for Tom it was one that i loved nonetheless! Very short and very sweet, i love smaller fics like this, especially when they’re this comforting!

They were also kind enough to let me give them a little interview to help you guys get to know them better 🥰

what got you into writing?

Insanity? 😂 The Brainrot had me in such a chokehold, I had to let it out somehow. I was driving my normal friends crazy. So I came to tumblr last fall, after I'd read almost everything on AO3, and conned eddiemunsonsmum into being my friend. (She wrote a series I read and loved last the summer, when I was still suffering through The Brainrot in silence.) She's the one who convinced me to start writing. So really, this is all her fault. 🥰

do you write anything else other than fanfiction?

I do some writing for work, but it's not that creative.

how many followers do you have?

Closing in on 400. 😳

other than writing, what other interests do you have?

Watching the same things over and over again, and buying things I don't need at thrift stores. 😂 My favorite things to collect are DVDs and old kids' books. I have no place to put either, but if a movie has someone I like in it or a book with cool illustrations was printed before the 70s... yeah, that's probably coming home with me. 😍

if anyone has any of their favorite blogs they’d like me to recommend to everyone i’d be more than happy to check out their work and give them a shoutout 🥰

[sleepingpopplio]

Observations for Bnha volume 37’s cover

Ok there is so much going on in this cover that I don’t even know where to begin and it’s pretty difficult for me to articulate my thoughts when I get scatter brained like this, so here are some important observations I made.

The cover looks similar to the draft version of volume 29’s clover, with the feral deku front in center mourning his injured friends. Except this time, it’s just him and an injured Bakugo— both have a feral deku, and both have an injured, unconscious Bakugo 

This cover reminds me of certain comic book illustrations of heros holding injured friends/loved ones/family members in their arms. I am not implying anything in particular, take that information as you will, but it definitely does display closeness between Izuku and Katsuki. 

The red used in the background is pretty much the exact same shade of red as the cover of volume 10. Both of these volumes also include hand imagery, as the force of AFO (with Shiguraki under his control/manipulation) stands in their way as heroes and in the way of their development as people and friends

The color same shade of red also appears in many other volumes, such as volumes 2, 8, and 12

This is clearly a pattern, and brining things back to volume 10 again because it is the most similar in terms of design motifs, we are coming back

Red is an extreme color, and is typically used to indicate danger, violence, and general intensity. It is also the color of blood and as we know, Katsuki’s blood has been spilt in an attempt to get to Izuku (which worked before Mirio stepped in as an emergency therapist lol)

@siflshonen told me that red in a Japanese cultural context, red can mean happiness, and is used for special events such as weddings. I’m personally not thinking too hard about this, but it’s still an interesting and thought provoking fun fact I found out as I was trying to dig around for info! (Also, take this information as you )

The red string of fate also exists in Japanese culture. The string is typically depicted as being tied to fingers, and interestingly enough this cover is filled with fingers in the background that happen to be red. Now I am taking this one more seriously, as this could be a sign of how Bakugo and Midoriya’s fates are intertwined within both their lives and the legacy of AFO & OFA (they each represent one half of heroism— saving and winning— afterall) (ps. I’m not necessarily implying a romantic subtext to this, but I do think fate is a key part of MHA’s story and Bakugo and Midoriya’s close relationship)

The colors of Deku’s new costume currently seem to be inconsistent throughout all the images we’ve gotten of it thus far. WHERE IS THE REFERENCE HORIKOSHI I HAVE TO KNOW WHAT COLOR IT IS

Not having character references is an artist’s worst nightmare, trust me

Deku’s face is covered by his cape. This was shown in multiple chapters, but clearly horikoshi wants us to notice as it is front and center. The last time deku’s face was covered was duing the vigilante arc, and I’ve already talked about how much trauma and pain he was trying to hide during that time. This is probably a similar case

We cannot see his expressions with his mouth, so we have no indication on whether he is smiling like he does when he wants to save, or a frown like when he wants to destructively win

This is not a good thing— this is a warning to the audience to be on the lookout for some more moral dilemmas and emotional hurdles for deku to overcome. 

Finally, it should be noted that this is the 3rd volume cover to just have Bakugo and Deku on it— no one else. The first one was volume 2, then volume 29, and now volume 37

The volumes start with a literal rift between Bakugo and Midoriya, and they clearly are on opposing sides. We then transition into Bakugo reaching his hand out to (kid) deku, and the gap between them is now being bridged by Bakugo’s outreached hand. We then end with this volume, with Deku supporting Bakugo’s body. The point I’m trying to make is that they ae slowing getting physically closer to eachother with each of these 3 volumes. This clearly shows the growth and recovery of their relationship.

In the 2nd volume I mentioned (volume 29), Bakugo is reaching his hand out to deku while in this volume (volume 37) Deku is putting his hand on Bakugo, almost like he is accepting the hand that Bakugo offered to him. Of course he can’t physically reach out to Bakugo’s hand since he’s kinda sorta dead at the moment, but the symbolism of accepting Bakugo’s hand is there.

Also quick shoutout to @mettywiththenotes for being the first post I saw to mention the similarities between the covers for volumes 10 and 37, right after I was shouting about it to people on discord lol it made me really happy

[herooffire101]

I took a class on Death and Dying, and now I'm having thoughts on Persona 3

So I'll admit that I'm a Persona fan. My favorite one is Persona 3, which, for most of my current followers, didn't know I was even a fan. I've watched let's plays of P3FES (not fully), P4G (fully), and P5/P5R(not fully, but I watched Tom Fawkes stream him playing Royal when it came out fully), and I have played at least a bit of each of them. I want to at least finish my playthrough of P3P (female route) before I even decide to get a PS5 and get P3Reload (and Monster Hunter Wilds). And I had thoughts.

I would like to warn you that this does have some heavy topics, and if that’s not your cup of tea, then it’s okay that you ignore this. I have to get this out somehow, with the thought bugging me until I wrote it out.

This was a thought I had, thanks to one of the college classes I’ve taken recently, called “Death and Dying”. Yes, that is the class’s title. In the course description, it is “A study of the dying process, death ceremonies, and rituals in many cultures from past to present, with an emphasis on Western Civilization.” I know that this is a heavy thing for a lot of people, but I had to take this course for the certification I’m working towards.  This thought came from my latest class (at the time I started typing this rant) about how we could talk to and prepare children about loss, and we were given books for children on death, with various ways death could be explained to them. One book had a two-page section on how funerals were performed in different cultures, and I remember reading somewhere, it may have been a fanfic, about how Japan does cremations. I have no idea what the history is, but I can see why. And then I remember, ‘Wait, I’m a Persona 3 fan. What does this knowledge I now know put into context of what the characters went through in the game’s backstory?’ If this is your first introduction of some of my liked video games, hi, I’m HeroofFire101, and I’m the writer of the unfinished fanfic Dragon’s Fool. I currently still have a half-finished chapter left before I post the next chapter and several half-written scenes in the fanfic. The reason why I never finished it is writer’s block. I slid back into more Persona fics because Reload came out and it reminded me about some things. (I’m not talking about it). But what does this knowledge made me have this thought?

It's mainly how Yukari has, spoiler warning to those who haven’t completed her social link, issues with her mother, specifically how her mother basically went AWOL after her dad died in the game and story. I’m not going to lie, I don’t know a thing about the Japanese culture, but I do know is that with how sudden her dad died ingame, (and the MC/FeMC’s parents), how was Yukari informed about his death? These four books we looked at in class, they each had a purpose, three of them talked about death in different ways. One uses animal motifs, one humanizes it, one I think that it should be used for around middle to high school aged children because of the illustrations are so out of place for me (and I never really was into what most kids watched back in the early 2000s). The fourth book was actually more of a workbook on letting kids process their grief (fascinating book, for 6–12-year-olds and published in 1988. I like it). This is where the thought gave me. Did anyone use anything to help explain death to these characters, especially Yukari?!? Hell, even Mitsuru should have been helped due to her being a fucking victim. Don’t get me wrong, I love these characters, but were they introduced to the concept of death after the explosion at the Kirijo Lab that caused the Dark Hour as children? I know, this is coming from a fan from America, but did something cause the adults around them (not counting Mitsuru’s father and Itusuki, they have exceptions for VASTLY different reasons) to forget to help the children. The Teacher of the course, an actual preacher (trust me, I was surprised at first, but also helped realized that he may be the best teacher for this course), said that, with a story to illustrate it, children either get really clinging or very withdrawn to the point of anger at remaining parent/friend/themselves. Yukari is one of those kids who withdrawn herself, and thanks to her mother’s reaction and subsequent actions, distanced herself, probably for the better. Again, before the game even started, we have context within her backstory. As fans of the game, we can create stories using the information given to us, even create AUs of this beloved game. I just want to share this information and thought I had while in class.

If you made it to the end, thank you for reading, and I’ll be haunting the Persona 3 tag. I don’t know if I’ll post more on Persona 3, but I’ll at least read the posts.

[chidoroki]

182 Days of TPN - Day 45

Chapter 45: “The Rescue”

When I first received my copy of the art book, I remember being so amazed at the details of this chapter’s cover page that I previously never noticed before (and I revisit this chapter a lot), but this little section with the duo is so clever! How Ray is placed in the exact same position as the drawing right underneath him with the kid in the jar and also putting Emma in front of the demon’s mouth like that are such smart moves. And I obviously can’t read the whole message behind her legs, but I can sorta make out “wake up/in danger/unfortunate/suffer,” which all apply perfectly to both her & Ray’s current situation right now. Seriously though, buy the art book if you can. The illustrations are in such a lovely quality. Even looking at it now, I’m gonna take a guess and say the words near Ray’s back say something like “How are you feeling Ray?” (Also, if demons don’t have lips, then how the hell did that one GF demon whistle two chapters ago??)

I must focus on other scenes in this chapter so much that I forgot Sonju actually uses smoke bombs. For the longest time I believed they were just an anime addition..oops.

Yeaaah, they’re certainly not the smartest demons around. To be fair, they couldn’t see through all the smoke either.

Now, I love that Ray’s mind never stops working even after getting snatched up by a completely strange and possibly dangerous “person” because it just suits him to be cautious, but typical anime doesn’t allow us to hear his thoughts.

On the flip side however, I do enjoy how it shows how frightened Ray really is. This boy was just chased by several demons, barely survived by getting kidnapped basically and woke up completely alone, with no knowledge of the status or whereabouts of his family. Sure, he’s normally the calm and analytical one out of the trio, but even someone like him would have to be panicking at least a little bit after everything he just went through and I think the anime shows that (& his left eye pfft) really well.

Yes I also gave praise towards the anime once before for remembering something so minor such as the bell Mujika left for Emma. And (knowing me) I’m sure I noticed this several times in the past, but it looks as if Ray’s checking her ear too, right? That’s sweet.. all the anime gave us was a couple taps on her shoulder.

The amount of relief on my son’s mf face! AAAH! He’s so damn precious he makes me wanna cry. And I know I keep going back and forth between giving praise to both medias but I personally like the anime better for this wholesome expression.

Can confirm that Mujika’s voice is very nice, both in sub & dub, though I love Ray’s comment about it and how he’s a bit wary. Dude knows first hand that being kind and having a sweet voice doesn’t necessarily mean that person is trustworthy.. I mean, have you seen his mother? (and I skipped a big moment, I know. I scream about it at the end). 

Mixed feelings about him holding his arm out in front of her when Mujika approaches them. Emma is the one person who can certainly protect herself (also doesn’t necessarily need it because main character plot armor) but also aww, look at him being so serious about keeping his promise yet again.

While we don’t get the scene of Mujika checking Emma’s ear or shaking her hand, we do get a shot a bit later showing that her hand is indeed still covered, so at least there’s some consistency there with keeping her demon appearance a secret just for a few moments longer.

Of course he notices something’s off. He just calmed down after experiencing one of the harshest days of this life and now he’s about to freak out all over again.

The level of confidence he has in his assumption despite all the fears the the truth is bringing out of him. Also, the way Sonju just looms silently in the back while those bugs shed tiny specks of light on him is so nice. This frame doesn’t do it justice but just go back and watch it. And I don’t listen to the s2 soundtrack nearly enough as I should (seriously, Obata is fantastic and I’m so glad we got him back for another season), but the start of “The Evil-Blooded Girl” playing during this scene is perfect.

I still can’t believe this is where the first ep of season two ends.. literally SO MUCH happened these last 8 chapters and they decided to cram in all in less than 20 minutes?? Granted they managed to cut out quite a lot, but still! The first episode went way too quick, as if the OP sequence wasn’t enough of a red flag already about how much this season would possibly cover. Speaking of fast, my boy looks like he’s ready to run for his life again and no doubt about to drag Emma along with him.

Favorite panel/moment:

THEIR DAMN HUG!!! Again, I read through unofficial translations the first time but even now I prefer the “You’re still alive.. I’m so glad you’re alive!” a little better? It ties back in with Emma’s original worries when Ray first offered to lead the demons away, but the official gets the same point across though. REGARDLESS, this panel is filled with so many feelings and it of course sends waves of emotion over me as well.

And I know I shouldn’t bitch about how the anime handled it and should instead be glad they even included it at all since they decided to cut out so much of the entire story in general, but it just.. doesn’t hit as hard as I hoped? Naturally, their voice actresses did a lovely job as always, but I dunno.. the way the manga has it all framed just looks better to me? like Emma is desperately hanging onto him there and overcome with an immense sense of relief that Ray managed to escape those demons alive. And I’m not real fond of how they animated Ray returning the hug either, like who wraps one arm around someone and then the other?? It just feels so slow and awkward to me. I can easily excuse it like “oh it’s Ray, the boy who distanced himself from everyone else all his life, he doesn’t know how to hug properly,” ..but he also has Emma as a friend and I’m certain she gave hugs to literally everyone without warning all the time so he has to be used to them by now.

ALSO! Can’t be entirely happy about because they left out THE HEAD PAT!!! How dare they.. it’s probably my favorite one too.

My nitpicking aside, I’m truly happy we still got to see this embrace. It ain’t perfect, but it’s decent and most importantly, at least it’s there.

[justsomeoneintoomanyfandoms]

hi! i was wondering if i could get romantic matchups for stranger things, narnia and lok?

i'm 6'0 and have amber eyes, long gold blond curly hair and hourglass figure

i'm enfp, leo

i'm demisexual panromantic

my pronouns are she/her

i'm positive and upbeat person, i try to see the bright side in most situations

i'm friendly, energetic, confident, sarcastic, responsible, maybe a bit chaotic, cheerful and bubbly

i care about my friends and family a lot, and go out of my way to show it

i enjoy having fun and living life to the fullest

i'm very competitive and passionate person

i really like puzzles, riddles and crosswords

i love making people smile

i have morbid, dark sense of humor

sometimes i randomly say a weird obscure fact in the middle of conversation

i can play on violin, cello, piano, guitar, saxophone, harp and drums, i'm currently learning how to play on trumpet

i like poetry and sometimes i write a poem or two, also i'm writing my book

i'm ballet dancer since i was a kid and i love performing

i'm working on my own cartoon

i never quite grew out of the fantasy phase, and i'm still enamored with tales of changelings and witches

i work as illustrator for fantasy books and books for kids

i'm kinda struggling with taking rest, doing nothing, because there is always something to do, something new to learn, etc.

i'm afraid of stagnation

i overuse this kind of emojis→(⁠ㆁ⁠ω⁠ㆁ⁠)

my style is something between whimsigothic and cryptidcore

i love: sunflowers, collecting things, colors yellow, maroon, blue and green, astronomy, tea, making and watching movies, photography, forests, making jewelry, cooking, baking, d&d, fantasy books, horrors, playing chess, animals, plants, dollmaking, dancing, gardening, traveling, drawing, painting, knitting, art, history, world mythologies, spirits, fantasy creatures, eldrich beings, folklore, sculpting, works of J.R.R Tolkien, linguistics, death, burial, beliefs about afterlife, learning new things, embroidery, cartoons, music, psychology, writing

sorry if it's too chaotic

thank you so much for even reading this!

Hi Anon! Thank you for your request! I hope you like your matchups!

In Stranger Things, I match you with...

Your artistic whimsical nature matches Jonathan's creative side well!

Photography dates are a must! You'll both take your cameras (or photography device of choice) and set out on a walk around the town.

When you get back, you'll either look over the photos or get to work on a related project. There's not usually much talking during this part of the date but the company more than makes up for it.

Jonathan would probably be a bit concerned about your sense of humour but as an artist himself, he can certainly appreciate it. You don't get into the arts without a bit of a morbid sense of humour.

Thinks your cartoon is the most amazing thing he's ever seen. He can't even begin to imagine how much work has already gone into it and how dedicated you are to the project. If there's anything he can do to help you with it, just ask; he's ready and willing to help in any way he can.

Jonathan also loves watching you dance. He might join in if he knows the song but for the most part, he just likes watching you. He will take pictures (assuming you're okay with that) and make a portfolio dedicated to your performances.

In Chronicles of Narnia, I match you with...

Lucy loves that she has someone else in her life who enjoys the more fantastical and whimsical side of things!

Long walks through Narnia exploring every path that looks interesting. When you return to Cair Paravel, there'll be questions regarding where you both were for the last few hours but you both enjoy those walks too much to give them up.

Lucy doesn't really get your sense of humour, but she's used to it since Edmund has the same style. You and Edmund are unstoppable when you get joking together.

Loves reading fantasy books with you. She'd especially like it if you take turns reading a chapter out loud while the other works on a creative project.

I see Lucy as someone who enjoys embroidery as well so she'd love making things for you. Whether it's as simple as a flower on a handkerchief or as complex as a portrait, she likes giving you projects that have her love and affection quite literally woven into them.

Listening to music is a must. Whether you're playing or someone else is, Lucy loves spending time with you while music's playing. If you're not the one playing, she'd pull you up to dance with you.

In Legend of Korra, I match you with...

Opal comes from a fairly creative family so she's used to being around people who see the potential art in everything. Her brother also has a fairly dark sense of humour so she'd used to that as well.

Opal's a very free person so life will never feel stagnant with her around. Not to mention, she's friends with the Avatar, so there's always something happening.

Loves listening to you play music. I see her as someone who knows how to play an instrument or two so if you're up for playing with someone else, she'd love to join in.

Admires your optimism. It's a trait that she tries her best to uphold as well. Having a positive attitude, even when things aren't going well, is sometimes the best thing.

Opal would love reading your poetry! She thinks you're very good at it and always has good feedback to give you. If you write a poem about her, she would keep it somewhere she can read it everyday.

[liminalpsych-in-teyvat]

Notes for A Matter of Duty - Chapter 10 - Raindrops of yesterday

Whew! Okay, taking a longer break before chapter 11. I wanna play the 4.0 Genshin release! Also I have a short story to write for the Hidden Akasha Records Discord’s Summerfest by September, and two larp proposals to submit to a convention by September as well, plus stuff for work, plus I have to figure out a bit more detailed outlining for the next chapters… so as soon as I’m done with all that, I’ll get on chapter 11. Expect it ~mid September, most likely.

And it looks like I'm really committing to that Kushiel's Impact tag for chapter 10. Maybe Thoma needs a red mote in his eye. Welp. I didn't expect it to go quite like that but here we are.

Thanks again to the fantastic PancakeBeast for beta reading!

Notes and references:

In case it wasn't clear, Ayaru is the name I'm using for Ayato and Ayaka's father. Who doesn't have a name in canon yet. If we ever get a name for him, I'll go back and edit it in.

Modern Inazuma (when the Traveler arrives) has some Meiji era influence which is visible in Ayato's outfit in the game. Inazuma of a decade ago should theoretically look more like early Edo period based on correlating events, and depictions of the Kamisatos when Ayato and Ayaka were young show them in more traditional outfits. So I'm going to assume Ayato is wearing more Edo period clothing in this fanfic, and probably the hitatare, which I'll just be calling a kimono for simplicity's sake (and because it is technically a type of kimono, based on what I've read). It still has the long sleeves of his outfit in game, too.

Sentaku washing in Edo: Washing kimono and related garments seriously involved unstitching them entirely.

How do you wash a kimono: I couldn't find how often a silk kimono might get washed, but unlined clothing was washed every 3-4 days.

The Art of the Bedchamber and Jin Ping Mei: The book Thoma buys from Yao Publishing House, The Way of Loving, is a play on the Tao of Loving, a term for the Taoist sexual practices of the Han and Tang dynasties of China, texts on which mostly survived on in Japan. It probably has a bit of Su Nü Jing, [Yu Fang Zhi Yao](), and Secrets of the Jade Chamber (I kid you not, that's the translation). It likely also contains some shunga art. (A couple resources I found mention that sex manuals circulated amongst aristocracy of the Edo period, covering everything from positions to hygiene, so probably there's something similar in the Kamisato library. But Thoma might not realize that, and definitely wouldn't want to ask anyone about it.)

Short history of Japan's bathing culture: I saved several of these links multiple chapters ago, and now I finally get to use them! A history of baths and bathhouses in Japan.

Honami Enya creates detailed cross-sections of sentos: I don't even know how I stumbled across this but it's amazing. Loads of illustrations of the floorplans of Japanese bathhouses with people shown doing bathhouse activities in them! (Appropriate bathhouse activities, as opposed to Thoma's. Tsk.)

Ofuros, sentos, onsen – Edo etiquette of taking a bath: An etiquette article from the 1980's.

Were public baths used for hookups in Edo period Japan? Hard to say, but they probably weren't the primary way to do so. They are used that way nowadays by some people, though it's highly discouraged, and there are certainly "bathhouses" specifically for gay hookup culture in modern times as well, but Aisa Bathhouse is almost certainly not one of those.

Mizuame is "water candy", a sweet syrup made from glutinous rice starch or sweet potato starch.

Kagara suzu are Japanese bells used in Shinto ritual.

Summary of the fic itself with content warnings, tags, etc so you can decide if you want to read it or not before you click on the link.

A Matter of Duty https://archiveofourown.org/works/47604337?view_full_work=true

A year after the death of Ayato and Ayaka's parents, the clan succession is contested from within and without. Kamisato Ayato will do anything—anything—to ensure the safety of his family and the stability of his clan.

But powerful supporters come at an unimaginable price. When Ayato's own sacrifices aren't enough, he is forced to involve Thoma in a web of intrigue and exploitation that will push them to the breaking points of their bodies, their minds, and their very hearts.

or: Kushiel's Dart meets Genshin Impact in a quick-scorch-to-slow-burn romantic drama of court intrigue, sexual politics, and sacrifice.

Note: Mind the tags. More specific content warnings will be given at the beginning of each chapter, and the story tags will be updated as needed. All characters in sex scenes are adults.

Rating: Explicit. It's porn with plot. Porn as a vehicle for plot, or plot as a vehicle for porn, you can interpret it either way. (I prefer: porn and plot as a vehicle for ~feels~)

Tags that I'm not actually turning into tags here, but it gives you an idea of what you're in for: Kamisato Ayato/Thoma (Genshin Impact), dubious consent but not between Ayato and Thoma, slow burn, sex ed, first time, self-sacrifice, humiliation, exhibitionism, oral sex, anal sex, bdsm, bad bdsm etiquette, rough sex, breath play, impact play, bondage, service kink, abuse, sadism, codependency, shame, guilt, jealousy, possessiveness, trauma, ptsd, dissociation, political sex work, or sex work for political maneuvering, or political survival sex work if that’s a thing, exploitation, blackmail, political machinations, political intrigue, no aftercare, maybe someday some aftercare, hurt/comfort, mostly hurt for a long time but eventually comfort, oblivious disaster gays, for such socially savvy people they are terrible at personal relationships, dominant Ayato, submissive Thoma, top Ayato, bottom Thoma, Ayato is incredibly parentified, Thoma has no sense of self-preservation, self-sacrifice isn't a contest but don't tell Ayato and Thoma that, it's like the snipe-the-check game at restaurants but with sex and politics, Kushiel's Impact, no really this was in my drafts for the longest time as Kusheline Thomato Fic, everyone's an adult in this timeline except Ayaka, she gets protected at all costs, original characters out of necessity, finding appropriate existing Inazuma npcs for some of these roles was impossible

Full fic: https://archiveofourown.org/works/47604337?view_full_work=true

Chapter 10 - Raindrops of yesterday: Thoma explores the possibilities of service, and gets some much-needed advice.

Chapter contains: Humiliation, shame, fear play, breath play, choking, poorly/partially negotiated kink, no aftercare, power dynamics, sex work, sex for favors, anal sex, minor orgasm denial, begging, allusions to semi-public sex

[rickmoya]

the books I read in 2023

Welp, time to finally face this post and submit it. I'm kind of embarrassed because I am so bad at reading anymore. No explanation, no excuses. I used to read twice this many books as a matter of course, and now I ... like, don't. My TBR barely budged ... I cleared some stuff out thanks to summer camp, but then I got new stuff to fill it back up.

I don't know. Maybe one day I'll start reading again. Not today, though, probably. This year's list has two books on it so far, both of which I'm maybe a quarter into. Ugh.

Wired Style, Constance Hale & Jessie Scanlon

Once Upon Atari, Howard Scott Warshaw

Dragonwatch: Master of the Phantom Isle, Brandon Mull

The Illustrated Al, ed. Josh Bernstein

Fucking Apostrophes, Simon Griffin

Jazz in the Bittersweet Blues of Life, Wynton Marsalis and Carl Vigeland

The Kitchen Detective, Christopher Kimball

Decoding Boys, Cara Natterson

The Maxx (1-35, complete), Sam Kieth (1)

Bury My Heart at Chuck E. Cheese’s, Tiffany Midge

Barely Functional Adult, Meichi Ng

What If? 2, Randall Munroe

8 Simple Rules for Dating My Teenage Daughter, W. Bruce Cameron (2)

Over Sea, Under Stone, Susan Cooper

This Mournable Body, Tsitsi Dangarembga

The Goldfinch, Donna Tartt

The Rapture of the Nerds, Cory Doctorow and Charles Stross

The New Hacker’s Dictionary, ed. Eric S. Raymond (3)

All You Need is Kill, Hiroshi Sakurazaka

Wind/Pinball, Haruki Murakami

Disappearing Earth, Julia Phillips

Where Nobody Knows Your Name, John Feinstein

We Should Hang Out Sometime, Josh Sundquist

Watchmen, Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons

The Philosophy of Modern Song, Bob Dylan

Guardians of the Galaxy: The Complete Collection, Dan Abnett & Andy Lanning, et al.

The Dark is Rising, Susan Cooper (4)

Banana Ball, Jesse Cole

A Love Supreme: The Story of John Coltrane’s Signature Album, Ashley Kahn

Free Lunch, Rex Ogle (5)

Greenwitch, Susan Cooper (6)

The Shepherd, the Angel, and Walter the Christmas Miracle Dog, Dave Barry

italics: read it before bold: read it to my kid in bed struck: unfinished

I’d read the first ten or so issues of this before, out of interest because I watched the animated series on MTV. This is the first time all the way through and I didn’t realize it was so dark and triggering.

I read this one when mine was a toddler, and remembered it being pretty patriarchal and victorian. Thought maybe it would hit different now that she’s actually teenaged, and ... like, it did! it’s even worse! Absolutely zero of this shit fits a kid who is not 100% straight and searching. I got through four essays and took it back to the library.

I got up through the Bs and then I LOST MY COPY.

The more I read of this, the more I realized I maybe only read the first couple chapters. Still keeping the italics (making up for claiming I never previously read The Maxx).

I subbed a middle school reading class where this was the text. Ended up reading the whole thing across the day.

This could be the last new book I ever read to my own children. We generally don't read to sleep during holiday breaks, instead allowing them to fall asleep in front of a TV. But when school restarted, my youngest (officially a teenager) didn't want me to read to him at bedtime anymore. The end of an era. I may have cried a little bit. I expect the Dave Barry on Christmas Eve tradition to continue at least another year (my oldest likes it and specifically requested it again), but maybe no more new ones.

[gingerlanier]

Book Review: The Puppy Prince by Melody Mews

The Puppy Prince by Melody Mews

Genre (or “category” from the requirements list):

            This is a fantasy early chapter book.

Target Age Group:

            The target age group is 5-9 years old, and K-4th grade (LVCCLD catalog).  

Summary:

            In this 3rd installment of the Itty Bitty Princess Kitty series, Itty meets the Puppy Prince! But he is not what she expects, and they must find common ground to get along.

Justification:

            I have been reading books from this series to my daughter, and we hadn’t read this one yet. I was intrigued by the Puppy Prince character. He’s mentioned in the previous books but he doesn’t look very “nice”, and it was surprising since many characters in fantasy early chapter books have a sweet disposition! I also think it’s important for librarians to be aware of early chapter books because they are the bridge from Early Readers into chapter books.

Evaluation:

For this review, I will be evaluating cover, illustrations, and characters.  

The Puppy Prince (Prince Pip) and Itty are pictured on the cover, and the way they are posed tells a story on its own. The puppy has a sour expression, his arms are folded across his chest and he’s looking away from Itty. In contrast, Itty is leaning in towards Pip with a smile on her face. Her arms are open and she appears to be curtseying to him. This gives us information about their relationship before we even open the book. It’s colorful and looks inviting to kids.

Even though this is a chapter book, there are many illustrations. It’s an early chapter so it makes the transition easier for kids who are used to picture books but are learning to read. The illustrations are in black and white and sprinkled throughout the text when something is needed to support the story. For example, when Itty first meets the Prince and he’s not happy- the illustration really lets kids see that he’s upset. The drawings are cute, and simple enough to support the story without taking away from the text. Readers will be happy to see Itty in her beautiful gown and the Prince in his princely finery.

Itty Bitty is the main character of these stories, and she is a gentle, kind, and adventurous cat. Her family is comprised of her mother the Queen, and her father the King. She has three best friends that are a different species than her- Esme is a butterfly, Chipper is a bunny, and Luna is a unicorn. The Prince is an interesting character- he is a dog and he’s from Wagmire. He is disappointed in Lollyland at first, and with Princess Itty. He thinks she doesn’t act royal enough, and that the kingdom doesn’t do things by “the book” like in Wagmire. He turns his puppy nose up at everything, and it takes the persistence and patience of Itty to win him over and show him that just because Lollyland is different, it doesn’t mean it’s any less wonderful than his kingdom.

Format:

I read this book digitally. Some of the other volumes in this series I read in print format, and for me it was pretty interchangeable. My daughter and I read these together, and she loves both formats just like me. We like the immediacy of being able to check apps like Libby, Axis 360 and Hoopla to see if a book we want to read is available, and we can get it right then and there and read it. We are both moody readers, and want to read exactly what we’re in the mood for so having it available so easily without having to plan ahead or go anywhere is great. I like being able to go right back to the place we were at when we read it over the course of a couple nights. She loves that we can zoom in on the illustrations and see them close. I prefer the Libby app to the others, as it holds your place and you can turn the page easily. With short books like this, and graphic novels I’m don’t mind reading them digitally. I prefer my textbooks in digital format. Longer books and non-fiction books I prefer to have in print.

Recommendations:

I would recommend this series to any fans of Unicorn Diaries, Purrmaids, or any of the many fantasy early chapter books out there.

Reference

Mews, M. (2020). The puppy prince (E. Stubbings, Illus.). Little Simon.

[afewproblems]

1 and 3 for Warm my Cold and Tired Heart. Also, I remember reading in the comment section about a possibility of an Eddie pov for some scenes and I'd love to read that if you ever did that.

Thank you so much for the questions! :) I would be happy to answer them!

What inspired you to write the fic this way?

Hmm, I guess I could answer this one in a number of ways! I chose to initially write this story after the boat house scene. My original idea was just to explore the inner thoughts of Steve while this confrontation happened. How did he feel with the bottle pressed against his neck, how would this have affected him afterwards. And then the story began to snowball from there, this original thought became, 'huh, well what would happen if this has happened before? What if they already met? How would this affect the trajectory of the story?'

And boom! More snowballing from there! I also, honestly, wanted to pack as much Whump into this thing as possible for Steve because he is my comfort character and there is nothing more comforting than making your fav go through hell and back before you give them the gift of comfort. You know, as a treat.

3. What's your favourite line of narration?

Oooooo now that one is tough!

I have a few that I quite like, but I was honestly quite proud of the nightmare sequence in the second chapter:

"Billy hisses, his face suddenly inches from Steve's own, up close the fetid stench of decay invades Steve's nose, small movements underneath Billy's skin catches Steve's eye. The bulging puffy skin twitches and bubbles as something slithers underneath. The once blue green eyes have turned grey and flat like tarnished coins."

I like the description and the vague horror of the dead Billy being used like a puppet in Steve's nightmare version of their Season 2 confrontation. He then turns into a demogorgon at the end of the nightmare and goes for the kids.

In my head, I was trying to illustrate Steve having stress dreams induced by this need to take care of others and always be needed or useful in some way. I know a lot of people write about the Russian torture, and I did think about including that, but honestly there is something so upsetting about that fight with Billy.

That one of the worst beatings of his life happened because of another human being in their lives - and Billy was not tied to the Upside Down in any way, not like the Russians were. Billy was just this racist asshole that nearly beat Steve to death and that is pretty awful in my book. I dunno, thats just always stuck with me, that part of the Stranger Things message is that the people in the show can be just as monstrous sometimes as the creatures that come out of the Upside Down, so this was my attempt to bring them together I guess!

And for the Eddie POV for Warm My Cold and Tired Heart, I am still thinking about writing these, I think it would be very cool to see what Eddie thought about the events of season 4, maybe how he felt when Steve caught him at the party with James? Maybe during his first day at home when Wayne makes a comment about Steve's house to Eddie. And absolutely that conversation in the Byers kitchen, I just want Eddie to interact with Jonathan, I don't know why.

I agree with the commenters that pointed out how funny/odd it was that Jon gave Eddie something like a shovel talk. I also thought that would be funny but very sweet, so in it went! (a brief 101 on another part of my writing process!)

I hope you enjoy my answers! These questions were great and really got me thinking!! :)

[the-middle-grounds]

I posted 1,139 times in 2022

149 posts created (13%)

990 posts reblogged (87%)

Blogs I reblogged the most:

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@kineticallyanywhere

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I tagged 1,139 of my posts in 2022

#q - 963 posts

#reblogged art - 268 posts

#dc - 204 posts

#reblogged videos - 132 posts

#memery - 121 posts

#rambles - 105 posts

#writing is hard - 59 posts

#cats - 53 posts

#bruce wayne - 53 posts

#dick grayson - 51 posts

Longest Tag: 139 characters

#i can still write its just that i rely too much on internet autosave and i don't trust device saving after too many incidents with computer

My Top Posts in 2022:

#5

June Log 2022|Mid-2022 Log

“June?  What happened to May?”

Recharging.

Well, finally at the middle of the year.  Definitely falling behind my goals, but I have come to some realizations.

First and foremost, while I was looking forward to writing a book around the next year, I’ve come to realize it might be better to hold that off in favor of my planned webcomic.  We’ll see what I stick with by the end of the year, most likely.

I don’t have a second one, I don’t why I acted like I did.

I will say though, I think I need to introduce more routine in my life.  That way I can chip away at stuff more and feel more productive than my usual random bursts of 10k words in one sleep deprived night.

Other than that, June’s here, and I’m going to be swapping out other goals for new ones.

Yay.

Goals for 2022

Rewatch Red Vs Blue

Actually finished season 1.  Plan to finish the rest maybe around August.  Though I think I’ll only go up to season 14.  (Looking into the newest seasons some other time)

One inked and colored drawing a month (even if it’s just monochrome)

Failed and not continuing.  Maybe next year.

Doodle/Drawing Challenge (365 Days of Red-X)

Starts this month on the 8th.  (Was supposed to be May but I got the date wrong).

Finish two one arc of Three Strikes (other than the first arc).

Behind this one. so adjusting it to just one arc.  That arc is about 3 chapters, but could stretch to 4-5.

Finish plotting at least two books of a novel series.

I got this.  Partially.

Design the main cast of a webcomic I’m planning.

I have IDEAS.  Just trying to figure out what I want.  Thankfully most of them wear uniforms.

June Goals

Read Lightning Thief

Actually surprised I didn’t read this earlier considering I was interested in Greek Mythology when I was 12-13.  Fun book so far.

Also what the fuck’s with this kid.

Finish Chapters 2-3 of Three Strikes

Finally got free time AND the drive to write.

I swear once I actually get on a roll it’s over for my procrastination.

For a bit.

See the full post

2 notes - Posted June 2, 2022

#4

Okay but Deliver Us is great

3 notes - Posted February 12, 2022

#3

Another year another Tarah.

Decided to add some simplistic shading and give them some clothes for the first time (i still don’t have an entire outfit in mind).

Some notable changes that I’ve made to the 2021 version:

- Disgruntled Tarah

- Bye, bye back hair ombre (it felt too overpowering when I gave them clothes versus when they didn’t)

- Simplified the hair because it’s painful to draw.

- Simplified their facial markings because it looked way too much like overexaggerated eyeliner.

- Ears! I love tufted ears and need to be contained.  But also didn’t like the overly large/fluffy design.

- Rounder nose (might change back)

- Choker that totally has no relation to the plot.  Absolutely not.

4 notes - Posted April 30, 2022

#2

Chapters: 1/? Fandom: Teen Titans (Animated Series), DCU Rating: Mature Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence Relationships: Red X/Barbara Gordon, Red X & Dick Grayson, Red X & Jason Todd, Red X & Original Characters, Red X & Bruce Wayne, Red X & Teen Titans, Red X/Komand'r, Red X & H.I.V.E Five, Red X/Kyd Wykkyd, Minor or Background Relationship(s) Characters: Red X (DCU), Teen Titans (DCU), Dick Grayson, Koriand'r (DCU), Garfield Logan, Victor Stone, Raven (DCU), Original Characters, Batfamily Members, Bruce Wayne, Barbara Gordon, Jason Todd, Komand'r (DCU), H.I.V.E Five, Jinx (DCU), Kyd Wykkyd (DCU) Additional Tags: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Red X is his own character, Morally Ambiguous Character, Unreliable Narrator, Depression, Dark, Relationship-centric, Family, Team as Family, Canon Disabled Character, Romani Dick Grayson, Barbara Gordon is a BAMF, Multiracial Jason Todd, Underage Drinking, Implied/Referenced Underage Sex, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Background Relationships Summary:

One for the money.

Two for the show.

Three to be ready.

And four more to go.

___

He's a thief; he has been all of his life, and he is more than likely to go to the grave with this fact eternally hanging over his head. It's the only thing he's good at; that and ruining things for other people. In some screwed-up way, watching people get what they deserve is even fun for him; it's karmic justice.

But just like every other person, he has flaws and makes mistakes now and again.

And at this rate, they're going to catch up with him.

---

Rated M for Mature Language and Violence.

5 notes - Posted January 12, 2022

My #1 post of 2022

I find the outrage about The Batman not being for kids funny because I've seen at least one person boldly say: "Has there EVER been a child-friendly Batman movie?"

Like Lego Batman didn't come out a few years ago.

16 notes - Posted March 6, 2022

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