#but first i want to reread the book bc its been a couple years

[corvidares]

suzanne collins fascinates me as a person. i wanna study her like. did she approve how this movie came out? or the previous ones? does she think its funny? or just sees it as bringing more readers to her books???? as a novelist, if my story got misconstrued by the masses so hard i would. idek what i'd do but maybe she saw it coming when she made the movie deal. idk!!!! i liked the movies as a kid (had an excuse not to be media literate. was a kid. read the books the first time as like a 12 year old LOL) but now im just…… the actor did katniss so dirty shes angry and petty and unlikable and sharp and. shes just SO MUCH MORE of an interesting person in the books

very flawed. arguably collins tries to make her unlikable. VERY different from your typical YA female protagonist™️ SPEAKING OF WHICH. its very weird to me that suzanne wrote it as a YA book. its honestly pretty adult. in the sense of the big themes its tackling. but, of course, i dislike when people imply that books for younger folks cant do that successfully. i always point to animorphs as a fantastic example. i honestly wonder if her publishing agency pushed that angle cuz like yeah katniss is 17. but still

if you have any interest at all in dystopia and HAVENT read the hunger games please give it a shot. even if you didnt like the movies (or did. or didnt see them. whatever) theres a reason it kicked off the popularity of dystopia in pop culture. almost nothing made in the few years after is nearly as good

[emmalovesfitzloved]

Can you tell me about Fitzloved?

"OH MY GOSH, AM I ABOUT TO INTRODUCE YOU TAYLOR SWIFT?!"

that's what i first meme when i saw your lovely ask! hahahah

Introductions

So its a fandom based on the epic fantasy series that follows for the most part, 2 soulmates, from their childhood all the way to their older years as they grow from friendship, partners to lovers. And I have to admit, the way it's written is almost euphoric. It's utterly lyrical.

So introductions now put aside, 'Fitzloved' is the ship name for "Beloved" (one of his many names) name of the characters and "Fitz". They are the two ongoing protagonists in one of the most respect and wonderful high fantasy series ever created, Realm of the Elderlings by Robin Hobb. They are the main couple shall we say that span the 16 book series. I think a lot describe it as the "mona lisa of fantasy series" within the genre. It's aesthetic is very much evermore meets folklore meets Merlin. Its veryyyyy cozy fantasy and perfect for the season but also the Fall/winter.

The big 5 writers of fantasy rn i have been told are: Brandon's, Robin Hobb's, GRRM (Although he's lost a lot of respect in the community because of his insane hiatus!), Steven Erickson's (Malazan series) and Joe Abercrombie. While you will see with the Cosmere, Brandon is very much straight to the point, prioritises fights, magic system building and very cohesive ensamble casts. Unlike her peers, Robin Hobb on the other hand, is a delicacy. A slowly made dessert that has sweet and salty tastes if you will. And another defining feature is that her series does not involve a massive war at the epicentre of the fantasy plot, which ironically is rare in high fantasy now a days.

Of Cats and Closed Doors by @tragediegh

HOWEVER. The WAY in which i was introduced to this series is kind of dumb and silly, i.e. very me lol. i stumbled across a fiction on ao3 under 'in a the cabin era way' tag and stumbled across @tragediegh's soul-binding, amazing wonderful fiction called Of Cats and Closed Doors that is still ongoing and she updates mostly weekly! At first, not joking i thought it was an original work, but only well into crying, loving, reading, laughing, did i realise when i looked better at the tags it was actually based on ROTE lol. I was new to ao3 that's my only defence :P

And what @tragediegh and Hobb are doing probably tell from my handle, is make literally my roman empire. Like I reread chapters everyday before going to sleep. It's fr fr my safe space. and what i love is the maturity in which they both write, as they create stakes in different ways. She creates a very tangible atmosphere, a world you can touch, the foods cooked, how they smell, and what the character's rely on. From banquet halls, to the wood carvings the Fool leaves behind, the well lit fireplaces, mugs of ale and coffee on the table, through jewels adorned, to how the dragons gleaming like jewels in the sky… it's simply amazing. You get me. There is NEVER a moment where you feel like it's a slog or dull moment. Like I did sometimes while reading the Stormlight Archive or Outlander (those books in their defence, are longer individually).

And like I said, the thing I LOVE the most with how they make us and fall in love with Fool (one of the protagonists) through the eyes of naive and a socially sometimes challenged Fitz. Fitz himself, is the most passionate, handsome, humble hero i've ever read. He is a bastard prince who from day 0 was neglected, abused, unwanted, un-named, manipulated, gaslit just all around most traumatised character one could read. Which most people end up overlooking and resenting bc he is riddled with insecurities (despite him being a hotttie hot chiseled smokie pie that everyone wants to cuffff) and developed unhealthy copying mechanisms that can effect the readability of the main series. Which is entirely relatable. I strongly believe the hero of Stormlight Archive by Brandon Sanderson that everybody loves, is heavily inspired by Fitz in ROTE. In fact I think Brandon said it was one of his fav series.

But really, the masterpiece of this world is obviously the Fool. When I look at the other characters, its a bit like watching a glorious puppet show - I can see how the strings are moving and what the puppets are made of…But not so with the Fool, he is an infinite mystery and creating a character like that is something I`ll never be able to get out of my head. he is other worldly. Put Tolkien fae and beautiful faeries to shame with his grace, elegance, mysticism. His story with Fitz (the other main character) with that @tragediegh and Hobb are doing imo is one of the greatest love stories of all time.

Gender Identity

And I think also, Fool (also known as Beloved to a special someone 😉) is a lgbtq+ individual, and their identity and how they chose to present and address themselves daily (and not address it!) plays a massive role in the ROTE/OCACD overall. It extremely realistic, how it's writen, where for the most part some characters are confused, don't know how to navigate the topic. Which isn't helped by how private and mysterious the Fool remains. But for the most part, is heart warming, as the gender fluidity of the Fool is openly accepted by his mate (YES MATE) with open arms as he accepts it, and it's got me CRYINGGGG as i type this fr....! These characters were created pre-2000's, which just goes to show how timeless these gender questions and acceptances really are i think!

Music

CANON FOR ME swiftie songs that are FOR fitzloved to get a feel r:

ur loosing me

my tears ricochet

invisible string

stay don't go

the lakes

mastermind (YASSS beloved go manipulate ur boy fitzieee ily)

dress (as of chapter 48 and beyond hopefully alkdfjalkdjfj)

and Fitz's song for me for ever will be:

i see fire live and in session by ed sherran (i just feel the literal passion that fitz has through this song not to mention the howl XD)

Conclusion

So yeah, I cannot recommend enough this ongoing story and series to you.

TLDR: Fitzloved is a ship i read myself to sleep every night and cry about how amazing they are XD

Feel free to ask any more questions about them or even my favourite artists that do ROTE work bc ngl this post was 2x as long as i included artistic work but it was getting too long so i decided to leave that for a more specific ask :)) As you can tell i can just dedicate entire evenings singing from the top of these crusty english rooftops how amazing and life changing these two silly beans are. I hope this was enough of a good overview of my love for them and why! :)) Hopefully one day you will give it a go, and i swear your life will be changed for ever ! <333

[moregraceful]

Fic authors self rec! When you get this, reply with your favorite five fics that you've written, then pass on to at least five other writers. Let’s spread the self-love 💖

this is such a nice exercise, thank you, i was just getting so ripped up over my wip while also trying to acknowledge that self-loathing wasn't going to make the editing process better in any meaningful way.

in no particular order:

5 Uses For A Parachute You Won’t Find In An Army Field Manual [band of brothers, gen, general]

(but which Major Dick Winters lets slide because it’s good for morale.)

this fic is one of my favorite fics i've ever written, it's so joyful!! but also such a big heart and so much love for the people in it. ah....friendship in a war zone...

And grace will lead us home [baseball rpf, bo bichette/vladimir guerrero jr, general]

Vlad knows only a couple things to be true. God is real, obviously. The sound of a ball hitting a wooden bat is the sound that the universe was made for. He’s in love with Bo.

i was down SO BAD for the bb jays in 2021. and so fascinated by vladdy and bo while knowing negative things about them...they were just always huggin on the bb jays instagram!! so i wrote a fic abt them that very gently plays with religious imagery and the concept of magic. it came together in a way i love so much.

Trust Me [jonas brothers/bandom, gen, teen]

Nick says, "I'm sorry. I was homeschooled."

"Then this will be a very interesting experience for you," says the tall blonde guy. "My name's Bob."

you know when you write something and you're like, this legitimately might be the greatest work i ever write? and you're literally 21? and it's not that it's the greatest thing you've ever written, but you're going through a really gross reality shock in your first two years away from home and so so many things are new and exciting and scary but you're starting to feel so interested in having a future, which you didn't really plan on during high school? the jonas brothers coming of age on warped tour 🤝 me at my shit ass small liberal arts school reading books by living non-white non-american authors

Don’t carry nothing but the righteous and the holy [hockey rpf, jasper weatherby/william eklund, teen]

Jasper Weatherby On William Eklund’s Return to San Jose April 8, 2022 | Sheng Peng, San Jose Hockey Now Jasper Weatherby was all smiles after today’s practice at the SAP Center. The reason? “I’m just excited to have Gecko back.” Jasper Weatherby and William Eklund were fast friends at the start of the 2021-2022 season. Weatherby and Eklund, who had been roommates throughout rookie camp and remained road roommates and hotelmates, had bonded over the unique experience of living in the Bay Area...

this fic literally exists outside the space-time continuum. like you have to read it as an artifact of its time (no cuda fandom, very small sharks fandom, william eklund a just-hatched baby bird with no feathers) for it to even be salvageable as a fanfic, but there like. WAS no time, there was only me, my growing jasper weatherby feelings, and an unexpected 10 day vacation at the end of the year. i love it so much and would write it completely differently if i wrote it now. so i'm very glad i wrote it when i did, because it just has so much love and is so hopeful and so chaotic.

Every year with you is better than the last [hockey rpf, devon toews/cale makar, explicit]

“Ah, it’s fine,” says Cale. “You don’t have to buy me anything.” “I want to,” says Devon, and once he says it, he realizes he really does. He doesn’t get a chance to give Cale presents often, because Cale makes more money than him and rarely asks for anything. Birthdays are hell with this guy. Something little goes a long way.

i actually don't even reread this regularly bc i get so mad about the process i went through while posting it, but it IS one of my favorite things that i've ever written. i really wanted to try to write a friends with benefits fic where they aren't In Love-in love and they stay friends only but are deeply committed to caring for each other. and i think i did that pretty well tbh. it came together how i wanted it to. though i sometimes think about the hypothetical future of cale and devon in the fic and get kind of sad. like, is there a future for them where they remain the same or does cale eventually fall for devon and the peace between them gets wrecked or does devon get traded and cale's little heart cracks without him, or. you know like what happens to cale, basically, i don't know. i'm not writing a sequel but i think about their future from cale's pov quite often

thank you for sending this, i really appreciate it!!!

[thecryptidenthusiast]

Hi there! I saw your reblog about how you're scared your writing won't illicit any feeling or strong emotions and I wanna respectfully say that is absolute bullshit bcs your fic, "the darkness hums" has altered my brain chemistry in the most terrifyingly amazing way. I read it again after losing it to my reblogs after like a year and I WAS STILL affected the way I was when I first read it. It was literally so so good like the way you write possessed!Nate and the way you built up the tension, the game, the everything -

I recommended it to a friend who hadn't read TWC before and she is a huge horror fan and THIS was what made her wanna read twc, and then she got a bit disappointed that its only like that in the fic and not the actual book lol

Ur fic has literally given me chills and at one point I was reading it and my brother asked why I'd turned pale lol.

I think about that fic day and night and I can't get enough of it, and I totally understand that you wrote it and didn't want to finish it bcs it was experimental but like I want to consume it. I can't even like normally explain my obsession with it

Pls continue to write for yourself and experiment and alter everyone's brain chemicals because you are THAT amazing , and I aspire to be able to write like you one day

Hope you have a lovely, lovely day and I hope ur self doubt gets kicked in the balls mwahhhh

So, I’ve been sitting with this ask, trying to come up with a proper response, because ‘thank you’ doesn’t feel like enough?? The fact that somebody likes one of my fics enough to reread it is already a wild thought to me, but to like it enough to recommend it to a friend?? And for them to give TWC a try from something I wrote??? Is completely mind blowing!!

Horror is one of my absolute favorite genres, and that fic was my first real attempt at it. So to hear that it was actually suspenseful is such a relief aldjdkdk. I was terrified to post it tbh - it was so different from the few things I’d written & posted before, and with what I did with Nate, I wasn’t sure how people were going to take it.

I’ve been in a really weird place with my writing for the past couple months, and I’m still trying to figure out how to get back to a point where I’m not focusing so much on my own doubts. But I’m still trying, even if it’s a slow process!

Again, ‘thanks’ doesn’t even begin to cover how much this message meant to me. But thank you anyways for taking the time out of your day to send this 💙 I hope you’re having a great day/night!!

[nongnaos]

9 Fandom Peeps to Get to Know Better

Tagged by Vish 💜 @morkofday and @airenyah I wrote this up a couple of days ago and you can see my 23.5 degrees frustration happening in retrospect 😂

3 Ships You Like: PuenTalay (insane boyfriends), AkkAyan (mental illness is OUT, love and support is IN), ItsukiFuyu (insane girlfriends)!

First Ship Ever: Probably John Paul and Craig from Hollyoaks. So toxic and I wouldn't exactly recommend trying to watch it now but it meant a lot to me at the time.

Last Song You Heard: I don't remember who recommended it but Masih Sunyi by Yuna is so so pretty.

Favourite Childhood Book: His Dark Materials by Phillip Pullman. Most of this book probably went over my head bc I read it when I was about 12 and I haven't reread it, but I know it was my favourite for years.

Currently Reading: Klara and the Sun by Kazuo Ishiguro. I actually bought it, read half, lost the book and had to rebuy it because I really want to finish it.

Currently Watching: Chaser Game W, She Loves To Cook And She Loves To Eat, rewatching Last Twilight with Vish.

Currently Consuming: A spearmint, apple and roibos tea that is so so tasty.

Currently Craving: 23.5 degrees to be in my eyeballs already. Please, its been 84 years 🙏

Tagging some people I dont really talk to so if you dislike being tagged pls let me know! @isaksbestpillow @redtanger @tomorrowcomesadaytoosoon @sololosabelaluna @dimpledpran @reformedcharacter @iamdefinitelynotanalien @7nessasaryevils @givemebiscuits

[bramblemantle]

question meme thing, tagged by @nosongunsung11 ( o/ !!)

tagging: uhhhhhh let’s say @lupathemoth and @a-little-monotonous ! as well as anyone else who’d like to use this format

share your wallpaper: it used to be ace attorney for a really long time, now it’s blaseball. i don’t tend to change visuals often

lock screen is this artwork of Parker by @ HORSEIZONTAL on twitter

home screen is this Jaylen artwork by @ 0re

my laptop lock screen is that title screen artwork of Revachol from Disco Elysium, home screen is this, don’t know what the original source is but it’s on a lot of wallpaper sites. miiiight be wallpaperstock dot net ?

last song you listened to?: i’m listening to music all of the time but as i’m writing this i’m listening to Hail To Whatever You Found In The Sunlight That Surrounds You by Rilo Kiley. in general i’ve been listening to a lot of the Garages and Paramore. so i’m also linking Ignorance bc i keep getting it stuck in my head

currently reading?: i’m rereading the Animorphs series for the first time in years! this is actually the first time i’ve read the series in its entirety, as my personal collection grows sparse after book 30 so there’s some i’ve never read. i’m currently on book 36 out of 54! (plus the extras in there whenever they fit chronologically)

last movie you watched?: uhh i don’t watch a lot of movies. technically Sing i think? i was playing totk and sitting with my 7 y/o brother. he wanted to watch Sing but he got distracted before the end of the movie and turned it off. if we’re talking about movies i watched for me then there’s a good chance it was the new Puss in Boots movie or Into the Spider-Verse but it’s been like a couple months

craving: toasted bagel. butter on it. the good stuff. the creamy kind of butter. tim hortons does it right. also i could go for some dark chocolate

what are you wearing right now?: uhhhh some kinda kapris (?) with grey flower and triangle patterns, and a muscle shirt (?) i was just gifted with pride flags on it. it’s hot as balls. if it weren’t hot as balls i’d have on one of my fave tees, and my Houston Spies bomber jacket or one of my beloved long coats

how tall are you?: 5’2” and a half, which i only found out last year when i finally asked at a visit with doctors

piercings?: nah i’m too much of a baby abt the pain and don’t want to deal with maintenance, but they look cool as hell on anyone

tattoos?: same as above but i’m more likely to be tempted into getting something small someday

glasses? contacts?: i’ve been wearing glasses since elementary school, they’re an all day necessity for me. i gotta get new ones, i’ve had these lenses for years and the frames for even longer whoops. the prescription definitely doesn’t line up anymore

last drink?: iced capp from tim hortons hehe. i don’t consume a lot of caffeine but that shit slaps and cold drinks are a must in this weather

last show?: i also don’t watch a lot of tv! uhhhhh i’m drawing a blank. there’s a chance it was Centaurworld but that was a WHILE ago (and i’ve been thinking of rewatching it soon)

favourite colour?: purples and teals. also browns when there’s a saturated accent colour with it

current obsession?: split between Blaseball (the brainrots been going strong since october) and several different groups of ocs. and also Animorphs i missed Animorphs so much i love Animorphs. fundamental to my childhood. i’m getting back to my roots

unrelated obsession?: not quite sure what this is asking! but Tears of the Kingdom is Up There as well, i’m trying not to rush through the game but i’m finding it very hard to put down ^-^’

or actually if that question is asking about obsessions not tied to any fandom. it’s prehistoric animals and/or bats :]

any pets?: there’s a lot of animals i know and interact with throughout the week. i live with a dog (old chihuahua named Prince) and 3 cats (Charming, Bella, and Mr. Kitty). of those, Mr. Kitty is My Cat part time. he loves my granny a lot too, he’s always either in my room or hers, snuggled up near one of us. he’s one of my best friends he’s so important to me :] my silly little guy

do you have a crush on anyone?: i still am not sure what that’s supposed to feel like and if i have ever felt it before but no i don’t right now. just love and admiration for my pals 🫶

favourite fictional characters: there’s so many my guy. i have a tag for blorbos that live in my brain. the ones on my mind a lot recently are a bunch of Blaseball players, the kids from Animorphs (in particular Rachel, Tobias, and Cassie. the latter two were always tied for favourite when i was a kid but i’ve also found a new appreciation for Rachel as well. man. these kids), the iterators from Rain World, the satellites from 17776/20020, Emmet & Ingo from Pokemon, the list can go on and on and on

last place you travelled?: uhhhh i don’t get out much! i haven’t left the valley i live in for years. i don’t know how far away ‘travel’ has to be to count as travel, the last trip i’ve been on might have been a family vacation into the states? in any case i didn’t go anywhere noteworthy in the past year or more

[sapphicscholar]

10 Things for 2023

Thanks for the tag @trying-to-get-somewhere-real

a fic idea you want to write or read: I’m super excited to read all the fic coming out in the Hacks S3 fic event I’m organizing - there were some really fun prompts! In terms of writing? I feel like I’ve talked on here about my Hacks WIPs already, but I’m also still kicking around that Julia post-S1 fic @trying-to-get-somewhere-real mentioned, plus an Abbott Elementary Melissa/Janine fic that I wrote and scrapped and now am trying to piece back together (and thank you very much to @hashtagtheyfucked for the encouragement!) 

a place you want to go: this is gonna sound a little ridiculous, but I’m very excited about the massive climbing gym that’ll be just a 15 minute walk from my hotel at a conference I’m presenting at in Chicago haha! So much of my travel is work-related that it’s hard to really be excited about it, but my wife and I are hoping to go up to the northern part of our state this summer to see a meteor shower, so that’ll be fun! 

a book you want to read: I’m currently rereading everything I’m teaching this term + things for the dissertation, but in terms of things that are just for me, I got Sally Bellerose’s Fishwives and am very excited to delve into it when I get the time!

something fun you want to do: hiking with friends, hosting friends for brunch, and bouldering are perennial faves, and I’m hoping that we’re all able to stay healthy and relatively safe enough to have those things feel like real possibilities throughout the long, often brutal winters we get here in the midwest 

something you want to make: does fic count?? I do a lot of baking and writing, so for now, given the weather, I’ll say I’m very excited about making a big batch of an old family friend’s molasses ginger cookies! 

a habit you want to start: I’d gotten really good about running a few days a week (I have historically loathed running, but had managed to find a program this fall that let it feel fun and like a gradual enough work up into distance that I didn’t hate every second of it), but I fell out of the routine with the holidays and fellowship apps, so I’d love to re-cultivate that! 

something new you want to try: to copy the person who tagged me, I also kind of want to try cross-country skiing! We have a local park that does it all winter, and we have really good friends who’ve offered to teach my wife and I how to (and my wife has already accepted on my behalf haha). I had a terrifying experience learning to downhill ski, so I’m hoping this relatively horizontal version is the one for me! 

something you want to finish from 2022: Waterloo! Which should be by the end of the month... And longer-term, my dissertation haha! (technically the defense is looking like it’ll be a couple months into 2024, but dream big ya know) 

something you want to stop doing: oh! I do this thing where I get lovely fic comments and then I let them sit too long bc I don’t immediately respond and forget for a few weeks, then I feel horribly guilty and awkward, then I never respond. And I know it’s not, like, an obligation to do so, but I’ve made some great friends via fic comments, and I don’t want to lose that opportunity just bc it’s been a few months (or years...) 

something you want to keep doing: climbing! I got my first pretty hard V5 on the overhang today, and it’s really personally gratifying to see improvement over time through hard work and practice. I’ve also found a really nice group of people to climb with, so it’s a nice way to keep friendships going even when the semester is at its most hectic

tagging, only if you want to do it: @hashtagtheyfucked @dkc2017 @sandstonesunspear @bathtimefunduck @howmanycatsistoomany @sralinchen @warriorbard2012 @chainofclovers @shesnohack (and anyone who wants to do it!)

[arwainian]

Reading This Week

I am back home and reading like my life depends on it! I'm going to start working through articles I have saved to my computer bookmarks and such

Abandoned:

Pregnant Butch by A.K. Summers i tried! i've been meaning to try reading this for ages! but i got turned off by goodreads reviews saying theres a transphobic screed in the middle, and then just not clicking with the storytelling style.... oh well...

Finished:

The Secret to Superhuman Strength by Alison Bechdel (colored by Holly Rae Taylor) I kinda stayed up later than I technically meant to finish reading this. Bechdel really is a fantastic memoirist

Started & Finished:

As Yet Unsent by Tamsyn Muir tbh, kinda wish i'd read this before Nona so that I would have a tad more context for like the connections between the other House characters. but this was pretty great as a quick read, and really enlightening for the inner life of a character that I never really cared about before

"I wrote a story for a friend" by Julian Gough this is the personal essay by the guy that wrote the Minecraft End Poem about the trouble surrounding its creation and copyright. I find it kinda funny when he's like "the capitalism game makes me sad bc it gets in the way of the art game and the friendship game.... but there's nothing inherently wrong with the capitalism game!" he's got the spirit but ain't quite there yet yknow? anywho. one day I will actually beat Minecraft and read the story in its proper context!

What Did You Eat Yesterday? Vol. 1-5 by Fumi Yoshinaga, translated by Maya Rosewood (1-3) and Yoshito Hinton (4-5) now I did not intend for reading this manga to be a christmas season read, but somewhere in the beginning of vol 2 or 3 it was just christmas season within the manga itself!! anyway this is a pretty chill slice of life manga, half cooking/recipes, half daily life for a middle aged gay couple in 2000s Tokyo, and it's been a fun easy read

Nectar edited by Tab Kimpton & Harry-Anne Bentley most thoughts remain in my private journal for this one, but I can say that kinda like the last one only like 2 or 3 of the stories within actually like. worked for me on an artistic style level. still delighted that this exists

Ouran High School Host Club, Vol. 2-3 by Bisco Hatori, translated by Kenichiro Yagi while i'm enjoying the nostalgia of reading the manga version of a childhood anime, i find the panels of this really difficult to read? also this is the last volume available through my library so i probably won't read more for a while

Decolonizing Queer Games and Play from First Person Scholar, edited by Khee Hoon Chan:

Editorial by Khee Hoon Chan A Boy is a Gun: Weaponizing Black Gender in Video Games by Oluwatayo Adewole Unmaking and Undoing: A Trans* Reading of Katamari Damacy by Julie Fukunaga Interviw with Caro Asercion by Olivia Popp

working my way through articles that i've saved to my bookmarks bar! i absolutely want to check out more stuff like this

Masters in this Hall by K.J. Charles now THIS is a deliberate Christmas read for me, as it's the surprise un-advertised Christmas novella from one of my favorite romance authors! it was fun and funnily enough, most of took place in the days following Christmas. it was fun to see Jerry again (this time as a side character), and kinda made me want to go reread Any Old Diamonds since it's been a couple years now

Started:

Secrets Typed in Blood by Stephen Spotswood YES YES YES i am only a few chapters in at time of writing, but i am so happy to be back with my delightful butch private detective duo. i've been waiting for this inpatiently ever since i finished the second book in the series and i'm so glad to be back to get my historical mystery fix

Hen Fever by Olivia Waite

this is another surprise christmas novella from a favorite histrom author and the cover is absolutely Delightful. i'm gonna try and savor it but i make no promises

[chaostheatre]

I wish Gidsmona was still an active ship but I don’t blame you for not wanting to write about it bc everyone’s just disappeared. Part of it is probably that the Gideon tag is filled with only content about the anime minus a couple posts about being in love with JS. But also there was no interaction between Ramona and Gideon like there was with any of the other exes, so the new fans that haven’t read the comics probably won’t start shipping gidsmona :/ I feel like it’s gone from julie/gideon being the rare pair to Julie/gideon being second (with Matthew and Gideon being shipped way more???) and gidsmona literally fading into obscurity. It’s kinda sad imo. Once again, I don’t blame you for separating or not writing.

I like julie and gideon <3 happy for them

in all honesty it's not so much the anime or the lack of popularity (as if it's ever been a popular ship outside of us 2 or 3 with domestic abuse trauma lol) it's more so that this franchise as a whole has outwelcomed its stay for me. this has been a pretty long fixation (2 odd years?) to begin with and by april or may I was already starting to drag my feet about it. I did stick around longer cause my friends are here and writing gideon is astonishingly easy and fun when I need a warm-up. but overall I have had nooooo interest in rewatching the movie or rereading the books or really anything for a long time.

I also feel like I have a very different relationship with 'shipping' things than most people. I am first and foremost an analyst. gidsmona has always been a case study for me, and sometimes a comfort thing for my ptsd. I'm not really a shipping type of person, especially not canon x canon lol.

and it feels like I've been in this fandom a lot longer than I actually have just by how much of a presence I've had here. I still see my memes floating around on twitter and instagram, my account names mentioned in comment sections, etc etc... so it's like I don't really care about this series but I feel like there's a part of me that's irrevocably tied to it

the anime itself I don't really care about. it is what it is. I'm not being petty by not watching it, I literally just... don't care. I knew that they were gonna do what they did to gideon anyway. plus I hate hate hate people, I am extremely agoraphobic and that includes online, and crowded spaces are not my jive.

maybe in a parallel universe where it released BEFORE glorious masquerade I would've watched it but alas. roro <3 I love you roro. gideon is important and I do credit him with helping me leave my abuser way back when but unfortunately this franchise is NEVER gonna hold a candle to how insanely important disney's hond is to me. that stupid fucking movie drags me back into hell with it every time. I'm gonna kill that fucking mouse.

so anyway I'm still hanging around for fun but this isn't really my place anymore

[cheswirls]

okayyy for context, spe v30-31 [dp arc v1-2 in viz version] were my first volumes of spe ever. v32 hadn’t been released yet, and maybe there was a mini volume or so for bw arc. it was 2011 and dppt was really big bc gen 5 titles had just come out and not an incredible lot of official content for it was circulating yet.

the original run of spe had started publishing thru viz a few years prior so they were out there but gen 4 was still the main attraction at the time. i couldn’t say for sure, but i think that this, coupled with the fact that the other spe arcs after emerald aren’t as interwoven, viz started to publish the dp arc of spe as it’s own story, thus why the volume numbers start over instead of continuing after emerald arc [26-29]. for continuity’s sake (and since im reading 30+31 on the spe archive site where the volumes are lined up like the japanese order) i’ll be referring to each dp volume with its original volume number instead of the viz ones.

when v32 came out, i got it, but by that point i’d loaned my v30+31 copies to a family member in another state, and i never got those back. i also never got v33 bc viz released spe volumes so infrequently (1 or 2 a year) and by the time it came out, it had been a long time since i had read the first 2 volumes of dp arc that i no longer had (and never got back - mostly bc i kept being told it would be sent to me etc; it took until i went out there in 2017 and asked that i found they either got lost in the mail or whatever, point is all the books i loaned never made it back but i kept anticipating they would return one day, hence i never re-bought any spe volumes i’d had beforehand) so i was very out of touch and didn’t want to pick it up only to be confused.

thus, my dp journey (briefly) ended w v32. at some point over the years i read v33 through a library, but since the spe collection was incomplete (libraries liked to scatter a handful of volumes for the pokemon label w/o care for their order or series) i never read beyond that. by that point i had gotten my hands on the original run of spe and was working from v1 to v14, and then kept blazing thru w rs arc, so i was preoccupied.

when i moved for university, i remembered that i had read v33 already and got my hands on v34 instead. i don’t think i ever finished it, as i remember nothing past the chapter where the trio splits to each investigate a lake. at some point i got the chance to add another volume to my spe collection and i picked up v35 but never read it. same thing w v36. i was collecting volumes on the side over the years, but i wasn’t grabbing the volumes i’d already read, and that was the major roadblock in starting the arc again. my dp arc journey succinctly ended mid-v34.

well. at the end of last year, i somehow acquired v37 and the entire platinum arc, meaning i had all the volumes necessary to fly thru and finish. it’s taken me a bit, and i’m still missing 3 volumes, but it’s been my intention for a bit now to eventually start and finish dp/pt arcs, and right now ended up being the perfect time (: i’m reading v30 and v31 through the archive site, will go back for v33, and then beyond that, it’ll all be physical volumes. unsure yet if (like in the past / during frlg arc) i’ll take pics of physical pages or if i’ll pull the volume up on the archive site and take ss that way. i remember the very basics of the beginning, and probably key moments will come back to me when i reread, but out of the 11 volumes to go thru, more than half will be brand new. 

anyway tldr; che is starting dp arc of spe again after 10yrs !!! most of what i post abt in the readthru will be w/ introspection of having reread the sm arc recently (around a year) and considering where it fits in the timeline w/ all the context from dp/pt.

[djservo]

[...] I have zero ideia how money works in the US, but it sounds cheaper than paying a power AND water bill value in a Kindle which is the case where I live ― but it would save me a lot of space bc the place where I keep my books is getting full. Guess I'll finally have to get rid of Dan Brown (Deception Point was such a disappointment!! Dan's characters are there only to serve to the enigmas and such and nothing else, b4 it wouldn't bother me, but nowadays it does; AND IT DID, especially when he inserts a brief story about their past with the porpose of using it to cheap drama ― and I could go on and on) 🫠 There's so much I want to read since I got back into reading last year (especially try to read in english to get better!!), but I've been having so many migraines the last couple of months it's almost impossible to concentrate 🧘‍♀️ But out of the 20 I read in 2022, I can mention A Clockwork Orange by Anthony Burgess (and I feel a bit embarrassed bc Alex does SO MUCH shit but he's such a intriguing character 🤷‍♀️), Brave New World by Aldous Huxley (planning on rereading!!) and Nocturnal by Scott Sigler, as the ones that got stuck in my head the most. I would recommend Nocturnal to anyone without giving any context even tho I think most wouldn’t get as excited as I did 🧍‍♀️ I'm trying to get into Trainspotting by Irvine Welsh bc it was the last one I bought alongside Essex County by Jeff Lemire (made me cwy 🥺🧎🏻‍♀️) but I'm not in the right mindset to deal with Renton, Sick Boy & Company!! But I LOVE that movie so much, and books usually tend to show more. But well, we'll see 🙆‍♀️🧏‍♀️ [...]

part 2 of this lovely novella 💌

Well DAMN a kindle isnt That worth it then scratch everything !! 😮‍💨❌ ugh but yes I feel you about saving space — I have very little restraint when I see a good deal for a book I've been wanting to read or really when it comes to secondhand shopping in general - I'm like, it's secondhand so it's fine!! But No!! I literally do Not have the space for more things!!! I did what I THOUGHT was a big purge of my bookshelf a couple weeks ago but I Still have to stack books on the floor bc I can't fit everything on the shelf... like truly two towering piles 🤦‍♀️ Maybe I'll try not buying any books at all this year, or only buy if I get rid of the same amount I already own ykwim 🤨 I haven't read any Dan Brown but I feel like I always see someone reading him at airports so maybe for my next long trip I'll try one of his 😶‍🌫️ (but not Deception Point, got it 👍) I would've assumed English was your first language, you speak (type?) it so eloquently! I've been doing duolingo since the pandemic but even with my 800+ day streak (yes really) I feel like I've absorbed nothing substantial, certainly not enough to feel comfortable conversationally which is disappointing! I always say I wanna take a language class but this year for real... I'm trying to get on UR level, reading books in other languages n shit! 😤💪 also bc I've been thinking so much about the act of translation and how much can get lost/changed, so I think it'd be a really interesting experience to read a book in it's original language + its translation to compare meanings and whatnot 💭

Oooh I loved A Clockwork Orange when I read it!! I still haven't gotten around to seeing the film, but I remember when I was a kid I'd look up clips on youtube to scar myself bc I thought it was all so freaky and bizarre LOL I read Brave New World in high school when I was like strictly in a David Sedaris phase (oh so smart and sophisticated of me 🙄) so I don't think I really cared for it at the time which is ANNOYING! it'd be cool to reread books I was assigned in school now with more Refined skills of interpretation/concentration — particularly Jane Eyre which I stupidly left until the very last possible second to read and we had this big in-class essay coming up so I crammed the entire 500+ pages in one day and it was such an agonizing yet amazing feat 🫡 and I remember I did actually like it despite the cramming, but I think I'd appreciate/take even more from it if I were to read it now and take my proper time with it 🧘‍♀️ ANYWAY. Will definitely check out Nocturnal at some point this year and will Not read Anything about it!! I love going into things like that - I'm trying to stop reading letterboxd reviews before I watch movies this year too bc I have such a bad habit of it 🤦‍♀️ I try not to read reviews of books either bc I don't want ppl's opinions inadvertently shaping mine while I read, but sometimes I just want to make sure a 3+ hour long movie is worth my time ykwim?? But that's all subjective yada yada fuck it, we ball and go into things blind this year!! 🤾‍♀️ I've been meaning to read Trainspotting too! Coincidentally I always kind of lumped it with A Clockwork Orange + Fight Club with the sort of societal commentary/offbeat characters on the outskirts of society thing. Maybe I'll read both Trainspotting and Fight Club at the same time, watch the film adaptations for them (and A Clockwork Orange finally), then transform overnight into a fake deep edgelord dudebro 🃏

[truthundressing]

Hiii sorry for replying a bit late! I have lots of horror movies I love to watch so I’ll give a couple we should watch together! The Ritual, Marrowbone, Hereditary, The Thing and The Lodge!! (also not a horror movie but it comes up when I search for horror movies I’ve watched on Letterboxd, Death Becomes Her!!!) Think there’s a theme of horror/thriller movies I like starting with The… never noticed that until here and there’s more in horror movie list…

Anyways, Harry’s costume!!! So unexpected to me, I loved it! And his cover?! Everything I wanted and more. Sounds like a fun time, what did you dress as? And I didn’t have any Halloween plans this year unfortunately! Just carved pumpkins with my family the day before which was nice!

I’m good as well! I’ve been reading Frankenstein (for the first time) and it’s great! The cover art for it is so cool and it’s from 1970!!! I’m being extremely careful with it and once I’m done reading it (only like 70ish more pages I think) I’m gonna get another copy for rereads/annotations so I don’t mess up the frail book and somewhat fragile cover that’s falling away from age. I’ve just reset my calendar which is always fun since it’s a whiteboard and has some cork next to it so I stick some postcards or photos or whatever there! Alright, that’s enough about me!

I hope you get your paper finished! I can’t imagine how stressful it is having it be the same day as the album launch and everyone doing countdown posts! I believe in you, you’ve got this and you’re gonna do great! You can do it! Sending you positive thoughts and anything else you need! -🤍🤍🤍

hiii no worries !! oooh those all look good, i think the only one ive seen is hereditary a couple of years ago when i lived in halls and i liked it!! creepy as hell and kinda jumpscare-y if i remember right but me and my flatmates watched it together and had a sleepover in the living room so i think that probably helped. akdskkd it is really common in horror movies maybe it adds to the suspense or smthn idk.

YESSS he was soooo good, i still havent got round to listening to his cover yet 😔 but maybe this evening i will!! I went as Lupe from the 2022 'A League of Their Own' series but i had to keep explaining it bc ppl just thought i was like A Lesbian™️ lmao but idk i prefer cosplay type costumes like of actual characters i think its always way more fun. Awh!! that sounds fun though!! i missed out on pumpkin carving this year bc usually my mum will get one for trick or treaters :(

oh woaaah that sounds so cool! and from the 70s!!! i had to read frankenstein for my english GCSE so its become one of those books i always associate with school rip but i remember it being v good so i hope ur enjoying it!!

thaaannks gonna go to my uni's library friday and saturday and just bang it out i think bc unfortunately i am the type of student that works better the more presssure is put on them/the closer they get to a deadline sooo yeah ive got a plan and thats enough for now i think sksjdksk

[some-stars]

Fic writer questionnaire! Tagged by @deputychairman, thank you!

1) How many works do you have on AO3?

65....just waiting for 69 so i can celebrate

2) What's your total AO3 word count?

288,609

3) How many fandoms have you written for and what are they?

okay, so, there's a lot so we're gonna collapse some. So, 16: The Witcher (games and show), Supernatural, Dark Angel, Glee, Stargate (both SG1 and SGA), MCU, Vampire Diaries, Teen Wolf, due South, DC (comics and movies), House of Leaves, Sense8, Harry Potter, Les Miserables (book), Doctor Who, and X-Men movies. Oh, and I wrote a lot of NSYNC RPF back in the day but you will never see it. (Unless you literally read it back then and remember one and want to reread it, I’m not ashamed of them if you were also in the pit with me. If that is the case feel free to ask.)

4) What are your top 5 fics by kudos?  

all some children do is work: this one surprised me, i did NOT think there was this kind of appetite for almost-gen turned-into-a-kid fic, but i do really like the fic itself so i'm contented with its acclaim

method: i mean, it's fake dating, written back when there wasn't much non-modern-AU fake dating in witcher fandom (possibly there still isn't?) so, not surprised

Emergency Pants: this is the one that the Claw chose back in 2012 bc i had written very pornographic tony/bruce about a month after Avengers came out so there was a big appetite for it. i don't much care for it these days except i do still think the tony voice is good

warm you like the sunshine: deeply unsurprised this one is popular (and it's one of my own fics that i reread a lot), it's extremely tender BDSM with a juggernaut pairing, that gets the readers

As often as from thee I go: honestly kinda surprised about this one, which is just a 2500 word confection i wrote for my own satisfaction, but it does have explicit sex and jaskier crying about his feelings so maybe it makes sense

5) Do you respond to comments, why or why not?

I almost always do, but usually just with "Thanks!" unless it's a detailed or lengthy comment.

6) What's the fic you've written with the angstiest ending?

"Long black night, morning frost" (Les Miserables) for absolute certain. One of the very few fics I've written with an outright unhappy and pessimistic ending (although I found it very cathartic to write). For Witcher fics, "Kind" and "go ask alice" are about as sad as I get.

7) What's the fic you've written with the happiest ending?

Almost all of them, honestly. There's a point in happiness of endings where you really can't distinguish degrees. Probably the most--not saccharine, but distinctly Happy Ending-ish is either "Water like a stone" or "Darling, if you only knew," which to my eternal shame are both Glee fics. In terms of Witcher fics...it's still hard to pick! I think the kidfic trilogy ended very, very happily; I think "If you live through this with me" ended TOO happily.

8) Do you write crossovers? If so what is the craziest one you've written?

I do not, and I don't read them, at least not since the days of the late 90s/early 2000s when I once read a really good Highlander/X-Files crossover (oh, and Martha's cosmic horror fic where Stargate and Angel and I think something else all cross over but it feels quite natural and right). I don't like fusions, either, most of the time.

9) Have you ever received hate on a fic?

Never! In 20 years! I've been extremely lucky.

10) Do you write smut? If so what kind?

ahahahahahahahhaaaaaaaaaaaaaa

yes...yes you could say i write smut. on occasion. you know, when the urge comes on me. i write mostly kink or at least kink-adjacent fic, but i've done some vanilla scenes too, and i write m/m and m/f and (occasionally) f/f. fun fact, my only rimming scene to date was in a f/f/f threesome!

11) Have you ever had a fic stolen?

Not that I know of.

12) Have you ever had a fic translated?

I think so? I can't remember, honestly, which sounds dreadful but like...I don't READ the translation, because I am sadly monolingual, but I get a burst of delight when someone asks to do it (or to make a podfic).

13) Have you ever co-written a fic before?

I have tried--me and a friend once got like 12k deep into a co-written Tiger and Bunny fic--but it doesn't really work out for me. I am a massive control freak when it comes to writing and absolutely miserable to work with. (Although I wasn't so bad back when we wrote the T&B fic, we just sort of never got around to finishing it. Which is sad, because it was GREAT.)

14) What's your all time favorite ship?

Max/Alec from Dark Angel. I shipped it when I only started watching DA for Jensen's episodes, I shipped it when I fell in love with Max, I shipped it when I frantically hand-wrote notes about the fic I wanted to write, I ship it right now as I'm typing, I will ship it in my grave. Also it's not a het ship bc neither of them are heterosexual, thank you very much.

15) What's a WIP that you want to finish but don't think you ever will?

I only post finished fics, but in terms of things I haven't posted, I still think my "For A Good Time Call" fem!jaskier/yennefer(/geralt) AU would have been truly incredible. If you haven't watched that movie go watch it immediately so you can share this beautiful idea with me.

16) What are your writing strengths?

Ohhh, this and the next one are hard, because I truly don't know. Well, besides "porn." I am genuinely good at porn, which is HILARIOUS considering how many more sex scenes I've written than participated in. But overall, I have so much angst and neurosis and tenuous self-worth tied up in writing, I'm a very bad judge of my own skills. Also, it depends on the fandom! In some fandoms I'm good at dialogue, in others not so much. In some fandoms I'm good at pastiching the tone of the source and in others...Not So Much.

17) What are your writing weaknesses?

If I had to pick a weakness, though, I'd say concrete imagery/detail. Like, the things that characters are physically doing either out of emotional reaction or just, they're doing something in that scene. Dialogue is usually easier (not sure if it comes out better, but it's easier).

18) What are your thoughts on writing dialogue in other languages in a fic?  

I used to be mildly annoyed at it but! Now! On AO3! You can put a footnote by the French or whatever, so the reader can jump down to read a translation and then jump right back up. I now feel that if you choose to include dialogue (or any words) in another language from the rest of the story, this is the only acceptable method.

19) What was the first fandom you wrote for?

I remember vaguely in 1996 or so writing a couple pages of Kit whump for the Young Wizards books. I wrote some execrable nonsense in X-Files, but in my defense I had just turned 13. I don't THINK I wrote anything for Star Trek, which was my first fandom. Oh, and I attempted to write fic for Homicide, which I watched in 7th and 8th grade and lied about my age to get onto the good mailing lists (they were actually the bad, racist mailing lists, I would later realize, but again I was 13).

20) What's your favorite fic you've written?

Sorry to disappoint anyone who follows me for Witcher content, but it's either "The absolute absurdity of end-series items" (House of Leaves) or "A quite unlosable game" (Dark Angel). They are both Big Idea fics, and I feel like in both of them I got the Idea across brilliantly, and I'm truly proud of them and think they're the best things I've ever made. (In terms of Witcher fic, it's the kidfic trilogy for sure.)

I am not going to tag anyone because that always makes me mildly anxious, but if you read this and you want to do it you can say you were tagged by me! :D? :D?

[golbrocklovely]

Was it actually a good book? All fandom aside and likeness for Sam and Colby aside, is it good to the point you cant put it down? The bits and pieces I’ve seen on here and elsewhere no offense but it looks like a joke to me. Too much fantasy for my liking but because its small inserts I’ve read i don’t want to evaluate it on just that.

If you or anyone on here can compare it to another book or story that would be great.

back when i first read it i rated it a 3.5/5 stars, and i still feel that way now.

first thing to note is that the book has paranormal elements throughout, and more so from the middle of the book onward until the end. it's also a thriller, some horror, and borderline gets gory towards the finale. so... if none of that is interesting to you, then i wouldn't recommend the book.

i think this book also relies heavily on the fact that assumingly the person reading it is a snc fan. i don't think the writer really goes into who the boys are as ppl, occassionally yes, but not often enough to really flush them out as characters. she hits all the bullet-point wikipedia notes like born in kansas, started on vine, band nerds, shit like that. and you get a little bit of their motivations, but not enough for me personally. and nate and alex get boiled down to nate uses big words and alex is quiet. you learn almost nothing about them.

so again, i think the writer relied too heavily on fans being the primary readers, which i think is a detriment to the book.

also, it's a slow build to the tension. i don't need the tension out the gate to be there, but it took somewhere in between the first 50-100 pages to get really interesting. basically, the whole thing takes place at the belle estate, and it takes until after the first visit for things to get interesting. so it's a lot of building to get to the tension to really be there.

my problem is also that the beginning is basically what snc have told us enough times over so both reading the book for the first time and rereading it now make it even more slow feeling.

i will say the ending was really great, totally out of left field for me, wasn't expecting it at all. there's 28 chapters and the last 10 or more chapters i couldn't put the book down bc i needed to know how it ended. so that's a positive.

if you're genuinely curious about how the book reads, someone did a whole audiobook of it on youtube. if you search "paradise island sam and colby audiobook" on there, you'll find it. i'm pretty sure all the chapters are on there, and it's a girl reading it. i didn't really listen, but she sounded okay from the first thirty seconds i heard lol

but if you plan to never buy the book, but want to read someone's review of it (with spoilers), i did one a year ago. kayla (starryevermore) also did one. i know a couple other ppl on here did one too, i just can't think of who else rn.

i would recommend the book, but i also love snc so i'm gonna be biased regardless. i think the book has a lot of good elements to it, i just think it almost would have benefitted from a different writer maybe?? or just some more flushing out. the book is only 240 pages, it's really short. and i feel like it almost should have been longer, just to explain things more or... something else. i'm not quite sure.

if you have any other questions about it, or if anyone else that's read it wants to chime in, lmk ! :)

[creepweirdo]

hiiii omg sorry that this is late sfjghldjhfgksfjh

THANK YOU FOR THE TAG ❤️❤️❤️ i was tagged by @rosemarymp3 to do this tag game !!

rules: tag nine people you want to get to know better

favourite colour: ahhh its so hard to pick. my favourite colours on tumblr tend to be red and black. but irl i just got a new phone case which is the classic pink and red powderpuff girls heart wave thingy and im so obsessed i just keep looking at it ksjfhlkjhg

currently reading: the ranger’s apprentice series by john flanagan! omg its so good. im rereading for the first time since i was 11 hahahah 🥰 its such a good story - im up to the fourth book !!! although i haven’t read it in a couple of days bc im reading fanfic 🤚

last song: lmfao idk what’s wrong with me ive just been listening to fall out boy on repeat - i was just watching a bass cover of grand theft autumn bc i used to know how to play it 😩

last movie: LMFAOOOOO reservoir dogs 💀🤚🤚🤚 again idk what’s wrong with me

last series: OOOOOO cruel summer !!! it was really good and insane oh my god 😌 

sweet, spicy, or savoury: oooo i really like savoury/spicy - i could go for them at ANY hour of the day dkjfgalhf i have to be in the mood for sweet food hahahaha

craving: LMFAO i swear im always craving hot chips 💀🤚🤚🤚 like maybe even chicken shop chips omg 😭😭😭 

coffee or tea: i like both !! i have iced coffee wayyyy more than i have tea kjfyhkfh lmao i sort of forget that i can just go into the kitchen and make it - after this im going to make a jasmine tea 🤪 

currently working on: im on uni break atm which is so good !!! but like tumblr wise kajlfhskjhdfjsd since like the start of the year ive had the idea to make a hannibal chun li video edit and im slowlyyyyyyy getting around to doing it. ive been so lazy about it bc i had to convert all my stupid files from .mkv to .m4v bc iMovie is a little bitch 😔 but that’s finally done so maybe ill get around to that ,,,,,,

thank you for tagging meeee ily ❤️❤️❤️❤️

[anakinthetrashking]

Ok under the cut are the notes/thoughts/reactions I kept while reading ROTT, before I got like halfway in and then couldn't make myself stop reading in order to make notes agdkfjwkajs + my general reaction overall afterwards! its missing so much bc there was SO MUCH IN THE BOOK!!!!!!!!!

I opened the book and immediately got goosebumps from excitement and general feels.

TO SOUNIS 😭🥺💞

look I've KNOWN. and I'm a very new fan. but it's in MY BOOK. MY BOOK!!!!

"my chronicle of the HIGH KING"!!!!!!! EUGENIDIES THE HIGH KING!!!! why am I so excited I know it's about him 🤣

ohhhhh we get to learn about the daughter of erondites!!

oooooh pharis is a tricky bastard like Gen. I love him already 😍

wow I really hate his family.

they really think this is gonna work, huh.

CHAPTER TWO!!!!

THERES MY BOIIIIIIIII!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

ah, that explains the three dots on the front of the book!

man people are mean...

I feel like Gen already knows there's someone more going on bc he's actually *looking* at Pheris, instead of ignoring him like others do. so his play isn't going to work as well on Gen lol.

I miss costis.

"too much banging in that box on wheels, too many days without real rest, too much shouting, too much of everything." that is the BIGGEST of moods, Pheris.

"Not everything that is easy for you is easy for the rest of us." MEGAN YOU'RE GOING TO MAKE ME CRY 😭

I wonder if the unnamed person who visits him in the middle of the night is Gen? I hope it is... it seems like something he'd do 🥺

unnamed man with strange accent who only visits at nighttime? yeah that's definitely Gen

SEJANUSSSSSSS... KINDER THAN THE REST OF HIS HORRID FAMILY... ARGH

two eggs in the embroidery? 👀

oh to have matching embroidered outfits with your love 🥺

"...the king and his potentially even more terrifying wife." 🤣 yes that's them!!!

oh? an earring? 👀👀

GEN YOURE SUCH A DRAMA QUEEN I LOVE YOU.

also man have the attendants improved. convincing him a funeral would be worse 😂

well. some of them have improved. a few of them are terrible at this. uh, were you not there for Sejanus' take down?? you're still trying to mess with your king?? verrrryyy smart move there.

YEAH I BET NO ONE WANTS TO CROSS GENS SISTERS plz I want to know more about them

HEIRO GAVE HIM EARRINGS!!!! AHHHH

PFFFT-HAHAHAHAHHA THE SCROLL FROM THE MEDES

Irene gave hiM A HORSE GIRL. I love her.

SOPHOS PICKED THE HORSE!!! MY SWEET BOY!!!!!

the interactions between the four of them!!!! IM LIVING!!!!!

GEN YOU VIPER! YOURE SICK AND YOU TAKE A MOMENT JUST TO WINK AT PHERIS IM SCREAMING

gen confirmed as visitor!!

"I have conceived a great desire to see him live to adulthood" AWWWWW

sneaky Gen, he never wanted the food for himself in the first place...

HELEN!!!! I would smile back too... 🥺

"Go smack him" 🤣🤣🤣

also LOVE that Gen and Helen SIT THE SAME!!!

again I am reminded that I am. Sophos.

"you're secretly *delighted* Akretenesh got what was coming to him" *oooooooooohhhhhhhh* also, arent we all.

"The king is tired of the whole mede empire. That is what the king is tired of." YES.

"I don't want anyone pitching you out a window while I'm not looking." hmmm would that count as a fall? has Gen already claimed him, then?

"whether the red mare had born twin foals" two, again.... 👀

quedue... the gall of that dude.... like I was irritated for a hot second but Attolia is LEADING HIM IN CIRCLES BY THE NOSE

still irritated he called her Irene??? eXCUSE ME???

"the most important thing in a marriage is...respect" YASSSS, QUEEN!!

he just... HE JUST???? HOW DARE?!??!!!?? HOW DARE HE???

"Run", indeed.

"No one paints moments like these on walls." that's a GREAT line.

gen looks down like he's been stabbed in the heart and I can't decide if it's hilariously overdramatic or if i feel extremely hurt *for* him.

queueueue dude better be able to run in heels 😌

Attolia really said if I'm not allowed to kill him neither are you... ultimate power couple I swear...

I LOVE THEM SO MUCH. the next morning they're both in their own beds like any other night. incredible.

*it was at this point when I stopped taking notes bc that would require me to stop reading*

So here are my extremely disjointed thoughts after finishing it!

First of all it's the same as the other books I think, in which I enjoy it on the first read through, but absolutely fall in love with it on later reads!

I enjoyed the interactions between Gen, Irene, Helen, and Sophos the most I think! They are absolutely iconic and lovely and I could NOT get enough. I missed Costis a lot and definitely squealed when he showed up!! And Kamet 🥺💞

Gen SINGING DITE'S SONG and then SCALING THE FREAKING WALL!!

Just. Every interaction. Gosh I love them.

All of the war bits made me extremely sad, which is both valid and important, bc too many books and things make war out to be this glorious thing and it's really not. Its sad.

GEN FOOLED ME AGAIN AND AGAIN. Every time I'm like, ah I know what you're doing... But I DON'T. I really don't.

TWINSSSAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH!!! I was unfortunately spoiled for that, so I saw a lot of the hints of two. I really tried to avoid spoilers but with Tumblr it's hit and miss

Ok BLOWING UP THE MEDE CAMP

But BUT THE LIGHTNING!!! That was very 😳

So sad when the Minister of War died....

CHASING GEN THROUGH THE PALACE THO

you guys, I don't even know. My brain is still spinning with all the input! Will I ever make sense of it all? Who knows and who cares, bc it was a delightful read and I am looking forward to rereading it and falling in love with it even more 🥺💞🥺💞🥺💞

ITS A LOT. ITS A LOT, OK.

Funny side note! Wednesday is when i finished reading ROTT, and Thursday was one exact year since I picked up The Thief for the first time! And, within this past year, I read the first three books three times each, the middle last two books two times each, and the last book once!!! !! ! Just an odd pattern I noticed...

Edit: wow, not only did I have to get out my computer in order to put everything under a Read More, but I had to copypaste the entire post into word to m a k e  a  n e w p o s t bc Tumblr is begin glitchy! This is like 3days after I wrote it sdadfkjlasdjh