#but first person narration also does a delightful job of it

[planet4546b]

theres something very compelling to me about characters that we assume (due to some part of the narrative structure or method of interaction) that we are entitled to know what is going on in their head, only for it to be revealed that we know absolutely nothing about them. its good.

[warcorrespondence]

Art heists! Handcuffs! Bank robberies! Sexy grifting! It must be The Take by distractionpie

fandom: Band of Brothers

pairing: Webgott

Mature, 92,861 words

I'll be honest, it took me a hot sec to get going on this, and this read was actually my second try. The reason for this (that Liebgott is an unreliable narrator) ended up being my very favorite thing about the fic.

When I say unreliable narrator, I don't mean shocktwist nothing happened the way he said it did. I mean he says (and believes he means) one thing, but really he's full of shit. Lieb is just not the most self-aware person in the world, and he lies to himself constantly - and the author does an excellent job of letting the reader in on how he actually feels. So when Lieb irritatedly decides that he absolutely has to do this one con and the only way it can possibly work is if he calls ugh the last person he wants to call, fucking Webster, Jesus Christ - we get to cackle because Sure, Jan.

The cons are clever but not overly complicated - the fic remains believable, like okay, distracting that one guard and doing bleeepity blooop technical talk to the security system, aaaaaaand painting liberated! It works. And there are delightful turns of phrase, including x villainous character "toting Webster around every party, subjecting him to self-congratulatory speeches like Webster was a flesh light for his ego."

Joe slept late the next morning, late enough that as soon as he glanced at the alarm clock he decided to just wait to go out for lunch instead of worrying about breakfast, but first he turned the TV on, flipping through the channels. Whoever had been watching it last had been watching the weather, but like he gave a shit; next were some Spanish soap-opera reruns, but romance languages had never been his strength; the news, usually depressing, but- wait! He turned the volume up just in time to hear the newscaster announce: "Just days after the Los Angeles SeaWorld center won the court case against animal rights campaigners allowing them to continue keeping great white sharks in captivity, their complete collection of sharks, comprising of over a dozen specimens of five different subspecies, has vanished overnight. The criminals have also caused thousands of dollars’ worth of damage to the aquarium premises and now empty tanks-" For a split second, Joe thought, surely not? But then he remembered just who he was dealing with and pulled out his phone. Did I just help you with a SHARK heist????

[befuddledcinnamonroll]

Favorite Kiss Tag Game

Tagged by @yannig, thank you! 😘

Rules: create a poll with five of your all time favorite onscreen kisses, setting any standard for qualification you choose. Then tag more friends to join in!

This is both a delightful game and a very difficult one. Dead fish kisses are largely a thing of the past, and our screens are filled with lovely smooches these days.

For me, my favorite kisses are not only about being aesthetically pleasing or emotionally powerful, but also about conveying something meaningful, either about the characters or the story. Something that words would never be able to express in the same way.

Yok and Dan (Not Me) - "Words alone are not enough"

I've made no secret that Yok has my heart forever, and I love how this kiss is confirmation of their mutual feelings, and a promise, while also being a reminder that with Yok, you are going to get spice with your sweet. It's character moments like this that set up the way he will forgive Dan for his betrayal but also give him a solid punch to the face. (And let's face it, there was definitely a bit of punishment later on at home, along with the loving).

Mizuki & Yoh (My Personal Weatherman) - "Without you...I can't breathe"

Japan has such a knack for conveying things without words. It's not uncommon for characters in Japanese BLs to be incapable of verbally expressing their wants and needs for large amounts of a story, but that doesn't mean we don't learn huge amounts of vital information. This series conveys so much via intimate moments, but this kiss in particular is when we fully see what an unreliable narrator Yoh has been, and how deeply he misunderstands the depth of Mizuki's love and need for him.

Phayu & Rain (Love in the Air) - "I must reward this cunning boy"

LITA is chockablock full of good kisses, but I really like this one. The beginning of this episode does a lot around setting up the D/s dynamics of their relationship, and the kiss is a part of that. Rain gets punished for making Phayu worry, and Phayu indulges his slight sadistic streak by pretending he's about to peace out - but then the kiss that follows almost feels like a benediction for their new relationship. Phayu finally lets his absolute adoration for Rain come out, revels in the experience of being intimate with his person, and Rain matches him beat for beat, showing why they work as a pair.

Pluem & Kevin (Ghost Host Ghost House) - "I can wait for it"

The lead up to this kiss is one of my favorite moments in all of BL, where Kevin is 100% aware of the effect he is having on Pluem, and Pluem is attempting to be god's strongest soldier - and utterly failing. But again, what makes it so good is what it tells us about the characters. Kevin is teasing Pluem, Pluem starts to tease him back, in the traditional seme way, and when that makes Kevin nervous, Pluem makes it clear that he is not an old school boy. He's soft and sweet and absolutely willing to put Kevin's comfort first, which is, of course, why Kevin immediately responds. Who could resist?

Li Cheng & Mu Ren (History 4: Close to You) - "I didn't forget..."

Li Cheng and Mu Ren have yet to be dethroned as my favorite friends to lovers couple. The show does such a good job setting up their deep love and devotion to each other on the friend side, that when it finally gets to a point where their romantic feelings are mutual, you need something special to show that a switch has finally been flipped. The tone of this scene, with a little help of the blinding light of love, proves that we have crossed a threshold, and it is absolutely lovely on the other side.

I'm not sure where all this has made the rounds yet, but no pressure tags for @slayerkitty @sunshinexiaobao (your name change threw me for a moment lol) @infinitelyprecious @lilithfatale @dramalets and anyone else who wants to play!

[holylustration]

Dopamine Week #4: Fic Recommendation

My theme for Dopamine Week is "WIPs." And on that front, I have two WIPs in mind: one that I am currently caught up on and another that I haven't gotten to fully sink my teeth into yet.

Recommendation #1: Edge of Daybreak Unbroken by @themagnificentmags

So, I think I began reading Edge of Daybreak Unbroken during the very first Dopamine Week, so I'm glad to be able to give it a recommendation and bring it full circle!

Here's why Edge of Daybreak Unbroken is worth your time:

The premise is Warhammer 40,000: Rogue Trader, New Game Plus. And I love that. I find it has that meta quality narrative where I, as the reader, can empathize with the main character when she sees the outcome of a choice she never took.

Despite it being a game "retelling," it isn't a one-for-one copy and paste of the game's script. And even the events that we see happening through Eltura's eyes aren't always a match for what we see in the game, as she might just nuke the planet from orbit rather than deal with the obvious and problematic trap that lurks on its surface.

The prose is a beautiful balance of matter-of-fact, dry humor, and evocative description. Mags gets you the necessary information to understand what's going on in a very unfussy, reader-friendly way, and then hits you upside the head with a bat as she describes what its like to wiggle teeth loose from their sockets with a tongue and subsequently choke on them.

You really can't help but cheer for Eltura. She comes back to relive all her horrors because she wants Heinrix to stay with her this time (and who WOULDN'T want that?), only she slips and falls into Iconoclasm along the way. Also, I put her in the category of fashionable Rogue Traders because of her coat. She is criminally underrepresented in Rogue Trader art.

Mags is not just a delightful person, but also meticulous. She really wants to think through the lore and the canon implications of the story. So, you can be sure that Edge of Daybreak Unbroken is being written in a way that is thoughtful and deliberate.

Recommendation #2: Omnissiah Forgive Me by @jaal-ama-daravv

Having not gotten very far yet into Omnissiah Forgive Me, let me give you the reasons why I've chosen to catch up on the fic this week:

Pasqal is one of the hardest characters for me to write; his speech pattern and motivations generally elude me. And Jaal's got seven chapters of him? SEVEN chapters? Emperor above, grant me blessed cognition so that I may better write him!

Sometimes, I just need a little break from Marazhai or Heinrix, so why not sample something that isn't Nocturne or Calligos? :D

I've had the pleasure of hearing Jaal narrate excerpts during our live readings, and she puts so much raw emotion into each and every word. It is electrifying. I cannot WAIT to see how that plays out on the page.

Damn, if Kassard's description doesn't come off as an absolute and utter badass. Tall, strong, scarred woman? Not afraid of her emotion? Heck yes.

A shout goes out to Jaal herself for her dedication not just to the story, but also the Rogue Trader community. Whether she's a mod or organizing the gift exchanges, she's somewhere being a positive contributor! And she does all of that on top of one of the hardest real life jobs that I can imagine, so she deserves double the praise!

Whether you're reading one (or both) of the fics above, or you're starting on something else, thanks for joining us this week!

[thousand-winters]

just in general 😸😸😸

Alright, sorry for the wait! I'm throwing a bunch of random ones at you.

Saiki K

crossing bridges, by galacticbestbuds: It's basically Reawakened extended. It has one very fun plot twist that made me go a little insane when I realized, and overall I think it handled very well Saiki's plight about his identity related to his powers. Featuring Terusai and Kubokai as guests, though not really the focus of it. 10/10.

The Road Ahead of Us, by LilacNoctua: Kubokai on a roadtrip on their last winter holiday before graduation. It's sweet and the dynamic is written in a very fun way. Also the little bits with Saiko had me so endeared, he would act like that fr.

MP100

Mama, Just Killed a Man, by beefstatic: Absolutely delightful exploration of Serizawa's mother's journey through trying to help her son, seeing him go away with a stranger, learning about what happened and finally reuniting with him. It's so so good.

Like Acid Reflux, or Love, by partingxshot: I always recommend this one but it's just so fun. Don't be afraid of the 2nd person, it can add so much flavor to a narration and it sure does here. The fic is about this poor pawn shop person trying to date Reigen and realizing just how much their boyfriend's life is shaped around a bunch of kids.

The Owl House

Let Me Apologize, for the Mistakes I Don’t Regret, by NeonLite: I'm still thinking about this one. It's a Dadrius fic in which Darius gets hurt while protecting Hunter and Hunter does a wonderful job being normal about it (he does not). The narration is so wonderful to express Darius' panic and the interactions are so well done. I cannot recommend it enough.

love will hurt you, but love will never mean to, by randomramblingsofme: This fic always pops up in my head whenever someone asks me for recommendations. It deals with Hunter learning how to let himself be loved, interjected by verses of a poem. The style is just so beautiful and it makes me cry.

Wake, Hurt, Sleep, Repeat, by randomramblings of me: Properly the fic that got me very well hooked into Dadrius fics, I believe. Canon divergent since the show wasn't over at the time but it's just such a good one. It's been a while since I've read it, but it's very dear to me.

Precision, by Tinglecannon: One of the best Darius writers, in my opinion, and this fic really drives the point home with how good the characterization is. You have the first chapter with Hunter and Darius' playful dynamic and then the second one is the rebel trio in one of their many times working through the plans for the rebellion, all in all flawless.

Star Wars

Magic Blankets, by Lady_Lombax: This is such a sweet, comforting one. Kind of a fix it fic, featuring the magic of crocheting and the magic of love, pretty much. It's very woth reading even if you're not super familiar with SW, in my opinion.

Pen Name: Fulcrum, by twoseas: Silly romcom-like shenanigans Kalluzeb. In which Kallus secretly becomes a romance novel author and becomes unexpectedly famous while grappling with his own feelings for Zeb. Featuring a lot of fun interactions between Kallus and the Ghost Crew.

[chemicallywrit]

Happy Audio Drama Sunday! What a delightful and spooky Halloween week. As usual, this list is not comprehensive, but this is what stood out to me this week. Some spoilers ahead, in the shape of vibes~

🩸Hemophobia did NOT disappoint. My word. The strange disconnected way the story was told; the fact that the sermons were more coherent and clear than the action; the Extremely Teenage Teens. Man. I cannot wait to listen to this next episode.

🦀 THE SILT VERSES. Every day I think about Faulkner. The person he is. The apostle and the fool. Jeez louise. I can’t tell if he’ll save the faith or obliterate it and take everyone down with him. @thesiltverses

🌊 Modes of Thought In Anterran Literature - is that Felix Trench??? On the one hand, hearing a familiar voice does break the immersion a little, like the most unnerving part of this show is how real it feels; on the other hand, Felix did such a good job, the immersion break didn’t last long. This new character sucks, i love him.

👻 Palimpsest!!!! New palimpsest!!!! Easily one of my favorite single-narrator shows, and this one is set in the 1920s, which is one of my favorite historical periods. They’re also very good at a horrible subtle twist, so I can’t wait to hear more about this ghost.

😈 Kakos Industries is literally always good, but I really feel for Corin being like “PLEASE leave me alone on Halloween.” Man, this show is funny. Why isn’t it more popular. Please listen to Kakos Industries. They’re on hiatus, there’s no better time to catch up. @kakosindustries

🍔 Mayfair Watcher’s Society always knows how to get to me. It’s like, the absolute corruption of the Normal into something horrific and wretched is the point of the show, especially when it’s something you always suspected was messed up. Like a fast food job. I shudder.

🌲HALLOWOODS JEEZ. Mx Wellman did in fact try to kill me. I survived. I WISH SOME OTHER FOLKS HAD. @hellofromthehallowoods

❄️ Red Valley. Man alive. One of the things I love about this show is how there are no real heroes, but this season from the POV of the villains—the architects of the apocalypse, in a lot of ways. Creeps. It’s delicious. Today’s episode, watching Clive finally reaping what he sowed, was absolutely glorious. @redvalleypod

🦷 Welcome to Night Vale - HOBOY. Idk if the return of Kevin is going to be a plot point, but it’s the perfect idea for a Halloween ep. Chilling work as always, Kev! It’s also fun to listen to him seethe about his loss of power.

🅿️ Podcube is always a delightful treat, but this week had a fantastic little bit of sound design, which I’m told is this sound designer’s first attempt at such a thing. He did a great job! I love this show, everyone listen to PodCube. @podcube

👑 Malevolent: We’re Back To The Horrors. I’m honestly relieved. Arthur having friends and family is so scary, I keep waiting for something horrible to happen to them. And now something has! Which is not to say more terrible things won’t happen, but i feel like the other shoe has dropped. This is not a criticism at all, Harlan is so good at this.

🌞 I finished Fall of the House of Sunshine this week and…it made me cry? This goof goof show made me CRY? It really is just You Make Your Own Meaning The Musical, isn’t it? If this show had to have a moral, then “even if all you can do is something small, it matters” is a pretty good one. The fact that there was a moral at all is pretty miraculous. I’m going to go listen to the soundtrack a million times now.

🧛🏻‍♂️ Re: Dracula is coming to an end in just a few days and here is a secret: i haven’t heard these last few eps yet. Tal and Stephen finished working on them while I was in the thrall of New Job, so I get to hear their excellent sound work new with you. I am so excited for the final showdown, let’s GO. @re-dracula

🧟‍♀️ The Dead premiered this week! Go subscribe to it, it’s about to get REAL WEIRD. We did some table reads for the next story this weekend (and we have one more today!) and if you think zombies on a plane are scary…

Go check it out!

Now that all is well on the job front, I hope to get back to recording Inn Between soon, because I Want It To Exist. If you want to help us out or you just like what I got up to today, please drop by my ko-fi!

[takeariskao3]

can i just say that i love how relatable your ginny is? in many stories ginny is perfect and harry is messed up, but in this they are both a hot mess. and what i love is how you do a great job of portraying ginny’s mindset in a way that not only shows that she blames harry, but also makes the audience blame him. but if you really think about it, she’s just as much the reason if not more that they’re so messed up. not saying harry’s not a complete wreck 24/7, because he definitely is, but our girl’s got trust issues, understandably so cough cough childhood trauma, and she’s all HARRY RUINED EVERYTHING HE DOESNT LET ME IN WHY IS HE LIKE THIS meanwhile this beautiful badass emotional trainwreck of a human is actually blocking him out even more then he’s blocking her and she’s creating problems in her head and making everything way worse for their situation. like harry’s got issues but he’s over being sad and is ready to snog the living fuck out of her and hold her and protect her and be there for her and she’s like why must he be so closed off and push me away and be unwilling to try meanwhile she gets angry every time he so much as breathes and avoids him at all costs but also loves him but has convinced herself it’s all 100% his fault and then gets pissed that she has feelings for him and tells herself more reasons why he sucks. self sabotage at its finest.

i love it. me too ginny

I HAVE HELD ONTO THIS MESSAGE FOR SO LONG BECAUSE I OPEN UP MY INBOX AND READ IT AND GRIN LIKE AN IDIOT!!

also i was reluctant to respond because like HOLY SHIT YOU GET IT!? you know??? you. get. it. and if i go on a total rant about HOW MUCH YOU GET IT i would literally spoil everything lmaooo so i'll try to freak out over this message with minimal spoilers skdfjskldjfs

under the cut because length

when i first set out to start the path from you, i knew the story i wanted to tell, but i knew it had to be a long evolution of both their internal thoughts and their views of each other. because we can make inferences and interpretations of their deepest, most intrinsic thoughts from the source material, but it's really fun for me to ask how does that change after trauma..?

and i knew (I KNEW) i wanted them both to be the most unreliable narrators imaginable. because that's how we think right?? or at least that's how i think, i can't speak for everyone else i suppose, but we rationalize and try to put puzzle pieces together that don't actually fit. and if you look close enough, ginny is such a PERFECT template for this kind of storytelling because she is so strong willed. she is open and emotionally mature with most everyone, except herself?? now a lot of this is me filling in the blanks between CoS and OoTP/HBP but i mean how does a girl spend an entire school year possessed and then just casually go on to be the most well-adjusted, well-liked, social butterfly?

she suppresses. she suppresses HARD.

and with that habit of suppress and overcome, all the sudden she is falling in love? and providing emotional support and a delightful sort of stability to a person who has never felt that in his entire life.

so i ran with it! i sat down and wrote out pages and pages of what ginny thought of harry, and what harry thought of ginny, and how ginny thought harry saw her, and how harry thought ginny saw him... and its the second half of those questions that gets *really* interesting.

how does ginny think harry sees her? how does ginny react when she thinks she can't be that ever again? what happens when suppress and overcome doesn't work anymore? what is she going to do when harry actually decides to open up about something for the first time in his life?

ginny has created this narrative in her head that blames harry and absolves her of guilt because the alternative would be admitting that she has kept him as far away from her as possible because if he saw her (the real her, after all the shit) then she thinks he wouldn't want her anymore. and that is just too devastating for her to even contemplate so she doesn't bother, and she goes along heightening all harry's mistakes in an effort to dampen her own.

and let me tell you... once harry looks outward and stops focusing so much on his own internal war when it comes to his feelings for ginny, he starts getting real tired of it.

[ahb-writes]

Comics Review: 'In Limbo'

In Limbo by Deb JJ Lee

autobiography

bullying

depression

domestic violence

family

memoir

racism

My Rating: 3 of 5 stars

IN LIMBO is a complicated read. The graphic novel is an ongoing and endless contortion of teenage ostracism, the commonality of human arrogance, and the occasional bout of heedless self-martyrdom. Not necessarily in that order, and not necessarily always stemming from the perennially anxious narrator. IN LIMBO is about the risks of accumulating emotional debt, but readers won't know that until they're about 180 pages into the book.

The problems Deb faces are not unique, but they feel all-encompassing. She struggles to adapt to the faster pace of high school. She's behind in her schoolwork. She's cracking under the pressure of her first-gen immigrant parents. She's drifting away from her best friend. She's losing interest in her extracurricular feats. Deb's tribulations, in isolation, are not particularly exhausting. Nor are they, viewed at length, particularly worthy of note. But isn't that the point? Growing up is hard.

For Jung-Jin Lee, for Deb, the world is spinning faster and faster, and she's doing her utmost to keep from falling apart as she tumbles to the ground. IN LIMBO curls its tendrils around one or two of these problems and personalizes them in meaningful and grueling ways (e.g., What's it like to lose a childhood friend? What's the value of filial piety when it succumbs to child abuse?). The book then exposes how seemingly normal problems in suburban America tend to metastasize in ways very few people see, recognize, believe true, or deem worthy of acting on.

And that's how this graphic novel goes. There are so many points of interest, one will invariably find it difficult to figure out what the book's theme or focus is supposed to be. The immigrant experience? Failed friendships? Racism? Bullying? Academic underperformance? Domestic violence? A young woman with weight issues? IN LIMBO is largely episodic, fragmented, and emotionally dislocated.

Friends come and leave. As do parents' mood swings, pop quizzes, and indifferent therapists. Deb fights to keep it all at bay, and she mostly does a good job of it. But fighting off the stressors of not being good enough (for her friends, for the Korean diaspora, for her parents, for herself), often distracts her from the possibility of finding solace (in listening to her friends, in revaluing her connection to her heritage, in apologizing to her father, in forgiving herself). And that, one presumes, is also the point.

IN LIMBO doesn't tell a linear tale of mental health decline, and that's because so few struggles with depression, anxiety, and suicide rarely manifest so cleanly in the real world. It's the type of book best afforded to readers who know what they're getting into (and know what to look for). Otherwise, the book's first and second halves may read like two completely separate titles. This graphic novel is long, and can feel wayward due to its lack of a resonant theme (beyond a high school girl having multiple bad days). But the emotional curvature bends toward betterment. Eventually. And that, too, is probably the point. One hopes.

The art style is a mixed bag. Lee's character art is composed of delightful and sinewy line work that showcases the author's incredible skill for capturing a character's emotional frailty in a wan facial expression or an errant hand gesture. Elsewhere, the totality of the comic's background art and environmental design is derived from a photo-realistic style whose flat, static countenance feels ruefully disjointed from the story's variably textured mood.

❯ ❯ Comics Reviews || ahb writes on Good Reads

[blossomingbooks]

Book Review: Circe, Madeline Miller

This book review is sponsored by a dear friend whose favorite novel is Madeline Miller's Circe (2018) and so she gave it to me a while ago. I had been meaning to read it ever since, so I finally grabbed it and let me tell you... I wasn't expecting to read this so avidly!

The only thing I knew about Circe was what I had read in the Odyssey (mainly her relationship with Odysseus). But Madeline Miller goes much further, telling her whole story, from the marriage of her parents, titan Helios (the Sun) and the naiad Perse, to her life after Odysseus leaves her island. We follow her coming of age, both as a woman and as a witch; we feel her loneliness, her sorrows, her rage. Miller gives her a voice and a motivation behind her myth of turning men into pigs — which was the hardest, most harrowing part to read in the whole novel, but followed by a very rewarding chapter.

I really enjoyed Miller's writing. It feels intimate enough to create an empathic rapport with the first-person narrator, while also being very lyrical, establishing from the beginning the tone of a divine/mythological theme. As a Greek mythology enthusiast, it was exciting to read about so many familiar figures intertwined with Circe's narrative, like Daedalus and Icarus (whose outcome destroyed me even though I obviously knew what was coming), Ariadne, the Minotaur, Medea, and so on. Miller did an excellent job in grabbing different myths and texts and weaving them together. The only part I had no idea about was the post-Odyssey narrative, and I was glad to found out that only the final chapters had a bit more of creative freedom (which is understandable since most myths don't have a resolution). I'm still not sure how I feel about the ending, although it does make sense and I'm glad she left it open-ended.

Feminist retellings of classical stories always draw my attention, but I feel like the character of Circe is an extremely special one, having been the first witch known in Western literature. It was delightful to go through her self-discovery journey with her, with all the spells, herbs, love affairs and sorrows it comprised. I'm definitely even more curious about the Miller's famous The Song of Achilles than I already was!

[piratejenna]

Spoilers for FMAB and FMA manga

Prompt: fic with your favorite worldbuilding

Title (series): It's an Enormous World

Author: @elfpen

Fandom: Fullmetal Alcehmist

Rating: varied (General and up)

Word Count: 26,028

Summary: My own ideas on what the Elric Brothers get up to post FMAB/Manga. Published at various times, I'll arrange this series in narrative chronological order.

------

So this one's a little different since I'm talking about a whole series. I will point out my favorite individual fic, but this series as a whole has some of my favorite worldbuilding.

Alright, so this series is set post-canon, and as the title of the series implies, each fic is focused on what the Elrics are doing and where they are. There are a few worldbuilding aspects I like, and I want to hit each one.

First, I love the stuff with Al in Xing. The fic presents a cool picture of what Al's time there is like, and while I am delighted by the developing of Al and Mei's relationship, I really like how the author expands Al and Ling's relationship. "Legends" and "The Treaty" both give interesting looks into Al's role in Xing and what Ling is doing as emperor, and it's very cool.

Second, I really like this version of Ed and Winry's family. They have a bunch of kids, which is adorable. Winry has her automail shop which is great. In particular, I like that in "Inequivalent Exchange" Winry's shop is in Rush Valley (some people put them in Resembool, which I get, but personally I like this better). And of course, I love that Elfpen has perfectly shown Ed to be a wonderful dad, despite this never really being the focus of any of the fics.

Finally, this series has my favorite post-Ed, where he has become an alchemy professor in Central. I already love this concept, but Elfpen does a magnificent job in characterizing Ed as a professor. He both feels like he's grown from where we last see him in canon while also being recognizable as the same character. The scenes in his classroom are my favorite in the series.

The most recent fic, "Questions", is probably my favorite. This one is an outside pov (which I love), and has Al filling in for Ed's class, and it's so great! The development that is shown through Al dropping off-hand comments about the other characters is great. I particularly like the scene where the narrator sees Al and Mustang interacting.

The way Elfpen expands on canon throughout this series is so lovely to read. There's still room for the reader to fill in blanks, and I like that the author doesn't try to explain absolutely everything. There are still stretches of time we don't see, and that's part of what I love about "Questions". The worldbuilding is delivered in small snippets, in the way you'd expect in a book, where you learn about things from off-hand comments. And part of the effect is that in every fic, you get the feeling that these characters are doing things "off screen". Elfpen wonderfully creates the sense that this series is just giving us glimpses into a larger story.

I would strongly recommend this series to any FMA fans, and while "Questions" is my favorite, I'd recommend starting at the beginning since there are concepts that get built on overtime. (But if you are looking for Professor Ed, "The Circle" is a good one that you can start with).

[felikatze]

yeah actually the 2nd pov in Plusquam is part of what really compels me with it. does a delightful job of REALLY putting you in that concussed child's messy headspace and also feeling what they're feeling. good job! we're BOTH traumatized! slaps a gold sticker onto Morgan

i'm honestly super glad people enjoy it!! it's so essential to like. the identity of the fic. the vibe. the thematics. the everything

i've actually had the problem where i was writing a non plusquam morgan centric fic in third person and i kept slipping into second.

second is just soo good to deal w the nitty gritty of a character's psyche? because in first person it's like the character is recounting everything to you but in second person that's not the case at all. i really love how the post lays out the narrator as an oppressive force, bearing down on the character.

plusquam is actually my second fic written in second person and the first is also a character study. they die again is still one of my favorite fics of the "short and full of vague feelings" variety. i have a lot of those.

thank you for complimenting my writing!! i'm still just so happy people like it!!

[bookwyrmshoard]

Well Met, by Jen DeLuca

A charming, delightful romance set in and around a small Renaissance Faire, Well Met was a welcome, summery treat in the middle of January. I loved Emily, whose first-person narration gives the book its tone and perspective. On the heels of a breakup that left her questioning her own worth, Emily left her jobs in the city to take care of her sister and niece as April (a single mom) recovers from a devastating car accident. April’s small town hosts an annual RenFaire, and Caitlin, Emily’s teenage niece, wants to volunteer, but she can’t do so without an adult guardian. So Emily finds herself drafted into playing one of the two “tavern wenches” for the duration of the Faire. Too bad the Faire’s organizer, high-school English teacher Simon Graham, has taken such a dislike to her. Although his piratical alter-ego certainly seems to like her, flirting with “Emma,” her tavern-wench persona, at every opportunity. It promises to be an interesting summer.

Jen DeLuca deftly juggles summer fun, humor, and real emotion, and she gets the balance between her main characters’ antagonism and their undeniable attraction just right. Enemies-to-lovers isn’t usually one of my favorite tropes, but it works really well here, in part because Simon and Emily are never really enemies. Simon appears to disapprove of Emily, which makes her bristle and judge him right back. But there are moments of sympathy and understanding between them, even relatively early on, that offer strong hints that they are misjudging one another and could easily become friends if they took the time to get to know each other a little better.

Because we’re always in Emily’s head, never in Simon’s, we see the whole relationship from her perspective. That can be limiting in a romance, but DeLuca does an excellent job of letting the reader know there’s more going on in Simon’s emotional life than Emily initially recognizes. And their physical attraction is written perfectly, particularly the swoon-worthy kissing scenes (omg, that sonnet scene!) I also appreciate that Emily’s emotional arc isn’t centered solely around her relationship with Simon; it’s also about her own self-worth, her relationships in general and with her sister in particular, and discovering what she wants to do with her life. Her growth comes, and needs to come, on all those fronts.

If I have any complaints about Well Met, it’s that the setting is so generic. I don’t mean the RenFaire; it’s clear that DeLuca has some background there, and she really makes it come alive. Likewise, I suspect she has some theater background, because she absolutely nails the feeling of freedom that can come with playing someone different from your everyday self. But her fictional small Maryland town is so bland and generic, it could be almost anywhere. (Well, anywhere that has woods nearby; it’s clearly not southern Arizona.) I lived in Maryland for a lot of my childhood, much of that near a small town; I grew up playing in the woods. None of DeLuca’s vague descriptions said “Maryland” to me. Take the Faire woods, for instance. There’s very little description of them: no mention of what kind of trees there are or how tall, nor of the understory plants, and these woods are apparently devoid of both scents and sounds. And although DeLuca mentions the heat occasionally, and how dirty the Faire volunteers get, she mostly leaves out the summer humidity that can make the air feel like thick soup and leaves you feeling hot, sweaty, and ennervated. (Also, it never rains on Faire weekends, which is wildly unlikely.)

But that’s a minor quibble in a book that is otherwise a delightful, summery concoction of love, friendship, and finding your place. I loved it, and can’t wait to read the other books in the series.

[sapphiredragonprincess]

Sapph’s random commentary while reading Murderbot 01, because I already wrote it, so may as well post it (ch 1-3):

"The hostile that had just exploded up out of the ground had a really big mouth, so I felt I needed a really big gun." Murderbot, I barely know you, but I already love your narration. (Part 2, because part 1 was all of the first paragraph.)

I LOVE his sidetracking and his humor. The whole looking up "cilias" to figure out if he was using the right term (in the middle of an emergency!) and mocking (not just humor, but also reproach?) the kind of "education" he received, my god, delightful.

Forgot to mention in the first post: Murderbot shows more personality in a single paragraph than some YA protagonists do in their whole books.

Oh! The first time he slips and does something he shouldn't if he wanted to keep his cover AND IT'S BECAUSE HE WANTED TO PROTECT A HUMAN FROM HARMING THEMSELVES!!! I AM LOVING THIS!!!

"one of those things I'm not contractually obligated to care about." On the one hand, this is hilarious again. On the other, there's something there about the language of contracts and caring as an obligation, or maybe I should say as a job. Don't ask me what, I'm just a bunny, what do I know?

Ahsjakda Awkward Murderbot is cute! What the hell, I didn't expect that!

"Please get out of my cubicle so I can sit here and leak in peace." Murderbot, why are you so relatable. I mean, I would die from such an injury, but in the case it were nonfatal, yeah, same.

I'm laughing, he really had no idea what he was saying. So even bots can talk out of their asses, uh?

Wait, what? Oh! Excellent cut! I'm screaming because I pause all the time to write my thoughts when I just want to continue reading, but that was a perfect way to finish the chapter.

"freehold generally meant shitshow" Ah! Yes, I see it, the whole idea that small groups trying to do things by themselves instead of falling in line with some big company are always messy, therefore less efficient or prone to infighting of some sort. It's not entirely incorrect, but we know those kinds of groups and projects are what protect everyone else of complete submission under some company's soulless absolute rule.

I'm shit at creating visuals in my head for the characters I read about, but I really want to remember the detail about the gunports in Murderbot's forearms and hope I don't miss other points like this, that talk about what visually shows him as not human (and wonder if I'll get to figure out if there is a line to visually differentiate between bots and augmented humans), since it obviously is something that matters much to him, what with how he tries to hide them.

Again with the laughing, I love the mention of not cleaning up unless given an order. What did I say about him and his personality?

Oh, sweet, companies forcing you to have a mole listening to your every conversation. Joy!

I love how he repeats that, yeah, the moment was actually just this short, but it felt that long.

"I don't take it personally." I'm not sure what I'm thinking when I read this after the complaints about paying high prices for shitty equipment, but it sure does ping something at the back of my head. (Is it the awareness of being a "something sold"? About the specific phrase of "shitty equipment" that applies to him? I'm not sure.)

Oh, I love that his using of the armor to distance himself meant he didn't keep up not emoting and it translated into showing his "I really don't want to be here" face to the group. There's the physical barriers are emotional barriers thing, and the awareness and expressions thing, but mostly the horror of having to stay in a group of people who know each other but not you.

Oh, there's something to say there about his comment on how no one would hire a SecUnit if they didn't have to (unless they wanted murder). There's the whole "his negative opinions about himself" issue, but also the "what the real purpose of these units are" theme and the going back to "paying high for shitty stuff" element. Too bad bunny really doesn't know what to say about any of these.

"In a smart world, I should go alone" and what comes after once again has me thinking of the purpose of a SecUnit, the motivation to make them (and not something else), and also the value (to the company) of the people who use these units.

"they were all so nice and it was just excruciating" Aaah, poor Murderbot, social anxiety? Or something quite like it, but not exactly. It's partly the "being around others" and partly the "they are humanizing me in a way that's different from how I conceptualize myself". And I'm sure there's more, maybe something of the differentiation between what SecUnits in general are and are treated as (according to Murderbot), and what he himself is and should be treated as, though I'm not sure where I'd go with that line of thought.

"Yes, talk to Murderbot about his feelings. The idea was so painful I dropped to 97 percent efficiency. I'd rather climb back into Hostile One's mouth." I'm laughing again. Funny images aside, it's an extension of the last comments points of him being an introvert, his lack of practice at socialization and maybe there's something to say about his emotional education (or rather lack thereof).

Oh! Plot! More of HubSystem and things going weird around it! (Sidenote: awww, Murderbot does recognize appreciation for Mensah's intervention.)

Have I mentioned how I love that Murderbot just- watches his series during the downtimes of whatever is going on? Like, he's copilot, but he's also watching his stuff. There's also that he actually downloads it to his internal storage. I have no idea if that means something, but I want to pin this, because I think about bots having internal storage and wondering about them using external storage or cloud systems, and when or where or why. I think about how there's always a limited amount of data a machine can keep and wonder about choosing what to keep, Myrderbot's decision-making if/when presented by the need. [Is it possible to live so long you can't keep all your memories? Not just the "inconsequential" (quotes because what is inconsequential about a life?), but even the "meaningful" ones? How long? Human memories naturally deteriorate, but for a machine it would have to be a choice to let go, wouldn't it? Or is the choice not to make new ones? To continue adding more and more until it breaks? I'm getting on a tangent, aren't I? Well, shit. Let's cut it here.]

Add clever commentary about Murderbot's opinions and desires when mentioning the dead bodies he's seen and caused, and it being a "nice change" when there are none.

Plot: well, if it doesn't raise your heartbeat when there's so many "mapping errors" that could kill you and your team.

Nice, nice, nice. Implied commentary about automatic updates, the whole companies forcing you to break the things you use so they can charge you for making them usable again (or selling you something else which works worse and steals more from you). And then more plot.

So there's more of Murderbot emoting under the helmet, his mention of not having to defend the company (which is commentary on employees knowing stuff that could help clients but not being allowed to do it, because their job isn't for the clients, is for the businesses), and his wanting to help people who are about to make bad choices (regarding their own physical safety).

"I couldn't explain to myself why. It was one of those impulses that comes from my organic parts that the governor is supposed to squash." I am still unsure *what* Murderbot is. Not completely a robot, since we know there's flesh there, but also it repairs entirely too fast for anything properly human or animal. He's a mass-produced construction with organic components. What's the definition of a non-human or whatever the quote is. More so with the mention of natural impulses that the governor has to suppress. And honestly, there's so much to explore in that concept. In the fact that, theoretically, all SecUnits (all bots? all bots who have a measure of organic components?) have natural responses and something external, programmed to someone else's interest, overrides that decision-making (is that commentary on people being forced to make choices that are bad for themselves because the socio-economic system won't allow them to make good ones?).

Mention: Murderbot calling out his own brand of pessimistic care when thinking about needing the medical supplies, the distinction between "hope it's nothing bad" vs "hope it's just injures and not dead bodies".

[aureentuluva70]

Spoilers for Rings of Power Episodes 1 and 2

OK, so I just watched ep 1 and 2 for Rings of Power, and believe it or not I actually found it pretty enjoyable. And this is coming from a person who was once very pessimistic about the show. While there are some details that don't entirely fit with Tolkien's Canon, I've found that it's very easy to forgive when the show manages to nail that whimsical, Tolkienesque feeling and essence so dang well.

The visuals and cinematography are absolutely stunning. Almost every shot looks like a painting, especially the landscape shots. And the music! The music is incredible, and I could listen to Bear Mcreary's score for hours. He did a fantastic job and deserves all the praise for it. It's both reminiscent of Howard Shore's score for the Jackson Lotr trilogy yet something else all on its own at the same time, matching that very Tolkienesque feeling of the Professor's books. And in the end, isn't capturing the same feeling of Tolkien's writings what really matters instead of freaking out over insignificant details?

Now for the more spoiler-y content:

I love how ep 1 begins with Galadriel narrating the prologue just like the beginning of the Fellowship of the Ring. A cool nod to the Peter Jackson Trilogy.

I absolutely adored the scenes between young Galadriel and Finrod. They're so wholesome, I was beaming throughout the entire thing.

I literally squealed with delight when I heard the name Morgoth. He's actually mentioned quite a few times.

I was jumping out of my seat and giggling when Sauron showed up in the prologue. Sure we don't see his face but still he looks FANTASTIC. Not to mention he's freaking HUGE.

I REALLY hope we get to see Celeborn and Celebrian in the next season. WHERE ARE THEYYYYYYYY.

I adore the harfoots. Everything about them. Also Nori just radiates Frodo Baggins, and I love it so much.

Is it just me, or does Theo give me serious Maeglin vibes? I'd honestly be shocked if he doesn't turn out to become an evil character.

Elrond is the biggest, kindest sweetheart ever and I am already hopelessly in love with him. Celebrian is one lucky woman indeed.

Seeing Khazad-Dum in all its glory was just 👌.

I really love Durin and Elrond's friendship even if it does start out pretty shaky at first. Hearing Durin express his anger towards Elrond about how he hasn't seen him in so long and how he's missed so much of Durin's life just fits so well with Tolkien's themes of Mortality and Immortality. AND IT MAKES IT ALL THE MORE PAINFUL WHEN YOU REALIZE THAT DURIN IS JUST ANOTHER PERSON THAT ELROND IS GOING TO LOSE.

Expanding more on the southlands, and how many of the Elves are still unwilling to see past what the ancestors of the people of the Southlands did, and how that all ties in with Tolkiens themes of Immortality and Mortality was super cool, and I'm really excited to see and learn more about it. I've always found the topic of the Easterlings fascinating, and I find it awesome that this show is going to delve deeper into that.

I love the direction theyre taking with the portrayal of the orcs in the show. How they were able to make even a single orc feel like a deadly threat, it felt like something straight out of a horror film.

I SCREAMED when Feanor was mentioned. The entire conversation between Elrond and Celebrimbor in that scene had me fangirling so hard. (Also, if anyone would have a smithing hammer as ridiculously ornate as that, it would be Feanor.)

[srbachchan]

DAY 4926

Jalsa, Mumbai                   Aug 22,  2021                 Sun 11:05 PM

.. raksha bandhan .. and the thread of protection and love and care all weaved into this festive day .. tradition .. our wealth , our culture , our everlasting existence .. and the liberty of non biological relationships to be endorsed as well .. its the trust and the emotion of a brother towards a sister , and a sister towards a brother .. that binding lasts forever .. in love in understanding .. in the belief of the sanctity of the moment .. 

immersed in that culture,  comes the coming together , despite the protocol of the virus .. ably in protection and care , but respected in the feel of the emotion .. 

.. and the day passes in the glory of its presence ..

work starts early tomorrow and the readings of the experience with ‘Amitji’ and Alexa is heartening .. thank you all the Ef for your blessings and love and the effort made to subscribe .. I do understand that the overseas is still a vacant territory, but I shall enquire if there are any plans to take it , beyond the shores of the Country .. 

.. the responses that ‘Amitji’ gives are of course the very first in the making and there shall be additions as we go along .. each design for the next shall have to be creatively challenging, especially the poems and the readings of the works of Babuji .. they need to be heard in the graph and the grain of the recitation as the poet would have wanted it to be portrayed .. and that is what I intend to attempt .. some of the works have a huge story behind them .. coming from the incidents written in Babuji’s autobiography, and some from my own personal remembrances .. the ones that have remained with me from the very early years as a teenager and the accompaniment that, I had the privilege to give to Babuji during the multiple ‘kavi sammelans’ , the poetic symposiums , public events , to different cities around the Country, at times late into the night, and to return back home, for he had to report on his professional job early in the morning in the External Affairs Ministry and that was a trying condition for him .. 

.. for me it was the excitement of hearing his recitation in front of lakhs of people .. at times 100- 200,000 in far off rural areas - the love of poetry at its prime ! 

Sadly one does not see or hear this happening in todays times .. there is attraction among the younger generation I feel towards the written word and its deep and meaningful renditions , but it needs to be woken up .. to be made available ..

.. I played a few of the renditions that have been done with a slight base music to heighten the experience, to some of the young and their reaction was encouraging .. some of them in the field of the media and in the field of ‘the influencer’ were impressed and commented on my Father’s works by expressing that .. “ one doesn’t hear such writings anymore , and it would be a delight for the new generation to have this experience “ .. 

I shall of course continue to endeavour in this direction .. bring more of Babuji’s works to all .. and perhaps at times render a brief story or an English or simple Hindi translation to the inner meanings , wherever possible ..

I am no master of the language, but if the format is acceptable , I shall of course seek assistance from some of the generation that lived in the times and the glory of Babuji ..

.. and .. knowing the many among our own Ef that have a vast knowledge and sense of poetry and literature , seek your inputs as well .. 

 .. it would be a great recognition of the immense talent that exists within us in  the Ef family , but also bring forth the strength of our Family that has remained just, trusted, and loyal to the DAY from DAY 1 ..

.. there are creatives in my mind of the audio readings of Babuji’s autobiography, of his thesis in English Literature on WB Yeats .. his dissertation being on Yeats’ own love and study on Occultism .. an Irish poet rendering his impress on the occult - a very strong and persuasive presence in our cultural existence from the very early centuries , out lasting so many other beliefs, yet still being in prominent belief even today .. 

.. the rendition of the Gita that Babuji translated into the language and the style and grain of Tulsidas’s Ramayan, is the only one of its kind .. the Jan Gita .. and bring to all , its learning through some of the attempts made by our own Ef ..

.. the translation of Shakespeare’s 4 major tragedies .. Macbeth, Hamlet, Othello and King Lear .. in the language of the Devnagri script, yet in the graph of the original Shakespeare graph, tone and writing .. never been done before ..

.. the plays were staged in Delhi .. in the 50′s .. Maaji and I played in Othello .. in the presence of some very distinguished guests .. Macbeth too was staged ..

.. just a reading of some of the originals along with the translations would be an interesting listen .. 

Modern inventions and technologies have provided us this gift of rendition to be heard and read in the absence of the narrator .. 

SOUND AND VOICE AS I SAID, earlier WAS THE FUTURE ..

.. we wait with bated breath on the reactions to them in the early attempts with this gadgetry just launched .. but there are several other units of presents that are being considered, and they shall also be tapped , I hope ..

Technology changes with each breath that we are consuming these days .. 

One wonders where the World shall take us .. 

But wherever it does .. an attempt should be made to hold the tail of its presence and try to move with it .. 

Much like my bicycle ride from Delhi to Chandigarh , when I was travelling to join the Govt.College, Chandigarh - not having got admission in Delhi University , at first attempt .. later of course I got admission in KM College, Delhi University and finished my BSc, from there .. 

.. but that story is another latent write ..

enough for the DAY .. 

 रात्रि की शांति में समय हो गया है , जा 

दिनचर्या की धुंधली यादों को बटोरने का , जा 

कुछ को भूलेंगे , कुछ साथ रहेंगे हमारे ;

कल फिर झहुआ भर के संजोएँगे , जा 

~ ab 

अमिताभ बच्चन 

Amitabh Bachchan

[peppers-ghost-posts]

Keep it Steady

Here's another obscure queer audio drama: Keep it Steady from Jessica Best (Unwell, The Strange Case of Starship Iris) and Procyon Podcast Network.

The summary, from the official website:

"Seventeen-year-old Zach is not a moral crusader. He's a snarky, well-liked stoner who attends detention about as often as Algebra. Unfortunately, he's also a closeted bisexual in 2005, in a town where even the potheads are conservatives. When school firebrand Gabe suggests they pretend to date in order to take the heat off two female students who are actually in love, Zach knows it's the worst idea he's ever heard. Then he does it anyway."

The first clever thing Keep it Steady does is structure the opening of the show as a Columbus High morning announcement. A perky female voice informs the listener of the date, content warnings and what events are going on in Columbus High. It's a clever way to ground the show in time and location, as well as provide necessary content warnings.

The personality of protagonist Zach is established very early on in the show. Voice actor Ashton Reid does an excellent job conveying both Zach's snarky stoner persona and his dramatic, self-aware, tired narration. It is a delight to listen to him engage with and begin to understand Gabe, whose zealotry conceals a more nuanced character.

If you were looking for a feel-good take on the fake-dating trope, this isn't it. The writers have kept the 2005 homophobia, as well as high school bullying. Zach's parents are conspicuously absent, but his home is frequently occupied by his friend and her younger brother fleeing their parent's house. The tension is masterfully engaging, I stayed on the train for a few extra stops just to keep listening. 

Keep It Steady's sound is not the highest quality, and the dialogue sometimes lags, but the strong story and sympathetic characters eclipse those faults. The intimate moments in this show feel genuine and during the sunny moments I could not help but laugh along. 

Three episodes in, I'm desperate to discover what transformed Zach from a academically successful theatre geek to into a person who failed freshman year and everyone assumes is high.

I'm very excited for more of Keep it Steady to be released.

Please listen to the show on your podcasting platform of choice or visit https://www.procyonpodcastnetwork.com/keep-it-steady for more information and episode transcripts.