#but like a...dramatic twisty kind of thing

[johannstutt413]

(requested by coldgoldlazarus) Click/Conviction (EXP Record Producers)

Click was having a crisis of creativity. Sure, her audience’s favorite type of content was her nature walks, but lately, she’d been on the airship without a good opportunity to film, which’d left her scrambling for some idea or other to keep her numbers in the green during the dead patch. She’d done a couple blogs, sure, but what was there to talk about? They were just idling over Victoria after all.

(Un)fortunately, there was work to do, and Rhodes Island rarely left its Operators to work alone.

“Ah! You’re the witness of the glory of conviction today!” The Conviction arrived with their usual pomp; Rhodes Island was fortunate video editing seemed to count to them as a form of creativity, otherwise who knows what they would have done to occupy their time? “Have you started already?”

“Not really,” the Zalak admitted, staring at the software while thinking about her own projects.

Her co-worker huffed. “You don’t seem very excited about the glory you’re about to behold, Click.”

“You remembered my name? Crazy.” She leaned back in her chair, eye-to-eye with Conviction, and sighed. “I’m just really struggling for ideas for my netchannel. You’re a creative person, right?”

“Madame, I am the very SOUL of creativity.” Conviction puffed up with pride at the compliment…N-not that they weren’t used to people recognizing their grandeur, of course!

Click didn’t react strongly to this outburst. “So will you help put something together for this week? Just some brainstorming, doesn’t have to be anything too special-”

“The only ideas I have are special!” The Conviction pulled out a scroll and quill from…actually, the Zalak had no idea where they’d retrieved those items from. “Now, tell Conviction your deepest artistic desires, and I shall satisfy them completely!”

“...Actually, I have a perfect idea already, I think.”

They frowned. “You mock me, madame.”

“Sorry, it’s just that I think you’re the perfect character for something I’ve had on the backburner for a while.” She and the algorithm were about to become great friends. “First off, any issues with me recording you talking?”

“You want to document my teachings?” Conviction’s eyes gleamed. Finally, a way to reach acolytes across Rhodes Island!

The Zalak figured it wasn’t lying if she agreed with that interpretation. “Yeah.”

“Marvelous!” They glanced around. “Where’s that little camera-fly you have?”

“Wow, you’re eager. One second.” With the click of a button, and her drone flew from her backpack over to her shoulder.

The Conviction was delighted to see the red light begin to glow. “It’s recording now?”

“Sure is. We can get several hours of footage off one charge,” she noted, scratching the bottom of her drone as if it were a pet of…some kind. “So, Conviction, please, introduce yourself to the internet.”

“*clears throat* WELL…”

In hindsight, this was not the gold mine of material Click had initially hoped for, at least not in the way she expected; it was widely understood that Conviction was confrontational, possibly deranged if not simply delusional, and their taste in just about every regard, including literally in the culinary sense, was questionable.

And yet, the longer she listened to them wax on in their peculiar fashion, strutting around the Battle Record Studio (not quite the official name, but a good one nonetheless), there was something altogether charming about the zeal with which they lived, pursuing their esoteric goals with incredible energy. Actually, more than that; there were moments Conviction seemed downright mortal. Some of that self-assuredness was genuine, but honestly, they were putting up an act as much as anyone.

Click was kind of proud she knew that now, even if it’d come with a lot of guilt. What started as a way to get into the meme game - because she’d intended to turn the mad ramblings this pseudo-godling produced into meme videos - turned into…Well, that, but also something approaching understanding. It was kind of a pain keeping the long spiel VODs while posting just the super-edited meme-cuts, but having something to show Conviction was worth it. Even if it wasn’t what their ‘audience’ actually saw.

After several months of living this double internet life, however, something had to give, and that came when her subject asked a question over dinner (her treat, naturally): “Do you plan on posting the full interviews?”

“What?” The Zalak managed after halfway choking on a roll. “Sorry, what was that?”

“Some time ago, I had the Doctor teach me how to use the application you use to post your videos. I’ve seen the work you’ve done, and choosing the highlights of my speeches was clever to get people more excited for the full ones, but you haven’t posted any of our talks in full.” There wasn’t an ounce of accusation in their voice, which for Conviction in particular was almost unbelievable. Almost everyone deserved conviction at one point or another. Since that first day of recording, though, never a declaration against her.

Click took a long drink from her soda before replying. “I…didn’t have any plans to.”

“Huh.” The Conviction shrugged. “Interesting tactic, but-”

“I’m sorry.” The words fell out of her mouth like so many stones.

They blinked. “Sorry?”

“You’ve been so trusting and cooperative and, and shit, and I’ve just…” She collapsed into her arms, face-down on the restaurant’s (Conviction’s favorite, naturally) table. “They love you, too, just- fuck…”

“...Too?”

The Zalak glanced up at him. “The view counts on those videos are insane, and not my usual fanbase, either. Heh. We should get you your own channel; you can post whatever you want, and I’ll keep filming, if you want me to.”

“What did you mean by ‘too?’” The Conviction was convinced there was something she wasn’t addressing still. It was looking like she didn’t wanna talk about it, though. “I don’t mind what you did, it was a fantastic idea, start to finish, and I don’t want to stop working with you. Now what did you mean by ‘too?’”

“What are- oh.” The moment must’ve gotten to her; eyes were probably red right now.

They were, but her date didn’t mind. “Click?”

“Is it dumb how happy I am you aren’t done with me? I totally would’ve convicted me for what I did.” Click sat up, wiping her eyes to look them in theirs directly. “I didn’t mean that, like, I’ve fallen madly in love with you or anything, but…I think you’re interesting. Kinda cute, in your own sort of way.”

“My own sort of way?! Am I not the image of perfection?” Although the response was missing something of the usual energy.

Their date simply rolled their eyes. “I mean, you’re kind of short, but I am, too, so it works out.”

“I oughta-” Mid-threat of conviction, though, Conviction stopped themselves. “No, I wouldn’t. Not a true acolyte like you.”

“If I’m a true acolyte-” A roll flew at her from across the table.

The Conviction shook their head. “You’re an artist with taste and skill beyond anyone else here. There’s no other way your meme game could be so strong.”

“...Thanks.” The Zalak, now content, bit into the roll. “So, with that out of the way, wanna do anything special for the first video for your channel?”

“Well, now that you mention it…”

[misc-obeyme]

Grey Asmo here again!

Who do you think is the nightbringer? (Goes by many names) im thinking its barb but that does not make sense

Hello again, anon!

Okay. Here's the thing. I think whether or not Nightbringer is Barbatos depends on whether or not they are actively trying to misdirect us.

The evidence for Barbatos being Nightbringer is overwhelming, so at the very least, they want us to think it's him. They could be deliberately making it seem incredibly obvious so that we won't see it coming when they do something twisty.

Now, even if they do some kind of unexpected twist, it might not be about Nightbringer's identity. For instance, they reveal that Nightbringer is Barbatos as we all thought, but it's Barbatos from a different timeline. That's not really a surprising twist, but it's just an example.

When the game first came out, I thought for sure Nightbringer was Barbatos. They were making it so obvious. And this game isn't exactly known for having a lot of really surprising things happen. Dramatic stuff, sure, but nothing on the level of making us think Barbatos is Nightbringer just to reveal it's actually someone else.

But recent events in the game have made me think they're more likely to do something like that after all.

SPOILERS for HARD LESSON 20 just in case:

I never in a million years would have guessed that Raphael was actually Michael in disguise. That twist came out of nowhere for me. I'm usually pretty good at picking up on these things, but yeah I did not see that one coming at all. This makes me think that it's perfectly possible that they're planning some kind of misdirection.

END SPOILERS

Now, if they are trying to deceive us, I think Nightbringer would have to be someone we haven't met yet or an alternate timeline version of someone we have. Nothing else makes sense to me.

The big thing with Barbatos, in my opinion, is motivation. Right now we really don't know what would motivate him to do the things that Nightbringer is doing. But there's a lot we don't know about Barb. So it could be that they're going to fill in that missing information and that it will explain how Barbatos went from being the father of all demons to a butler. If he is indeed Nightbringer, they will have to explain that.

One other thing that I think is interesting is Lesson 10-A. Solomon talks to Nightbringer, but there's actually no indication that he's aware of Nightbringer's identity. He seems to know Nightbringer as Nightbringer. He even says he has an agreement with "him" in quotes like that. Which is interesting if Nightbringer is Barbatos. Why would Barbatos present himself to Solomon that way? Especially when Solomon already trusts him as Barbatos?

Whether or not Nightbringer is Barbatos, I very much believe that both Barbatos and Solomon are deeply connected to him in some way. I think we need to know what happened when Barbatos brought Solomon to the Fountain of Knowledge. I think we need to know who Solomon's friend was when he was telling us that story he couldn't finish. And I think we need to know why Barbatos became Diavolo's butler.

All of this is to say that at this time, I think it's possible that Nightbringer is Barbatos, but I also think it's possible that he isn't. And if he isn't, then I don't know for sure who he could be. Someone we haven't met yet? Michael? An alternate version of one of the other characters? Maybe even the reveal that it's been one of the characters we've known all along?? They could really make us lose it by revealing that it was somehow MC?!?! Okay, I don't think that's the case, but man that'd be insane.

Anyway, I apologize for this long response, but there's just so much to consider when it comes to Nightbringer's identity. They keep giving us little bits but none of the pieces fit together.

[caitybellfics]

Weekend WIP Game

Thank you, @whimsymanaged, for the tag, I am sorry it's taken me so long to do this ha ha!

Rules: List your WIPs below (if you only write one fic at a time, feel free to include future WIPs/ideas!) then answer the following questions. Then, tag as many people as you have WIPs (or more).

1. WIP List:

Do I include Drabble series I haven't quite completed? Do I include unposted fics? Original works I write on the side?

Damn, this is hard!

I'm just going to start and see where this takes me...

Here we go:

Chapter Fics Currently Being Posted:

Petals (Dramione, Fae AU, Fated Mates) - Petals just kind of ... happened. It was meant to be a quick five-chapter fic, but the chapters kept getting longer and longer and all of a sudden I have a 90,000+ fic on my hands. Definitely the longest chapters I've written for a book/fic. I tend to like to keep chapters no more than 7k long, but Petal's average is something like 18k. I have no explanation other than it felt right.

Sacred Blood (Dramione, Mafia AU, Alchemy instead of magic) - I absolutely love Mafia Romance, and so it was natural for me to be inspired to write a DHr Mafia fic. This story took a back seat while I got Petals out of my system, unfortunately, it's been a hard year and Petals has taken an age to finish. But I can't wait to get back to my murder bbies.

Wings ... and Other Romantic Things (Charmione, Second Chance Love, Mystery) - A little romcom-esque romp. Hermione is forced to work with Charlie (an ex-fling during the war) when local Veelas are being attacked. Charlie and Hermione must solve the crime and catch the attacker, all while past feelings come back in full force.

Drabble Series In Progress:

Think Of Me (Dramione, Pierced C*ck Draco, Curious Hermione) - I have literally one more chapter to this raunchy, crack fic. I swear I will get to it soon!

Games (Dramione, Panville, Bluna, Theo/Padma, Cho/Dean, Ginny/Harry, Ginny/Seamus, Magical Sex Toys) - I get this one requested to finish a lot (you filthy heathens). I have five more pairings to do!

Ferrets and Fun (Dramione, Ferret Animagus Draco, Fluff/Humor) - I adore Ferret!Draco. Truly. There is no real plot in this drabble series. Just whatever inspires me. I should write another installment of his shenanigans soon ...

Lucius Malfoy and the Eternal Struggle of Being Him (Dramione, Lucius POV) - Same as above, no real plot, just dramatic Daddy Lucius watching his son be in love with Hermione. He's not bad in these, just extra!

Fics I am Currently Writing But Have Not Posted:

Magic Finds A Way (Dramione, Jurassic Park AU) - This fic is an absolute delight. I am actually really proud of it and all the parallels I've made to the original JP book and the films. But it will probably be a while before I post it :(. It's gotta be almost completed before I start to post and it's got to be absolutely perfect to me.

Demagogue (Second Gen, OG MCs but descendants of Dramione, Hinny, and Voldy) - This is my Magnum Opus. And like Magic Finds A Way, will not be posted until I feel it is perfect. But it's a twisty one, with lots of action, mystery, and pining romance. I can't wait to start posting about it.

The Perfect Alpha (Dramione, A/B/O) - I go feral for A/B/O, so while I'm surprised I haven't written more of it (only one little drabble), I am also not surprised. This fic is a lofty one, and my ambition for it has caused it to be put on the back burner. :(

Sad Eyes: The Expansion Series (Dramione, Theo/Padma, Blaise/Luna, Panville) I have three spin-off short chapter fics based in the world of my Sad Eyes fic. All feature a different pairing, tackling different types of trauma and how they heal after the war.

Curses of the Sand (Panville, Adventure through Egypt) - I started writing this fic for a Panville fest but fell behind due to school. I love the story and setting and pairing, so I will definitely be posting it at some point!

2. Which of your WIPs is currently the longest?

Petals at 92,642.

3. Which WIP do you expect will end up the longest?

Demagogue. POSSIBLY Magic Finds A Way.

4. Which WIP is your favourite to write/the most enjoyable to write? Why?

Too difficult a question. I love all my fics for different reasons and it really depends on my current mood and place in life that decides what I want to work on. I'm going through a rough time right now, so I would have to say Petals because Hermione is also currently struggling and it's nice to not feel alone in that regard.

But, I daydream about Demagogue and the Sad Eyes Expansions the most, I would say.

5. Which WIP do you find the most intimidating to write? Why?

Magic Finds A Way. I am worried no one will care about it since it isn't the typical Dramione fic. It's science that has been twisted by magic and dinosaurs ha ha. And if it "flops" I would be devastated because I have literally worked so hard on the parallels between it and the OG materials and media.

I guess the same could be said about Demagogue. It's my baby, my most precious creation, and if no one reads it because it's second-gen and OG characters, with the main pairings fandom likes just being sided characters ... I would probably leave fandom lol, I'm being dramatic but also not really. I am not sure how I would take it if no one gave it a chance.

6. Which WIP do you experience the most self-doubt about. Why?

Oh, well, read my answer to the question above!

7. Which of your WIPs will you seek out a beta/sensitivity reader for? Why?

Magic Finds A Way. I have two betas that have read the OG Jurassic Park, and also have a fandom friend helping me with the French Draco speaks.

I have the same betas for every chapter fic I write. They both encourage and rip apart my writing to help me flesh out every single aspect of my stories.

Drabbles? You get what you get 🤣 from me.

8. Have any of your WIPs been struck by the curse of writer's block?

I don't really get writer's block. I know exactly what I want to happen in all of my story ideas, but I do have periods of time where I am physically unable to write whether that be irl drama, my health, or a busy work schedule that leaves me exhausted.

9. Which WIP has your favourite OC? Tell us about them?

Demagogue! Yes! So, In this fic, The Cursed Child does not exist and my MC is named Hallow and she is the abandoned daughter of Voldemort, adopted by Harry and Ginny after the war.

10. Which WIP is the sexiest?

Well, that depends on what you like 😉

Creature fucking, particularly wing kink? Read Petals.

You into egregious smut? Read my Games series.

Sharp suits, hand kinks, and men who would literaly murder anyone who touches you---that does it for you? Sacred Blood is your jam.

When I finally post my A/B/O, I am sure it will take the cake for spice.

11. Which WIP is the angstiest?

Oh my gosh, Sad Eyes. Hand's down.

12. Which WIP has the best characterisation (in your humble opinion)?

Demagogue. But, for a fic I am currently posting/have posted? Sad Eyes.

13. Which WIP has the best scene setting (in your humble opinion)?

Magic Finds A Way - Isla Nublar (dinosaur island, like come on!)

Curses of the Sand - Egypt

Petals - Faerie Realm

14. Which WIP have you worked the hardest on?

Magic Finds A Way

Demagogue

Petals

15. Which WIP do you have the highest expectations for? Why?

I've kind of already said why, but Demagogue and Magic Finds A Way.

16. Do you dream about any of your WIPs?

Yes ha ha.

17. Do any of your WIPs have particular complexities that your other fics don't?

They all have different complexities and characterizations of the characters we all know and love. I try to change things up with every fic!

18. Which WIP is the funniest or has the most humour?

Lucius Malfoy and the Eternal Struggle of Being Him cracks me up. I love Lucius. And though Sad Eyes is about healing trauma and all that, I think there are some pretty funny moments and quips in that fic.

19. Do any of your WIPs contain outside POVs or a deep dive on a character other than the main ship? How are you finding that process?

Lucius Malfoy and the Eternal Struggle of Being Him, Lucius' POV.

My Sad Eyes Expansion fics as well as my Games series are both diving into pairings I have never done before nor see often or at all!

Petals has POV parts from Narcissa's and it's a really cool way to create an even bigger picture in the aspect of court politics within the fae realm. It makes the stakes seem greater than just Draco and Hermione being mates, etc.

20. Tell us one thing we don't know about one or more of your WIPs.

I have a song for every scene of anything I write. Most of everything I come up with is inspired by music. If you ever ask me what song helped me write a scene/fic/drabble, I will definitely have one to share.

Tagging: Look, I have too many WIPs to tag, so I am not even going to try. I also think this challenge has already made the rounds since I am so behind on doing it. So I don't want to bother anyone by accidentally double-tagging them!

[kickedshins]

where everyone from glee ends up in the beautiful beautiful better canon that exists in my head (ft. help from @girlmeetsghoul)

this got... really long so i'm putting it under a keep reading

rachel — broadway. obviously. does NOT marry jesse but they do date again and perhaps even get engaged and they remain in weird toxic kinda gay love for the rest of their lives on the downlow. she ends up getting married at around 40 to someone else (if young rachel berry knew she wouldn't get married until FOURTY!!!). also on/off dates finn for many years. it is a much more dramatic deal to her than it is to him he's relatively chill about it albeit confused and passionate. she is characteristically a drama queen. ends up in nyc

finn — i do think he ends up an educator in the burbs like they actually were dead on w that one i don't think he'd do glee or anything but teacher fs. realizes he's bisexual at age 32 while married to a woman so it's a revelation that he can't really act on but it gives rachel an existential crisis when she hears abt it which is funny. part of this revelation does come from one of his students being gay and on the football team and finn having a troy bolton moment of realizing you can do both. ends up in a suburb of chicago

kurt  — stanley tucci in devil wears prada. also he expats in berlin for like a year or two. dates an accountant. ends up in nyc

mercedes — canon, absolute worldwide singing star. glee did very few things right when it came to mercedes but having her be a successful singer was correct. ends up w someone famous in their own right but in a Very different way than her like her fans do not know who that person is. ends up in LA

brittana — they don't stay together after high school but they do reconnect a little later after santana has a freakout crisis and drops out of school (canon) but instead of moving to ny and doing all that she moves to LA and ends up as the world's craziest talent agent. and britt runs a dispo and does goat yoga. end up in LA

blaine — okay the first thing you have to know about me is i am a blam truther forever and always. anyway blaine goes to nyu not nyada and most of that drama with kurt happens just to a much lesser extent cuz theyre not at school together so he does end up graduating, maybe takes a gap year in the middle tho. but also blaine starts getting really into local politics and after a few off off off bway roles that don't really lead to anything bigger and a lot of stressful fighting w kurt he decides actually he wants his new goal in life to be becoming a city council member. he and kurt still have the world's best most toxic insane person on/off relationship until theyre like 28 and then a blam romcom ensues. nyc til early/mid 30s, then he and sam move to the burbs (potentially in the state sam grew up in?) to raise a kid

sam — bumpy twisty turny road for him, feels like he should go to college/should want to go to college but does not want to go. wanders around lima for a year or two getting by and trying to find his #purpose and moves to nyc essentially on a whim after a phone call w blaine and is like hi i live in your house now. maybe the modeling thing for a bit? but less weird than in the show. some samcedes for a bit bc i am a fucking sucker for them <3 anyway eventually sam becomes a comix artist. he meets gerard way and doesnt know who he is and tina wants to throttle him about this. nyc til early/mid 30s, then he and blaine move to the burbs (potentially in the state sam grew up in?) to raise a kid

tina — kiki and i have such a beautiful tina in our brains anyway she makes some kind of awful art that sells way better than it should and becomes a trophy wife to a hot lesbian doctor and also once or twice collabs w sam on smth. no one knows what degree she got from brown even she's not entirely sure. stoner. fucks rachel's co-star at some point and it gives rachel 1000000 problems. ends up in nyc

quinn — academia (english) or law. the only ppl she has talked to from hs since graduation are cedes and brittana and she is so happy to not give a single shit about anyone else. i love you quinn go get lesbian married and write a book. i can't get into the one (1) time rachel and quinn see each other post canon cuz that would be a whole other post but trust me i have many thoughts on that. ends up somewhere almost rural in the northeast but not Too far from a city if that makes sense

mike — does the dance thing, i think probably hes on some tours which means blaine and sam have to put up with tina on the phone w him for hours giving him life updates like every single day (theyre not dating anymore obv but they are besties also there's like one year where blamtina are all living together i have an insane amount of headcanon lore dont worry abt it). gets married to the most normal person in the world and sometimes casually drops lore about highschool and his partner is like i dont think the midwest is a real place. ends up right outside of nyc

artie — director ofc. like mike ends up w someone in the same industry who is relatively normal but also like so obviously grew up in santa monica and was a child actor. ends up in LA

puck — travels a bit to ~find himself~, ends up back in lima doing a relatively normal job and settles down w a wife and becomes the most intense guy at the pta. his ass is organizing bake sales up the wazoo. as mentioned ends up back in lima

[noodyl-blasstal]

After the aftermath - Blupjeans Week day 8 (weeks are longer now, sorry)

My @blupjeansweek prompts are part of a story and this is a little ficlet to tie it all off! Find the others here: Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 or on Ao3

When people asked for the proposal story Barry never really knew what to say. They didn’t want to hear “one day Lup said it’d be baller if we made our wedding rings out of bone and I had some at home, so we did it, and look here it is! She did that cool twisty thing here first try. Isn’t she great?” Most people outside their immediate family just did weird squinchy faces about it or looked sympathetic. Barry had no idea why, as far as he was concerned it was perfect, mostly because Lup wanted to marry him and he wasn’t really bothered about anything else. 

“How about the bone church, babe?” Lup asked, stretching her legs out in front of her on their picnic blanket. 

Barry stayed cross legged and hidden from the midday sun in the shade of Lup’s parasol. “I know it’s what your spooky heart longs for, and I want you to have the perfect day, but bones or not it’s still a church.”

“And?”

“We’re not in any way religious? Or, well, the right kind of religious, church religious, obviously I worship you.”

Lup snorted. “Bad. Awful. I love you.”

“I love you too.” Said Barry, and squeezed her hand. “How about the university?” 

“So we don’t have to take leave?”

Barry laughed. “Yeah, we’ll just get Dav to use his captain powers and do it in the 10 minutes between lectures when we rush past each other in the hall on Fridays.”

“Taako would have to be there.” Lup said thoughtfully. “But  I think we could make it work… the drama of the time limit sounds kinda hot.”

“I… No, I mean… that wasn’t a serious suggestion, Lup. I was thinking more like the library, or the fancy hall? We could shove everyone round one of the big dramatic bench tables. Plus, we’d get staff discount. I bet they’d let us decorate it however we want as long as we put it back again after. We’re fire wardens too, so that’s the safety certificate sorted.” 

“Ooooh, we do have all those skulls to en-candle. They can’t stop us from having flames if we’re qualified about it.” Said Lup, sitting up a bit straighter. “And we could wrap twinkly lights round the beams…”

“... oh! And we could probably steal the flaming carpet from the office and see if Taako would be able to transmute something longer.”

“Pssh, he’ll be offended if we imply anything other than unfailing confidence in his ability to do it.” 

“Good point. I’ll let you bully Taako into doing a lot of manual labour.”

“He’s got Kravitz for that. Goth boy will be on carpet rolling duty as soon as Taako asks. He’s got it bad.” 

“They both do.”

“Yeah, they do.” There’s a long pause, a comfortable one. “I wasn’t sure I’d ever have this, you know?” Lup said. Barry didn’t dare say anything yet, Lup didn’t talk about the past a lot. He knew it was a hard topic and he wanted to let her get the thoughts out without interruption so he just squeezed her hand and hoped it conveyed ‘I’m here’, ‘I’’ve got you’, ‘I love you’. “There was just a time in the middle there where I wasn’t sure how we were gonna climb our way out of the shit pit life dropped us in.” 

“But you did.” Added Barry, unable to hide the pride in his voice. Sure, his life hadn’t been a walk in the park, but he’d always had Marlena.

 “We did.” Lup nodded. “And now we’ve built a whole family, and Taako has Kravitz, and I have you.”

“Forever and always.” Said Barry, nodding firmly. “You can’t get rid of me now…” He winced. “Okay, wait, no, that sounded creepy, but you know what I mean.”

“I do.” Said Lup, and leaned over to kiss him on the nose.

[spaceorphanssecondbreakfastclub]

SO's Bookclub : Everyone in My Family Has Killed Someone

Title: Everyone In My Family Has Killed Someone Author: Benjamin Stevenson Genre: Mystery

Goodreads Summary:

Everyone in my family has killed someone. Some of us, the high achievers, have killed more than once. I'm not trying to be dramatic, but it is the truth. Some of us are good, others are bad, and some just unfortunate.

I'm Ernest Cunningham. Call me Ern or Ernie. I wish I'd killed whoever decided our family reunion should be at a ski resort, but it's a little more complicated than that.

Have I killed someone? Yes. I have.

Review:

Here's what hooked me on this one -- it's got a catchy title and appealing cover, the author starts out the novel by giving you the rules of Golden Age detective novels, and then lays out the page number of ever murder. Why yes - I am in.

This is a good book. It's a fun book. It's a way too overly complicated book. But man, it's nice to read a really good mystery not written by Agatha Christie.

Intentionally, I'm sure -- a lot like how Agatha Christie does excels at writing mysteries based around family, Stevenson takes the shell of the idea (and let's be honest - some of the twists), updates it, and then metatextualizes it. And it's a relatively functional, albeit silly when you pull it a part a little, mystery.

The crux of it is about a dysfunctional family that gets snowed in at a remote lodge. There's the hook of revealing that everyone in the family is responsible for a death. And the intrigue that a serial killer is in the mix.

The book starts out really solidly. The narrator, of course, breaks the fourth wall all the way through (and while I see it might be tiring for some, I really didn't get sick of it, but I like these gimmicky things -- it tied it into the 'rules' rather well). The cast of his characters (his family) is relatively well drawn is really the right amount of people for this closed-circle mystery.

About half way through - I think the plot gets a little too twisty, and there were times in the second half that I don't think I completely followed what had happened in the past to get all the pieces of the puzzle in motion. The family dynamics were great - but the mystery itself maybe needed to be trimmed just a little because even through the ending explanation I don't think I followed it 100%.

The major twist of the novel I kind of saw coming -- only in that this does play like a Golden Age detective novel at heart, and well, of course it was going to go that way. The crazy twist at the end left me feeling a little confused because... wha--why?? I think the answer is -- because the author could and there's always one thread left open a little.

Overall, though, it's a fun read. I love the fun the author's having with the audience. I enjoyed all the call backs to the Golden Age of detective fiction. I liked that it was a solid mystery that unfolded nicely as it went along. I think the author did well with the title of the book and made it creative enough to make it variations on a theme. And while I think there were some clunkier parts (again the plot is just a little too twisty to follow at times) it's over all an engaging and worthwhile mystery.

I liked it. It was a good book.

Rating : 4.5 Stars

[nirikeehan]

enjoyable things :D

@zenstrike tagged me (a...while ago) to list 5 things i enjoy very much and pass it on!

So I am tagging: @melisusthewee | @blarrghe | @agentkatie | @rowanisawriter | @monocytogenes | @theluckywizard

Gonna agree with Zen and say Food. I fucking love good food, man. I grew up in a family with a history of disordered eating and I think life's just too short to eat food you hate. It's possible to eat food that is nutritious and also tastes good, and I've had to dedicate a good chunk of my adult life to sorting out what that is. I eat pretty good these days and have gotten pretty good at cooking. It's a joy, not a chore. Yummmm.

I will be the most obvious basic bitch here and say Dragon Age: Inquisition. I know a lot of people in fandom spaces love to take critical shots at the thing they're a fan of, but here's my hot take: I literally think this is the best game ever made. Hands down. It has the best writing, the best characters, the best scope in an rpg that is supposed to make you feel like a big damn hero, the most beautiful environments, incredible macro political mechanics with the war table, I could go on. I love this game; it changed my life. Maybe it saved it. It made me feel things I thought I was no longer capable of feeling. In the middle of the bleakest period of my life. I cannot overstate how much I love it.

Speaking of things that got me through a bleak period, my Star Wars TTRPG campaign. I started running it online for some friends in March 2020, thinking maybe we'd kill a few weeks in lockdown with it. Three years later we're about 2/3 of the way through an epic, twisty-turny campaign set after The Last Jedi in the sequel era, and I think we're gonna end up ending the trilogy better than The Rise of Skywalker did. If we do, I'll be sitting on the shoulders of giants: several players in that group were with me in another Star Wars campaign from the 00s that went down as our most epic campaign, when we retold all the major beats of the prequels, but, we thought, in a much more satisfying manner.

My cat. Her name is Sophia. She is simultaneously the smartest and dumbest cat I've ever met. She's ridiculous. She almost never shuts up. She looks like she wanted to be a tuxedo in the womb but really half-assed it. She's tiny but she can probably kill a man. She has never met a structure she hasn't tried to climb. She was found as a kitten on a feral colony and I always joke she's about 5 minutes from returning to her roots. She loves to play and will invent games with you. I love her a lot.

Hiking. Hiking? I used to hate exercise. I kind of still do. But a compelling hiking trail will make me forgive a LOT. I live in area with some really dramatic mountains and the trails have been fantastic. I can pretend I'm traveling in a DND game. Definitely recommend.

[generalluxun]

The Last of Us 2 won't work as a TV show

I'll put spoilers below the cut. However without spoiling I can say: I don' tthink the second game will work the same on TV as it does in a videogame. It relies on player input for part of its theming. If you the player are not controlling the characters at points, the impact of those moments changes dramatically. It's possible to tell *A* story with Last of us Part 2 on TV, but it functionally can't be the *same* story the way season 1 managed to translate the first.

SPOILERS!

I'm not going to talk about how good/bad the story of TLOU part 2 is, many many people have done that. Just for full disclosure I'll share that I believe the *delivery* was fatally flawed for multiple reasons, not the least of which was deceptive marketing specifically because they *knew* a section of people would be upset and well, once they pick up their day one pre-order you have their money.

That out of the way there are several factors that don't play out the same:

Joel's death: Killing a character in a videogame can be fraught, but the character exists only in that videogame. There's no 'star power' no big paycheck, no established fanbase separate from the game the character inhabits most of the time. Pedro Pascal *is* Pedro Pascal. He has tons of fans, killing him in anything, especially a 'oh hey twisty blindside!' is going to be messy fans who watched the show *for* Pedro will check right out.

You Are The Monster: This is a running theme in TLoU2. From Joel, and passed on to Ellie, but a part of that impact is that it is the player who is driving the character. When you get to the inevitable 'They were real people too!' moments the impact isn't the same if the audience is just watching other people do things on a screen. When you try to sell the ''X is the monster' it's all second hand via TV. The player didn't make those choices, there's no investment. The closest you get is sadness watching a character go off the rails, which was not the same angle the game was playing.

This can even be seen as failing in the game at some points. Players playing as Abby who wanted to let Ellie win, just because they liked Ellie's story more, or players who simply waited instead of torturing Nora, trapped in a 'no progress' mode because they didn't buy into the gameplay feedback. All of that, turned up is what a show faces.

No surprises: TLoU2 relies heavily on twists, surprises, and shock to keep things going. We could talk about the structure of the game but that's another post. The Show, if it is trying to follow the same path, faces a huge problem: The game exists. Spoilers will be everywhere, and very likely sought out because they exist, especially after Joel's death. TLoU didn't have the same problem because its narrative really doesn't rely on twists. It's a fairly linear progression *executed extremely well* There's never a sense between episodes that the show might betray your investment in character X or Y. The plot of TLoU 2 will be split open quickly by a much larger portion as people sift through 'what's coming up?' as soon as the show 'betrays' them for the first time.

Set Piece Fatigue: TLoU2 has quite a few 'Because, Game!' choices in the plot. We need a thing to happen so we can set up an event. The most blatant happens at the very end when Ellie finds Abby, cuts her down, gets her and Lev to a boat and *then* decides to fistfight her to the death in thigh high water. It makes for a 'gameplay' moment, but you kind of have to turn everything off to get there. Games give more leeway for this, because the set piece is normally worth it. Audiences just scream at the screen normally.

The Experience of TLoU2 the Game: Breaking it all down to bare capitalistic bones. TLoU2 won tons of awards and some people loved it, but a solid chunk of people, just didn't. They bought it, they helped pump those record sales numbers, but it burned them by being a very different experience than what they expected(and I would argue what they were sold on). They won't be buying TLoU3 without tons of sweet talking. As a production company you need only examine that to tell yourself 'We'd like to not lose 25% of our audience after or even during season 2, please' that's just math.

All this not to say they can't tell a similar story. Not to say Joel can't end up dead, and we can't have protagonist Abby. It's just saying the road there is going to have to look very different, a faithful adaptation this time, would be a disaster.

[fannishcodex]

A kind of disclaimer: I think I heard there may be image leaks, and I’d like to avoid those until after I watch the new episode.

Whoa some other thoughts I had on *that post that I didn’t include but was thinking about then (will link said post below):

*Post recap: Theorizing that since Darius looked so sad in Belos’s mindscape, it also indicates that Belos noticed Darius looking so sad and might suspect that Darius opposes him because of the Previous Golden Guard. Also that Belos specifically got Abomatons as a way to fill in for Abomination magic in terms of offense because he doesn’t trust Darius.

I BELIEVE DARIUS WILL BE FINE. (I personally feel sensitive to maybe causing a little too much stress before big episodes, and I did not mean to do that if I did.) I’m theorizing Belos may know/suspect Darius is a rebel because of the Previous Golden Guard and that it’ll add another lay of dramatic conflict/complication, but I also think that everything will turn out fine in the end and Darius will be fine. (Like I mentioned before, don’t mean to possibly add some extra stress, especially since even I wasn’t feeling that when I made that post--I was more just thinking of tying character/narrative details together and pointing out possible character drama before everything works out.) Also think there would be narrative significance to that.

Like tl;dr Belos may know/suspect Darius of rebelling because of Previous GG, but he’s also still pretty arrogant and ends up projecting on Darius when it comes to Hunter--Belos thinks Darius will resent Hunter for replacing the GG (kinda like part of Belos’s very twisted approach to all of the “replacements” for his brother--he’s looking for one that won’t “betray” him, but I imagine part of his cruelty to them is also because on some level he knows they can never be his brother, and it makes him even angrier with them even if the whole thing is his own fault), Belos never expects Darius to change and actually bond with Hunter. (Another take on “Evil Cannot Comprehend Good.”) tl;dr Belos feels like he may have Darius at a disadvantage because of his affection for previous GG and that such affection compromises him, but Darius’s affection for both previous GG and new GG is going to blindside Belos and help win the day. 

Also I’m inclined to think that while Belos may know/suspect Darius of rebelling because of Previous GG, Darius...also knows/suspects Belos is aware that he’s a rebel due to Previous GG. Like Darius thinks there are some things Belos is always going to remember no matter what he does, Darius is aware of how the situation looks and that he might just always look suspect to Belos. But Darius is in a desperate situation with desperate/hard decisions to make and he thinks it’s still worth trying to stay close to his enemy, that pursuing that sort of access to the enemy is still worth the risk, and he’s not willing to give up. It’s been a very twisty and stressful cat-and-mouse situation for Darius suspecting that Belos knows and is manipulating/toying with him but trying to find an opening in case Belos actually gets too blinded with arrogance:

More on that below the cut, including a lot more theorizing:

So yeah, I think while Belos suspects/knows Darius is a rebel, I think Darius also suspects/knows Belos is aware of that. I’ve been thinking that for years Belos and Darius have been in a twisty cat-and-mouse thing that has been extremely stressful for Darius and very amusing for Belos. I’m inclined to think Darius has been in a very desperate situation and has had to make desperate/hard decisions about trying to get close to Belos’s inner circle and being a spy while knowing the extreme risk, including the possibility that Belos already knows he’s a rebel.

(And like Darius has probably seen others directly oppose Belos, and it not working out--like Previous GG and probably other “wild” witches--so maybe he should try something different.)

Because I keep thinking all the pieces are there for Belos to keenly remember that the Previous GG and Darius were very close as mentor and student. (“Why does Darius look so sad here”/Darius is rebelling against Belos/etc.--makes me believe they were close, and a big part of Darius’s resistance against Belos is because of what he did to Previous GG, again supporting them being close; also I think it makes sense for the narrative and its themes.) With Belos’s grip on any GG, I find it hard to believe that Previous GG could’ve ever hid that he was mentoring Darius. And even that, during a time when Previous GG may’ve still believed in Belos like Hunter did, that Previous GG spoke very fondly of Darius in front of Belos, making his affection for his student plain to the Emperor. That Belos would have every reason to believe Darius would be driven to fight him after he killed Previous GG. Also now I’m inclined to think that Belos killed Previous GG when Darius was young enough and the trauma fresh enough that he couldn’t immediately control his honest reactions, and it’s something Belos remembers (and that Darius later has to deal with when he aims for subterfuge)...

I’m also inclined to think Belos chooses to keep Darius close, like keeping your enemies close (there’s been mention of forced recruits/recruitment through force before, Darius could’ve been a case of that/Belos could’ve literally ordered that for Darius); and he also does this out of further spite for previous GG/another “traitorous brother,” further punishing him even after death via what he does with Darius. I’m inclined to think Belos is actually a bit fixated on Darius because of his bond with the previous GG; again, the image of Darius looking sad is included in his mindscape. And while I’m inclined to think Darius truly earns the rank of coven head later by being the strongest Abomination witch, Belos is very satisfied that he’s the best candidate for Abomination coven head so that he make him one and thus very directly use Previous GG’s student for his machinations; and does in fact end up fixating on making sure he can use Darius as Abomination head for the DOU, like personally he does not want to have to find a replacement, even if he has to drag Darius back if it comes to that--Belos will use the Abomatons to offensively replace Darius, but he wants to use Darius as part of the DOU draining spell. Belos would be particularly fixated on Darius since I do think Darius was part of why Previous GG rebelled. I keep thinking that Previous GG would have a dramatically worse reaction to what the sigils can do and that Darius already had one when he learns that truth, and so Previous GG snaps and tries to kill Belos in a desperate feral attempt to protect Darius. Belos punishing previous GG for “betrayal” and punishing Darius for being another witch that made his brother stray.

And inclined to think that Belos might believe he can still bring Darius under his control, especially since Darius is still young at the time of previous GG’s death; and Belos has a lot of power (both literal and organizational) to do that, and he likes the thought of fully taking the Previous GG’s student away like that as further punishment for the “betrayal.” But later Belos suspects that may not be the case, but still keeps Darius close because of aforementioned issues of like revenge on the previous GG and keeping enemies close, etc.

Belos does have Darius rather cornered/trapped, and that does influence the nature of his rebellion--like in this limiting situation, he’s desperate, he does what he can, which is to spy and pretend to comply, pretend to be loyal, and hope Belos buys it and thinks less of how close Darius was to the Previous GG, try to convince Belos that he’s won and has made Darius submit. And then Darius thinking that getting as close as possible to Belos’s inner circle is worth pursuing despite all the risk, even the risk that Belos isn’t fooled and is just using him; the potential of having close access to the Emperor and his base of operations as a way to find something useful for the rebellion is too great for Darius to give up on pursuing. And Darius’s efforts do seem to lead to eventually piecing together Belos’s DOU plans/draining spell, etc. 

Also with what I’m thinking of and combined with taking a darker look at Darius’s “thought I was the only one” line...also now inclined to think that Darius has been doing this subterfuge alone for a long time with zero guidance and only himself to worry about, and so a little simpler to decide he’ll continue on this path even if he gets caught, he hasn’t had to think about compromising anyone else but himself. And if he hasn’t made the progress he’s wanted, he’s had zero guidance on this from early on and has been trying to figure it out as he goes and doing the best he can and doing what he can in a desperate situation. And given the state of things like the Belos propaganda machine that seems to have grown really effective (plus the just trauma over what happened to Previous GG), can believe it’s been very hard to even find anyone he could trust to approach as an ally; because if he makes the wrong move and trusts the wrong person, he could get very screwed. That and Belos is likely watching. So, he’s been isolated in his efforts up until Raine and Eberwolf and co., and then has to adjust to having allies.

And I think, within this idea, Darius would tell Raine and Eberwolf about his suspicions that he’s been compromised/that Belos knows he’s a rebel. They’re both willing to accept this as part of the risk and don’t try to deter Darius from current subterfuge, don’t encourage him to shifting to a different strategy, thinking it better he maintains cover until he absolutely can’t any longer; and they also agree it’s better to keep this concern among themselves as like rebel command rather than let everyone in their steadily growing rebel force know. And also like, these are tough decisions and not always perfect, they’re also figuring this out as they go; don’t think there’s a perfect way for them to manage a rebellion. Even Raine is continuing their subterfuge after their rebellion was confirmed under the guise that they’ve been successfully brainwashed, that Terra’s efforts have worked. And come to think of it, Darius and Belos could parallel Raine and Terra. Belos may think his efforts with and control over Darius have fully worked, that he even has his bases covered with Darius and his rebellion--and in Belos’s case, he does to an extent; but Darius also making an effort to convince Belos that he’s got what he wants, that he’s won and in control, while Darius is still running his own deception and biding his time and still doing what he can to resist with a cover.

tl;dr Similar to how Belos would have reason to believe Darius is a rebel because of Prev GG, I think Darius would also be aware that he may always look suspect to Belos, that Belos knows he’s a rebel, but Darius isn’t willing to give up on the subterfuge and the access to the enemy it affords him until he absolutely has to, and he’s also not giving up on resisting Belos at all.

Other thoughts:

-In Belos’s mindscape, Darius looking sad during the ceremony for the new Golden Guard is a memory that Belos filed away to keep in mind when keeping an eye on Darius, a reminder that Darius might oppose him.

-Also due to vendetta with his brother + probably also blaming Darius as another witch that made his brother stray + his hatred for witches in general, Belos takes sadistic pleasure in remembering Darius looking so sad.

-Darius knows the implications of Belos getting those Abomatons, how it likely supports Belos’s distrust of him, how Belos is flexing that he can have an Abomination replacement in offensive terms even if he still wants to use Darius for the DOU draining spell. Inclined to think Darius has so many layered masks. Underneath his public distaste for Alador’s “hack” Abomatons on a superficial level, and even on a publicly slightly deeper level of him having reservations about that sort of tech as detrimental to Abomination magic and other things--underneath that, also private layer of Darius knowing Belos is flexing his ability to have an Abomination replacement in offensive terms for Darius, and it’s one more thing for Darius to be aggravated over in the fight against the Emperor, one more thing to mull over as another sign that “the Emperor f*kin knows he’s a rebel, but he’s not giving up on this cover and the close access to potential intel it affords him until he absolutely has to.” Darius takes note of Belos’s warning shot and flex, and it irritates him even as it’s another thing to take into consideration.

-Belos has been screwing over all the Grimwalkers, Previous GG, Hunter,  Darius, and a lot of people for a very long time. Sooner or later, it’s going to all blow up in Belos’s face.

[gemstarstarlight]

Zombie fascination?

SO

I have had a life-long interest in the nasty mindless little creatures. The story starts badly: I watched someone play Plants vs. Zombies as a child and the groans and the concept of relentless creatures out to kill me and then make me like them was, well, terrifying. Terrifying enough that it triggered reoccurring nightmares. Even now, if I am sleeping in a new environment and it’s out in an open area (aka a living room couch or a big empty bedroom) I can nearly guarantee you that within a couple weeks I will have a zombie apocalypse nightmare. And hallways (dark or light, but especially dark) at 3am are not my favorite. Especially if they're twisty or have corners.

And of course, like many things in my life, my parents tried to help, but they didn’t know how to help an overimaginative child whose greatest fear was something that didn’t exist. “It’s not real, you don’t have to be scared of it,” was not very helpful when 30 seconds ago it had been very real and had been attacking me and my loved ones while I was asleep.

I avoided horror things for years because of it and tried to not watch anything remotely scary, but the zombies haunted me regardless. For a few years they were just mindless evil creatures that terrorized me in my sleep whenever I least expected it.

Finally, I got sick of it. I don't know exactly when I got the idea of exposure therapy, but I think it was 2 things: 1. I stumbled across the genre of "living zombies" aka Warm Bodies or iZombie, with zombies that could become human or were at least somewhat in control of their impulses. 2. When a fantastical creature visits you regularly, and is also a common feature in pop culture that everyone kind of makes fun of you for being afraid of, you can find yourself watching them be fearless in the face of the horror with a strange fascination. Look, there is the creature from my nightmares. Why doesn't it scare you?Why aren't you afraid? Why do you see silliness in what I see as mindless horror? Vampires and werewolves and ghosts were all very well, but zombies and I were intimately acquainted, and like creepy uncles that you avoided at reunions but also kinda wanted to see what they did next, I never could manage to look away.

So, one day, I decided not to. I couldn't (and still can't) manage to make myself watch proper zombie movies like Night of the Living Dead or Train to Busan, but I watched Warm Bodies until I'd memorized half of R's (hilarious) lines and devoured the soundtrack. I also watched iZombie (until Season 3 where, in the tradition of most CW shows, the writing took a dramatic turn downhill). I also, in an attempt to grow my tolerance for horror without confronting the big undead bad itself, began watching horror movies. I'm still not a horror movie buff, but now my Top 10 Favorite Movies list includes It (2017) and one of my favorite TV Shows is the kdrama Bring It On Ghost.

It's very funny, because as a child I was taught (and, to be fair, had evidence to prove) that people shouldn't watch horror movies because it promoted fear in them, and there was no reason to watch something that would make you scared. However, since that ship had already sailed, horror movies were actually part of what helped me not be as scared of them.

And, as the fear faded, I grew to have a bit of an obsession. Especially when I actually read the book Warm Bodies (which, while I adore the movie, is far better and more philosophical, with an incisive look at culture that I think everyone should read), I began to see how the trope could teach us about human nature, and what happens when humans are pushed to their limits. What does it say about humanity when it is confronted with the unimaginable? When every moment could be their last, and the horror comes sometimes from people they love? What kind of society is built around fear? What rules do people follow? What do they value, and why?

Add in the zing of fear that stopped being overwhelming and started being a little addicting, and now it becomes a concept I enjoy working with. I still get nightmares (though thankfully not as regularly), and I can read zombie fiction but can't quite make myself watch it, but now it has an inherent fascination that I can't get away from. It's now less like a creepy uncle and more like a hellhound I inherited: we didn't always get along and I'm still a little scared of it, but now I've found its uses and we've found out how to get along. I'm sure I'll learn how to become more comfortable as time goes by.

[notbecauseofvictories]

2021 Book List

I read 66 books and 237 romance novels in 2021, which I am choosing to believe is a net positive---303 books is a lot of books, even if 78% of them were about people wearing cravats and falling in love in the most ridiculous fashion possible.

I didn't read anything that blew me away quite like my favorites from 2020. However, incidentally or otherwise, I found my way to airport paperbacks---Dean Koontz's Odd Thomas series, Sophie Kinsella's fantasies of humble-yet-meaningful British pastoral life, Grady Hendrix's luridly readable horror novels and Elizabeth Gilbert's compulsively readable historical fiction. (Plus the aforementioned cravats & corsets romance novels.)

I don't think I learned anything from this, I don't think I have any additional insight into the human condition. But I had a lot of fun, and it whiled away a lot of hours, and maybe in a year like 2021, that's enough.

2021 SHORTLIST (in no particular order)

Hench, Natalie Zina Walschots

Are you sick of superheroes? I am sick of superheroes. More importantly, this novel was also sick of superheroes and features a protagonist with the kind of chilly competence and anger to do something about it. Overall a twisty fun novel, with an unexpected style and some body weirdness that really worked for me.

The Fisherman, John Langan

A meditation on the tyranny of loss, which I am weak for. I've talked about this one before.

Station Eleven, Emily St. John Mandel

A novel which takes place, in part, after the world as we know it ends and yet humanity keeps going—wrecking violence, making museums, music and religion and journalism, clipping comics and news stories after gasoline has run out; searching the horizon for signs of life. This and Franny Choi’s “The World Keeps Ending, and the World Goes On” have been my compass rose through [gestures]

Homie, Danez Smith

I read a lot of great poetry, and I've even read a lot of great poetry from Danez Smith---but this collection blew me away. From friendship ("how many of us have them?" and "acknowledgements") to HIV ("sometimes i wish i felt the side effects" and "all the good dick lives in brooklyn park") to transphobia ("the fat one with the switch"), suicide ("notes") it feels like gripping a live wire. Some of the best writing this year.

A Face Like Glass, Frances Hardinge

I ended up reading this after borrowing Deeplight from the library, and loving Hardinge's writing---a YA novel, maybe, but YA in the tradition of the Abhorsen series, or the Queen's Thief series. However, while Deeplight was good, A Face Like Glass reduced me to the Jenny Slate meme. The worldbuilding! The Faces and kleptomancy, Caverna and cheese and changelings...just phenomenal.

The Southern Book Club's Guide to Slaying Vampires, Grady Hendrix

I've put a pretty serious dent in Hendrix's oeuvre (We Sold Our Souls, My Best Friend's Exorcism, Satan Loves You, The Final Girl Support Group) and "Southern Book Club" is the best of the lot. More here.

City of Girls, Elizabeth Gilbert

I have read both City of Girls and The Signature of All Things and unfortunately I actually really like Elizabeth Gilbert's writing! The Eat Pray Love lady might actually be good at this! City of Girls in particular is screamingly funny, featuring a narrator who is both self-aware and not, clever and dumb as bricks, all of which makes for some truly delicious dramatic irony.

HONORABLE MENTIONS:

The Dresden Files really did sneak in there and colonize a part of my brain for a while. I am still thinking about Ghost Story.

Revelator, by Daryl Gregory, was a fun little trip of a book---it doesn't commit to Appalachian Gothic quite as hard as I wanted it to, but the great, gross imagery was too good

2021 ROMANCE PICKS (in no particular order)

Eloisa James in general, but especially, A Duke of Her Own

Lisa Kleypas, Tempt Me at Twilight, Love In the Afternoon

Lauren Willig's "Pink Carnation" series, but particularly The Garden Intrigue, The Orchid Affair

Evie Dunmore, A Rogue of One's Own

Grace Burrowes, The Duke's Disaster

Maya Rodale, Seducing Mr. Knightly

Kate Bateman, This Earl of Mine

Tessa Dare, Romancing the Duke, A Week to Be Wicked

Sabrina Jeffries, Project Duchess

Loretta Chase, Scandal Wears Satin, Miss Wonderful

Courtney Milan, The Duke Who Didn't

Sarah Maclean, Bombshells

Julia Quinn, Romancing Mister Bridgerton, It's in His Kiss, The Secrets of Sir Richard Kenworthy

Sherry Thomas, Delicious

Rose Lerner, True Pretenses

HONORABLE MENTIONS

As mentioned above, Sophie Kinsella is eminently readable, especially I've Got Your Number, and I Owe You One. Also, while overall her pastoralist fantasy leaves me cold, the beginning of The Undomestic Goddess where a young attorney screws something up and runs away to avoid the consequences gave me cold sweats. An actual nightmare I have had before.

Helen Hoang, The Bride Test, which I genuinely did like, though I bounced off of Hoang's previous novel super hard.

[starrlikesbooks]

Gah I think Tumblr ate my ask! If you're seeing this a second time I'm really sorry lol. I'm one of those burned out former gifted kids who used to be passionate about reading before the burned out part came into play. Recently I've decided to get back into reading. I'm immensely pleased to see that there's a lot more options for queer book lovers these days, but I'm kind of daunted by the fact that most books seem to be trilogies or longer. Do you have any standalone recs? If it helps, I like fantasy, angst, and time travel. Some whump too is nice. If it's queer that's a hundred times better (especially if it's transmasc and/or polyam). Extra extra wow factor if the characters are Chinese or Southeast Asian. Thank you for your time and all the good work you do!

Ah thanks for letting me help with this! I hope I can find a book you like 😊

Some queer stand alone scifi:

This is How You Lose the Time War by Amal El-Mohtar & Max Gladstone is a time travel novella of sapphic robots(?) falling in love against enemy lines. Definitely a bit abstract and poetic, so maybe not the simplest read, but if you're in the mood for something atmospheric and dramatic, you might like this book.

The Space Between Worlds by Micaiah Johnson is sapphic and doesn't involve time travel, but it is about hopping to other realities for a corporation.

The Art of Saving the World by Corinne Duyvis is another one to do with alternate realities, though it blends genres a bit too. The main character is questioning, and most likely bi (like her alternate selves).

The Darkness Outside Us by Eliot Schrefer is a scifi mystery in space. Definitely some whump in this! And not time travel, but a bit of a time.... element.

A Complicated Love Story Set in Space by Shaun David Hutchinson is about three kids who wake up on a space ship god knows where. There's a big meta element and time loop element as well.

The Echo Wife by Sarah Gailey is an adult scifi, and not queer. It's about cloning and murder, and is very short. This is hands down one of my favorite books, so if you have any interest in either of those things, I definitely recommend.

The Electric Kingdom by David Arnold is also not queer, but has a big time element to it, and is a very layered, twisty end of the world story. If you can currently take things that involve plagues, then you might like this story.

Some queer fantasy:

Burn by Patrick Ness is an alternate universe story where dragons live alongside(ish) humans, and it's also a prophecy story. Of the three main characters, one is gay.

Before We Disappear by Shaun David Hutchinson is also an alternate universe story, this one queer friendly historical. There's some whump in this, and magical powers being used to help a magician-con man.

Chosen Ones by Veronica Roth is a great stand alone if you like chosen one stories, and their deconstruction. This one isn't queer.

The Starless Sea by Erin Morgenstern is a portal fantasy stand alone with a queer MC and is very layered and atmospheric. I wouldn't call this angsty, but it's definitely bittersweet.

Unfortunately, all the Asian-led SFF I would love to rec is part of a series :( But if you do find yourself wanting duologies in the future, Iron Widow,

[traincat]

do you have any tips on coming up with a plot? most of the times i just can't get anything out of my head and sometimes i have a vague idea but when i try to develop it into an outline i just end up getting stuck at a part and decide to quit

This is a tough one because I don't really see myself as a plot writer. I feel like it's something I've gotten better at over the years, but it was mostly through practice, like, the desire to write fics with plots in them and then just kind of forcing myself to see that through. So it's something I think I'm okay at now but I wouldn't call myself a "plot" writer as opposed to more of a character writer. Which is fine! It's just not a writing strength that comes naturally to me.

So these are my basic tips for coming up with a plot. First, for me, if I don't have a concrete ending in mind, it's really hard for me to get into the fic. I need to have at least some idea of the ending before I begin or it's probably just not going anywhere. I'm not a big outliner, but a lot of times I'll have either notes for the ending or the skeleton of the ending scene already written out from the beginning. For me, this gives me something to work towards -- if I know how it starts, and I know how it ends, then I just need to connect the middle parts and make sure there's a satisfying build towards that ending.

Another tip I have is that if you're struggling with coming up with a plot, it's a good idea to stay small initially. I think a lot of writers want to write those really epic novel length fics with twisty plots that leave the readers on the edge of their seat, but if you're just starting out, it's fine to have the plot be something really simple. I think if you're having trouble, you might need to, at least initially, adjust your idea of what you view as a plot -- if you write ship fic, getting together can be a plot, relationship drama can be a plot, even your ship goes to the beach and has a nice day can be a plot. A lot of it is just setting up a sequence of events in your head, so once you've got a basic formula for it down, you can start to make it more complex by adding twists or expanding the plots to make them longer or more dramatic. And sometimes this will kind of happen on the fly -- usually when I write now, I'll have a pretty basic idea of the plot or the sequence of events, but then as I'm writing I'll get an idea that kind of adds another layer to things and I'll have to figure out how best to incorporate that. It's really common advice but sometimes you do just have to let the story tell you where it's going, and as the author it's your decision whether you're going to let it go there or whether you're going to yank it down another path.

I think finally, and I know this isn't like advice that anyone actually wants to hear, but for me learning how to craft narratives that satisfied me as a writer (and hopefully satisfy the readers too) was really just about practice. It was a lot of managing my expectations and then building up to a point where I could meet greater ones. I know I can write fic with a plot now, but it took a lot of time writing shorter fics with less emphasis on plot and more on character interaction (which I personally feel has always come more easily to me as a writer) and then building up to a point where I felt comfortable expanding plots and where I felt like I could come up with a plot that could sustain itself through whatever story it is that I want to tell. But that's something I've been working on with my writing for a long time. And I think it's always just easier to be critical of your own writing, because you know what it is in your head versus what's down on the paper, but the readers don't see that gap -- so even if you're frustrated with your plots, your readers might genuinely enjoy them, and as a writer I think it's important to kind of learn to see things from the perspective of a reader rather than just kind of always seeing the gap between your desires and the actual story. So you just have to kind of be kind to yourself and also practice a lot.

I think if you're having problems with outlining, it might be useful to try and kind of take a step back from that -- for me, and this is just what I would do for myself, I would kind of try to come up with an ending, but then not really outline past that, and try to keep the plot beats simple while you build up a foundation towards writing more complicated plots. If you find yourself consistently getting stuck at a certain point, I would kind of try to figure out what it is about that point in the story that's giving you trouble. You can also go to a friend or someone and go, okay, let me show you this, what do you think should happen here? A lot of times you might just need someone to bounce ideas off of so you can untangle them yourself.

I don't know if any of this advice is actually helpful but those are my tips. I know "practice" is kind of an annoying answer to hear about writing advice but it really was what worked for me. If you have the desire and you stick with it, eventually you'll figure out a method that works for you.

[twh-news]

How do you score a show that tinkers with time, features a Norse god who is neither hero nor villain, and continually confounds the viewer with new mysteries?

That was the challenge facing English composer Natalie Holt, who with her music for “Loki” becomes only the second woman to compose the dramatic score for a Marvel Cinematic Universe film or TV series (after Pinar Toprak, who scored 2019’s “Captain Marvel”).

The music of “Loki” is a bold combination of a traditional orchestra with vintage analog synthesizers, Scandinavian folk instruments and the weird, unsettling electronic sounds of the theremin, once associated with ’50s sci-fi movies.

“He’s a kind of grand, Machiavellian character,” Holt tells Variety from her London studio. “And Tom Hiddleston’s performance has a touch of Shakespeare to it. So I wanted to give him some gravitas and classical weight to his theme, but also have this space-age sound as well.”

Holt had been listening to 1950s theremin virtuoso Clara Rockmore and had one day hoped to utilize it in a score. So she was surprised to learn that “Loki” director Kate Herron was also “keen to involve the theremin in the soundtrack.”

The unusual instrument was heard in such Hollywood classics as “Spellbound” and “The Day the Earth Stood Still” and, more recently, in the Apollo 11 movie “First Man.” “The character of it just seemed to suit the score,” Holt says.

In addition, Holt and Herron saw similarities between the Norse god of mischief and the character of Alex, famously played by Malcolm McDowell in the 1971 Stanley Kubrick film “A Clockwork Orange.” She says, “He does these horrific things, yet you feel this empathy for him, you can almost forgive him, and his redemption feels painful.”

Wendy Carlos’ Moog synthesizer sounds for the Kubrick classic became another key influence on the score as a result.

Holt began, last August, by creating a “suite” of themes that represented the antihero Loki, his new nemesis/partner Mobius (Owen Wilson), the mysterious Time Variance Authority (TVA) and variant Sylvie (Sophia Di Martino). This became the blueprint for much of what she would write for the series over the next six months.

The concept of time, and the possibility of altering a timeline, is central to the series premise, and so the sounds of a ticking clock (actually samples of different clocks, notes the composer) appear in the TVA theme.

Holt’s research into Norse mythology also led to the use of two Norwegian instruments, the hardanger fiddle and stringed nyckelharpa, to suggest Loki’s Asgardian home and his late mother Frigga.

The entire score was created remotely, with Holt working in her studio; other musicians contributing theremin, synthesizer, guitar and drum sounds from various locations; and the Budapest Film Orchestra supplying a traditional symphonic foundation.

“I love those really powerful forces coming together, giving something like the weight of [opera composer Richard] Wagner, but with this unusual twisty edge,” says Holt.

Classically trained as a violinist at the Royal Academy of Music and in composition at the National Film and Television School, Holt confesses that she prefers to sketch her musical ideas on paper. “I’m so old school,” she says with a laugh.

That enabled her to design a score that started with the finale and worked backwards from there. “I had the theme for the end very early on,” she says. The final two episodes, due July 7 and 14, also feature a 32-voice choir, she reveals.

Holt was a 2017 Emmy nominee for music in the PBS series “Victoria,” and has completed work on a Netflix film, “Fever Dream,” slated for release later this year.

[lokiondisneyplus]

How do you score a show that tinkers with time, features a Norse god who is neither hero nor villain, and continually confounds the viewer with new mysteries?

That was the challenge facing English composer Natalie Holt, who with her music for “Loki” becomes only the second woman to compose the dramatic score for a Marvel Cinematic Universe film or TV series (after Pinar Toprak, who scored 2019’s “Captain Marvel”).

The music of “Loki” is a bold combination of a traditional orchestra with vintage analog synthesizers, Scandinavian folk instruments and the weird, unsettling electronic sounds of the theremin, once associated with ’50s sci-fi movies.

“He’s a kind of grand, Machiavellian character,” Holt tells Variety from her London studio. “And Tom Hiddleston’s performance has a touch of Shakespeare to it. So I wanted to give him some gravitas and classical weight to his theme, but also have this space-age sound as well.”

Holt had been listening to 1950s theremin virtuoso Clara Rockmore and had one day hoped to utilize it in a score. So she was surprised to learn that “Loki” director Kate Herron was also “keen to involve the theremin in the soundtrack.”

The unusual instrument was heard in such Hollywood classics as “Spellbound” and “The Day the Earth Stood Still” and, more recently, in the Apollo 11 movie “First Man.” “The character of it just seemed to suit the score,” Holt says.

In addition, Holt and Herron saw similarities between the Norse god of mischief and the character of Alex, famously played by Malcolm McDowell in the 1971 Stanley Kubrick film “A Clockwork Orange.” She says, “He does these horrific things, yet you feel this empathy for him, you can almost forgive him, and his redemption feels painful.”

Wendy Carlos’ Moog synthesizer sounds for the Kubrick classic became another key influence on the score as a result.

Holt began, last August, by creating a “suite” of themes that represented the antihero Loki, his new nemesis/partner Mobius (Owen Wilson), the mysterious Time Variance Authority (TVA) and variant Sylvie (Sophia Di Martino). This became the blueprint for much of what she would write for the series over the next six months.

The concept of time, and the possibility of altering a timeline, is central to the series premise, and so the sounds of a ticking clock (actually samples of different clocks, notes the composer) appear in the TVA theme.

Holt’s research into Norse mythology also led to the use of two Norwegian instruments, the hardanger fiddle and stringed nyckelharpa, to suggest Loki’s Asgardian home and his late mother Frigga.

The entire score was created remotely, with Holt working in her studio; other musicians contributing theremin, synthesizer, guitar and drum sounds from various locations; and the Budapest Film Orchestra supplying a traditional symphonic foundation.

“I love those really powerful forces coming together, giving something like the weight of [opera composer Richard] Wagner, but with this unusual twisty edge,” says Holt.

Classically trained as a violinist at the Royal Academy of Music and in composition at the National Film and Television School, Holt confesses that she prefers to sketch her musical ideas on paper. “I’m so old school,” she says with a laugh.

That enabled her to design a score that started with the finale and worked backwards from there. “I had the theme for the end very early on,” she says. The final two episodes, due July 7 and 14, also feature a 32-voice choir, she reveals.

Holt was a 2017 Emmy nominee for music in the PBS series “Victoria,” and has completed work on a Netflix film, “Fever Dream,” slated for release later this year.

[lilover131]

Is Tsubasa manga worth to buy? I don't mind the dark and twisty story, but I'm afraid it would have too many repetitive and long fighting scenes, like usual shonen mangas do. But I love Syaosaku and want to see more tender moments between them.

Hi there!!! I'm really so happy you asked me about this! I know there are many out there who are hesitant to read/buy Tsubasa because of a lot of the things that are said about it around the internet, so I'll give you my honest take here as a diehard fan. Apologies in advance for the length.

YES. I absolutely think the manga is worth the buy.

To address your concerns about the repetitive and long fighting scenes, one thing I can tell you is that I don't much care for fight scenes that are repetitive either. You'll see a certain kind of formula in a lot of shonen series where the characters have some epic battle that they start off losing, and then suddenly they summon some hidden power or true form (like becoming Super Saiyan in DBZ, Plus Ultra in MHA, or Dragon Force in Fairytail). It's often overdone in anime and makes fights rather predictable (no offense to those who like the series I mentioned. I enjoyed them plenty myself).

But this doesn't happen in Tsubasa. It doesn't contain that usual formula, and the characters are perfectly happy avoiding violence if at all possible. They also only ever improve upon or draw on the strengths we know they already have, so there's no hidden power waiting to burst out after some sort of intense emotional moment. They simply grow in a very natural sort of way. The only reason you see a fight in this series is either because 1. a person/group is standing in the way of their goal and aggression is the only option, or 2. they are defending themselves from someone who attacked them first.

Additionally, each fight scene feels completely different from the last. I can recall details of pretty much every fight scene that happened in Tsubasa because they are all unique enough to easily tell apart (my favorite is in a world called 'Infinity', but I won't spoil the details of that fight). I never once got the feeling that the fight scenes blended together or that they were unnecessary.

The fact that they travel to different worlds as well makes the story so flexible. Their style of fighting can sometimes change depending on the rules of the world around them (the first world they travel to in particular kinda displays that), and because they travel to all sorts of different worlds, you never know what sort of situations they might run into. Literally anything can happen, and any genre can be explored because all they have to do is go to a world in which those things exist. It's genius.

But the best part about Tsubasa is not the fights but the emotional growth. Each character in the main cast changes quite dramatically from how they started out, and they learn so much from their story and the people around them. There's a big plot twist as well that occurs about halfway through the series that completely changes everything, and as someone who read the series as it was serialized, I can tell you it was absolutely mind blowing. One arc in the series singlehandedly turns the entire story on its head and changes every character's goal, and seeing how they react and adapt to the changing situations around them is such a wild ride.

It's a good thing you're okay with dark and twisty, because there is angst galore in Tsubasa, but in seriously the best way. I watched them go through these things and thought "yes, this is horrible, but look how strong they are to get through it all", and that inspired me. One of the major themes in Tsubasa is that we make mistakes, some that cannot be taken back, and the best thing we can do is keeping looking up and moving forward. It also reminds us that there is not even one person on this planet who wouldn't be missed by someone if they were lost, no matter what they've done. Whether you intend to or not, you leave an imprint on those that you meet, like a ripple in the water.

Naturally, the SyaoSaku scenes are fantastic. I always love me some SyaoSaku, and one thing you learn about them in this series is that they will literally do anything to save and protect each other. Their love is truly infallible and unable to be broken by any force. And the way CLAMP expresses their feelings for each other through their actions, words, and trials is just so beautiful. Better yet, their scenes are truly made more sweet by the angst moments in between as well as the smile inducing found family moments they have with Kurogane, Fai, and Mokona. The dynamics of the entire group are honestly just so so wonderful and give me such a big grin every time I see it. The closeness between them all is really almost tangible.

The only warnings I can give is that it is a long story, but not nearly as long as some of the other shonen series out there. Also, the story does admittedly get a bit (or a lot) confusing towards the end, particularly in the final arc. However if you ask me, I think it was purposely meant to not make full sense due to the nature of the main conflict (I might try to tackle that topic in another post at some point when I find the time and energy). Even I have a hard time explaining it sometimes to others, but I think the overall message CLAMP wanted to convey is still there, and I love it even with its flaws.

If you read all of this, I want to thank you sincerely for asking this question, and I hope this helped! If you do end up buying/reading it, I'd love to hear your thoughts!