#cabin pressure fanfiction

[cynicalrainbows]

Fic set sometime after Muriel is given the bookshop to look after, in which she meets a kindred spirit.

................................................................

It was a nice day. All the days had been nice, Muriel thought. Probably, anyway. Not that she’d ever seen many of them…or any of them until a week and a half ago, but the ones she’d seen since coming to earth had been very nice.

Like fog! You didn’t GET fog in the accounts department (you didn’t get any weather at all, which seemed terribly sad, although she hadn’t missed it at the time) but here on earth, it could just pop up unexpectedly, like the air was playing a trick on you by going all thick and soupy and making whatever you were going to come across next into a surprise! A hedge! A tree! The side of a shop! Amazing!

Hail was nice too. It gave Muriel an excuse to wear her hat. Not that she needed one exactly, since she hadn’t quite made up her mind to drop her incognito disguise as a Human-Policeman (she quite liked the idea of being a Human Policeman-and-Bookseller), but there was something very satisfying about the feeling of the hailstones bouncing off her hat.

Rain was the best one though. She had heard somewhere that rain was very good for making humans fall in love, especially if they were under an awning, and Muriel liked to watch the humans sheltering under awnings on the rainy days to see if she could spot the exact moment that the love happened. 

(She hadn’t spotted it yet, but that was probably just because she needed more practice. To help her keep her hand in, she’d miracled the biggest, brightest awning she could over the bookshop window and sometimes she’d try to gently steer people who looked like they might be good falling-in-love partners under the awning at the same time, although disappointingly, they often veered off, even though, as Muriel made sure to helpfully call after them, there was rain outside of the awning.)

She was just wondering whether the rain would last long (and rather hoping it did), when the bell hanging over the door jingled. 

People! People coming inside! (She knew, of course, not to sell any of the books but that didn’t mean she couldn’t enjoy talking to the people who came in to look around, even if a lot of them had trouble understand the no-buying-books rule, even when she explained it very slowly and carefully in her loudest voice.)

‘-in here until it dies down’

There was the sound of an umbrella being put down, and the shuffling of feet on the doormat.

‘Can’t I walk to the station and meet you there, Mum?’

‘Why on earth would you want to walk there in the rain?’

‘It’s brilliant walking in the rain! It’s like a water park! Only it’s in your clothes and you don’t have to pay for it!’

There was a slight pause, as if the elder of the two voices was not entirely sure how to respond to the statement, and then the conversation resumed, more crisp and clipped than before, as if the owner of the voice had given herself a little shake.

‘No thank you. OJS does not need it’s only steward going down with pneumonia just before Christmas.’

‘Ok.’ The voice sounded momentarily chastened, and then perked up again. ‘Can I look at the books while we wait?’

‘Yes, go on.’

‘Brilliant!’

The younger of the two disappeared behind a shelf, and Muriel suddenly realised she was being somewhat remiss in her duties as bookshop-keeper. She hurried forward.

‘You can look at the books too!’

The white-haired woman just looked at her.

‘It’s allowed!’ Muriel explained kindly. ‘It’s called browsing! Anyone can do it!’

The white-haired woman gave a little nod.

‘Thank you for the information.’

(Being helpful was one of the best things about being on earth! Hardly anyone ever needed her help in heaven!)

‘You’re my welcome pleasure!’

‘Excuse me?’

‘Oh! Well you see, often when people say thank you, then the other person says you’re welcome or my pleasure.Sometimes they say other things but those are my favourites. Except you can’t say them both, so what I thought I’d do is find a way to say them both so i can say them both to everyone always! Then I don’t have to choose which one to say!’

‘Brilliant!’

The younger man had reappeared suddenly, as if from nowhere, eyes wide with admiration and Muriel beamed back. No one ever looked at her like this in heaven!

‘Oh thank you!’

‘I’m going to say that to all the passengers!’

‘No you won’t.’ This from the white haired woman who looked, if it was possible, even more severe. She sounded extremely certain, although Muriel wondered how she could be sure. Humans, after all, were so very unpredictable, and there was no telling what they might get up to, if you took your eyes off them for half a minute, whether that was a leaving a perfectly good awning during a downpour or finishing off a sandwich without even noticing the pigeons scratching hopefully for crumbs at their feet.

‘Oh. Well, it’s still brilliant I’ve had it said to me!’

The woman sighed a little to herself and gestured vaguely to the recesses of the shop.

‘Why don’t you go back to the books?’

The younger man suddenly gasped.

‘Oh yes, about that!’ He turned to Muriel, lookin very serious. ‘I’m afraid there’s a problem with your bookshop.’

Muriel furrowed her brow in concern, but she also couldn’t help but feel a tiny thrill. A problem! Not good exactly, but how wonderful it would be if she could fix it! She leaned forwards eagerly.

‘Thank you so much for telling me. Is it on fire?’

The white-haired woman almost choked.

‘What? Why on earth would it be on fire?’

‘Well, statically,’ Muriel explained helpfully, ‘human bookshops like this one, their biggest problem is fire! So I thought that perhaps this one might be. Is it?’

The young man shook his head.

‘Oh no, nothing like that. It’s this. You don’t have White Fang.’

‘Ah!’ Even better- a chance to explain AND a chance to reassert herself as a human! ‘No, you see, that’s because I’m a human bookseller. I have teeth. Look!’

She opened her mouth wide to demonstrate but the young man shook his head.

‘Wow! Shiny! But no, I mean the book White Fang. It’s brilliant! But you don’t have it. I checked in the fiction section and in the nature section and I was going to look in the cookery section, in case someone had gotten confused- because after all, there’s a lot of eating in the book, even though it’s not the humans doing it….but you don’t seem to have a cookery section. It’s not anywhere!’

He looked so concerned that Muriel couldn’t help but feel worried.

‘Oh…should we have it?’

The young man nodded emphatically.

‘Yes! It’s not a bookshop if you don’t have White Fang!’

‘Oh no!’

‘I know.’

There was a pause, as Muriel wrestled with something in her head. Eventually, she said carefully, ‘But this is a bookshop. The bookshop doesn’t buy books.’

‘You sell books!’ put in the young man, looking as if he was rather happy to be doing a spot of explaining himself. Muriel shook her head.

‘Not this bookshop. Can you buy a book for a bookshop? Is it allowed?’

They considered for a moment and the young man rubbed his chin thoughtfully.

‘Oh wow. That’s a really hypocritical question….’

The white-haired woman tutted loudly.

‘No it isn’t!’ She looked as if she was annoyed at herself for listening to their conversation for so long without saying something. She looked at Muriel. ‘Surely you know where you get your stock from?’

Muriel considered and then shook her head. Not really- no one had ever explained, and it had never even occurred to her that the books came from anywhere. Surely the books were just part of the bookshop.

 ‘Well, where did all these come from?’

‘A…friend.’ (Aziraphale was a friend, surely?) ‘I’m looking after the shop for him.’

‘Ah!’ The woman nodded, as if things now made more sense. ‘Well in that case, perhaps you don’t need to buy a copy yourself? Just wait for him to come back and he can order one.’

‘Oh.’ Muriel thought about it. ‘Is that how it’s done?’

‘Yes! Like how only Mum can order the tea and coffee, because once Herc did it and Mum got really cross and asked if he thought we were made of money. And once Douglas did it, and he was gone all morning because he was trying to find more expensive coffee than Herc got and-’

‘Yes, thank you Arthur,’ the woman interrupted. Then, to Muriel, ‘Yes, that’s how it’s done.’

‘He might not be back for a while though…’

(Was Aziraphale coming back? Was anyone coming back? The Metatron hadn’t said and Muriel hadn’t had a chance to ask.)

‘Wait! I know!’ The young man looked suddenly thrilled. ‘While you wait, you should read White Fang! He can’t have read it, or he’d have it in the shop!’

Well, maybe that was true. Aziraphale had read an awful lot of books, but if White Fang was so very important, surely he couldn't have read it? But then something occurred to her.

‘But I can’t read it. There isn’t a copy of it here.’

‘Oh that’s ok!’ The young man rummaged into one of the pockets of his coat and pulled out a very battered paperback. ‘You can borrow my copy!’ He held it out and Muriel took it, reverently.

‘Are you sure?’

‘Of course!’ The young man looked surprised she’d even asked. ‘You can’t tell your friend about how good it is if you haven’t read it, can you?’

Muriel supposed that made sense.

‘Well-’

She was cut off by an exclamation by the woman.

‘The rain’s stopped! We’ll need to hurry or we’ll miss the train.’

‘Ok. Thanks for letting us stand in your shop. You probably read it twice before you give it back, so you don’t forget any of it.’

‘I will.’ Then something occurred to her. ‘But how will I give it back? Should I wait for it to rain again?’

‘You could!’ The young man looked thrilled at her suggestion but the older woman shook her head. ‘Or I suppose I could write down the address and you could post it back. Or! Or you could come and give it back yourself! You could meet GERTI and come flying with us-’ He turned to the woman. ‘Can she, Mum?’

The woman sighed and then nodded.

‘I suppose so. If it’s a short, cargo flight.’

‘Brilliant!’

‘Now we really must be going-’

They were gone before Muriel could say much of anything else: she stroked the cover of the book in awe.

What a day. She was going to get to read the best book in the world, and she’d met humans who could fly.

If every day was going to be this exciting, she rather hoped Aziraphale didn’t come back for a long, long, long time.

[drgrlfriend]

Fic Writer's Showcase Game

I was tagged by @there-must-be-a-lock - thanks!

Rules: Go to your published works on AO3 and list the first fic you ever published there, the last fic you published, any fic that you wrote for a fandom/ship only once, your favorite fic you wrote in the fandom/ship that has the most works, the fic you wish more people read, the fic you agonized over the most, the fic that sprang fully formed from your mind without any effort, and a work you are proud of—for whatever reason. <3

First Fic: Full Circle

So, this is how I got into writing fanfic. Someone on a non-fandom message board I was on was a big fan of fanfiction, and I thought, "Wow, I haven't thought about fanfiction since my X-Files days! I wonder what it's like now?" I went to FFN (this was pre-AO3) and the top fandom was Pirates of the Caribbean, which I didn't know much about, and I think the second top was High School Musical, and the third was X-Men. So I read some X-Men stories, especially Wolverine/Rogue, and one of them was a very compelling story about pregnancy loss which ended with a very ambivalent ending -- basically, a phone ringing and you don't know if the character will pick up. My friends, I COULD NOT SLEEP. I had experienced a pregnancy loss in the prior year, and I *had* to write a happy ending to this story. In retrospect, it was the RUDEST thing but I was new to fandom and I didn't know anything. I wrote it in an email and then eventually sent it to the author like a cat dropping a dead mouse in her lap, and she was very kind and encouraged me to post it. And that was ::checks notes:: at least a decade ago. Yikes.

Last Fic:

Chrome-Plated Heart Technically a WIP but it's all completed and is just posting twice a week until it's done. A Winterhawk Marvel Pacific Rim AU.

One-Hit Fandom:

Hope

I am kind of a serial fandom monogamist and once I'm in a fandom I tend to linger for a few years, so I only have one one-off in the Cabin Pressure fandom and it's more of a ficlet. A little Douglas Richardson & Martin Crieff cutscene from St. Petersburg. I don't even know their portmanteau!

Favorite Fic in the Fandom with the Most Works:

Lucky in Love

Wow, I had to check but I'm actually now tied for fandoms -- Marvel and Teen Wolf both have 18 fics each. So, I'll go with Marvel, and Lucky in Love, my first Winterhawk fic. I think it's rare to write a fic and then not want to change much about it a few years down the road, but I still reread this one from time to time and I still really like it! Fic I Wish More People Read:

Quriosity

Hmmm. It seems greedy to say so because it got a great reception, both within the 00Q fandom and just objectively in terms of number of hits, etc., but I feel like there's not as much crossover between the Bond fandoms and others I'm in, so if there's one fic of mine I would encourage people to take a chance and try if they know me from Marvel or Teen Wolf fandoms it's this one. There's a lot of fics in my repertoire that have themes of touch starvation / touch aversion but this one is the mostest.

Fic I Agonized Over the Most:

Freedom's Reach

I'm tempted to say the current fic I'm writing (my selkie!Bucky MTH2022 fic) but I think that's just a tendency to think whatever you're writing now is putting up the hardest fight. Freedom's Reach is my Winterhawk historical AU (e.g. American Civil War era) with mail order bride, and I don't know what I was thinking to write 1.) Inherently uneven power dynamic, which is something I typically dislike 2.) In an era I know nothing about 3.) Requiring frequent misunderstandings which I typically dislike. My poor beta @kangofu-cb is a saint for all the whining and self-doubt she had to put up with as I wondered whether I was walking all those lines.

Fic that Sprang Fully Formed: For Everything There is a Season

So, Google tells me that the Four Seasons Total Landscaping debacle happened on November 7th, 2020, which means that within the week I had started posting this fic, and I'm pretty sure I wrote it in one evening. What can I say, I was inspired to think of ... Pierce ... and his ... Restore America's Glory supporters ... getting a pile of manure dumped on him. Go figure.

Proud of for Whatever Reason:

Pretty When You Cry

I am NOT good at writing short, capture-a-pivotal-moment-and-let-it-speak-for-itself fics. As the length of this post attests, I am a prototypical ADHD overexplainer. This fic managed to be short and sweet and intensely smutty but with all the feels somehow crammed in. And then, to overexplain, I had to do a second chapter from the other POV but I like how (to me at least) it doesn't feel repetitive or boring; it's the same events and dialogue but the internal narrative is so different it's still interesting. So, yeah, smutty little feels fic with Winterhawk failing a one-night-stand, check it out. I think between nox and lou most of the Winterhawk regulars already got tagged, so I'm tagging outside the fandom or people I haven't caught up with in awhile so, um ... @flamingo-queen-writes , @drunktuesdays , @pantstomatch, @shatteredhourglass, @1000-directions ... and anyone who wants to do this; I haven't been online for a bit so I'm sure I missed a bunch!

[unnecessaryligatures]

Hard to believe this is my first Cabin Pressure fic after all these years! You can read it here.

[watchingroger]

The noise Gordon made stomping through the house could have woken the dead. He discarded his shoes and coat on the stairs, aiming for the den and his well-stocked bar. Something stopped him and made him turn towards the kitchen instead.

The dining room was lit for once, with table set with silverware and crystal wine glasses and burning candles. A vase with lilies sat on the dresser. It had been a wedding present from his mother.

“What’s all this?” he demanded.

“Ah, Gordon, you’re home,” Carolyn said mildly. He had caught her pulling a dish out of the oven. She wore an old apron over her best frock, earrings dangled from her ears and pearls fell to a perfect inch above the neckline of her dress. Her face was made up, which wasn’t something that happened often. 

“What’s all this?” Gordon asked again.

“It may have escaped your notice, but we have been married 20 years today.” Carolyn kept her voice carefully benign.

“Where’s the boy?”

“Arthur’s out with Kitty.”

“Kitty? Which one’s Kitty?”

“Arthur has been seeing Kitty for almost two months. It would be nice if you tried to take a little notice.”

“Oh they’ve all got such bloody stupid names,” Gordon growled, “why should I care to keep up? The lad doesn’t want me snooping around, and nor should he. You want to keep your nose out as well. No girl wants a man whose mother knows where he is every hour of the day.”

Carolyn didn’t take the bait. She had the evening carefully planned. Asparagus threatening to become burnt rather than charred gave her the opportunity to turn away. She took a deep breath. Composed, she turned back to her husband. “Why don’t you go and get changed?” she suggested. “Dinner will be ready in a couple of minutes.”

-----

Gordon threw back the last of his wine and set the glass on the table. Carolyn cleared her throat delicately and waited a beat before taking away the plates. She did not get the thanks she deserved. It had been a vain hope, she knew.

“Right,” Gordon said in the accent that Carolyn had come to find so grating, “Is that all?”

Carolyn counted to ten for the 26th time that evening. She had been keeping track. “Actually, there was something I wanted to give you.”

She handed him a box wrapped elaborately in paper and ribbon. Gordon accepted it with a suspicious look. He ripped off the paper carelessly, tugging on the ribbon until it gave way. Inside he found a brown envelope, addressed to him. He threw Carolyn a look as he tore into it.

Divorce papers.

Carolyn almost grinned. Gordon was actually speechless. There weren’t many things that could render him lost for words. This felt like a victory to Carolyn, who had made it a point to enjoy every one of the few she achieved in this marriage.

“You’re not getting any of my money,” he said eventually, speaking louder than was necessary.

Typical, thought Carolyn. He still hadn’t realised that there were things more important than money. “We’ll see what the court has to say about that.”

AO3

[thegreenhairedwerewolf]

Fic rec

"My fair captain" by awanderingbard

Martin is invited to Theresa's formal birthday party. Being Martin, he panics. Luckily, MJN is on standby for Mr Goddard and, having nothing better to do anyway, they decide to help Martin prepare for the occasion.

This story had me both laughing out loud and going "awww" and "yes!!!" when a character was so perfectly in character.

A brilliant read!

[thecoffeelorian]

4/25/2024

Hello again, everyone...

Firstly, in case you have not heard it today...no, you are not required to stop creating for a fandom the moment its most recent update goes away, because if that were true, I don't think any of us would be here right now if those who came before us thought that the Original Trilogy were "just movies", and should not have been thought about or discussed outside the cinema.

And while we're on the subject, you might have noticed just now that the list is a bit shorter today, but it's not without good reason: I've been working on a few fanfiction updates of my own, namely stories/chapters that focus on Captain Howzer, Omega, and Wrecker, so I look forward to sharing them with you as soon as I am able.

In the meantime, though, there's a lot of art to share here, so let's get right to it!

General Star Wars Fanart

Asajj Ventress by @starrymush

Modern!Babygirl Obi by @passionat3

Barriss Offee by @kim-the-kryptid

The Bad Batch Fanart

420 by @techs-assistant

Crosshair in a mountain cabin by @catcucumber-salad

Accidental Hilarity by @techhasmjolnir

Wrecker by @topazblitz

Hunter In Gamora's Outfit by @nattyjae

Batcher by @vivaislenska

The Sequels Fanart

The best flyboy by @sigmabeggers

Rey Skywalker by @liambrazier

And so, in order to support all our artists today, please check out the links I included above, like, comment, and reblog as you would with anyone else.

Please also like and reblog this latest installment so that these links can be spread around to as many other fans as possible, just in case not all of them can tune in at the same time.

Thank you to my friends, thank you to this fandom...good morning, and good luck.

No Pressure Tags: @dinosaurs-and-fanfiction @theosb0rnway @sharpasanaro @here-comes-the-moose @trixie2023

@chefobiwankenobi @ilovemedia @gun-roswell @callsign-denmark @yeehawgeek

@melymigo @groguandthebadbatch @littlefeatherr @ankossss @smw-on-kamino

@saphiranishimurashan @ray-rook @called-me-vicky @jedi-princess-kestis @serinzatravel-blog

@skellymom and anybody else who might be on the lookout for new and interesting works around the fandom. Have a good morning, and don’t stop creating.

[dcartcorner]

I maybe sort of wrote something. Set after TMA Episode 51: High Pressure, following a plot bunny about Captain Kemp's remark "The sea is a dangerous place." (Disclaimer: I don't usually write fanfiction and Am Not A Writer, I just have emotions about these two horrible old men).

Into the Ocean Characters: Simon Fairchild, Peter Lukas, Morten Kemp (mentioned) Ship: FoggySkies Warnings: mentions of drowning, incredibly minor mention of violence

He was shaken, Peter thought. 

When he’d come aboard - dripping wet and smelling like the salt spray of the ocean - he’d been smiling ear to ear. That’s how Simon was. Performative. But once they’d retreated to the captain’s cabin, once Simon had stripped out of his wet clothes and borrowed some of Peter’s - once Peter had pushed him down into one of the chairs and shoved a cup of coffee into his hands - he could tell. 

Simon Fairchild was shaken. And that, Peter thought, could not have been an easy thing to accomplish. 

He could tell it in the curve of the older man’s shoulders, the way his smile was so noticeably absent when Peter wasn’t speaking to him. These things were uncharacteristic of Fairchild, insofar as Peter knew him. 

Peter didn’t make a point of knowing people, broadly speaking. 

Simon made a point of being known, though. And he made it Peter’s problem some years back. 

Peter didn’t much want to talk about it. It’d been such a quiet trip across the seas, happily alone. What were the chances he’d run into Simon here? Whatever it was, Peter didn’t want to have to ask nor answer questions. It seemed too great an effort.

“Have you ever thought about drowning?” Simon inevitably asked. His voice was as lighthearted as ever, but he wasn’t looking at Peter. He was gazing out the small window. Peter’s skin crawled. Simon knew how he felt about it - being asked questions. Or perhaps it was because he did know how Peter felt that he didn’t wait for a reply, and went on, “I had never considered it. Not really. It’s not like I could, I don’t think.”

“You came out here to see if you could drown?” Peter said around the rock in his throat that tried to keep the question from being asked. He was tired. It’d be easier to disappear. 

“Goodness, no,” Simon said. “Old yacht. Feeling a bit peckish.  You know how it is.” There was a bitter edge in his words. Something hadn’t gone right, then. “As it turns out, I rather angered the captain of a ship I’d chartered out to the wreck. And here I thought Kemp had been such a charming man, too.”

Peter hummed in sympathy for this Captain Kemp whom Simon had impressed his presence upon. 

“I’m not sure why I didn’t expect it,” Simon said. “The blow to the head, I mean. How very… mundane.” 

Peter, in the middle of pouring himself a cup of coffee as well, froze, then glanced over at Simon. Peter hadn’t noticed any injuries when Simon had been changing, no blood that’d dripped down from his hairline. It can’t have been too serious a strike - but that thought doesn’t do anything to snuff out the sudden, flickering anger in Peter’s chest. 

Simon was still looking away, out the window. He looked very small, Peter thought, that little skeleton of a frame swallowed by Peter’s sweater. 

“It was all very surprising,” Simon said. “You just don’t think certain people have it in them, I suppose. Or you are so used to winning, you don’t expect it when the odds turn.” A shrug of one small, bony shoulder. 

“He tried to drown you,” Peter said. It wasn’t a question. 

“Hands bound and feet weighted,” Simon replied with a humourless laugh. “The whole nine yards, as they say. Very theatrical. Tied good knots, I’ll tell you. Of course he did. Sailor, and all.” A long pause, and the smile was gone in its entirety this time, leaving Simon’s face blank. And then, slowly, he said, “I’m not sure what would have happened… if I’d kept sinking. You think I’d be right at home, wouldn’t you? All that beautiful, shining abyss stretching out all around, and being nothing more than… a meaningless drop in it all. I think I might’ve enjoyed it, if it hadn’t been for the knots, and the weight. The sinking. The feeling of all that water crushing in around you. Being… buried.” He said it with a frown. 

Peter watched him, unmoving. Simon hadn’t touched the coffee yet. Peter didn’t blame him. It wasn’t good coffee - at least that was what Simon had been sure to tell him plenty of times before.

“You know, I’ve always thought. If I were to die… life would go on. And if I were to live, life would go on. And either way, that’s just fine,” Simon said. “But I had this thought, down there, Peter. This thought that… that’s not how I wanted to die. Being crushed. Being… bound.” The smile flickered across his features, but it was a sad looking thing. “And I had to laugh then, even sinking as I was. Because what did it matter what I wanted? That’s quite the point, isn’t it. Nothing matters, not really, not in any way that counts. Still. I caught myself thinking… it would have been a great deal nicer to fall into the sky, rather than have that… liquid cement closing in around me.”

Peter stared at Simon for a long moment. He suddenly wondered about this other captain Simon mentioned.

Wondered if it wasn’t the first time Kemp had tried to bury someone at sea.

“The knot came loose,” Simon eventually sighed, sinking further into the chair. “The one around my hands. Took a little finagling to get the one around my feet.” Finally he lifted the cup to his lips, took a small sip. “You must imagine the relief I felt, seeing your fair ship when I broke the surface.” Peter’s face twisted into something that might have been an amused smile. It was a cargo ship - hardly what anyone would describe as fair. “The Tundra in all of its majesty, and I thought to myself, the good captain certainly has impeccable timing, as always.”

There was still hardly anything in Simon’s smile. It struck Peter as wrong. He scratched at his beard, then looked to the window, and then finally said, “Follow.” He didn’t wait for Simon. Simply turned on his heel and walked to the door of the cabin. He could hear the spry old man exclaim something and shuffle to his feet to hurry after him. 

They went up a flight of stairs, and another. Climbing higher until finally they reached a hatch that Peter pushed open. He exited out onto the roof of the bridge.

The air was sharp and ocean fresh, whipping past his face, and as Simon climbed up after him, Peter could see the change was immediate. Simon’s eyes turned skyward, chasing the patterns of clouds towards the distant, endless horizon. He recognized the look in Simon’s sky blue eyes then - no longer dull and tired, but bright and alive - if still exhausted. Peter didn’t want to call it love, even if that was what it was that Simon looked up to the heavens with, because then he would have to think about the times Simon had looked at him like that, and that was…

…overwhelming, at the best of times. 

He watched silently as Simon padded his way over to the railing, and then leaned against it with a deep, happy sigh. There was no noise for a time other than the waves crashed against The Tundra, and the sound of the wind.

And then Simon said, “You certainly know how to treat a man, Captain Lukas. Thank you.”

Peter could hear it in his voice - that proper smile. He scratched the tip of his nose. “I’ll be below,” he replied. Simon didn’t respond. And just for a moment longer, Peter stood there and stared at Simon’s back. It was rare to see him so still, aside from when he slept. Simon moved fast. Faster than what most could keep up with. It must have led, Peter thought, to a very lonely existence. And that suited him well. Perhaps that was why it worked, with Simon. He came and went with the wind, and never seemed to overstay his welcome. And moments like these, when it was only them, and the empty, vibrant sky and vast, lonely horizon, Peter felt… comfortable. 

He left Simon there. He’d come back to the cabin when he was ready - or he’d leave. Either way was fine in Peter’s books. Whatever the case, he’d have to ask a round next they made port. See if he couldn’t find one Captain Kemp, and show him just how desolate the ocean could be. 

[sarcasticsciencefictionwriter]

Stargate SG-1 Fanfiction Rec List

for @jhxpper

On AO3

(including some tags provided by authors in lieu of all of them for the sake of space. My apologies if some of these authors have tumblrs I'm not aware of)

He Can Be Very Charming by Amphytrion (@amphytrionwrites) (T, Sam/Jack, semi canon compliant)

Diary of a Cat by samsg1 (T, Sam Carter/Jonas Hansen (not the focus, doesn't last) and Sam Carter & Schrodinger the cat, suprisingly canon compliant for a fic about a cat)

Offspring by TheLionessWrites (E, Sam/Jack, Medical Rape/Non-Con)

Stop the World from Spinning by lemonfluff (@itslemonfluff) (E, Sam/Jack, Twister AU)

Stimulating by Amphytrion (T, Sam/Jack, AU)

The Freshman by NewCrayons (T, Sam/Jack, so much trope, at least 90% fluff)

Knocked Up by Akamaimom (T, married Sam/Jack, humor, romance)

Scent by GWhite (G, Sam/Jack)

Dreamlike by captain_sassy_sock (@captain-sassy-socks) (M, Sam/Jack, fluff, cabin fic)

Coffee and a Snack by lemonfluff (T, Sam/Jack, inspired by He Can Be Very Charming)

Across the Galaxy by TheiraVShade (@theiravshade) (T, Sam/Jack, episode tags)

Flannel Nightgowns and Other Strategic Conundrums by Akamaimom (T, Sam/Jack, newlyweds, humor)

Under Pressure by samsg1 (M, Sam/Jack, heavy angst)

The Teddy Bear by Caladenia (G, Sam/Jack, established relaitonship, fluff)

Overheating by Koken (E, Sam/Jack)

The Fine Print by Nazmuko (T, Sam/Jack, tragedy, finding their way back to each other)

Proper Care and Feeding of Your Astrophysicist by CoraClavia (G, Sam/Jack)

The Hard One by XWingKC (T, Sam & Jack, PTSD)

Christmas at Jack's by GWhite (T, Sam/Jack, family, fluff)

Perfect Strangers by MWard01 (M, Sam/Jack, enemies to loves, PTSD, therapy)

Scar by JX27 (T, Sam/Jack, whump, slow burn, light angst)

Nothing Is Not An Option by captain_sassy_socks (T, Sam/Jack, tag to Threads)

Pete's Parts by GWhite, XWingKC (M, Sam/Pete, Sam/Jack, Whump) (I consider this humor, but it's not tagged as such)

See Them Aliens by outoftheseashesrising (G, Sam/Jack, humor)

Swing and a Miss by Mini_Goat (@jedimastergoat) (T, Sam/Jack, fluff)

Tease(r) or Lure by writingherhope (T, Sam/Jack, AU, sex shop, fishing)

Pretty much anything by Amphytrion, Akamaimom, GWhite, lemonfluff, and captain_sassy_socks and you're good to go.

I also have a collection of Stargate SG-1 (various Sam/Jack, AUs, and fluff) stories on AO3 under Sacastic_Science_Fiction_Writer

On FF.net

superposition of eigenstates by nostalgia (Sam/Jack, whumpy)

Hell Hath No Fury by Strixvaria25 (dark!Sam AU)

Homecomings by Evilgoddss (Fun team rescuing Sam fic)

[gwens-fiction]

Intro Post

Hi! I’m Gwen. I’m 26, she/her, have a masters in wildlife biology and conservation management, bachelors in biology with minors of English and environmental studies. I have two younger siblings, and 8 pets (5 dogs, 1 rabbit, and 2 cats). I write a lot of fanfiction for the Penguins of Madagascar fandom, but I also write several original things, too.

Genres I write tend to fall under: fantasy, urban fantasy, sci-fi, horror, weird science, action comedy (with animal characters), mystery, poetry.

Feel free to ask to be on any tag list! WIPs below the cut.

Original WIPs

Hidden Earth Chronicles

Summary: Necromancer Vasco has just returned home to find his beloved wife missing. He and his brother-in-law set out to find her and along the way Vasco learns more about where he came from and his own abilities.

Tropical Storm

Summary: Martin along Evy and Diego, are newly moving into the San Diego Zoo. However, Martin’s life is unexpectedly rocked when a secret agent accidentally drops a piece of top secret spy equipment among his belongings. Now he’s been recruited by the local espionage squad. Together they keep the zoo safe from assorted enemies, as well as face international threats.

Also planning: Patagonia Penguins which takes place long before this but is connected via being about Martin's parents.

My Baby’s a Werewolf

Summary: Single Dad, Sebastian’s, toddler daughter, Amber, gets bitten by a “big dog” one evening and becomes a little werepup. Now her dad is handling the pressures of being a single dad as well as trying to get his daughter back to normal.

Obscure Science

Summary: Rejected scientist Dr. Darwin Rose finds new employment with an off-the-record agency that focuses on well…obscure and bizarre occurrences, whether they be paranormal, supernatural, fantastical, or seem like something from science fiction, this agency investigates it all. Darwin is paired up with another scientist, Dr. Cassidy Blue, and together they have some crazy escapades.

Shady Acres

Summary: Sydney, freshly graduated from high school, goes to spend the summer with her older brother Ryan at his cabin. They set up trail cameras for fun but soon get unexpected photos that introduce them to whole new oddities that the woods can offer.

Title Under Construction

Summary: A small town has become plagued by a mysterious creature that keeps eating the inhabitants.

Fanfic WIPs

A Scientific Romance Series

A series of Penguins of Madagascar fics about Kowalski the penguin and his invention unexpectedly pairing him up with the penguins' arch nemesis: Dr Blowhole and how they’re making this relationship work.

Spin Offs:

Scientist Overboard

Summary: Francis and Kowalski have been dating for over a year when Kowalski and the others go on a mission out at sea. Kowalski finds himself washed overboard during a bad storm, waking up without any memory on an island. He and his spirit guide then attempt to return to New York while the others try to find him.

Haunted Mansion

Summary: Blowhole, Kowalski, and their children decide to go on a family vacation, but get sidetracked by a haunted mansion's advertisement that Blowhole couldn't pass up. Will include 2 guest OCs of my friend @insert-meaningful-username. A Franski fic with bonus fankids.

Collaborative WIPs with @insert-meaningful-username

Mallory Manor (Title Under Construction)

Summary: Rose sneaks into the sketchy old Mallory Manor at the end of the street and discovers far more than she bargained for.

Clandestine Affairs

Summary: During the biggest heist they’ll ever pull off, infamous criminal duo Show Biz planned on robbing one of the richest and highly valuable connections to have, Julien Prince. However, they’ve finally been caught by their rivals. With the heroes winning this battle, surely things will now be brought to justice...until, the charges are read. Sentence to death for...murdering the Senator of Delaware?!? NOW, our heroes must team up with the baddies to end this confusion, solving the mystery of the true mastermind before the crooks are falsely put to death for the only crime they didn’t commit.

Caretaker of Madagascar (Penguins of Madagascar series)

Summary: Some believe misfortune can bring people together. Others believe that destiny has the power to interconnect lives, whether those lives wanted to or not. Call it a coincidence. Call it fate. Call it a despicable force of nature. Either way, nothing could've stopped the fact that Bridget Ailith, a cantankerous new zookeeper, found herself forced to team up with the Penguins to undo a machine's disastrous effects. Doesn't help that those penguins are now—

Do You Read Me, 00FU? (Subnautica / Neebs Gaming inspired series)

Summary: Hired aboard Alterra’s prestigious and pristine spaceship, The Aurora, space engineer rookie Appsro finally gets his opportunity to voyage across the galaxy… Until it fucking crashes onto an uncharted pelagic planet. Alone and stranded on quarantined 4546B, all Appsro has in his survival skill set is his ingenuity, some tools, stubbornness, and the aid of a few (debatable if helpful or not) Alterra HQ Operators. Can he prevail and escape the treacherous deep waters, enormous aquatic monsters, and the lethal thousand-year-old bacteria that feast upon the planet? Probably not. He’s fucked.

[star-girl69]

i am literally OBSESSED with your writing but “I can fight too. Not as good as you, but I can. I-I don’t want to be weak, I don’t want to rely on your for everything, it’s- it’s embarrassing.” made me physically react. like that one meme holding you by the shoulder as you bleed from the pressure of my nails while staring into my soulless eyes type of spiritual reaction because i feel like not enough people talk about the absolute STRAYS that aphrodite and her kids catch daily.

like can you imagine being surrounded by all of these talented demigods who all inherited ‘useful’ skills from their parents like inhuman intelligence and exceptional archery skills and knowing that everyone looks down on you because you’re seen as weaker for being the child of the vain goddess of beauty. the other campers dont even try to hide it which make it so much worse 💀 like everyone openly thinks that you and your siblings are weaker and self obsessed because of your mother when she literally was a leading figure in the trojan war.

aphrodite cabin is better than me because one comment and i’d set someone on fire i’m not going to lie. they are stronger than i.

the meme in question

THE MEME IM GIGGLING

first of all thank you so much omg

THATS WHY I LOVE WRITING APHRODITE READER BC THERE IS A WHOLE UNTAPPED VAULT OF ANGST TO EXPLORE

i got at it a little more in i can see you and just like aphrodite kids!!!!! i love them!!!!! and they hurt me!!!!!they hurt me bc like you said can YOU IMAGINE????? it must be so devastating to know that you have all this potential to be a good fighter to be useful and all that but it’s 10 TIMES HARDER and it’s NOT EVEN YOUR FAULT

i can see you was so important to me on a level just beyond clarisse fanfiction bc it was showing not only is love more powerful and everyone has to get their heads out of their asses

(didn’t percy say once he was more scared of aphrodite than any other god or goddess??????)

but it also showed that you don’t necessarily need to be traditionally strong or a good fighter to survive as a demigod and i think that’s kind of what people think.

“every camper has to participate in capture the flag” I HATE IT I DO

THERE ARE OTHER WAYS TO BE USEFUL MY POOR APHRODITE BABIES I PROMISE

the stigmas and the stereotypes the aphrodite kids have to deal with are like so important to me and they need to be acknowledged more and i am HAPPY to be a service 🫡

[quillyfied]

Sometimes having an editor’s eye is like saying “I have a pilot’s excellent sense of direction, I have GPS on my phone, I am standing next to a signpost, and we all agree the direction is THIS way” while cavalier writers who don’t care about publishing and therefore rightfully don’t have to care about the minutiae of grammar, wielding “..” willy-nilly, reply “and you’re all wrong. This is a shortcut.”

(Today’s post brought to you by a Cabin Pressure quote and my own overwhelming frustration with the purposeful use of “..” in a sentence instead of “…”, followed by my own realization of the fruitlessness of getting mad about it in a fanfiction sphere.)

[nessieh18]

Some thoughts from my Eldarya fanfiction. (These are thoughts and scenes that I could imagine in the game and I would very much enjoy reading them, so I decided to write them.)

English is not my native language, grammatical or expression errors may occur. Even so I hope you enjoy it and find it understandable. :)

Season: 2, A New Era

Guardian's name in the story: Genevieve

Crush: Nevra

May contain spoilers

[...]The Sersea was suddenly there again and swam around her in the water. The girl was no longer a prisoner, but she didn’t fight anymore. She felt herself heavy, she closed her eyes. She wanted sleep, she wanted it to be over. To stop this pressure, this tension. Genevieve wished she could say goodbye, because she never could. Is that written for her? Nevra…She wished she could see Nevra one last time…

Genevieve couldn’t tell exactly how much time had passed, but  somebody grabbed her arm. Her hair swam behind her as they got higher and higher. The girl wanted to open her eyes to look who is it, but she couldn’t. She was unable to do it. Then the air suddenly burst into her lungs. She swallowed it greedily, it almost made her dizzy. It was like she woke up from some kind of delirium. Genevieve tried to get rid of the gnawing feeling in her throat by coughing. 

"Are you okay?" It took some time for her to answer.

“Y-yes” It was really cold. Her teeth chattered from shivering, only by the hands that held her tightly seeped some warmth into her. The girl looked at her savior. She almost caught a fit of cough when she saw Lance. In his eyes sat real worry and his strong arms held Genevieve confidently. In other circumstances, she would have pushed him away, but now she was incapable of it. She didn’t have enough strength to keep herself above the surface. She let the dragon swim to the ship with her, where he helped her climb on the ladder. Nevra reached down for her and he almost lifted the girl onto the deck. The vampire’s skin had always been colder than hers, but now she found it hot. Genevieve cuddled up to him trembling.

“It’s all right.” She felt herself rising again whereof her eyes opened and she clung to the boy’s clothes convulsively. They went into the girl’s cabin. “You have to take off your clothes. Can you do that alone?” Genevieve tried to do that, but her fingers were so frozen that it was an impossible task. Nevra carefully pushed away her hands and he started undressing her. She couldn’t be embarrassed. Not that she could show him something new…Warmth surrounded her, it unfreezed her slowly as she was put on the bed. Genevieve felt the vampire’s fingers brush across her face and stroke out a wet lock of hair from her eyes. The pleasurable warmth and the soft touch put her to sleep. [...]

[watchingroger]

Since it is that time of year, have some Christmas Cabin Pressure fic. There a few bits in these that I'm desperate to re-write but I'm! Not! Going to!

Erfurt - sets up Christmas fic - the whole gang is here, it's very silly.

“Everything alright, Arthur?”

“Yes! Uh, yes, everything’s fine, I think. I think… I think the passengers quite like me.”

“What on earth gives you that idea?” A smirk pulled at Douglas’s lips.

“Well they keep trying to touch my bottom.” Arthur blushed. “And I understand it’s because they like my bottom and I should probably be - be flattered but it’s - well - it’s my bottom, isn’t it? I should decide if people get to touch it.”

'Tis The Season - Christmas Day - Martin & Douglas friendship/pre-slash

He had lost heroically at Trivial Pursuits, having spent most of his life obsessively memorising flight manuals and operational procedures to the detriment of almost all other knowledge, but he still felt the warmth in his chest from the way the whole room had cheered when he got the pink cheese. He had bristled at the time, making a show of being irritated at being treated like a child, but secretly he enjoyed that he was still in some ways the baby. He glanced across at Douglas, and wondered what he had done all day.

There's New Year's Eve fic as well but you'll have to wait for that. Or you could just click through on A03.

[thegreenhairedwerewolf]

Fic rec: "Cabin Pressure - Aviemore!"

The author has orphaned their story (thank you for orphaning instead of deleting!)

I love stories in the format of an episode and this one worked really well.

The MJN crew are in Aviemore and take up skiing. Or, at least Arthur, Martin and Douglas do. Carolyn watches. Some Martin teasing ensues.

ARTHUR: Oh, cheer up, Skip! Everyone’s afraid of something. Look at me! DOUGLAS: True. Some days you’re terrifying.

It also has a "hey chief" speech - those are always good!

(Minor warnings: There really is a lot of Martin teasing and a broken bone.)

[darkfire359]

Thoughts on e2-e4 of The Terror

My friend and I finally got around to continuing my watch of The Terror. Some thoughts:

We clicked on the youtube link to e2 and it took us a whole ~5 minutes to realize that it was actually e3. We thought there might be some kind of flashback explanation to why this dead guy and his daughter were suddenly on the ship, but there kept not being one, and then we eventually realized the mistake.

I was sad to see a cat show up because the cat will probably die like everyone else. :( On the other hand, it did mean I actually believed Gibson's excuse to Irving for almost as long as Irving did. But as soon as he mentioned Hickey, I knew that it definitely wasn't pussy that he was interested in down there. ;)

Relatedly, I swear I've heard the phrase "Cornelius Hickey is a devious seducer" before, but I had NO idea it was canon. Amazing.

My friend, upon Irving suggesting that Hickey try watercoloring instead of gay sex: "Is he just ace and he thinks that's what it's like for everyone???"

Also, I'd heard people use rat motifs for Hickey before, and I'd just assumed it was for general vibes reasons, like him being villainous and sneaky maybe. But no, Hickey got a speech given to him about how the difference between men and rats is that rats fuck in the hold all the time and men "aren't supposed to". Wow.

My first reaction upon Gibson being such an asshole during his breakup with Hickey was to feel bad for Hickey and his inevitable turn to villainy. But then Hickey was such a bitch back to him! "I had dinner with the captain, he likes me, who knows what could happen there ;)" and all. Plus he just kept reminding Gibson that he was the one who topped (honestly unexpected).

Anyway I appreciated the bitchiness and how Hickey just takes that "devious seducer" descriptor and tries to roll with it by making eyes at every other guy in the show INCLUDING the megabear. My dude really felt that he needed to include that eye contact description in his report to Francis lmao.

Relatedly I really hope someone has written megabear/Hickey fanfiction. I don't even need to read it, just to know if it exists.

At some point my friend asked what it meant to be "punished like a boy" and I luckily knew the answer due to some OFMD fanfiction that I'd read. Though TBF I could have guessed anyway since "Hickey gets whipped on the ass" might have been literally the first thing I knew about The Terror going into it.

Surprised that Sir John got killed via megabear; I thought that for sure he'd be mutinied on.

It's kinda sweet that Francis went on the entire expedition because of Sophia's request to keep her uncle safe. But my friend and I agree that Sophia/Francis isn't actually a good ship because a. he seems to be way older than her, and b. it seems like she was legitimately turning him down, rather than just doing so due to pressure from her family (as it had looked like earlier).

Very curious to see what the show would look like from the perspective of the Lady of Silence. "Oops, I have a pet monster that shows affection by murdering things for me!" I'd watch the hell out of that!

Some lingering confusion:

How did Goodsir escape the megabear attack that killed Sir John? It seemed like he was with the group in the blind when the megabear struck, and then Sir John was the only one we saw running back. But then Goodsir is just back on the ship as usual in another scene?

Is it assumed that Francis just off-screen sent that group of 8 people south? It seems like Sir John dying mean that he wasn't going to lead it himself, but he seemed adamant about it even if he was willing to wait the one day for Fitzjames? There's a 5-month timeskip after that and they don't bring it up again.

What was Hickey looking for on the ship during the funeral? I'm guessing it was the thing we saw he had stashed in his hammock later? Drugs?

Why did Francis go out looking for the megabear with just a cabin boy? Earlier he was having groups of 6 people go. Seems surprisingly irresponsible for the guy who is usually the voice of reason.

[danpuff-ao3]

ten books to get to know me

Thanks for the tag @wolfpants!! And @consistentsquash!! :D

Tagging: @perverse-idyll, @writcraft, @lizzy0305, @arrisha-ao3, @liladiurne, @bluesundaycake, @cindle-writes, @ripeteeth, @givereadersahug, @broomsticks, @charlotterhea, @ashesandhackles, @teacup-tai, @sugareey-makes-stuff, @mrviran, @yletylyf ....no pressure! Apologies if you've already been tagged or done this! And if you've not been tagged and want to play along, go ahead and consider yourself tagged!

Under the cut cuz LONG. (Y'all know I like to talk.)

The Harry Potter series

....I'm in the HP fandom, so that's probably 0 surprise. Also feels icky due to being written by Terf McTerfington. Buuuuuut. Well. The universe needs balance and HP's power was so great it could only be stopped by Great Evil, or so I like to tell myself.

The series was published in the U.S. when I was 7. I was already a big reader. I was a big reader from the moment I could read at all. But HP was the first series I fell well and truly in love with. I discovered fanfiction at 11, and started writing it at 13. The story and this fandom were there through the worst moments of my life. I'm not sure it will ever not be important to me.

The Percy Jackson series (Rick Riordan)

Honestly, I can't lie, I'm a big sucker for kids' books. They're just fun, dang it. Great literature? No. But I don't read to impress, I read to have a good time, and Percy Jackson is a good time. Also all the related series. Magnus Chase? Trials of Apollo? The Kane Chronicles? Yes yes yes BRING THEM TO ME.

There's a Potter-esque feel to the PJO series. Dark haired green eyed hero who didn't know he had magical abilities? Also the Cabins make me think of the Houses, even though it's more parentage than traits. It's a vibe, okay? And on top of that...mythology???? I'm a big ole mythology nerd, especially for Greek mythology. And let me tell you, I inhaled those books. And I still love them a lot, actually.

The Twilight series (Stephenie Meyer)

To round out the list of "stories Little Danni loved" is Twilight. Yes, I was a Twi-hard in junior high and high school. What's funny is all the modern "this is problematic because Edward is stalking Bella, and also he's a vampire and immortal and there's an age gap!" jabbering is probably what sold me on the story to begin with. Listen: I like what I like, okay? Also: vampire + human? Does that count as monsterfucking? Idk but it's at least different species which ticks some boxes, okay?

Honestly everyone talking about how effed up Twilight is was just a lightbulb moment for me of like "oh. No wonder I was so into it."

Twilight also played a role in my writing journey! In high school I joined a Twilight themed RPG site on proboards. I created a mega evil vampire named Danna Deville, whose face cast was Hayden Panettierre. This weirdly made me super popular because no one else was creating/playing villainous characters. Let me tell you, it did loads for my self esteem. Also it's funny to think about all those old friendships born of "hey let's RP together. I really want your character to torture my character."

Mistborn (Brandon Sanderson)

This one I have big opinions on. On the one hand, I really enjoy Brandon Sanderson's stories. On the other hand, while his magic systems are often highly praised, I hate them. Hate, loathe, and despise them. I'll not say more than that. I don't like to hate on things. And my partner really loves Brandon Sanderson and his magic systems. (I'm just over here muttering about "they eat metal" and have to actively not think about it.) It's just not my jam. I much prefer softer magic systems. Hard magic systems tend to throw me a bit. But Brandon Sanderson sure knows how to tell a story, dang it. He's super creative and smart and has these big sweeping ideas, with all these twists and turns! His worldbuilding is also insanely good.

Mistborn (Era 1) is probably my favorite of his works. One as an overall story (Vin, my love!) But also the connection to my Eddie.

You see, when my partner and I first met, it was in the book section of an entertainment store. Where we stood in the aisles and talked for hours. My very first impression was "who is this goofy man?" and I left the interaction fully smitten. And anxious, awkward lady that I am, my grand plan was to read the books he'd been raving about to have something to talk about. Idle chit chat? No can do. Book talk? That I can do! So I read Mistborn, for a start. Then worked my way through other book recommendations. And now that goofy nerd is mine. All's well that ends well!

The Wheel of Time series (Robert Jordan, Brandon Sanderson)

Once I worked my way through Brandon Sanderson's books, I moved onto The Wheel of Time, which was much more up my alley! I could not put those books down. (At least until I hit The Slog, at which point I still couldn't put them down, but I was mostly charging through waiting for it to get good again.) This was also the first time I tried to not look up spoilers before reading a book. (Blasphemy, I know, blah blah. Look: I have anxiety. Spoilers make my life easier and happier, okay?) Eddie is very staunchly anti-spoiler, so I did my best to try a spoiler-free experience. I made it most of the way through. Towards the end I accidentally spoiled myself on a big event. It was a bit foolishly done but I'd consulted google to refresh my memory on an event from an earlier book, and my Google excursions warned me of a few deaths ahead of time. Whoops. On the whole, though, me making it 10+ books with no spoilers was pretty dang impressive.

Also the book series is great. And I'm side-eying the show a bit. Just a little bit.

(Bonus: the band Blind Guardian has a song called "Wheel of Time" about the books and it's 10/10. At least if you like symphonic metal, which I do.) (Oh, "Ride Into Obsession" from the same album is also WoT inspired.)

Flowers in the Attic series (V. C. Andrews)

The fact that I read this series as a child might explain a lot. Also you should know my mother gave me these books to read. Child abuse, forced imprisonment, murder, and incest? Sign me up! It's all sortsa messed up and dark and to this day it's still my # 1 guilty pleasure series. I like...just don't care. You can tell me how badly written it is or how problematic it is, I don't care. This is the book equivalent to eating a whole bag of Flamin' Hot Cheetos while watching true crime videos. This is indulgence, my friends. I'm having a great time, please leave me in peace.

Till We Have Faces (C. S. Lewis)

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Idk what to say other than this book is perfect, I will hear no slander against it, and I really need to reread it, like, ASAP. Another link to Greek mythology this one. Also: I really love Orual.

(Does anyone wanna read/reread it with me? Lmk.)

The Song of Achilles (Madeline Miller)

Gorgeous, amazing, perfect, wonderful. Patroclus/Achilles forever. Ouch my heart. God it's beautiful. MORE GREEK MYTHOLOGY OF COURSE. Also all of Madeline Miller's stuff is stellar. (Circe and Galatea!!!! Read those, too!!!!) I have every feeling on planet earth about this one.

Widecare trilogy (Phillippa Gregory)

Beatrice Lacey is wonderful and amazing and also really messed up in the head. Historical fiction. Little Beatrice is in love with her family's land, Wideacre. And is HORRIFIED and OFFENDED when she realizes that, as a girl, she will not only not inherit, but will have to leave one day???? Cuz as a lady it is her purpose in life to get married and pop out babies???? But Beatrice is ambitious, clever, manipulative, and passionate and she doesn't let lady parts or the patriarchy keep her down!! And by that, she goes to rather dark and taboo extremes. Which I admire and respect. (I grew up watching horror films and reading darkfic. Trust me, I was having a great time with this story.)

Wuthering Heights (Emily Bronte)

I stg this book gets no respect. Is this a really toxic, dysfunctional romance? Absolutely. What else do you want in a story???? Oh OBSESSIVE, PASSIONATE, UNDYING LOVE??? GOT THAT, TOO. This book lives in my heart and soul. I can fully quote Heathcliff's speech to Catherine ("I cannot life without my life, I cannot live without my soul") on demand. I have read this book to death, through resurrection, and back to death.

...also it's hella Snarry, isn't it? That explains a lot.

(Also shoutout to other teenage obsessions: The Hunger Games and Divergent. Also the Three Dark Crowns series???? Loved that. Hannibal???? Yes please. Dan Brown's Robert Langdon series??? MORE! Oh and R.L. Stein's The Nightmare Room were the books of my childhood. Oh! Oh oh! And another thing! The Wonder by Emma Donoghue????? Incredible. Blow my mind. Oh and She's Come Undone by Wally Lamb is another case of "this is a very dark messed up story that a family member gave me that I inhaled because I really liked messed up stuff, actually.") (Is this cheating? Probably. But I've been a major bookworm since words even made sense to me, please cut a gal some slack.) (Please don't judge me.)