#i genuinely cannot remember the last book i finished reading

[toshidou]

just finished a book for the first time in fucking years, and i only started reading it yesterday evening. i feel both accomplished and so devastated it's over so soon

[just7frogsinapeoplesuit]

Finished reading Harrow the Ninth last week! It was a lot smoother than the previous book, and another fun read. Thoughts (spoiler free):

- This may be the only book I've ever read where 2nd person narration didn't make me want to pull my hair out, because it's the only time I've seen it done for a clear reason! The narration switching between chapters helps set a discordant tone and creates mystery in a unique way, and the bit where it switches to first person for just a few words 3/4 of the way through the book hits like a truck.

- Continuing to love how puzzley this series is. Piecing together stories from scraps is soo fun and satisfying. The pacing at which we receive information is (again) perfect and (again) we never get the entire picture so there's always something extra during a reveal.

- I felt this in Gideon but it's more relevant now: 10,000 years is way too long a timescale for the setting and characters, and the absurdity of it makes it feel less real. It should be 1,000 years maximum given how little it seems humanity has evolved since the resurrection, and nearly every length of time stated by a lyctor should be about 1/10 of what it is. The single reason I would accept for it really being 10k years is if it's a setup for an "over 9000" joke which, to be fair, is extremely plausible.

- Every new character has a name that's 3 syllables or less! I could actually remember who everyone was!

- It's even clearer in this book how unique and complex the characters' relationships are. I don't often encounter series where I genuinely couldn't give a concise answer for how anyone feels about anyone else. I'm so glad there's more.

- The one alien planet with substantial life we encounter is almost exactly like earth, down to Harrow assuming there are mammals and annelids. Unless these planets were purposely set up with Earth flora/fauna (despite being supposedly almost inaccessible) this feels like a cop-out to not have to make up alien biology and frankly it was disappointing. Really hoping this was done for a reason.

- Having a narrator we know is unreliable adds so much depth to the mystery of the story, especially the 3rd person segments. I said this before but I really wish more people wrote from the perspective of deeply flawed or ignorant characters.

- The visuals are detailed and often stunning, but sometimes they're just redundant. We do not need to be reminded what the lyctor robes look like every time someone is wearing one, I am going to assume they are still the same two pages later. The constant focus on the color of people's eyes could be considered an exception since it's a very plot-relevant detail, but even that was a little much at times.

- The lyctors and God read like an office drama where everyone involved is an objectively shitty person and I enjoyed every moment of it.

- I thought I was prepared to encounter none pizza with left beef. I was not prepared to encounter none pizza with left beef.

- The prose has been smoothed out a lot. The voice feels consistent even across chapters (and even near the end!), and the number of unnecessarily long and/or obscure words is slightly less but still got irritating at times. Muir definitely has a handful of favorites she overuses, namely:

Tessellate: Fair for the setting but unnecessary when telling us the wallpaper has a pattern

Scintillating: We see synonyms for this maybe once, it's used every single time something sparkles or is shiny

Deliquesce: Again great for the setting, but again it is used every single time something is melty (and a few times metaphorically). She even uses it to describe a soggy biscuit once. I don't know how to express just how much biscuits cannot deliquesce without going on an unhinged rant about the mechanics of rot.

- There are also still instances of clear thesaurus overuse, such as fog being described as "lubricious". I am assuming this was because in context it's supposed to be contrasting cold weather and that's a listed antonym for "frigid" but explicitly in a metaphorical sense. Did Muir know she was telling us the fog was horny? I want to believe there was some hidden joke but I couldn't find one, and it's far from the only time a college-level vocab word is used instead of a simpler synonym in a context that just doesn't quite work (because it adds connotations that don't make sense).

- On the other end of vocab things, there are a few obscure words she uses only once that are so vividly relevant to the setting it's almost weird they never come back. "Flense", for example, is probably the most necromancy-friendly 19th century word imaginable and using it metaphorically is a brilliant choice, but Muir has given priority to other less grotesque (but higher in syllable count) 19th century words and it only appears a single time. Yes, my irritation is showing. Unnecessary syllables irritate me.

- None pizza with left beef aside, my personal favorite meme was the Miette reference, but "wake me up inside" was a close second.

- Overall, similar in enjoyment to Gideon but easier to read. Excited to start Nona when I get the chance!

(Gideon the Ninth review here)

[countrymusiclover]

3 - Day with Aemond

Part 4

A Wolf Among Dragons

Tag list ( just ask to be added ) @tallrock35 @kmc1989 @starkleila @noirrose21-blog @lover-of-books-and-tea @immyowndefender @iamavailablesstuff

“I am going to miss you, dear daughter.” My father said weakly laying in his bed in his chambers at the very end of his illness that had fallen to him.

He had declared that I would be wed off to the king's brother to further our alliance with the South since me and my brothers were taught to never forget the oaths we had sworn to one another. “I don’t want to leave you, father. Not if this may be the last time I see you.”

“Stark’s don’t forget their oaths, daughter. We must keep our word even if those in the South may not do the same.” He declares to me while holding onto my hand that was tightly squeezing his.

Sniffing through tears I didn’t want to leave for a city I had never been to. Winterfell was my home. I didn’t want to be trapped inside a castle for the rest of my life. “I’m well aware father but - what if they change who I am? What if I no longer act like a Stark?”

“Stark’s don’t go down without a fight. They won’t destroy who you were raised to be. You will always be a Stark of Winterfell just like our words will always reign true.” My father Rickon coughed into his sleeve keeping a brave face when he spoke so strongly to me.

I recited our family words like it was a prayer. “Winter is Coming.”

“And we must protect ourselves. You must protect yourself when in their family. I won’t be there to protect you anymore so you must find a way to protect yourself.”

“I love you, father.” Kissing my fathers forehead I heard the chamber door creaking open meaning it was time for me to go to my new home and be wed to a dragon man. I wouldn’t let Kings Landing break me if I had anything to do about it.

Sitting underneath one of the Godswood trees simply reading a book quietly to myself. Flipping the page over I didn’t even notice someone walking up to me so ingrained in mh reading till the person spoke up. “Fancy meeting you here, Lehna.”

“My prince - uh Aemond forgive me. I wouldn’t have imagined you ever taking a stroll in these woods.” I admitted clearing my throat remembering the arrangement we had made about simply addressing each other by their first name with no titles being used.

He teased me with a smirk on his face. “Are you saying a prince cannot have other interests? That we can only be interested in swords and our next fight rather than enjoying a stroll through the trees.”

“I didn’t mean to offend you, my prince. In my experience most men, including my lord husband, don't care much for the scenery.”

Aemond nodded, putting his arms behind his back. “Normally I don’t stroll through the gardens but I thought it would be a good change after sparring in the courtyard. From our conversation the other day with your daughter I have already noted that not too many ladies of the court carry a sword so it seems we’re both even when it comes to not following society's rules.”

Sending him a genuine smile I met his gaze. “I suppose you’re right about that.”

“What are you reading there?” His one good eye not covered with a black eye patch shifting downward to the open book seated in my lap.

“Princess Nymeria led her Rhoynar across the Narrow Sea on 10,000 ships to flee their Valyrian pursuers. She took Lord Mors Martell of Dorne to husband and burnt her own fleet off Sunspear to show her people that they were finished running.”

It was almost hard to catch whenever the prince was actually happy. He was always so reserved and kept a serious composure about himself to act like he felt absolutely nothing. Until this very moment that is when I saw a huge grin cross his features. “The Targaryen histories. What made you want to learn about my family history?”

“You wanted to know about my family. I figured I should do the same since I'm already wed into the Targaryen family. I even thought about trying to teach myself High Valyrian given the fact that Daemon hasn't yet.”

The dragon prince tilted his head. “What has he taught you then?”

“Perfected my ability to use a sword and not ride a horse side saddle like we're taught.” An idea popped inside my head thinking it would be fun to challenge him a little. “Have you ever rode a horse side saddle?”

He shook his head. “No.”

“Would you do it if I dared you?”

He was clearly taken back by my question. “What are you asking me, Lady Lehna?”

“I propose we dare one another and whoever wins the most turns gets to pick what the loser has to do with them. What do you say?” I held up my right hand towards the prince.

He stepped closer, shaking my hand in his firmly. “Deal, lady Stark.”

We left the gardens and made our way through the keep until we ended up first in the kitchen. One of the kitchen workers brought us some hard ale in two big goblets before leaving me and the prince alone. Aemond reached for his cup being the first one to suggest a dare challenge. “Whoever can finish the whole thing wins.”

“Three, two, one, go!” I cheered and together we began quickly drinking from our separate cups at the same time. Daemon had me drink some ale in the city streets but never this quickly so I had to stop having a little bit left before I watched Aemond slam his remaining liquor down. “Seven hells! How can you do that so fast?”

He sat the cup down holding a hand to his head feeling a little dizzy from that much liquor. “Aegon had me get drunk with him when we became of age. I managed to do that for two rounds before it made me quite sick. I’ll never do something that ridiculous ever again - oh and it appears I’ve won.”

“Fine, fine, yes you win. Now it’s my turn.” Getting up from the chair I ran from the kitchen and he followed me to my chambers. Letting him inside my chambers where I shut the door and headed over rummaging around in my clothing closet grabbing a pair of heels that I assume might fit. “Put these on and try to walk from the door to the window.”

Aemond scowled back at me, eyeing the heels hanging from my hand. “I will not put those ridiculous shoes on.”

“Would you rather attempt to do needle work and prick your fingers a bunch of times?” I challenged him. “Or are you a chicken refusing to do either.”

Aemond glared at me with one good eye. “Watch your words.”

“You weren't hurt me, not intentionally anyway.” I responded surprisingly not afraid of him putting his hands on me. “There’s a good person in you from where I'm standing.”

He crossed the room taking the heels from my hand and undoing his boots slipping them on. He stumbled across the room and fell on his knees hallway in the middle where he gave up causing me to laugh before he glanced over his shoulder at me. “You win, Stark. But don't you ever tell anyone about this.” I helped him up off the ground and he switched back to his shoes waiting outside the room for me to change into a tunic and trousers rather than attempting to fight in a gown.

We had one more challenge given that it was whoever won out of the three. Aemond and I had agreed on the last one being sword fighting given that me speaking good High Valyrian would take far too long and he’d obviously win. He drew his sword first before I drew mine and we got into a fighting stance. We took some swings that caused our swords smack against each other before gently shoves me backwards in the training yard. "What would the people of court think about this? A highborn lady fighting their prince?" I grunt, taking another swing at him.

He swung back circling me to make our sword press against one another for a moment. "I don't care what the court public think and neither should you." He steps back a little sword still raised as I get back in a fighting stance.

I raise my sword trying to strike him but he lightly elbows me in my side to strike me from below. I switch my sword to my left hand for a moment to knock him away. "Your form is better than I thought it would be."

"Thanks -uh!" I grunted out, pressing my sword against his. He pressed his sword against mine, never losing gaze with mine.

He started to loosen his hold on his sword when we pushed the other back but suddenly he knocked my sword from my left hand, knowing we both are dominant in our right hands. I dodge his next attack to reveal a dagger from inside my boot and block his sword coming down on me.

"Impressive, very impressive indeed." He parts his lips when I push his sword down getting up from being on my knees.

“Thanks for the compliment. But you still are a better swordsman than I, so you win. Two for two. So what will we be doing?” I slipped the dagger hidden back into my hidden spot.

Aemond stepped closer to me with both our swords swaying when our bodies moved. His eye lowered down to meet my soft eyes as he softly whispered. “Have you ever rode on Dragonback?’

“No, I haven’t.” I nervously gulped not sure if he was being serious or not.

Aemond simply replies. “Then that's what I want to do with you. I want you to ride Veghar with me.”

[warrior-cats-rewritten]

I think my most controversial Warrior Cats opinion is that I actually really like the Cinderpelt-heart reincarnation plot. Or at least I would really love a version of it without all teh ableist implications. StarClan realizing that teh “no kits for medicine cats” rule is hurtful, and also that disabled cats are often pushed into roles they don’t want and aren’t suited for, and they reincarnate Cinderpelt for those reasons, not because a disabled life isn’t a full one. Cinderheart feeling pressure from teh clan, maybe even her family or even Lionblaze, to be a medicine cat when she finds out. It has potential idk.

I liked it at first, because... Admittedly, I read Po3 before I read TNP and before I finished TPB.

So Cinderpelt was this mysterious, not quite known character to me. I went and read TNP and thought "hmm. I wish it had been more 'this is happening because your life is going to be cut short now due to the move to the lake and that isn't fair because you were supposed to live a long time so go become your niece, really sorry about the badgers, xoxo PS sorry about your mom slowly starving to death in the forest'"

Instead it hinges on her having had "not a full life", which.... When I went EVEN FURTHER back and finished TPB.... She did. She loved Medicine. It was HER choice. The Erin's forgot, made a weird retcon that has become her entire character: "I loved my teacher and didn't tell him", and had Lionblaze be the... Reward for that?

I liked it, it was just done for a stupid reason. Another one of those "we wrote this plot point to make sure a character does xyz" instead of just... Writing it. Snowkit's death is the most egregious example of these writers pretending they have no control over these fictional cats.

I have some controversial opinions of my own.

The Lake territory is cool but also sucks. We need to either leave the Lake or start redoing things about it. It has no landmarks to hang out at or have what I call 'set pieces' whatsoever, and more importantly no threats (thunderpaths, snake rocks, gorge, the tree with a huge Owl, Carrionplace) and I'm pretty sure the writers feel this way too since we leave the Lake once an arc. I wouldn't mind moving territories again, to a more dangerous but still natural place.

Breezepelt should be a permanent Queen. I know it would mean seeing less of him (which I dislike) but him being a gentle parent and helping others raise their kits would be a PERFECT wrap up to his arc. As much as I desperately want Breezestar I think he would fit more as a perma-queen.

A trip to the distant future or past would be both good and bad. A whole new cast would be kinda cool but let's be honest, these writers suck. What is needed is a whole new writing team of people who actually LIKE the books.

I never really liked canon!Riverstar that much, we really didn't know anything about him because DOTC is less Dawn of The Clans and more "pwease like our power trip fantasy oc who knocks up a girl his son's age 🥺". I genuinely cannot remember anything River Ripple even does. He just... Isn't there. Maybe more prevalent in the last 2 books but I never got past the first 3 chapters of book 5 and never opened book 6 aside from looking at its last scene and rolling my eyes. Petal's death was where I drew the line, the narrative bending over backwards to make Clear Sky a poor sad baby crossed it.

• I've come around thanks to Bonefall but I genuinely hated Star Flower as a kid. The way she was described was uncomfortable, annoying and made it feel like the writers were trying to force you to think she's this gorgeous, perfect cat, it made her boring, bland, and anything with her in it a slog to get through because of the way Thunder spoke about her, going on and on about her beautiful she was, getting worse when Moth Flight's Vision described her with purple eyes to go with her star-shaped pupils... Also, I was really attached to Petal, who died suddenly when Star Flower entered the picture, and I was on the assumption Clear Sky and Petal were going to get together, while I didn't like Clear Sky, I just wanted my favorite to stay alive unlike every other female character. Starf also suddenly becoming a helples damsel in distress added to the annoyance so badly that I actually never finished DOTC, and it made me take a break from the series altogether. I really wanted her to be playing the long game. A sincere thank you to Bonefall for helping me reread who this character is, and while the way our 'Camera' describes hee is still annoying, I can at least look past that and see the roots of this character.

I love Leafpool, and Hollyleaf. Met a lot of Leafpool fans who seem to think Hollyleaf is this monster when she very much reads as someone who cannot handle their religious and emotional abuse based trauma and lashed out at the wrong person. What she did to Leafpool was awful but she was basically an irrational teenager. Just like apprentice does not always equal child, warrior does not always equal "grown ass adult who should get over it". Her own existence went against every single thing she believed in and was told by her own mentor to never ever question.

As sweet as the scene with Dandelionkit and Juniperkit in Starclan was... There was really 0 point in giving Squilf 2 dead kids, other than "the writers hate her". The only thing I can see a point for it is for a long-shot setup to Squirrelstar for some lives seeing as you just know they absolutely forgot about Squish's friends.

• I think Ivypool has somewhat of a right to be upset with Dovewing. HEAR ME OUT. She is allowed to be upset, NOT take it out on Dovewing. She also needs to learn that she helped drive her sister out, but the writers are allergic to that kind of thing in favour of "make character a background conservative. If female = mom. If mom = soft until politcal debate scenario." She is allowed to be sad and upset that her only sister is gone, she just needs to acknowledge she messed up, as well as lots of Thunderclan cats messed up.

It's time to kill Brightheart, Brackenfur, Thornclaw and Cloudtail. Enough is enough, start retiring cats who were full warriors when TNP started. Tawnypelt should be in the Elders den and Oakfur should be rotting in hell for what he let happen to Berrynose. On that same note, I hope Russetfur went on trial for that and her attempt on Firestar's life. I like her but good GOD, that was egregious, and looks even more pathetic when Yellowfang's Secret reveals she herself wasn't Clanborn.

Tigerheart's Shadow is a good book (aside from that one 'territory' bit, you know the one) and this series could go FAR if they embraced the mysterious mystical elements they set up, people are far too harsh on the experimental things.

Moonkitti makes good points sometimes but I need younger fans to stop taking everything she says as gospel and start thinking for themselves; case in point the recent Mapleshade drama that REEKS of "if I was Orpheus I wouldn't have turned around". The writers call the Moonstone the Moonpool every time we revisit the forest, do you really think they remembered The Bridge? Did YOU remember the bridge or did Moonkitti point it out? Also, with how cosmically doomed from the start the story was, the water probably would have overtaken the bridge and STILL swept them away. For every one good take Moonkitti has they seem to have more than a few bad ones.

My silly one. FERNSONG SHOULD HAVE BEEN NAMED AFTER HONEYFERN AND BEEN A HONEYFERN CLONE APPEARANCE WISE. No problem with him being named for Ferncloud but could they PLEASE acknowledge that Cinderheart is Honeyfern's sister too? Poppyfrost named her baby boy after Molekit and Lilyheart named her daughter Honeykit despite never having met Honeyfern, and those don't feel like coincidences.

I dislike the Tribe as its concept, but I like some of the characters that came from it, know what I mean? I like OG Stoneteller (though I always pictured him very differently. I saw him as gray tabby with white paws!) I think he is an interesting character, and Outcast was a huge letdown with having him be wrong. It would be a nice change in story if the Clan cats had tried to push their way, only for it to NOT work, for there to be a different way to do things, or a trick the Tribe used in the past that they "could give another crack at", and for the Clan cats to learn that their way of life is not a golden standard. Could you imagine Hollypaw learning this? I also really like Brook. I dismantled her and I know she is a play on the stupid "Indian princess" trope. I love how sweet she is, though I hate how it was painted against the Tribe. I plan to keep that wisdom and kindness, while also making The Tribes just as good a place to live.

I don't think Tawnystar would've been a good idea, as good as a name like that sounds. She, like Bramble, is too old, and the writers can't stand killing off Arc 2 characters in favour of killing off Arc 3 and 4, we would have been stuck with her and the writing for leaders atm SUCKS. Tawnypelt also just... Isn't that great. While I like her, I don't think she would be a good leader. Same goes for Mothstar, though I feel like they could have it done better if they do have it happen by making her not want the 9 lives. After the absolute Christian slog ASC has been about "non believers" it would be cool to see her prove that wrong and put this shitty arc's hinge point in the ground once and for all.

I'm tired of Med Cat protags. We've had one since TNP barring Dawn of The Clans when arguably it would have been the most beneficial from Pebble Heart or Dappled Pelt. Leafpool was cool because she was the first, Jayfeather was kinda cool still because of blindness and being part of the Prophecy, and while his POV in OOTS was a necessary evil, we did not need Alderheart. There is no reason to have Alderheart be the POV when Sparkpelt has the objectively more interesting setup and Alderheart's "anxiety" works better when we can't see through his eyes, as the authors don't know what actual anxiety is. Shadowsight and Frostpaw are alright, through Frostpaw's pov suffers around Nightheart and she does suffer from Camera POV Syndrome at times... Not helped by her being a Female Warriors Character with all the lovely things that come with it. Shadowsight was cool until the writers completely fumbled the bag and made him rude, argumentative, and dropped his epilepsy for no reason. All this is NOT helped by the new retcon that you're just "born different" with some kind of inherit special connection to Starclan, like it wasn't some kind of learned thing, hence Cinderpelt struggling with it as a lot of the time she was on her own!

Let Daisy retire and let Sorrelstripe take over the nursery. These new characters are in desperate need of personality, let Sorrelstripe be a feisty, confident midwife who won't let Queens be bullied into things.

[astramachina]

For those of you who've been following me for a while now, there's a good chance you got to experience my journey reading the Remembrance of Earth's Past series last year. I loved Three-Body Problem, but The Dark Forest and Death's End were like pulling teeth. Both books had their very very good moments, but getting through them was a tedious experience I considered giving up on on multiple occasions. I will give it to Cixin Liu tho, I needed to know how the series ended and that alone was the sole reason I pushed towards the finish line. Any author that can make me tough out bad writing for the sake of seeing the end deserves some kind of award (and he won a ton anyway, so).

I approached the Netflix series with zero expectations given their propensity for shitty adaptations (One Piece notwithstanding), but after watching the first episode I was left cautiously optimistic.

Having watched all 8 episode I'm still unsure how to feel about it. I spent most of the series hitting pause to rant at my roommate about it, both positively and negatively.

I had many issues with the books, but some of the more obvious ones came from a writing standpoint. I love hard sci-fi. I could not excuse the sheer length of those final two books. The atrocious treatment of women as objects to romance and use as bartering for the main character. The abysmal MCs (specifically Luo Ji) that made me want to yell to the high heavens due to annoying they were. The lack of human connection between characters.

For books so steeped in sociopolitical and ethical commentaries, the flagrant misogyny and homophobia was eye-rolling. And not even in a "This is Bad" sort of way, just in a "This is So Fucking Boring" kind of way. I cannot speak for the author's biases, because the contents of a book in no way reflects the views of an author or their character.

Where the books shone the brightest were during the battle scenes, the looming dread, genuinely horrific thought experiments.

And, surprisingly? It feels like the people at Netflix thought the same.

I've never watched Game of Thrones but I understood why people were against it from the get-go. That, along with the whole "whitewashing" thing which I consider to be interesting. For starters, you're using whitewashed wrong. Yes, they moved the central story from China to England which was... a fascinating choice, but of the core five (that quickly became the core four), only two of them are white. I'm not saying it was okay for a western adaptation to take a cast and further diversify it, I'm just saying that that's not whitewashing.

That aside, I did like some of the choices that were made from a narrative standpoint. Reshuffling and streamlining events, for one. Removing the whole plot line about Luo Ji hunting down a woman who he invented in his head in order to marry her? I'm not entirely sold on the idea of taking core events and divvying them up between four different people, but I do understand what they're trying to do.

The book series failed at crafting believable and impactful relationships between its human characters, which made the narrative feel hollow and one-dimensional. This adaptation aimed to change this by slapping a band-aid over the issue. Like I said, I'm still unsure of how I feel about this.

A lot of unnecessary stuffing was removed to make a suitable run time, and I say unnecessary because there's really no scenes that are making me go "oh, I wish this had been included". Was some stuff rushed? Yes. The passage of time could have been outlined a little better, but that's a small nitpick on my end.

The scale of things was toned down, and I don't think Netflix has the capability (or budget) to tackle space battles.

Honestly? I don't really see this getting a second season for a variety of reasons, and I'd be okay with that.

It was an "okay" watch, in the end.

Tho, I'm still flabbergasted by the random "gory scary jumpscare" scenes????? Where did those come from??? I don't remember anything like that being in the books but, you know. I've read a lot more books since finishing these, so.

[sentienttoastah]

Someone mentioned in the reblogs of the last post about their preferred interpretation of Moby Dick and after seeing that I had a little personal thought discussion of my own in my brain and like ahahsjsjs it made me so happy

I just love looking at this book in a more serious way than I usually do so thank you to whoever that was :)

And speaking of, I think from now on I’ll give actual (only occasional!) literary commentary on Moby Dick for these Daily Dick posts because I cannot discuss this book with anyone else except the internet so yes. But for the sake of those who only want to see funky whale drawings I will keep them under the post’s cuts!!

Plus if I didn’t the post would be ungodly long.

Today, I tried to draw a bit of the crew but then I remembered I suck at drawing humans so even more extremely and unnecessarily green shaded Moby instead. Didn’t have much time so I just gave that fella the Outlast camcorder filter treatment. Dw, the cameraman is fine. Don’t like how this turned out though :(

I want to draw whale skeletons tomorrow :D

Anyways, delusional whale ranting time. Be warned this is way longer than my last one and will contain spoilers for those who haven’t finished the book!

So the reblog tag I saw went along the lines of interpreting Moby Dick as not a god but to have the reader doubt that fact throughout the book until the end because of the descriptions we get of him and honestly, yes. I absolutely agree on that for the original novel. It gives us dread while reading!!

Although I will say that if we were to add/accept some kind of mysticism to Moby Dick and see him as not only a whale and as something else, he still wouldn’t be a “god”. Yet at the same time he isn’t exactly a whale either. Or at least not a normal one (that much is clearly obvious I suppose). Like if that’s not a god then what is a god? And if that’s not a whale what is it? It’s all vague!!

One of the many messages or themes in Moby Dick is humanity’s constant struggle against the unknown and the uncertain. We all fear the unknown in one way or another whether we realise it or not. Why else do we dread our future? Or what will happen tomorrow? Or what will happen after death? Because we don’t know.

With Moby Dick we understand that he’s described as a massive white whale who is known to wreak havoc among sailors. But aside from that what else do we actually know about Moby? The only information we get about him all come from 3rd party sources (such as that other whaling crew they met at chapter 54) and then through Ishmael as our narrator. Like Ishmael himself has only encountered Moby Dick once. How do we know if the information he got from others is true?

And even if it was true it still doesn’t tell us a lot about Moby Dick. We don’t understand why he attacks ships, was he angry? Was he in pain? Was it his own form of revenge? Or was he genuinely just trying to mind his own business? We don’t understand how he became so intelligent, or whether it really was Moby Dick that they saw in the apparitions of chapter 51 or was it just a squid like we see in a later chapter? If it was Moby why was he following them?

The vagueness of Moby Dick’s position in being either whale or something else makes him haunting. So in my own interpretation I’d say to keep the final verdict completely undecided. He appears, then disappears. As only one of the many horrors of the deep. Moby Dick isn’t a horror book by any means but it is about the ocean, the ocean just so happens to be scary because we haven’t truly discovered everything it has to offer. Who knows what’s down there?

Also, not only the fear or mystery he gives to us as the readers but to the crew in the story as well. Moby Dick took victory from doing what other whales the crew have hunted never do. He was “unpredictable” as described. That wraps back to the beginning where I mentioned humanity’s struggles against the unknown and uncertain. But yet, even when we fear what we don’t know we are constantly challenging it still. We’re intrigued by it. Ishmael does so by wanting to learn more about whales and go off on more voyages despite his experience the first time around, and the pequod crew or most notably Ahab does so by challenging Moby Dick.

Speaking of Ahab, he himself can also be compared to Moby Dick’s unpredictability. He might not be vaguely god-like as Moby is, but there’s definitely something about him. Ishmael even quotes something about a mad man, a man who has let go of all rationality and morality, to be more dangerous than any beast. Why? Because he will become an unpredictable man. A man who will do anything to get what he desires even at the cost of others. Which is exactly what Ahab does. Humans are already dangerous enough when we understand them but when we don’t understand them? Even more dangerous no doubt.

That’s why his crew feared him after all. They didn’t know and nor did they want to know what would happen if they disobeyed him. Even Ahab doesn’t understand himself as he mentioned in the chapter with Starbuck. Why does he do the things he do? For revenge? For glory? For gold? He doesn’t understand except the fact he knows (or feels?) he has to. And it’s tragic.

In conclusion; aside from accepting differences, democracy, and the dangers of unhealthy obsession or copious amounts of whale anatomy, Moby Dick is also about the unknown and the uncertain. There’s a lot of other instances like Starbuck’s hesitation and Fedallah’s entire existence but I don’t want to drag out the rant for too long and obviously I’m not the first person to come up with this.

But what do you think? And thank you to anyone who actually read all my crap frfr 🙏🐟

[dwarfsized]

things that i would like to know about my fellow writers!

tagged by @aevallare thank you my looovveee

i will tag @simon-says-nothing and @raccooncrimes!

Last book I read: 

i am stalled on The Witch King by Martha Wells, not because it isnt good but just because. lmao. If im reading, i cant be writing. or sewing. or or or. The last one I remember finishing was This Is How You Lose the Time War by Amal El-Mohtar and Max Gladstone, and i loved that.

Greatest literary inspiration: 

I put part of a Mary Oliver poem on my graduation cap. Also genuinely quite inspired by Tamsyn Muir.

Things in my current fandom I want to read but I don't want to write:

I dont know if I'd ever try my hand at a modern au but i adore aevallare's pour one out.

I certainly wont write no-magic or all-human aus (I like tieflings a normal amount, she says, lying) but I'm sure someone could do something cool with those.

Things in my current fandoms I want to write but I think nobody would be interested in them but me: 

:') i already think this about my work but i write it anyway. who wants to read astarion stuck in a druid grove when he's [redacted]?? well, i do, so now we have eldath's mercy.

i am working on a story rn where kira is a ghost haunting the szarr palace. do i think very many people will be interested in that? i dont know! but I want to write it, and at least one other person probably wants to read it, so. eventually, it will go up onto ao3.

id love to do something with a focus on minthara. she's going to matter in true colors but that's not going to happen for a while. for now i rotate her in my brain.

You can recognize my writing by:

7000 word chapters where fully half the words are the characters thinking sooo hard, mid-chapter pov shifts, asides about tiefling/druid culture that i've made up whole-cloth, tail mentions.

My most controversial take (current fandom):

if you mod anyone in the game to look younger/more conventionally attractive i am putting you in the oubliette in my mind-palace. why cant you like these characters as they are. i thought we enjoyed this game

if you mod gortash clean or mod away a character's scars, i am putting you in the oubliette inside of the oubliette in my mind-palace.

Current writing mood (10 – super motivated and churning out words like crazy, 0 – in a complete rut):

2 babeyyyy, but if i could instead shelve all the current wips and start wip #15 id be at an 8. alas! i cannot do this.

Top three favourite tropes:

in no particular order:

when a character's specific past experiences lead them to a wrong conclusion that is soooo wrong but like, ohhh sweetie. of course you think that.

magic that has a cost, even divine magic, and cannot fix everything

you were not selected for this. anyone could have been the person in this position. but you are here now, and you have to do the task. get to it.

are these even tropes? do i know what tropes are anymore. help

Share a random frustration:

I USUALLY AVERAGE 700 WRITING WORDS A DAY BUT IVE BEEN EDITING ELDATH'S MERCY CH 2 FOR ALL OF APRIL AND IT HAS BROUGHT MY AVERAGE WORD COUNT DOWN TO 26. 26 WORDS A DAY. BITING. BITING AND YELLING.

[monstersinthecosmos]

okay so i just finished IWTV....... oh my god!!! oh my god. it's embarrassing how insane this book made me. for the last 50 pages or so i was regularly taking breaks to run laps around my apartment like a lunatic because i physically could not handle all the pain and angst and despair coursing through my body LOL. i got so immersed in the story i forgot pretty much all of the background for armand you'd given me (and i can't remember most of it even now!!! my mind is in shambles) and still, very organically...... he became my favorite. even despite all of the. you know. and maybe even more so BECAUSE of it. i've just never witnessed an evil so heartbreaking!!!!!!!!!!? THE ABSOLUTE DEVOTION?????? DERANGED AND UGLY AND UTTERLY BEYOND REASON????!!!! FUUUUUUUUUCK!!!!! i'm sorry for vomiting all over your inbox i genuinely cannot conjure up any resemblance of coherence atm!!! THANK YOU FOR POINTING ME TOWARDS SUCH LUXURIOUS PAIN i LOVE it i want MORE! <3 <3 <3

oh my god OH MY GOd ,... omg... 🥹🥹

WELCOME WELCOME YES THIS HOW I FEEL EVERY DAY OF MY LIFE I WISH I KNEW WHERE TO EVEN START 

(I really feel like just answering with this meme and not subjecting you to a wall of text but I'LL TRY !!!)

GOD LIKE WHAT THIS BOOK DOES SO SO WELL AS LIKE IMMEDIATELY GROUND FLOOR OF THE SERIES LETS US ALL KNOW THAT ALL CHARACTERS COMMIT EVILS AND ARE NOT GREAT PEOPLE BUT THEY ALL WANT TO BE LOVED AND ARE TRYING LOL. 

LIKE LOUIS MOVES FROM ABUSIVE PARTNER TO ABUSIVE PARTNER UNTIL HE’S FINALLY SO DEAD INSIDE THAT HE CAN BE BY HIMSELF AND WALK AWAY.

AND LIKE IT’S SO HARD BECAUSE YOU SEE HOW CLAUDIA FREED HIM FROM LESTAT, AND THEN ARMAND FREES HIM FROM CLAUDIA. AND SOMETHING THAT ALWAYS FUCKS ME UP SO BAD IS THAT ARMAND HAS SUCH A SKEWED MAP OF APPROPRIATE BEHAVIOR BUT HE’S NOT EVIL. HE’S TRYING HIS BEST, IN THE BEST WAY HE KNOWS HOW.

Wait hang on I’ll take caps off I’m so sorry lmfao I’m just really worked up. 

I think there’s a sort of meme-ier version of this like Armand going “hi 🙂 I killed your daughter 🙂 you can kill all my friends if you want 🙂 I won’t stop you 🙂 do you like me? 🙂"

But it’s actually SO TRAGIC god. Like I read IWTV as a story about domestic abuse and the family cycle, personally, and I see Claudia as an Oedipal figure. Louis is unable to get away from Lestat until Claudia makes it happen, and Claudia winds up being so cold and cruel and he’s stuck with her until Armand frees him. And there’s a lot of conversation about like, Armand being manipulative or what he did to CREATE this, how did he push them both where he wanted them, etc, but the thing that gets me is that when Louis wants to break up, Armand lets him leave.

And like SKIP WHAT I’M ABOUT TO SAY IF YOU DONT WANT A SPOILER BUT LIKE I DID MENTION THIS IN MY OTHER POST  —— but if you read Lestat’s book and get the background on how he and Armand met, it’s sort of the opposite where Lestat destroys Armand’s coven and Armand is so devastated about it, vs 100 years later he ALLOWS Louis to destroy a coven. AND HE GETS THE GUY!!!! In TVL he like BEGS Lestat to be with him and Lestat isn’t interested lol but he gets to keep Louis this time.

IDK IDK IM JUST REAL EMOTIONAL. 

And like !!!!!!!! God idk. If you read more of the books you get so many indications about how people in Armand’s life don’t respect him, and a lot of times people write him off because he looks like a teenager. They don’t take the danger of him seriously, which makes him even more dangerous. But it’s so heartbreaking reading IWTV and seeing how Louis respects him so much, and sees him as wise and calm, and needs him! 

And like maybe Louis is uniquely qualified to not judge people for looking like children because he has spent the last 90 years with a vampire child and respects her as an adult, you know?

If you keep reading you’ll see how much Anne Rice like retcons or how much the continuity flops around so like EVERY book will have a Doylist vs Watsonian conversation like, she never comes out and says that Armand looks like he’s 17 in IWTV and in the later books it’s a huge point every time he’s on the page just HE’S SHORT HE’S 17 HE LOOKS LIKE A CHERUB etc and maybe that’s because she hadn’t decided that yet but also maybe Louis is the only person who fucking respects him. :) 

[wh0refornikolailantsov]

*slams debit card on your desk* MORE HIGHSCHOOL AU *slams repeatedly* I NEED MORE HIGHSCHOOL BABIES *grabby hands* - Bestie xox

I- OKAY I GUESS, anything for you the light of my life

Between Classes And The Bell: For One Night Only - Tolya Yul Bataar.

Content Warnings: High School Premise. I Don't Know What To Put For This One Honestly, Just High School Drama Club Fluffy Shit. Not Proof/Beta Read. Possibly Explicit Language, I Do Not Remember.

So I have been under the weather to say the least, but I am feeling a little better so this one is only a short one but enjoy xx

Highschool AU Masterlist

"Is this the part where you say I cannot believe you dragged me into this?" You ask.

"You did not drag me into this," Tolya reassures you. "I want to be here."

"You sure?" You check. He nudges your shoulder.

"I need to see this finale Wylan was talking about," Tolya says, "I think there is going to be regret for allowing him to do it."

"I'm not convinced he is allowed, I think he might just be doing it anyway," you laugh.

You can see Wylan to the side, hanging in the wings, Jesper is pacing around making sure everyone is where they need to be. Jesper spots his boyfriend and pulls him into a goodluck kiss.

"I think it's going to be fantastic," you look away from Jesper and Wylan, giving them some privacy in this moment even though you're sure Jesper wouldn't mind, you've seen him make quite the show of his Wylan. Any opportunity to show him off and he does, the genius, the musician, potential arsonist.

You watch Tolya disappear to grab you both refreshments and you recieve a gentle elbow to the ribs. You whip your head around to be met with Nadia's gleaming smile. "So," she coaxes, gentle but commanding at the same time, "tell me everything."

"Everything?" You punctuate the single word question with confusion in every syllable, genuinely unaware of what she is wanting from you.

"You and Tolya," she continues, "don't spare me the details." Nadia throws a quick look over her shoulder to Tamar who is sipping on her Sprite. "Okay maybe spare me some details for Tamar's sake but spill," she extenuates the last letters with a drone and finishes with that oh so eager grin.

"Babe," Tamar says, moving her ice around her cup with her straw, "there's not going to be any real details to tell. Tolya doesn't really... do that."

Nadia's frown is all confusion and no judgement. "Doesn't do that?" Nadia asks. "Like at all?"

"Intimacy, romance, they're not really his thing," Tamar says as if it's the most obvious thing in the world. "He prefers books."

Nadia looks to you, like she is expecting some kind of reaction, but you shrug. "Tamar isn't wrong," you don't want to put labels to it, especially with the way Tolya hasn't done that for himself, so you just shrug, "his interests lay more in companionship, good company, debates on if Haiku's are a talent or a mediocrity." You can tell what Nadia wants to ask, but she cannot find the right words to ask it, how can someone ask if that bothers you without sounding like an insensitive prick? So you save her the indignity of trying. "I think that just makes me like him more, knowing he isn't spending time with me for the wrong reasons, knowing that he really just likes my company."

"And you don't... find yourself wanting more?" Nadia asks. Tamar herself leans in a little at this, she doesn't doubt you, and your genuine feelings for her brother, but that little bit of big sister concern has her needing to hear your answer.

You shake your head. "I like what Tolya and I have," you say honestly, "I want nothing more than anything he wants, and I'm just grateful that he sees the same thing in me that I see in him."

"They're an unconventional couple," Tamar shrugs, "but Tolya is an unconventional guy, I thought he wouldn't ever bother dating because of his preference of romance in poetry than in real life. But I am glad he found you," Tamar gives you a smile, "it's nice that he has someone that gets him."

"Its nice that someone gets me," you admit.

"It also keeps the cheerleaders off him which is honestly a win," Tamar says, "if I had to lecture one more flyer about how not every jock wants- Oh did you get me a pretzel," Tamar asks Tolya as he returns.

"Do you think so little of me?" He asks, handing his sister the salted pretzel.

"I wasn't sure if you could get back from the refreshments without eating all my snacks," she teases before throwing an arm around Nadia.

"Sorry for the wait," Tolya slips back into his seat besides you, "the queue was dreadful."

"You don't come to these things," Nina points out leaning on the back of your chair to drop in on the conversation, "you want snacks, you get them earlier or you're queueing until half time Tree."

"Nina," Matthias says, he doesn't give any more of a scolding than the way he says her name but it's enough for her to suck in her cheeks and quieten herself.

"Sorry," she mouths and then quietly adds, "he is missing the cold weather, makes him extra frosty."

"I am not... frosty," Matthias insists. You bite your lip to curb your laugh.

"You look happy," Tolya muses.

"I am happy," you assure him as the show starts.

The show itself was great, Jesper was filled with energy and charisma, soaking up the limelight as always, and the technical and practical effects were at an all time high, right up to the moment they set the sprinklers and the fire alarm off.

You're choking back laughter, stood in the cool evening air as the teachers are checking that nothing really caught fire. You can see Jesper and Wylan having an enthused if not slightly heated conversation about prop placement in relation to fire safety. It's not until you catch Wylan saying "blame Kuwei," that you get the true gist of the conversation.

"Kids like twelve Wylan," Jesper laughs.

"Just blame him," Wylan says, arms crossed, half sulking.

"You always want to blame him," Jesper notes, pulling his boyfriend closer by the collar.

"Because, somehow, it's always his fault," Wylan insists, but all true annoyance is waning with his increased proximity to Jesper.

"Eventful evening," Tolya says, taking his eyes off Tamar as she pulls Nadia into the shadows to spend some of the waiting time in closer quarters.

"I said it would be," you smile. "Have you had fun at least?"

"Yeah," he assures you, eyes almost completely golden in the low light, "I always have fun when I'm with you."

[twilit-creature]

♥ 9 People You'd Like to Get to Know Better ♥

Thank you so much @shitty-drawer for tagging me! I hardly ever get tagged in these,,,

✧ 3 Ships ✧

I am like, really not that big on canon shipping - idk its a bit boring to me but if I have to choose:

MidLink (Sometimes with Zelda too)

Dark Urge (evil) x Minthara

I really don't ship that much.

I would also like to give an honorary mention to Clavicar x Azaril. Clavicar is my big beefy Altmer vampire dilf and Azaril is the OC of my friend @eklipta. Neither of us ever talks about it over here but we do have a whole story with them going on.

Generally, I am more into OC ships and S/I ships. I find it often more interesting because a lot of canon ships feel like they lack substance and just happen for the sake of it? I feel as if a lot of OC and S/I ships have more heart put into them but that is just my humble opinion.

I don't know I think I am just a bit too ace for really shipping all that much.

✧ First Ship ✧

I do genuinely not remember anymore. In fact, I can hardly remember any ships at all that I used to be into.

Mmmaybe it was Fluttercord? I really, really do not know anymore.

✧ Last Song ✧

If you like darksynth, I cannot recommend Carpenter Brut enough. His tracks go so damn hard.

✧ Last Film ✧

The last Film I've actively watched was Prey (2022).

I'm a big fan or horror and slasher movies. The original Predator movie was always really cool to me and I think the Predator is just such a cool creature. Prey however knocked it out of the park. I am not sure what the general consenses are but I personally really, really liked it. Its better than the original and the Predator design in that one goes so hard.

✧ Currently Reading ✧

Technically nothing but I am currently attempting to write a book with my actual original characters that I have been working on for nearly 10 years.

I need to re-read what I already have pretty often because I keep finding issues.

I will give more information about that when I've actually finished the prologue and like - you know, got something tangible to show and not just talk about it.

✧ Currently Craving ✧

I could go for some real good fries right now.

Tagging: @sneakygreenbean , @the-mad-tinkerer , @g0atmama , @eklipta , @risaho

No obligation, of course ♥

[sirensorisons]

i can't believe it's finally happening.

in early 2012, i picked the hunger games up off the shelf at my school library on a whim. my eldest sister hates reading, but i remembered that this was one of the few books she'd actually enjoyed, so i figured it couldn't be bad. not long after i finished reading, i learned that it would be adapted for the big screen.

on a school trip in april, me and so many of my classmates were caught up in hunger games mania. we tried our hand at being katniss with archery and pretended to be tributes in the woods. i wrote a couple chapters of some horrible self-insert fanfiction that's been lost to time, where my oc was bffs with some of my favorite characters: annie cresta and finnick odair.

throughout middle and high school, i made note of the release dates for every hunger games film, and i went to see catching fire and mockingjay part 1 in theaters. i revisited the series with a keener eye when i was a little older, and i began to understand the true literary genius of it.

for my last high school english assignment in 2018, we were allowed to do anything we wanted. earlier that year, our teacher had said something disparaging about the literary merit of the trilogy, so i decided made a short video about the series, fan films, and 1984.

on june 17, 2019, i learned for the first time that suzanne collins was working on a prequel, set to release on may 19, 2020. i learned at the same time that a movie adaptation was already in the works. i was skeptical when i heard it would be about president snow, but this series had captured my heart seven years prior, so there was no way i was passing this up. i preordered the book as soon as i could.

when it came in the mail on my twentieth birthday, i read the ballad of songbirds and snakes in that single day, for twelve hours straight. when i finally put it down, i'd managed to give myself a nasty eyestrain headache, but i was so, so happy.

i followed the production of the film with interest, as closely as i could with information made publicly available by actors, producers, and fans. i was always excited to share what i'd learned with my parents, and eventually, we were calling it my movie.

last year, in the last few days of august, i embarked on a mission to write a canon-compliant fanfiction about another one of my favorite characters, johanna mason. i posted the first chapter of "as long as i'm burning" in september, and i would write nearly 150k words between then and this past march.

although the fic has been on hiatus since then due to my copious mental issues, alaib and the canon series have been at the forefront of my mind all year. i started to regularly edit the hunger games wiki in may, and i've made over 2000 edits since then. last month, i even made my own private wiki for alaib on miraheze.

i cannot express how much this series means to me. the book release for tbosas genuinely kept me alive in some of my darkest days, and the movie is keeping me going every day even now. i love the world, its characters, and its commentary on our world. i love its message of hope and recovery in such cruel, dire circumstances. i love its love for kindness, freedom, and justice.

and i love that i get to share it with all of you. because even though i had nothing to do with its creation, tbosas feels so deeply personal to me. in my heart it's my movie, and i can't wait for everyone to be able to see it.

i've queued this over a week in advance because i don't expect to be nearly so coherent the day of. at time of posting, i should be heading into the theater, and the hunger games: the ballad of songbirds and snakes will be beginning any minute now.

this has been such an incredible journey. i'll see you in a few hours.

[animentality]

Hi! I read your book and I enjoyed it thoroughly and I can't wait for the next installment cause I'm curious where you're going to take things and also your way of writing is very unique and I'd love to experience it again!

Also "Happy moments with unhappy people" lives rent free in my head now thank you

Also the way you wrote the flashbacks made it my favorite part of the book and I ended up looking forward to the next one about halfway through and I'm obsessed with Rey specifically like I know he literally says he only has the fact that he's hot going for him but hot enough to get THAT many people utterly obsessed with him? I need to have words with him his game is INSANE

Also also also I found your style a little weird AT FIRST, but then once I got used to it the flow was perfect and I got literally possessed by the book until I finished it and the flashback with Anaheim hit me like a goddamn freight train

Like Rey is this little sunshine outwardly but sombre and mature in his relationships and that was already a gut punch but then Anaheim happened and everything just suddenly clicked. Like Rey became so human to me that now I every time I think about him I get a pit in my stomach (/extremely positive)

I am a little insane for your book thank you so much for writing it and I'll be re-reading it very soon and I hope I get absolutely destroyed the second time through <3

(I think Rey's charms were so powerful even through a phone screen he's making me read the book again <3)

(Also genuinely last note I'm sorry I'm unwell for your book but the world/city had impeccable vibes and I felt a longing after I finished reading, like I wanted to be in the world a little longer and I cannot think of a higher compliment for your worldbuilding)

I love your book <3!!!

;-;

Never apologize for feeling unwell for my book, I am grinning irl like a madman after reading this ask.

This is the best ask I've ever gotten for 7 deadly habits, congrats.

This is what I write for. Asks like these...you're too kind.

I'm so glad you liked it.

I'm so glad you understand Rey so well.

I'm so glad you came around to my weirder writing style. I know it's a bit of an adjustment for most people, but I'm glad you found its rhythm and now you get it.

Totally would've been ok if you didn't though, because I know it's a lot.

But ahhhhhh.

Your love for Rey...you get him!

He really is vivacious and lively and charming...except when he's not.

That little pun about how he's a ray of sunshine...and it's true. However.

It's also just a front.

The greater depth of his character comes from pain.

He is someone who has hurt a lot of people and been hurt badly.

And bravely carrying on...well, is it brave, if he simply can't face the truth?

If he has to hold it inside and keep himself together with cracked armor, this thing veneer of the person he used to be, back before he you know. Spoilered.

I'm so glad you appreciated him.

Some people don't get him.

But you've understood the assignment!!

And I just love flashbacks. They're my weakness and they're absolutely overindulgent but I can't help it. I love them too much.

I'm so glad you understood them. You liked them.

I always try to make them as evocative and lonely and somber and sometimes, rarely, too good to be true.

Memory is like that, you know. You remember things better than they were.

You have to, in order to survive...

Anyway, I'm gonna print out this ask and frame it.

You did it. You got me ready to tackle 7 deadly habits 2 again.

I'm ready to finish editing it and have it out by August.

I'm going to, goddamnit. Even if it's just for one person in the entire world...it's worth it.

Thank you so much for this ask ;-;

7 deadly habits means the world to me and then this ask hit me in the chest with a sledgehammer.

The asks that keep me writing novels...in the dark times, when I feel like I'm writing for no one...

Thank you for taking time out of your day to write this. I'll think about this ask for years.

[brettyimages]

Tagged by @rock-n-rollin-bitch thank you xoxo

Last song: currently listening to POP POP POP by IDLES and I didn't really enjoy it sadly

Favorite color: pink

Last movie/show: I think the last thing I watched was The Last Leg on TV last night, the last film I watched was Bridget Jones' Diary

Next on my watchlist: Next movie on my watchlist is the Elvira film, the next show on my list is One Day

Last book: last one I picked up and read was Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow, last one I finished was Bridget Jones' Diary, both for our book club :)

Last game: genuinely cannot remember the last time I played a video game

Sweet/savory/spicy: sweet

Relationship status: single and almost considering apps

Last thing I searched online: Edinburgh Festival 2024

Current obsession: I don't have any new ones, just Suede, still

Greatest flaw: lack of motivation

Fic i'm currently reading: I very rarely read fanfic, so none right now

Tagging @jeffament and @visible-disappointment and @galacticstar xo

[docholligay]

Doc whenever you read a pitched or pitchless book, do you feel obligated to read it through to the end even when it's become abundantly clear that you're not seeing anything of value in the experience?

Not at all! I treat a pitched or pitchless book exactly like I treat a book I picked myself, by and large.

That being said, I am a Book Finisher. I cannot remember the last time I flatass DNF'd a book. It took me a year to read House of Leaves, but I still finished it, I just read other books as I was digesting it. (It's a really fine example of the craft, and genuinely I think should be taught in some higher-level lit courses as an example of different storytelling methods and metafiction. That being said, it's a tough read.) So, I think it would have to be me REALLY feeling like I'm throwing away my time in order for me to say "I am not finishing this" which i completely believe could happen, but, given my reading speed and the average length of a book, isn't super likely.

Pitched books especially I have trouble seeing it, as normally even when they aren't OUT OF THE PARK, between someone thinking I'd like it enough to take the trouble, me reading and okaying the pitch, it just...it feels unlikely that the misrepresentation of the book could be SO aggressive as to make it a DNF unless someone was trying to play me.

Let me go see what the worst thing I read last year was ahaha. OKay so what I would say the four WORST were, hated the most: one was a commission (which, there are very very very very few things out of bounds for commission as long as one acknowledges this might happen), one was a pitchless, and two were ONES I SELECTED FOR MY OWN DAMN SELF. None of the pitched were, and my favorite book from last year was a pitch me! Including the ones I picked out for myself, just, that happened to be the best time I had last year.

And I finished all of them.

[ocd-kenobi]

Do you read any non-star wars sci fi? I would love some recs

A bit! For reading, I stick closer to the ecofeminist side than the "hard sci-fi" side of the genre, so my recommendations aren't much like Star Wars, but they ARE good.

The only major classic sci fi authors I have read and recommend are Ursula K. Le Guin and Octavia E. Butler because they are skilled and subtle writers who actually pose interesting questions and offer interesting perspectives. Le Guin's Left Hand of Darkness changed me in college, but she's written a ton of novels and short stories to explore. Butler's novels and series include the Earthseed (or Parable) series, Kindred, and the Lilith's Brood series (which has fantastic alien world-building and human-alien breeding?? if I remember correctly.)

I genuinely enjoy Greg Bear's punchy use of language and world-building through character-building, but I only started reading Slant and haven't finished it so I can't promise anything. I was frantically texting friends about it as I read because I was so excited about unexpected queer characters of color and a frank exploration of the porn industry in a sci fi novel.

Oh, also on my to-read list is N.K. Jemisin. Her Broken Earth series has been on my bookshelf for too long for a book that came so highly recommended to me by friends with excellent taste.

Technically a children's author, but Madeleine L'Engle really gives me everything I need from sci fi. I was obsessed with An Acceptable Time as a kid, and the A Wrinkle in Time series had such vivid images that still live in my head even though I haven't read the books in a long time.

I think Michael Crichton is considered like, a thriller author? I guess? His books are definitely thrilling, but they please me as science fiction as well. I lost plenty of sleep over Prey last year. I love stories about how science cannot be trusted under capitalism.

Ling Ma's Severance was super gripping and let's just say it was hard to read at the start of the pandemic lol.

And if you like apocalyptic fiction, (and also the English language and linguistics,) then I have two recommendations. First is Riddley Walker by Russel Hoban, which is just this brilliant experiment in the evolution of English language and culture post-apocalypse. It's seriously one of the coolest books ever, but I absolutely need footnotes when reading it for all the cultural references and their evolutions. The second I consider in this genre is The Wake by Paul Kingsnorth. It's post-apocalyptic, but that apocalypse is the historical event of the Norman Invasion. It's written from the point of view of, and in the imagined pre-Norman English language of, a man who lived at the time.

And then there's always sci fi novels from other franchises, like my favorite Star Trek novel, Price of the Phoenix by Sondra Marshak, which is insanely kinky and has Spock and this other guy fighting over two Kirks, one of whom becomes a pet, and altogether it's just a blast.

Oh and Mary Shelley's Frankenstein of course.

I will tag @predator-padawan for additions because she is more knowledgable on the subject! I know she'll add We by Yevgeny Zamyatin because she has a tattoo from it :)

[aboxthecolourofheartache]

tagged by @chubsonthemoon in a “get to know me better” meme! thank you!

Three ships: 99.9% of the time, I prefer a good qpr. The pairings I actually ship in the romantic/“they need to bang” way are few and far between. I joke about it a lot, sure, but shipping’s not that important to the way I like to approach media. And if I ship something, it’s usually firmly in the “you’re the only motherfucker in this club who can handle me” category. So:

- Alec/St. Vier, of Swordspoint

- Bai Fengjiu/Donghua Dijun, of Three Lives Three Worlds: The Pillow Book

- Attolia Irene and Attolis Eugenides, of the Queen’s Thief books

First ship: Again, ships aren’t my priority and especially weren’t when I was at the “firsts” stage as a young ace. It rarely occurred to me. Retrospectively, I know which narrative-supplied pairings were formative in my tastes, though. Vidanric/Meliara from the Crown Duel books? Sure. Let’s go with that.

Last song: Trauma Queen by Durry

Last movie: …..I genuinely cannot remember the last time I watched a movie. Uh. Hm. It might have been The Assassin (2015) sometime this past summer?????

Currently reading: ahahahahah yeah okay here’s the list:

- Baudolino by Umberto Eco

- The White Wolf by Michael Moorcock

- The Hallowed Hunt by Lois McMaster Bujold

- Slewfoot by BROM (which I might not finish not because it isn’t good bc it is, but bc I checked “does the dog die” for a particular trigger and unfortunately yeah it’s in an upcoming chapter)

- Frankenstein by Mary Shelley (reread)

- Le Mort d’Arthur by Sir Thomas Mallory (reread)

- Possession by A.S. Byatt

- Lyrics of the Middle Ages ed. James J. Wilhelm

- Invisible Cities by Italo Calvino (reread)

- The Unreal and the Real, Vol. 2 by Ursula K. Le Guin

- The Ink Dark Moon trans. Jane Hirshfield with Mariko Aralani (reread)

- The Complete Cold Mountain trans. Kazuaki Tanahashi and Peter Levitt

- The Sandman Book of Dreams eds. Neil Gaiman and Ed Kramer (reread)

…and yes this is a completely normal number of books for me to have going at once.

Currently consuming: a fancy chickpea curry from a good local Indian takeaway place

Currently craving: a glass of milk bc this curry is way spicier than anticipated. Also a functional national government, but a girl can’t get everything she wants in life, y’know?

Please consider yourself tagged if you would like to participate! :D