#it was so fucking good highly recommend. read the book first to appreciate the movie being so close

[bunnyb34r]

Okay I'm gonna put it under a cut but here's what I thought ab the movie

First of all, that was the most faithful to the book adaptation I've seen.

Like from the get go him noticing the tile missing from the bathroom, I was like oh!! They're adding that in!!

Every time I saw something I thought they'd cut I was SO excited! Like idk why but I thought they'd cut the part where Reaper went crazy from rabies (even though they never show that thats why he did what he did :/ ) and he had that little graveyard after Dill died

ESPECIALLY the flag part!

Almost everything was how I pictured it!!! That never happens!!! :D only thing different was the casting. The choices were very good, but that was the only major aspect that didn't line up with the version I thought

Little sad that they didn't show Clemessia turning part snake bc that was a very prominent point in the book imo bc it showed how even from early in the games lifetime, they were experimenting with making mutts. I thought that was a clever detail in the book, so sad it wasn't in there (probably cut for time understandably)

They also cut Grandma'am slipping into dementia which I get, it didn't sway the plot one way or the other really. It was more so in the book imo, a way to get you to sympathize with Snow. But since she didn't have much of a presence on screen, it was understandable that they cut that.

Like the book, it had a catching first part, a strong middle, and a eh third part. But that's just me. It was still very faithful, I just didn't care for part 3 as much.

Really liked how they showed it segmented like that with each part being labeled like the book. That was neat.

And I really liked Lucky Flickerman in the movie more than the book. He was a very good comic relief, audibly laughed at his parts. Like the what if it was candy bit. And I liked how they just had him casually doing the forecast bc it really showed how the games meant nothing to the Capitol, they had no stakes to lose other than their bet falling through.

Oh and didn't the girl who killed Marcus talk to him before going up there? I can't decide if her actions in the book are more merciful, BECAUSE she talked to him, or if the movie was more merciful bc she gently reached out and touched his head, and DIDN'T speak to him. Either way not how I pictured that scene, I thought he was on like a gallows type structure, but I understand the choice to have it be more impromptu on the Capitol's part. Like fuck just tie him to that rubble it's good enough.

I liked the video phone, that was neat. Like the tvs were more 50s style but the technology was advanced enough to have video phones.

Hunter Schaefer was a great choice for Tigris too.

I pictured Mayflower to be more... mousy I think. Like a typical snotty rich girl look. But I guess for 12 it fit.

Oh and in the book it seemed like he knew once he found the guns that he was gonna kill Lucy Gray, but in the movie it looked more like he wasn't sure until the snake bit him. Like he didn't plan on killing her, he was just looking for her.

Anyway I fucking loved it and I kinda wanna see it again in theaters sgdgdgdg I mean ill be okay waiting for the DVD but it was so so good. I wanna reread the book and then go back to the theater sgdgdgdgdgdg

There was only 5 of us there and we all sat in the back row which was funny. I was right smack dab in the middle bc thats where I chose on the ticket map, and the first group of 2 sat on the end on my right like eh here's good, we'll give them space. And then the second group sat on the end on my left which was funny to me.

Very glad I pushed myself to go and that I got to continue/finish My streak of having seen every THG movie in theaters (didn't think id make it honestly)

I had so much fun that I think I'm gonna try to go to the movies more often! It was nice being just me there, going in the morning helped my paranoia. Didn't "double feature" like I used to in high school lol but I figured I'm in my 20s now so I'm probably too old to sneak into another movie sgdgdgdgd we used to do that all the time in high school which was funny bc we saw Spiderman 2 in standard and then snuck in to see it in 3D (fished out glasses out of the recycling bin and used hand sanitizer to clean em) and when we saw Catching Fire we got to see it in IMAX by chance of someone holding the door open and thinking we were going there and well who am I to say no ;)

I think of the books this is my third favorite (catching fire, the hunger games, this one, mockingjay) and of the movies this is my fav (followed by cf, thg, mj part 2 and mj part 1)

[reservoirreputation]

Physical Media Haul Part 2

The DVDsssssss (and one album)

Movies/etc I've already seen:

The Phantom of the Opera 25th Anniversary edition

Like a lot of people, I watched a good chunk of musicals from The Show Must Go On!'s youtube channel. This, Cats and War of the Worlds are a must watch. I've been itching for a rewatch of Phantom, and now I can scratch that itch, whenever. Really good, highly recommend.

Goodfellas

The way this is one of my favorite movies, and it's taken me this long to get a copy of it?!?! I'm surprised at myself, honestly. If you enjoy/are fascinated by true crime, organized crime, mob stories, and wanna actually feel bad for a snitch for once in your life, this is the movie. One of the things I appreciate is how they will on occasion cut to Henry's wife's POV, and help add context as to why she stayed.

Predator

This is one of the best horror movies I've ever seen. It's also a solid as hell franchise, with damn near every entry being gold. The first movie's a great example of two stories in one; war buddies reuniting in the first half, and then getting hunted down in the second half. It's just... so good.

[REC]

I've done a rewatch reaction recently, and I'm so fucking thrilled to have it on DVD, now. One of the best found-footage horror movies, ever. Of all time. So fucking good.

Hereditary

Funny thing about this; I watched the edited version of this movie for free on youtube, and while I wanna see this, the R-rated version, the edited version is still a gut punch. Went into it blind, it's fantastic.

My Bloody Valentine

The original!! From the 80s!! I got to see it in theatres, a couple of years ago, and it's so fun to watch with a crowd.

Movies/etc I'd never watched:

The Martian

I read the book earlier this year, and it's SO GOOD, I cannot stress enough, go read it. Just watched this, this morning, and the movie's a great adaptation, too, and solidifies a couple of things; Mark Watney is one of the best, most sympathetic protagonists, period, and Matt Damon can act his ass off by himself.

Cape Fear

I'm on a Scorsese kick. Going into it mostly blind.

Mean Streets

Because I wanna know what all the hype is about, and to drool over Keitel.

Manhunter

The first film featuring Hannibal Lecter. This has been on my to watch list for so long, is hard to find on streaming, and is said to be better that Silence of the Lambs. Considering SotL is one of my favorite movies of all time, we shall see. I have read the book, Red Dragon, and seen the movie of the same name, so we'll see.

Albums:

Meat Loaf's Bat Out Of Hell

When I tell you I've been looking for this album for the past couple of years. How I've listened to it so many times on youtube, alone. How it's one of my favorite albums of all time, it's so fucking good, please, please, please go do yourself a favor and take a listen, I'm begging you. Standout track that doesn't get nearly enough love (they all deserve love) is All Revved Up with No Place to Go. This was literally the last thing I saw when I was heading to checkout, is easily the most expensive thing I bought, but the price didn't matter because of that sweet satisfaction of finding something cool as hell out in the wild, I swear to god there's no better feeling.

-------

Go support bookstores/thrift stores! Buy used/secondhand! Buy physical media! Don't be at the mercy of streaming services and companies that will edit their works years/decades after it's been released! Go enjoy movies! Watch something that makes you smile, or makes you shit your pants! Interact with something that makes you FEEL!!

[panevanbuckley]

Hi! Sorry if you've already answered this before, but do you have a Parksborn fic rec? Or a beginners guide to?

I don't believe I've answered this before? but I'm so here to share my favourite parksborn fics (so far) because honestly they're amazing and I highly recommend them!

the paparazzi ships parksborn AU series by knoxoursavior

The rumors start a week after they started hanging out again, which is a miracle in Harry's books. Peter's just stumped.

fluffy lil' fix-it series with the boys being goofy, what's not to love?

Even in the crowds, I find I'm always looking out for you by Trash_Cam

Nine years. Almost an entire fucking decade since he left New York City. Harry could barely believe he was standing here at all.

Out here on the street like this, he was nobody. Harry Osborn was just a name that belonged to a young, brunette boy, eager to explore and catch up on everything he’d missed. No expectations. No responsibilities. Just the city, him, and–

“Hey, astronaut, you listening?”

Peter.

this was the first fic I read when I fell back into this ship and uGH- the teasing is perfect. super cute fic

Meeting The Team by SlashPrincess15

Harry has the deal with fact his boyfriend has apparently been pseudo-adopted by the Avengers, and the fact they all want to ensure Peter is only given the best in life - even if it means threatening the current Oscorp owner.

honestly this whole concept is so fun, I love webbverse!peter mixing with the avengers fics

Counting Stars by tricksterity

Peter Parker's been in love with Harry Osborn for as long as he could remember, and how could he ever say no to saving his life?

Basically an AU of how TASM 2 should've gone if Peter wasn't a complete idiot and if Gwen didn't, y'know, get an extreme case of whiplash.

omg literally like my favourite fix-it fic probably?? this is basically now my canon for the second movie

keep your eyes on the trophy by finalizer

How to get Spider-Man’s attention: a guide by Harry Osborn.

(In which Peter’s really bad at excuses and Harry’s getting a bit desperate.)

idiots being idiots. peter thinks he's good at hiding things. he's not. harry goes about getting the truth in the most harry way possible

5 times peter gave people a different name (for harry) +1 the one time he didn't have to by censored

peter is really bad at keeping something a secret

^ I don't even need to add anything. this fic is silly and great and I loved it

how the mighty fall by allourheroes

What if Harry and Peter's relationship was a little less subtext. (An alternate version of The Amazing Spider-Man 2 with lots of friendship and sex and teamwork.)

okay THIS series owns me! like. amazing fix-it. amazing writing. amazing plot?? the third fic lives in my mind rent free because I genuinely never realised I needed dad!harry until I read it and my life is so much better for it (and I know it might not be everyone's cup of tea but just in case I'm still recommending it)

Blind by phrazes

Spider-Man saves Harry a few times and they get to know each other. Even though Spider-Man won’t revealing anything about himself, Harry falls in love with him anyway. It’s a good thing too — it’s about time he’s interested in someone other than Peter Parker.

cute fic with pining and fluff!

The Trials of Living with Spider-Man by orphan_account

Peter and Harry have moved in together and Harry's getting used to the whole superhero routine. Until Peter comes home bleeding all over their expensive hardwood floors.

just dorky boyfriends being in love and harry not appreciating blood getting everywhere

I Found You (Lost In The Things I've Done) by Take_Me_To_My_Fragile_Dreams

Peter lets out a breathless yell, the webbing catching on one of the metal rafters before he can hit the floor, sending him back up into the air. He fumbles enough times to make Harry’s heart resemble that of one going into cardiac arrest but eventually he manages to get the hang of it, finding a rhythm that leaves him beaming happily, body twisting to send him back up to where Harry sat, landing neatly on the edge of the wooden platform.

“So?” He grinned. “What do you think?”

“I think,’ Harry glared. “That you almost gave me a heart attack.”

Peter’s grin widened. “And?”

“And…” He drew in a breath, letting out a grudging mumble. “It’ll work.”

He was unprepared for the bear hug that came in answer.

a really cool au of peter already being in ravencroft when harry returns. harry is a competent bamf in this fic and that's what I live for

fear, wish i didn't know the meaning of by notfirewoodyet

“Good,” Peter says against Harry’s temple. “You scared the hell out of me.”

or 5 times Harry scared Peter, and 1 time Peter returned the favor

soft lil' emotional fic that I absolutely adored!

though change will come by theneverending

Harry tries a coffee shop for the first time, and one of the workers is surprisingly quirky.

short and sweet coffee shop au feat. peter and his amazing pick-up lines

Felicia saves the day (As usual) by slenderlof

Harry has a hickey. And a board meeting. God damn it Peter, now, of all days?

omg felicia is the absolute best and she's amazing in this fic! literally just dorky, domestic boyfriends

sometimes, not flirting works, too by thompsborn

“I don’t—” Harry stops and lets out a rough sigh, scrubbing a hand over his face. “I’ve been in back to back meetings all fucking day and my brain is not processing words right now, okay? All I know is I’m suddenly in charge of a fucking dog the size of a fucking car and I’ve never had a dog before and I don’t know—”

“Woah, okay, just—” the guy holds up his hands, Harry’s phone still clutched between nimble fingers. “It’s not—it isn’t rocket science, okay? It’s a dog. You’ll be fine.”

Harry huffs. “I’d do better if it was rocket science. I actually know rocket science.”

okay, okay, I'm starting to notice a trend in me just liking fics where harry is smart and knows it. also peter working for tony again because what's not to love about that?! this lil' au is so fun!

Your arms around my neck (and your breath upon my skin) by the_authors_exploits

Any gala is boring; a Stark and Osborn gala? Boring as-

But then there's Parker...

(If only he'd pay attention to Harry)

literally made me wanna write my own gala parksborn fic because it is just such an amazing idea and I need more fics like this in my life!! (feat. jealous harry)

Cat or Dog by neverfinishe

"We don't have time for a dog."

"We're not getting a cat."

"I don't know why you say it like that. Cats are great. A cat won't piss on the floor because you forgot to take it out," Harry says with a sweet smile. He has a point, and he knows it.

honestly I just love the idea of these two being super domestic and getting pets and this fic is so fluffy

Instagram Followed by ProsperDemeter

“I’m bored.”

“You’re a genius, find something to do.”

“Harry,” Peter dragged the name out with a whine and tossed back his head in his best impersonation of Morgan Stark throwing a temper tantrum. “I’m bored.”

“Peter,” Harry mocked. “I don’t care.”

Or, four times Instagram thinks they're dating and the one time they actually are.

super fun little mixed up universe au fic that I loved reading. lots of cute peter and harry moments and matchmaker mary jane being a legend

m'kay I got a little bit carried away, my apologies 😂 (there are even more fics that I totally recommend in my ao3 bookmarks if you dare to navigate that hell hole)

[demi-shoggoth]

2022 Reading Log pt. 16

76. Nine Nasty Words by John McWhorter. This was picked up based on the author—McWhorter wrote Our Magnificent Bastard Tongue, which is a very good overview of the development of English from the pieces and parts of other languages. The subject is profanity in English, covering some of the most common words, tracing their origins and uses, and highlighting how they shift and become abstracted over time. Fuck is the most famous of these, which is notoriously capable of being verb, noun, adjective and interjection all at once, but other swear words have achieved similar flexibility. The book also discusses slurs, which as the author points out are seen as much more obscene and offensive these days than former heavy hitters like damn and shit. My personal favorite bits include how “cocksucker” was replaced with “asshole” as a term of abuse, the unwritten rules for using profanity as an infix (e.g. why it’s “abso-fucking-lutely” and not “ab-fucking-solutely”), and the real, honest-to-god historical Englishman named Simon Fuckbutter.

77. Atoms and Ashes by Serhiii Ploky. The topic of this book is nuclear disasters, four of which I was familiar with, two of which I had never heard of. In order, the ones I’d heard of were Castle Bravo (in which miscalculated explosive power and not enough regard for the weather led to hundreds of people coated in radioactive ash), Three Mile Island, Chernobyl and Fukushima. I was unaware previously of were the Kyshtym disaster, in which a storage tank in a plutonium manufacturing plant in the Ural Mountains exploded, and the fire of the Windscale power plant in England. The book is gripping, with a good amount of detail both technical and personal, but not so much that the reader gets lost in the weeds. My one complaint is that, although it discusses the movie The China Syndrome, the book doesn’t actually talk about what that title refers to (a nuclear meltdown sinking into the Earth’s crust) until it’s referred to the fear of it happening multiple times. But that’s a minor quibble.

78. The Hidden Kingdom of Fungi by Keith Seifert. There has been a huge bloom of books about fungi written for general audiences in the last couple of years. This is the best of them, partially because it focuses on symbioses between fungi and other organisms and because it doesn’t turn into a sermon about the wonders of psychedelics halfway through (I’m looking at you, Merlin Sheldrake). This book does a very good job of discussing how symbiosis exists on a continuum, and how the relationship between two organisms may go from mutualistic to commensal to parasitic over time, based on environmental conditions and other organisms influencing the interaction. It also has a glossary of scientific names in the back organized by phylogenetic groups, which the phylogeneticist in me greatly appreciated.

79. Advanced Fighting Fantasy: Beyond the Pit, edited by Andrew Wright. The second Fighting Fantasy related monster book never existed for the original Fighting Fantasy game, but is a compilation of monsters from Fighting Fantasy titles that either didn’t make it into Out of the Pit or were published afterwards. I’d say that this is an improvement over the first volume in every way. There’s less racism, less instant-kill monsters, and each monster is identified with its original author, source and illustrator. Which is how I learned that John Sibbick, who did the art for 1985’s Encyclopedia of Dinosaurs and is one of the most influential (read, ripped off) paleoartists of the late 20th century, did some illustrations for Fighting Fantasy!

80. Magic in the Middle Ages, Third Edition by Richard Kieckhefer. This is a very good book about the title topic; highly recommended for people who are interested in the topic specifically or in the occult in general. It divides magic up based on how people of the time tended to frame it, as “natural” magic (relying on inherent, God-given properties of stones, herbs, words, etc.) and “demonic” magic (self-explanatory). Which leads to some issues because not all practitioners divided things up that rigidly, as this edition discusses newly for the first time. Apparently, the earlier editions did not discuss things like angel summoning magic. The reproductions are of interesting material, but are a little difficult to parse, because they are in black and white in relatively low resolution. Having a glossy figures section in the middle would make this book look better, but again, a minor complaint for the quality of the book as a whole.

[djchika]

Alex Appreciation Week Day 5: wanna go for a ride (smut/fluff) | music

(aka a snipper from what appears to be a Pretty Woman AU)

-

When Alex left Roswell for the last time, he’d prepared for a life destitute. Possibly a hand to mouth existence, but one that wasn’t bound by his dad’s rules. Surrounded by found family and good friends. 

What happened was the opposite. Bank was all Alex had. No one he called family, barely any friends. Just a shit load of money from a dead father who forgot to remove his estranged son from his will. 

Funny how life worked out. 

- 

Manes security was the crown of the Manes empire. It had been built on his father’s unwavering, paranoid insistence that the human race needed to defend themselves. Against what exactly? Alex was never sure. No one else knew either, but they still bought into the belief. 

The company started with simple security solutions that branched out to tech which led to multibillion-dollar government contracts. His brothers were all happily ensconced in the family business while Alex had jumped ship the moment he could. 

Or so he thought. 

- 

“What the fuck do you mean he left it to me?” 

“Technically he left it to his sons, but Flint signed away everything to do with the company when he started his own business, Gregory insists he’s retired, and after his breakdown Clay gave Gregory special power attorney and Gregory’s saying Clay doesn’t want it either.” 

“Well, I don’t want it! Jim, are you hearing yourself? I can’t take over my father’s company.” 

“Your father had the entire board of trustees under his thumb and he kept a lot of secrets. Without one of you to figure things out they’re going to strip it for parts and sell to the highest bidder. You might not care for your father’s legacy, but the Manes Group cuts a hundred thousand paychecks across several businesses. That’s a lot of jobs on the line.” 

Fuck. 

- 

That had been five years ago. Five long fucking years of going from a quiet life running a small music shop near the home town to living full time in New York city. 

Nothing about his new life vaguely resembled his life in Roswell.  

Well, except for Kyle Valenti. 

“It’s two in the fucking morning. Go home,” Kyle ordered from where he was leaning against Alex’s office door. 

“Should I even point out how hypocritical that is considering you’re here too?” 

“That’s because you’re a slave driver.”

Kyle was lying through his stupid perfect teeth. Alex worked hard to make sure they were one of the best employers in the country thankyouverymuch.

Besides, Kyle wasn’t even technically his employee. Their firm, Valenti, Valenti and Son had been the company’s firm even before Alex took over. 

“I’m going home after this. Leave me alone.” 

“As your legal counsel I highly recommend sleep before signing any of those.” Kyle said, nodding at the stack of papers on Alex’s desk. “I’ll be back Wednesday. I already had Jill pencil me in to your afternoon so we can start discussion on the Long deal.” 

Alex clicked opened his calendar. “My Monday’s surprisingly free we can do it then.” 

Kyle walked over to Alex’s desk, leaning down just so he could point at Alex’s laptop monitor obnoxiously. “That’s because Monday is the day before Christmas Eve and you declared it a company holiday.” 

“Right,” Alex said, pushing Kyle away. “See you Wednesday, then.” 

“Are you sure—” 

“Yes, I’m sure I don’t want to go home with you for Christmas. Yes, I will be fine spending Christmas by myself. Asking me a dozen times isn’t going to change my answer.” 

Alex appreciated Kyle’s concern, but going back home provided complications he didn’t want to deal with at the moment. 

With a sigh, Kyle straightened and started towards the door. “Fine. I’ll see you in four days. You also have four days to get me the present you forgot to buy me so you won’t feel bad that I already left your present at your place.” 

Presents. Shit. He remembered signing off a list from Jill, but Kyle always insisted that didn’t count. Maybe he could get him something online. 

Seeming to read his mind, Kyle turned and pointed a finger at him. “You better make an effort of going to a store for me, jerk.” 

That was how Alex ended up asking the driver to see if there was a shop anywhere that was still open. 

That was also how Alex literally fell into Michael Guerin. 

- 

“You looking for something? Wanna go for a ride?” 

The familiar low drawl had Alex’s heart beating wildly in his chest. He turned quickly, misjudged his center of gravity and only avoided a complete pratfall because Michael’s arms were suddenly around him keeping him steady. 

The shock he was feeling was clearly mirrored in Michael’s face. 

“Alex?” 

- 

The last time he’d seen Guerin was the last of summer after high school. He was being shipped off to West Point, while Michael was supposed to be on going to UNM on a scholarship. 

They’d been friends in the way that two queer kids in a small dessert town naturally gravitated towards each other. Something had bubbled beneath the surface but they’d left it to simmer. Neither wanting to risk the tentative solace they found in each other.  

A long series of almosts that never culminated to anything. 

Alex had graduated, gone on a couple of tours, got blown up and opted for an honorable discharge. 

Michael had apparently graduated, found out working with any sort of system didn’t fit him, and chose to travel the country in his truck, picking up odd jobs where he could. 

When he meant pick up. He meant pick up. 

- 

Michael gave a low whistle when they entered Alex’s apartment. It was disproportionally huge for someone living alone, but it had come with the inheritance and he’d never gotten around to looking for a new place. 

"Always knew you were loaded. I didn’t think you were ‘bring out the guillotines’ rich.” 

“I’m not. Or I wasn’t. This was all my dad’s. I’m always afraid I’m going to find a room I didn’t know existed and find out someone’s been living there the whole time,” Alex admitted. 

Michael smirked as he made himself comfortable on the leather couch. “Still not a fan of horror movies?” 

“I learn from them. There’s a difference,” Alex corrected as he slipped off his tie, coat and shoes already discarded. “Drink?” 

“Yeah, why not.” 

Alex poured them each a glass, watching as Michael surreptitiously took in the rest of the room. He wondered what Michael assumed of him based on it. He’d never gotten around to looking for a new place and he’d definitely never gotten around to redecorating. Nothing outside of the bedroom was his aside from the baby grand he’d gotten himself as a gift a couple of years ago. 

“I see your horror movie education never taught you not to let strangers into your home,” Michael said when Alex handed him a glass of whisky, neat. 

“You’ve always been strange. Hardly a stranger.” 

He sat down next to Michael, taking a long drink from his glass as Michael did the same. The liquid flowed smoothly down his throat, warming his body quickly. It also served to quiet the butterflies that were fluttering oddly in his chest. 

“You never know what’s going on in people’s heads.” Michael smirked, eyes roving over Alex’s body. 

Back in high school, with his bad boy reputation, the almost trademark smirk had been charming and innocently dangerous. Now, the slow smirk was backed with a confidence in his sexuality that was outright devastating.

Or it would have been if Alex didn’t see right through him.

“Are the lines part of the package?” 

“Depends, is it working for you? 

Alex raised an eyebrow before downing the rest of his drink. Michael seemed to take that as an invitation, moving both their glasses to the coffee table before straddling Alex smoothly. 

It was his teenage fantasy come true. Michael was different, the cut of his jaw sharper, a dark beard where there used to be smooth skin, but the warmth of his eyes was still the same. The pull that tugged at Alex’s chest just as strong. 

“Do you have rules against kissing?” 

Michael shook his head with a laugh. “That’s not a thing.” 

The kiss Michael gave Alex was surprisingly soft. A tentative press of lips on lips that belied Michael’s previous confidence. Alex tongue darted out, licking against the seam of Michael’s lips until they opened up for him. He tasted like whisky, like the first burst of summer rain. 

It barely lasted a minute before Michael pulled back a little, eyes searching Alex’s as if to make sure he was okay. 

Unwilling to examine the sudden knot behind his ribcage at that look, Alex surged against him kissing Michael slow and deep until they were both gasping for air. 

“Sure this is a good idea?” Michael asked breathily even as his hands roamed, touching Alex’s chest, his neck, his hair.  

“Nothing but a business deal, right?” 

“Hmmm,” Michael’s hands moved to the buttons of Alex’s shirt, undoing them one by one. “Preferences? Hard nos?” He leaned in, sucking kisses into Alex’s jaw and down his neck.  

Alex groaned when Michael’s mouth latched on to his pulse point, sucking gently. He could feel himself getting harder, Michael’s own erection pressed up again him. The sweet friction was making it hard to concentrate on what Michael was saying. 

“You’re not going to make me sign a release are you?” he managed to ask finally. For all he knew there might be paperwork involved. He’d never actually slept with a hooker before. 

The laugh that rumbled out of Michael’s chest, drew a smile on Alex’s face. “No, but it’s gonna cost depending on what you want.”’ 

“Consider me your booking for the night then double it.”

He didn’t even care what that amount was. Michael was worth it. Using his father’s money to pay for him was just a fuck you cherry on top. 

Michael smiled, slow and filthy. “Works for me.” 

(to be continued....)

[aloera]

The ask prompt is too long to fit into an ask TT_TT but here's the doc for it docs(.)google(.)com/document/d/1yDI7iFRhOJ8ENv_IwZAo3rDSUqj80EiJROS10RzRbj4/edit

the lengths u are going for this,,, much appreciated you're very sweet!!!

prompts + answers under the cut!!

INTRODUCTION

Name: aloera

AO3 account: aloera

Fandoms you write for: bnha

How many stories have you written so far: 19

FANFICTION PROFILE

What's your favorite fandom to write for? hmm,,, used to do pjo and eah (ever after high) and eah was fun as fuck i will say!!! i think bnha is my fav mostly bc i made the most friends in this fandom :D

What's your favorite character/person to write for? bkg and kirishima!! cannot choose do not make me <3

Fic you'd want to improve? probably what we deserve? i rushed the beginning and the confession is a bit stilted imo

Hardest fic you've written? between lion and men -_- bc there is so much canon compliant stuff i've gotta write out before i get to the divergence and its HARD

Easiest fic you've written? come home to me!!! it happened so easily,,, no second guessing no writers block just vibes <33 was lovely i miss it

What would you say is the most "famous" fic you've ever written? also probably come home to me? its got the most interaction

first line of the first fic you've ever written and published. [not including my 2014 ffnet fics] "The bell rings, class starts, and Katsuki and Midoriya are inexplicably absent." from come home to me

Have you ever done a collab with another writer? yes!!!!! on two separate occasions and its so fucking fun i highly recommend trying it out its the best

Do you beta? if asked but honestly im a shit beta lmao

Do you like joining fic fests/exchanges? depends on what i have going on irl but in general yeah!!

FANFICTION PREFERENCES

Fluff or angst? definitely fluff

"OCs" or "Reader" inserts? reader inserts!! have been going ham on them recently

Blurbs or drabbles? blurbs!!

One thing you love about fanfiction i just. i really love slice of life romance?? and most media doesn't give you that bc its dedicated to plot and action and that's valid!! but fanfiction fills in the gap which is really nice

One thing you don't like about fanfiction most of the stuff i don't like is less about actual fanfiction and more about how people behave about it

What is/are your favorite fandom author/authors? IVE BEEN WAITING FOR THIS ONE!!! TURN IT UP!!!

bnha: hiuythn, rae_tnub, Moniix, Ata_Lanta, wrunic, chezka, PurplePersnickety, surveycorpsejean, mahadevi, arxaris, deviance, Oceanbreeze7, MikeWritesThings, bonnia, wonhaebunny, dinosuns

voltron: hiuythn, Oceanbreeze7, DeerstalkerDeathFrisbee, arahir, dinosuns,

and honorable mention to loveclouds im not even in the haikyuu fandom i just love their fics So Much

these are just the ones off the top of my head i have so many favourites idc if i'm only supposed 2 have one!! die mad about it!!!

What is your favorite trope? secret relationship + relationship reveal til the day i die babie <3 <3

Least favorite trope? hm,,, probably just like. angst lmao i cannot stand 90% of it

A fanfiction cliché that you can't help but love? coffeeshop aus,,,, so good

Do you have a type when it comes to pairings? the otp where its like. piece of shit + himbo = love. ex. krbk, catradora, jade/beck

Favorite setting/au? hm,,, truly i cannot pick one KGKSJNHKj but i really like college aus!! and modern aus!! and roommate aus!!

Explain the meaning of your favorite line of dialogue you've written as if someone hasn't read it in context. “He doesn’t know,” Katsuki says, softly. “My timer stopped and nothing happened. He’s not mine.”

the line is from what we deserve!! it's a soulmate au where your timer counts down to the moment that you meet your soulmate!! bakugou's timer ends at USJ when he and kirishima attack kurogiri at the same time (impulsive kings <33) but kirishima's timer doesn't end until kamino because that's when he accepts himself as bakugous soulmate!! unfortunately, when bakugous timer has reached 0, he turned to see that kirishima's was still ticking and therefore believes that kirishima isn't his soulmate.

this line just,, idk. it's really sad. bakugou is such an action-driven character? if something doesn't go his way he Makes it go his way. he's got this insanely volatile quirk and he's got impeccable control of it!! but his love for kirishima isn't something that he can change and he's not going to ruin kirishima's chance of finding his own soulmate because he loves him and wants him to be happy. i really wanted to focus on how resigned he is? and how unusual that is for a character like him.

Favorite trope/genre to write? again, secret relationship with relationship reveals <33 fluff in general is my wheelhouse!!!

A trope/genre you haven't written but think would be a fun challenge? idk if this counts?? have been working on some dead dove concepts!! its super different from what i normally write so its a cool challenge

The one trope/concept you'll never touch and why probably cheating/infidelity?? it just looks,,, super difficult to write well and i don't have enough of an interest in it to try it out

Which do you prefer to write: longer or shorter fics? shorter!! low attention span gang <3

Ideal length to read? 5-10k?

Ideal length to write? 4-8k!!

How long was the longest fic you've ever written? control fraek is around 28k i think?

Have you ever written an AU? yeah!! i've done restaurant au's, soulmate au's, pro hero aus, and fantasy aus (general, not the bnha fantasy ending)

What's your favorite AU trope? hm,, probably when two people in authority are in a secret relationship? ceo's/uni professors/etc etc

Have you ever written smut? yeah!! was. difficult tho

What's your comfort genre? (the one you fall on most in writing/reading) fluff,,, hurt/comfort,,, fix-it fics with happy endings <3

If you were to start writing in other fandoms, which would they be? maybe jjk?? the characters are really cool!!!! fr i might go back to my ever after high roots i love the characters and setting so Much its so fun!!! idec if no ones into it anymore!!!!!

Is there a trope you think you could be easily recognized by in your writing? i've had people say they saw the mention of buff hagakure and recognized it was me so. probably that skdjhnksjd

WRITING STYLE

How would you describe your style? i tend to use shorter sentences and pretty simple words i think? and i gravitate towards lighthearted concepts that allow for ensemble casts and humour!!

Describe your style in three words romcom but fanfic

Favorite words to use when writing? the word reverent!! fuckin love including it!!

Dialogue tags or no dialogue tags? (she said, he said, they said, etc) dialogue tags!!!

Favorite dialogue tag (other than said, if you use them) again idk if this counts but "they said softly" is unmatched

Long sentences vs short vs a mix short <33

What colors would you use to describe your writing? hm,,, depends on the fic i would say?? control fraek is dark green to me?? kinda like a forest at night yk?? scary but there's still life there. sugar cookies is yellow like early morning sunlight, when it rains is yellowy-orange like a caution sign. not gonna list all of them cause theres a lot its just. do u get it? the colours change based on the vibe of the fic.

What song or music genre would you use to describe your writing? think. i am constantly trying to emulate that moment at the end of wasteland baby when hozier goes "im in love/im in love with you."

What kind of metaphors do you rely on? religious metaphors my beloved <33 they're just so pretty!!! i also love comparing stuff to water for some reason?? like that ocean vuong quote thats like "what are you now?/water." it goes hard!!!

What's something you'd say is experimental in your writing at this time? definitely action!! i have,,, no idea how to write it so anything i do is really just me playing around and seeing what works and what doesn't

Do you prefer to write by hand or to type? i've tried both!! personally i prefer typing because it goes way faster but i will say that writing by hand lets me get words down when i'm going through writer's block

What is your preferred place to write (notebook, laptop, cellphone, etc.)? laptop!!

What app/apps do you use to write (word, notepad, etc.)? google docs skjdnkjh its fine on desktop but mobile is,,,,, disgusting

Do you keep a notebook or file/notes page in your phone/device for notes on your writing? ngl i just have everything organized in my drive?? one folder per fandom and then sub folders for ideas+hcs, unfinished wips, and finished fics. multichaps get sub sub folders so i can organize outlines and drafts

Do you listen to music to help you write? yeah!! playlists organized by fic vibe :D

Where do you usually go to write (bedroom, living room, etc.)? mostly in my bedroom??? but moving around to different stops helps too i think!!

How long does it usually take for you to write? again this depends on what i have going on irl, how attached i am to the idea, my mindset at the time, etc!! i am,, the least consistent person skjnhdkjh.

What's your favorite font to use when writing? times new roman my beloved

Other writing habits? sometimes i'll write in the dark?? bad for my eyes but for some reason it gets the words flowing

CONCEPTUALIZATION

How do you conceptualize your ideas? (See specific moments like they're a movie, writing specific lines in your head, don't know until you put the words on paper, etc.) i tend to get inspiration from movies, books, poems, or other fics!!! sometimes one line just makes me go oh,, i want to write something like that,,, and then it helps me create an idea that makes me feel the same way?? i did this with control fraek!!!! i wanted a scenario where bakugou was cold and calculating and i was like hm. to do that he’d have to be focusing on something important. and from there i was able to flesh out the rest of the idea.

Which comes first: the pairing or the plot? with krbk its always always the pairing,, i'll be sitting there like wow <33 i love them <33 what if one of them had amnesia <33 (which, yes, wip!!) otherwise it's usually the plot!! and i slot in characters that i feel make sense

Have you ever used a prompt? yeah!! used a prompt for wlw week 2020 and it was fun as hell

Do you write around the story around a specific scene you want to get to or do you start from a plot idea definitely the first!!!! i almost always write like,,, a super messy scene thats 90% dialogue, keep it in my head, and then write the entire fic around that one moment

Do you find that you include a projection of some part of yourself in the way you write a character? a lot of the time when i write love confessions or love in general i'll have one of the characters think or say that the other person makes their head quiet? and it's because that's what i feel whenever i'm in love?? a quiet mind. i project on characters yeah but i think most of the projection actually goes to the way that i write love

Do you research some of the things you write deeply, partially and kind of wing the rest, or play entirely by ear (in this case, go with whatever base knowledge of the subject you have)? most of the time if i do research it'll be about the setting (ex. the izakaya in to have and to hold) or if i'm having the characters interact with an object that they like. need to know how to use (me, in control fraek: google. hey google. does someone die if they get shot in the foot??? no???? awesome thank u <3)

Have you ever had an idea for a story and forgot about it? lmaoo yeah all the time i'll find like 500-2k words of concepts in my gdocs like i do. not remember this at all

Is there a trope you think you could be easily recognized by in your writing? probably krbk secret relationship lmao

Are there concepts you've tried that turned out better than expected? yeah!! i fully thought the action in control fraek would be awful but it turned out not bad??? which im happy with

Are there concepts you've tried that turned out worse than you expected? again, what we deserve, i personally think it would have worked out better if i'd paced it slower and drawn out the pining but i. do not feel like going back to fix it so its staying the way that it is. pining is so fucking hard to do AHHHH i get so tired with it!!! im like just date already!!!!

PROCESS

How do you come up with titles? in rare occasions (literally. all my multichaps for some reason) the title comes after writing like .5 words of the first chapter im like YES this is it!!!!! sometimes i write the whole thing and pick out one line that fits (what i did with come home to me) a lot of the time i just. steal from songs or poems that i like

What's your favorite emotion to cause on your readers? i like making people happy!!!! love when people comment saying they're cheered up

What's your favorite emotion to write? lovelovelovelovelovelove

Have you ever cried or felt any emotion while reading something you've written? never cried?? but sometimes i'll rereading my hurt/comfort fics 4. yk. comfort

Do you write in order or whatever comes to you? in order!! unless i have a scene that i Need to write and i'll quickly jot it down so that i don't forget

Usual way you procrastinate while writing? ...doing asks like this, making playlists, discord, watching netflix. what don't i do smh

Do you outline or free write? i am. so shit at outlines. i mostly free write and write lil notes for stuff that i wanna add later

Do you set word goals or scene goals (scenes you want to include)? yes!! like i said i'll write loose notes for scenes that i want to add later!! it gives me something to write towards :D

What do you consider when writing your scenes? what goes into making the atmosphere and mood you want? to set a scene i do two things? the first is like,, the five senses bc that always sets the scene really well and makes it feel Real. i'll visualize stuff in my head like its a movie and write out what i would want to tell the set designer?? if the lights are low, if the space is busy, if it's supposed to exude comfort or not.

for putting forward the character's mood one thing i've found that makes a difference is sentence length!! long sentences are good for making a character seem flustered and nervous or not really in control of their emotions? good for love confessions. short sentences are good for when the character is focused on something or short on time. good for fights!!

What's something you never considered to include in your writing that you can't leave out now? def buff hagakure,,,, once i thought of it i was like. if i don't include this at least once in every single fic how could i look at myself in the mirror!!!!!! how could i face anyone!!!!

How do you start a story? establishing a fact about the character or describing the setting! option a is one single thread of gold, option b is between lion and men

How do you end a story? either by tying it back to the beginning or doing like a funny kind of closing??? option a is sugar cookies, option b is a godless society

How do you get out of writer's block? change something!! move something!! i go from typing to handwriting, moving from my bedroom to my living room, switching wips to work on something else!! i do sprints as well?? give myself like fifteen minutes to write something and sometimes 200 words opens up the way for another 2k. sometimes i'll just delete like 500 words and start fresh

Do you edit? or do you toss your writing out there? i edit!!! i'll go over it myself then send it to one or two betas (bee my beloved <33)

How do you edit? do you use spellcheck, grammar checkers, etc? bee is my grammar checker bc he is So Good with grammar. i use grammarly as well for spellcheck stuff mostly?? sometimes my edit process is just like "am i tired of looking at this!! yes <3" and then i post it

PROGRESS

Do you usually like what you write? yeah!!! i post stuff that makes me happy and that i'm fine with rereading!!! i write stuff for self-indulgence reasons first and foremost and i think my writing reflects that sjhnksj

Have you ever written something you didn't like but posted anyways? nope!! even what we deserve i LIKED even if i see a lot of room 4 improvement!! if i don't like smth it's not getting posted

Do you find yourself rereading your writing often? yeah!! the reason i wrote so much krbk secret relationship is because i loved it but i'd read all that there was so i just,, wrote more,, ngl its kinda nice being in a place where i actually like my writing bc i can write stuff that i want to see and really enjoy it!!

Can you tell us anything about your current WIP? sure!! i'm currently working on when it rains which is a fic where bakugou gets hit by a crying quirk!! i'm gonna be using it to explore So Much of all might's character and his relationships with bakugou and aizawa (and i think some people from his past!!)

Can you give us a sneak peek on your current WIP? “You did something. What the hell did you do?” Kirishima sounds pissed off. It would amuse Katsuki if he wasn’t fighting just to stay standing.

“Nothing he didn’t ask for,” Shinsou replies.

“K’ri… shima,” Katsuki croaks out. “‘S fine. Not him.”

His chest collapses back into the familiar dry heaving after that but Kirishima shuts up. He doesn’t apologize to Shinsou.

Kirishima’s a good friend, stubborn and loyal. He stands by Katsuki’s side like an attack dog, blocking him from the view of anyone ogling at his tears.

The last line you've written Ochako knows more than she'd realized. She knows enough to keep her guard up.

It’s not enough.

Open a wip. what’s the first line?

Katsuki wakes up feeling like absolute fucking shit.

INSIGHT

What's your favorite thing about writing? touched on this before but it's mainly just being able to write the things that i want to see and actually enjoy them!!! actually reread them!!!! i thought "wouldn't it be cool if bkg and kirishima owned a restaurant together" and then i wrote it and i like it enough to reread it!!!! being able to create content for myself makes me. so happy

How do you keep yourself inspired? this is gonna sound narcissistic maybe but honestly i'm just really excited about my ideas and where i'm gonna take them and the idea of "i'm gonna get to That scene" keeps me going through the entire thing. also my friends!!!! i'll talk to them about fics and their reactions keep me hyped up enough to finish!!!!

What is your favorite thing to write? just,, slice of life romance,,, stuff thats silly and makes people laugh!!

What do you think your strengths are in writing? i'm good with dialogue!! i do lil voice acting sessions with myself to make sure everything sounds natural and like it's coming from that character skhjnskj

i'm comfortable with my portrayal of love as well??? i spend a lot of time thinking about what it is exactly that i'm trying to get across and i think it turns out well!!

What are things you wish you could practice more? on one hand i wanna get better at writing angst on the other hand i dislike writing angst. do you see my issue

One way you've improved your writing since you began? characterization!! i think i've gotten better at writing characters that are all Different and bring different things to the table!!! i used to project a lot more and it would compromise the characterization because the character was like 70% me and 30% them? not to say that projection is bad but if you do it too much it just,, doesn't read like the character and from a reader's standpoint the narrative can become less compelling

One aspect of writing you're still working on? writing action!!! i. literally hate writing it but i write for a fandom about superheroes so. Unfortunately i gotta learn.

A piece of writing advice you've learned while writing saw this on another tumblr post but they said sometimes if you're struggling with a scene, the problem is five lines back. i've found that to be true!!!! sometimes u gotta delete a chunk and start a little ways back!! i did this with too busy being yours because i was stuck for Weeks and i deleted like 25% of what i had but it helped me actually finish it :D

A bit of writing advice you can't stand when people shit on show don't tell for being overrated lmao bc when u read their writing you can Tell

Something you wish you knew when you first started writing? ,,,,honestly i kind of wish i could know some of the stuff that i used to when i first started writing?? technically i'm better now but creatively i was must better when i wasn't stressing about whether anyone would like what i was writing. so i guess i wish i knew that i should keep that confidence? i kinda wish that i wasn't as insecure about other people's writing styles because i never used to be!!

Something you've learned in life that you apply in writing there's no point in feeling inferior?? writing one genre isn't better than the other. being in one fandom isn't better than being in another. the kind of language you use or the length of your paragraphs- none of that stuff like. matters. what matters is that you're having fun and happy with what you're creating!!!! enjoy other peoples writing but don't let it make you feel worse about yours :D

[jadelotusflower]

November Roundup

Some writing success this month - I finished and posted a new chapter for Against the Dying of the Light, and made progress on The Lady of the Lake and Turn Your Face to the Sun. I didn’t work much on my novel, but I did do some editing on the first third so that’s progress.

Words written this month: 6647

Total this year: 67,514

November books

Girl, Woman, Other by Bernadine Evaristo - joint winner of the 2019 Booker Prize (with The Testaments by Margaret Atwood) this was an engrossing and interesting read. Stylistically unusual formatting and scant use of punctuation that is a bit jarring at first, but you quickly adapt as you read. There’s no plot as such - instead the story is formed by vignettes of twelve black women and their disparate yet interconnected lives. We have mothers and daughters, close friends, teachers and students, although the connections aren’t always obvious at first - we can be exposed to a character briefly in the story of another with no idea that she will be a focus later on. It’s very skillfully done, to the point whereupon finishing I wanted immediately to re-read (but alas, it was already overdue back to the library). There is so much ground covered that we are really only given a glimpse into the characters lives, but there is a diversity of intergenerational perspectives of the African diaspora in the UK, and I highly recommend.

The Evening and the Morning by Ken Follett - after finishing The Pillars of the Earth I had intended to read the sequel, but this was available on the library shelf and I had to place a hold on World Without End, so the prequel came first. Set sixty years before the Conquest (150 before Pillars) it primarily addresses the growth of the hamlet of Dreng’s Ferry into the town of Kingsbridge, through the lives of a monk with a strong moral code, a clever and beautiful noblewoman, and a skilled builder, working against the machinations of an evil bishop. Sound familiar? This is Follet’s most recent work, and I do wonder if he’s running out of ideas as this covers very similar thematic ground.

Ragna is a compelling female character, but once again the romance-that-cannot-be with Edgar is tepid, Aldred is a very watered down version of Prior Philip, and there’s no grand framing device such as building the cathedral to really tie to all together (although things do Get Built, and it’s interesting but not on the level of Pillars). This is the tail end of the Dark Ages and it shows - Viking raids, slavery, infanticide - and while it seems Follett’s style is to put his characters through much tragedy and tribulation before their happy ending, I wish writers would stop going to the rape well so readily. But at least the sexual violence isn’t as...lasciviously written as in Pillars? Scant praise, I know. But Follett’s strength in drawing the reader into the world and time period is on display, made even more interesting in this era about which we know very little.

Women and Leadership by Julia Gillard and Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala - I have a great deal of respect for Julia Gillard, Australia’s first female Prime Minister who was treated utterly shamefully during her tenure and never got the credit she deserved, perhaps excepting the reaction to her iconic “misogny speech” whichyou can enjoy in full here:

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Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala was the first woman to be Minister of Finance and Foreign Affairs in Nigeria, was also the former Managing Director of the World Bank, and currently a candidate for Director-General of the WTO.

This is an interesting examination of women in leadership roles, comparing and contrasting the lives and experiences of a select few including (those I found the most interesting) Ellen Sirleaf, the first female President of Liberia, Joyce Banda, the first female President of Malawi, New Zealand’s current Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern, and of course, Gillard and Okonjo-Iweala themselves.

November shows/movies

The Vow and Seduced: Inside the NXIVM Cult - I’ve been following the NXIVM case for a while now, when the news broke in 2017 I was surprised and intrigued that it involved actresses from some of my fandom interests - Alison Mack (Smallville), Grace Park and Nikki Clyne (Battlestar Galactica), and Bonnie Piasse (Star Wars). Uncovered: Escaping NXIVM is an excellent podcast from that point in time that’s well worth a listen. There’s been a lot of discussion comparing these two documentaries and which one is better, but I feel they’re both worthwhile.

The Vow gives a primer of NXIVM as a predatory “self improvement” pyramid scheme/cult run by human garbage Keith Reniere, from the perspective of former members turned whistleblowers Bonnie Piasse, who first suspected things were wrong, her husband Mark Vicente who was high up in the organisation, and Sarah Edmondson who was a member of DOS, the secret group within NXIVM that involved branding and sex trafficking. Seduced gives more insight into the depravity and criminality of DOS from the pov of India Oxenburg, just 19 when she joined the group and who became Alison Mack’s “slave” in DOS - she was required to give monthly “collateral” in the form of explicit photographs or incriminating information about herself or her family, had to ask Mack’s permission before eating anything (only 500 calories allowed per day), was ordered to have sex with Reniere, and other horrific treatment - Mack herself was slave to Reniere (as was Nikki Clyne) and there were even more horrific crimes including rape and imprisonments of underage girls.

Of course each show has an interest in portraying its subjects as less culpable than perhaps they were (there were people above and below them all in the pyramid after all) - Vicente and Edmondson in The Vow and Oxenburg in Seduced, but what I did appreciate about Seduced was the multiple experts to explain how and why people were indoctrinated into this cult, and why it was so difficult to break free from it. This is a story of victims who were also victimisers and all the complications that come along with that, although I’m not sure any of these people are in the place yet to really reckon with what happened and all need a lot of therapy.

Focusing on individual journeys also narrows the scope - there are other NXIVM members interviewed I would have liked to have heard a lot more from. There is also a lot of jumping back and forth in time in both docos so the timeline is never quite clear unless you do further research. I would actually like to see another documentary one day a bit further removed from events dealing with the whole thing from start to finish from a neutral perspective. The good news is that Reniere was recently sentenced to 120 years in prison so he can rot.

I saw value in both, but you’re only going to watch one of these, I would say go for Seduced - if you’re interested in as much information as possible, watch The Vow first to get a primer on all the main players and then Seduced for the full(er) story.

The Crown (season 4) - While I love absolutely everything Olivia Coleman does, I thought it took a while for her to settle in as the Queen last season and it’s almost sad that she really nailed it this season, just in time for the next cast changeover (but I also love everything Imelda Staunton does so...) This may be an unpopular opinion, but I wasn’t completely sold on Gillian Anderson as Thatcher - yes I know she sounded somewhat Like That, but for me the performance was a little too...affected? (and someone get her a cough drop, please!) 

It is also an almost sympathetic portrayal of Thatcher - even though it does demonstrate her classism and internalised misogyny, it doesn’t really explore the full impact of Thatcherism, why she was such a polarising figure to the extent that some would react like this to her death:

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But I suppose it’s called The Crown, not The PM.

Emma Corrin is wonderful as Diana, and boy do they take no prisoners with Charles (or the other male spawn). I was actually surprised at how terrible they made Charles seem rather than both sidesing it as I had expected (but perhaps that’s being saved for season 5). It does hammer home just how young Diana was when they were married (19 to Charles’ 32), how incompatible they were and the toxicity of their marriage (standard disclaimer yes it’s all fictionalised blah blah). The performances are exceptional across the board - Tobias Menzies and Josh O’Conner were also standouts and it’s a shame to see them go.

I was however disappointed to see that the episode covering Charles and Di’s tour of Australia was not only called “Terra Nullius” but the term was used as a very tone deaf metephor that modern Australia was no longer “nobody’s land/country”. For those who aren’t aware, terra nullius was the disgraceful legal justification for British invasion/colonisation of Australia despite the fact that the Indigenous people had inhabited the continent for 50,000 years or more. While the tour was pre-Mabo (the decision that overturned the doctrine of terra nullius and acknowledged native title), there was no need to use this to make the point, especially when there was no mention at all of the true meaning/implication of the term.

The Spanish Princess (season 2, episodes 4-8)- Sigh. I guess I’m more annoyed at the squandered potential of this show, since the purpose ostensibly was to focus on the time before The Great Matter and give Katherine “her due” - and instead they went and made her the most unsympathetic, unlikeable character in the whole damn show. (Spoilers) She literally rips Bessie Blount’s baby from her body and, heedless to a mother’s pleas to hold her child, runs off to Henry so she can present him with “a son”. I mean, what the actual fuck?

I’m not a stickler for historical accuracy so long as it’s accurate to the spirit of history (The Tudors had its flaws, but it threaded this needle most of the time), but this Katherine isn’t even a shadow of her historical figure - she’s not a troubled heroine, she’s cruel and vindictive, Margaret Pole is a sanctimonious prig, and Margaret Tudor does little but sneer and shout - the only one who comes out unscathed is Mary Tudor (the elder), and it’s only because she’s barely in it at all. It’s a shame because I like all of these actresses (especially Georgie Henley and Laura Carmichael) but they are just given dreck to work with.

This is not an issue with flawed characters, it’s the bizarre presentation of these characters that seems to want to be girl power rah rah, and yet at the same time feels utterly misogynistic by pitting the women against each other or making them spiteful, stupid, or crazy for The Drama. I realise this is based on Gregory so par for the course, but it feels particularly egregious here. (Spoilers) At one point Margaret Pole is banished from court by Henry, and because Katherine won’t help her (because she cant!) she decides to spill the beans about Katherine’s non-virginity. Yes, her revenge against the hated Tudors is...to give Henry exactly what he wants? Even though it will result in young Mary, who she loves and cares for, being disinherited? Girlboss!

This season also missed the opportunity to build on its predecessors The White Queen/Princess and show why it was so important to Henry to have a male heir - the Tudor reign wasn’t built on the firmest foundations and so needed uncontested transfer of power, at the time there was historic precedent that passing the throne to a daughter led to Anarchy, and wars of succession were very recent in everyone’s memory. At least no one was bleating about The Curse this time, which is actually kind of surprising, because the point of the stupid curse is the Tudor dynasty drama.

But it’s not all terrible. Lina and Oviedo are the best part of the show, and (spoilers) thankfully make it out alive. Both are a delight to watch and I wish the show had been just about them.

Oh well. One day maybe we’ll get the Katherine of Aragon show we deserve - at least I can say that the costumes were pretty, small consolation though it is.

[kommakina]

my take on what makes literature good (this is just a rant i am so sorry)

before anything i would like to state that i have no degree, no expertise, no nothing. i am literally just a high school student so like take what i say lightly dudes, it’s all just a relative opinion anyways. this is just 1k of my opinions and thoughts ig.

i am going to start this off by saying that the best story i have ever read in my life is a 100,000 word bts fanfic. you can dislike their music, them as people, i don’t care, thats your right and your opinion that you’re entitled to. i’m not trying to change that. but the reason i say that is because, lets be honest here, fanfiction? a lot of the time it’s written by 13 year olds who haven’t learned the difference between you’re and your. no shade to those 13 year olds, though. i’ve been there, and i’m no grammatical saint either, but typically, fanfiction as a whole is a bit looked down upon because of this idealism that it’s all just shitty 1k first-person bullshit. contrary to the societal idea of what fanfiction is (because it is shitty a lot of the time), there’s still that golden story every once and awhile. for me, that golden staple was up we go. 

I feel like they, the author, encompassed a lot of feelings that i, myself, was feeling at the time at which i had read it. it described that feeling of being sad but having nothing to be sad about, that feeling of loneliness in a room full of people, hopelessness in a world full of answers. this 100k bts fanfiction put into words emotions that i didn’t even realize other people could have. it helped me to sit and reflect on my own life a little, think of what could make me happy, what could make me grow and flourish. the writing style in of itself was absolutely spectacular in capturing the essence of the story and these feelings, and even with the disregard of the craftsmanship of  the storyline, its foreshadowing, ect. ect., it’s still a beautiful story. yet even still, i find myself hesitant to tell people about my love and appreciation of this story because i’m scared of what they would think when they found out that i think so highly of a story that societally shouldn’t be good in any means. 

that thought process isn’t at all fair to the creators of these stories (btw here’s the link to up we go, fan of bts or not, i still highly recommend it - https://archiveofourown.org/works/12297168/chapters/27954360 ). they poured their hearts out into the creation of these works, and will never get the recognition they so deserve in the world of literature beyond tumblr posts and twitter threads. 

this is just going to move me on into literally the best page turner i’ve ever read didn’t even fucking have pages. it was a 200k fanfic, once again. the songbird and the sea. best fucking plot line and universe creation since tolkienism. i literally read it at every moment i could, even when i reread it for the tenth time, i still can never put it down. it brings the beauty of life and hardships to life in an exciting way- the kind of exciting thats hard to find in a book. it really was a story that held your hand through it’s pages, despite its coding. (odd place to put it but once again here’s the story, bts fan or not, high recommendation - https://archiveofourown.org/works/10795731/chapters/23946774 )

i haven’t been able to find a single printed book that brings me as much joy and emotion as these books, and i’ve read plenty of classics in my time. and then there were none, the odyssey, pride and prejudice, shakespeare sonnets, edgar allan poe, ect. ect.. i’ve read some of the most popular novels in modern history like twilight, harry potter, the fault in our stars, scythe, all of these books- but none of them have ever brought me as much emotion and happiness as two fanfictions i found on ao3. that kind of thinking kinda leads on into - who decided these books were good? what decided they were the grounding for movie franchieses that make more money in a year than yemen and panama’s national incomes combined? 

really my question here is this, and i highly recommend you sit and recollect on this yourself, please add your own thoughts, id love to hear them, but- 

what makes literature good aside from a societal view?

honorable mentions of fanfiction authors that make me happy-

fruitily on ao3 - https://archiveofourown.org/users/fruitily/pseuds/fruitily

their twitter - https://twitter.com/fruitilys

notyoongs on ao3 - https://archiveofourown.org/users/notyoongs/pseuds/notyoongs

their twitter - https://twitter.com/tododucks

arobeebee on ao3 (has a lot of nsfw stuffies on there but also has more wholesome stuff so yeah take that as you will) - https://archiveofourown.org/users/Arobeebee/pseuds/Arobeebee\

her twitter (is a nsfw twitter im sorry i dont know if she has another one this was all i could find) - https://twitter.com/arobeebee

MENTIONED LINKS:

Oh_Hey_Tae on ao3 (up we go) - https://archiveofourown.org/users/Oh_Hey_Tae/pseuds/Oh_Hey_Tae

their twitter - https://twitter.com/oh_hey_tae

maia_archives on ao3 (the songbird and the sea) - https://archiveofourown.org/users/maia_archives/pseuds/maia_archives

i cant find any of their socials im so sorry lol

[desert-dyke]

the things I’ve read in 2020 and some thoughts...

hey blacklist this now because it’s gonna get long from here. I spent NYE home alone and reading and it has really set the tone for this year. Fortunately, I’ve been reading way more for the first time in...I literally don’t even know? Maybe forever? Which is really dope! Books are fucking fantastic and I hope this trend continues for the rest of the year. So I’m gonna use this post (and continue to add to it as I finish books) to talk about the things I’ve read. It could be annoying. I could give up on it really soon. People might not read this at all. It’s okay! It’s my blog I’ll use it how I want and I want to talk about books I otherwise don’t really have a place to talk about them. 

The Shape of Water - Guillermo Del Toro & Daniel Kraus

If you know me irl you’ll know that I love this movie. Like, it’s probably my favorite movie as an adult. I love watching a movie and then going back and reading the book to compare and vice versa, but knowing that the book came out after the movie did discourage me at first, making me think it was nothing more than a cash grab. Though I was talking to (my boss) who also loves this movie and is a huge bibliophile and she highly recommended the book, so I figured I’d give it a stab.

The writing style is beautiful and enticing and overall I was impressed with the quality of it. It’s fast paced and switches perspective between characters frequently, though remains easy to follow. The book focuses a little less on Elisa and more on the other characters and stories around her, including, surprisingly, Elaine Strickland, who despite never wondering much about during the movie, I enjoyed being included in the book. There’s a deeper exploration into pretty much everyone’s backstories, and more prominent character development. It’s excellent as a standalone piece, and supplementary to readers who have seen the movie. There’s also some alternative takes on certain scenes, which I don’t necessarily like better or worse than the choices made in the movie, but it makes for an interesting read. 

The book explores themes of alienation and being othered, with a main cast that breaks the stereotype of straight white fully-abled male. Elisa is a mute woman, Zelda, a black woman, and Giles a gay man. With the political climate of the 1950′s, all of them are outsiders and all of them find solidarity in each other, despite their unique struggles, and also with the creature.

The only thing I didn’t quite like was the portrayal of the creature. I think greater efforts were put into making him more godlike and otherworldly, but also, simultaneously, he comes off as much more like a wild animal in the book, and the latter came off as strange to me, and not in the way I like it. Overall, even if the movie didn’t exist and I only read this, I’d still think it was a really good story.

To Be Taught, If Fortunate - Becky Chambers

If I depended on the synopsis on the back of the book to decide whether or not I wanted to read this, I don’t know if I would have bothered. To be honest, I only wanted to read this because Becky Chambers is my current favorite author and all other of her works I’ve read I’ve absolutely adored, so naturally, I wanted to give this one a chance, even if the concept wasn’t as riveting as I would have hoped.

She didn’t disappoint. 

Whereas her other books take place in a vast space civilization where humanity is integrated with aliens and there’s technology beyond our dreams, this book took place in a different creative universe, a little more closer to our timeline. The book is about space exploration for the sake of learning and taking care to be as least intrusive on the explored worlds as possible. It’s a nice break from what I usually see in sci fi, with colonization and owning space and wanting to use knowledge in order to hurt others. It follows a research crew of four, sent to research four planets in a far solar system. There’s a lag in travel time, since FTL travel had not been discovered yet, so a common device is communication with Earth is off by years. Eventually, the crew realizes they have lost contact with Earth and Earth had likely suffered some sort of devastation. It wonders if Earth has forgotten them or if it’s even worth it to return since they might be the last astronauts of their time. 

The worlds they visit and research are unique and vivid and fill me with wonder. They’re realistic to the point where I found myself questioning if the book was prophetic. Chambers makes effort to incorporate science into her novels, but in a way that does not estrange a reader like me who only has a basic knowledge in science. It’s one of the things I find most attractive about her work, because it has this added realism and this feeling of “wow, this really could happen” and yet remains easy to follow. 

I found the crew to be likeable and diverse. Three of them are in a relationship with each other, and while polyamory isn’t usually an interest of mine, it’s in the background as well as it’s never used as a point to cause drama. It’s a healthy functional relationship. Also, one of the crew is a trans man and another is asexual, both details that exist within a single line, but yet important to be included to flesh out the characters. 

What I didn’t like was the almost rush to the end of the book. It’s a short book, roughly 100 pages, but it seems to me as if it reaches it’s climax and then the book just ends and it kind of feels like it’s still in the middle of things. I’ve had time to think about it, though, and I’ve considered that maybe anything else written would have been redundant or just filler and therefore not needed. So in that case, that’s fair. It still felt a little abrupt to me, but that’s what fic is for. 

Overall, if you haven’t read anything by Becky Chambers you need to change that immediately. Please don’t leave me alone and fanning over this incredible author!!

All Systems Red - Martha Wells

This was another short one, and in fact, I read it entirely in one sitting. The concept of the book was really intriguing, and actually I selected it because I liked the opening line so much. I have a lot of feelings about AI and robots, so this was a naturally alluring story to me. Mixed with the fact that the beefed out security robot, who calls themselves “Murderbot”,  was absolutely obsessed with soap opera tv just absolutely gets me!

The story is told through Murderbot’s perspective, who is assigned to guard a research team. They had recently hacked their government module, which now allows them full autonomy and no longer having to obey orders from their assigned humans. It’s interesting to see Murderbot actively choose to help the humans. Also, needing to maintain an illusion that they aren’t unshackled, since what they did was forbidden. 

The research team is full of interesting characters, who I find tragically under explored. The only couple in the story is wlw, which I vastly appreciated, along with they obviously cared and loved each other and their relationship was not used for drama purposes. In favor of the lack of development with the cast of characters, since the narrator is Murderbot and part of Murderbot’s personality is they are actively trying not to care about these humans, it does make sense. Still, I would have loved to see more of the crew and more development between Murderbot and them. 

I like the dark lore that is hinted behind Murderbot’s existence. There’s organic counterparts to their machine made from cloned humans. It’s creepy and morbid, but a lot is with the lore of the universe that the story takes place in. There’s hints towards a heavy capitalist society in space where the humans and Murderbot came from, where the right price will get you anything, regardless of morals. The overall tone of the story is very quirky, but it needs to be to offset just how dark everything that happens actually is. The book explores the concept of corporate greed, from the existence of Murderbot to the deaths that come to humans on the planet the crew is studying.

This book was deeply fascinating, but I didn’t love the way it was written. I love every concept and choice made, but I didn’t love the execution. It left me wanting without satisfaction. It’s not a bad book and I still over all enjoyed it. It is part of a series, which I did not realize at the time of reading it, but the ending leaves room for more to be written, so maybe in the following books there will be the development I desired. However, the ending of the book leaves it apparent that Murderbot will not be interacting with the same characters of the first, but that is just an assumption and I could be wrong. I’m not sure yet if I will read more in the series but I’m not entirely opposed to it.

All the Birds in the Sky - Charlie Jane Anders

This is another one that I definitely would not have read if I had to choose based on the synopsis alone. The synopsis made it sound so run-of-the-mill star-crossed-lovers, which, hey, maybe that actually helps sell the book because its a pretty well loved trope, but for me it was off-putting, as well as isn’t fair to what the book actually turned out to be. But that’s what reviews are for, and I found this book from some sort of list, I think it was best sci-fi books written by women.

The general idea of the book is a witch and a techie fall in love while the world is falling apart due to a conflict between magic and technology. The book is lauded for bending genre and honestly, it fucking has. It’s as equally a sci-fi novel as it is a fantasy novel. There’s advanced technology, such as robots, two second time machines, rocket ships, and ultimately, a portal leading to a different universe in hopes of escaping the destruction of earth. On the magic side, there’s a connection to nature, rules that have to be abided, quirky witches and magicians and mystique. Both Laurence and Patricia are outsiders that have seemingly found these secret niches in the world that becomes their own.

Both plots are interesting in their own, and could possibly exist as two separate books, but what ties the entire story together is the connection Laurence and Patricia have, and their ultimate romance.

The romance is a wonderful slow burn, from childhood friends, to adult friends to lovers. By the time Patricia and Laurence finally get together, you really fucking want them to. They weave in and out of each other’s lives throughout their own personal plots. There’s tensions and there’s release. And most importantly, they have lives outside of each other. Their romance compliments the story, rather than the story being entirely about romance. 

Similar to the former review, there’s a lot of quirkiness in the story, that ultimately offsets how dark the story can be. The story doesn’t shy away from complicated relationships with parents and siblings and friends and other people, people of mixed ages and backgrounds. It explores abuse, bullying, natural disaster and loss. The story would have been miserable and a drag to read without the whimsical qualities of it. Plus it’s a fantasy/sci-fi, so it should have some quirkiness to it! And it made for a very enjoyable read!

My criticism for this one is, yet again, the ending. The conflict resolves and the story comes to an end. In favor of how it was written, the way things resolve, I believe the world is about to go through a grand change. While the story is quirky, I think it would have been too corny to have had a glittery magical wave drag across the land, altering the world as it went. So, it’s fair, I guess, that the author chose to end it where she did. Still, it left me craving more. Maybe because the story was so good and I wasn’t yet ready to let it go.

Also, as a side note, the author is a trans woman. So if you’re looking for books written by trans authors to support, put this at the top of your list.

[sammysreelreviews]

Counting Down My Top 20 Films Of The Decade: Part 2

Here we are y’all, the last decade list. I can’t believe I actually finished this list. This list took fucking forever and I can’t believe I’m finally sharing it! All my decade lists are listed here in my intro to the first part of my top 20! Okay so some of these choices may be crazy, I know, but I picked the movies that have made me feel things and movies that I have watched over and over and over again. I’m so glad I got to reminisce on all these wonderful films and I’m so happy to share this with the world! My next post won’t be until 2020 and the topic is still to be determined but it will be a list of television shows cause I know how much y’all love that. This past year has been a roller coaster for me but one positive is that my blog really grew! I appreciate anyone who reads or shares or likes any of my posts it means the world to me. Even when I was at my absolute worst I kept up with this blog and everyone who interacts with it helps keep me going. I hope everyone has a happy and healthy New Years! Before I forget ***THERE WILL BE SPOILERS!!!*** Mwah!

10. Upgrade (2018)

This past year I realized that I may like sci-fi movies more than I thought. My friend Kelsey raved about this and after I watched I 100% saw why. This action packed film about a technophobe looking for revenge is absolutely insane!!! I don’t wanna give it away cause I highly recommend you watch this so if you wanna hear more about it click here!

9. Drive (2011)

Ugh, I don’t have much to say about this BRILLIANT film cause words are not enough but that elevator scene alone deserves an Oscar. The 80’s themed soundtrack, and neon lights started a revolution in 2010 indie cinema and I stand by that.

8. La La Land (2016)

I wrote a review on this movie that you can read here so I’ll keep this brief. When I watched this in theaters I sobbed at the end because it just reminded me of how much I loved film and writing screenplays. Anytime I feel like I can’t do anything or that I’m not progressing I put La La Land on and remember a career in film is what I’m meant to do.

7. Happy Death Day (2017)

I’m really going to try to not talk about this movie in 2020 but I can not make any promises. If you follow me I am so sorry you have to see me mention this movie for the 7000th time. If you’re new here first of all, welcome! Second of all, you can read all about it here, here, and here. I love Happy Death Day so much and the sequel is just as good so please rent it or stream it! I want a 3rd movie! I need it!!!

6. Nocturnal Animals (2016)

This is one of the most underrated films ever. Like where was the Oscar nomination?! I wrote an entire review about it so you can read more about it here! All I’m gonna say is, that scene where she’s getting an abortion and Jake Gyllenhaal is waiting outside in he fucking rain for her?!?! I literally gasped in theaters. 

5. Scott Pilgrim vs. The World (2010)

Let me start by saying that this is the funniest movie ever created. I know every single line to this film and every time I watch it I still laugh which is impressive because I’ve literally been watching this movie for almost a decade now. I’m kind of out of words to say because there are so many things worth mentioning but I’ll try! Let’s start with the how insane this cast is. Can you believe that this movie has Superman, Captain America, and Captain Marvel!? The best Avengers movie is this one if you ask me! Michael Cera is always hysterical but Kieran Culkin is one of my favorite parts of this movie. When this movie came out I had a crush on Jonny Simmons so he was one of the reasons I saw it but he’s underrated as Young Neil. Anna Kendrick and Aubrey Plaza have small parts but they make quite the impact. Alison Pill deserves a damn Oscar already! She’s honestly one of the best actresses of our generation. Ellen Wong as Knives Chau kills me and I was so excited when she was a main cast member on The Carrie Diaries. Lastly, Mae Whitman says one of my favorite lines ever and although she’s in the movie for like 3 scenes she certainly makes the most of the little time she’s given. The comedic timing of this film is perfection and it’s one of the only movies where every single scene is entertaining! There are so many things I quote from this movie it’d be unfair to only pick one honestly but “Alright this next song goes out to the guy who keeps yelling from the balcony. It’s called We Hate You, Please Die.” And that song title is exactly what I think of anyone who does not enjoy this PERFECT film.

4. Like Crazy (2011)

If you know me you know how much I love this movie, movies about love, and how much I loved Anton Yelchin so this movie is a firm sucker punch to the gut. I haven’t watched it since Anton passed but it’s one of the most emotional films I’ve ever seen. A couple with an ocean between them is probably the decade’s best romance. Felicity and Anton had insane chemistry and improvised most of the movie. I would write more but I’m tearing up thinking about Anton *insert every sad and crying emoji*.

3. Call Me By Your Name (2017)

When I first saw this movie I left the theater asking myself why this movie was such a big deal. Then I got in my car and started bawling my eyes out. What I love about CMBYM is how optimistic it makes you feel about love the whole time Elio (Timothée Chalamet) and Oliver (Armie Hammer) were falling in love I had puppy dog eyes. I’m a Pisces so I’m all about deep and fleeting love and every time I watch this movie it gets me in my fucking feels! When Elio cried on the car ride home after saying bye to Oliver but they couldn’t give each other a proper goodbye cause they’re gay and it was the 80’s!!! HeartBREAKING! Not only did this movie make me wanna runaway to Italy but It’s also one of the sexiest movies of the decade and I haven’t looked at peaches the same since.

2. Gone Girl (2014)

I read Gone Girl before I saw the movie and I’ve regretted it everyday since. The book took me three days to finish, which is a lot for me, and I felt like it was too detailed. In the book you read a lot of Amy’s (Rosamund Pike) journal entries which makes it pretty obvious that she’s alive and well. I hate Ben Affleck but honestly he was the perfect choice to play Nick. This movie is one of the only movies that is better than the book. When this was on HBO I literally watched it every time it was on tv for months. The cinematography is phenomenal and the acting is even better. Fincher is a genius and in my eyes, Gone Girl is his best work.

1. Black Swan (2010)

The flavor this film has... I mean it’s immaculate. Growing up I studied at Boston Ballet School and it was very intense! Those ten years helped shape me into the woman I am today. While I did ballet I used to always go see ballets cause we got discounted tickets and my favorite was Swan Lake. The music, the story, the costumes, it’s all so beautiful and timeless. When the film came out I was so excited. I had no idea what to expect but if it’s about ballet I am in. I love this movie so much it’s dark, the acting is superb, and nothing is better than Tchaikovsky’s music blaring in the background during the most climatic scenes. Black Swan might be my third favorite movie of all time but it’s 100% my favorite movie of the 2010’s. I have no idea not know why it didn’t win best picture.

[thessalian]

I was tagged in this by @skybound2

rules: tag 9 people you’d like to get to know better

top 3 ships*:  

Parker/Eliot/Hardison (Leverage)

Vex’halia Vessar / Percival Frederickstein Von Musel Klossowski de Rolo III** (Critical Role)

Nomi Marks / Amanita Caplan (Sense8)

(*This was actually a serious struggle because I honestly don’t ship much. I appreciate it when it’s there, and I do love a good solid healthy relationship dynamic, but I don’t really get that invested. I save all my fictional relationship investment for ones I see in roleplay - hence the Perc’halia, probably)

(**YES I WAS SHOWING OFF BEING ABLE TO TYPE THAT FROM MEMORY.)

lipstick or chapstick: Not really ‘or’; I wear lipstick very occasionally, chapstick when I need it, and lip gloss more often than both.

last song: Erm ... I basically just got up so let’s see what my Discover Weekly on Spotify has to offer me. *klik* A Celldweller cover of Ride of the Valkyries. That’s ... a way to start the day, I guess.

last movie: Rewatch of Dead Poets Society. I kind of don’t get the newer movies until they’re streaming to Netflix or Amazon because I can’t go the cinema. Fucking migraine.

reading: Erm. I’m generally in the middle of three or four books at any given time, but I’ve currently caught in a mid-book lull. I have plans to pick up Imaginary Numbers by Seanan McGuire (next installment of the InCryptid series; I am looking forward to this!) but I admit that most of my reading-related energies are going into my massive sourcebook collection and various horror-franchise wikis because I’m finally kicking off the next ‘episode’ in my Deadlands campaign and inspiration is good. Maybe I should pick up Tales of the Ketty Jay (series by Chris Wooding, basically take two parts Firefly, two parts steampunk, one part Cthulu Mythos; add a dash of old war movie; shake vigorously. Four-book series, starts with Retribution Falls. Highly recommended) or maybe Anno Dracula by Kim Newman (premise of the Anno Dracula series is, “What if Dracula won? It’s a fantastic view of both the fiction and the history of the various eras - the eponymous first book of the series looks at Jack the Ripper and Dr Jeckyll / Mr Hyde among other things, The Bloody Red Baron is looking at Russia during the time of Rasputin, and I really should get my mitts on Johnny Alucard someday...)

Erm ... tagging. See, the problem with tagging is that I will probably wind up with maybe two people who’ll actually do the thing and I don’t want to guilt people who don’t want to do the meme thing by even tagging ... even if I really, really, really want the answer to at least the last three questions... *ahem* So.

@chyrstis, @maybethings, @matovilka, @enby-hawke, @hyperbali, @unidentifiedspoon, @flintsredhair, @denirae, @lindira

[lululawrence]

lululawrence’s March 2019 Fic List

Click here for previous months’ fic lists

Here we are, March is coming to a close! It feels like it went too fast to be the end already. However, this month was a hard one for obvious reasons I think, but fic was my constant through it all. Here’s the list of the fics I read this month! Thank you a million times to all of the authors out there who have given us such incredible fic to read when we don’t know what else to do. You’re the real heroes! And now, here’s the amazing fic I loved this month.

Promise in the Sky by @hazzabeeforlou / Throwthemflowers I read this pretty early on in the month, and I still don’t have words. This fic is a hard one, heavy topically and emotionally, but it was everything I needed. I needed a fic like this that showed two kids going through absolute hell and still having hope at the end. Being offered that happy ending. It was healing and powerful and I’m crying typing this right now thinking about it, so yeah. It sticks with you. But they really really do go through a lot. Please be careful of the tags, my friends. Take care of yourselves. But if you can safely do it, I highly recommend it because it was an experience.

Tell Me This Is Paradise by @becomeawendybird / QuickedWeen After a heavy and beautiful fic like Promise in the Sky, I naturally went for some girl direction smut. As you do. Hahahaha lemme tell ya, though, Molly outdid herself with this one. It was so good and such a good little fic snack and I wanted to dive right in and imagine another few years of our darling Harry who has finally had her eyes opened. hahaha It’s a fab read, super cute and short and funny.

my heart is breathing (for this moment in time) by harrylouiz I didn’t actually read this fic this month. I read it back before I had an AO3 or I understood bookmarks. Either way, I’ve thought about this fic a LOT over the years and it has stuck with me enough that when someone else was looking for it, it became a personal mission of sorts to find it hahaha and with the help of like seventeen of us all piecing together memories, we found it! This is such a great one and it is another beautiful fic showing that no matter what life these boys are in, I do believe they will find each other.

days gone by by @velvetnoodle / velvetnoodle (goldfishsunglasses) I was in an angsty mood, and a good painful exes to lovers is always good for supplying the pain! hahaha This was such a good one, though, because you were sitting there trying to piece it all together and figure out what went wrong and how and then work out how the hell they were gonna fix it. It made me yell, it made me laugh, it made me squee. It was wonderful to read.

Tell me when you're ready (I'm waitin') by @therosiestofdaggers / insufferablelovebirds A To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before au! This fic was so cute. It was a fun little read that had me smiling the whole way through. If you like the book/movie, I think you’ll enjoy this au!

Superhuman Tonight by @all-these-larrythings / Rearviewdreamer I...knew nothing of misfits before I read this hahaha It was part of the @popularryculture fest and was such fun to read, as Michelle’s fics always are. I also yelled at her quite a bit while reading it because there are TWISTS and I was having minor freak outs during it. Good ones. hahaha It’s another fun read though, especially as the boys develop superpowers and have to come together to fight evil! hehe gotta love that. 

11 Minutes by @dimpled-halo / dimpled_halo Sometimes I need help crying, and fic helps me do that. This fic was such a great quick flash of pain with a beautiful resolution, it helped me cry when I needed that release. So thank you, Jacky for writing it! haha I love your particular brand of pain.

as luck would have it by anonymous This fic was written as part of the @potterdirectionficexchange...this year I think since it’s still on anonymous (I might have gone through the exchange fics from this year and last year and downloaded a bunch and marked the rest to read haha) ANYWAY this one was SO GREAT. I loved the freak out Louis had and his insistence on muggle coffee (for real, though, what was Liam drinking? lol) and it was such a fun read for the world, the problem solving, all of it. It was a super fun read.

Sweet Like Sunshine by anonymous This fic was like a fudgy cupcake in fic form. It was short and sweet and wonderful to see the way they handled the situation and how it all played out. I loved it!

To Plant New Seeds and Watch Them Grow by anonymous Honestly, I was sold as soon as I read the tags “Blood Purity, you know the usual” lmaoooooo It’s set in the seventies and Harry and Louis are shop owners in Diagon Alley. I can’t tell you the number of times I giggled over the fic or sent little snippets of it to GCs as I read, it was just such a joy. 

Be a Saint (patience is a virtue) by @sadaveniren / SadaVeniren This little ficlet had me screaming at Sada. So be warned. She leaves some things for you to determine with your own imagination which is great and all but yeah. hahaha It really is a great fic though, the longing in it is so real. I loved the characterizations that were done in such few words. It was lovely.

confused, intrigued, and falling hard for you my love by anonymous Okay listen. lollllll Wizard Louis enrolls in a muggle university and finds they are holding try outs for muggle quidditch. Just...take a moment to imagine how that might go. It’s hysterical. I loved this fic so much because just the entire thing is filled with confusion and worry about giving away secrets and I loved every second. haha

fake it 'til you make it by @tempolarriefix / tempolarriefics OMG okay I had no idea how badly i needed fake relationship HP au until I read this and it was amazing. it was so sweet and good and fun and ahhhhhh!!! i just loved it so much.

a fully armed battalion (to remind you of my love) by @mediawhorefics / MediaWhore Okay so come to find out this wasn’t the first time I’ve read this fic (yes, i did that a couple times last month too, it is becoming a theme apparently lol), but I am so glad I reread it. the poetry really is so bad. Like, i thought it was an exaggeration in the tags, but they were so bad I was torn between groaning and laughing. I loved it so much overall, though. So great. Awkward, though. And who doesn’t love a good Hamilton reference for the title?

I've been thinking 'bout it all day by LSFOREVER Louis and Perrie open a shop and Harry goes to work for them and it is SO FUCKING CUTE. The pining and flirting and softness that surrounds all of it is just absolutely lovely. Super cute and sweet read.

And that’s it! Thank you for making it to the end of the rec hehe I hope you enjoy the fics from the list that you read, and don’t forget to show appreciation to the writers with nice comments and kudos!! Happy reading!

[frostbitepandaaaaa]

Hi. Are there shows or movies where you think the writing is really amazing?

oh hell yes. TV shows especially (nowadays) are great inspiration and i think best mirror the ‘novel’ story-telling framework, so i think they’re great learning tools. i often try to frame my chapters like an ‘episode’ of a show. 

SHOWS 

Breaking Bad i mean, it’s the classic, right? the ideal. the Ultimate Boss when it comes to character development. like goddamn. Walter White: the Every man, Aw Shucks weakling who uses his chemist brilliance to make meth so he can leave his family a nest egg because he has fucking lung cancer (entire plot brought to you by American Capitalism kthnx) turned Uber Evil Drug Kingpin Asshole. and it is done so deftly and thoughtfully it continues to astound me. and that doesn’t even mention Jessie’s journey that basically completely contrasts Walter’s. it’s just SO! GOOD!  

speaking of Vince Gilligan, X Files has some excellent writing / character development, especially for an early network show before the TV “renaissance”. i learned about motif and Moby Dick from X Files. 

Peaky Blinders is just brilliant, and you really don’t realize it until after the second go-around. the first go-around you’re just trying wrap your head around this fucking wacky world of post WWI gypsy gangsters and Cillian Murphy putting a spell on you, but when you get to watch it again you really can step back and appreciate the incredible characterization, development and plot. 

The Last Kingdom is so. fucking. good. i didn’t really get it until midway through the second season. like, the first season was totally entertaining and i was really intrigued with the premise. i love characters (Uthred) trapped between two worlds, after all. but then the second season came in and fucked me up and then the THIRD SEASON. oh my god. without spoiling it: let’s just say the mercurial nature of King Alfred and Uthred’s relationship is one of the best things on TV. that show is so fucking underrated and i will defend it to my last breath. 

some runner ups: Fargo (it’s an anthology show, so it’s a good lesson in telling a complete story in ten ‘chapters’, so-to-speak. the second season is my favorite, though they are all good), Better Call Saul talk about placing the character over plot and its brilliant. Avatar the Last Airbender is a brilliant example of world building and character development. i mean, the primary story is Aang, but consider the growth of Katarra, Sokka and Toph. but the best is the story of Zuko, the “villain”, so that really tells you all you really need to know about that fucking amazing show that has no business being a kid’s show. Cowboy Bebop is pure art. 

MOVIES:

i have many favorite movies for many reasons. but i’m gonna keep it short and simple when it comes to the ones that i think have some of the best writing, as that was your question.

Arrival is one of the better screenplays i’ve seen with my own eyes. the way it is filmed, acted and unfolded within the visual narrative is the thing of writing dreams. The Prestige also coincides with this, for sure. Chris Nolan, in general, just knows how to tell a good story. 

Whiplash is one of the best films i’ve ever seen. from start to finish, it is a storytelling triumph. the way that story unfurls is a thing of beauty. i strongly encourage anyone who wishes to become a storyteller in any capacity to watch that movie and analyze the shit out of it. 

great adaptations are a thing of beauty as well. Cormac McCarthy has really won the jackpot in that regard. The Road and No Country for Old Men are a testament to that. Jurassic Park and Gone Girl are other shining examples. i highly recommend reading the books and watching the movies for each of those. 

i’m gonna throw Mad Max: Fury Road out there because it’s definitely one of my favorite films ever, and it is a triumph of visual storytelling. “Screenplay” wise, I’m fairly sure it’s about 14 pages long (insanely short), but when it comes to the information the audience is given visually it is as rich and detailed as a screenplay double that, if not more. So, really, you could argue that it’s a better screenplay than all the others, as it has maximized the visual media aspect of film. Fury Road is also inherently feminist and progressive and just fucking *different*, so there’s that as well.

anyway, hope that helps? not sure if this was what you were looking for, but here it is. thanks for the ask! 

[marksarmel]

What I’m Consuming 02/27/20

Books/Comics

Finished the Singer’s Gun by Emily St. John Mandel - A lovely somewhat dark story. Her prose is just so seductive and leads so well to the next page the next idea and on and on and on.

Finished the Court of Owls TPB by Scott Snyder, Greg Capullpo and Jonathan Glapion. A good Batman tale that adds to the mythos of Gotham nicely. I’m not the biggest fan of Greg Capullo's art, but he is a solid artist. He sometimes seems to have difficulty drawing different looking people and relies on highly characterized versions of others.

Finished Give Me Liberty TPB by Frank Miller and Dave Gibbons. This kicked off the Martha Washington series published by Dark Horse Comics. I had actually read Martha Washington Goes to War as a kid, but never followed up to find the rest of the series. I do remember at the time being struck by seeing a main character that was black AND a woman on the front cover of a comic. It just wasn’t something that you saw back then. This was probably around the early 1990’s. This story is great and I highly recommend it. Some story elements are a bit trite and there are some things that happen just to move the story along, but it’s a great read with fantastic art.

Music

Discovered Beach House recently and have been loving their 2018 album 7. I also like Bloom, their album from 2012.

Also, Tranquility Base Hotel & Casino by Arctic Monkeys is a very good album. I had given it a brief listen in the past and disliked it, but in returning to it now I appreciate it much more. I gave AM another listen too and this along with Tranquility Base has reminded me of why I loved this band so much when they first came out. Their sound has grown and changed, but still remains identifiable as them. A great band that is getting better with age.

Movies/TV

Nocturnal Animals - Beautifully filmed and dark with noirish touches. It’s a simple story with a yearning to be something more. Michael Shannon’s performance really stuck out for me. He’s a supporting actor, but really brings a wonderfully odd touch to the movie.

Finished Succession S2. The season ended with glorious mad dash off a cliff. That is a good thing as all the characters were rushing towards said cliff and it was enthralling to see them all cutting each other down even though they were all doomed.

The Outsider is still dark and creepy. Can’t wait till the end.

Started watching Counterpart on Amazon. A detective sci-fi story with J.K. Simmons in the lead role. He is his usual great self and moves the series along with his expressive and sometimes depressive face. It’s shot with a wonderful muted color pallet that helps define the nature of the story and the world it exists in. Not quite done with it yet, as it’s a bit slow moving and doesn’t really lead me to binge watch it. This could be a good thing in actuality as I do sit down and savor it when I watch it.

Video Games

Besides a few Mario Kart races not too much was spent playing games this month.

Work

Finished two huge 5’x3’ portraits I’ve been working on and off on for the past several months. Still need to build the frames for them, but I’m happy to see them done and ready to get them out the door soon.

Been working on my Los Demonios series more.

Also, nearly done with a zine on hand emojis that I’ll put out in the next week or so.

Weather

It’s been fucking cold. I’m over it.

Random Notes

I’ll be at C2E2 in Chicago this weekend, 2/28-3/1

[sheikah]

hey kristen! i was wondering if you could recommend me some books, please! thank you in advance.

Hi anon! I’m sorry in advance for how shitty this rec list is about to be haha. As weird as it may seem being an English teacher and all, I hardly read these days. I have to read so many papers by students and read the content I’m teaching as a refresher that it hardly leaves time for joy reading, so I haven’t done much of that since I was an undergrad. I’ve read a huge amount, but a lot of it was classics and poetry in grad school lol. Not exactly fun reading recs. I’m very boring in that my favorite book is tied between The Deathly Hallows, the Great Gatsby, and Jane Eyre haha.

But I have found some fun things over the last few years and since you didn’t specify a genre I’ll just share a little sprinkle of everything :P

Ok so I have to start with what I’m reading right now which is the 

The Shadow and Bone Trilogy by Leigh Bardugo. 

I hardly ever read YA lit and actually haven’t read any since The Hunger Games years ago, but I had seen a few people I follow talking about the Grishaverse so I decided to pick up her first trilogy. She’s got a trilogy of books called the Shadow and Bone trilogy (I’m on book two right now, and I’m OBSESSED ok???) and a duology called the Six of Crows duology (which is, fwiw, much more famous than the trilogy? But I’m going to finish the trilogy first) and a second duology in progress right now called King of Scars. They’re basically YA romance and adventure in this awesome fantasy universe she’s created. I don’t want to spoil anything else so you’ll just have to read them. And please do, so we can freak out together haha. I recommended these to my best friend who sadly moved to New York a year and a half ago, and she has been loving them and we chat about them on skype :) The first book is here. Start now! Because they’re developing a Netflix series based on her work, which would be a fun new fandom for a lot of us to dabble in to fill the void after GoT ends.

Anyway, here are some more recs.

Romance (by far my favorite genre but I can never find things I really enjoy these days so the list is short. I usually satisfy my romance cravings with fanfic haha):

The Hating Game by Sally Thorne – probably my favorite modern romance ever. This book is GOOD SHIT.

Asking for Trouble by Elizabeth Young – cute and funny, basis for the movie The Wedding Date that made me fall in love with Dermot Mulroney.

Paris for One by Jojo Moyes – a very quick and kinda forgettable read but I read it on the plane on the way to Paris with my husband for our honeymoon so it will always be special to me I guess haha. It is sweet and simple, a quick and happy book.

Sci-Fi:

The Left Hand of Darkness by Ursula LeGuin – LeGuin is a goddess and this book changed my life and how I view so much about gender and society and just… everything. Read it.

Dawn by Octavia Butler – been about ten years since I read this one but it’s always left an impression on me. 

Altered Carbon by Richard K. Morgan – classic cyberpunk. A little slow and admittedly I only picked it up because I enjoyed the Netflix series so much but the premise is really cool, I love the character of Kovacs, and Morgan’s weird style eventually pulls you in.

Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? – again, this is an obvious inclusion, but this book has so much more humor than Blade Runner and is a really fun and quick read that I’ve always enjoyed.

The Forever War by Joe Haldeman – a military sci fi that’s an allegory for the Vietnam War. It’s written by a Vietnam vet in the early 70s and there is some casual homophobia at times that I don’t appreciate. But I read this in college as part of our assigned reading in an SF class and I really enjoyed it because the speculation and possibilities it presents are frighteningly real and the romance between William and Marygay is really sweet. It’s a good story and very memorable.

Neuromancer by William Gibson –the quintessential cyber punk novel. Gritty and grimdark but always fun. Again, I’m a little squicked by the way the dude writes women sometimes but my love for the genre keeps me going.

Other:

The Alienist by Caleb Carr – a truly fucked up murder mystery that was interesting from beginning to end. I haven’t seen the TV adaptation yet but I’ve got high hopes. 

The Woman on the Train by Paula Hawkins – again, a murder mystery, and again, I haven’t seen the adaptation haha. But I can honestly say the book is the most engrossing mystery I’ve ever read and I devoured it in one sitting. 

Bossypants by Tina Fey – nonfiction humor for when I’m feeling down :)

Hyperbole and a Half by Allie Brosh – more nonfiction humor, but this time in comic form! Brosh’s web comic was hugely famous before she published it in book format, and for good reason. This book is so great and I can’t recommend it highly enough. It’s so funny and endearing and real and I just love her. 

My Favorite Thing is Monsters by Emil Ferris – while we’re on the subject of comics, I teach a class on graphic novels and memoirs so I’m a big fan of them. My best recent find is this book by Emil Ferris. The entire thing is drawn in a spiral notebook with ballpoint pen, a really unique style. It’s a great story–a murder mystery told by a little girl who loves monster comics and classic horror movies, and imagines herself as a werewolf detective solving her upstairs neighbor’s murder. But it’s set in Chicago in the 60s, so there is a backdrop of post-war drama, civil rights tensions, and more. It’s really amazing. 

Fun Home by Alison Bechdel – I was talking about this one the other day. A really moving graphic memoir, basically a lesbian coming-of-age story. It’s so beautifully written, and since Bechdel’s parents were both English teachers it’s rich with literary allusion and gorgeous language. Definitely a tear-jerker, but also surprisingly funny. 

Anyway, I’m really sorry if this isn’t what you were looking for but if you can find even one thing you liked on this list (and if you can hurry up and read the Grishaverse lol) I’ll be happy :)

[thestudyfeels]

How to Get Back Into the Creative Process

A definitive guide by @thestudyfeels 

If you follow me (highly recommended, shameless plug), you might’ve noticed that I haven't posted in, well, a million years. The reason being that for about two months I hit an incredible low when it came to making content. I had ZERO creativity and inspiration for quite some time, and if you're a creator, you might recognize that as the best recipe for disaster out there. It's finger lickin' good! (Wow, now I'm dissing KFC, what's this turning into, Wendy's twitter?)

As a rule, I refrain myself from writing posts when I'm dead, since I know without a doubt, that the ennui will automatically transfer into the post. (I sincerely hope that none of my readers are walking zombies with a taste for lifeless posts and aimless rambles. Signed, me.)

But the truth is, my life revolves only around creating and doing crazy shit so I couldn’t deprive myself of this litness for too long. It meant that I had to pick my shit up real quick and get my ass back into the game.

Which is exactly what I did. (This is how you clickbait, youngsters. Watch and learn.)

During my record-breaking low, I couldn't fathom the thought of writing because of the non-existent ideas. I really wanted to, after all I felt empty inside from not doing anything worthwhile, but the lack of inspiration was eating me alive. (Again with the zombie jokes. Sorry, lmao.)

As a creator, such experiences probably sound common. Allow me to assure you that it's okay to be completely blank. It's okay to feel like shit because you love bringing your imagination to life but just can't seem to at the moment. You will get back to grinding again. Never lose faith in that. In fact, I'm specifically writing this guide to help you get back into creating (oh, and to rant about how awesome it is and how I can't get enough of it).

[And yes, this guide works no matter what kind of a creator you are. Bloggers, vloggers, podcasters, writers, illustrators, editors - legit every single one of you who identifies as a creator. I got yo’ back, my Liams and Janes.]

Finally! Now, with the intro done, let's settle down (here's your mint tea and Oreo cookies—no, no burnt popcorn this time #DoItDifferent) and get on with what I promised. Drumroll please, for this marks the starting of a new era where you make a comeback in your field, better than you’ve ever been.

I'm excited to see you win.

Creating is tough. Truly. I find it funny how most people under-appreciate the Arts, because a) hello Monica, wake UP. We're making stuff here. Fresh, crisp, and hot out of our skull-shaped baking pans. Isn't that insane? And b) I doubt any of us would be happy without the sappy rom-com movies and mystery shows to look forward to, or philo books to engulf in a day, or fast-paced vlogs to binge watch or addicting gam- ok, you get my point.

Although most of us are aware of how incredibly demanding and magical the entire process is, we still beat ourselves up for lacking those creative juices at times. Here's a pat from my side and a reminder to NOT do that. Why? Because all creators go through a “dry period” where they feel like they're totally done and are never going to produce anything ever again. In fact, even pop stars routinely take a step back from their fast-paced lifestyles to restore their creative talent - Ed Sheeran being a somewhat recent example (and a great one, have you listened to Divide?). I mean, if they can pause their careers and afford to take a break, then so can you. So stop making excuses and take that day off.

You can also think of it this way: the juices dry up (stop sniggering, ya hoes) because you’ve been using your craft too much, too fast (remember, genius only happens in small quantities) but they start flowing better than ever after a short period of revitalization. So, if you ever find yourself stuck, gazing at the walls in despair, blank docs becoming your serial killers - take that break and don't feel guilty about doing so.

Alrighty, moving onto making that break productive and getting those creative juices back into us. Oh, and Monica? Wipe that stupid smirk off your face.

Now, I don’t know why you started creating (bless you for doing so though), but I do know that there must be something which ignites you and keeps you pushing, even when you hit the lows. This can be anything - nature, music, puppies, art galleries, your loved ones - absolutely anything that makes your soul dance inside and your face flush with pure joy.

During my break, I spent a majority of my time listening to mentors and reading non-fiction. And listening to angelic yet badass music (cough, Billie Eilish, cough). And watching sunsets. And taking pictures of said sunsets. And doing yoga outside while that glamorous sun continued to dip below the horizon. (And trusting all along that I'll get back on track soon.) All things I genuinely love, no effs given. From outside, it seemed like I was on vacay, chilling out; but from the inside, I could feel inspiration and hope trickling back in, my needle moving towards full tank once more.

Point is, DO NOT waste your break loitering about. It's fun to play and party, but the real disaster unfolds when you get back to work and realize you're in the same state again, if not worse. A creative break should centre on getting inspiration back. Figure out what feeds your soul, be it watching other creators, spending time alone, or having meaningful convos, and just do more of it. Re-energize. Rejuvenate. And revive your art.

Now that break’s over and you finally feel more in touch with your creativity, it's time to ease back into it. And I said ‘ease’ because see, the thing is you simply can't force this process. A hint: the more you force yourself for ideas, the more you start relying on your surroundings and other people's work and start losing your own originality. So don't push your creativity.

BUT, good news, if you used that break to rethink your craft, you'll ALWAYS come back with a bunch of ideas, which are much more inventive than anything you've done before. (If you don't, it might mean that you need to extend your break just a teensy bit more.)

Easing means getting back slowly. With consistency. Every single day, without fail, spend some time creating in small chunks. And you CAN'T say “fuck it” or ignore it and purposely start a new show on Netflix after closing that blank doc again in the next tab because you didn’t wanna face the guilt. That's a rule. Obviously, once you get comfortable with the process, increase your time and increase the number of “create” blocks.

This is your life, so don't you dare tell me you're tired or sad or can't make stuff, because I know you can. I've seen you produce magic before and I know you have it in you to create lit fireworks this time as well.

… And soon enough, you'll find yourself happier than ever, for you'll be creating again. I hope you'll feel proud of yourself, because I, for sure, will be.

PS: let's also talk about me finishing this post. This is the first one after my break, HOHOHO! *wiggles eyebrow, which doesn't exist* The girl's back at it again as you see, and I hope you're just getting started too.

We're in this together.

Want to read more? Kay, plopping down some related posts right away —

Read my last post: Biggest Takeaways from The Alchemist (book review, sorta?)

Mentioned: Ed Sheeran’s creative break of almost a year

Rebecca Green and her creative low (you see, it happens to everyone!)

An update chit-chat post by Rebecca on the burnout (if you want the entire story)

Interview Two: motivation to get going (talks about how inspiration comes from inside - me recommending ways to regain your creative energy won’t help for inspiration is different for everyone)

+ Want to request a blog post? Leave your request in my ask box!

Well, that’s a wrap! I post new articles twice a week, on every Sunday and Thursday, so you can follow me if you are into killing the game & conquering life. I’ll do my best to help you in the tough yet amazing journey called life. ✧

If you want to go through my blog, I suggest picking your choice of post from my masterpost list! Or, if you want to read something insightful on your cozy afternoon while chilling under blankets, I recommend reading one of my interviews. Feeling spoilt for choices? Here’s another! If you want to implement the ideas I share in my masterposts by taking action, take on one of my challenges!

I hope you are well; stay strong and conquer life, my conqueror.

— Nandini (´｡• ᵕ •｡`) ♡