#nina corcoran

[dontmeantobepoliticalbut]

A three-judge panel of the District Columbia Circuit Court of Appeals has denied former President Trump’s request to block one of his attorneys from turning over documents to a grand jury looking into whether he broke the law by retaining classified documents at his Florida residence and whether he obstructed the investigation into his alleged retention of the documents.

Circuit Judges Nina Pillard, J. Michelle Childs and Florence Pan issued a brief order lifting an administrative stay of a lower court order compelling attorney Evan Corcoran to turn over documents – including recordings of Mr. Trump – to a grand jury working under the supervision of Justice Department Special Counsel Jack Smith.

The panel ordered Mr. Corcoran to comply with the 17 March order from District Judge Beryl Howell, who until last week was Chief Judge of the US District Court for the District of Columbia.

Judge Howell reportedly found that Mr. Smith, who had asked for an order compelling Mr. Corcoran’s testimony, had met the burden to show Mr. Trump had used the attorney’s legal advice in the commission of a crime.

Known as the “crime-fraud exception” to attorney-client privilege, the exception allows Mr. Smith to compel Mr. Corcoran to testify and produce documents that would ordinarily be shielded by the privilege, which generally guards communications between an attorney and a client.

The ruling means Mr. Corcoran will have to provide the grand jury evidence that could be used to indict Mr. Trump on charges that he obstructed a DOJ investigation into whether he unlawfully retained classified documents at his Mar-a-Lago beach club for more than a year after his term as President ended in January 2021.

[wizardshark]

drop your wlw fiction recs pls <3

I keep this list updated in a discord server I have for myself. I just took a second to update this with my recent reads, though not the one I'm currently reading.

I can attest to the quality of these. At minimum, something on this list is 4 out of 5 stars

Big ship at the edge of the universe - Alex White (fantasy Space opera, the whole trilogy is incredible)

Queen of Coin and Whispers - Helen Corcoran (medieval political intrigue)

This Is How You Lose The Time War - Amal El-Mohtar (SciFi I guess but mostly just romance)

Daughter Of The Sun (and the entire Tales Of Inthya series) - Effie Calvin (DND fantasy, usually Romance)

Sexiled - Ameko Kaeruda (goofy ass isekai style fantasy)

Deadly Education - Naomi Novik (traumatic dark fantasy magic school book)

Otherside Picnic - Iori Miyazawa (light novel cryptid horror series)

The Girl Who Drank The Moon - Kelly Barnhill (fairy tale) (not explicitly queer but highly recommended)

The Rise / Shadow of Kiyoshi - F. C. Yee (it's Avatar the last Airbender but you don't need to watch the show for it)

Of Fire And Stars - Audrey Coulthurst (royal fantasy romance) (the sequel is more tame with romance and focuses more on magic and drama)

The entire "a book of underrealm" series - Garrett Robinson (fantasy) (this is a publisher that was made to produce lgbt books)

The One Who Eats Monsters - Casey Matthews (modern fantasy cryptids romance)

Outlaw - Niamh Murphy (gay lady Robin Hood retelling)

Song of Achilles - Madeline Miller (regular (gay)

Achilles ancient Greek mythology retelling)

Three Parts Dead - Max Gladstone (dark fantasy) (there's like 7 of these)

The Mermaid's Daughter - Ann Claycomb (modern tragedy Fantasy romance. TW for very realistic presentation of trauma and chronic illness)

Meddling Kids - Edgar Cantero (Scooby Doo turns eldritch horror)

Gideon / Harrow / Nona the Ninth - Tamsy Muir (dark fantasy sci Fi) Harrow is the way gayest

Huntress - Malinda Lo (Eastern fantasy)

Making A Tinderbox - Emma Sterner-Radley (medieval fantasy romance)

This is Devin Jones - Kristen Conrad (cop thriller)

Gear Breakers - Zoe Hana Mikuta (pseudo apocalyptic with mechas, trans humanism)

We Lit The Dark On Fire - Tehlot Kay Mejia (spanish misogyny dystopia rebellion)

Crier's War - Nina Varela (Robot x Human slow burn magical dystopia rebellion)

The Witch Queen's Mate - Jennifer Carter (tribal warriors enemies to lovers)

Leviathan - Eric Schubach (sci Fi 10,000 year journey with magical creatures)

Carmilla & Laura - A D Simper (Carmilla retelling to be made properly gay)

[doomandgloomfromthetomb]

Low - Johnny Brenda's, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, February 1, 2016

Feels as though you can't go more than a day these days without hearing that another great musician has passed away. Mimi Parker of Low is a particularly tough one, since she was so young.

"I’ve always imagined Parker singing as if she can see everyone and everything all at once, like she’s performing from atop the clouds—not so much a deity as much as a guardian angel," writes Nina Corcoran. "No wonder she had such a level-headed approach to it all. When you zoom out far enough, your perspective shifts. Worries are still worries and pain is still pain, but in the context of everything around them, the things that stress us out become less urgent. Patience becomes a grounding tool. Understanding becomes a great unifier. And love, in all of its forms, reinstates itself as the reason we’re alive in the first place. It’s the roadmap of where to go next."

Where to go next? Well, Low fortunately left behind a sizable legacy of amazing music — including a healthy collection of live recordings on Archive.org. But here's something that's not up there just yet: Sebastian Petsu's tape of the band a few years back in Philadelphia. A terrific show overall, highlighted by the Parker's encore performance of Al Green's classic "Let's Stay Together," an oddly perfect choice. Maybe she wasn't a soul singer in the typical sense of the term, but Mimi was a Soul Singer.

Sign up for the Doom & Gloom From The Tomb Substack newsletter — Doom & Gloom delivered to your inbox every Friday!

[nullarysources]

Nina Corcoran for Pitchfork:

Herb Deutsch, the co-inventor of the Moog synthesizer and professor at Long Island's Hofstra University, died on Friday (December 9). "Herb's legacy and place in the history of music will never be forgotten. And here at Moog, his laughter will be missed and cherished," Moog Music Inc. wrote on Facebook. "We are endlessly grateful for your friendship, collaboration, guidance, and creative spirit, Herb. Our love is with you and your family." Deutsch was 90 years old.

Damn what the fuck, RIP to an astoundingly real one

Here's "A Christmas Carol," written by Deutsch in 1963 and which seems titularly appropriate for this month

[captainmdhridoyhossain-blog]

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[indiespacesite]

Please Have a Seat

“He’s the people’s nerd, an artist who can present even the most technically difficult music as a casual, catchy pop song.” Nina Corcoran examines Please Have a Seat – NNAMDÏ’s latest album. – Pitchfork

[the-gayone]

do you have any wlw book recommendations?

Yes I do! I'm going to start with books I have read then put others I'm aware of at the bottom. I will say make sure you properly research any beforehand just in case there are any potential trigger warnings you want to avoid but I'll try and include them in this list for you with a brief description. Also I lean heavily toward Fantasy in my genre but here you go:

The Priory of the Orange Tree by Samantha Shannon (Standalone) This is going down as one of my favourites but I know the size of it is quite daunting to some people. It's high fantasy so you do spend a good portion of the beginning trying to get a grip on the world and the characters, there's a few different stories happening with one of the main POV's being wlw. If you like Lord of the Rings, Dragons, powerful women, huge world building and magic then definitely give it a go!

Girls of Paper and Fire by Natasha Ngan (Trilogy, Complete) This one does come with some Trigger Warnings so definitely research this series instead of going in completely blind! That being said I liked how it was handled and I feel a lot of people avoid this trilogy because of those warnings but this has one of my favourite wlw couples in. Again if you're looking for a book rich in culture, magic, women, women with swords, and a central wlw couple then give it a go (But please do look into it beforehand).

A Dark and Hollow Star by Ashley Shuttleworth (Series, Ongoing) I believe currently the author has 4 books planned, the second to be released this year. There's 4 main characters in this one, one wlw relationship and one mlm, the POV crosses between them. I don't want to give too much away but this is a modern day setting fantasy with world building on top, very Fae and magic heavy. But i'll say it again, women with swords.

Crier's War by Nina Varela (Duology, Complete) This one I found people raving about online before the second part was released and I wasn't a huge fan of the first book however I fell in love with the second one. I've reread it since and enjoyed the first a lot more than I did on my first read through (Probably because I had more time with the characters). Again it has a central wlw romance and is fantasy!

We Set the Dark on Fire by Tehlor Kay Mejia (Duology, Complete) There is not enough people recommending this duology online, not only is it a central wlw romance in the middle of a rebellion but it actually deals with immigration and equality.

Malice by Heather Walter (Duology, Ongoing) I am cautiously adding this one because it's not finished and I actually don't know how the story ends for these two yet but I did really enjoy it. A sleeping beauty retelling with the villain at the centre. If you want morally grey then I recommend! The second book is released this year.

Once & Future by Amy Rose Capetta and Cori McCarthy (Duology, Complete) Futuristic King Arthur retelling with a sapphic female Arthur at the centre! It also has a gay Merlin and other diverse characters including Non-Binary! wlw and mlm romance, POV switches between characters and AGAIN, women with swords! Like with Crier's War I preferred the second book but would recommend a read.

Queen of Coin and Whispers by Helen Corcoran (Standalone) Queen falls in love with her spymaster? What more do we need in life. Underrated book, don't see a lot of people talking about it but I enjoyed it.

Girl, Serpent, Thorn by Melissa Bashardoust (Standalone) Cursed Princess falls in love with a demon and learns to actually embrace who she is? A nice short standalone fantasy read.

The Scapegracers by Hannah A Clarke (Series, Ongoing) Not sure how many are in this series but I enjoyed the first one. A modern day setting, there's not really a central wlw romance yet in the story but it's hinted and the friendships make up for it in the first book so I'm looking forward to seeing where it goes. I'm going to also list other books that are Sapphic though I haven't read them yet so I can't give much more information on them:

A lesson in Vengeance by Victoria Lee

Wild and Wicked Things by Frencesca May

You Exist Too Much by Zaina Arafat

This is How You Lose the Time War by Amal El-Mohtar

The Once and Future Witches by Alix E. Harrow

The Winter Duke by Claire Eliza Bartlett

Plain Bad Heroines by Emily M. Danforth

Ash by Malinda Lo

Gearbreakers by Zoe Hana Mikuta

One Last Stop by Casey Mcquiston

Honey Girl by Morgan Rogers

The Mermaid, the Witch, and the Sea by Maggie Tokuda-Hall

Afterlove by Tanya Byrne

The Jasmine Throne by Tasha Suri

Also Remember the writing styles vary across the board so whilst you may not enjoy one of these books that's not say you wont' find something you like in these. Hopefully you can find something you enjoy here!

[moonsofsappho]

40 WLW BOOK RECCOMENDATIONS

Here's a list of wlw book reccomendations and their genres since it's extremely hard to find. I haven't read most of these!!

young adult / contemporary || romance || fantasy / fairytale || sci-fi / dystopia || mystery / thriller || horror / paranormal || historical || coming of age

[ 1 ] The Miseducation of Cameron Post - Emily Danforth (coming of age, young adult)

[ 2 ] Annie on my Mind - Nancy Garden (romance, young adult)

[ 3 ] Of Fire and Stars - Audrey Coulthurst (fantasy, romance, young adult)

[ 4 ] The Abyss Surrounds Us - Emily Skrutskie (sci-fi, young adult)

[ 5 ] We Are Okay - Nina Lacour (young adult, contemporary)

[ 6 ] These Witches Don't Burn - Isabel Sterling (young adult, paranormal, contemporary, romance)

[ 7 ] The Henna Wars - Adiba Jaigirdar (young adult, contemporary, romance)

[ 8 ] Queen of Coin and Whispers - Helen Corcoran (fantasy, romance, young adult)

[ 9 ] Girl, Serpent, Thorn - Melissa Bashardoust (fairytale, fantasy, young adult)

[ 10 ] The Falling in Love Montage - Ciara Smyth (young adult, contemporary, romance, coming of age)

[ 11 ] Bleeding Earth - Kaitlin Ward (horror, young adult, dystopia, fantasy)

[ 12 ] Its Not Like its a Secret - Misa Sugiura (young adult, contemporary, romance)

[ 13 ] Criers War - Nina Varela (young adult, fantasy, romance)

[ 14 ] This is How you Lose the Time War - Amal El-Mohtar and Max Gladstone (sci-fi, romance)

[ 15 ] The Dark Tide - Alicia Jasinska (young adult, fantasy, romance)

[ 16 ] Tell Me How You Really Feel - Aminah Mae Safi (romance, young adult)

[ 17 ] The Difference Between Me and You - Madeleine George (young adult, contemporary, romance)

[ 18 ] Wilder Girls - Rory Power (young adult, mystery, thriller)

[ 19 ] Huntress - Kate Quinn (mystery, thriller, historical)

[ 20 ] Girls of Paper and Fire - Natasha Ngan (fantasy, young adult)

[ 21 ] The Priory of the Orange Tree - Samantha Shannon (fantasy)

[ 22 ] Fingersmith - Sarah Waters (historical, mystery, thriller)

[ 23 ] Tipping the Velvet - Sarah Waters (historical, romance)

[ 24 ] The Best Bad Things - Katrina Carrasco (mystery, thriller, historical)

[ 25 ] The Once and Future Witches - Alix E. Harrow (historical, fantasy)

[ 26 ] Wicked Saints - Emily A. Duncan (fairytale, young adult, fantasy)

[ 27 ] The Truth about Keeping Secrets - Savannah Brown (coming of age, young adult, contemporary, mystery, thriller)

[ 28 ] The Summer of Impossibilities - Rachael Allan (romance, contemporary, young adult)

[ 29 ] Youre Next - Kylie Schante (young adult, mystery, thriller)

[ 30 ] A Line in the Dark - Malinda Lo (mystery, thriller, young adult)

[ 31 ] High Desert - Kate Dalafield (mystery, romance)

[ 32 ] The Blind Goddess - Anne Holt (mystery)

[ 33 ] Ordinary Mayhem - Victoria A. Brownworth (mystery, thriller, horror, paranormal)

[ 34 ] The Haunting of Hill House - Shirley Jackson (horror)

[ 35 ] Into the Drowning Deep - Seanan Mcguire (sci-fi, hororr)

[ 36 ] The Red Tree - Caitlín R. Kiernan (fantasy, paranormal, horror, mystery)

[ 37 ] Sawkill Girls - Claire Legrand (coming of age, horror, young adult)

[ 38 ] As I Decended - Robin Talley (horror, young adult)

[ 39 ] Adaptation - Malinda Lo (sci-fi, young adult, thriller)

[ 40 ] The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo - Taylor Jenkins Reid (historical, romance, contemporary)

This took a very long time to make so I would love it if you could repost!!!

[readbyred]

Requests: open

fandoms I currently want to write for are in bold, those I particularly want to write rn are in colour

my fandoms:

The owl house

Tangled the series

Moomins

Starkid

IT

Stranger Things

Heroes of Olympus

Dead poets society

Camp Camp (wood scouts only!)

My babysitter’s a vampire

Amphibia

Miss Peregrine’s home for peculiar children (BOOKS)

Fear street

Dear Evan Hansen

Obey me!

Wednesday

The Legend of Vox Machina

HTTYD (+ RTTE)

[IN PROGRESS] Dragons: nine realms

Total Drama-verse

Grishaverse

this blog is

now STRICTLY A HEADCANONS BLOG

inclusive of all readers

okay with writing heavier topics; just to make things clear - if you (for example) will ask me to write a reader with depression you’ll get my best genuine depiction of a reader with depression - my goal is to make all readers feel loved bc they deserve to, not to glamourize things that should not be romanticized

open to mentioning topics such as (but not limited to): physical abuse, non-physical abuse, mental disorders, violence, gore, death, dealing with trauma, disability

NOT OKAY WITH PROVIDING SEXUAL CONTENT

more than okay with writing platonic and familial relationships

cool with yandere requests (characters I can write as yanderes are listed below in italics)

characters I write for:

TOH

luz, amity, eda (preferably platonic/parental), lilith (platonic/parental only), raine (preferably platonic/parental), darius, kikimora, willow, gus, edric, emira, mattholomule, bria, gavin, boscha, hunter, vee

TTS

rapunzel, eugene, cassandra, varian, every other character that appeared in the series (except for the King, I just don't like him)

MOOMINS/MOOMINVALLEY

moomin, sniff, snorkmaiden, snufkin

SK

hhh just ask but I write for like, almost everyone

IT

the teen losers club, platonic eddie corcoran (book-based), teen Henry bowers, can try doing the g00ns but this will be fanon based

ST

lucas, max, eleven, mike, dustin, will, steve, robin

HOO/PJO

octavian, reyna, percy, piper, annabeth, leo, calypso, rachel, nico, jason, frank, hazel, alabaster

DPS

chris, charlie, knox, todd, neil, cameron

CC

woodscous lol preferably pikeman bc idc about the series anymore, he was cool though

MBAV

ethan, rory, erica, sarah, benny’s on thin f*cking ice /hj, jesse

AMPHIBIA

sasha, marcy, anne

MPHFPC

horace, emma, enoch, jacob, bronwyn, hugh, fiona, millard; the rest of the main group is good too as long as it's not romantic

FS

Deena, Sam, Kate, Simon, Josh, Ryan, young Ziggy, Cindy, Alice, young Nick

DEH

jared

R&M

morty, jessica, beth, jerry, summer

OM!

levi, solomon, asmo, (platonic) luke; edit: now the brothers, diavolo and simeon too

WEDNESDAY

enid, tyler, bianca, eugene, ajax, i can try writing wednesday or xavier

TLOVM

main squad

HTTYD/RTTE

astrid, hiccup, snotlout, tuffnut, ruffnut, fishlegs, heather, gustav, dagur

[LOADING…] D9R

still unsure who I will write for; d’angelo and buzzsaw are for certain, we’ll see about the rest

TOTAL DRAMA

old gen: scott, cody, heather, lindsay, sierra, katie, sadie, courtney, ezekiel (before the monster mess), harold, gwen

new gen: emma, millie, zee, wayne, raj, julia, nichelle, axel, damien, ripper, priya. maybe scary girl if you ask nicely /hj edit: chase grew on me, I’ll write for him 2

Grishaverse

alina, mal, aleksander, ivan, tamar, genya, some queerplatonic yuri if anyone wants that and it's not just me

inej, nina, matthias, kaz, wylan, jesper

in progress: nikolai, zoya, kuwei, leoni

[twelve-kinds-of-trouble]

Pride Month Book Recs!

This month is Pride Month! To celebrate, I though I’d share a collection of LGBTQIA+ biographies, novels, graphic novels, and poems! (I’ve also starred my personal favourites, or book I think everyone should read!) Remember to check trigger warnings before buying a book, and to support LGBTQIA+ and POC authors! I’ll be tagging a few people who gave me some of these recs at the bottom of this post. If there’s anything incorrect or offensive featured on this list, let me know and I’ll remove it! Enjoy! Also, I made the header myself! I’m very proud.

Now is also a good time to mention that if you’re an exclusionist, a ‘super straight’, a MAP, or a homophobe/transphobe of any shape or form, I hope you choke on glass. You are not welcome on this blog. Leave, and never interact with me again.

(Feel free to ask me about any of the starred books, or to add your own recommendation! It’s a little short, so additions are very much welcomed!)

Young Adult

Aristotle and Dante discover the Secrets of the Universe— Benjamin Alire Sáenz (Contemporary, MLM)*

Crier’s War— Nina Varela (Fantasy, WLW)

Felix Ever After— Karen Callender (Contemporary, Romance, MLM)

They Both Die at The End— Adam Silvera (Contemporary, Romance, MLM)*

The Girls I’ve Been— Tess Sharpe (Con-artist MC, Con-artist MC... WLW)***

Loveless— Alice Oseman (Asexual and Aromantic MC, Contemporary, Please Read It)***

Cinderella is Dead— Kalynn Bayron (WLW)

Red, White and Royal Blue— Casey McQuinston (Contemporary, MLM)

Hani and Ishu’s Guide To Fake Dating— Adiba Jaigirdar (Contemporary, Realistic)

Serás— Anna K. Franco

Simon Versus the Homo Sapien’s Agenda— Becky Albertalli (MLM)

Cemetery Boys—Aiden Thomas (Trans, MLM)

Wilder Girls— Rory Power (WLW, Boarding School, Survival, Sci- Fi)*

Girls of Paper and Fire— Natasha Ngan (Fantasy, WLW)***

Only Mostly Devastated— Sophie Gonzales (MLM, Grease Inspired)

Carry On— Rainbow Rowell (MLM, Fantasy)

Queen of Coin and Whispers— Helen Corcoran (WLW)

Six of Crows— Leigh Bardugo (MLM, Bisexual Character, AMAZINGLY CRAFTED PLEASE READ, Fantasy)***

The Strange and Beautiful Sorrows of Ava Lavender— Leslye Walton

Adult

The Song of Achilles— Madeline Miller (Greek Mythology, MLM, Made Me Cry A Little)***

The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo— Taylor Jenkins (WLW, 60s, Historical Fiction)

The Huntress— Kate Quinn (Historical Fiction, Mystery, Bisexual MC)

The Picture of Dorian Gray— Oscar Wilde

This is How You Lose the Time War— Amal El-Mohtar and Max Gladstone (Fantasy, Time-Travel, Sci-Fi)

Graphic Novels

Mooncakes— Suzanne Walker and Wendy Xu (Sapphic Witch, Sapphic Witch!! AND A NON-BINARY WEREWOLF THEY FALL IN LOVEEE EEEEEK)***

Heartstopper— Alice Oseman (MLM)

Wonder Woman: Year One— Greg Rucka

The Witch Boy— Molly Ostertag (Middlegrade)

Poetry

Have Some Pride— Courtney Carola (Collection of LGBTQIA+ Poetry)

Walking The Tightrope— Abayomi Animashaun, Irwin Iradukunda, Timothy Kimutai, Tatenda Muranda and Spectra Speaks (Collection of LGBTQIA+ Poetry from African Writers)

Fragile Goods— Drew Song (Collection of LGBTQIA+ Poetry)

Finding Her— Kamari Talley (Collection of WLW Poetry)

Biographies/Autobiographies

Continuum— Chella Man (Transgender, Genderqueer)

Queer Heroes— Arabelle Sicardi, Sarah Tanat-Jones (Children’s, 53 stories of LGBTQIA+ icons)

Queer Inentions— Amelia Abraham (Autobiographical journey through queer culture)

50 Queers Who Changed The World— Dan Jones, Michael Rosenthal

——————————————————————————————————

I hope you all enjoy this! I had so much fun making it! This is my first Pride Month as someone who has realised (?) their sexuality, so I’m very excited. And remember, whether you label yourself or not, whether you’re in the closet or you’re out, if you’re questioning or have a firm grasp on your sexuality; no matter your identity, you are valid. You are loved, and you are welcome here, always. Happy Pride Month! Stay Safe! <3

——————————————————————————————————

I’ll tag a few people here who gave me recommendations or I think would like this!

@introvertedscarecrow @crackerboxart @the-fridge-is-on-fire @aheartfullofquestions @kazoo-the-demjin @im-a-dragon-cawcaw @ketterdamkid @adorablyy-chaotic @peachy-saladlover @neonified @harlowreads @bianavacker-is-bi-as-hell @completekeefitztrash

[darkestcinema]

playlist masterlist

bunny corcoran must die: a modern take on dark academia and the book the secret history, by donna tartt

my life is a movie and this is the coming of age montage: songs that make me feel happy, free and cozy, as if i'm a character in a movie

daisy jones & the six world tour: a mix of songs the band from taylor jenkins reid's book would sing in the height of their fame and that describe their personalities

a little life: songs about being in new york city, making friendships and exploring beauty in the sadness

malibu rising, taylor jenkins reid: nina riva, los angeles beach parties, summer and 80s pop-rock hits

the dreamers: classic rock and french music playing in paris 1968 by the eyes of bernardo bertolucci

i feel too much: almost two days worth of rap, hip hop and r&b

reggaeton💃🏼: my favorite spanish-language dance hits

don't ignore half of me so you fit me into a box: the seven husbands of evelyn hugo excellence!!

frances: emma chamberlain's favorite songs

normal people: marianne and connell's ups and downs

daydreaming: falling in love and waiting for reciprocation

you will come back around: what could have been of us

gives the aux to a rap head once and regrets it forever: all my favorite rap

the 19somethings: classics from the last century by stevie nicks, patti smith, kurt cobain, sting, billy joel, david bowie and more

late night chill: night drives or laying in bed at 11pm

times are changing: growth, leaving home, anxiety and new experiences

wandering museums: art, love and inspiration

pop, pop!: the most iconic pop songs of the last years

body touching: r&b songs about love

across the disco floor: 60s, 70s, 80s and 90s dance hits

i'll be blue without you: christmas music

one of two ways: sexy songs tbh lol

brazuca: brazilian music

fredagsbar: danish music

my profile on spotify!<3

[montilyets]

i love your lgbtqia+ book recs and would love some for a reading challenge i'm doing in 2022. basically me and a friend are doing a reading challenge where we both have to read 5 books per letter of the lgbtqia+ acronym, and i'm wondering what your top 3 are for each of them, if you have them? bonus for books by POC.

oh this is such a fun idea! i haven’t read any books with intersex main characters yet, mostly because those i’ve encountered were not written by intersex authors and often heavily criticized by intersex readers. for the rest of the letters i should be able to come up with 3 (or more if i have more faves). authors of color are marked with an asterisk. everything’s under a cut because this post is kinda long, which is also why i’ve only really listed the books. if you need info regarding content warnings or anything else lmk.

Lesbian:

everyone in this room will be dead someday by emily austin

queen of coin and whispers by helen corcoran (also A for demisexual rep)

girls of paper and fire by natasha ngan*

you know me well by nina lacour and david levithan (also gay)

Gay:

winter’s orbit by everina maxwell (also bi)

a tiny piece of something greater by jude sierra*

after the dragons by cynthia zhang*

boyfriend material by alexis hall

the witch king by h.e. edgmon* (also trans)

Bisexual:

iron widow by xiran jay zhao*

perfect on paper by sophie gonzales

the princess trap by talia hibbert* (and their much better known take a hint, dani brown, of course)

autoboyography by christina lauren

Transgender:

the singing hills cycle by nghi vo* (nonbinary)

the passing playbook by isaac fitzsimons* (trans boy, also gay)

cemetery boys by aiden thomas* (trans boy, also gay)

she who became the sun by shelley parker-chan* (genderqueer x2, also sapphic, bi, gay and ace spectrum rep)

the brilliant death by a.r. capetta (genderfluid, also bisexual)

cheer up: love and pompoms by val wise and crystal frasier (trans girl, also lesbian)

Queer/questioning:

the lost coast by a.r. capetta (mc labels herself specifically as queer)

summer bird blue by akemi dawn bowman* (questioning aro-spec + ace)

gender queer: a memoir by maia kobabe (gender + sexuality questioning in the form of a graphic novel-type memoir)

Aromantic/asexual (spectrum):

the mistletoe motive by chloe liese (demisexual)

beyond the black door by a.m. strickland (demibiromantic ace)

something fabulous by alexis hall (demisexual mlm)

For the + I’ll include some pansexual rep <3:

down among the sticks and bones by seanan mcguire

the first sister series by linden a. lewis (also ace, bi, and nonbinary)

i can’t think of any others which is why i should read more actually

[izzielizzie]

life’s uncertain and sometimes it’s strange chapter one

okay this is the fastest i’ve written the first chapter of a fic like... ever but here’s the crossover i considered writing here!! i actually had a lot of fun, and it jumps around so feel free to ask me questions about anything that doesn’t make sense

song title from The Sun Will Come Up, the Seasons Will Change by Nina Nesbitt

Maeve

Wednesday, December 15

“Okay so remind me what the problem is again?” Luis asks me as he sits on my bed, watching me pack my bags.

“The island, Luis."

Luis stares at me and I sigh, crossing my room to curl up in his lap. His arms go around me instantly. “And, what, my love, is wrong with an island?”

I sigh again, stretching out so my head is on my pillow. “It’s cold. There’s nothing fun about an island when it’s covered in ice!”

“Can you even get to an island in December?” Luis asks, absentmindedly drawing patterns on my stomach. When my mother had told our family over dinner last week that she had been invited to a mansion unveiling by her former best friend - some vaguely famous guy named Archer Story who basked in the glory of being young and rich in New England along with my mother - Bronwyn and I had no say in whether we were going or not. Our father got out of it easily with an arsenal of work excuses, but no trips to New York City with friends will stop our mother when she’s deep in her planning mode. Especially if it means she gets to go back to being rich on an island off the coast of Boston.

“That’s what I asked and Bronwyn laughed at me.”

Luis snorts. He and my sister have never gotten along as well as Nate and I do, but it’s stopped bothering me at this point. “Well, Maevey,” Luis hooks an arm under me and lifts me up so I’m sitting. “It’s just one week on the weird ass island and then you get to go to New York City with the rest of us. What could go wrong?”

I grin, my bad mood ebbing away at the thought of spending a week with my boyfriend and friends in one of my favorite cities. “Ugh fine.”

“Good. Now are you really going to bring all of my sweaters?”

I laugh as Luis lifts me up so we can sort out the sweater ownership debate that’s lasted for nearly a year now. 

Aubrey

Saturday, December 18 

“No plans of swimming in that water I hope?” Uncle Archer asks as I look at the ocean from the balcony of Catmint House. Yes. The same one that burnt down over the summer. Gull Cove Island is essentially the same as it was when I moved back to Oregon in July, with the exception of the large manor. 

When the media asked Aunt Allison and Uncle Archer what they wanted to do with the remains of their childhood home, they hadn’t said anything, but in secret they both agreed that burning the ashes might be overdramatic, but most certainly warranted. Almost as if they had overheard, the Gull Cove Island Historical Society swept in and restored the mansion to its former glory, ultimately gifting the new building to Milly and I. Since Jonah North isn’t really part of the family, it’s not his.

“Who the hell would want that place?” he’d asked when we told him about the exclusion. Fair point.

“Hey, hey, don’t look so sullen,” Uncle Archer says, bringing me back to myself as he slips an arm around me. I hug him back with all my might. When I think about how close we came to losing him, I want to cry.

“Sorry,” I mumble into his shoulder. 

“Don’t be. Now I hear we’ve got a family of three coming from California today. The kids are around your age.”

“Fun,” I say, making a face. Uncle Archer tugs on my sweater sleeve. 

“Hey, their mom was my best friend. They’re probably good kids.”

Almost on cue, the doorbell rings. 

“That’s them?” I ask as I look down at the black car that - presumably - houses the family in question. Archer nods. “You go. I’ll find Milly and Jonah.”

My uncle fakes a punch to my nose as he saunters off. I giggle. Rehab has done him well. I watch him walk away, and then exit the balcony into the hallway. I turn left towards my and Milly’s room, staying close to the middle of the hall. It’s strange being in here after what happened over the summer, especially since it feels almost unrealistic that everything could be restored so quickly. But I guess the fire Paula started didn’t really burn down the entire house. Just like, half of the inside. If I pause for long enough, I can still smell the smoke. Or maybe that’s just my imagination. Sometimes I’m fine, and other times I feel like I’m back with the gun pressed to my neck. I felt so helpless then, and I never want to feel that way again. 

I knock on the door to our room, and I hear Milly and Jonah’s voices floating towards me, half giggly, half teasing. Whatever is going on in there, I do not want to see. “I’m coming in!” I call, pushing the door open with my eyes shut. “There is a person. Entering this room!”

I hear a crash, and I open my eyes to see Jonah perched awkwardly on the corner of my bed. Oh fun. At least they’re separated. 

“What’s up Aubrey?” Milly asks, smoothing down her hair. After spending months angsting about cutting it or not, Milly decided on a respectable bob. She looks gorgeous, especially now that it’s grown enough to be just touching her shoulders. She’s more dressed up for the occasion than I am in a red knitted pullover tucked into a pair of black jeans. I glance down at my faded grey crew neck and my blue jeans.

“Should I change?” I ask in response. 

“No way! You look beautiful,” Milly says, standing and pulling me to stand in front of the mirror. I look at my long blonde hair. 

“Maybe I should just braid my hair or something?”

Milly huffs. “Jonah!”

“You look adorable Aubrey,” Jonah says dutifully from his spot behind us. I glance over at him. 

“Easy for you to say! You look like a J.Crew model.”

Jonah grins. “Wow you just described my life’s ambition Aubrey,” he says dryly.

I grin and shake my head. I’ve missed this: being back with my cousin and friend. Even if they do spend a lot of time kissing each other. “Come on you two, the first guests are here,” I say, throwing my arm around my cousin.

Ezra

Sunday, December 19

“Ellery please stop bouncing,” I say to my sister. We’re on a train to New York City from Boston and Ellery is way too excited.

“Ez! I can’t! Do you know how many unsolved murders there are in Manhattan alone?”

“No. I do not.”

“And no one should!” Mia adds from the seats behind us. Ellery turns to see if Malcolm will back her up, but he’s asleep. Probably exhausted from dealing with her. 

Ellery is still looking super excited so I turn to her. “Okay, I’ll bite. How many?”

“More than 480. And those are just recorded homicides.”

“Shhh,” I say, shushing Ellery as I catch sight of a red haired girl looking at us strangely from across the aisle. “Sorry, my sister’s really weird,” I say to her. She looks around our age. She’s wearing a fashionable beige coat and a black cap, but something about the way she’s burrowing into the jacket tells me she’s not used to the cold.  There’s a boy sleeping in the seat next to her, whose hand she hasn’t let go of.

The girl smiles. “It’s alright! My best friend solved two murders once.” She pauses and makes a face. “Maybe I shouldn’t have told you that.” She shakes her head. “This is really odd, I'm sorry. I’m Phoebe Lawton.”

I grin. “I’m Ezra Corcoran, and this is my twin Ellery.”

Phoebe grins back. “Twins! That’s so cool. I don’t really know any twins.”

“Wait, can we go back to the part where you said your best friend solved two murders?” Ellery asks, leaning across me to look at Phoebe, who smiles a little. Mia groans from behind us. I turn to see her pull her headphones up over her ears. We exchange a look. Leave it to my sister to ask the awkward questions. 

“Yeah well, we’re from Bayview, California, and I don’t know if you’ve ever heard about the-”

“Oh. My. God.” 

I look down at Ellery, who looks as if she’s hit a goldmine. Phoebe looks startled but resigned. 

“We’re from California too, before we moved to Vermont,” I offer, surprised despite myself. The story of Simon Kelleher was all over California before we left, and if I’m not mistaken, I think I know who this girl is talking about.

“Wait so your best friend is Maeve Rojas?” Ellery asks. 

“Did someone say Maeve?” a new voice asks from the seat behind Phoebe. A boy who looks vaguely familiar with tan skin and wavy dark hair pokes his head into the aisle to look at Phoebe.

Ellery gasps. “You’re the boyfriend!”

The boy blinks slowly. “I… what?”

“Okay so in mysteries there’s always this boyfriend that is part of the drama but not really? And he like jumps around but he’s got a heart of gold and-”

“Ellery,” I hiss. “Let’s not reduce strangers to stereotypes please.”

“Murder?” yet another voice asks. This time it’s attached to a person the entire country knows well. Cooper Clay, pitcher for the Padres. Ellery takes a strangled breath. She looks up at me and I sigh. 

“Switch seats with me,” she says in her “don’t mess with me” voice. I happily oblige, pulling out my own headphones. Maybe Mia was right. Just leave this crazy girl to her own devices. 

[sendme-2hell]

Ranking the books I read in April

aka just ranting about the books I read in april pls ignore me

1. The Space Between Worlds - Micaiah Johnson 

I cannot believe this book wasn’t nominated for a Hugo! I like the Hugo list (of the books I’ve read) but cmon. This book is like if you combined the social commentary in The City We Became and the queerness of Harrow the Ninth. Seriously this book had everything I wanted: parallel universes, great character development, social commentary, woc sapphic slow burn, satisfying ending. Also I feel like the title is paying homage to W. E. Dubois which is cool. “Between me and the other world, there is ever an unasked question: How does it feel to be a problem?” Like there is just this very cool idea of talking about other worlds as in literally other universes but also different worlds due to social and racial hierarchies. 

2. Plain Bad Heroines - Emily m. Danforth 

Horror, Hollywood, boarding school, everyone is gay, the narrator talks directly to the reader and it is hilarious, copious footnotes, have I mentioned how many sapphics there are? It’s hard to keep track. Plus polyamory. I just really loved this book and I felt it all came together in a way that was worth it. 

3. Steel Crow Saga - Paul Krueger 

This godamn book. I loved this book so much. I was so ready to yell about it on tumblr and tell people to read it. But apparently the author is someone who has harassed a lot of women so...uh...yeah. Nevermind I guess.

 I do want to say it is the most accurate depicition of a Sherlock Holmes superfan that I have ever seen in media. 

4. The Tiger’s Daughter - K. Arsenault Rivera

What if we went on a long trip on horseback and we were both lesbian warriors...jk unless…

Yeah so I loved this book so much. A lot of it is about navigating familial responsibility, fighting literal and metaphorical demons, fighting the patriarchy, fighting your anger, fighting tigers, etc...and yet I kept thinking to myself “this is the most romantic book I have ever read” and honestly I am gonna stick by that. It also has the “you think me a monster so I will become one” trope which is great. It is set in an Asian-based fantasy world and I did read a goodreads review that said it was as accurate to the countries it draws inspiration from as Leigh Bardugo’s Grishaverse is to the Russian and Scandinavian cultures it takes from. So that’s not great. 

5. Six of Crows - Leigh Bardugo

Speaking of! A few months ago I tried to read Shadow and Bone in preparation for the tv show and I could not finish it. The writing was...bad. Anyway I really liked Six of Crows and even though, yeah it’s tropey (I’m looking at you, Helnik backstory), there’s a reason those tropes work. Plus you cannot go wrong with a heist. About halfway through I did realize that there are six mcs and three couples so its kinda just like a giant triple date, which really changed how I read the whole story.

I’m very glad I did read it before seeing the tv show because I was able to be appropriately excited for the Crows and catch the Wylan reference and everything, but I also got to see the Alina stuff without having to read about it. 

6. Crooked  Kingdom - Leigh Bardugo 

I think I somehow liked this even more than Six of Crows, but for narrative simplicity I’ll put it after. I really like it when you put people in an impossible situation and see how they figure it out. Especially if they get out in a clever and reasonably possible way that ties together many different plot threads and has a few good fake-outs. This did all of that, and also developed every character in a way I found satisfying (except [redacted] *cry emoji*). 

Kaz pulls a Baru Cormorant with some money stuff and now I wonder if they would be friends. 

I read this after watching the show which was good because I knew who Zoya and Genya were but bad because there is a point where Nina is like “here is how shadow and bone ends.” She’s just talking to Mattias and casually spoiling everything for me. So there goes my dreams of living spoiler free until the end of the show. 

7. The Miseducation of Cameron Post - Emily m Danforth

My expectations for this book were....very different than it turned out, and I’m glad for it. After reading Plain Bad Heroines I shouldn’t have been surprised at how well written it is. I really appreciated how nuanced it is. It doesn’t spell out its ideas or themes and therefore lets you really sit with them. I would rank it higher but I don’t really enjoy reading about high school. 

8. Foundryside - Robert Jackson Bennett

I love a good found family, especially if at the beginning of the book they are on opposing sides. Enemies to friends = best trope! Also it’s sapphic that’s always good. But the best part of this book was the worldbuilding which was so cool. 

9. Malice - Heather Walter

Remember what I was saying about “you think me a monster so I will become one”? This book is the definition of that trope. Women becoming unhinged after being treated like shit, we love to see it! Especially if it’s gay. I do have to say, authors who write duologies where the first book ends on a cliffhanger, I see what you’re doing but yes, I will be preordering the next book. 

10. Fugitive Telemetry - Martha Wells

I don’t have much to say because Murderbot is so consistently excellent.  uh why is it so cathartic when xenophobes disrespect Murderbot and it’s humans step in and shut that shit down. Gets me every single time. 

11. Queen of Coins and Whispers - Helen Corcoran 

This book was like half romance half politics and unfortunately I did not find the politics that interesting or well written. But the romance was A+. It reminded me of Priory of the Orange Tree a LOT. Though significantly less dragons and I’m taking many points off for that. 

12. The First Sister - Linden A. Lewis

I wanted to like this book a little more than I did. There was just maybe too much body horror for me. Interesting characters and world though. There was  a location named Cytherea that they mentioned a lot and it was very distracting. I guess I still have tlt brainrot. 

13. Shorefall - Robert Jackson Bennett 

I think this book was well plotted out but it didn’t quite have my attention like Foundryside did. Also yet another book where a woman’s girlfriend ends up in her head. This time no one had to die so that’s nice. TM and SD take notes! 

14. The Deathless Girls - Kiran Milwood Hargrave 

Ok I LOVED the Mercies by KMH so I was a little disappointed in this Dracula retelling. It got interesting in the last 50 pages, but unfortunately that is not enough for me.

proud of myself for not reading a single straight book this April 

[nullarysources]

Nina Corcoran for Pitchfork:

Yukihiro Takahashi, the influential musician, drummer, and vocalist who co-founded Yellow Magic Orchestra, has died, The Japan Times reports. Takahashi underwent surgery to remove a brain tumor in August 2020. The following year, he revealed he was suffering from additional health problems. Takahashi was trying to recover at his home in Karzuizawa, Nagano Prefecture, but he caught pneumonia in early January and it worsened, according to Japanese publication Sports Nippon. Takahashi was 70 years old.

Fuck, this sucks, this sucks a lot.

Going for a totally random cut you've definitely never heard of to accompany this post with the main theme he composed for the 1998 PS1 game T kara Hajimaru Monogatari (the linked video is actually the whole soundtrack, but the first song that plays after the brief vocoder sting is the piece). This is one of two Jaleco games he randomly guest composed the main theme of, along with 1997's Fantastep for the PS1 and Saturn.

J.I.P. (jam in peace)

[sshannonauthor]

Since The Priory of the Orange Tree, I want to read so much f/f fantasy novels ! Can you recommend me some ? (Without any rape if that’s possible (at least not described, Girls of Paper and Fire is okay for example), I just can’t read them without feeling really bad) ! Thank you 😊

Yes! 

The Afterward by E. K. Johnston

The Deathless Girls by Kiran Millwood Hargrave (CW here for the threat of rape) 

In the Vanishers’ Palace by Aliette de Bodard

Labyrinth Lost by Zoraida Córdova 

Nevernight by Jay Kristoff (F/F is in Book 2) 

Queen of Coin and Whispers by Helen Corcoran 

The Seafarer’s Kiss by Julia Ember 

The True Queen by Zen Cho

We Set the Dark on Fire by Tehlor Kay Mejia

And two I haven’t read yet, but sound incredible: 

A Miracle of Roses by Diana Pinguicha

Crier’s War by Nina Varela