#some of my fav books write about love in this wonderful descriptive way so this reminded me of them 🥹

[cowboybrunch]

writerblr interview tag!

thank you for the tags @tragedycoded (here) @sableglass (here) and @saturnine-saturneight (here) <3 ive been meaning to get to this one for a minute sooo let's get into it

Short stories, novels, or poems?

i started with poetry, so it has a special place in my heart. all of my short stories turn into beasts. is it a cop out answer to say all of the above?

What genre do you prefer reading?

it'd be easier to list what genres i don't like. when i say ill read anything, i mean ill read anything. lately i've been on a sci fi kick (thanks Pierce Brown) but i love a good modern trashy romance as much as the next guy (i read the booktok sludge so you dont have to!) im not really a nonfiction guy but hey, if anyone has some recs, ill give em a shot

Are you a planner or a write as I go kind of person?

def NOT a planner. usually when i start writing i have a vague idea of where we start and where we need to end up, but what happens along the way is a surprise for everyone involved

What music do you listen to while writing?

SILENCE. sometimes white noise. i cant focus with music, brain gets jumbled

Favorite books/movies?

of all time? oh god for books, probably This Is How You Lose the Time War or The Song of Achilles but The Locked Tomb series is def up there. not a novel but i've read Bluets by Maggie Nelson so many times i probably have it memorized by now favorite movie is Zoolander, easy answer. that movie owns. i can watch it on repeat and ill never get sick of it

Any current WIPs?

Dust to Dust is still alive but im taking a bit of a hiatus before hopping into the final bit (tag is here if you wanna see me ramble about it) Felix Wonder is the fun time brain break WIP of choice currently and im working on draft 3 of Burden of the Reluctant Death (we will get to the ending this time. we will)

Create a character description of yourself: 

Elusive, or pretends to be. Too much energy in too small a body. Refuses to sit properly in a chair. Prone to fits of melancholy remedied by sunlight. Easily excitable, but fussy. Same outfit every day: big sweater, little pants, fuzzy socks. Nails bitten bloody but at least her hair is clean (if a bit too long for summer)

Do you like incorporating actual people you know into your writing?

i could say no but that would make me a liar

Are you kill happy with your characters?

i was gonna make a joke but it would be spoilers soo. i write about grief. no way everyone makes it out alive

Coffee or Tea while writing?

coffee. i dont like tea (sorry sorry!)

Slow or fast writer?

im very much a burst writer so. flood or drought, no in between. lately i'd say SLOW but im just waiting for that spark u get me?

If you were in a fantasy world, what would you be?

this really isnt fantasy but i feel like i was destined to be the kind, slightly off-putting maintenance man in a haunted apartment building that says cryptic things like "don't take the east elevator on a full moon" and "the air conditioning has made that noise since the fire in 12B"

Most fav book cliche:

yea there's only one bed and ill eat it up every single time!!! also: "i didnt know where else to go" or basically any overdone romance trope you can think of. im here for it

Least favorite cliche:

if there's a cliche that i dont like, i havent found it yet

Favorite scene to write?

confession scenes of any kind! scenes where the big tough character breaks down. any kind of emotional revelation, positive or negative

Reason for writing?

words in head, need words out of head ok ok fine, serious answer. i feel like writing is both asking and answering the question, "have you felt like this before? has anyone ever felt like this before? am i alone?" and it's proof that you're not the first and only person to ever experience the things you're experiencing. even this made up guy in this pretend world understands rage and despair and joy and grief and love. the source is different but the result is the same. human connection, man. love it and! it's fun. im having fun

tag!!

@knightinbatteredarmor @friendlesscat @tildeathiwillwrite @glassonthewall @illarian-rambling

@mysticstarlightduck @dyrewrites @sarandipitywrites @oliolioxenfreewrites @xenascribbles

[lilareviewsbooks]

July Reading Wrap-Up

Hey, everyone! Last month I forgot to post a wrap-up, so, to make up for it, here’s what I read in July, on time! My fav this month was definitely the Trials of Apollo quintet, which was just so much fun! More on that after the “read more” :) 

Who Could It Be At This Hour?, by Lemony Snicket

4 stars

258 pages

Contains: incompetent adults; really smart kids; a mystery

I read this for the first time when I was a kid, after loving A Series of Unfortunate Events. I remember really loving this, although I never finished the series because I couldn’t find the books in my native Brazil. I decided to listen to the audiobook again, as I was craving middle grade this month! It follows Lemony Snicket himself (the author’s name is pseudonym) as he begins his initiation into a secret society by teaming up with a mentor (who is terrible at her job) to solve a mystery in a run-down little town.

It ended up being a pretty good experience. The narration is very expressive and so on that side I had a lot of fun. Unfortunately, I wasn’t that involved by the mystery itself – and I didn’t remember anything from when I first read it, at all, so that wasn’t the problem, here. But the characters and the writing style are just too charming for you not to fall a little bit in love with the book. And, as always, with Mr. Snicket’s books, I just love how absolutely and utterly incompetent any adult is, and how qualified and smart all the children are. Honestly, in the real world, things are kind of like that, anyway!

How Far The Light Reaches: A Life In Ten Sea Creatures, by Sabrina Imbler

3 stars

272 pages

Contains: depictions of sea animals; discussions of sapphic life; discussions of gender

I read this because it was the non-fiction pick for SapphLit, a sapphic book club I’m a part of (and that you should totally join, if you’re sapphic, because it’s so cool!). I was really interested, at first. I’m really scared of the deep ocean, so I thought it would be kind of fun to read these essays and maybe get a little bit creeped out – even if it wasn’t the author's intention that I was creeped out lmao.

Unfortunately, this really didn’t do it for me. I found the structure repetitive. Mx. Imbler interlocks descriptions of sea life with their own experience, making some sort of comparison between her situation and an aspect of that creature’s life. By the tenth time they’ve done it, in the exact same way, though, you are more than tired. I was expecting some diversity, some innovation, but no… All the essays play out exactly the same. That’s not to say there aren’t interesting ideas, here, but the format they’re in is disappointing, and I wanted more from this.

Before They Are Hanged, by Joe Abercrombie

5 stars

441 pages

Contains: a quest for… wait, we don’t know what they’re questing for!; fun characters!!; the weirdest sex scene you’ve ever read in your life

If any of you read my The Blade Itself review, the first book in the First Law Trilogy, I think you’ll be surprised by my rating of this one. I did not like The Blade Itself that much, and struggled to even finish it, skipping over multiple parts, especially the fight scenes, just to get it out of the way. I didn’t think I’d continue on with this series, but the urge hit me this month to see the characters again, and I decided to try this one out. Luckily, I also had the audiobook, which gave me a totally immersive experience – the audiobook is excellent, by the way! – and helped with my overall enjoyment.

I think my favorite thing about this series has always been the characters, and they shine, here, since they actually have something to do. My problem with The Blade Itself was that it felt like endless, endless set up. Nothing really happens. Now, reading Before They Are Hanged, I can say for sure that was it. The story really starts, for most of the characters, in this second installment, and so I wonder if Mr. Abercrombie couldn’t have done it differently. But, regardless of my problems with The Blade Itself, Before They Are Hanged is just so fun. Truly a triumph! And I highly, highly recommend!

The Moth Keeper, by K. O’Neil

5 stars

265 pages

Contains: a very sweet village; gorgeous art; gay people!!

Oh my God, I finally got my hands on a copy of The Moth Keeper! Thank you Boston Public Library, you will always be famous!

K. O’Neil is my favorite graphic novel artist. Their work with The Tea Dragon Society just blew me away, and I was anxiously awaiting this book. It follows Anya, who lives in nocturnal village where the population depends on magical moths, guarded by the Moth Keeper, a job Anya hopes to have. But the journey to do so might not be so easy, after all.

I loved this one especially because of the beautiful art! I just adore Mx. O’Neil’s art style. The story is also just so hopeful and lovely! I love the tone that they manage to impart here, almost as if this is an ancient myth being told to you in a more approachable form. I’m excited to read it again, soon, as see what else I can glean from this wonderful graphic novel!

The Bone Orchard, by Sara A. Mueller

2.5 stars

432 pages

Contains: gothic elements; ghosts? Kinda?; necromancy

Okay, so this one… This one is hard to explain. Basically, it follows Charm, the emperor’s mistress and a necromancer, who has created various “bone-ghosts”. Together, they live in a mansion called Orchid House, where they run a brothel. When the emperor dies, however, Charm is enlisted to solve the murder…

I wanted to like this one so, so much! Unfortunately, it was just incredibly confusing in… not a good way. I couldn’t get involved with the characters or the story, because it was all shrouded in this not-so-cool mystery. It was just so, so confusing that you couldn’t even get into it because you had no idea what was going on on a deeper level. It’s also not a murder mystery at all – more like a political thriller, but the politics are too confusing to actually follow, important things happen off-screen and the importance of certain factors to the story ebb and flow (sometimes money is important, sometimes it absolutely isn’t, for example). Still, the writing was compelling and some parts were fun, so I ended up giving it three stars.

The Jewel and Her Lapidary, by Fran Wilde

3 stars

89 pages

Contains: a very unique magic system; a female… friendship? Are they gay? What’s going on with my girls?; the invasion of a kingdom

Also a hard one to summarize, since it’s so short, but this one follows Lin, a member of the royal family, and her sworn companion, the lapidary Sima, when their kingdom is attacked.

I enjoyed this. The magic system is fantastically unique, focusing on jewels as the sources of magic. However, the plot didn’t really do it for me. It was too nicely tied up, with not enough conflict. The character development also seemed all over the place. So I had trouble giving it over 3 stars. However, I like the universe very much – especially because of the magic system which is, like I said, completely unique, and totally took me by surprise. I think I’ll read the next books in the series, since they don’t follow the same characters. I’ll come right back with the results!

The Trials of Apollo Quintet, by Rick Riordan

The Hidden Oracle; The Dark Prophecy; The Burning Maze; The Tyrant’s Tomb & The Tower of Nero

All 5 stars

Av. of 350 pages (X 5 = av. of 1750 pages)

Contains: a chaotic 12-year-old; strong friendships; discussions of abusive family

Alright: this was it, the grand attraction of my month! I blew through the entire series over the course of like, a week, while I was on a family trip, and had the time of my life!

So, first off, if you’re not a Percy Jackson veteran, let me explain this series to you: The Trials of Apollo Quintet follows – can you say it with me – the god Apollo as he’s cast down to Earth for the third time to live out some trials as a human. And soon, he finds himself implicated in some business involving stolen oracles, roman emperors and a very grumpy 12-year-old. Just delightful older-middle grade! 

(Careful, though! If The Trials of Apollo sounds interesting to you, I’m terribly sorry to inform you that it’s a continuation to the Percy Jackson series, and that you do need to read that (5 books) and The Heroes of Olympus series (5 books) before continuing on with this one. And yes, it’s absolutely necessary. Sorry!)

The Trials of Apollo was a lovely experience! The adventures are divided into bite-sized, 350 page books, all with a central quest and prophecy, and, as always with Rick Riordan, are riddled with obscure creatures and gods from Roman and Greek mythology, mixed with some pop-culture flair and plenty of good humor! Reading this put me right back in my Percy Jackson phase (where I belong) as well as took me way, way back, to my first time reading Mr. Riordan’s books. 

Even though The Trials of Apollo didn’t end how I hoped, I really appreciate Mr. Riordan’s work on Apollo’s character. His relationships, especially with his constant companion Meg, are remarkable, and evolve nicely along with him. Not to mention, the gayness factor has been upped considerably in this universe, and I just think that’s neat.

Thank you all for reading and I’ll come back next month with more updates :) In the mean time, if you need a SFF book rec, drop me an ask and I’ll get back to you ASAP!

[gingerbreadmonsters]

TW: VIOLENCE AND VERY GRAPHIC IMAGERY!! FOR THE ASK GAME IMMA PICK MY FAV PARA FROM MY FAV FIC >:) "His glove and about a inch or two of his sleeve are wet with blood as he reaches inside, turning the syrupy mess of what used to be a vampiric heart over in his hand. It pulses just a little, tiny involuntary twitches while it cools, but it’s not worth saving - delicately, he drops it back into the cracked mess of the body cavity with a sticky slap, letting the strings and pipes and cords settle as he takes in the scene in front of him. Poor, frightened children. Some try to fight back, to protest, to taunt him. Make him out to be a madman, or perhaps a maniac. Some try to run, but there’s nowhere to go. Honestly, don’t they see it? The writing on the wall is a familiar shade of red, and an upstart clan of brainless bloodsuckers isn’t going to make it out unscathed."

[no i don't have it saved in my notes wym]

leo's talking about this ask game (still open!)

YES YES YES!!! GOD this was such a blast to write and i had so much fun really getting into all the blood and guts of it, so to speak, so i'm very glad you like it hehe 🥰🥰🥰

the fic in question: bury the hatchet (spoilers for that fic under the cut!)

(for context, william has just skewered this particular vampire through the heart to the wall and then pulled the cane he did it with out, so the body falls to the floor)

it's william solaire at some big important vampire do - of course he's dressed up, and i can't see that man turning up without a nice pair of gloves 😍😍 in my mind they're dark leather - not cotton, that's a bit too butler-y - and the sleeve is probably dark as well, but the image is also nice if you imagine a sort of beige or cream or almond colour with the blood! i didn't mention any ruffles because i wanted the clothes to be mostly up to interpretation (it depends whether you think he's dressed in a more modern style, or something a bit more historical lol), but do feel free to imagine them 🤩🤩

oh this bit of description was LOVELY to do - i was trying to imagine what it would actually look like inside the body if this really happened to someone, and i loved the idea of the heart almost turning to pulp from being staked (obv there's some nice 'stake through the heart' traditional vampire stuff going on here, which i feel like william would take great pleasure in) 🥳🥳 plus the idea of the ribcage kind of cracking open like a book is such a horrible, uncomfortable image that i couldn't just leave it out!! the bit about "strings and pipes and cords" was my way of hand-waving away any actual biology here, but i think it's a very effective way of putting it - having to actually think about the body being full of stuff, and not just random organs all existing in discrete spaces, is so viscerally awful and wonderful to my angst brain.....

if i were to make this longer, most of that would probably come from the bit where the vampires try to escape - i was kind of tired at the time and this is basically an excuse to not have to write in either them escaping or being killed by william lol 😵‍💫😵‍💫 but i think it works!! he doesn't care about what they think, and the narration doesn't either. i will say that the "writing on the wall" bit is a little bit macabre (if the rest wasn't already), just because that's bc the wall in-universe is now literally covered in vampire blood, but i LOVE the "brainless bloodsuckers" part 😍😍 i'm very proud of the way that came out, and i think it fits quite nicely into my idea of william as a man who is simultaneously very old and very young - who holds courtesy and the way of things very dear, but isn't afraid to get his hands dirty 💖💖

[quidfree]

hey im reading wuthering heights for school and i chose it over frankenstein bc i saw it on ur blog a while back lol do you mind sharing more of your thoughts on it if you have any more? they were so interesting!!

i really like this ask so i’ve been sitting on it trying to think of a good response, but i can’t quite formulate it in a nice digestible way so it’ll have to be a bit all over the place.

the main thing that i want to talk about is how funny it is that your main choices were frankenstein and wuthering heights, because to me these are extremely similar books in a lot of ways? firstly in that i really love both of them for quite comparable reasons (nb choosing WH on my say-so will hopefully nonetheless not be a choice you regret haha), but also because they have a lot in common?

both have two of my fav narrator set-ups in literature which involve a random intensely pretentious and obtuse outsider who is retelling the whole book as a tale within a tale about a really wild holiday he had. this is iconic because (a) i love reading povs from people who are annoying because the author made them so on purpose (b) it adds a fun layer of hearsay to the dramatic plot of the book to know how unreliable the story we get is. the nanny in wuthering heights is one of the most infamously controversial narrators in classic lit and honestly i don’t trust the bitch either. but yeah tldr lockwood and walton are both insufferable dumbasses who r taken by the dramatic male protags and way too into the super personal crises of the mcs.

obviously the Gothic Girl Core…. brontës and mary shelley really paved the way in the aesthetic and the horrible sad lives they lead. but they’re both incredibly good at conveying Gothic Atmosphere, from the Humanity to the Wilderness to the Evil Within. scenes w pathetic fallacy in both books have some of the best descriptive passages in western lit in my humble opinion. like the combo of the Dark Scenery and Inner Turmoil…. and theres also the Women Writing Men aspect that adds some Layers that i always find interesting.

mary’s is more about Privileged Male Intellectual Hubris (wonder why) and emily’s is more Emotional Turmoils of the Rich and Fucked, but both have a psychological element that disguises a deep and interesting questioning of ethics and society. What Makes A Man + Nature and Nurture are core qs of both… inherent savagery and the cultivation of goodness… yeah theres a lot going on there.

bad communication kills guys! (but really though)

everyone in both books is like, either deeply annoying or deeply horrible or both, and make Bad Choices constantly, so you have to be willing to ride out the consequences of these terrible choices to enjoy them. personally i love flawed people being horrible as long as they’re framed properly so for my money the vibe in both can be both Haute Comédie and Deeply Tragic as you ride along and it’s all very enjoyable. altho victor frankenstein is more of a bitch than anyone in WH and i will stand by that. actually WH kind of edges out frankenstein in this regard bc the whole supporting cast in frankenstein is like obnoxiously saccharine but in WH basically everyone sucks at least a little so it’s more fun and balanced. esp true wrt cathy and heathcliff vs victor and liz.

i like people’s Dark Urges and Personal Failings driving the story… like yes i enjoy greek tragedy inescapable fate bc it hurts the most but when people are Responsible for the bad they create… that’s Modern and yet real. both works walk the line between Inherent doom and people very much making Bad Choices A Lot. and i enjoy that they were both women in very repressed & sexist societies writing hard violent grim stories that disturbed audiences as much as enthralled them.

also this isn’t comparative but kate bush’s wuthering heights = top 10 songs based on literature, yeah?

anyways sorry this is only half about WH & uses very gratuitous caps for emphasis but seriously please submit thoughts or interesting essay questions on WH proper after this if you like i really enjoy talking about classic lit w you all :)

[doodleybugg]

get to know your followers

Hair care routine + brief description of your hair uh, i shaved it in november so really i just need to wash it

Skincare routine wash in the morning, cover with makeup, fall asleep without washing it again

Full set pajamas, random mismatched comfy clothes, underwear or nothing? sweats and a sports bra are my go to’s

Morning routine (wake up time, breakfast, ya know that shit) wake up, stay in bed for another two hours because it’s literally 4am, fix my makeup and get dressed, take meds

Favorite and least favorite drink fav: milk tea or vanilla coke, least fav: uhhjm beer definitely, it tastes bAD

Favorite and least favorite dish fav: spaghetti (but only the bow-tie noodles, or i refuse to eat it. idk why, either, i just cannot stand the way it feels unless it’s that), least fav: brussel sprouts

Favorite and least favorite dessert fav: french vanilla ice cream or possibly ice cream cake from dairy queen, least fav: pie

Comfort food takis, i have a whole thing with them even though i can’t eat spicy foods :((

Top 3 childhood shows/cartoons icarly, clifford the big red dog, spongebob

Top 3 teen shows/cartoons uh same as current

Top 3 current shows/cartoons umbrella academy, one day at a time, brooklyn 99

Top 3 favorite movies harry potter and the prizoner of azkaban, brave, encanto

Comfort book/books, comics, manga, ya know the lie tree, facelift game, kakegurui (midari’s version though lolz)

Favorite snack of all time ramen

Pets one tabby cat named steve (her real name is evie but :/) and one ragdoll-persian mix named addi

Comfort character of all time remus mf lupin

Most recent achievement (I’m proud of ya!) i ate today!!! had some mcd french fries and a vanilla milkshake after i went to the dentist but both sides of my mouth were frozen so i didn’t really get to eat too much ://

Fashion/clothing trend style uh idk i just wear what i find first

Hobbies writing

Pick a martial art and a sport (you find interesting, would love to learn, already practice, whatever just pick) jshfsdjfk no

Pick a music instrument (you find interesting, would love to learn, already practice, whatever just pick) i used to play the euphonium in band

Perfume/cologne (doesn’t matter if you don’t wear it, just pick one you like) vanilla cherry (which is my bodywash but it works)

What do you do on your leisure days? eh mostly sleep or cry

Tell me a bit about your all time hero/heroine hmmmmmmm

Earphones, headphones or wireless ones? headphones

Top 5 current songs perfect doesn’t last by beth crowley, gambling addiction / eleven elevens by leanna firestone, diet coke by leanna firestone, disenchanted by my chemical romance, bruises and bitemarks by good with grenades

Pick a hero/heroine from Marvel and DC (BECAUSE I WANT YA TO OK???!!?) scarlet witch, liv moore

Where would you like to live? a pretty lil cottage

Favorite food from your culture? i’m the whitest piece of shit ever so uh wonder bread?

Favorite tradition from your culture? hkdjhskjf

Language you would like to learn? french

Where would you travel for vacation? hm idk

What’s your safety place like? nonexistant

Are you working, studying, both, time traveling while fighting demons? studying

Lucky charm a safety pin my ex gf gave me a couple years ago

Latest thing you purchased online? hufflepuff tie

Guilty pleasure? fanfic

Are you physically active? What do you do? i run around the block a couple times ig

Dream job author

Favorite videogame minecraft or sims 4

Perfect hang out with friends *inhales* WHAT ARE THOSSEEEE

Tell me something about yourself (it can be anything lol) i make HEAVNLY grilled cheese

Would you date someone you met online after getting to know them for long enough to genuinely start something serious? uhm depends

[tthael]

I really admire so many things about your writing - the introspection and deep meaning, the realistic and sensitive way that you handle topics. Do you have any recs for fav media/books/tv shows/fanfics ? I guess I'm curious if there are any you think might have similar qualities/themes?

This is a tough one because basically everything I consume gets picked apart and reused in some way. However, I’ll give it a shot:

The Book Thief and I Am the Messenger by Markus Zusak. There’s quite a lot I like about Zusak’s use of language and have since 2007 when I read The Book Thief for the first time, and there’s something very cinematic and magical about I Am the Messenger (particularly in the chapter with the young track runner).

The Bone Clocks by David Mitchell. He’s most commonly known for Cloud Atlas, but he has an ongoing theme of vampires and cannibalism reappearing in his work (I just read Slade House for the first time while I was in quarantine) and there’s something deeply satisfying about the way that all of the disparate pieces come to fruition at the climax of The Bone Clocks. Not a perfect book, but deeply satisfying.

The Lacuna by Barbara Kingsolver. Again, she’s most commonly known for The Poisonwood Bible, but I liked that well enough to read The Lacuna in 2013, and I completely hated it for the first half of the book until finally something clicked in my brain and I activated the literary critic within, who doesn’t care so much about whether they enjoy something and more cares about how well something is done. The description of US American rationing during World War II really got me onto the novel’s side, if that makes sense; and I do love a good family epic, and while this only focuses on one protagonist instead of generations of them, it’s interesting in a similar way to The Bone Clocks where you see everything start to snowball together.

Literally anything by Ursula Vernon/T. Kingfisher. I particularly recommend The Raven and The Reindeer, which I read shortly after being diagnosed with my chronic illness and really helped me to understand the irrelevance of shame. There’s something very satisfying about saying “a reindeer doesn’t care if it smells bad, so I’m going to lean into that particular apathy and not allow a bully to take me down over it.” Something comforting about taking shelter in the animal and in survival, when you and your body are in one place and working on the same side, and it’s your brain that’s ready to give up first but your body will keep dragging you through because that’s what it does. Certain lines in Indelicate were inspired by her adaptation of Tam Lin in Jackalope Wives and other Stories (https://www.amazon.com/Jackalope-Wives-Other-Stories-Kingfisher-ebook/dp/B071946RLN). Lots of her short stories are available at this link for free: http://www.redwombatstudio.com/portfolio/writing/short-stories/

TV’s a little harder to unpack, since I don’t always think in terms of visual media, I tend to default to words first. Recently I’ve been enjoying New Amsterdam on NBC--it’s nice to see the radical socialist doctor doing his damnedest to secure the right thing--and Call the Midwife--similar reasons. There’s a lot about meeting someone where they are in both shows that I appreciate.

There’s also a lot of music that inspires my writing so I’ll have to dedicate a post specifically to that in my methods and materials.

Fanfic, though! Lots of my favorites, lots of genres. Here we go:

we are all stardust by synergenic (Losseflame) (https://archiveofourown.org/works/5682496) Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens, pairing Finn/Poe Dameron. Sexually explicit, but also leans a lot into physicality. You can probably see the influence on the very first chapter of Indelicate when Eddie’s waking up in pain and Richie’s at his bedside. It’s very much inspired by a similar sickbed scene here.

If They Haven’t Learned Your Name by silentwalrus (https://archiveofourown.org/works/6329503) Captain America/Marvel Cinematic Universe Steve Rogers/James “Bucky” Barnes. The holy grail of Steve/Bucky fanfiction. If you want independent character exploration, this is the place to go. Natasha shaving her head? Yes. Sam pleading with Steve to keep his shit together while thirty Koren grandmothers assume they are American celebrities? Yes. Bucky defiantly hunting down his sense of self while bingeing romance novels in a space ship? Yes. Pay particular attention to the Sam chapters, because they’re a beautiful way of defining Steve’s characterization from an outside perspective, and I’m trying to do the same with Eddie looking at Richie in Indelicate.

An Ever-Fixed Mark by AMarguerite (https://archiveofourown.org/works/8523001) Pride & Prejudice (Jane Austen) Elizabeth Bennet/Colonel Fitzwilliam, Elizabeth Bennet/Fitzwilliam Darcy. Soulmark AU. This is one of my longtime favorite fanfictions and what it taught me was cause and effect. The characters move the plot forward based on their assumptions and decisions. Definitely very helpful when I was writing TTHAEL by the seat of my pants.

You Can Keep Holding On by NorthernSparrow (https://archiveofourown.org/works/7233709) Supernatural Dean Winchester/Castiel. Sexually explicit. A lot of the summary I can give here is spoilers, but if you read this one through, you’ll be able to see the inspiration for the “Can you tell me where I can get another Eddie Kaspbrak?” scene in Indelicate.

Work of All Saints by antistar_e (kaikamahine) (https://archiveofourown.org/works/15006644) Coco (2017) Imelda Rivera/Héctor Rivera/Ernesto de la Cruz. Sexually mature. Oh my GOD this is a beautiful coming-of-age story set in turn-of-the-century Oaxaca, this is the best complete expansion of canon that I’ve ever seen; the author takes the pieces and runs with them and it is WONDERFUL.

Lycanthropic Studies by Eiiri (https://archiveofourown.org/series/575263) Harry Potter, Remus Lupin/Sirius Black canon-divergence AU. I very much enjoy the meditation on lycanthropy as a chronic illness and I sometimes reread this for comfort. Particularly early on Remus has a rant about how he’s sick and he’s always sick and his life doesn’t stop for it, despite holidays and birthdays he still has to deal with the consequences of his illness and take the devastating medication, and there’s a lot about that that speaks to me. I haven’t kept up with the series for some time, though.

Careful Truths by SassySnowperson (https://archiveofourown.org/works/12111966) Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, Bodhi Rook/Luke Skywalker canon-divergence AU. Sexually explicit. Honestly identity p!rn fics are a good inspiration for that third-person limited perspective I’ve been working on in Indelicate. Also I love love LOVE Bodhi Rook. It’s fun watching him run in circles trying to conceal his identity from Luke while completely oblivious to Luke doing exactly the same thing.

Stammtisch by chaya (https://archiveofourown.org/works/15060152) Critical Role: Season 2, Caleb Widogast/Mollymauk Tealeaf, AU. Sexually explicit. Long before Caleb actually leveled up enough to cast Mordenkainen’s Magnificent Mansion, chaya speculated about what kind of spaces he might create for each of his friends. I think it’s a very good resource for really condensing characterization down into lots of images and concepts and deciding what other characters know about them. The idea of making space for someone else is something that I lean into a lot when I write Ben, who’s the kind of man who will set himself on fire to keep those he loves warm, and even though Critical Role has far more material than even IT for determining characterization, and even though this particular moment has already occurred in canon--it’s just a wonderful homey story, and has the kind of found family vibes I like for the Losers as well.

I know that’s a lot to unpack there, but all of those fics are very good and I recommend reading any assortment that appeals to you. (Work of All Saints in particular you don’t have to be familiar with the source material beyond the basic premise; it stands on its own.) Thank you for asking, and thank you for reading!

[artoverchaos]

Kindle Vella Blog Hop!

Hello peeps! Can’t believe how much of 2021 is over, and how many new things there are in this strange world.

Speaking of new, I joined in with some great Kindle Vella authors for you all to check out and enjoy. Hope you’re having a wonderful day and find a new fav!

Forsaken Beauty and the Etherbeast by Kelsey Josephson Genre: Sci-Fi/Fantasy

A bookish strongwoman longs for freedom. A beast searches for a cure. Together, they’ll break man-made curses.

From The Author I have a deep love for Universal Monster movies, all things related to Nikola Tesla, and iced coffee. The first two things fuel my creativity and the latter keeps me motivated! You can check my other works on my website: simplykelseyjo.com/

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Beneath Gehenna by Benjamin X. Wretlind Genre: Dystopian Steampunk SciFi

After an alert goes out to the paying members of the disaster bunker known as New Eden, residents find themselves trapped between two vastly different worlds: one that preys on trauma and one that creates it. Now, a newly wealthy yet troubled man and his new friends must find a way to live with the Hell they bought or return to the Hell which remains.

About The Author Benjamin ran with scissors when he was five. He now writes, paints, uses sharp woodworking tools and plays with glue. Sometimes he does these things at the same time. You can read more at https://www.bxwretlind.com/ where, in addition to books and art, he writes blog articles focused (mostly) on writing.

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Death Date by B.Y. Simpson Genre: YA Dystopian

People tell you to live life to the fullest. Take your time. Don’t make rash decisions. I should have listened. Maybe it would have made a difference. Tomorrow is my eighteenth birthday. A day that’s supposed to be special. Eighteen years old means adulthood. Life is just starting. That’s how it used to be, years ago. Before our new society formed. Instead, I face uncertainty. My past sways the outcome. On this birthday, I will receive the most important gift. The gift of the date I will die.

From The Author: In addition to writing YA Dystopian, I also write YA Fantasy. You can check out more about my projects on Facebook. 

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A Forest of Stolen Memories by Callie Thomas Genre: YA Fantasy

Celebration turns to disaster when a mysterious curse goes awry. A reminder that the Sorcerer’s prophecy still plagued the royal family. Roselyn’s memory is suddenly erased, leaving her panicked at the altar. Confused, she flees to the place the prince fears most–the enchanted Mistbrooke Forest. Danger lingers closer than she can imagine, forcing her to seek help from a dark stranger who may be the key to recovering her lost memories. Can she break the curse without breaking her heart?

From The Author: 

A lot of inspiration for the forest descriptions in my story comes from the tropical island where I’m stationed: Okinawa, Japan. You can catch up with me on Facebook and Instagram. 

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We Own These Streets by Rose Sinclair Genre: Science Fiction

Victor and Iris aim to change a dangerous race to first place, that’s if they can survive the literal fast-paced profit motive.

The race is on… but can they ever stop?

From The Author: Thought this could be the fun little star on a map that says “You Are Here!” I’m no stranger to this genre, since this makes my third. But We Own These Streets tackles capitalism far more head on than the others, in a way that isn’t so depressing. _______________________________

Fight or Flight: A Cinderella Tale of Court Intrigue by Katie Holmburg Genre: Fantasy

The stories never tell of what happens after the Prince finds his Bride and Cinderella finds her ‘Happily Ever After’. What should be a happily ever after for Alyssa quickly becomes a game of survival as she tries to navigate a hostile court and those who are eyeing her position next to the prince.

Will she manage to win the game or will the strike of midnight only declare the beginning of her doom?

From The Author:

In addition to writing Urban Fantasy, one of the things I love to do is write fanfiction. You can check it all out here on my blog in addition to my original works.

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15 Saddles  Genre: Thriller/Romance

Tate and Claire are leaving Las Vegas. He wants to escape a crippled MC after their beloved leader is murdered. She wants to flee a dead-end job and “Mommy Dearest” mother–who suspiciously took her father’s place as the club’s new president. When she hastily agrees to a meeting with a man her mother hates, Claire’s thrown into a night of terror that derails Tate’s plans. Lies unravel…and sins are revealed. But will those secrets be bigger than the one they buried in the desert years ago?

From The Author: 

I live in Cincinnati and write the Darcy Walker mysteries and the Rivera and Gutierrez Novellas. www.instagram.com/ajlapebooks

_______________________________ An Operator’s Daughter

Genre: Coming of Age Romance, Family/High School Drama

Severe anxiety and sexual harassment, 17-year-old Ashton has to deal with both when jettisoned into a dysfunctional family and chaotic high school. Her father, a retired SEAL, is struggling with the death of his soulmate and loss of self-purpose, and refuses to provide a home for the two of them to share.

About The Author:

Laurie Anne Brandon writes fiction based on her experiences living in suburban Western Washington state and careers in sports television production, alpine ski instruction, secondary education, and military educational counseling. An Operator’s Daughter is her first work of serial fiction. Catch up on facebook! _______________________________

The 7th Whistleblower Genre: Mystery/Suspense/YA

Claire, a journalism student at Brunston University has stumbled onto quite a few secrets about B.U.s alumnae. Outing the culprits might not only destroy the guilty, but take down the innocent as well. Travel with Claire Richardson as she navigates a sticky trail of clues that will ultimately force her to choose between what is good and what is evil.

From The Author: 

Every since I was a young girl I absolutely loved watching Mystery and Suspense movies with my mother. The art of a story unfolding to reveal the larger picture inspires me to create characters whose curiosity pushes them to find the truth. Visit my Link Tree for more info! 

[newtcallsmetommy]

Heeey, here is my little wall of text I warned you about. 😅

Maybe if it's a bit to long I'm sorry and you don't have to answer if you don't want to but I think you deserve to know how much and what I like about your story already after one chapter. 💕

First of all I just noticed I already read a one shot of yours about the 2 am confession and I totally fangirled about it. God it was so cute. *o*

Well back to what I was meant to write: I love your writing style, the way you describe things, people or places, I could easily picture them myself (and I'm normally not creative so it has to mean something 😁) and your choice of words makes it easy to read. :)

About the story: I literally love everything about it. Every little detail. The way the gladers are sitting together and chatting, how you gave them all a little moment of appreciation. (Fry with the kitchen, Gally with the meeting hall or how Minho and Thomas are still runners or here explorers)

You even thought about the time they needed to get used to Gally again what matches so well with the movies.

The thought about Thomas having a "bad time" evertime he thinks about Newt broke my heart 💔😢

Minho is still a leader! *o*

Why did I had to think about "be careful, don't die" when I read the "look out for yourselves and the others, guys"? Was it intended or just me? 👀

I like how organized they are in moments of danger ^^

I love Lucy already *o*

First thing you hear from her is that she is insulting her boat and giving it a death glare 😂 and Jorge must be reminded of Brenda when he heard her 🤣

"angry eyebrows, dead set on protecting his home, tall, so Gally?" I'm laughing so damn hard. It's just perfect 😂

"Harriet lacing her fingers with Sonya's." 😍 (Whitch reminds me. In the movies there wasn't mentioned, Sonya and Newt being siblings. But I hope we get a Sibling moment and maybe a sweet mention from Newt about Sonya having a girlfriend 😱)

I love light Grey-blue eyes p.p

And the fact she "knows" them all?! Newt told her about them and she is happy to get to know them. Newt is trusting her and he is important to her. I know maybe I'm analyzing a bit to much but the thought makes me happy. ^~^

I'm curious about her backstory. 😯

The way she tries to explain the situation as considerate as possible makes her even more likeable.

"he is British, blond *hard fangirling*, got this limp *crying*, says 'bloody' a lot and rolls his eyes for a sport *dying bc of laughing*"

OMG I should really stop. I am SO sorry this got so long. I only wanted to write you how awesome you and your work are and now I wrote a novel about all my fav parts (which is half of the chapter 😥) I hope you read it anyways. :x But if you want me to not write that much just say it and I will never do it again bc if you DON'T maybe I WILL do it again next time 🤔🤭

I'm really excited for the next part. 💕

(and btw. you wrote English is not your native language, may I ask what/which language is?... Funfact it isn't mine neither so sry if there are a few mistakes or things I did wrong :x)

I woke up to this and honestly this made the start into my day so much better. Like oh my gosh this is such a sweet and wonderful comment thank you so so so much!!! 💖

I'm so happy you like my oneshot! It was one of my first attempts at writing after a long time so when people like it that's always extra special to me 😊

My writing style being able to paint pictures of things for you is an incredible compliment thank you so much! One of my main focus areas is on descriptions of places and people so to hear that works well is just great 💕

Yes I wanted to show what the Gladers are up to so I'm glad I seem to have succeded in giving them all their little moments! And trust me, writing about Thomas having a bad time broke my heart too 💔 But he will get more happiness back eventually, don't worry ☀️

Also omg I literally didn't realize but that sentence really has a similar vibe to "be careful, don't die." 👀 Thank you for pointing that out! I like putting little parallels to the movie/book into my writing occasionally so that you got the same vibe from that even if I didn't intend for it is amazing! 😄

I get such incredible joy everytime someone says they like Lucy! I put a lot of work into her and her story that we will see along the way. And yes lol she has some Brenda vibes, Jorge is probably already mentally adopting her 😄😂

I have one somewhat emotional moment written with Sonya, Harriet and Newt. I might sneak in one more scene with Sonya and Newt interacting like siblings (since I sadly won't give them back their memories in this)

And yes Newt does trust Lucy and he is incredibly important to her! You analyzed that completely correctly. And I'm happy you're interested in her backstory! We will get to know more about it as we go along and at one point it will become Important because I have something special planned for her but that's all the info I will give for now 🤗

And gosh you writing about your favourite parts of my fic honestly makes me so so incredibly happy you're more then welcome to do that whenever you feel like it 💖 Like genuinely thank you so much! 😊💕

My native language is German! And don't worry, your English is really good and I understood everything you wanted to say 😊

[golbrocklovely]

so i finished reading the boys book. i wanted to write down my thoughts about it, so if you've also read it (or just want to know my general feelings about it), feel free to message me !!

SPOILERS AHEAD

also it's gonna be really long bc i have a lot of thoughts. and i'm gonna rate the book at the end if that matters to you lol

so one of the main things that's brought up A LOT in the book is the boys not trying to judge trey and georgia, and honestly it is so annoying to me. idk why gaby wrote it like that, or if sam and colby insisted bc they sounded judgmental thru out the book, but good god the amount of times they talk about not wanting to be judgy, but then going ahead and judging two seconds later is way too much.

there's literally a part in the second chapter where colby says that he hates judgmental ppl, and then literally him and sam judge the rest of the book lmao

i think it's fine that they are judging thru out the whole book bc this situation that they are going thru is foreign to them, so you're gonna be questioning things a lot, i just... don't get why they wanted to say they're not judgmental as if that's the worst thing.

like you literally almost get sacrificed to the dark lord, i think it’s okay if you’re a bit of an asshole, sam and colby

i got annoyed when the boys got really into their philosophies early on in the book, but that's very on brand for them. they don't talk about 'living life to the fullest' and all that shit too much in the book, which is good bc honestly that would have been worse, but they do mention it.

personally, colby's chapters were funnier to read than sam's. maybe it's just bc colby's (kinda sorta) inner dialogue is something i relate to more, but i did find his chapters to be more interesting imo

the nature descriptions in this book are abundant and god knows how gaby was able to describe it as well as she did over and over again. that being said, it happens too many times. like, personally, i don't care about tropical nature, that's not my cup of tea, but if you love that imagery, cool beans and those parts must have been fun for you. but like for me, it was just kinda boring and redundant after a while. bc literally every time the nature was mentioned, it was going from 'oh it's really beautiful. no it's not beautiful, it's gorgeous. no it's ethereal. no it's heaven' and i was just like... we get it.

idk why, but maybe i didn't pay attention well enough, but the drama that happened with trey and colby didn't really feel like it got fully flushed out. like, i got the general idea that trey told colby that youtube was a dumb idea, but i feel like it would have been better to really express how much that hurt colby's feelings, and why that made him cautious to help or see trey.

them physically saying 'this experience is so crazy, we're gonna have to write a book about it'... was a bit too on the nose for me.

highkey, kinda loved the casual mention that sam and colby have smoked weed before, since this is something they both haven't said they've done. (granted we have all seen that one livestream where colby was literally high on an edible or whatever with prettyheartbreak aka my fav livestream of colby’s lol)

also, idk why, but it weirded me out that colby was so hyper-fixated on a mermaid statue of a 16 year old girl... it was just weird to me.

the build up to the spooky stuff took a while to get to, like almost a 100 pages, and i honestly thought half way thru that they were gonna leave the belle estate for good and all the spooky shit would happen afterwards

that being said, i think where the real experience stopped and the novel begins is the first time they left the belle estate. i just have hunch.

not technically book related, but the convo they had to have with alex about turning him into a bad guy must have been a fun lol

like i can literally imagine them asking 'would you be okay with betraying us in our novel?' and alex just being like 'yeah, 100% do it. i'm ready to sacrifice you guys already.' lmao

and my biggest gripe about the book (and also the hugest spoiler):

all the spooky shit they experienced was not real and was just a drug induced hallucination??? i call bullshit.

i think at times it would have been fine to mention that georgia drugged them, or even drugged trey to be compliant (like roofies or something like that), but to literally do the 'it was all a dream' thing except make it drugs... was such a huge let down. 

like, it was cool for a moment to be like, 'holy shit it's not real and she's gonna kill them bc she thinks it is, but she's actually just in a drug induced psychosis'. but the let down of all the ghost and spirits they saw were just bad trips??? i hate that. it was such a cop-out. it would have been so much better to just go full spooky and be like 'no, there's spirits but also we're high', you know?

random things that are extremely nitpicky but whatever i want to say them lol:

colby literally saying ‘w-t-f’ when the sacrifice is going to happen was the dumbest thing i’ve read. there were a couple times thru out the book gaby used internet lingo which was fine (i have no room to talk i literally use ‘i-d-k’ sometimes in actual conversation), but if i was about to be sacrificed, i’d be using every curse word i have in my vernacular lol

sam calling trey a ‘lucky fucker’ was not something i could see sam calling someone, but maybe that’s just me.

there were times it was extremely word heavy, which i know sounds stupid to say for a novel. but there were times that it just felt like gaby was trying to reach a word count, so she would just say every word she could think of. also things were just worded weirdly at times. idk how else to describe it, but if you read it, you probs noticed it too.

there was this one moment in the book i literally got lost at what the fuck was happening bc the boys were flip flopping between hallucinating and hating the belle estate and i was just confused as to what was going on. like, it’s fine for them to lose it, but you don’t need the reader to also be lost along the way.

i would have loved an epilogue of some sort. it felt like it ended too abruptly, so it would have been cool to have some sort of ending where maybe they make a video about the experience, no one believes them bc it’s insane, and then they get news that the belle estate burned down and that trey wasn’t found. or like maybe they get a letter that the belle estate was handed down to them or something like that.

kalani explaining everything to the guys felt a bit lazy. i’m not entirely sure how else gaby could have told all of that information to the audience and sam and colby but it was just weird to have some random person we’ve never met before know everything that was about to happen to them and why.

actual positives i have about the book bc i feel like i shit talked the whole thing:

the humor thru out was really good. how all four of the boys joke with each other felt really realistic and it added some nice touches to the darker scenes.

the gore of kalani having his heart ripped out of his chest was fucking terrifying and dope as shit. i literally went into this book thinking no one was gonna die besides whoever the bad guy was, but i was wrong and i’m impressed.

the hauntings and the descriptions of what sam and colby experienced were so cool and i really loved how she wrote it.

the internal monologue of sam and colby felt exactly like what i think they would sound like in their heads. i think she got a really good grasp at who they are and was able to dictate what they would sound like in a situation like this.

the one scene towards the end where colby was saying how much he loved sam... i literally almost cried.

my rating of the book: 3.5/5 stars

overall, there were parts to the book that i really did enjoy, but i have to take a step back and wonder that if i didn’t know who sam and colby were, would i have even read this book? i don’t usually read paranormal stories, but i have a few in my collection so i think i would have been drawn to the book bc of that. however, i don’t know if i would have understood who the boys were as ppl if i didn’t already know who they were before hand. also i feel like at times the story fell a little flat and for it to take almost 40% of the book to get to the actual haunting parts, i’m not really impressed by that. while i did like reading this book, it could have been a bit better.

please let me know what you think !! i would love to hear your thoughts/theories/commentary on all of it too :)

[e-vasong]

Animorphs

Leah Submitted:

So I remember picking the books up as a kid and I believe I read the first book but my library only had the first five (Ithink) ? But because of sewing stuff on Tumblr I found a pdf and am reading/rereading. (I’m on book thirteen)

Some thoughts:

- okay ik these books are known for dark/war themes but if these sciences weren’t written at a middle grade level and went into more detail they could be a fantastic horror series

-That said sometimes the writing goes really hard even for things other than the fights and such, like the description of the jungle/ fear as a worm? Viscerally impactful.

-These books are so 90s? It’s wierd buy also kinda cute?

-Speaking of cute Rachel/Tobias are really precious (Cassie and Jake too but Rachel is my fav and I really like Tobias as well)

- I’ve been listening to kids in the dark by all time low on loop while I read and I think it fits super well (“they left us alone”, “ a hill that’s quietly crumbling”, “dressed for the kill”, “ I see a falling star”, “wondering how we got so far” and “come to far to pretend we don’t miss where we started” to cite some lyrics) 

- I think the books are good but have alot of unfulfilled potential as well, they have good characters/neat powers/themes but the books are 70-ish pages max?! From what ik this doesn’t get much better due to ghost writers/not having enough time.

Oh my goodness! This made my day.  I am always excited to know what people are thinking about the Animorphs as they read/reread.

Yeah, the books are pretty short.  I think this is both an advantage and a disadvantage?  Like you said, it makes some themes/plot points feel like they could have expanded upon further.  But I think that it also serves well in that it makes the narrative feel very serialized? Which makes the war feel longer.  Which works, I think, in a series that is about guerilla warfare and a group of children fighting a losing battle against a more powerful force.

I agree about the unfulfilled potential.  There’s definitely some stuff that suffers for the fact that these books came out in the era where children’s lit was deeply mass-produced.  In terms of it getting better/not better, hm…  I think there’s some variation? For instance, the David trilogy, which happens at around the book-twenty mark, is fantastic. I remember The Reunion (which is…30-ish?) is also really good.  And the last ten books or so are tense as hell.  The Animorphs definitely suffers from the time crunch/mass production, but I would say that it’s pretty consistent across the board in the sense that it always does some things really well even as it underexplores other important details.  That said, the middle is definitely the weakest segment.

They ARE incredibly 90s and I love it with my whole heart.  I love these dumb 90s kids who hang out in the mall and walk through abandoned construction sites.

I love Rachel so much! (Though I love all the Animorphs lmfao.  Every single one of them owns my heart in one way or another.)

And oh, yeah!  I think the books never actually stop feeling like a kid’s series – I actually think they are perfect as kids books because they’re written simply but still deal with some really important themes. But they do go incredibly hard with the morphing descriptions, and even some of the stuff that’s glossed over is incredibly dark when you take a moment to think about it.

[dilfbatman]

tell me about your favorite books pls, I need new books to read :)

I LOVE YOU AND AM SO HAPPY SOMEONE ASKED HEHE and this is just gonna be a book rec bc i realized i don’t wanna give away massive plot points if anyone’s gonna read these books! if you want to wonder why a certain book is my fav w receipts lemme know and i could put plot warnings on the ask! :’) thank you!

—

- okay the best book in the history of the universe is the song of achilles by madeline miller! you fall in love w achilles through the eyes of patroclus and it’s such a genuine, unique, and emotional retelling of their myth - and let me tell you, this book is beyond beautiful w it’s imagery, dialogue, descriptions - it makes you feel DEEPLY and it made me cry for hours and i never stop thinking about it <3 it’s heartwrenching while being so stunning, you can feel the love, despair, infallibility, sorrow, humanity, trust, confusion, and hope that the characters feel and much more - highly recommend this book to anyone & everyone. it’s my favorite book of all time. my fav quote of all time aka “i feel like i could eat the world raw” is from here (and i will get it tatted!)

- madeline miller stays putting out classics so another book that’s a favorite of mine is circe - again there’s beautiful descriptions, you feel the confusion & rage of circe while also understanding why she did the things she did. she’s a sorceress and a titan and rebelled and this book includes a few characters from TSOA! there’s one like that mentions how patroclus was the best part of achilles and it shows the strength of women & circe is a multi-faceted character, as is everyone madeline miller writes!

- another great book following the vein of mythology is the confessions of a young nero by margaret george! i found out about it after madeline miller said it was amazing and i agree! it was a retelling of nero’s story and showed why he became the way he did and his life as a young ruler/king and included beautiful imagery & dialogue, trials and tribulations, manipulation and ruthlessness, and the ideals of innocence & youth! it was amazing and there’s a sequel to it as well that i have yet to read!

- you want some more amazingness? another beautiful and honest book is aristotle and dante discover the secrets of the universe by benjamin alire sáenz. this is my friend’s favorite book and she rec’d it to me and it was so amazing and heartfelt and made me emotional! it shows how ari came to terms w his identity and loving dante and there’s that scene of them kissing and you’ll know when you see it and it’s just <3 it’s a real and honest book and i highly recommend!

- y’all want a book that delves into magic and speaks of colorism, systematic oppression, and is overall a uniquely amazing book? read children of blood and bone by tomi adeyemi! it’s inspired by nigerian mythology and the main girl zélie is a badass and her magical powers are that of a reaper (able to command undead spirits) - listen this book is a whirlwind of magic, makes you introspective and angry at the oppression her & her people face, while also learning about sacrifice, strength, hope, & family. great book! there’s a sequel to it which i will also be reading!

these are my fav books ever, if you ever will read/have read these lemme know what you loved about it + what you look forward to reading about it! obvi i love pjo but that’s a series and i didn’t wanna include that LOL AND ALSO am i a dork if i email madeline miller about how much i love her books and how after reading an excerpt on her page about the myth of apollo & hyacinthus that i need a WHOLE book about that!!!!!!!????? madeline, girl, please do that and please put out merch/jewelry/busts/artwork/fanart/anything about TSOA babes i just need it <3

[soybeantree]

Writing Tag

tagged by the wonderful @prettywordsyouleft

Thank you Chelle! This was a lot of fun.  note: this was completed by hana. 

1. what is your ideal setting for focusing on your writing? I wish I knew this tbh. I haven't found an ideal setting yet that helps me block everything else out and just write. Currently though, my fav writing spot is my bed at like 9 o'clock at night.

2. what is your favorite genre to write? Fantasy is my fav to write. Though I realize I don't have a lot of fantasy stories posted. It's because my fantasy stories get really involved and long, so they not finished haha. Em would probably say angst because I end up writing that a lot.

em note: yes...yes i would 

3. do you prefer to write on paper, or digitally? Depends on my mood. I go through spurts where I only write digital and then it switches and I only write on paper. If I write on paper, I only write with pencil. My hand writing with a pen is a sloppy mess, and it upsets me to the point where I can't write.

4. it’s the middle of the night and you suddenly wake up with an idea. what do you do? Roll back over and go back to sleep telling myself I will remember it in the morning but I don't and then I get pissed at myself.

I will pretty much choose sleep everytime.

5. who is your favorite person to write about? I'm with Chelle Y/N haha

No, but I do have an OC which no one has met yet because her story isn't complete and I love writing her. Her name is Thea. Yall may meet her... maybe.

As for idols, there are a lot. I enjoy Baekhyun (though again no one has seen the story I have with him because it's the same as Thea's). His personality lends really well to my style of writing. And obviously Kyungsoo haha

6. do you like making your own characters, or do you usually write about real people? Cleary both because fanfiction. When writing Y/N I do tend to base the characters personality off myself or one of my friends as a starting point but eventually Y/N takes on a life of their own.

7. have you ever written a book, or a story with more than 15 chapters (or 100k words)? No... (the answer is yes but again it's the Thea story which is still under editting so I don't think it really counts. Also, there are some HP fanfics I wrote way back when but I never finished them so I'm not counting them either.)

8. how often do you get ideas? Near constant. Literally everything gives me ideas, but I am awful about follow through.

em note: seriously though - she is constantly talking about story ideas. car rides are the best for fleshing those out. 

9. do you ever get an idea that you really like, but just can’t seem to finish? Yes, a couple of the stories on this blog tooks years to complete because they weren't right and I couldn't fix them at the time, so I put them on the back burner until I could write them properly. I also have a lot of stories that are still on the back burner as I work to get them right.

I rarely give up on ideas that I truly love. They just may take a couple years before I can finish them.

10. what is your least favorite plot? Love triangles. I refuse to write them, and I often refuse to read them. Like if a description says anything about a love triangle I go nope and skrrt right past it. I always end up liking the one that the main person is not going to end up with and then I'm just sad and upset.

11. tag 5 or more people @dragonsfire​ @warmau​ @ cyphrgf @noona-clock​ @skydivingstars​

[lit--bitch]

Current-Reads (13/04/20 - 18/04/20) 🎺🐝

(Disclosure: I know one of the writers (Annie Dobson) I’m featuring in the current-reads this week through Writing Squad. I also know Tom Bland who runs Spontaneous Poetics but I don’t personally know the two writers whose work I’ve enjoyed on the zine. And I don’t know anybody else sadly, probably because I’m a loner and a loser). 

Here’s the standard preface: every Sunday without fail I throw up the freshest literature and photography I’ve read over the week, sometimes it’s a book, sometimes it’s a piece I saw in a magazine or an online zine, sometimes it’s something I saw on social media, etc. Sometimes I add ‘RECOMMEND’ next to a few of the titles, but that’s not to say I don’t recommend all of them, I just love some pieces more than others. C’est la vie. And any titles that you see in bold are hyperlinked so if you click or tap them they’ll direct you straight to the source... or shopping basket. 

Anyway I’m just gonna get right into it. 

So this week I’ve been reading C.C. Hannett / kmwgh’s Lockdown Life and Charles Theonia’s Two Poems on Queen Mob’s Teahouse, I’ve read Haibun/Uncertainty/A Promise To Your Clothes from Jane Burns on Spontaneous Poetics and I flipped right back to September 2019 and re-read E.A.B’s have a wank because it’s fitting advice for our current predicament. I’ve returned to Patrick Süskind’s Perfume and I’ve been falling in love with Ariana Reines’s The Cow all over again, (whose new collection, A Sand Book, I’ll be reviewing in a few weeks time). Also been reading Annie Dobson’s Before The Ghost Town on the Writing Squad’s Staying Home series which boasts brilliant work. I can never get over how many amazing writers there are in the world. I’ve also discovered a new photographer with a brand new book out from Palm* Studios, Molly Matalon’s When a Man Loves a Woman. 

***

E.A.B’s have a wank, Spontaneous Poetics (21/09/2019): I keep going back to this specific piece because this poem makes you feel like you’re stood outside the John Snow in Soho, completely wasted, having a cig with a friend who’s also pissed up too. That’s the feeling I get from E.A.B’s work. She’s memorable and familiar and probably has a decent right hook. This poem is short, succinct, and means exactly what it means. I love work that is entitled quite plainly, in a way doesn’t subvert expectation—it’s tongue-in-cheek and funny. It’s also pretty good advice for when you’re in the midst of a global pandemic... or a personal crisis, I’m not sure what the difference is anymore. She also has another one up on Spontaneous Poetics, which is equally brilliant, blue balls at the end of humanity. 

Jane Burn’s Haibun/Uncertainty/A Promise To Your Clothes, Spontaneous Poetics (17/04/2020): This is a deeply sad poem eclipsed by grief and time’s relentless push and pull. It also has some absolutely beautiful personification, and it’s in the description of these vernacular objects that you really feel the subject’s hurting. ‘You’ is so empowering here, because it attempts to universalise the reader’s accessibility to the ardour of experience in this work, but is equally an attempt to sever the writer’s ‘You’ from themselves as ‘I’. This poem tells us that some pain is so painful, we can never fully accept that it has been ours to bear. 

Annie Dobson’s Before The Ghost Town, Staying Home from The Writing Squad (RECOMMEND): I’m not saying this just to be kind, all of the work on Staying Home is absolutely brilliant (discluding my own work, I promise I’m not that full of it) but Annie’s piece happened to be one of the first I read and I still think about it. Annie probably doesn’t know this but I stalk her writing. I’m her big fat secret admirer. Quintessentially British, her work smacks of kitchen-sink realism and cherry chapsticks you get in the chemist’s. I always get a noughties vibe from Annie’s writing, I always know what she’s on about. She doesn’t make the banality of life mystical, she treats the ordinary as well, just ordinary, and that’s magical enough anyway. Before The Ghost Town is a mish-mash of genres, it’s an essay but it’s a thought piece but it reads like a diary-entry and is formatted like poetry in some places. More than anything it’s a document on civilisation in Lewisham during the Covid-19 pandemic, and how full the world is still despite the reductive effects of a worldwide crisis. It’s a political critique on how fucked the UK government is, and how community is still one of the most valuable things we have in a world that is trying to make you fight over the last bag of fucking bread flour. It’s honest and sad and retrospective. It’s also filled with promise. I absolutely loved it. 

Molly Matalon, When a Man Loves a Woman: For a long time I shot pictures of men on 35mm to 120mm. I often felt strange doing it. I was used to the dogma of typical male politics; boys don’t cry, having a tough dad, penis envy, etc. It didn’t interest me anymore; the object of masculinity in its most vulnerable, in its deepest sensitivities was the impetus behind my desire to photograph men. Molly Matalon takes pictures of men I wish I had taken. But I don’t think she reverses the power dynamics, per se, although you can absolutely make the case for this, even argue her work is a case for the female gaze. But for me, she strips away these typical power dynamics, she doesn’t polarise herself as the subject, or the object. I don’t see tensions between sexes in these images. I see vulnerability, I see trust, I see relationships. I see men just as worthy of depiction as flowers, as fruits. I feel softness, I feel curves. The photographs in When a Man Loves a Woman are works of of idealisation of woman is implied by man, man as woman, woman as man, the fragile unity in these two creatures, and their reciprocations. She’s absolutely one to watch. 

Ariana Reines, The Cow (RECOMMEND): Ariana Reines is a writer so dear to me, that I can’t really contain in words just how much impact she’s had on me. I salute Elizabeth Ellen (a wonderful writer, and an editor at HOBART magazine in Los Angeles) who, one day, was moving apartments and very generously sent me a box of books all the way from the USA to my parents’ house in Manchester. In that box amongst many books lay Tiqqun’s Theory of the Young-Girl translated by Ariana Reines, and her debut collection, The Cow. So if it wasn’t for Elizabeth, I wouldn’t have read any Ariana Reines until probably much later on in life. At least, I’d like to think I’d have come across Ariana at some point anyway. 

The Cow was published in 2006 by my all-time fav magazine/publisher, Fence. The Cow isn’t poetry, isn’t prose, it’s not an essay, it’s just not any genre at all. And the fact you can’t categorise it is just really is emblematic of Ariana Reines as a writer, because she doesn’t redefine the dimensions of genres, she fucking blitzes them up in a big genre-food-processor. The Cow is the mythologisation and de-mythologisation of the woman as cow. It is the consumption and defecation of woman as cow. It is a lamentation. It is raw. It is beastly. It is thoughts and statistics and menstruation and abbattoirs. It is a dark work of art, and it’s one of the most beautiful, angry and strong texts I’ve ever read. It’s one of those books I think about often. I’d be engrossed on London tubes re-reading this over and over. It’s absolutely everything. 

Patrick Süskind, Perfume (RECOMMEND): Ah, the mothership. Patrick Süskind is... one of a kind. I borrowed the book from my best friend James and after reading it, I read it again. I still haven’t given back James’s copy (which I really need to), and I recently bought a UK first-edition of Perfume so now I can say it’s on my bookshelf. Reading Perfume is an intoxicating experience... I guess it’s because of the way Süskind writes about smell, and he writes about it so vividly that, for me at least, it can induce olfactory hallucinations. It’s not just about the story of a murderer with a superhuman power for scent, it’s about our relationship with different smells we come across throughout our life, their pungency and their ability to kind of tattoo our memory. You can recall scents in a way that you might not be able to with sounds. I don’t remember fully the way my maternal grandmother sounded, she passed when I was a little girl, but I still know her smell. It’s Youth Dew and sweets. Perfume induces sensations and memories in me. It’s a text I go back to time and time again. 

C.C. Hannett / kmwgh’s Lockdown Life, Queen Mob’s Tea House (03/04/2020): Queen Mob’s Tea House is a new fav of mine and their zine kind of reminds me of the Richmond Tea Rooms in Manchester’s Gay Village. They’re a bit Alice in Wonderland, a bit occult, a bit down-the-rabbit-hole, pink and sparkly, with black lace. If that description of the zine borders on pretension then, sorry. I have zine synaethesia. So these poems from ‘C.C. Hannett / kmwgh’ (I’m not sure I understand the name) were awesome little tidbits on living through a global pandemic. An ellision of pop culture, absurdity and tenderness. A reminder that we will never get this time back, and that if you’ve got the luxury of being with your loved ones right now, cherish it. I also really loved the last line of this guy’s bio, no social media handles or website, just: “You can find him if you want to.” Lol. 

Charles Theonia, Two Poems, Queen Mob’s Tea House (24/05/2017) (RECOMMEND): I loved both of these poems but I mostly wanted to talk about ‘shame’. I enjoyed ‘shame’ for its density—it’s a single block paragraph—the format has a weight to it, like that of feeling shame. I know this was published in 2017, basically I was just surfing the zine’s website and clicked on Queen of Pentacles (I was intrigued bc I read Tarot) and this was the  latest entry on there. I enjoy the bluntness and conversational-ism of these two pieces, but I particularly loved ‘shame’ for the way it unpacks shame as a multi-faceted, festering spawn that drags you under, and under, and under. Its resonance is powerful. 

*** Anyway that is enough from me zis week. Next Friday I’m reviewing Charlotte Geater’s poems for my fbi agent which is again from Bad Betty Press. Stay safe, eat cake. xxxxxx

[waterfallwritings]

11/11/11 Tag Game x3!!

I was tagged by @sunlight-and-starskies @eldritch-hollow and @maple-writes AGES ago, so here’s answers to 33 questions!

1. What are your characters theme songs if any?

My characters don’t have theme songs or songs at all attached to them, it’s not something I do.

2. What inspired your WIP?

My love of the ocean, and of mythology, a bit of @quilloftheclouds ‘s wip OSS, and idk I just really wanted to write a sea creature ocean pirate-y WIP.

3. Who is your personal favourite OC? Why?

Ughhhhh I don’t know!! This is such a hard one for me and the answer changes all the time. I love Lorelai cause there’s so much to her, but Adrian is my loveable not a dumbass dumbass, and Morgan is awesome and full of ‘tude.

Yknow what? My *new* fav OC, maybe not absolute favourite but definitely my new favourite, is Nicodemus Galanis!! He’s pompous and smug and fancy but has a secret soft spot and a secret of his own and he gets a wonderful complex story arc and I enjoy his backstory and just ugh. I love him.

4. What’s your favourite line of dialogue from your WIP?

“Next time, don’t disturb a witch’s things.” Cause it’s such a dramatic moment in context but she just suddenly gets a sarcastic sugar coated voice and it’s just such a great scene and this line is my fav.

5. When did you start writing?

In general? Elementary school. Seriously? High school. This WIP? Like idk a month or two ago??

6. What is your favourite book?

Dont have one, can’t choose. Too indecisive and I don’t read enough these days. #cop out answer

7. Which OC has the most tragic backstory?

Lorelai, easily.

8. What about your writing are you most proud of?

Oof. Uh. I’m pretty proud that I basically finished a whole novel (Scarlet Secrets) at 17years old and I’m proud that despite everything I keep writing. I keep coming back to it, always, eventually. No matter what. And I enjoy my flowery descriptions :)

9. Favourite type of setting to write about?

Hmm. Maybe forests. Or. I mean c’mon. Oceans alllllllllllll the way, and seaside towns.

10. What is your favourite word?

I. Don’t. Have one?

11. What do you do when you have writers block?

Take a break, do other things, write other things, talk it out with a friend, brainstorm ideas with someone.

———————

1. What was your favourite childhood story?

Anything Magic Tree House.

2. What is one book or story you’d like to see made into a movie?

I’m pretty obsessed w @brynwrites Our Bloody Pearl atm, so that.

3. What is your ultimate goal as a writer?

To really love my finished products and see a published book with my name on it on a bookstore shelf.

4. If you could live in one book universe which would it be and why?

Uhhh. Idk. God I need to read more. Sorry!

6. Have you ever abandoned one of your works? Why?

Oh yeah. Yup. First that comes to mind is the first several chapters of a zombie apocalypse story where all of the main characters were based on me and my friends. I lost interest, and all of those friends either drifted out of my life or betrayed me so like. I didn’t really want to write them anymore.

7. What time of day or night do you write?

Literally whenever I have the motivation to do it. So any and all times or never.

8. What is your fav genre of fiction and why?

Fantasy!!!!! Realistic fiction is also pretty good. I just love dragons and mermaids and mythical creatures and magic and just all of it YES.

9. What genre do you hate/avoid and why?

Romance novels. I need more to the story than just pining. Romance plus other things is great but not nothing but romance.

10. If you could meet any publisher author who would it be?

Erin Hunter.

11. What do you listen to while you write or do you like silence?

Silence if I need to focus, my high energy music if I don’t want to write and need to push through, music that matches the mood if it’s sad or creepy or angry.

————————

1. How long have you had your WIP idea for?

Not very long. Basically since a few days before I started writing it.

2. If given the choice would your OCs choose time travel or teleportation?

Lorelai: time travel definitely. She got shit she’d want to fix.

Morgan: time travel

Adrian: teleportation

Miles: teleportation

Nicodemus: teleportation

Adva: time travel

3. Are your OCs more extroverted or introverted?

Morgan is an introvert, Lorelai is on the fence probably introvert but hides it well, and everyone else is an extrovert.

4. Do your OCs prefer sweet or savoury foods? Can they make any of these foods themselves?

Hmmm....

Sweet: Lorelai, Miles, Adrian (he’ll go crazy the first time he has sweet human food)

Savoury: Morgan, Nicodemus

Miles can cook and bake! And Nico can cook some things, but not a lot. The rest can’t cook at all.

5. If they could take any vacation/trip anywhere, where would your OCs like to go?

Ahhhh. I think Lorelai and Nico would *adore* a trip together to tour either Greece or Rome. Adrian would pick the Caribbean, Morgan is a toughie though. Maybe Australia? And honestly Miles would just choose to go back and visit his mom.

6. How do your OCs feel about animals? Do they have or want any pets?

Morgan and Adrian originally lived with and around marine animals and ate fish. Adrian is fascinated by land animals and Morgan doesn’t care for them. Neither would ever keep a pet. Miles loves animals and would LOVE to have a big dog as a pet. Lorelai? .... She’s a bit too busy, yknow, being a sea witch, hunting monsters, plotting revenge.. she’s neutral on all fronts here.

7. How do your OCs feel about pineapple on pizza?

Loves it: Adrian, Miles

Hates it: Morgan, Lorelai

Thinks it doesn’t belong on pizza: Morgan

8. There’s a $20 bill on the sidewalk. What do your OCs do?

Miles: pick it up and find the owner. Can’t? Give it away.

Adrian: not even notice it

Morgan: doesn’t care

Lorelai: snatches it and keeps it for herself

9. Do your OCs like children?

Miles: YES

Adrian: YES

Morgan: secretly, yeah a little. If we’re talking about humans. Love love loves seal pups.

Lorelai: not really

10. What kind of stories/genres do your OCs like?

Lorelai: action. Secretly? Romance and comedies.

Morgan: fantasy

Miles: fantasy, realistic fiction, romance

Adrian: documentaries and like basically everything

11. Would your OCs lie to protect someone else’s feelings?

Morgan: yeah, she actually does very early in the story. She has to really care about the person tho, which is kinda rare.

Adrian and Miles: YESSSS

Lorelai: early in book? Nope. For no one. End of book tho?... yeahh.

And sorry but I’m not tagging 33 people!

[soldiermom1973]

Writing Questionnaire

The lovely @alyssalenko tagged me for this ages ago.  Fortunately, I kept the tab open to remind myself to get it done.  I’m sorry it took so damn long.

Short stories, novels, or poems?

Short stories (one-shots) seem to be my forté.  I have several longer stories started, but none are finished because I lose focus & my muses seem to hate me.

What genre do you prefer reading?

Horror or thriller. Stephen King, Dean Koontz, and James Patterson are my favorite authors.

What genre do you prefer writing?

I’m comfortable with romance.

Are you a planner or a write-as-I-go kind of person?

Both.  I’ll get an idea in my head and plan on where I want it to go and what things should happen along the way, and my muses will be like, “Um, no.  How about this instead?” as I’m writing.

What music do you listen to while writing?

I don’t usually listen to music as I write.  I’ll hear stuff that gives me ideas and once in a great while I’ll put that song on loop while I write it, but that’s only happened 2 or 3 times.

Fave books/movies?

Books: I honestly don’t have a favorite book.  There are books that I’ve enjoyed reading, but none that I’d really say was a favorite (unless you’re talking about books from my childhood that are favorites for nostalgia’s sake).

Movies: LOTR, Hunt for Red October, Predator (the first one, with Ah-nuld), The Meg, Spaceballs

Any current WIPs?

How much time do you have?  There’s my Shenkrios OT3 Virmire Survivor that’s been languishing for way too long.  There’s my ME/DA crossover that I pulled from AO3 with every intention of reworking & haven’t yet.  I’ve also got stories started for Fallout NV, 3, and 4 as well as several for ME and DA that are just languishing in my google drive.

If someone were to make a cartoon out of you, what would your standard outfit be?

Jeans, sneakers, t-shirt, and my N7 hoodie.

Create a character description for yourself:

Average height, short dark hair, round-ish glasses and a little bit of a belly because my diet sucks and I don’t exercise.  She constantly worries about being a burden or bothering other people while also wondering if she does enough to help others out.  Money’s tight, but she never complains about it (other than to lament not being able to commission artwork or support her faves on Patreon)

Do you like incorporating people you actually know into your writing?

I don’t do it often enough.

Are you kill-happy with characters?

No.  Not usually.

Coffee or tea while writing?

Neither.  Not while writing.  I use my laptop while I sit in my rocker.  I tend to drink bottled soda or a glass of sweet tea; if I drink a hot beverage, I have to sit it on the floor by my chair & it doesn’t stay hot for long that way.

Slow or fast writer?

I can crank out over 500 words in 15 minutes, so when I’m in the groove, it gets done in a hurry.  If the ideas aren’t there, though, it can take forever.

Where/who/what do you find inspiration from?

From the songs I listen to, artwork or photos I see, or some desire for a movie/video game to have taken a different road.

If you were put into a fantasy world, what would you be?

A healer.  Definitely someone who isn’t front and center or doesn’t have to worry about leading or making the big decisions.  I’d be a good sidekick, good for teasing banter, solid advice, and good friendship.

Most fave book cliche? Least fave book cliche?

Least favorite: Convenient plot devices.  Having just the tool someone needs be in just the right place at just the right time (Honestly, Traynor’s toothbrush in the Citadel DLC, while cute, bugs the shit out of me).

Fav: Slow burn romances where two (or more) people dance around their feelings for each other, often times thinking the other one doesn’t like them or would never see them as more than a friend.

Fave scenes to write?

I LOVE writing the moments where all the feelings come crashing in, whether it’s with smut and feelings or feelings and cuddling. just something with emotions and sensations, honestly.

Most productive time of day for writing?

I’m a night owl, so you’ll seldom see me working on something before the sun goes down.

Reason for writing:

Sometimes the ideas just won’t leave me alone until I write them.  I write for validation - it’s nice to know I’m not the only one who thinks I wrote something worth sharing.   I write because something in a game didn’t play out the way I wanted it to.

I’m not sure who to tag since the people I would have already were, so if you want to do this, just tag me so I can read your answers.

[ja-khajay]

Hi! I was wondering: what do you think about ESO in terms of lore? I've seen some people hating the game because "Cyrodiil was a jungle" and such, and as a Half-Life/Portal fan I don't understand people so violently putting "canon" above playability. I've only played TESV and ESO so I wanted to know from someone with more knowledge and you also seem to be a rational person. Have a nice day!

Hello! I tend to be very big on lore - after all, I got into teslore before getting into the actual games. I however do not really blame devs for some inaccuracies, the lore for tes is absolutely huge and retcons itself constantly, so minor problems I’m fine with.

I see a lot of hate for ESO in tes fan circles online and how it’s an abomination who murders the good established canon for it’s greedy horrible gameplay, and I disagree with it. ESO is a huge game and did wonders in furnishing it’s world with stories and other trivia. My opinion of it is majorly good (as my 3k+ hours on it can probably tell lmao) but I do have some nitpicks.

First of all...the “crown lore”. ESO has this neat little thing or adding a lore description to it’s items. Crown (cash store for those who dont play ESO) store items also have them and some people will count them as canon. However, if I like the fact they’re relating fancy cosmetics to ingame places and history, the descriptions remain an often shoddy polish that’s added above the big edgy wolf mount they’re trying to sell. I don’t like counting these as cold hard canon lore. I don’t like when people brandish them as a strawman of ESO being shite either.

Second of all, there’s some choices ESO made that kind of tamed down the lore? I understand why they woudln’t want to portray weird shit especially in the base game where it was hard to implement, but it really does feel like some cultures were nerfed from the strange early Tamriel histories to Just Normal because of how everyone joined the alliances. Recently Summerset was a big dissapointement, and even if they remain one of my absolutely favorite races, Bosmer feel like they skipped over how chaotic the people are. (even if it’s probably a good thing when i see how mind boggedly racist r/teslore writes any tamriel “tribal” culture)

And as a final......Morrowind and everything that came after ESPECIALLY including the thrice cursed clockwork city DLC. It’s not a secret that almsivi are among my fav characters, and OG Morrowind remains to this day my most treasured tes game. But it really feels like since the vvardenfell expansion came out, they stopped writing out lore to be creative and started cashing out on tesIII nostalgic fanboys instead. Good for buisiness since morrowind elitists were big on hating on ESO when it launched but oh god does it make for bad writing..they mischaracterize almsivi and clockwork city outright felt like a cringy mess. Here’s a great post that sums up what I hate about it pretty much.

But enough for the bad, time for the good and there’s a lot of it so list format we go :

spotlights for every race, including most excellent ones like argonians and redguard who have big lack of content in tes games

they dug back stuff from enemies to books from older games like daggerfall

the items you steal and quest items all have lovely little descriptions that detail life for tamriel inhabitants in such a good nice simple way that would be hellish to implement

I personally found the MQ boring as hell but the sidequests in vanilla have very fun and interesting tidbits

the Orsinium DLC who i owe my soul to

Maw of Lorkhaj bringing great insight into khajiit religion despite being a raid most people come to to farm. Khajiit are the best and every text and dialog option found in that goddamn dungeon is amazing

craglorn, Ra Gada and Celestials, which I don’t believe to have popped up before ESO. I haven’t finished that zone but i have a great fondness for the lore it introduced

same for the Reach

In your ask, you mention canon over playability and it plays a big big role in how ESO handles lore. ESO is not an elder scrolls game. It’s an MMO set in tamriel. How elder scrolls handle lore cannot be achieved in ESO, due to how they have to format the dungeon and quests to fit multiplayer. The MQ is weak because of that, but strong in how it justifies how your character interacts with the world. Yes there is less to explore and talk about because NPCs don’t have much dialog, but the quest dialog we have is written way better than what TES games usually do...Etc, etc etc. I don’t really have a definite opinion on ESO’s lore, it changes at each new expansion, and varies hugely depending on the zones (and my personal biais too. fuck bretons) but I will continue pissing upon people blindly insulting the game’s writing. It’s nice!