#standalone book

[maxalotlxl]

Five Survive by Holly Jackson

5 Stars.

If you want a quick but tense thriller that makes you stay up late at night because you just have to find out the ending. Then read anything by Holly Jackson I guess. I really enjoyed GGGTM and thought I'd pick up Five Survive before continuing the series.

When a group of friends go on a road trip for spring break and found themselves stranded on a off road at night, it only got worse when a sniper starts demanding that one of them have a life changing secret that they must give up if the rest of them are to survive.

I did start and finish this book in the same day, as like I said above I just stayed up wanting to know what happened next. I'm excited to see the rest of GGGTM and anything else Holly Jackson releases.

March 7th.

[pjo-hoo-toa-freakazoid]

I made a discovery

If I’m correct I will literally cry

[offonaherosjourney]

PoV: You just finished reading Yumi and the Nightmare Painter

[bonefall]

For the cat who takes out Juniperclaw, maybe if any of Leafstar's kits are still alive besides Harrybrook (or just him idk how you characterize any of the three), perhaps one of them would go with it? Leafstar might not have liked "an eye for an eye" and she'd probably teach them it's wrong to seek revenge, but I do think one of them can be talked into it, in the name of SkyClan and Leafstar. Make it more personal when Juniperclaw is told who they are in relation to the cat he killed, making it click in his head what is about to happen.

Oooo, great idea, I GOTTA do that... hmmm. Much as I wish I could cash in another chip for Firefern, since I adore her name, it's gotta be Harrybrook.

In-canon, his character is consistently harsh and distrusting and he's got it even worse in BB. It could be like his mother is the only thing actually holding him back. If anyone is going to end up being Waspstar's "Cleaner," it absolutely has to be him.

Harrybrook: We had a good thing, you stupid son of a foxheart! We had Leafstar, we had a camp, we had everything we needed and it all ran like woodwork! You could have shut your mouth, hunted, and caught as much prey as you ever needed. It was perfect! But no! You just had to blow it up! You, and your pride and your ego! You just had to be the man! If you’d known your place, we’d all be fine right now!

A little recap of BB!Harrybrook, since it's been a while since I've mentioned him or any of his fragments;

Harrybrook is the son of Leafstar, Echosong, and Billystorm.

SkyClan does not have the Cleric's Vow.

This is because SkyClan was exiled at the beginning of the Ripple Era; before Larkstripe's Strike which resulted in the unofficial vow being codified.

it is actually a positive in their culture if their Cleric previously raised kittens. Echosong probably did have other litters in her long life.

Echosong is also alive to the current arc; Frecklewing joined with The Kin. Fidgetflake is still around, but he's probably still the "junior" Cleric of sorts.

Important point being that Harrybrook has personal stake in SkyClan's unique customs. His only surviving parent is a Cleric.

I wouldn't be surprised if this is what makes him such an effective killer. He has a knowledge of poisons and anatomy.

All cats know where the carotid artery is, they find it all the time when they put the killing bite in the wrong spot. Habr knows where else a single blow can bleed you out.

As a little kitten, he was named after Harry, who helped to save his mother.

What no one knew at the time was that Harry was being courted by an ancient monster. Sol, the God of Autumn, Change, and Tricks, wanted to play a game.

The rules were simple; Sacrifice three kits.

Sol wanted to see how far Harry, once baring the name Cinders, would go in pursuit of the power it could offer him. Sol HATES a boring vessel.

Harry JUMPED at the chance, offering two of his own kits as the last one got away. He just needed one more.

SkyClan almost tempted him into tucking his ambition away. Here, he was safe and accepted for the first time... but his desire for power won out in the end.

Sol offers immortality, the ability to mould reality like clay, the whole world could be Harry's toy.

(WIP SECTION)

In some way, Sol was able to manipulate Billystorm. I'm still working out how severe this manipulation was.

He likely got to Leafstar too. Possibly intentionally driving a wedge between them-- convincing Billystorm that SkyClan was unsafe and he'd raised the kits more than either his mate or his mate's girlfriend. He had a right to keep them safe, even if that meant taking them from everything they'd ever known.

And to Leafstar, he told her Billystorm was plotting against her. That she needed to be as firm with him as she is with the cantankerous Sharpclaw. If she's not, he might take those kittens back to his humans, and who knows what they'd do?

In any case, a fight between them causes Billystorm to leave. I'm not sure if I'm keeping Leafstar exiling him.

(Note: I don't really like how either character acts in the canon story. Or the framing. Or... anything about it really. It's bad Todd.)

In the past, I'd made it so Billy ended up trying to take the kids to his human, and then the human was the one who decided to get rid of the kits. INSTEAD it works a LOT better if Billystorm went back to his humans, and Harry then used this as a lure to get the kittens out of camp.

"Let's go visit your Ba, kittens. I know where he is. Just follow me."

While living in the town, Billystorm meets up with the child of Harry who got away, and learns that they've all been set up.

Billystorm deserves to go run save his kids and punch a God in the face I think.

DAYLIGHT WARRIOR MORE LIKE LIGHTS OUT WARRIOR! KAPOW!!

(Much as I will miss the gutpunch brutality of Billystorm realizing that his human can't be trusted. I'll just use the idea someplace else.)

(WIP SECTION END)

Stormkit was unable to be saved. There was only Firefern and Harrybrook.

Harry has been terrified of water since then. It represents everything awful that's ever happened to him.

He doesn't even like when it rains. Storms always seem to bring terrible things.

Firefern ended up dying on the journey to the Lake. I'm leaning towards changing it to infection, during the time that Echosong is missing (taking Frecklewing's arc).

Her other mother wasn't there to help her, and she died of something preventable. Something Harry knows she could have healed.

Harrybrook hates his name. I think he was too quiet about it, though, to the point where his family wasn't aware of it.

They probably figured it was overwriting Harry's memory. It's Harrybrook's name now, instead. Harry just feels like it's a reminder of being tricked.

I think at one point he should get an honor title, but I'm still working it out. He might just be keeping Harrybrook as a grim reminder.

If it's him who kills Juniperclaw, I know for a fact he'd take Waspstar's orders very seriously; "Please be discreet and professional." It's only mostly personal, you see. More importantly, this is for SkyClan.

Leafstar wouldn't have approved. But she's not here now.

He'd quietly intercept Juniperclaw as he approaches the camp, standing in his way, looking him up and down without a twinge of emotion on his face. Juniperclaw's hackles are raised immediately. He lived with SkyClan before Heartstar reformed ShadowClan-- everyone knows who Harveybrook is.

"I've- I've come to pay my respects," He says proudly, standing tall and noble. Even after that he did, he has the boldness to hold himself as a brave warrior. What he knows he did, and to who he's talking to. Harrybrook shouldn't fault him for not knowing how arrogant he comes across-- but does anyway.

"Yes, we've been expecting you," He flicks his tail and dips his head respectfully, "Right this way."

The trail doesn't lead to camp.

When Juniperclaw begins to realize that they're taking a strange path, he just waves it away as an odd feeling. It's been a while since he's been here, after all. But the tickle doesn't go away. It gets stronger and stronger, until he recognizes the northern border of what used to be ShadowClan's full range.

And that's when he halts, "Where exactly are you taking me?"

"Not any further if you don't want to," Though Harrybrook's eyes are wide like he's about to pounce on prey and his massive body is buckled low, prowling, sizing up the distance between them, his tone is soft. Like he's gently explaining something to a fellow warrior. "This would be far enough."

The ex-deputy swallows on a dry throat, frozen in place. Harrybrook relaxes his stance. Juniperclaw seems to be very good at taking orders, just like he is. He knows exactly what to do to keep this discreet and professional.

"If you'd like, we can finish the long walk. It's a place my mother used to like. It has flowers, butterflies, it's a lovely haven," He relaxes his stance, meeting Juniperclaw's terrified eyes with a calm, dutiful look.

The panic distills into a resolve. Like something clicked in his mind, and he was coming to one of those unspoken conclusions that these Forest Four cats all seem to have figured out between them. "All right. I... I think I know the haven you're talking about. We can have our fight there. There's no need to make a scene."

Harrybrook's ear flicks, but Juniperclaw doesn't see it as he brushes past him. It seems he misunderstood what this is. He thinks this is an invocation of the Right to Challenge. That this is going to be a fair fight between warriors.

It's the last mistake he ever made. But he doesn't feel a thing. Back turned to his killer, he hears the snap before he learns in StarClan that it was the sound of his own neck.

[comfortablynumb]

I’VE SAID THIS COUNTLESS TIMES AND I’LL SAY IT AGAIN:

- NICO IS SO DEPRESSED AND IRON DEFICIENT THAT HE COULD LITERALLY SLEEP FOR DAYS ON END AND STILL WAKE UP TIRED

- WILL PUMPS HIMSELF FULL OF CAFFEINE AND GOES DAYS WITHOUT SLEEPING BECAUSE HIS SAVIOR COMPLEX CAUSES HIM TO FEEL GUILTY WHENEVER HE LEAVES THE INFIRMARY FOR MORE THAN A COUPLE HOURS

- NICO GETS WILL TO SLEEP AND WILL GETS NICO TO WAKE UP AND GO OUTSIDE

thank you for coming to my tedtalk :)

[one-bunny-a-day]

27/11/2023

[loupy-mongoose]

How could Clover's skirt cause pain to her broken tail in that scenario?

Warning: Discussion of injury and self-mutilation ahead, as well as SPOILERS (I'd call it minor, or at least non-detailed) for the Guardians of Ga'hoole book, "The Rise of a Legend".

I'm not thinking so much that the skirt itself causes pain. Although having the skin pull on the injured spot might hurt a little.

I'm thinking more like a Lyze of Kiel situation, from the aforementioned book. (For context, he is an owl.) In that book, one of his toes/talons gets injured and causes him chronic pain. So he rips it off.

Clover is no stranger to pain--She can and will handle it in bursts. But I can see her getting fed up with chronic pain, especially if she sees a way out of it.

Alternatively, maybe something else ripped off her tail and part of the skirt, so she decided to finish the job.

[hyacjnthus]

wouldn’t it be so funny if they released those nico book chapter previews and they’re not real. like wrote extra chapters just to mess with us

[hyperfocuscentre]

I ONLY JUST NOTICED AND OMFG. WHY IS HE WEARING SHORTS??? WILL YOU DUMB WHORE WTF?? WHATS NEXT, FLIP FLOPS TOO??

[pjo-hoo-toa-freakazoid]

Waiting for the day we read Tsats and loose our shit as Will pulls out his revolver and shoots a monster right in the head before it can attack Nico.

And Nico looks at his Ray of Sunshine of a boyfriend. Stunned but beyond impressed.

“Where’d you get that?” He asks, with a hint of excitement in his voice.

“Oh! My grandfather gave me Susan before I left for camp” Will smiled. “Now that I think about it, maybe giving a nine year old a revolver wasn’t really the safest parting gift—”

“—Wait…Susan..?”

“Susan!” Will nodded as he raised the gun.

Nico gave out a chuckle. “I like Susan”

[shittygaypornmagazine]

guys. gUYS. THEY CHANGED THE COVER.

aMEN TO THAT DESIGN

edit: ok so I was wrong. it's not The New Cover: it's The British Cover... which is weird to me because I had no idea the covers are usually different.

[the-modern-typewriter]

Happy birthday to me, and happy birthday to The God Key! 🥳

Thank you all so much more for your support, encouragement and feedback on my writing over the last seven years (bloody hell) I've been writing on here <3 It has meant a lot. I really hope you enjoy this one too.

Please let me/the interwebs know what you think. Rate. Review. Share. All that jazz!

I also promised I would share a masterlist of links on the day so...here we go :)

Print options

Amazon (UK) (US) (Canada) (France) (Spain) (Italy) (Germany) (India) (Japan) (Australia) - basically, anywhere you get Amazon!

Barnes & Noble

Waterstones

Blackwells

Ebook options:

Kobo: (UK) (US) (Canada) (Australia) (India) (Worldwide store) - you can pick your country!

Google Play

Apple

Amazon: (UK) (US) (Canada) (France) (Spain) (Italy) (Germany) (Japan) (Australia) - again, anywhere you can get Amazon!

Barnes & Noble Nook

Ebooks.com

Read the first chapter here FREE.

Click here for The God Key on Goodreads

[skyriderwednesday]

Abbreviating Discworld books like Sherlock Holmes stories is a TERRIBLE idea and nobody would should do it, but taking the most cursed route possible it could look something like...

Rincewind/Wizards: COLO/LIGH/SOUR/ERIC/MOVI/INTE/CONT/UNSE

Witches: EQUA/WYRD/WITC/LORD/MASK/CARP

Death: MORT/REAP/SOUL/HOGF/THIE

Watch: GUAR/ARMS/FEET/JING/FIFT/NIGH/THUD/SNUF

Tiffany: WEEF/HATF/WINT/SHAL/SHEP

Moist: GOIN/MAKI/RAIS

Standalone: PYRA/SMAL/TRUT/LAST/MAUR/MONS

[nani-nonny]

I finished my book now what… read my other book on my tbr list? Or continue where I left off on my fic lol?

[goforth-ladymidnight]

On ACOTAR Faeries and Names

For some reason, SJM undoes most, if not all, of traditional faerie lore in her books. (I haven't read TOG or CC so I can't comment on those.) The cynical part of me thinks it's because faeries can be difficult to write well, therefore she took the easy route; the more forgiving part of me thinks it's because she set out to explore why humans believed certain myths about faeries, but then lost interest as she spent more and more time in the realm of the Night Court. (Side note: I find it odd that SJM chose to emphasize that the Illyrians are NOT really faeries, whether High or "lesser". I honestly wonder why that is.) Regardless, there's nothing very faerie about SJM's High Fae, etc. except for their ethereal beauty and pointed ears and the fact that they can do magic, I guess.

I've already written about Aging and Lying when it comes to ACOTAR's Faeries, and I thought I'd touch on another aspect of faerie lore that SJM chooses to ignore. (Heh, that rhymes.)

Names.

His [Rhysand's] eyes shifted to my face. “What’s your name, love?” Giving him my name—and my family name—would lead only to more pain and suffering. He might very well find my family and drag them into Prythian to torment, just to amuse himself. But he could steal my name from my mind if I hesitated for too long. Keeping my mind blank and calm, I blurted the first name that came to mind, a village friend of my sisters’ whom I’d never spoken to and whose face I couldn’t recall. “Clare Beddor.” My voice was nothing more than a gasp. ~ACOTAR ch. 26

Clare and her family are killed because Rhys revealed that name to Amarantha, even though he admitted later (in the next book) that he thought she made it up. So, Feyre's fears were not unfounded, but once she is Under the Mountain with everyone else, she is still reluctant to give her name when Amarantha asks for it.

Lucien is even brought forward and refuses to give away Feyre's name. For his defiance, Amarantha orders Rhysand to shatter his mind before Feyre finally gives in and shouts her name for everyone to hear. The Lady of Autumn even repays her sacrifice by helping her with one of Amarantha's "household tasks".

What is the sacrifice, though? It would seem that the only reason Amarantha wants to know her name is because Feyre knows hers, and wants to address her "properly":

“Feyre,” Amarantha said, testing my name, the taste of the two syllables on her tongue. “An old name—from our earlier dialects. Well, Feyre,” she said. I could have wept with relief when she didn’t ask for my family name. “I promised you a riddle.” ~ACOTAR ch. 35

In traditional faerie lore, it is said that names have power, so giving a faerie your name gives them power over you. (It is important to note that they cannot take anything from you. It has to be given.)

There is a scene in Hayao Miyazaki's animated classic in which the young protagonist Chihiro signs a contract to work for the sorceress Yubaba. In a beautifully animated sequence, her signature floats away and into Yubaba's waiting palm. She literally signed away her name. Chihiro is then given a new name in exchange: Sen. By the next day, she has already forgotten her original name and her purpose (freeing her enchanted parents). It is only when another ensorcelled young man gives her the bundle of her old clothes with a card in the pocket (with her name written on it) that she remembers who she was, and why she's there.

I just think it could have been very interesting to give Feyre a similar plotline in ACOTAR. By giving Amarantha her name, she no longer has it, and can no longer remember it. (And since the story is told in first person, it's easier to convey.)

How she gets her name back could be handled in one of two ways: Lucien gives back her name like the true friend he is, or she doesn't remember it until the very end.

If we explore the second option, this is what I'm thinking: Amarantha sought to break Feyre in mind, body, and spirit. The one thing she could never take from Feyre was her love for Tamlin.

“I love you,” I said. “No matter what she says about it, no matter if it’s only with my insignificant human heart. Even when they burn my body, I’ll love you.” My lips trembled, and my vision clouded before several warm tears slipped down my chilled face. I didn’t wipe them away. ~ACOTAR ch. 43

In my Faeries and Lying essay (linked above), I think it would have been more powerful for Amarantha to want Feyre to admit to lying about her love for Tamlin. In the same vein, I think it would be that much more impactful for Feyre to admit that even if she does not know her own name, she knows she loves Tamlin, and that's enough.

It's the one thing Amarantha couldn't take from her. It's the reason Feyre went Under the Mountain in the first place. And most importantly, it's the answer to the riddle. Love. And that's enough.