#strange magic week 2017 | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

get-back-homeward · 10 months

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Guess what arrived this week!

I never buy reissues let alone preorder, but I had a hunch this set would be worth having, and I’m very happy with it. They look lovely together.

There's a nice little essay in each booklet that feels very appropriate for the times. You can read them here and here. If I had anything to complain about I'd say the CD sleeves are pretty risky. They're so tight, you gotta pinch them just right to get the CD out without scratching. I doubt I'm putting them back to their original spots. The spot behind the booklet is wide enough and will work fine as a substitute if you have single protective sleeves for each disc.

But all I really care about is the sound. And man, the sound knocks me out. Giles really outdid himself with these mixes. The only one I'd say I'm truly unhappy with is I Am The Walrus. The 2017 mix was fine to me, and messing with the ending seems silly, but it's easy enough to swap out. Out of 75 tracks, I expect a few to not be my favorite. It's more than worth it for the tracks that have clarified the sound and helped me to hear details I couldn't before.

The big changes are the additional songs, including George's songs and covers, and the 2023 mixes. With the backwards reissues, it's the Red Album that has the most new mixes here. They really surpass my expectations. This is the best I've ever heard their 1963 songs. Disc 1 adds I Saw Her Standing There, Twist and Shout, Roll Over Beethoven, This Boy, You Really Got a Hold On Me, and You Can't Do That. Disc 2 adds If I Needed Someone, Taxman, Got to Get You Into My Life, I'm Only Sleeping, Here There and Everywhere, and Tomorrow Never Knows. I have no qualms with any of them, they all feel like they belong here.

The biggest advantage of these newest mixes is the space between parts. It helps to hear Ringo's drums and percussion better in one part and George's guitar in another, hear Paul's bass here and harmonies there. I don't find any of the mixes too drastic save Walrus but together they really elevate the listening experience.

I found myself flagging John's songs as sounding best, and I think that may be a function of hearing more of the layers underneath along with the clarified vocals. Some of his harmonies with Paul just sound exceptionally good with this new tech. Norwegian Wood is a standout, as is Ticket to Ride. Norwegian Wood seems to push John's vocals further to the front instead of getting masked by the acoustic. The three-part harmonies sound divine on This Boy and Nowhere Man. I've seen criticism about the space changing the magic of the Rubber Soul tracks. If you don't like it, it's easy enough to swap out, but I didn't really have a problem with it.

On the Blue Album, of the five new mixes, Magical Mystery Tour and Hey Bulldog stand out best. It's actually kinda embarrassing how much I was missing from MMT before. I felt halfway through like I was listening to a brand new song. My one quibble is the strange placement of Hey Bulldog. It expected it to follow Lady Madonna on Disc 1 for roughly chronological order but instead it's between Blackbird and Get Back on Disc 2. I guess they were going by order of original release instead of recording date order used in the Anthology. But it was the one place the order threw me for a loop.

Placing Now and Then at the end of this hefty 75 track list is a controversial choice perhaps, but I think it bears the weight of the legacy well. Particularly because it's following The Long & Winding Road, which ends on Paul's plea: Don't leave me waiting here Lead me to your door

Now and Then starts with John's confession: I know it's true It's all because of you And if I make it through It's all because of you

It feels like a continuation of a conversation. An answer.

Paul's lyrical input is small but powerful, adding "will" and "always" to add certainty to John's cool now and then I miss you. Two lines were incomplete and required that Paul finish them. The completed line packs a punch: I want you to be there for me Always to return to me

This is officially the last Lennon-McCartney lyric, constructed across decades. But it doesn't feel like an ending, only a completed circle. Perhaps because this ending so seamlessly loops back to the beginning again: Love love me do You know I love you I'll always be true So plea-ee-ee-ease Love me do

And I guess if you want to go further: I'll do anything for you Anything you want me to If you'll be true to me

You can find bits across the track list that link as well: Now and then I feel so insecure Know that I just need you like I never done before

I’ll get to you somehow/until I do I’m telling you so you’ll understand

Life is very short and there’s no time for fussing and fighting my friend

Though I know I’ll never lose affection for people and things that went before I know I’ll often stop and think about them

To lead a better life I need my love to be here

Had you gone you knew in time we’d meet again for I had told you

Knowing that love is to share, each one believing that love never dies

Limitless undying love which shines around me like a million suns and calls me on and on across the universe

It leaves me with an abundance of multiverse AU feels in the vein of Everything Everywhere All At Once.

Maybe there is something out there, some new discovery, that will make us feel like even smaller pieces of shit. Something that explains why you still went looking for me, through all of this noise. And why, no matter what, I still want to be here with you. I will always want to be here with you.

I would just like to say, in another life, I would have really liked just doing laundry and taxes with you.

We live in the world they chose music and fame, and the songs they leave us with is their legacy and our gift.

The press for these releases has been a mess. But the BBC Eras series on The Beatles ends on two quotes that been stuck in my head all week:

It’s the last song that my dad and Paul and George and Ringo will get to make together. You know, even though it took a long time, it feels very synchronous that the lyric speaks about time and that it’s taken so much time and that it sort of fuses the past and present. It's like a time capsule. And it all feels very meant to be or fated or something. In the nicest sense. —Sean Lennon

When I remember the Beatles, I remember the joy. The talent. The humor. The love. And I think if people remembered us for that, for those things, I’d be very happy. —Paul McCartney

Full circle, indeed.

#red and blue albums #commemorating my 2022 bug rabbit hole officially #its the anthology to 2023 mixes full circle for me #i’ll have to transcribe the booklets #but i kinda love that the first page mentions get back #and mad day out photo featured inside is such a nice touch #i do think the attribution to derek taylor is actually a brian quote #apple still needs better factcheckers #2023 #mine #now and then #caveat being i still am uneasy about assuming johns original pov with any consensus on so much as a year #i am begging lennon estate for a year on that demo but im guessing if it was known itd be on the official apple releases and its not

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blysse-and-blunder · 1 year

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in lieu of a bachelorette party

10pm, sunday, aug 6, 2023

we're officially in the period of the summer that has been planned out since months and months ago, in the lead up to some dear friends' wedding; time is telescoping in a very odd way! after traveling the past two weeks, my re-entry was good but hard; i came back from my trip thinking i'd be all revitalized and looking around me with new eyes, which in a way i did, but then i was also pretty wiped. i didn't really want to spend all week hibernating, but i guess it was good to recharge my batteries since i also had five different party/gathering-type things (three this weekend, including the aforementioned bachelorette).

reading can't forget to mention finishing carmen maria machado's in the dreamhouse, which was gripping and devastating and still beautiful somehow. the experience of reading it was so...i couldn't stop once i got started, you know? short fragmented chapters, some funny, some incredibly sad. every once in a while there would be a detail or an allusion to something i could relate to, punctuating the intense surreality / unreality used to talk about the abuse with a sudden concrete reality that was. striking. loved the device of the footnotes, pointing out where certain things are matching up with folklore tropes? as a form of foreshadowing and ironic, devastating commentary? inspired. that's just one detail, but it's one i can sum up.

abrupt tonal shift and getting back to fantasy / adventure, a.k. larkwood's the unspoken name has been very engaging this week too. part one was...fresh but in a comforting sort of vein, with a young protag escaping a bad fate under the protection of a new mysterious mentor, who then helps her get an education, martial arts training, before he sends her out on a mission--reminded me of half a dozen beloved fantasy novels, with the addition of some fun details! for example, neither is actually described in much detail, but our main character and her mentor are clearly not Human; she has grey skin and tusks (my mind went right to a dnd-style orc?) and he has mobile, elongated ears, which seem to telegraph his emotions much like those in the goblin emperor and was an *immediate* delight to envision. just about a third of the way through this one now; it feels like a locked tomb book with a slightly different magic system, and i'm really enjoying it.

watching plane movies while returning home:

the battle of the sexes (2017) -- entertaining more because i didn't know the history and always enjoy the depiction of historical women's sports and sports teams; emma stone is great but has virtually no chemistry with either of her romantic counterparts, painfully straight energy overall. i was too entertained by watching steve carell and sarah silverman in their respective period hair and makeup . kudos to whoever was the tennis stunt doubles, it was legitimately fun to try and follow the games.

banshees of inisherin (2022) -- people who talk about the overdone stereotyped blarney-filled hollywood depiction of ireland in this one are missing the fact that it's an intentional (ironic?) depiction; see, the imprecision when it comes to year/time passing / calendars and whatnot. sort of waiting for godot-y in its heightened reality / absurdity. my lukewarm take is that it was definitely meant to be a play, and would have worked a lot better that way. not sure i'll watch it again, not sure i *got* it, but it will certainly live in my brain rent-free.

finished strange world (2022) as a palate cleanser-- i wanted to support it, the box office and overall reception to this was pretty disappointing but it's fine! like it's a cute kids' movie! you know, disney's first gay character, thinly veiled climate analogy lesson, absolutely gorgeous animation and colors, what's not to love.

the first three episodes of season 1 of the white lotus . hypnotizing like a train wreck, but i'll wait until i've seen more of it to give a real write-up.

listening you ever watch a viral video and then realize you're captivated by both the cute videos of people dancing and the soundtrack? (and recognizing the background scenery, and it turns out i was right!!) anyway i went and found these two tracks courtesy of just this experience, so thanks to youtuber thoraya i guess?

youtube

UPDATE: saw hadestown live today!!! the original broadway recording didn't prepare me for how much i would love it, how dynamic and captivating the live band and incredible ensemble would be-- and of course i was crying almost immediately, and was clutching my chest during 'wait for me' both times. but then again, the performance i saw didn't include this one instrumental track i love and had on my semester playlist all spring, so here:

playing finally got the cut-scene celebrating my community center completion in stardew, hell yeah. had two great dnd sessions; one campaign successfully defeated a monstrously-oversized jaguar and decided which faction we're going to attempt to win over first, while the other group went shopping and spent some downtime at base and gathering info on some individual plots! napoleon did exist in this world and was a gnome, and our organization assassinated him apparently??, also this just feels like a good time to mention that their resume also includes '1841 – Controlled controversy riots when “Dinosaurs” suggested as a creature alongside and separate from “Dragons” ', which sent us into absolute hysterics when the DM shared that.

making it's summer, so i crowdsourced a ratatouille recipe and could not have been happier with the outcome. saving it here for posterity!

working on i was very diligent with RA work this week, since it feels like i always neglect it over the summer for absolutely no reason, especially since it like. pays me. but i also have been using it as productive procrastination since i'm actively dragging my heels in sending the last few students their essay feedback and grade breakdowns from the summer course. it means confronting my judgments and math and possible mistakes from earlier in july, and trying to either defend or amend them as necessary, and i just have been. napping rather than actually do it. which is silly, and also stupid since i have actual work to be doing! just get this over with, and you can be free!

#ilcb #in lieu of a commonplace book #weekly roundup

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ijustkindalikebooks · 10 months

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I really hope I don't read a life changing book in the next three weeks so this list is out of date, but this is a list of twelve books that have been dwelling in my head for the last year.

I quote them, I think about them, I think "holy cow someone wrote that" often about these and I can't wait to either the read the next one or the next thing that comes from this author (or both). I really hope you've had an amazing year of reading and I can't wait to see your own lists from 2023.

How High We Go In The Dark by Sequoia Nagamatsu - A sort of slow burn book that has dwelled in my brain since I read it back in April, How High We Go In The Dark is a dark exploration of humanity connected by short stories that have a common thread through the book. The rollercoaster story lives in my head rent free, and not in a good way, it's a little bit disturbing, but I think we live in a dystopia more than we believe we do and maybe there's a metaphor in there somewhere.

Sea Of Tranquility by Emily St John Mandel - Another book that connects via short stories, this is quite common for me as I love that sort of thing, reflecting on my list of books. I think Mandel writes so poetically and brilliantly throughout this book, she delivers on pathos and emotion to really deliver stories about people, about people in different timelines connected by a strange portal moment of magic. If you love fantasy but in a more contemporary delivery, I do recommend this book to you.

The End Of The Affair by Graham Greene - I am a collector of books as much as a reader of them and this year I've been trying to read my bookshelves a bit more as I just am buying books to make myself look clever at this point, which is just lame. This was one of the first books on my shelf, and though not perfect, and damn did she deserve better, this book delves into obsession and love and what it actually means to people. It's a weird book.

Another Day In The Death Of America by Bryan Younge - I am not American, I have never seen a gun in real life in the hands of a person I know (some police have them near Parliament, well they did once I think) so I don't understand America and their passion for ammunition, but this book should not make you proud of it. This book is a gut punch through every chapter as the author details the young lives lost to guns in 24 hours. A brilliant and sad book.

Tower by Bae Myung-Hoon - My passion for Korean Literature does not abate (I am not a Koreaboo, don't worry). There's a way Korean writers write books like their objective observers on a scene that I particularly enjoy and Tower is another good example of this. Tower again is short stories tied together about a building that is it's own country and the people who live and want to live in it. The Elephant chapter hasn't left my brain since I read it and I recommend it (unless you like Elephants, then don't, cos it's again fucked up).

Beyond The Story: 10 Years of BTS by BTS - Ahh BTS, since 2017 I've known this group and their impact of my life and music taste is so ridiculous, I feel like something's walk into your life for a reason and wow, did they. The story of the rise of BTS from a lucky break on Mnet's music show to Grammy nominations (robbed!) is incredible to read and even if you don't like them it's a fascinating insight into a group that made their name in a country that was dominated by three big music companies, and they weren't on any of them - Hybe now supercedes all of them. An incredible underdog tale.

Lirael by Garth Nix - Where has this man been all my life with these books? I'm embarassed, be embarassed for me. This series is so good so far, I'm going to read Abhorsen next year which I believe is the next one and I can't wait. I would also recommend the Booksellers Of London series too by the same author, which is every bit as good and set in 80's London/Bath. Fantastic fantasy that makes you think where is the next one, give it to me now.

The Last Devil To Die by Richard Osman - Y'know, this series is so British, it should come with teabags and digestive biscuits, but I love it all the same. A series about a group of pensioners who solve mysteries, The Last Devil To Die is the fourth book in this series and it's probably for me one of the best. The storyline with Stephen is devastating and the plot is incredible with characters that come to life every time this book is opened. I can't wait for whatever this author does next and those who voted for The Housemaid on Goodreads, I'm judging you, to be honest.

Hortus Curious by Michael Perry - Plants, people. Plants are incredible, insane, incredible. There are plants who eat living things, but that's just the start of their madness. This book is an incredible exploration in fantastic plants you would think you'd only see in a Herbology classroom but here they are in real life, killing people and eating small animals. Fantastic book, if you love nature and weird stuff, this is for you.

Against White Feminism by Rafia Zakaria - I think the white women were in the house so much from this book. How women were protected in their plantations as people were treated abysmally who were just another intersection from them. I think we all need to work on our biases, prejudices and judgements we make and this is a short and brilliant book that could help you do that. I consider myself a feminist, and to be a good one you also have to shut and listen to people who don't look like you, make spaces intersectional my friends.

The Kiss Quotient by Helen Hoang - The only romance book for me with rights this year (I keep being recommend books about hockey players and I am, that's just not going to happen). The representation of autism is fantastic and the sexy times are sexy if you need that and the characters, the characters are impeccable. I really recommend all of her books to be honest (and Talia Hibbert too, actually) as they make such great books with fantastic rep.

The Yellow Wallpaper by Charlotte Perkins Gilman - John Green on Crash Course said about this book 'the thing about this dystopian book is that this dystopia has already happened'. Charlotte was told by her doctors to quit all her hobbies and stay in a room and do nothing and it drove her to a deeper sickness, she wrote this book during that time of recovering from her ''recovery'' and it makes for powerful reading. The whole story is easily found online for free and I highly recommend it, probably one of the first psychological thrillers.

I apologise if some of these are a bit grammatically weird, I am working on it, I only just found out I'm dyslexic hence my difficulty with small text and need for audiobooks (smh, sometimes it's so obvious it makes me shake my head).

Please let me know what your favourite books of 2023 were.

Vee xo

#booklr #books #fiction #bookblr #book #non fiction #classics #fantasy #mystery #science fiction

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kylesvariouslistsandstuff · 8 months

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Anyone here ever listen to the Fine Tooning podcast hosted by entertainment writers Drew Taylor and Jim Hill?

I tend to tune in every Tuesday. Sometimes I learn things about Disney history I never knew, in addition to hearing their takes on current animation news.

This week's episode was about Gary Rydstrom, long-time sound designer - especially for many Pixar films - and filmmaker who eventually directed the Pixar short LIFTED (attached to RATATOUILLE in theaters) and Lucasfilm's STRANGE MAGIC.

As many people know, he was set to direct an ill-fated Pixar film called NEWT, which would've - at one point - released in the summer of 2011 following TOY STORY 3. Before its cancellation, it swapped spots with CARS 2 and went to summer 2012.

What I never knew about this movie was that it was meant to begin a line of lower-budget, quirkier Pixar films. Similar to that of the films Disney Feature Animation's Orlando unit made before they were shut down in 2004.

And if you remember, back when NEWT was announced, it was supposed to share that year with THE BEAR AND THE BOW. That movie, of course, would later be titled BRAVE, and it opened in the summer of 2012. BRAVE would've been a holiday 2011 release if plans had held, and obviously would've been the mainline bigger budget movie opposite NEWT.

Pixar would try doing two-a-year again for 2013 - but w/ both movies being mainline big budget endeavors. So for 2013, the plan was: MONSTERS UNIVERSITY was set for the summer, and THE GOOD DINOSAUR - the thrown-out version that was being directed by Bob Peterson - following during the Thanksgiving frame. Of course, as we all know, that didn't happen either.

Finally, in 2015, they made it happen... INSIDE OUT was the summer movie of the pair, a huge hit all-around: Boffo box office, enthusiastic critical reception, an Oscar... THE GOOD DINOSAUR, the Thanksgiving movie, didn't enjoy any of that. Overshadowed completely by its sister picture, and it also lost money on top of being a very troubled production. Would it have fared well in a different year, on its own? Who the heck knows. It lived a nice second life through solid home media sales, and I'm sure someone somewhere is clicking on it on Disney+.

Then they tried again in 2017. The summer release, CARS 3, did so-so at best at the box office and got okay-ish reviews. CARS isn't everyone's cup of tea, so it was expected. Barely doubled its as-usual-for-Pixar gargantuan budget. Thanksgiving release COCO, by contrast, was the big hit. All of it: Great reviews, fantastic box office, and an Oscar.

2020 was another attempt, this time with a movie at the tail end of winter (the first weekend of March) and a summer movie... Well, COVID-19 happened. ONWARD was cut right off within a week of release, and SOUL went straight to Disney+. The recent theatrical release of SOUL sadly flopped. SOUL did, however, get an Oscar for Best Animated Feature 2020. ONWARD was also nominated for the award that year. So, the two Pixars finished the year with better than average reviews and Oscar noms.

2022 was the second attempt at this new strategy. TURNING RED in March, LIGHTYEAR in June... But Disney, concerned about COVID-19's Omicron variant, sent TURNING RED straight to Disney+. TURNING RED was well-loved and was up for the animated Oscar. LIGHTYEAR bombed in theaters, got okay reviews, and no Oscar nom.

This year was going to see that strategy again, until... Disney and Pixar delayed ELIO, which was set to be the March movie - with a trailer and everything, all the way back to summer 2025. The sole Pixar movie for that year... Leaving INSIDE OUT 2 as this year's Pixar film, and the summer release at that. I expect it to be huge, given that it's a sequel to a movie that clearly did so poorly years ago.

So... 2026, the current plan is for there to be two Pixars. A March and a June. We know TOY STORY 5 is in active development, and I suspect it'll nab the summer 2026 slot. Whatever is brewing in the hallway of the original movies for the March slot, I have no idea. It could be anyone's picture. Kristen Lester? Brian Fee? Rosana Sullivan? List goes on... We'll probably get an inkling of what it is sometime this year. Maybe for D23?

But here's the thing... We know Pixar keeps it all under one roof. After all, their Vancouver unit didn't make it, neither did attempts to collaborate with other filmmakers (see Henry Selick/CinderBiter's THE SHADOW KING). Every movie they make is some $175m+ costing behemoth...

And I think, why can't they do the big movie/small movie thing? It would allow them to double up production, while keeping costs lower on the quirkier movies, and allowing the filmmakers to experiment more. I mean, that's kind of the gist behind the SparkShorts, right? Or those few Co-op program shorts, like BORROWED TIME. Look at Illumination and their proposed adult animation label, Moonlight... That Pixar was attempting to do smaller and weirder films alongside their usual blockbuster spectacles tells me that... Maybe they should try again?

Though weirdly, TURNING RED was their usual $175m+ picture, and that had a different art style, was much more filmmaker-driven than usual, and was indeed a little quirkier. But even then, making a picture like that for such a massive budget puts it at risk. Remember, we watched ELEMENTAL open with a blah number and subsequently claw its way to a "just made it!" final gross. If that movie had cost around $85m instead and still looked as lovely, the near-$500m gross wouldn't even be an issue.

So why not have the next original after ELIO - should that be another triple-digit million movie - be this sub-$100m costing movie? Can it be done? Are they thinking about it?

I dunno, that podcast just got me thinking. I also found out a lot more about NEWT's production and rather mysterious cancellation from this very episode, stuff I was kinda dying to know for years... Yeah, Fine Tooning is worth listening to, check 'em out.

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theopenbookwigtown · 1 year

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🏡 Back home in Shropshire, but what a week it's been. 🌟

Grateful for everyone who joined our journey - the locals' warmth, the visitors' love for The Open Book. 😍

It's been the most wholesome week we've ever had.

🗓 18th - 23rd July 2023: ⏰ 41 hours open 🤝 319 people greeted 🐶 16 adorable dog visitors 📚 81 books found new homes

As I've been doing all the posting this week, Gary wanted to say something...

I did not want to be a bookseller. I wanted even less to pay for the privilege.

Stephy had other ideas, however, and it’s in my nature to follow her lead even when I’m convinced she’s gone off the deep end. And so, in 2017, we booked our place at the end of a 3-year wait and Stephy impatiently dreamt of our upcoming trip. This, I believe, is called “foreshadowing.”

2 days before our trip in 2020, we were all locked in our homes for the foreseeable future. And so, in 2020, we booked our place at the end of a 3-year wait and Stephy impatiently dreamt of our upcoming trip.

I tell you this to emphasise that, despite two 3 year waits and a pandemic, I was no more enthusiastic about our bizarre little holiday. I was convinced that we would see too few customers and I would be bored out of my mind or, much worse, that we would see too many and I would be forced to relive the retail experience that made me promise “never again” as a teenager. Either way, I was terrified that my anxiety and my atrophied social skills would leave me trapped in a solid week of awkward interactions and uncomfortable silences.

I ran these scenarios in my head, preparing myself for any eventuality, but I could never have anticipated that I would fit in almost immediately. We were soon visited by many of the locals, invited to events and welcomed into their stores as though we were regulars. This strange, wonderful place embraced us with everything from casual Good Mornings shared across the quiet road as we all set up our signs and displays, to conversation in the street to compare notes after closing. It is rare that I feel a sense of belonging, but I found it here and instantly fell in love.

With the help of Stephy's boundless energy and contagious enthusiasm, I fully discarded my shell within days and, by week's end, was actively greeting everyone who walked through the door with a genuine “How are you today?” like some kind of crazy person.

It was in this question that I found the real treasure of this place, the thing that makes The Open Book far more than the sum of its parts: Those who visit, do so looking for a story or two, sure, but if you ask them, and if you listen, they often gift you a story in return. We encountered people bursting with the kind of joy and wisdom that only comes from a life well lived and learned important life lessons that we will carry with us forever. All it took was a word and an ear.

The dream, the one I didn't understand, can be found here in Wigtown but you are missing the point if all you are looking for is a quaint, cosy stay in a bookshop. The Open Book wouldn't work anywhere else because The Open Book is Wigtown. There is a perfect storm here. The right people in the right place at the right time with the right idea have created something truly magical. How else can I describe something wonderful that shouldn't exist, but does anyway?

This is a place where a modern shop with modern comforts exists but the penny sweet is alive and well, where a parade of 40 horses might run right by your front door and bagpipe music can be described as "spontaneous", where a "little concert" is both cosy and breathtaking in equal measure, where you can enter a store to the sound of live banjo music and learn of the owners attempts to purchase a life-sized triffid, and where you will learn the secret to a long happy life is to pull up your socks, always be curious, never stop learning, and buy a second TV for your spouse.

In just one week, a bookstore had become a home, a handful of strangers had become neighbours and friends and a holiday I would gladly have missed had become a memory that I will cherish always. I leave this place healed and inspired, thankful for the kindness and the stories that I will take home with me, and saddened beyond measure to say goodbye so soon.

I did not want to be a bookseller, but I will be forever grateful that I was.

Until next time, Wigtown.

💛 Stephy & Gary

#theopenbookwigtown #theopenbook #wigtown #scotland #bookshop #books #booklover #bookstore

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nidamae-approvedhpfanfics · 7 months

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Fanfic.com my favorites as of March 2024.

It's a LONG list- mostly Harry Potter with a small handful of Labyrinth.

Alphabetically #-A

3 Slytherin Marauders by severusphoenix Harry Potter u:07-31-2016 - Harry & Dudley flee an abusive Vernon to Severus Snape. Severus finds a new home for himself & the boys with dragons and hunt the Horcruxes from there. The dragons, especially one become their allies. Tom R is VERY different.

10 Minutes And A Week Of Hell! by CrazyDuck5280 Harry Potter u:02-10-2013 - 10 Minutes can be the difference between the peace and the hell at Hogwarts! AU third year

13 Hours by magically-strange Labyrinth u:09-02-2013 - In the immediate aftermath of Sarah's victory, Jareth looses his magic and the Labyrinth breaks, unleashing a deadly villain that threatens the life of every goblin in the Underground. Now, Sarah faces a even greater challenge than before: restore balance to the Labyrinth, or suffer the death of the Goblin King!

A Better World by Pennilyn Novus Harry Potter u:02-19-2010 - A lost child wanders into Knockturn Alley, and who happens to find him but Draco Malfoy?

A Certain Romance by Nautical Paramour Harry Potter u:05-24-2018 - After helping out an unlikely student, Hermione Granger finds herself with an unlikely friend. Marcus Flint is only too happy to return the favor. As their paths continue to cross, the more drawn to one another they find each other. But can they be more than friends? A slice of life fic that takes place mostly after the war. Flintmione.

A Champion by Takao1160 Harry Potter u:06-03-2014 - 4th Year - Starts with Harry's selection as a champion. Harry is different he is angry, intelligent, and he absolutely does not want to participate in the tournament. Harry has a secret that he has shared with no one and new Harry is released and the pay-back begins. Strong Powerful - Harry /Fluer/ Daphne - Hermione later in the story.

A Change is as Good as a Holiday by ChloeParker05 Harry Potter u:12-29-2022 - The summer after 4th year, Harry's stewing in the anger caused by his friends' useless letters. By the time he reunites with them, he's furious and has a rather loud argument with them. However, Tonks notices something while coming across the confrontation, and drags Harry away. When she tells him what she witnessed, his outlook on life is changed rather drastically.

A Date by Proxy by AnneM.Oliver Harry Potter u:03-30-2009 - Hermione was bored & wanted something new. She changed jobs, her hair, her clothes, and now she was about to do something completely "UnHermionish" & go on a blind date! She just wondered why her blind date was with her new boss, Draco Malfoy. Romance.

A Dementor Named Radish by lvidler.op Harry Potter u:03-24-2023 - Harry Potter's horcrux makes the Dementors pause. They decide that their way of following the order to take the soul of Harry Potter is to take Harry Potter with them back to Azkaban. A story in which the guards and Dementors adopt Harry and how it falls out after.

A Different Type of Furry Little Problem by blue artemis Harry Potter u:07-23-2012 - Hermione gets quite a bit more than she bargained for when she takes Crookshanks as her familiar.

A Few New Looks by RiverWriter Harry Potter u:06-05-2023 - Glimpses into Draco, Hermione, and Scorpius' life as a family. A sequel to my story, "A Second Look."

A Fine Spring Day by DarthMittens Harry Potter u:07-23-2017 - On a spring day in his 6th year, Harry watches couples in love stroll around the lake at Hogwarts. Harry wants what they have, so he takes a swig of felix felicis so he can claim Ginny as his own. Felix has something else in store for him, though. One-Shot. H/Hr. Pure fluff.

A Ghost's Revenge by Fairywm Harry Potter u:01-07-2023 - Harry wakes up to a voice in his head when he's six years old. Lily has stuck around, and now she's going to fix his life. First, she has to take care of Petunia. How dare that woman treat her son this way. Then she's going to find out who mucked up Harry's life in the first place.

A Grave Decision by Ebenbild Harry Potter u:06-20-2022 - Petunia, unlike Lily, listened to the stories their mother told them when they were little. The magical world already got part of her family. When Lily dies, Petunia decides that she won't give it more. "We are leaving." Good Dursleys! AU!

A Jaunt Through Time by lecturience Harry Potter u:04-11-2013 - COMPLETE. The odds of temporal displacement were tiny, too infinitesimal to count, and yet… The Harry Potter luck striking again, he supposed. So now there's an older, wiser, more mature Harry (well, the older part's true at least) stuck in the past. And he's determined that if he's going to change things, he'll have some fun doing it. (OR: Time travel minus angst equals this.)

A Late Night Rendezvous by angelically-devilish Harry Potter u:06-16-2009 - 2009 TWIN EXCHANGE FIC OF THE YEAR! Fed up with playing the villain in her recent break-up with Ron, Hermione escapes to the Grimmauld Place kitchen for some solitude. But what girl would turn down the company of a sexy, shirtless Marauder? SiriusHermione

A Little Wave, A Big Change by loverofeevee Harry Potter u:07-06-2018 - The usual story. Manipulative Dumbles, Harry gaining his independence. This takes place after Harry's third year. It was a perfectly normal day in Privet Drive. The birds are singing, the bees are buzzing, and the Dursleys were their usual cheerful selfs. Then suddenly...Now what on earth is going on this time!

A Lonely September by mem0rycafe Harry Potter u:01-31-2005 - Ginny is feeling lonely and left out. She lets her feelings out through drawings. What happens when Blaise steals her sketch book and gives it to Draco. The bigger question is why is Blaise stealing her sketch book?

A Looping of the Scales by Ms-Figg Harry Potter u:10-20-2009 - A potions accident gives Snape a new lease on life by taking part of it away. More to come.

A Magical Childhood by Kendra James Harry Potter u:08-01-2010 - An injured six year old Harry Potter wishes for escape from his cupboard with surprising results. As the wizarding world struggles to cope with his disappearance, Harry discovers childhood can be fun.

A Malfoys Curse by Goth1cPr1nc3ss Harry Potter u:07-03-2009 - Draco has a curse. All the male Malfoys line had it. He only finds out after his mother finds out about him and a certain girlfriend of his. Will he able to fight the curse or will he surrender to it? What does Hermione have to do with it?HGDM, RWPP, HPOC

A Marriage Most Convenient by AnneM.Oliver Harry Potter u:05-24-2010 - Hermione lost it all when she divorced. Draco would lose it all by age 30 if he didn't marry. Marriage to each other would be perfect, one would even say it was most convenient. Her daughter even looked like him, although, he wondered why that was.

A Parents Secret Gift by EvilDaystar Harry Potter u:06-05-2006 - What if Harry's parents had put in place a few contingency plans for Harry's future. How different would his life have been in the magical world then? Harry Potter first year AU story with some Albus Dumbledore perspective every now and again.

A Prism of Darkening Glass by Lomonaaeren Harry Potter u:06-26-2022 - AU, HPTN. Theo has gifted Harry with several things, but the prism he gives him a few months into fifth year is altogether different. COMPLETE.

A Revelation by MSgt SilverDollar and Snake Harry Potter u:06-23-2015 - REVISED AND UPDATED: NON CANON Features a super powered Harry with lots of money, titles and all that rot. Its meant to entertain those who like those stories and bash my least favorite JKR chars. Harmony all the way. Minor Revision: 7/12/14

A Second Look by RiverWriter Harry Potter u:02-17-2020 - Her best friend's life was a mess and she would have done anything to make things better for him and his sons. So, when she found her former enemy in a similar situation her heart went out to him as well... and the beautiful blond baby in his arms didn't hurt his case. It was certainly enough for her to give him a second look.

A Sirius Matter by witowsmp Harry Potter u:10-31-2007 - AU A few days after being rescued from the dementor's kiss, Sirius Black decides to share information with Harry about his destiny. The story continues on from there. HHr

A Sleeping Dragon Poked Awake by Genuka Harry Potter u:03-10-2019 - Harry spectacularly looses his temper at his trial before fifth year, issues an ultimatum to the entire Wizengamot, arbitrarily assigns Snape as his new guardian, and storms off to the Goblins for sanctuary... Oh and did I mention that he openly announced they had treated him badly enough that he was now willing to side with the Dark Lord? Let the chaos begin!

A Slytherin way of being by catchingafallingstar Harry Potter u:04-16-2019 - At the end of his third year at Hogwarts, while recovering after the final escape of Sirius Black, Harry received an unexpected visit which would not only change his life upside-down, but also affect all the magical world in time. COMPLETED!

A Soul-Mate's Kiss by IShouldBeWritingSomethingElse Harry Potter u:02-07-2016 - "You are bound, Hermione. You shared a Soul-Mate's Kiss." / SS/HG HEA...Always :)

A Subtle Love by MaryRoyale Harry Potter u:12-12-2015 - Blaise Zabini has loved Hermione for half of his life, but due to the war he has never felt comfortable revealing his feelings for her. After he acquires a genuine DA coin, he gets the opportunity of a lifetime, and he grasps it with both hands. Submission for Round 9 Hermione Smut on lj. Hermione/Blaise.

A Time for Changeling by Bloodpage-Alchemist Harry Potter u:07-15-2013 - Two Dementors showed up in Little Whinging and changed Harry Potter's world forever. Now he's on the hunt for family he's never known plus entangled in a web of political intrigue and subterfuge. Why does everything happen to him?

A Trunk With A Difference by CatsAreCool Harry Potter u:04-07-2019 - Lily had hoped for the best, but she always planned for the worst.

A Twisted Timeline by MadnessPersonified Harry Potter u:06-18-2008 - Much to his displeasure, Harry is thrown back through time into his six year old body. As a result, Harry decides to contort the timeline, purely for his own amusement.

A Witch's Tale by snowblind12 Harry Potter u:11-01-2017 - This is Hermione's story. The wizarding world is in a crisis; increasing squibs and decreasing magical power of pureblood children. Hermione has a theory. She finds friendship and love where she least expects it. Rated M for LEMONS and light D/s. Please forgive spelling and punctuation errors. Needs editing! Hermione, Theo and Draco. Also, Snape lived. Not Canon.

A Witch with a certain point of view by anorc Harry Potter u:06-07-2023 - Daphne's point of view chapters for Not With a Half-Blood. Daphne's parents had 'A Plan', and it made her little sister happy, so it was worth it, she supposed. But allying with the Malfoys to take the Black fortune meant... having to have a child with Draco one day. Ugh. Then Harry Potter won?, but the Malfoys had somehow changed sides. And then, she met Harry Potter at a party.

A Wonderful Caricature of Intimacy by Countess of Abe Harry Potter u:09-03-2008 - Draco loves his son more than anything in the world. So, when his ex-wife plans to take his son away, Draco asks the most unlikely person for help. Hermione must decide whether changing her entire life is worth helping the man she hates unconditionally.

A Year and A Day by Mutt N. Feathers Harry Potter u:06-02-2021 - There's no Voldemort, no war, just a Wizarding society in need to moving into the twentieth century even though they are on the cusp of the twenty-first. The Source of All Magic determines who you will be best suited to, and when you turn seventeen you are given a name. Sirius Black didn't get his perfect partner until he was forty, and he already knows her, and she can't stand him

Absence does Something to the Heart by PauloPT90 Harry Potter u:09-02-2020 - Happily engaged to Ron, Hermione returns to Hogwarts to complete her seventh year. But the end of the war brings about a change in the teaching style of the school with a big impact on inter-house cooperation.

Accepting Defeat by GrandeVanillaSkimLatte Harry Potter u:09-24-2008 - Mrs Weasley is determined to pair Hermione with a Weasley, any Weasley. Eventually it takes Fred and George to step in and save the day. Winner of the Twin Exchange September 2008 Challenge. FredHermione.

Accidental Affection by katmd Harry Potter u:08-04-2004 - When mutual friends decide to marry, Severus Snape and Hermione Granger find themselves presented with the perfect opportunity to get to know each other better.

Accidental Proposal by CJRed Harry Potter u:08-26-2017 - Hermione finds out that she is really a Nott, and there are so many rules to being a Pureblood, too bad Draco Malfoy seems to have forgotten one of the most important rules of all! Hermione/Draco. Theo and Hermione are siblings. Ignores epilogue and off canon in some other places as well. Set in 8th year. Language, Fluff, and Lemons. Complete.

All Bets Are Off by PrettiestStar17 Harry Potter u:10-27-2018 - Hermione has harbored a crush on Fred Weasley for years. But that's all it is! A silly, little crush that's lingered from her Hogwarts' years. That's all it is...until one of her best friends, Ginny Weasley, is thrown into a life changing predicament. As she rallies with the rest of the family to help Ginny, Hermione regularly finds herself in Fred's charming company. M+

All Fall by Lomonaaeren Harry Potter u:11-12-2021 - HPTN. Harry Potter is one of the few wizards strong enough to enable a newly-turned vampire to return to human, as long as he feeds them his magically-charged blood for a few weeks and they neither kill him nor feed on anyone else. Called on to help new vampire Theodore Nott return to himself, Harry wishes he understood why Nott is acting like he doesn't want to. COMPLETE.

All For You by hermoine snape Harry Potter u:10-29-2010 - Remus had to leave his only daughter at the care of London's Childern's Home after his home his burnt down by death eaters. "I'm doing this because I love you." he told her. He left the building hearing her cries. Pairing: HP/HG COMPLETE! Updated Chapter 8 &9 7/12/16

All Through the Night by Bloodpage-Alchemist Harry Potter u:06-02-2019 - Harry awakens transported back in time over 500 years. Hogwarts is still being built and, amid the bustle, Harry finds the warm, nurturing parental figure missing in his life, in none other than Rowena Ravenclaw. Will Harry ever go home? Will he want to?

All Was Not Well by White Angel of Auralon Harry Potter u:12-27-2012 - Harry was massively disappointed in how things were going after the final battle. Nothing had changed, it only looked like it on the outside. So he decides to change the past to prevent certain things from happening. Being the Master of Death has its perks. Time-travel, Harry / OC

All the Time in the World by burnable Harry Potter u:03-06-2022 - After an accident, Harry finds himself reliving his day, over and over. He decides to use his time... wisely. One-shot.

All with Accio by freakyfinger Harry Potter u:07-25-2012 - Can the TriWizard Tournament be completed with just one spell? OneShot.

Alone by cheshirecat1333 Harry Potter u:02-09-2011 - What happens when Hermione is left alone while Harry and Ron are searching for Horcruxes? Will a certain Head Boy and his best friend finally give her a break? HGDMBZ

A long wait for freedom by charlie-becks Harry Potter u:06-06-2012 - A 5year old child dies at the hands of his family And to this day can be seen at the house in which he died. Will he be saved or will he be on his own forever? Warning: mentions of abuse

Always Read the Fine Print by questionablequotation Harry Potter u:03-16-2015 - ONE-SHOT. After being entered into the Tri-Wizard Tournament against his will, Harry does some independent research on what precisely "magically binding" means...and comes up with a very different approach to the competition. As they say, the pen is mightier than the sword...but is the quill mightier than the wand?

A mother's love by Ree923 Labyrinth u:10-01-2013 - From the moment Sarah left the Labyrinth, Jareth knew he needed to get her back. He didn't know what human love was, but he knew he would die without her. Karen knew it too.

And All the Nights to Come by Lomonaaeren Harry Potter u:07-31-2020 - Gen. On the night of Harry's ninth birthday, everything seems to be breaking apart for him. His despair reaches out into the darkness and summons the one person who stands a chance of comforting him. COMPLETE.

And We All Fall Down by Rumaan Harry Potter u:10-26-2012 - The spring term at Hogwarts starts with a bang with the return of Draco Malfoy, back for his eighth year after a stint in Azkaban. But all is not right with Draco and Head Girl Hermione Granger can't help but get involved. EWE

Angry Harry and the Seven by Sinyk Harry Potter u:10-22-2013 - Just how will Dumbledore cope with a Harry who is smart, knowledgeable, sticks up for himself and, worst still, is betrothed? A Harry who has a penchant for losing his temper? Ravenclaw/Smart(alek)/Lord/Harry Almostcanon/Dumbledore Non-friend/Ron Harry&Daphne (Haphne). No Harem. Rating is for language and minor 'Lime' scenes.

Animagus at War by White Squirrel Harry Potter u:11-20-2023 - Sequel to The Accidental Animagus. Voldemort's back, and this time, he's not alone. Harry and his family are caught in the middle as the wizarding war goes international. Years 5-7.

Apprentic James by Lil Nezumi Harry Potter u:07-05-2012 - Char. Ooc, AU/AR, still within JK's world - Harry is apprenticed to a Diagon Alley businessman at the tender age of seven. From there the story changes... very mild bashing of some regulars.

Are You Gonna Be My Girl by CajunWitch Harry Potter u:02-17-2013 - Hermione returns for her final year at Hogwarts. Rejects Head Girl position, this year is all about fun for her. One night she and Ginny sneak out of Hogwarts. When they sneak back in, Head Boy Draco catches them. Ginny is able to get away, but Hermione is at his mercy!

A reason to drink by angelfromhigh Harry Potter u:07-26-2006 - Harry opened his eyes slowly, afraid that he had just had a drunkenly induced fantasy. He was sincerely hopeful that he had not just been kissing thin air.

Art of Love by wickedswanz Harry Potter u:09-02-2009 - Hermione needs the Order's sexiest wizard to teach her the art of love making after being dumped, and Sirius is only too happy to oblige. But can the king of love-em and leave-em give her what she desires or will his heart get in the way? Rating: ADULT

As the World Falls Down by Iavas Labyrinth u:12-09-2009 - Stories become legends, legends become myths, and myths eventually become life. Jareth has waited seven years since his defeat, watching as Sarah grows into a woman and into her dreams of acting. A careless wish summons him back from the Underground.

A tale of two phoenix by Rahmota Harry Potter u:02-22-2022 - Harry and Hermione. Die together but are reborn together as Heart's blood bonded Phoenixes. Their world was strange enough now they have to learn to adapt to the changes in themselves as they learn the secrets Dumbledore kept. An unexpected ally helps them out though. Rated M for descriptions of violence, sexual situations, language. No harem. Weasleys are neutral.

Atonement by old-crow Harry Potter u:09-10-2019 - Harry received some useful advice before the third task. The butterfly effect will be going full-speed. Not everyone is happy with the changes. Enjoy

A very Black plan by WriterRose1998 Harry Potter u:02-14-2023 - Harry knows he's in trouble. Sixteen years old and already fighting for his and his friends lives just because some old men couldn't ignore a barmy woman sprouting a few lines. Harry's a boy with the world on his scrawny shoulders and with no adults to help him. But Sirius wouldn't leave his pup without a chance of survival. The world better watch out for a Black with a plan.

Avian Anarchy by Teddylonglong Harry Potter u:03-21-2021 - In a previous life, Hedwig's soul had once belonged to Lily. Recalling everything from her former life, the bird chooses Harry as her familiar shortly before his 11th birthday and causes mayhem at all who want to harm her son. Completely AU, partly OOC. Dumbledore/Weasley bashing. HP LL. COMPLETELY AU!

#harry potter fanfiction #must read #ff.net #harry potter #good reads #harry potter fanfic #hp fanfic #harry potter headcanon #labyrinth

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howtobecomeadragon · 1 year

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hello!! this is perexcri because tumblr is dumb and doesn't let sideblogs send asks :) anyway!! for the book asks: 32, 38, 103, 129, and also 71!! i need some good lgtbq+ book recs and am always open to suggestions :] 💜💜💜

hello hello!!!! :)

32: your favorite nonfiction novel

i don’t read much nonfiction, but of what i’ve read, Know My Name by Chanel Miller stands out from the rest. not only was it really emotionally impactful, but also really informative about the criminal justice system (and its many failures to protect victims of sa). very very heavy though, and look into trigger warnings going into it!

38: your favorite series

this is a very hard question. i can’t… i can’t narrow it down. i’ll share a few.

Inkheart: a childhood favorite that i still revisit often. characters come out of books. it’s magical :)

Six of Crows: this duology is so popular for a reason. they’re just amazing. amazing plot, characters that will stick with you forever, and every romance is perfect (there is a queer relationship in here!). there is scheming, heists, magic, found family, revenge.

In the Woods (Dublin Murder Squad): i’ve only read two of these so far, but they’re detective books! they really pull you in and make you feel disoriented in the best way. they just totally transport you somewhere else.

The Foxhole Court (All for the Game): it feels insane and ridiculous to include this book on this list, but this book series was all i thought about for a week as i read them, and i still think about them all the time, three years later??? they’re ridiculous, it’s about a made up sport and the mafia, it’s so outside of what i usually read, and yet i was captivated. and i’m not alone, there’s like a very small dedicated following to the series, it’s like a little cult classic. it’s self-published so they’re not extremely polished, but it’s not too bad at all. i got them all as ebooks for like $5, but i loved them so much, i bought them all in print too. a bunch of crazy stuff happens, definitely check tw if needed! there’s also an extreeeeeemely slow burn queer romance in here, but like, it’s slooow.

103: a book that deals with heavy topics

Neverworld Wake is one of my favorites. it’s kind of like dealing with grief in a limbo time loop.

Sadie was a devastating book, about big sister’s love for her little sister, and made me sob. check out trigger warnings as needed!

also, i don’t own this one, but My Dark Vanessa by Kate Elizabeth Russell. this book isn’t for everyone, but it’s an exploration of csa and grooming from a teacher, with flashes forward to the narrator’s experience confronting what she thought to know to be true about that relationship within a 2017 context when that teacher has been accused of abuse. check out trigger warnings as needed.

129: a book with beautiful prose

The Strange and Beautiful Sorrows of Ava Lavender. beautiful but definitely check out trigger warnings!

71: your favorite LGBTQ+ fiction

i’m going to give you lots of recs bc it seems like you want a lot, and i have read a lot :)

In Other Lands: one of my favorite books of all time. silly YA fantasy, bi mc, amazing characters that stick with you.

Red, White & Royal Blue: goofy little son of the president x prince of england romance

Autoboyography: kinda insta-lovey, but explores a lot of IH and religious homophobia (love interest is mormon)

Charm Offensive: it’s like the BACHELOR, but he’s ANXIOUS, and he doesn’t fall for any of the CONTESTANTS, but rather a GUY CREW MEMBER with DEPRESSION. 5/5, amazing.

Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe: a classic!!! a couple teens figuring things out.

A Dowry of Blood: not my favorite, but it’s Dracula and his brides, it’s queer and poly.

Song of Achilles: a classic!!!! the fall of troy and everything that came before that.

Wolfsong: it’s a whole series about gay werewolves. what more can you ask for??

The Gentleman’s Guide to Vice and Virtue: not my favorite, but fun. an adventure!!!

Every Heart a Doorway: first in a series of novellas, so much great rep. people find doors to other worlds that they slip into, but the story picks up once they’re back and homesick.

I’ll Give You the Sun: one of those like… early queer books that i read before i knew i was queer, but it made me feel so much at the time. permanently imprinted in my brain.

Fence: there are graphic novels, and then a couple novels. it’s fencing at a boarding school, and everyone is so so so gay. the novels are hilarious too, written by the same author as In Other Lands.

some books that i don’t own and didn’t love, but were pretty good: The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid, Only Mostly Devastated by Sophie Gonzales, Perfect on Paper by Sophie Gonzales (explores biphobia and attachment styles, which was really interesting!), History Is All You Left Me by Adam Silvera (oh my GOD this book made me sob, it’s so much heavy grief), She Drives Me Crazy by Kelly Quindlen (fake dating), Her Name in the Sky by Kelly Quindlen (wlw but a lot of IH and religious homophobia)

i’ve read more that were just so-so, and have a ton of unread queer books, so if you want more ideas, let me know! i have a lot more i can give you, just without my personal stamp of approval :)

book rec asks here!

#ask #book rec ask game

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darklight-phantasm · 2 years

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Not exactly Halloween content but she’s a witch so it kinda counts?

Putting that aside I actually wanted to do something for my personal Skylanders anniversary, since it’s now been exactly 10 years since I got my very first Skylander - Hex. Thinking about that makes it almost impossible to believe because it still feels like I just got into this franchise recently, but time works in funny ways I guess. Last week however, it really did hit me what that truly means and I want to write a little more for the occasion.

Ten years ago (I don’t have an exact date I just remember October) a 10 year old me finally decided to buy my first Skylander after obsessing over it all summer. I haven’t fully realized it yet, but Hex has been my instant favorite the moment I saw her. A little strange for a 10 year old but also telling. And despite that being such a big moment in retrospect, looking back I don’t really remember that day all that well. I was excited obviously, but other than that it was a normal day with a relatively normal event - I bought a brand new toy. She’s then been sitting on my desk for two more months until I finally got the first game for christmas, and of course she was the very first Skylander I placed on the portal as well. That moment I remember. That was the moment where I truly believed magic was real. Seeing this figure of this character who I’ve grown so connected to appear on the screen in front of me and come to life. Today I even dug out my Wii and first portal to play the game again after five years, (in 2017 I last replayed SSA) and even now I can still feel a little spark of that magic whenever I put Hex on the portal.

Hex is not only my favorite Skylander, she quickly became my favorite fictional character in general. I think the fact that out of all these colorful and weird characters the one you immediately fall in love with is a dark gothic witch is proof that you really mean it and that you’re a certified weird kid. Not only visually did she speak to me, but also her powers and especially her story. A powerful sorceress sacrificing herself for the people of Skylands just to become a feared outcast in return. It’s one of the rare Skylander bios which tells us a lot about the Skylander as a character and explains exactly why they are the way they are. It’s always been fascinating to me that despite being treated like that for centuries, she still held her head up high and continued to do good. I can relate to her in more aspects than I’d like to admit. She’s an inspiration for me and a great source of motivation regarding any Skylanders related project. Heck, she’s the main reason I got and still am into this franchise in the first place. I love many of the characters, but none could ever come close to the adoration I have for her.

I know this all sounds overly sentimental and maybe even crazy considering that she is just one of many faces made for a game with the main purpose of pulling money out of your pockets. Not to say the Skylanders were made without any thoughts or passion put into them, quite the opposite, but when you look at each of them individually it’s often hard to see more than just their unique designs and punny catchphrases. Hex is one of the lucky ones with a more distinctive personality and story, but even then you might not consider her that special. For me, thinking about Hex was always about analyzing what we had and adding onto that. What were her former friends like? How did the battle with Malefor go? How exactly do people react to her and why? How are her relationships with the other Skylanders? How does she feel throughout all that? At this point I’d like to call her my OC with all the headcanons I piled onto her. Ultimately, she’s still the character everyone sees on the surface, a cold and mysterious witch possessing unfathomable undead powers. And on the very surface she’s just the token goth, which also counts for something.

I could go on and on about my feelings for Hex, but I’ll end it here. She means the absolute most to me and I couldn’t imagine my life without her, as ridiculous as it sounds. She has helped me through many different times in life, good and bad, and I will forever hold her dear in my heart for that.

Thanks for everything.

#skylanders #skylanders hex #hex #fanart #digital art #photography #personal post #long text post

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terastalungrad · 11 months

Text

Feeling nostalgic, so I'm looking back at past Big Brothers. See how strongly I remember them.

2000: BB1

Caught the last two weeks of this, and was HOOKED. I learned of the existence of this show because a teacher built a school assembly around its popularity.

2001: BB2

Watched from launch, utterly obsessed. All the spin-offs, loads of live streams.

2002: BB3

Really into the metagame by this point. Love the nominations. Started studying psychology in school, now believe I'm brilliant at analysing people.

2003: BB4

Very cosy memories of this one. Watched it with my mother and brother, really rooted for lovely Cameron to win. My last summer before uni.

2004: BB5

Big Brother goes evil! My mother sends me VHS tapes so I can watch at uni. While watching the live stream one night, my brother steals my passport to run away to America. It's okay, we get him back.

2005: BB6

Doctor Who's back by this point, so Big Brother's no longer my favourite TV show. I find this one tougher to watch. I don't warm to many of the housemates.

2006: BB7

I auditioned for this one! So glad I didn't get in in retrospect. How different would my life have been? Can't imagine doing standup as a former Big Brother housemate.

Loved the series, though. Two Welsh speakers!

2007: BB8

Strong start to this series - I liked the idea of putting all the women in first, and slowly trickling in the men. But it's won by Brian Bello - very funny, I liked him, but his victory felt like a sign of reality TV becoming more constructed.

2008: BB9

Didn't watch this one. Furious when I found out the winner was Welsh. I turn my back for one minute!

2009: BB10

Enjoyed the series, but once again annoyed by the winner. Which seems strange now! I think today, I'd love the series to be won by a glamour model. Would I? I still gravitate towards the freaks and misfits, but I take a lot more pleasure in the victories of people who incur the snobbishness of the public.

2010: BB11

Skipped this one. It had been too long since I'd really loved a Big Brother, so I decided the magic was gone.

2011: BB12

First Channel 5 series. I'm freelancing by this point, so two weeks before it ends, I watch it all in one go. Loved it!

2012: BB13

All-time favourite series. The winner's a grumpy trans man from North Wales, how could I ask for more? Such an exciting series. And the first one I watched in full while on Tumblr.

2013: BB14

Didn't watch this one. Why not?? Maybe BB13 had been so perfect for me, I didn't have room in my heart for another series. I suppose I was also taking standup a lot more seriously by this point. Maybe I was too busy.

Furious when I found out the winner was Welsh. I turn my back for one minute!

2014: BB15

Very patchy memory of this series. I remember being extremely grumpy about the final. I was away visiting friends, so couldn't watch it live, and then had the winner spoiled for me in the most annoying possible way. Didn't love the winner either.

2015: BB16

Didn't watch this one. Too grumpy from last year. And I bet Jim Davidson had won Celebrity Big Brother by this point, an all-time low point.

I don't know a single thing about this series. Checking Wikipedia, turns out a Welshman came second. I turn my back -

Oh, except I did post a weird joke about this season. I don't think that was based on knowledge, though. I probably just saw people posting about BBUK and posted my own silly gag.

2016: BB17

Didn't watch. Don't know anything about it.

I wish I was a recation videos guy, because I just looked up this series and found out it launched the rise to fame of Andrew Tate!! Woah. First to be evicted, apparently.

In fact, omg - he's the first ever MAN to be the first evicted housemate.

2017: BB18

I weirdly DID watch this one, and I have no idea why. None of my friends were watching it. In fact, I'd forgotten I'd watched it until. I went to file my charts for the current season, BB20, and found that my folder included detailed data for BB18. I didn't just watch it, I kept my most detailed ever diagrams.

2018: BB19

Didn't watch this one. Who knows why?

A Welshman came second. I'm not even surprised at this point.

Pre-lockdown: BB1

Managed to get hold of this series and watched the whole thing. Really interesting to see it through modern eyes - how our values have changed!

2023: BB20

This one's on right now. I'm enjoying it a lot.

So let's recap my gaps - BB9, BB11, BB14, BB16 BB17, BB19. I'd enjoy watching some of these one day.

#bbuk

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legends-of-time · 7 days

Text

The Strength of a High and Noble Hill (Outlander)

Chapter 50: Death and Rebirth

Masterlist

A/N: Chapter 50 🎉🎉🎉

——

"Do not be afraid, it doesn't hurt a bit to die."

– Murtagh Fitzgibbons Fraser

Reincarnation wasn't anything like how it was depicted. He didn't magically have all the memories of his past life. An infant's brain couldn't handle the strain of having all those memories. In a way, it did all filter through to him through dreams but he never retained them, just woke up with the feelings they had caused. These feelings felt distant as if it wasn't him though.

——

May 1771

He dangles, kicking, and hears a far-off rumble from the crowd. He kicks and bucks, feet pawing empty air, hands clawing at his throat. His chest strains, his back arches, and his sight goes black, small lights flickering in the corners of his eyes. And then the stubborn impulse left him and he felt his body stretch and loosen, reaching, reaching for the earth.

"Brian!" Ellen's cries break through.

"I'll hold him. Cut him down, lass." Da speaks.

Hands take hold of his body round the middle, lifting slightly to take the strain off the rope. Brian moans.

The next few minutes had been a blur. Hands holding him steady as he's cut down. He can hear Da's frantic begging, full of apologies, Ellen's sobbing and Mama's practical doctor voice as she tries to help him but he can hear her voice wobbling.

"You're going to be ok, Brian." She whispers, her hands on either side of his head.

He tries to move, he tries to speak, but he can't. He hadn't died yet but he was, however, in the process of doing so before his parents' and sister's eyes as they cry and yell frantically above him.

Then another voice breaks through, an old memory that drowns out his family's voices. Instead, he finds himself on hard tarmac ground. A road?

"–Jeremy! Jeremy, don't leave me please!"

He doesn't reply. He panics. What's he doing here? Why's he here? Who's Jeremy? No– Jeremy was– oh God. How could he have forgotten?

Leave? No, he can't leave, not again.

The blackness envelopes him.

——

August 2016

Jeremy gasps awake and his hand immediately goes to his neck, rubbing it to make sure it's not, it didn't happen. He's been having a lot of those strange dreams lately, of him living this other life but inside a body he can't control. He knows it can't be real but he can't not believe it as well. The rope around his neck had felt so real as it choked him.

He's breathing heavily, panicking as he sits up in bed. The memories of his dream flicker through his mind making him shake, his breath catch.

He startles when his door shakes as a few thumps smack against it.

"Jeremy? Jeremy? Get up you lazy ass. It's move-in day. We have four and a half hours to get to NYU!" Cries his mother.

"I'm coming, Mom!" Jeremy calls back, flinging out of his bed. Here's to a new beginning.

——

December 2017

"Jeremy? Jeremy!"

Jeremy blearily blinks up at his friend Brandon. "Mmm? What?"

"You okay man?" Brandon asks worriedly.

"Uh, no, not really." He mumbles.

Brandon raises an eyebrow as if encouraging him to continue, chewing on his burrito. The NYU Campus Corner Cafe is many things, but an upstanding, clean establishment is not one of them. Still, it is perfect for Jeremy and his friend Brandon to meet up once a week, take their drink of choice, and split an overwhelmingly large breakfast burrito.

Jeremy sighs and begins to speak, "It's– I've been having this dream for like a year now where I, er, basically, I'm being hanged and I, um, I don't know but I can't help but feel like it's a warning. A premonition or something."

"Well, fuck man, I don't know how to help you there," Brandon responds.

"Neither do I," Jeremy grumbles.

Suddenly, Brandon jumps up as if he's been electrocuted, he waves his hands around excitedly as he articulates his idea while Jeremy winces at the wasted bits of rice that fall out of his friend's burrito.

"What you need is a distraction!"

Jeremy blinks at his friend in alarm. "A what?" He blurts.

"Distraction, a hook up, a dalliance."

Jeremy wrinkles his nose. "No one says dalliance, Brandon."

Brandon scoffs. "They should." Jeremy sighs. "Oh, come on man! What about Amelia Davis?"

"Brandon, no," Jeremy intones, a small groan in his voice betraying how he really feels about this subject.

"Brandon, yes," Brandon retorts with a ridiculous smile. "All I'm saying is that you should do something about your ridiculous crush before we go into next semester. I think you should go for it."

"Brandon, it's not going to happen," Jeremy grumbles out.

"You never know, she might actually be exactly what you are looking for."

"I am not going to ask Amelia Davis out, Brandon. Remember what happened with that British guy, Henry, last semester?" He retorts.

"Jeremy, you have been obsessed with her all semester, yet you haven't said a word. Please just walk up to her tomorrow and literally just introduce yourself." Brandon pleads. Jeremy is sure that he is sick and tired of hearing Jeremy moan about his crush.

"I am not going—" Jeremy starts, and then is stopped by a hand on his mouth.

"Look, if you do this and it doesn't go anywhere, I promise to try out for the lacrosse team." Comes Brandon's ultimatum.

He turns to look Brandon in the eye. "Really?" He asks. Jeremy's been trying to get Brandon to join the team for months and the national championship is coming up in about four/five months.

"Really." He says smugly.

"Fuck me, I guess I am going to embarrass myself greatly tomorrow in the name of entertainment for my best friend." Jeremy starts.

"Oh, you mean your only friend," Brandon interjects.

Jeremy lets out a cry of outrage, throwing some of his burrito in his friend's face.

——

June 2018

Jeremy is frantic as he runs. When he starts running it is hard to stop. He can't let things end like this, he needs to tell Amelia the truth. But he forgets to pause at red lights. He forgets to look both ways. His legs push him closer and closer and as he gets nearer the bond strengthens, tightens, and thrums with energy. Something catches his attention from the corner of his eye, but by the time he glances up, it's too late. There is a terrifying screech of brakes, and then the car hits him.

His entire body hurts as he smacks down onto the road with a skin-numbing thump. He can feel blood leaking from the side of his face but everything is one smear of pain and he can't tell whether it is from his nose or his mouth, or both.

It takes a few minutes for sound to return to the world. He can hear three distinct voices, each of them talking over one another, and none of them familiar. A car door slams. Someone swears. Someone starts speaking a one-sided conversation, into a phone presumably, calling the police or an ambulance perhaps. The light from the street lamps is so bright it almost hurts when he's finally brave enough to open his eyes.

Someone is kneeling by his side, and considering the look of annoyance crossed with guilt on the person's face, Jeremy has a feeling that this is the driver of the car that hit him. He tries a weak smile to reassure the guy it isn't his fault that Jeremy ran out into the middle of a road without looking both ways.

"Are you okay? Just stay still, alright? Don't move a muscle, you might have broken something. The woman on the phone said it was important to make sure you weren't moved." The man says, one hand still holding a phone up to his ear and the other fluttering helplessly over Jeremy's body.

"Mm," Jeremy lets out a soft grunt of pain. He's peachy. Just peachy. Why does this never happen in the movies? When the protagonists are running towards their destiny, or to the love of their life, none of them get hit by a car.

He closes his eyes again, ignoring the man when he tries to shake him gently, worried that Jeremy is falling into some kind of coma. Honestly, he thinks he is. The pain is wrecking through his body.

"Jeremy!"

Amelia.

Amelia falls to her knees by Jeremy's side, practically shoving the driver of the car out of the way before the poor man has even registered that somebody else is coming towards them.

"I'm sorry." Jeremy sobs.

Amelia reaches out with shaking hands, stroking his face. "It's not your fault. It's not your fault."

"Amelia..."

"No, ssshh, it's okay."

His eyes flicker closed. He feels his body shutting down, his breathing shallow.

"Jeremy! Jeremy, don't leave me please!"

It's the last thing he hears before everything goes black.

——

May 1744

He sees what he thinks is the light at the end of the tunnel, his life passing through his eyes, but the light he is seeing is not from a tunnel but from his birth, or rather, from his rebirth. As he emerges, he hears French being spoken in soft, worried tones before frantic English being spoken by a woman breaks through.

"What is it? Why isn't he crying? He–"

She gets cut off when he suddenly receives a harsh slap on his bottom and suddenly wailing can be heard.

"See, Madame Fraser. All is well."

He is placed in someone's arms. His vision is blurry but he can see shades of amber, golden brown, and smoky topaz, surrounded by brown framing the blip the colours sit upon. The woman lets out a gasp as she sobs.

"Oh," she sobs, "thank God."

——

A/N: Please leave comments on how you're enjoying this story and what you think.

#outlander

0 notes

xprojectrpg · 17 days

Text

This Day in X-Project - September 10

2015: Jean-Paul texts Kitty to tell her he’s going out and not to go into his room if she hears "something". Maya texts Clint asking if he’s avoiding her. Bas posts asking if anyone can give him advice on getting a job and finding a home for the mouse Clea left in his sock drawer. Felicia posts a picture of herself from Fashion Week. Kitty texts Jean asking what she’s been up to these days. Cecilia posts inviting people to watch Heathers in one of the common rooms as long as they aren’t terrors. Maya texts Clint to tell him that he’s being childish by ignoring her. Bas and Nica run into each other in person shortly after school starts, and they chat about things military and air force, powers demonstrations, and unwelcome skritching.

2016: Molly and Garrison bump into each other while visiting Daisy in the barn, and he agrees to give her some advanced training. Kitty texts Scott to see what he’s doing.

2017: Psi War: Amanda emails Rogue and the Phase 1 X-Force members with an update that Parker Matthews apparently had some friends in the magical world who haven’t been seen for a while.

2018: Morningstar: Miles texts Warren about his tuition not being paid, and gets a surprising response; Warren makes a journal post to X-Factor Investigations, announcing his decision to give each member a week to be the boss; Warren's bad day gets worse when he intentionally ditches Felicia. Clea makes a journal entry about accidentally dropping and breaking her phone.

2019:

2020:

2021:

2022: Maya texts Forge, Alani, Gabe, America and Angelo about going to the screaming room. Jubilee notes that she’ll be sitting with North for the foreseeable future as he is in a coma.

2023: Alison asks for someone to explain the plot of Cats to her on the journals. Terry texts Jean asking how things with Garrison are. Jean and Garrison have car trouble on the way back from a Mutant Underground situation and spend the night in a strange small town.

#this day in xproject #xprpg #xproject #x-project #rp #rpg #plots #plot

0 notes

overwatch-archive · 7 years

Text

NEW DETAILS EMERGE ABOUT POSSIBLE FATE OF HORIZON LUNAR COLONY

Atlas News | May 30, 2017

For the first time in years after Horizon Lunar Colony went offline, new information has been revealed as to the fate of the program.

At a press conference today, Lucheng Interstellar revealed the surprising fact that the colony's databases and monitoring systems are still up and running this day. While no direct communication has been established with the facility, the company has successfully retrieved interpersonnel logs sent days and moments before the base lost contact with earth. Below are some of the transmissions Lucheng shared.

BREAKING UPDATE:

Lucheng Interstellar has released its first image of the colony's still-operating integrated monitoring systems. A Lucheng spokesperson told Atlas News the connection is unstable, but the company is working around the clock to gather new information.

Message 01

From: Nevsky To: Winston

Gorillas Confined to Quarters

Just a quick note to let everyone know that I have gone ahead and confined Simon and a few of the other gorillas (you know the ones, the usual troublemakers) to their rooms. Their acting out is getting particularly troublesome and I'm not sure how much longer we can tolerate it. I know no one has any good ideas to address the problem (it seems clear that these reactions are a result of their genetic therapy—and possibly just life here on the colony), but this is a growing problem that we need to tackle head on, or we're going to end up with more cases like Nguyen in the infirmary. Even without the genetic manipulation, the gorillas would be a handful... but the way they arem they are a serious threat we have to take seriously.

In an attempt to show we're not playing favorites with them, I think the rest of the gorillas should be confined to quarters as well.

Message 02

From: Flores To: All

Ventilation System Inspection

Still hearing strange sounds coming through the ventilation system throughout the colony. When are we going to have time to give it a thorough inspection? I'm not sure about the rest of you, but I am fairly attached to having a fully functional supply of oxygen.

Message 03

From: Winston To: Yoshida

RE: Gorillas Confined to Quarters

First off, I agree with your suggestion that we confine all the gorillas to quarters. There aren't many good options. I don't see how trying to send them to earth would be a solution (it's hard to know medically if it would even be a good idea), and the first opportunity for that isn't for a long time from now. But the fact of the matter is that the gorillas are members of the colony, just like you and I. I don't believe there's a magic solution to socializing them. We think of them as teenagers, but they are much more than that.

Obviously we couldn't have predicted such a negative reaction to the genetic therapy. (The fact that not all the gorillas has had the same behavioral changes is curious though.) At the very least, I think we should slow down (and possibly) discontinue their ongoing treatments.

Let's discuss this more at our next executive meeting.

Message 04

From: Zhang To: All

Have You Seen Me?

By the way, is anyone else concerned that it's been almost a week and no one's seen Hammond? His cage has been empty for a week. I guess it's not a big deal to anyone else, but it would be good to have all our test specimens accounted for. I don't know why we ever thought it was a good idea to have smaller test subjects, I completely regret it.

Message 05

From: Winston To: All

*[HIGH PRIORITY] Station Emergency

I need help at airlock E-35 immediately. Emergency malfunction with the airlock, need everyone to come at once, situation is critical. This is not a drill.

Breaking Update

HORIZON LUNAR COLONY

Specimen Training Module

Antenna Gain 38.7 BD

Transmit Frequency 9.3-9.8 GHZ

Wavelength 33.2 CM

—

SPECIMEN STATUS

Tracking:

Speciment 9 — Simon

Speciment 10 — Dyson

Speciment 15 — Calvin

Speciment 20 — Susan

Speciment 23 — Hypatia

Speciment 24 — Marie

Speciment 26 — Ellie

Not Found:

Speciment 8 — Hammond

Speciment 28 — Winston

SCIENTIST STATUS

#source: news.blizzard #atlas news #horizon lunar colony #lucheng interstellar #harold winston #zhang #yoshida (lunar colony)#nevsky #flores #simon #dyson #calvin #susan #hypatia #marie #ellie #hammond #winston

0 notes

theteej · 2 years

Text

Islands Away

I clutched my passport and vaccine card in my hand as I wound my way through the airport queues. I hadn’t travelled internationally in three years, and here I was, leaving for nearly five weeks to the South Pacific. What the hell was I thinking?!

I first travelled to Aotearoa/New Zealand in 2017 as an exhausted and somewhat broken professor at Washington and Lee in Virginia. Aotearoa shaped me in some profound and confusing ways. It was my first long-term international work trip outside of the UK or Southern Africa, where I’d undertaken all of my PhD and book research. This was new, the first steps toward my next book, Conjugal States, which explores how monogamy and polygamy were understood and deployed in colonial contexts ranging from South Africa to Aotearoa to Canada and parts of the U.S. I realized I had so much more to learn, and when I first touched down in the new country I was humbled by the constant generosity of people, challenged by the similarities and differences of colonial violence in a space new to me, and excited by growing as a scholar and a person. My dear friends Rachel and David made space in their hearts and lives, and welcomed me back in 2019 when I came back for follow-up research in Wellington. This was a chance to build on two months of research, to decide what I was really looking for, and to become reacquainted with old friends.

This trip would be different, however. My dear friend Mark Daku, who I first met as a graduate student in South Africa, was closing out his time in Fiji, where he and his partner had been for two years. In characteristic Mark fashion, he said, “look, why don’t you just come? There’s plenty of relevant work here to discuss for your research. You can also give a talk here at the University of the South Pacific, and you can just be here for awhile. You’re in the same time zone as New Zealand, anyway. Do it.”

So….I did it. I applied for summer travel funding, and I went. I found myself for the first time in three years, feeling excited as I left the United States and headed far, far away—albeit this time with a mask and a healthy amount of pandemic anxiety where I hoped that my April bout of covid would help me resist re-infection in the two newly re-opened countries.

As the plane doors closed that Saturday night in July, I found myself remembering that slightly ominous passage by Agatha Christie in And Then There Were None:

“There was something magical about an island—the mere word suggested fantasy. You lost touch with the world—an island was a world of its own. A world, perhaps, from which you might never return.”

I had never been to Fiji before, and as the intense humidity engulfed me like a wet blanket, despite the ostensible Southern Hemisphere winter, I took an instinctive deep breath in. I had flown thirteen hours and nineteen time zones around the world and found myself in a place I’d only read about for work. And yet, it was surreal. The indigenous peoples of Fiji, iTaukei, bear more than a passing resemblance to me. We both have the same slightly coppery skin tone and a similar hair curl pattern. Historically, thanks to colonial naming practices, iTaukei also frequently identified as Black, and it was therefore particularly disorienting to arrive in a country where people looked like you, had similar bigger body types, and things seemed like echoes of things you already knew. As a mixed-race Black American there’s a frequent misrecognition that my body undergoes; but there’s also a sense of not really looking like anyone else. I look like my white mother and my Black father, but I also don’t. I found myself looking into faces and walking along the streets of Suva and Nadi trying to see familiarity and difference.

People often asked me if I was from Tonga, another nearby nation, which was confusing, too. The misrecognition continued apace. It was strange and beautiful to be in the somewhat sleepy but also oddly busy capital city of Suva, as I walked with Mark and Jenn and their irrepressibly cheery dog, Pirate. I walked through freak sunshowers that left me drenched, I ate a terrifying number of coconuts. I slipped slightly out of veganism to try Kokoda, a Fijian fish dish that resembled ceviche, served with chiles and cassava. It was amazing. I drank kava and rum and tried to learn everything I could. What did it mean to wander streets marked with so many familiar colonial names I knew from South Africa and the UK? What did it mean to move through a country that had endured four coups since 1987, that felt the racial fault lines from British colonialism and Indian indenture migration? There were so many parallels to South Africa. There were so many ways in which my brown and inquisitive body moved through narrow alleyways and along beach paths and just smiled in the bright sunshine, trying to understand and learn. It was an indescribable joy to be back with my dear friend Mark, who truly gets me in a way that most other people don’t. We’d been travel companions a decade earlier as anxious graduate students; now we were a little more grown, and trying to figure out everything. But Mark always knows exactly how to reach me with his love of the absurd and the asinine, and his sharp wit and generous heart make me think in new ways, even if his somewhat sunny cynicism is a weird counterpart to my own.

I met dear and wonderful people, academics like Milla building new generations of scholars and giving words for experiences; effortlessly kind cinephiles like Ben, whose passion for music and art were infectious; brilliant climate change activists like Dylan, determined to make Fiji a better and more just place for the future. I wandered and laughed and cried and….for the first time in three years, actually rested. I stopped. I breathed in, I felt the sun on my face and I tried to accept the surreal gift of a paid academic trip to think and talk and process and exist. I still can’t believe it happened, and it was such a beautiful offering of sun and healing to my battered body before the work and joy of another return to Aotearoa.

After ten days, I left the daily 85 degree (30 Celsius) weather of Fiji for the middle of an Aotearoa in a proper winter.

New Zealand, known in the language of the Indigenous Māori people as Aotearoa, “Land of the Long White Cloud,” is still one of the places that makes my heart catch in my throat when I’m there. It continues to feel like a home in a way I’m never fully prepared for, and it draws me back and challenges me in new ways every time. What does it mean to be a non-indigenous Black person, and how do I make moments of commonality and community? How do I navigate colonialism? How do I bring my knowledge to bear as a historian of the colonial nineteenth century and Indigenous autonomy? I’ve been working as a historian of colonial Aotearoa now for nearly five years, and the impostor syndrome is strong. I don’t’ want it to go away anytime soon, because I have to be accountable to a world that is not mine, to a place bigger than me, and to navigate a place filled with people living and surviving and making space.

I was initially supposed to land in Auckland for a brief layover and then fly on to Wellington where I’d stay with my friends Rachel and David. Yet unseasonably strong winds had grounded all remaining flights for the day between Auckland and Wellington, and so I found myself stuck in the city for the next twenty-four hours. This would’ve been bothersome or an inconvenience in other instances, but my dear friend Karen (who is also Rachel’s mother!), answered my anxious text message and insisted I come home to stay with her for the night. She showed up almost immediately, hugged me close and told me “welcome home,” pushed me out of her hair and directed me from her brilliant home in Otahuhu toward trails and places I remembered in the city centre, outside the famous Auckland War Museum. I admit I cried in the airport when it hit me that I had family in Aotearoa. Karen (along with Rachel, David, and David’s parents as well)—had in many ways adopted me as their errant North American relative, and after the last three years I felt particularly grateful as well as vulnerable. Karen and I chatted about her work in education and mine in anticolonial history. As always, she made space, and invited me into her life, and shared her kindness along with her copious mugs of tea.

The next day began my two and a half weeks in Wellington, where I stayed with my dear friends (or Rachel, as we waited for David to return from a trip in Europe), and got right to work in the archives. This was my third trip to the New Zealand National Archives, and I spent most days tracking down records of bigamous marriages, matrimonial infidelity, and the challenges of Māori and Pākehā (European) claims on belonging and family estates. It’s honestly the best fucking thing I get to do.

Research is the best part of the gig; there are no onerous responsibilities, only joy. You get to take in information and think and ponder and leave the analysis to some future version of yourself, sad in front of a laptop in a local café. Too bad, future T.J.! This is a time for DREAMS. I traced so many stories, and journeyed through archival trails. I got to reconnect with friends I hadn’t seen in years, including Matthew, Avery, Corry and Charlie, and generally felt so happy to be back in a place that brings me joy. After a brief and scary episode where David tested positive for covid on his return and we all had to isolate, we went on an epic work and joy filled road trip.

First we headed to Te Waipounamu (the South Island) and the city of Christchurch (Ōtautahi), where I explored the next archival repository for documents, tried new vegan restaurants, visited a kitschy French-themed tourist site, and just sat and cried in the beautiful amber lights of a winter sunset with friends who made me feel safe. While there I splurged and bought a stuffed handmade wool octopus that I named Te Wheke, the Māori word for octopus (original, I know). He’s now a dear and constant companion.

We headed back to Te Ika-a-Māui (the North Island) for the final week, I double checked documents in Auckland, and I also finalized my most ambitious plan yet—to formally apply for the 2024 Fulbright to come back and spend time back in Te Waipounamu for six months. I made arrangements with colleagues at the University of Otago, applied, and held my breath. We’ll see what happens. If it works, I’ll get the last documents read in Dunedin, work on developing competency in te reo Māori (the Māori language), and teach an African history class. I’ll be able to come back to another wonderful place that makes me feel like I’m home and can breathe once again.

When the time came, Rachel and Karen and David all saw me off to the airport. “You’re family, and that’s what we do,” Karen said with a smile. Te Wheke and I shuffled down to departing flights, and I cried a little. I can’t wait to come back home again. I’m so glad I got to breathe and recover, and find another space after so many years of exhaustion. Sometimes an island is not a fantasy, but a place you can return to, over and over again, bringing something new each time.

#tallie2022stories

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shy-fairy-levele3 · 7 years

Text

Love is Blind

Strange Magic Week- Day 1: Cannon-Divergence

AO3

When the Bog King came to he was in an immense amount of pain. His jaw ached and a newly formed lump pulsed on the back of his knobbly skull. The real problem was when the King tried to raise his hands to assuage said bump he found they were bound together behind his back. The Bog King’s back was stiff, and his poor wings were trapped under him. Worst of all though was when he opened his eyes, the Bog King saw nothing, nothing at all, just black.

The Bog King of the Dark Forest let loose an almighty roar that was worthy of his title.

“I think he’s waking up” a nearby voice said, speaking in hushed tones. It was a voice the King recognized as belonging to one of his most trusted men.

“Should we tell him what happened?” asked a higher pitched voice.

“Ya, you can tell him,” replied the first voice with some trepidation, “he likes you.”

“Really?” asked the second, full of shock and that earnest, eager-to-please quality that made him so damn annoying.

“Ah’m waiting” the Bog King growled, not a man known for his patience it was a miracle he had stayed silent for as long as he had. His foot tapped out a nervous rhythm on the stone floor and his teeth grinded together.

“Well” began Thang, “it’s kind of a funny story, sire, you see we ambushed the Elf Festival, and everything was going as planned, but then it wasn’t, and umm, umm.”

“Damnit Thang! Ah dornt have all day, jus’ tell me why Ah’m handcuffed and blindfolded, and where in the Seven Hells are we?”

“Well sire, it’s ah, you umm, it’s… it’s” Thang stumbled and stuttered until he was a quivering mess.

“You were love-dusted” Stuff’s deep voice finally cut through Thang’s bumbling explanation.

“WHAT!!!”

The furious roar of the Bog King echoed through the halls of the fairy palace, rattling chandeliers and fine china as it made its way to the ears of the eldest princess, this was a political disaster.

***

“What’s the last thing you remember?” Stuff asked, and the King actually found his trusted second’s deep voice to be calming.

“Ah,” Bog thought back, he remembered taking centre stage at the Elf Festival, belting out his grievances with his neighbours.

An elf had trespassed in the forest with the intent to conspire with the Sugar Plum and have her make a love potion. The only time the Bog King had witnessed the effects of the potion nothing had happened and he had taken the Sugar Plum out of spite, locking her away so she couldn’t pawn her false love off on anyone else.

However that begged the question, if the love potion didn’t work, as the King had suspected all these years, why was he currently bound and blindfolded, and being kept under a watchful eye by the royal guards of the fairy kingdom in the palace’s dungeons.

“Ah was singing” the King said, his brain was still foggy and the memory was taking it’s time coming back to him.

“Yes, yes, good” Stuff encouraged.

“And then…” the King scrunched his brow in concentration, something had bumped into him, he looked down but all he saw was a cloud of pink. He was quick to turn around but not fast enough, an image rose through his murky thoughts, a heart-shaped face with big honey-golden eyes and a cute little nose, with a wild tangle of moss-soft hair all stuck up, she was the most beautiful creature he had ever seen, and then she punched him.

A stupid grin spread across the Bog King’s face, an expression his subjects had never seen before. His heart thudded loudly as a song filled his being and burst forth.

***

Marianne paced the length of her room several times as Dawn sat on her bed keeping her distance. Dawn was positively gleeful at the events that had conspired and was gearing up for this to be something best watched from afar.

“What am I gonna do Dawn? What am I gonna do? I punched the Bog King, in the face!” Marianne panicked.

“Ya, I was there, it was epic” Dawn enthused.

“Dawn!” Marianne scolded, although part of her swelled with pride.

“Ohmygosh, you’re blushing!” Dawn accused.

“I am not!” Marianne countered, even as she brought her hands up to feel her cheeks, which had indeed grown warm. I punched the Bog King, she thought happily.

“You always said you wanted to have open talks with the Goblins” Dawn reasoned, “this is a great opportunity.”

“Oh is it?” Marianne said, her voice dripping with sarcasm, “do I just walk up to them and say ‘hi, I’m Princess Marianne, you know of the fields, the one who punched your King. Yes, I was just wondering if we could all be friends now’.

Marianne scoffed, “that’s not how real life works Dawn.”

“Don’t forget” Dawn chimed in, “he might be in love with you!”

Dawn squeed in glee at the face her sister pulled.

“Oh yes, how could I have forgotten that” Marianne rolled her eyes, “there is the tiniest possibility that the Bog King may have seen my face before I punched his lights out.”

The two sister’s fell into a riot of giggles.

A frantic knocking at her chamber door had both Marianne and Dawn sobering up.

Marianne opened the door and the gilded green armoured knight on the other side swiftly fell into a bow, “your majesties, I am here to inform you, that our guest has awoken, as per your request.”

Marianne let out a long suffering sigh, it was time to face the consequences.

“I should warm you, his majesty is” the guard looked side-to-side making sure the hallway was clear, “singing” the guard whispered.

She gulped.

“Thank you, we’ll be down in a moment” with a cut nod Marianne closed the door and let out a screech of frustration.

***

“You know, there’s always the chance he didn’t see your face” Dawn tried to comfort as the two sisters made their way down to the dungeons.

“He looked right at me Dawn, I don’t see how he couldn’t have” Marianne sighed again.

After her failed engagement the previous spring, Marianne had wanted nothing to do with love anymore, it was something meant for someone else, but not her. It would be some cruel twist of irony if the only other being who disliked love as much as her was to fall in love with her after being hit with a love potion. In specific the love potion he had banned from ever being made again.

“How do you think Sunny is making out?” Dawn asked as she worried at her lower lip.

Marianne huffed again, this was technically all Sunny’s fault, but he would have to be dealt with later.

“I still don’t know how you forgave him so fast” Marianne huffed.

If someone had come after her with a bottle of love potion they would be hanging by their ankles in a blueberry bush as lizard bait faster than you could say ‘primroses’.

When Sunny explained about the Imp creature stealing the bottle of love potion and running off into the Dark Forest Roland had immediately stepped up to the plate, offering to get it back so that it might be destroyed. Sunny had volunteered to go with him, as a show of good faith and the fact he had already traversed the forest once.

Roland had begged the fairy King to let him assemble an army but the wise old King had pointed out he didn’t need one. When their King had fallen unconscious the Goblins had frozen in shock, unsure on what to do next. There was no plan B, they were to fly in, take a hostage, make some threats and then leave with either the hostage or the love potion if someone turned it over.

Half of the Goblins were sent into the forest with Roland, a trio of Knights, Sunny, and a few of the Elf villagers in search of the Imp. The remaining Goblins carried their knocked-out King up to the fairy palace where they were shown to the dungeons.

“I’m sure he’ll be fine Dawn” Marianne assured.

They were almost to the dungeons when Marianne’s ears caught the sound of singing. A feeling of dread washed over her. Fairies and, it seemed to, Goblins only sang when they became overwhelmed with an emotion, usually love or anger. Marianne began to pray it was the latter and not the former.

“Then I saw her face, now I’m a believer, not a trace, of doubt in my mind, I'm in love, and I'm a believer, I couldn't leave her if I tried…”

Marianne’s jaw dropped when she rounded the corner into the dungeons and saw the almighty Bog King flying around his cell, doing flips and singing while his five Goblin guards stood by looking on with a mixture of awe and distaste. Three fairy guards stood on the other side of the hall with similar looks on their faces.

Well at least they have something in common, Marianne thought.

“Hey, Bog King” Marianne shouted, cutting through his singing, her voice coming out gruff.

The King floated down to the ground, “is that the voice of my love?” he asked so eagerly.

A small part of Marianne’s heart jumped at the endearment, but she knew he really didn’t love her. It was all an effect of the potion.

“You might as well untie him” Marianne said to one of his guards who sprung forward to complete the task.

He had been tied up and blindfolded for his own good so as not to accidently see someone and fall in love with them, but it was too late for that it seemed.

***

The King’s dragonfly wings pattered nervously as Stuff untied him and removed his blindfold. His love was here to see him, she was right there; he was going to get to see her again. Every beat of his heart longed to sing to her, of her.

It didn’t register to the Bog King he was in a dungeon, the cell door wasn’t even closed, he was to be treated as a guest until they could cure him. The only thing he saw was her. The edges of his vision were blurry, and nothing else mattered anyway.

The beautiful creature stepped forward and began speaking, “Hello, I’m-”

The King cut her off, as he filled with song once more, “Hello, I love you, won’t you tell me your name?”

“I, I am Princess Marianne of the-”

The King launched himself into the air doing a series of spins and flips, Marianne! Her name was Marianne! That had to be the most beautiful name in the whole world! He started singing again, but then she was suddenly in front of him, her slender finger pressed to his lips.

“I've been cheated, been mistreated, when will I be loved, I've been put down, I've been pushed 'round” She poked at his chest and though he didn’t think it possible the Bog King was falling even more in love with this feisty fairy.

He giggled, who would have thought a gobbling falling in love with a fairy!

He sighed, “oh silly, ‘Some people say my love cannot be true. Please believe me, my love, and I'll show you. I will give you those things you thought unreal. The sun, the moon, the stars all bear my seal.”

“Oh!” the pretty fairy blushed a very becoming shade of pink, which not only covered her high cheeks but traveled all the way up to the tips of her ears.

***

It was difficult not to believe the words the Bog King was singing, he sung with such conviction. They would have to try and find an antidote, and soon.

“Perhaps we should, stretch our wings?” Marianne asked as innocently as she could.

There was only one being who would have the remedy, the same one who created this disastrous potion in the first place.

“Good idea, good idea!” the Bog King nodded along enthusiastically.

His fingers tapped against one another nervously and he looked around the cavern as if he were looking for a place to hide.

Marianne spotted what he must have been looking for before he did.

“Your scepter, your Majesty” Marianne offered, handing him the gilded staff.

Instantly he snatched it from her grasp and held it close in front of him as if it were a shield and not a stick.

“Bog” the King said.

“What?” Marianne asked, thinking the King had simple made a funny noise.

“You may call me Bog” he offered her the most adorable lopsided smile as they exited the dungeons, his guards and her sister in tow.

Her heart thudded and Marianne knew she had to be careful not to fall in love with this fake version of the Bog King. They would fly to his castle, acquire the cure from the Sugar Plum, and everything would go back to normal.

It was going to be a long night….

(TBC)

#strange magic week #strange magic week 2017 #strange magic #day 1 #cannon-divergence #love potion #the bog king #marianne #tough girl #butterfly bog #level writes #fanfic #fan fiction #love is blind

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jhameia · 7 years

Text

Strange Magic Week 2017: “Bright Lights” (Space Alien AU)

Gaaahhh this one was hard!! I am not a fan of writing human AUs... so, I kept Bog as a goblin, and made Marianne and the fairies alien-esque fairies!

It was a rare day that Thang did not botch up messages. "Sire! Falling stars have landed on the field outside the Forest!" Thang yelled as he breathlessly ran into the throne room.

The Bog King wanted to count to ten. "What?"

He had been watching the skies, of course, through his skylight. He had seen the falling stars streak across the sky, and had been contemplating the sight when his reverie was intruded upon with yet another nonsense message from Thang. He really ought to relieve Thang of message delivery, but there were so few other things he could do around the castle.

"We saw it!" Stuff put in, her fins twitching with nervous energy. "Me and Thang and Brutus and Lox and--"

"Enough. Start from the top."

"We were out by the primroses, watching the sky. Really nice view of the sky! Then one of the stars started getting really big, and then there was a kind of hot flash of light, and then there it was!"

A hot flash of light. Bog supposed that he hadn't seen it because the castle was too deep in the forest. He rose from his throne. "What else? Who is keeping watch on it?"

"The mushrooms said they'd keep an eye on it, and we've got a team of big guys by the border," Stuff reported.

Bless Stuff. Bog snatched up his scepter.

"Tell my mother I shan't be back for supper," he ordered Thang, before he flew off.

He heard the Sugar Plum Fairy before he saw her. Or rather, he felt her, before hearing her. Her presence was palpable, the light she emitted shooting rays between the trees as she herself dashed through the woods.

"Bog! Did you hear? Are you going--?"

"Yes."

They would not be the only denizens of the Forests on their way. Bog saw the spiders' representative, even the bee swarms sent a scouting party. They fell in behind the Bog King, as if silently agreeing that they would fly under their king's aegis, or, probably more likely, that if there was going to be trouble, he was their best shield.

"What do you think it is?" Bog asked Sugar Plum as they approached the primrose border. He was not fond of her supercilious one-with-the-universe attitude, but he had to grudgingly admit that there were things beyond his ken that she grasped.

"A return home," she crooned.

"What?!"

He landed on a rock just past the primrose border. The sight was impossible: gigantic smooth gray--rocks? boulders? He knew, theoretically, that it was a structure which housed people, like his castle, though how he arrived at that conclusion he wasn't sure. But they loomed like the largest boulders on the mountainside edging the other side of the Forest.

Lights blinked in straight lines down the sides of the boulders. Then, swirls of colour danced across their surfaces in familiar sigil patterns.

It couldn't be...

First one, then the others, hissed, as if releasing a breath held in for too long. The sigils shone brighter, and one burned itself at a point close to the ground. The sigil signalling a door.

Could it--?

The Bog King steadied himself, although internally his world rocked on its heels as he comprehended what the Sugar Plum Fairy had said. She was descended of a people who had, in legend, flown to the skies in large ships, to find new worlds and escape the bitter wars that had ravaged this one.

Is it them?

The outline of a door drew itself on the side of one boulder, and slowly, it opened outwards, and lowered to the ground. In the light, Bog could see silhouettes, even as he squinted. They looked nothing like Sugar Plum, though. For one thing, they had legs.

One of the creatures walked out, taking tentative strides towards him. He himself stepped off his perch, and walked slowly towards it, not wanting to startle it. Behind him, he could hear the others whispering for him to be careful.

The lights dimmed a little, and he could see it now, more clearly, in the moonlight.

She--he felt it was a she--was not as tall as him, in fact was a full head shorter, maybe not even that. Her eyes were large and wide set, and she had fuzz on top of her head, resting on long ears. She didn't have any natural armour, and her skin looked soft and exposed. But she also wore what looked like a dress made of flower petals, like what his mother might wear.

Most striking were the butterfly wings behind her, gleaming purple in the moonlight.

Bog turned to the Sugar Plum Fairy, who had hung back, her eyes wide in shock. Whatever she had expected, it certainly hadn't been this. None of her people looked like this, like oversized butterflies.

The next shocker came in the form of tiny beings that flitted around the butterfly creature's head. Now those had a more familliar form: they looked like tiny versions of Sugar Plum's people, like the Plumettes she would conjure to assist her, even. They saw her behind him, and made small noises of cheer and joy as they shot off to greet her.

The butterfly creature blinked her eyes, surprised. She cleared her throat, and spoke something.

Bog couldn't understand. "I'm sorry," he said, "I didn't catch that."

She said something else.

They traded confused statements for a moment, before he thought of the sigils on the boulders, and other ways that his subjects communicated. With his free hand, he made a sign.

"Welcome."

She stared at the sign in his hand, then smiiled brightly as she signed back. "Greetings."

A murmur rose from behind him, and behind her too, as they realized that though their spoken languages had drifted so far apart in the millennia apart, the signs they used, mimicking ancient sigils with their hands, remained similar.

"Return?"

Her smile grew wider. "Yes."

He turned to the crowd behind him, everyone caught between anxiety and enthrallment at the sight.

"Welcome home."

Perhaps that hadn't been the wisest course of action, but he was king, and kings sometimes had to make decisions that balanced their people's safety and maintained some grace in the face of strangers.

For her part, she pressed her hands to her mouth, overwhelmed. Her eyes grew liquid, like she was about to tear up.

"Thank you," she signed. Then pressed a hand to her chest, and said in a clear voice, "Marianne."

He mimicked her gesture. "Bog King."

Now her smile was blinding. She looked so happy, turning to her people behind her and shouting something that made them come forward, albeit less confidently than she had. There was a brown-skinned creature without wings, no taller than Stuff, nervously trailing behind a creature that resembled Marianne, except she had yellow hair and orange wings.

Sugar Plum had drifted closer, eyebrows raised at him.

"What?" he asked.

"Nothing. Just surprised at how generous you are, Your Majesty."

He ignored the remark. "So they are your people?"

"After a fashion, yes. They feel similar... but perhaps contact with other worlds have changed them irrevocably."

"Do you think they're here for a visit, or moving back permanently?"

"Hard to say. We can ask them."

Bog tried to think of how these creatures might fit into the local ecosystem. But it was too much thinking for such an overwhelming moment. He shrugged internally, and went back to greeting and introducing himself to the strangers. They could figure it out later.

#strange magic #strange magic week 2017 #fanfic

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