#the great emma reread begins!

[fictionadventurer]

In Emma, the incident that sparks the story isn't a death or a loss of fortune or even someone new coming to town. It's a wedding. A happy event, usually the end of a story. But I like how this acknowledges that even a happy event like a wedding can bring its own kind of sorrow. Emma's happy for Miss Taylor, but she still mourns the way that her life has to change. Marriage can massively alter social circles, especially for women, taking them away from the home sphere and into a new life, and forcing the people they leave behind to deal with the loss. Here, it's a good change, but it's still a change.

Emma's in a unique position among Austen heroines. She's got money, a comfortable home, a loving father who would prefer she stay in his household for the rest of her life. She doesn't have to consider matrimony as a business arrangement the way some heroines have to. If she marries, it's going to be almost solely for companionship.

Because that's the one thing Emma lacks. She's lonely. She loves her father, but he's not someone she can engage with socially or intellectually. She ranks above everyone in town, so there's no one who can be on an equal level with her. Her father won't travel, so she can't get involved in social events with people who are of her rank and happen to live a little further out. Her attachment to Harriet is a desperate attempt to create a companion of her own social rank, and then marry her to Elton so she can remain in Emma's social circle. Mrs. Martin would be just another farmer's wife who sits below Emma's level; Mrs. Elton can be her equal.

But we can't overlook the fact that Emma makes the situation worse through snobbery. She's not only of a higher social rank than the people around her--she feels herself superior to them. Her father has plenty of friends, but to her, Mrs. Goddard and Miss Bates are just "prosy old ladies". Which is fine--they're more of her father's age, not hers. But it does indicate a wider personality problem. There's more than a hint of Mr. Darcy about the way she goes about detaching Harriet from Mr. Martin because he's so "coarse and vulgar", and trying to raise her up to Emma's standards of what's acceptable.

So, anyway, Emma's uniquely positioned in a story where friends-to-lovers has to be the character arc. And in the process, she's got to overcome her sense of superiority that makes it so difficult for her to classify people as friends.

[kaledya]

I LOVE dark fantasy, (vamp/creepy gods) deep political drama and families and the steampunk vibe on it. The cherry on the top ! I'm probably more of a Edwardian era girly that Victorian era girly but love both of them.

For your story, its a nice start for the differences in social hierarchy, it's a classic. I am not familiar of Brandon Sanderson's (did I write the name right?) Books because they're not really well translated in my language, in my opinion. But I can help with some refs if you want !

For exemple, if you are new in writing this type of worlds, I would recommend "soft worbuilding and big on vibes". With visuals (anime) : Violet Evergarden, Howl's Moving Castle. Both are fantasy soft steampunk-y. You can see on the concept art, props, machinery that are not too complicated to make and design. Jules Verne's works/drawings are a basic for the steampunk theme! Of course.

Then If you want something more deeper for the construction of society, Arcane (the show) is a very good dichotomy of rich and poor. If you want to have nice victorian clothes searching, you have the manga EMMA from Kaoru Mori (beautiful drawings!)

I know steampunk fantasy books but I don't know if they are translate in foreign languages ??

ANYWAY ! I need to stop! Because this message will be longer than any human life spend ever ahah!

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Also yes I have started my own AU before I know your art. Just "how would I have written Hazbin Hotel ?" I did a full redesign of mostly all the characters, have OCs and deeper lore on Eve/Roo/Lilith part of the story and a ALL deeper lore on Alastor, Alastor's backstory. Its the focus of it.

Its very demonical hierarchy, bureaucratic kind of vibe ? Like :

Character : "I will postponed my duel. We need that information... and this file?" Other character : "Let me call this president... yes. I need a new weapon for... what do you mean half of my legion is fucking dead ?! WHO is training them ?! I need an advocate." (Hell have presidents) Character 3 : "What the hell is the Order of the Flies ? What do you mean Satan had a revolution in mind ? I need a coffee. No. Kill me."

I just think its so funny that demons have a human hierarchy, makings calls and just dying under paperwork. Its chaotic. For exemple, Charlie has brother and sister, one just left Hell to chill in Earth, the other is kinda married to her uncle ? Its just wild. But demons !

I paused it to write fully Arencha Amendable! At the beginning, It was HARD for me to remember that your prince of Hell (Constantine) for exemple, is not my prince of Hell (In my AU) or the fact Alastor as a daughter too in my AU who is NOT like Serenity at all ahah. So I really work on knowing your SS AU to be great at it !

I would be happy to show it to you but not in public.🌸🌸🌸 In case I want to write it on ao3 one day, in another timeline or something ahah

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I forgot to say that I love Lackadaisy too ! My favorite character is the Cajun cat girl... Sérafine ? Mordecai and the 3 main. The others characters are adorable! What's yours ?

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Yes I just love your art. Stop making me cry damn it *take gently my hamster back* thank you 🌸🌸

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Berserk is very great manga. I understand! When you said you have a t-shirt Berserk I look at mine and I was like (its a pastel t-shirt with a white cute bunnyon it) "slay !"

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And yes of course the beginning of Constantine and Serenity friendship is difficult ! And slow ! Like Hell is not a good place to have friend at all, and then Constantine is really not approachable for Sinners normaly and Serenity even if she is kind of a show girl (a greatest actor!) She is also someone discreet in her ways of doing things. I think ? Trust is complicated to built !

I'm happy you liked the Constantine/Verdelet little short story ! Your little dialogue was SO FUNNY ! Because that's a good resume :

V : "come on..." C : "I will not have sexual intercourse..." V : "Lesson time !! Look at this fleshy heart !"

I reread it just to laugh again at your dialogue ahah.

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Ahaha ! And I'm so ready for the Con and Lolicia fanarts ! 😭 all if your drawings. But don't worry if you don't have a lot of time to do it now.

Remember. I'm not going anywhere. Your studies/exams first🌸🌸

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I'm glad you like Abaddon !! And the short stories with Azrael and him !

AND I TRIED FOR DRAWING AZRAEL ! he was more complicated than I expected?!

And thank you for blessing mine eyes!!! What do you mean ? Ahah.

Have a great day too 🌸🌸

Yes, these themes are seriously awesome! I'm so glad to hear YOU loved it TOO!

And the Edwardian Era is also a very interesting Era, and its aesthetics are very beautiful.

And yes, you pronounced the name correctly, and don't worry, I just read the 1st book of Mistborn in English because they did not translate it well into my language too! (I had a headache from translating it).

I'm also thinking of reading the book called The Way of the King. I often see Sanderson being praised for his universe building! Inspiration is inspiration.

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THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR YOUR RECOMMENDATIONS And seriously, I have always loved the art design and environmental design of Violet Evergarden, it was also an anime that I loved in terms of story factors.

And YES! I definitely get a lot of inspiration from Arcane. In general, the Runterra universe is a universe that inspires me a lot.

Thank you again for your advice and resource suggestions, I will look into them all! Information is information!

The length of the message is really not a problem, I love reading what you write!

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WHATTTTTT!!! Luckily, I would really like to see your design for the characters and the lore you have in mind for the characters! And your version reminded me of the politics-based structure of the first 4 seasons of GOT Series where this type of dialogue dominates are truly perfect for me. And I think that the hierarchy of hell is a really important and interesting topic, and it's really nice to include these parts in the story.

And Yes lmao Imagine, there are papers lined up like mountains in front of the important figures in hell, and they have to read and deal with them one by one.

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Lmao I would 100/100 be the brother who goes to the world and has fun. Paperworks wastes people's lives.

And I really understand, after watching House of Dragons, I started to dont judge(dont think about so much) such events in such fictions And yes, it is hell, anything can happen there!

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I seriously find your AU interesting and if you come back to write it one day I look forward to reading it! And I was really happy to learn that we were considering similar concepts for AU snow!

And how is your AU prince and alastor's daughter's personality and story on ice! I'm seriously curious about your perfection!

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And lackdaisy is seriously amazing, I'm still surprised when I see the drawing quality of the comic, the illustrator is a very talented person!

Cajun Cat? I can't remember exactly, but I choose Mordecai and the main trio, they all have unique personalities. And I love that although Mordecia is shown as the most grumpy person, on the otherwise is the one whose facial expression you see the most.

My favorite? Hmm I guess my fav is Zib, the depressive musician cat who is fed up with life.🤌

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Yes, but it's still your decision whether to add this friendship factor to the story or not. You can do whatever you want, I'm okay with both options.

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And I seriously love the interactions between Verdelet and Constantine, they are two fun people to read! And I'm so glad you liked the little dialogue I wrote!

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And thank you so much for being patient and understanding!I'm really excited to draw them both together!!

-- And of course I will love Abbadon, I really loved his design and personality and I say again, your fanarts are really beautiful!

-----Episodes comments--

First of all, I read it up to date and I liked all the chapters you posted. The activities to unite the team were really well thought out, Sir Pentious warming up to the team. Trust activity after he arrived

In general, the activity held among the hotel residents was really great, everything was thought out in detail, I really loved it!It was really nice to have the team interact with each other or to read Lolicia's reactions to some events. Alastor's dialogues are also really fun to read.

In the short stories, the vee's stories were really nice, reading all of them was both fun and I think it gave the reader a different perspective, it was a really smart decision and in those short stories...introduced OCs caught my attention, I'm already curious if we'll see them again in the future!

And I wasn't expecting to see the Constantine cut at the end of the Vee episodes. It was a really nice surprise and I really loved the way you showed him in the story. Again, it's a very Epic shot.

And your drawings were great, as was the short with Verdelet. The design of the succubuses in Story was very nice, and the designs of the other versions of Abaddon were very good. I really like your designs!

And The fanart you drew of Verdeletand Constantine in the past was VERY BEAUTIFUL, THANK YOU SO MUCH, MY EYES ARE BLESSED AND THE YOU DRAW CLOTHES ARE VERY BEAUTIFUL. (Verdelet gives me the material girl Vibe💅)

Thank you again for the fanart.

AND WE SEE A SECTION OF LOLICIA'S PAST. WHAT DOES THAT SCENE MEAN? WHAT HAPPENED TO HER? MANY QUESTIONS BUT NO ANSWERS!

*starts hanging pins and clues on the wall*

AND ABBADON AND THE ROO/EVE SCENE I REALLY DIDN'T EXPECT THIS WHATTTTTT????

But the way the scene was written and described was really great. I really loved the way you handled Eve and Roo. I already loved Abaddon. I can't wait to see more about him now.

I'm seriously curious about what route the story will take after the warm-up arcs are over!!

And PRIDE MONTH FARANT I seriously think you drew the characters very cute and beautifully, they all looked great, I really liked them, thank you for bleesing my eyes again!

I hope I haven't forgotten any detail, if there is, please let me know, I don't want to miss anything!

And I apologize for the late reply. I haven't been on Tumblr for a long time and the my ınbox was really full. I saw your message recently!

Thank you again for taking the time to write this fanfic and draw fanart. It makes me so happy to read your fanfic! But please don't tire yourself out and get plenty of rest, you deserve it! ❤️❤️🫂🫂🫂🫂

[14carrotghoul]

24 for 24

Thank you @read-and-write- and @myheartalivewrites for tagging me! One of my resolutions is to read more books bc last year I finished a whopping one (1) book! My goal for several years now has been 26 books (one every two weeks) and I want to try a few different things to hopefully meet it because I have progressively been getting worse at meeting my goal!

So here are some books that have been rotting on my bedside bookshelf or in my sprawling TBR in no particular order

Freedom is a Constant Struggle - Angela Y. Davis (50% done already!)

Bad Mormon - Heather Gay (~25%)

Parable of the Sower - Octavia Butler

Mexican Gothic (reread in Spanish)(~10%) - Silvia Moreno-Garcia

Severance - Ling Ma

Cantoras - Carolina de Robertis

Crying in H Mart - Michelle Zauner

Hacienda - Isabel Cañas

Open Water - Caleb Azumah Nelson

In the Dream House - Carmen Maria Machado

Jesus and John Wayne - Kristin Kobes Du Mez OR White Too Long - Robert Jones

Silver, Sword, and Stone - Marie Arana OR Open Veins of Latin America - Eduardo Galeano

Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat - Samin Nosrat

They Can't Kill Us Until They Kill Us - Harif Abdurraqib (This year's designated travel book!)

Zami: A New Spelling of My Name - Audre Lorde

Passing - Nella Larsen

Frankenstein (reread) - Mary Shelley

Pride and Prejudice OR Emma - Jane Austen

Darius the Great is Not Okay - Adib Khorram

Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe - Fannie Flagg

Tipping the Velvet OR The Paying Guests OR Fingersmith - Sarah Waters (I got copies of the first 2 for a STEAL at a used bookstore, and one of them had a sticky note covered in cat hair - really felt like a passing of the wlw torch lol)

Fun Home - Alison Bechdel

Persepolis - Marjane Satrapi

Maus 1 & 2 - Art Spiegelman

No pressure tagging because this is pretty extensive and this is a list I like to make at the beginning of the year anyway (although usually a shortlist of 10 books) but I'm curious about y'all's prospective reads if you decide to share! Part of the fun of reading for me is hearing all about new books! @happiness-of-the-pursuit @cha-melodius @orchidscript @inexplicablymine @indomitable-love @affectionatelyrs @ssmtskw @dumbpeachjuice @daisymae-12 @cultofsappho @suseagull04 @firenati0n @kiwiana-writes

[halfmoth-halfman]

the end of march is here, so we've got a new monthly fic rec list!!

just like last month, this is only for fics that i read and were also written this month. if you wanna see more of my fic recs and favs, i have em all organized on my recs blog, here!

and as always, if you have any fic recs of your own, feel free to send em my way here or on my sideblog - i love finding new fics and writers!

Alex Keller

blood on my hands - @uselsshuman

✧ two of my favorite things: alex keller and emma's fics! alex being a great caretaker and having friends everywhere is amazing. this is the perfect fic to scratch my alex itch!

Joel Miller

to think i'd forgotten - @mvtthewmurdvck

✧ i don't think there will ever come a day when i am not completely blown away by just how good anything jo writes is. doesn't matter the fandom or character, everything is absolutely top tier and this joel fic is no exception.

John Price

the five times - @halcyone-of-the-sea

✧ a fic i couldn't put down and even after i finished it, i had to read it a million more times. i already love price, but this fic only made me love him more and the writing???? i literally have no words for how good this is.

a handful of birthdays - @mvtthewmurdvck

✧ one of my favorite price fics ever. such a cute and fun way to show a relationship evolving over time and written so beautifully. this is definitely a fic i reread whenever i need a pick-me-up.

in dreams - @yeyinde

✧ the day i don't immediately fall in love with one of lev's fics is the day i die. there should be a museum dedicated to her fics because every single one is a piece of art.

gravity - @soapskneebrace

✧ drunk shenanigans are always a fun time, and price being a gentleman at the end is the perfect cherry on top of this well-written sundae.

afternoon coffee - @lunarvicar

✧ another spectacular addition to the mothiverse! price being a mother hen is too perfect and him demanding moth lick the spoon again even more so. i may be a bit biased, but the mothiverse is one of my fav price series and every addition just makes me love it more and more.

John "Soap" Mactavish

sweet melodies - @johnnytavish

✧ everything i've ever wanted and more. i'm a sucker for singer!reader and this is so perfect. the teasing from her and the rest of the 141? amazing. the reader being a siren on stage? fantastic. this entire fic? perfection.

Kyle "Gaz" Garrick

gossamer silk smiles - @halcyone-of-the-sea

✧ whoever the anon was that requested this is doing the lord's work because i have never read a more perfect gaz fic in my life. perfect doesn't even begin to cover it. i love this fic with every fiber of my being and every piece of my soul.

kiss prompts || kiss 39: last kiss before dying | kiss 3: forehead kiss | kiss 13: morning kiss - @cowboybxtch

✧ do you want to have your heart broken into a million pieces and then put together with the cutest and most wholesome fluff you've ever read? then these kiss prompts are for you! i know i say fics are beautifully written a lot, but there's no other way to describe this little series. they're beautiful. gorgeous. stunning.

König

overflow the stars - @halcyone-of-the-sea

✧ listen, i'm not a könig girlie, but this fic right here? chef's kiss. i swear, there isn't a single character that hal can't make me love. everything she writes, every character she writes for is so well done, her talent floors me.

Leon Kennedy

in my veins - @uselsshuman

✧ did i create a resident evil section in my fic recs just for this fic? yes, yes i did. and i have absolutely no regerts because i love this fic and i will never be normal about any of the amazing stuff emma writes.

Multi Characters

141 sleeping headcanons - @maes-chocolate-cookie

✧ this is so cute and i love it. they fit the characters so well, especially price sleeping with a thick blanket no matter the temperature. i feel that on a deep level.

Simon "Ghost" Riley

sassy series || grocery list | cough - @peachesofteal

✧ i saw the words soft dad!simon and was immediately sold. then i read the rest of the fic and felt my heart clench at how goddamn cute this entire series is. "Simon is a good partner and dad I will be taking no questions." you're right, peach, and you should say it.

something tells me, i'm going to love you forever - @mvtthewmurdvck

✧ no words, just this:

your blood on his hands - @vesper-tinus

✧ i had to take a lap around my living room after i read this. this fic killed me. it destroyed me in the best way possible. "Maybe in the next life." how dare you do that to me but also i love it so much.

happiness series || a late night last minute request | four - @lethalchiralium

✧ more for one of my favorite family man simon riley series! the interactions between simon and his kids always get to me, this is such a soft and wholesome series even when it hurts.

pi day - @kioplama

✧ went in for a cute little fic for pi day, came out blushing and tearing up over "Professor Riley". really, really cute and the reaction to simon pulling out a ring made me laugh.

about someone, that isn't you - @mvtthewmurdvck

✧ this fic killed me. absolutely wrecked me. completely destroyed me. jo is too good at the angst and making me feel and getting me all caught up in my emotions. i don't know how she manages to create such stunningly painful fics, but it's a skill to be admired. i don't think I'll ever get tired of how good her fics hurt.

you wake up together - @ninetailedfoxmanchi

✧ lazy morning fics are the best. something about the pure domestic bliss and reading about ghost being calm and happy just sends my heart sailing.

untitled - @blackssuunn

✧ a lovely fic with simon being a big softy. as someone who mostly writes and reads fluff, this is top tier, grade a, perfectly written fluff and all i want to do is curl up and reread this fic over and over.

cuddlebug - @saltycurry

✧ self-indulgent tooth-rotting fluff? sign me tf up. i am absolutely here for it and i loved every word of this fic. i know there's a theme of super fluff in these recs, but i won't apologize for it when i get cute fics like this to read all day.

a good man - @halcyone-of-the-sea

✧ this is gonna be another picture because i can't find the words to explain how much i adore this fic and i feel like my emotions are best described like this:

[violsva]

February Reading

I liked doing the reading post in January and thinking about books is better than thinking about family things! so here's another one.

Recent: Not all that recent now, but I finished Imre at the beginning of the month and I did actually enjoy it very much. It's very Edwardian, both in style and attitude, but along with the Weird Ideas about ethnicity there's also a sincere attempt to refute misogyny in gay male culture. And idk, the romance is just sweet.

Also read Wired Love by Ella Cheever Thayer, which I first heard of somewhere on tumblr most of a decade ago, and loved that too! And this one actually has surprisingly little in the way of Period Typical Attitudes. People respect each other's boundaries (or, at least, the good ones do) and there's a very nice portrait of life in urban boarding houses in the late 19th century.

Read Paladin's Faith by T. Kingfisher, which I loved all the way through, but I finished it at a point when I had kind of a lot of pain and PMS, which means I have ended up with no ability to comment on it. I liked the ground wights. Oh, also halfway through I decided Wren should ditch her party and marry me. Possibly I have a Type.

Reread an early Cat Sebastian, which, well, it's nice to see how much she's improved.

Still reading and listening to a lot of RWRB fic. I don't think there's anything I want to specifically call out as good, but it's nice and non-demanding. At least as long as I stick to AUs or shove it into the wish-fulfillment area of my brain rather than the class-conscious part. Oh, and I relistened to the first chapter of Life of Crime the other evening, that was great.

Current: In the middle of the climax of Gwen and Art Are Not in Love - thank god for skip-the-line copies, I have been reading this very slowly over the last six weeks. Recommended if it sounds at all like your kind of thing. Hopefully I will finish it on my commute tomorrow.

Have started The AI Who Loved Me by Alyssa Cole, because sometimes reading about living in a dystopia is, what's the word, sympathetic.

Last year I read The Astonishing Adventure of Jane Smith by Patricia Wentworth and wondered why she doesn't have the same reputation as, at least, Ngaio Marsh or Josephine Tey. Now I'm reading The Coldstone and finding it somewhat less impressive. Possibly because of SAD and possibly because it doesn't have any characters I straight up like as much as I liked Jane Smith. But the bit I read today had some very fun sneaking around at night pretending to be a ghost. Also a bicycle. I should read more books with bicycles.

Also I got Poetic Designs by Stephen Adams (one of my university professors) from my brother (we should have two copies between us, but mine has disappeared in a box somewhere) and am rereading that for nice practical unemotional nonfiction and nostalgia.

Future: I am going to pick up a gay sci-fi regency romance that I found in the local library and hope it is as awesome as it could be. And either Sixpenny Octavo by Annick Trent or One Night in Hartswood by Emma Denny, depending on whether I feel more like even more regency or even more medieval by then. And I have If You'll Have Me by @eunnieboo on hold at the library.

At some point I'm going to go through my reading file and run the stats to see if I'm actually reading more queer fiction this year than usual. Probably not, honestly.

[firstelevens]

hi zainab!!!! 2, 3, 6, and 29 for the fic writer ask???

Hi Mak! Thank you for sending these in!

2. Do you read/reread your own fics?

Yes, because I am absolutely my own biggest fan!

On a much more practical note, sometimes I reread because it's part of a series and I'm checking a canonical detail (although if it's in the Bake Off AU I'm better off just asking @sesamestreep, who is the official lorekeeper and knows that universe's canon better than I do.) Other times, there's a fic where I just really like what I did with a character's voice or the general tone of a scene and I'll go back just to get a feel for what I did the last time.

3. What’s your favorite fic that you’ve written?

I mean, the Bake Off AU has my whole heart and there's so much of me in it that it will always be special to me BUT!!! I really love the Thunderbolts-era epistolary fic counted days, counted miles because I think it's an exercise in me managing to show writerly restraint, which is a skill I'm still working on. (And also I got to come up with so many fun spy tricks for hiding letters; it was great.)

6. Are there any fics from others you reread all the time?

How fortuitous that you picked this question when I have reread wish that i could wind (like a spiral stair through time) FIVE TIMES in the past month. That fic is a work of art. I am also never far from rereading and never ever watch the ten o'clock news, which is Emma's phenomenal Psych AU of Rogue One which is just so wonderful and funny and it continues to hold up. Oh also! There's don't read the last page, which is a Brooklyn Nine-Nine fic that is short and sweet and just so warm and cozy and I go back to that one a lot just for the mood of it.

29. Share a bit from a fic you’ll never post OR from a scene that was cut from an already posted fic.

Okay so this question reminded me that there's a 1200 word scene from the Formula 1 AU that was originally going to be the epilogue but got canned which SUBSEQUENTLY reminded me that there's a whole scene that I wrote for the Bake Off AU that got cut from Chapter 6 because things ended up going another way!

The beginning will looks familiar if you remember anything from that chapter, but then there's a sharp left turn that involves the lost plot point of Becca Barnes creeping on Joaquín's thirst trap and restaurant review filled Instagram in order to figure out where Bucky could go for dinner. I was sad to lose it tbh but the restaurant still made it into the fic as the place where Sam and Bucky go out on their definitely-not-a-date in Chapter 10.

A peek at the alternate timeline under the cut!

Bucky is starfished on his bed, trying to muster the energy to get up when his phone rings. His eyes are squeezed shut, but he opens one to peer at the screen. He only answers because it’s Becca, but he’s too tired to do more than grunt into the phone when he picks up.

“Good day, huh?” she asks, laughing when he just groans in response.

“Hope yours was better than mine,” Bucky says, when he finally manages to talk. “How’s day shift treating you?”

“I’m discovering that there’s this thing in the sky called the sun, and it provides light? And makes people happy? Do you think other people know about it? Should I be telling them?”

He laughs tiredly. “You can use all this newfound energy to make a TikTok about it.”

“I’ll get on that,” Becca says. “What about you? You okay?”

“Yeah,” says Bucky, bringing his hand up to his face. “I just need to lie down for a while.”

Not that lying down for the past half hour has helped, but he’s got high hopes for that sixty minute mark.

“No, what you need to do is eat something,” Becca says, sounding remarkably like their mother. “Tell me your head isn’t hurting right now.”

Bucky freezes, his fingers still pressed into his temples. “It’s creepy when you do that, you know.”

She laughs. “I know. Hey, why don’t you go to that place that you and Steve went to all the time, the one with the waffles?”

The last time Bucky had been there, four years ago, he’d spent the entire evening bickering companionably with Sam while Steve dealt with a work emergency. It had felt remarkably like flirting, and he’d even thought about asking Sam to get a drink sometime—and then Bucky had been eliminated after the next day’s Showstopper, and that put an end to that.

He shakes his head to clear it. “I’m tired, Bec, and they pick us up at like, six AM. I think I might just grab something from the convenience store.”

“Buck, I spend half my time listening to newborn babies cry and that is still the most pitiful thing I’ve heard this week. You are not eating yogurt for dinner alone in your hotel room.”

Bucky huffs. “Well, I’d grab a random stranger off the street to join me, but I’m not looking to get murdered today, Rebecca.”

He can hear the sound of Becca typing, doing the thing where she studiously ignores his asshole behavior until he comes around and starts acting a more like a person. It’s annoying how well it works. 

After a minute or two of typing and what he assumes is scrolling, she lets out a, “Huh.”

When he waits for her to elaborate and she doesn’t, Bucky sighs. “What is it?”

“Do you know a Joaquín Torres?”

It’s far from the question he was expecting but Bucky answers in the affirmative. “He’s a baking consultant on the show.”

More typing. “Does he have good taste?”

There’s a tiny, childish part of Bucky that wants to say no, because Torres is chirpy and bright-eyed and his unfailing enthusiasm is exhausting at times, but that would be a lie. “Yeah, he knows his stuff. Why?”

“He lives in Atlanta; he posts about a lot of local hidden gems. There’s a Tunisian restaurant a couple blocks from your hotel, apparently? Kind of looks like a hole in the wall but he says the food is amazing.”

“I don’t know, Bec. It’s late and eating out alone is depressing.” His limbs feel heavy, and his shoulder is starting to hurt from having the prosthetic on for so long, and he knows that food would make his headache go away, but he just can’t drag himself off the bed.

Like Becca knows what track his mind is on—and honestly, she probably does—, she chooses this moment to go for the knockout. “Come on, Buck; it’s my job to look out for you, and you’re too far away for me to drag you out to dinner and make sure you eat. Throw a girl a bone here.”

She’s too powerful for her own good.

Bucky drags a hand down his face, sighing again. “You know, I hear some people don’t let their baby sisters tell them what to do all the time.”

“Poor them,” says Becca.

“Poor them,” echoes Bucky, and asks her to text him the address.

When she does, he looks it up and realizes that it really is only two blocks away: completely walkable, even in Atlanta’s late spring heat, and only a little further than the convenience store where he’d planned to grab his apparently pathetic dinner.

It’s only when he gets to the door of the restaurant that he remembers it’s a Saturday night and he probably should have thought to make a reservation. The place only has a handful of tables to begin with, and they’ve all got people at them. The host already has an apologetic look on his face as Bucky walks in, but they both turn in surprise when they hear someone inside the restaurant call out to him.

“Bucky!” says Joaquín, as brightly as ever. “Come sit with us.”

Because the universe has a sense of humor, ‘us’ is of course Joaquín and Sam, who are having dinner together. Alone. On a Saturday night.

It can’t be a date, Bucky reasons. No one would invite a random acquaintance to third-wheel their date, right?

He realizes that he still hasn’t responded when the host assures him that of course they’ll be able to add another place setting to the table, and before he knows it, Bucky is being whisked over to their table.

Whatever mood had settled over Sam after the signature today seems to have dissipated, and he turns to Bucky with a grin on his face. “I hope you trust Torres over here, because he ordered way too much food for us and didn’t let me see the menu.”

Joaquín shrugs. “I come here a lot,” he says. “Not enough people know about it, but it’s amazing.”

“Which is why he’s on a mission to be their one-man marketing team,” says Sam. “We got here half an hour ago and he’s already posted on Instagram like, ten times.”

Bucky thinks of the sound of Becca on her computer as she’d talked to him earlier, how she’d pivoted from suggesting the diner he’d probably have ended up at to this specific restaurant, and suddenly, this coincidence feels markedly less like a coincidence.

He’d probably feel more annoyed about it if he didn’t spend the meal close enough to Sam for their shoulders to constantly be brushing. Torres is right; the food is great, but if anyone asks, Bucky’s pretty sure the only thing he’d be able to recount is how many times Sam touched his arm to ask him to pass things, or dished some more food onto his plate, or gently nudged him while telling Joaquín stories of their time filming season two.

When the check comes, Bucky insists on paying, to make up for crashing Sam and Joaquín’s dinner, and as they stand on the sidewalk outside the restaurant, Joaquín offers to drop them off at the hotel on his way home. He’s about to accept when Sam waves it off. 

“I think we’ll just walk back,” says Sam. “It’s so nice out, and the hotel’s probably closer than your car is.”

There’s a moment where all three of them silently commiserate over the trials of city parking, and then Joaquín says he’ll see them tomorrow and heads off.

Bucky glances sidelong at Sam, whose eyebrows are knitted together as he looks down the street towards their hotel. He can see the entrance from where they’re standing, but Sam gently touches his elbow and nods down the street to their left—the long way, Bucky realizes, a moment too late.

[storyofmychoices]

The beginning of 2024 had definitely already brought it's share of challenges for me, but I'm hoping that maybe things will still be improving from here! Thinking positive!

Writing Goals

Where to even begin? I have probably 100+ WIP ranging from a scribbled idea on a post it to an outline that needs to be typed. I'd like to put a dent in that? So far each year, that list keeps growing instead of shrinking. I find that I'm more of the in the moment writer. It's all or nothing. Either I finish a piece in one sitting or it never gets done. I'd like to try to find more of a balance in 2024.

In a perfect world, here are some stories I'd like to complete:

Mal's proposal: I started this fic last February, and would really like to actually write it. I have art for it. I don't know what I'm waiting for, especially now that I have their Blades 2 AU proposal done 🙈

Laser Tag with Brylivia: This is just a short little drabble that I think is like 75% written. It's from 2 years ago. I really have NO excuses lol

Love and Scotch: This series fell away when I stoped writing Ethan (for a number of reasons). I'd love to finish this series. I had several more chapters planned but I might just skip some and at least get to what I envisioned as "the end" aka Thomas and Alex's HWU AU wedding and a big turning point for Ethan and Ellie.

#HollywoodHacks: Does anyone even care about this series? Anyone even remember it? I feel like no. I was really only writing it for 1 person, but they're not in the fandom anymore...It might not be the ending I'd planned or wanted, but I think I could wrap the series in 1 or 2 (tops) more chapters. I had hoped that the story would lead to me writing more for Ben Parks and my #LoveHacks MC but that never happened

Tipsy Nia x Daenarya: an anon requested tipsy Nia hitting on Daenarya and I started it but then never finished it. It's such a small drabble it seems silly to even include it here, but here we are!

Blades 2 AU: At the start of Blades 2 I was doing a great job keeping up with the book and rewriting the chapters to fit my vision for the characters. That kinda fell apart around Chapter 5. I'd like to finish that rewrite and see how Iliana fits into how the rest of the book happened. Last I wrote, Daenarya didn't even know she was pregnant.

Rayden and Lydo's Adoption: Mal and Daenarya have already decided to adopt them. I've also written them as a family. But, I've never written the actual story of Mal and Daenarya telling the boys they were adopting them and they'd be a family forever, so I'd love to do that!

Pairings I'd like to write more of in 2024:

Thomas and Alex: I used to publish 1 new story a day when I first started writing them. It lasted over a year, then it gradually decreased. Last year, I only wrote them 10 times! I know the lack of interactions with their stories, has definitely made me want to share less and just enjoy daydreaming for them, but still, I'd like to keep their story going, regardless of interactions, because they are so special to me. Plus, if I could wrap those two series above that they're in, that would definitely lift my RCD/HWU fic count for the year!

Nyx x Aerin: I LOVE NYX! NYX is incredible and I love love love them. Aerin is kinda fun too. I would love to develop these two more this year.

Trystan and Lilah: I've only written them a few times and I'd like to get to know them better

Beckett and Emma: I haven't written them in a long time and when I did write them it was for 1 particular series (them in Detention). With the Book Club replaying TE, I'm hoping I might be inspired to see what they're like outside of the library.

Troy and Astraea: I love these two but I haven't had time to explore them more. I don't think I'll have time to participate in the group reread right now, but I would still like to reread WTD at some point this year and keep developing them.

Daenarya x Maiele (@lilyoffandoms) + Mal x Tyril: In 2023, Lily and I started to develop these relationships more. I loved every second of that and I hope 2024 will bring us more of these four lovely characters.

Mal's Orphanage: Blades 2 destroyed the orphanage storyline. If PB wanted to steal it they should have done a better job of it. Like there was literally no point in them having that storyline since they abandoned it the first chance they got. I'd like to fix the Blades 2 orphanage storyline but then go back to focusing on my original orphanage because those children are my favorite.

Other Goals

Catch up on reading and be a more active reader

Follow and support new Choices accounts

Continue with the book club and other events I host but find a balance with hosting that I still have time to create and read/support others

Try my hand at drawing again. I had been drawing chibi's a while back and I haven't had time/the courage to try again, but @lilyoffandoms's incredible art journey this month has inspired me to add it to my list this year

Keep editing Aerin in the sluttiest Choices outfits I can find

Flesh out more of Olivia's pediatric practice and how she transitions from Edenbrook to Sunshine Pediatrics

Be kind to myself and let myself rest when I need it. I am my biggest critic and if you ask me what I'm good at, I'd say nothing and I would tell you everything wrong with anything I've ever done, including all of my pairings. I see the mistakes and I want to let myself see the good and focus on only that this year.

[likeclarabow]

2023 Books Read

Our Wives Under the Sea - Julia Armfield (Dec 31-Jan 2)

See You Yesterday - Rachel Lynn Solomon (Jan 2-Jan 3)

All Dressed Up - Jilly Gagnon (Jan 4)

She Gets the Girl - Rachael Lippincott & Alyson Derrick (Jan 5-Jan 6)

Ready Player One - Ernest Cline (Jan 6-Jan 10)

Jamaica Inn - Daphne Du Maurier (Jan 10-Jan 13)

Greywaren - Maggie Stiefvater (Jan 14-Jan 16)

The Ballad of Never After - Stephanie Garber (Jan 17-Jan 22)

By the Book - Jasmine Guillory (Jan 22-Jan 24)

Portrait of a Thief - Grace D Li (Jan 25-Feb 4)

Pride and Prejudice (reread, audiobook) - Jane Austen (Jan 31-Feb 6)

Macbeth (reread) - William Shakespeare (Feb 6-Feb 10)

Normal People - Sally Rooney (Feb 18-Feb 22)

All the Dangerous Things - Stacy Willingham (Feb 23-Feb 25)

The Diary of Mary Berg - Mary Berg (Feb 17-Feb 27)

The Witch Haven - Sasha Peyton Smith (Mar 4-Mar 11)

Americanah - Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie (Feb 26-Mar 12)

The Witch Hunt - Sasha Peyton Smith (Mar 19-Mar 22)

Jonny Appleseed - Joshua Whitehead (Mar 19-Mar 28)

The Mysterious Affair at Styles - Agatha Christie (Mar 25-Mar 29)

Last Violent Call - Chloe Gong (Mar 30-Apr 1)

Beartown - Fredrik Backman (Apr 1-Apr 4)

People We Meet on Vacation (reread) - Emily Henry (Apr 5-Apr 7)

Notes on an Execution - Danya Kukafka (Apr 8)

Kiss Her Once For Me - Alison Cochran (Apr 8-Apr 10)

If You Could See the Sun - Ann Liang (Apr 11-Apr 15)

Murder at the Vicarage - Agatha Christie (Apr 15-Apr 19)

The Appeal - Janice Hallett (Apr 19-Apr 20)

The Black Spider - Jeremias Gotthelf (Apr 20)

Molly of the Mall - Heidi L.M. Jacobs (Apr 21-Apr 22)

The Dark Descent of Elizabeth Frankenstein - Kiersten White (April 23-Apr 25)

Sense and Sensibility - Jane Austen (April 26-Apr 28)

Happy Place - Emily Henry (Apr 29)

Us Against You - Fredrik Backman (Apr 30-May 3)

The Great Gatsby - F. Scott Fitzgerald (May 3-May 5)

Juniper and Thorn - Ava Reid (May 6-May 10)

Meet Me at the Lake - Carley Fortune (May 11-May 12)

Cloud Atlas - David Mitchell (May 12-May 19)

Anne of Green Gables (reread) - L.M. Montgomery (May 19-May 22)

Anne of Avonlea (reread) - L.M. Montgomery (May 24-May 26)

Anne of the Island (reread) - L.M. Montgomery (May 26-May 30)

The Winners - Fredrik Backman (June 2-June 6)

Rebecca - Daphne Du Maurier (June 7-June 8)

Peril at End House - Agatha Christie (June 9)

The Many Lives and Secret Sorrows of Josephine B (reread) - Sandra Gulland (June 11-June 12)

Tales of Passion Tales of Woe - Sandra Gulland (June 13-June 14)

The Last Great Dance on Earth - Sandra Gulland (June 14-June 15)

Frankenstein in Baghdad - Ahmed Saadawi (June 15-June 18)

Crooked House - Agatha Christie (June 22-June 24)

Northanger Abbey - Jane Austen (June 20-June 30)

I Must Betray You - Ruta Sepetys (June 30-July 1)

Pageboy - Elliot Page (July 2-July 4)

This Time It’s Real - Ann Liang (July 6)

The Last Word - Taylor Adams (July 6-July 7)

The Fiancée Farce - Alexandria Bellefleur (July 7-July 8) 

The Guilt Trip - Sandie Jones (July 8)

Camp Zero - Michelle Min Sterling (July 8)

The Berry Pickers - Amanda Peters (July 8-July 9)

Family of Liars - E. Lockhart (July 9-July 11)

The Last House Guest - Megan Miranda (July 11-July 12)

The Last Tale of the Flower Bride - Roshani Chokshi (July 14-July 21)

Rolling in the Deep (audiobook) - Mira Grant (July 20-July 21)

Wunderland - Jennifer Cody Epstein (July 21-July 23)

The Stationary Shop of Tehran (July 24-27)

Yellowface - R.F. Kuang (July 27-July 29)

These Violent Delights - Micah Nemerever (July 29-Aug 3)

Wuthering Heights - Emily Brontë (Aug 3-Aug 5)

Begin Again - Emma Lord (Aug 6-Aug 8)

Medicine Walk - Richard Wagamese (Aug 8-Aug 12)

419 - Will Ferguson (Aug 16-Aug 19)

Harlem Shuffle - Colson Whitehead (Aug 21-Aug 24)

Ballet Shoes (reread) - Noel Streatfeild (Aug 25-Aug 26)

Songs for the Missing - Stewart O’Nan (Aug 28-Aug 31)

You’re Not Supposed to Die Tonight - Kalynn Bayron (Sept 1-Sept 2)

I’ve Got Your Number - Sophie Kinsella (Sept 2)

The Adult - Bronwyn Fischer (Sept 3)

Nine Liars - Maureen Johnson (Sept 4-Sept 6)

Small Things Like These - Claire Keegan (Sept 6)

The Honeys - Ryan La Sala (Sept 15-Sept 19)

20,000 Leagues Under the Sea - Jules Verne (Sept 12-Sept 20)

Beowulf - Unknown (Sept 8-Sept 21)

The Mirror Crack’d From Side to Side - Agatha Christie (Sept 21-Sept 25)

Better Than the Movies - Lynn Painter (Sept 26-Sept 30)

Annihilation - Jeff VanderMeer (Oct 4-Oct 7)

And Don’t Look Back - Rebecca Barrow (Oct 7)

Hallowe’en Party - Agatha Christie (Oct 8-Oct 9)

Cannibal Island - Nichlolas Werth (Oct 9-Oct 22)

The Final Gambit - Jennifer Lynn Barnes (Oct 17-Oct 22)

Stalin’s Nomads: Power and Famine in Kazakhstan - Robert Kindler (Oct 16-Oct 24)

Six of Crows (reread) - Leigh Bardugo (Oct 25-Oct 30)

Crooked Kingdom (reread) - Leigh Bardugo (Nov 3-Nov 7)

Sadie (reread) - Courtney Summers (Nov 9-Nov 10)

The Invisible Man - H.G. Wells (Nov 6-Nov 13)

Hamlet - William Shakespeare (Nov 6-Nov 13)

A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder (reread) - Holly Jackson (Nov 11-Nov 15)

Good Girl, Bad Blood (reread) - Holly Jackson (Nov 15-Nov 18)

As Good as Dead (reread) - Holly Jackson (Nov 20-Nov 23)

Red White and Royal Blue (reread) - Casey McQuiston (Nov 25-Dec 5)

The Secret History - Donna Tartt (Dec 18-Dec 22)

The Day of the Jackal - Frederick Forsyth (Dec 24-Dec 25)

Emily Wilde’s Encyclopaedia of Faeries - Heather Fawcett (Dec 25-Dec 27)

Murder in the Family - Cara Hunter (Dec 28)

Three Holidays and a Wedding - Uzma Jalaluddin, Marissa Stapley (Dec 29)

The Book of Cold Cases - Simone St James (Dec 30-Dec 31)

[dreamofmysoul-tsc]

TSC characters as Taylor Swift songs because I’m rereading City of Bones and feeling nostalgic:

TMI

Clary: Fearless

Jace: Don’t Blame Me

Izzy: Style

Alec: couldn’t decide between The Archer (obv) and Delicate

Simon: Nothing New

Magnus: Long Live

Raphael: epiphany

Lily: I Think He Knows

Sebastian: Better Man (this was hard but i went with this song because i always think of Sebastian as what he could've been instead of what he was)

TID

Tessa: Sweet Nothing or Last Kiss

Will: State of Grace

Jem: Forever Winter

Cecily: Hey Stephen

Gabriel: Daylight

Sophie: You Are In Love

Gideon: Untouchable

Henry: Paper Rings

Charlotte: Treacherous

Jessamine: hoax

TDA

Emma: So It Goes

Julian: Run

Kit: Innocent

Ty: Come Back…Be Here

Livvy: Bigger Than the Whole Sky

Cristina: Maroon

Mark: Today Was A Fairytale

Kieran: ivy

Helen: long story short

Aline: Dancing With Our Hands Tied

Dru: Out of the Woods

Diana: Wildest Dreams

Ash: You're On Your Own, Kid

Jaime: Midnight Rain

Diego: closure

TLH

James: betty

Cordelia: cardigan and champagne problems

Matthew: august or Anti-Hero

Jesse: the lakes

Lucie: Enchanted

Christopher: Everything Has Changed

Thomas: Paris

Alastair: All Too Well (pre-Thomas), Begin Again (post-Thomas)

Ari: Breathe

Anna: The Great War

Grace: The Lucky One

Eugenia: You Need To Calm Down

Tatiana: mad woman

Short Story Characters/Misc.

Robert: Haunted

Michael: Sad Beautiful Tragic

Jocelyn: tolerate it

Luke: Mary's Song

Amatis: This Love

Catarina: it's time to go

Hypatia: Bejeweled

Ragnor: cowboy like me

Maryse: We Were Happy

Valentine: This Is Why We Can't Have Nice Things

Celine: illicit affairs

Stephen: Mr. Perfectly Fine

Rosemary: Never Grow Up

*i didn't include the little ones because we don't know much of their personalities yet! but i still adore them 💕

[edwinspaynes]

About your post on how TID/TLH Tessa and modern-day Tessa are different characters. I had to come and give you my two cents, because Tessa is my girl, my favourite FMC in TSC, and I love her, and if I have the opportunity to talk about her, I do it. I hope you don't mind me rambling about my favourite FMC of all time. Tessa has a special place in my heart.

From my reading and rereading of the series, and short stories, I don’t see a lot of change in her character, and I read her character development as a natural continuation. For me 2015 Tessa is the same as 1903 Tessa, BUT with more confidence and maturity.

We start with TID Tessa. She’s 16, a baby, orphaned, and has no family except her ass of a brother/cousin/whatever Nate was. We see a girl who is a product of her time (weirded by Charlotte fighting), but also, someone ready and willing to learn more/adapt. I mean, two chapters in, and she’s ready to go on a mission with Magnus and Will. Throughout the series, we see that she is very smart and willing to help, but what differentiates her from 2010 YA FMC is that he does not reject what is traditionally seen as feminine. Tessa likes clothes and pretty dresses (that scene in CA when she doesn’t want to dirty her dress), she buys pretty hats that match her dresses, etc. She is a very curious girl, who likes to know everything, likes to gossip (her chitchats with Sophie), and likes match-making people (her trying to match Sophie with different men).

She is very courageous, but also very protective of the people she loves. We see that with Nate when he arrives at the institute, and he is giving texte books ass whole, and two thousand red flags. She does that because he is her brother and because she is a product of her time, always giving chances to men, and she'll do anything to make him safe. However, she also does it to Will, even though she does not know him well in the beginning, and he already annoyed her at least 5 times since she arrived. Ex: when they meet Gabriel for the 1st time, and he insults Jem, and Will starts fighting with him):

“ You heard me. Telling someone you wouldn’t be sorry if they died! It’s inexcusable!” She took hold of Will by the sleeve. “Come along, Will. This—this person—obviously isn’t worth wasting your time on.”

Will looked hugely entertained. “So true.”

“You—you—” Gabriel, stammering slightly, looked at Tessa in an alarmed sort of way. “You haven’t the slightest idea of the things he’s done—”

“And I don’t care, either. You’re all Nephilim, aren’t you? Well, aren’t you? You’re supposed to be on the same side.” Tessa frowned at Gabriel. “I think you owe Will an apology.”

Now, she does not know Will well, yet she takes his defence because she has been living with them. He is the one who got her out of prison and saved her etc. I always thought Tessa was a good character reader, and once she gives her trust, she becomes protective of them. She is literally telling Gabriel, that Will is her people, and nobody touches her people. We see this side of her, the protective side show up throughout the series, with Will, Jem, and when Sophie starts going out with Gideon. When she tells her to be careful, because she attended the Lightwood ball, and it was a mess, and she does not want her friend to be hurt again.

Now, going on to TLH. She is still the same protective woman and becomes maternal too. Tessa likes to fight and go on missions, but I feel like she only does them when she is asked to. Contrary to the other FMC in TSC, like Isabelle, Clary and Emma who literally want to be a great warrior and become the next Jace. I feel like, Tessa does it because it’s her duty, but only when she has to.

We also discover that she likes to help run the institute with her husband, and goes on missions with him when needed, but she's definitely not the head. That is Will. We don't see her arguing or taking Clave decisions during those meetings. It's always Will. I know this is because the Clave doesn't accept her and doesn't want to give her a chance, but at the same time, I don't read her as someone who wants to do bureaucratic stuff either. On the other hand, we see her doing a lot of domestic things, like throwing balls and parties and decorating the institute. She is someone who likes to be in a cosy room, reading books, talking about them with her husband, and children, travelling, having some adventures, and gossiping with her friends. When she gives advice, it is always a wise one, but it also comes from her protective, and maternal side. Even though she matures in TLH, by becoming a mother, and taking responsibilities as an adult, she is still very sheltered. We know the Herondales keep to themselves because the Clave sucks, and have prejudices against her and her children. She is still very protected and still has her community. Nobody will do anything to her, because Charlotte, Will and all her friends will protect her, and they are enough for her. She has a husband, kids, and eventually grandkids, her friends and their children, she has a community to count on.

Now, after Will’s death, and all her friends are dying one after another, and later her children, she is confronted with what it means to be immortal, and not having her usual support and community. She goes to live with Magnus, and he introduces her to all his Downworlder friends. She becomes friend with Catarina, Malcolm and Ragnor, and start to learn how to be a warlock. And later starts befriending Raphael and so on. This era in her life, where the only person she knows from her old life is Magnus (I don’t count Zachariah, he can’t do much), is the era where she learns and discovers to be herself. She learns how to be a warlock, goes on adventures by herself, or with friends, and learns how to assert herself, but at the same time still keeps her protective/maternal side. We see that in The Last Stand of the New York Institute. Her speech to Jocelyn is very harsh, but she is still willing to help her and goes all the way to do that in secret.

However, we know that Warlocks are not really into staying together. Magnus says it himself. Warlocks can go for decades before contacting each other. And I think this is something that affects her a lot, and why she stays for a long time in the Spiral Labyrinth, and only comes back at the end of CoHF, once Jem is back. 

 In the epilogue, she is dreading Jem telling her he is going back to an institute: 

“But—after today? Where will you go? To Idris?”

He looked, for a moment, honestly bewildered—and despite how old she knew him to be, so young. “I don’t know,” he said. “I’ve never had a lifetime to plan for before.”

“Then … to another Institute?” Don’t go, Tessa wanted to say. Stay. Please.”

And she is happy when he tells her he can’t go back because he doesn’t know how to be a shadowhunter without a parabatai. And what does Tessa do, she starts living with Jem, and she goes on adventures, and missions with him (saving Kit, and helping Alec and Rafael), and eventually goes back to her ideal life. Having a house, a husband, being a mother, reading books, protecting her kids, having dinners with her friends and their kids (Well mostly Magnus and Alec), learning about her magic, and sometimes going on missions when needed.

I always read Tessa as a domestic FMC, and I love her for that. She is incredibly strong and becomes wise with time and life experiences, but at the same time, always true to herself. A woman who loves fashion, books and gossiping. And that’s why for me, her character is still the same, and very continuous. Her character development makes sense to me. She is ready to discover new horizons, but always coming back to a tranquil life.

Sorry, this is very long, but I just love her.

I don't really have anything to add to this, but this is generally 100% correct and I adore it. Tessa is one of my all-time favourite characters too, particularly TID/TLH Tessa - the only characters ever I prefer are Matthew and Alastair and maybe Thomas. Definitely my favourite girl/FMC.

I think that a lot of her traits do feel cohesive and carry on from series to series, but I think that a lot of her fire and spirit are gone in the modern content, if that makes sense. There are probably a lot of reasons for this - Will brought those things out in her and he's dead, and also just the cycles of trauma and grief that she's been through have changed her a lot.

But for me, that sarcasm and that sass and that brightly-burning essence and that love for life and rashness and impulsiveness are traits that I loved in Tessa. They're traits that made her interesting and relatable and even flawed when they went too far. And also her independence. I feel like she's lost a lot of that "she was too much herself to belong to anyone else" after, honestly, getting back together with Jem (I'm sorry, I'm trying to keep this minimal on Jessa criticism, but her relationship with Jem/the way that it's written is so tied to the Changes in Tessa I Don't Like.)

I really wish we could see the Tessa/Ragnor/Raphael gossip circle, lol. I do feel like I see a bit of the old Tessa when she's with Magnus, who as you acknowledged is the only person who knew her in her former life. We also know that she's still a funny prankster since Ragnor thought that Alec was her in disguise, which I love. The thing is, we see none of that on page. We see her essentially become a boring, muted housewife, and I think this is actually what makes her relationship with Jem and her presence in post-TLH content so hard for me to stomach.

I also read her as domestic - but only to a point. Like, yeah, she loves clothes, but she's also not afraid in TID to ruin a wedding dress in battle. She decorates the Institute in TLH and adds balconies because that's where, pardon my assumptions and my French, she and Will fuck. Shadowhunter coats of arms hang up with weaponry by bookshelves and ballrooms, and I love that for her, but where is that fire and where are those contradictions now?

I'm sorry that these ramblings are out of order, but I really think we need to see more of her between TLH and TMI in order to understand her as cohesive. Like, as you mentioned, her time in the Spiral Labyrinth - what happened there? We only saw the Spiral Labyrinth once in a story about Jem, which obviously makes so much sense because Jem's a character that belongs in the Spiral Labyrinth 🥴 I want to see Tessa there and talking to other warlocks. What was her job there? What did she do? What the hell do warlocks do there, anyway?

I think we can divide Tessa's life into 3 stages: the Will stage as a Shadowhunter, the warlock stage with her friends, and the Jem stage as a housewife. Unfortunately, we see so little of the EXTREMELY COMPELLING second stage that the latter is jarring and a little painful to watch for me.

[grandhotelabyss]

Just rereading Gerald Murnane's 'In Praise of the Long Sentence' and it got me wondering what your favorite sentences were — of other people's work, and of your own

I generally take note of passages more than single sentences, even long ones, but I will single out the almost page-long penultimate sentence of DeLillo's Underworld as perhaps my favorite long sentence (you can read it without "spoiling" the novel, which has no plot, but it does pick up phrases and motifs from earlier in the book that give it some of its power):

And you can glance out the window for a moment, distracted by the sound of small kids playing a made-up game in a neighbor’s yard, some kind of kickball maybe, and they speak in your voice, or piggyback races on the weedy lawn, and it’s your voice you hear, essentially, under the glimmerglass sky, and you look at the things in the room, offscreen, unwebbed, the tissued grain of the deskwood alive in light, the thick lived tenor of things, the argument of things to be seen and eaten, the apple core going sepia in the lunch tray, and the dense measures of experience in a random glance, the monk’s candle reflected in the slope of the phone, hours marked in Roman numerals, and the glaze of the wax, and the curl of the braided wick, and the chipped rim of the mug that holds your yellow pencils, skewed all crazy, and the plied lives of the simplest surface, the slabbed butter melting on the crumbled bun, and the yellow of the yellow of the pencils, and you try to imagine the word on the screen becoming a thing in the world, taking all its meanings, its sense of serenities and contentments out into the streets somehow, its whisper of reconciliation, a word extending itself ever outward, the tone of agreement or treaty, the tone of repose, the sense of mollifying silence, the tone of hall and farewell, a word that carries the sunlit ardor of an object deep in drenching noon, the argument of binding touch, but it’s only a sequence of pulses on a dullish screen and all it can do is make you pensive—a word that spreads a longing through the raw sprawl of the city and out across the dreaming bourns and orchards to the solitary hills.

And then this, from early in Mrs. Dalloway, a sentence that opens the day-in-the-life novel out into immensities of time past and time future, is pretty unforgettable:

But there could be no doubt that greatness was seated within; greatness was passing, hidden, down Bond Street, removed only by a hand's-breadth from ordinary people who might now, for the first and last time, be within speaking distance of the majesty of England, of the enduring symbol of the state which will be known to curious antiquaries, sifting the ruins of time, when London is a grass-grown path and all those hurrying along the pavement this Wednesday morning are but bones with a few wedding rings mixed up in their dust and the gold stoppings of innumerable decayed teeth.

Among older classics, I love the first sentence of Emma, for which see Paglia's reading thereof—about how the sentence begins in the 18th century and ends in the 19th—in Sexual Personae:

Emma Woodhouse, handsome, clever, and rich, with a comfortable home and happy disposition, seemed to unite some of the best blessings of existence; and had lived nearly twenty-one years in the world with very little to distress or vex her.

Favorite sentences in nonfiction? I love the rolling rhetorical thunder of the one from Ruskin's "Nature of Gothic" I recently read out in one of my Invisible College lectures:

And therefore while in all things that we see, or do, we are to desire perfection, and strive for it, we are nevertheless not to set the meaner thing, in its narrow accomplishment, above the nobler thing, in its mighty progress; not to esteem smooth minuteness above shattered majesty; not to prefer mean victory to honorable defeat; not to lower the level of our aim, that we may the more surely enjoy the complacency of success

I'm sure I'm forgetting things. Melville, Joyce, Faulkner, Bellow, Morrison. Shakespeare, the Bible. The last sentence of Suttree. That's what I have for now, though.

In my own work? My favorite sentence in Major Arcana, to cite only my latest production, is probably this, the conclusion of an early chapter:

The social worker kept saying Jakey had “died by suicide,” and, because she was insane by this point and couldn’t really breathe, she’d said, just to see if she could say something, “Isn’t it ‘committed’? ‘Committed suicide’?” and then the social worker with the mousy hair and the glasses had said, “Well, that implies it’s a sin,” and she’d answered with the question, “Isn’t it? Against life, I mean?” and the social worker who may once have been a sex worker had said, with pity in her eyes, “I’m sorry—are you very religious?” and Jessica Morrow had said, finally, “No. I don’t believe anything at all.”

If that's too sentimental, or too particular to its context, and not euphonious enough, try the sound effects in this one:

Her head spun, rung, drummed; her stomach churned, burned, surged.

Or this, from an early description of the city called Cosmopolis:

The older buildings, the banks and department stores from the first part of the century, held runic messages on their friezes; strange demons nestled, staring, from their eaves and buttresses; masonic mysteries hid in the upper air.

[potatoesandsunshine]

12, 16, 17, and 48 please!

thank you for the ask!! these questions are from this post.

12. Are there any tropes you used to dislike but have grown on you?

absolutely! it’s kinda silly but for years i was only into enemies-to-lovers. i didn’t like the idea of characters starting as friends, i just wanted the Drama and Romance of hate to love. now i’m a lot fonder of the gradual slip from friendship into something different. also, not quite a trope but in the last few years i’ve really started enjoying fic written in second person. i have not come around on coffeeshop AUs.

16. What’s an AU you would love to read (or have read and loved)?

I Am Obsessed With Sports AUs. something about them appeals to me so much, i think it’s something about how sports themselves are already great tools for narratives in real life, so it’s fun to see them play out in fanfic? i read Got a Heart in Me, I Swear by thepartyresponsible recently despite being many years out of my marvel phase, and i was hooked from beginning to end. i’m also a not-so-secret fan of time travel and groundhog day stories, the more ambiguous the ending the better (in a bed that we'll never make by SummerFrost destroyed me in the best way) because i’m sort of... sick of the time-travel fix-it.

17. What highly specific AU do you want to read or write even though you might be the only person to appreciate it?

there are... truly so many of these in my head but the one i keep coming back to is a very slight canon divergence (or maybe it’s happening in the background the entire time?) discworld fic where the briefly-mentioned girls who work at the stamp counter in Going Postal and Making Money explore some gender feelings with Gladys the golem, have very messy affairs with the ‘interchangeable Emmas’ who volunteer at the dragon sanctuary, and consider unionization. to do this story justice i feel like i would need to do kind of a deep dive into the history of unions and i don’t really have the time for it now—and my discworld knowledge is really limited so i’d be pretty scared of getting details about the setting wrong in ways people didn’t like. for now it’s more of a daydream. i also have notes for a leverage fic set in the mass effect universe, because i think the only thing that could make me love this group of criminals more is if they were doing crime... in space! and there’s one where bella from twilight gets turned early, it Goes Wrong, and she becomes “the ultimate vampire that wastes all the other vampires and eats their bones”. literally no one is asking for that.

48. What’s the last fic you read? Do you recommend it?i really want to lie here and say it was Impatient to Be Free by idiopathicsmile which is this incredible fic (In 1957, female cartoonist Grantaire meets some interesting new people, joins a secret society, and attracts the notice of a woman named Enjolras. A 1950’s lesbian Amis AU.) that i want to recommend to everyone i know. but it was actually my own fic (she moves through moonbeams slowly) because i’m an ‘i wrote this so i could reread it’ fic writer and i keep coming back to this one.

[aemonds-sapphire]

Hi!!! I'm so sorry if I just kinda jump out of the blue but I couldn't resist join the "discussion in your aks...

You know I think that fan art wise helaena and aemond are quite cute. Some artist are so talented but helaena in my opinion deserve and should definitely be alone. She went trought so much and mainly for the hand of men leave my poor girl alone. Most fans def use her as self insert or are into incest idk 🥴

For the Alys discourse I'm gonna be so honest with you I have absolutely no idea. I Emma I rceentrly reread the books (gift for Xmas so it's very recent) and a lot of person forgot that one book is like a book in their universe and everthing is basically a rumor (I will not trust mushroom with a cup of tea so why would I trust a whole story??) and the other are just paragraphs that talk about some events??

Hotd aemond is so dutiful and golden child and he lust for Revenge of his eye so fans are like "he would never go for a bastard strong!!" saying that she's or this bitch of a witch or a poor victim. The reality is that we don't know!! We have no idea it's up our preference / writer choice.

Sure I tought alys bewitching him was a valid idea because why would he save only her??? But also I mean if she's a witch she can be useful?? And maybe they just fall in love in the process??? At the beginning both of them had reason to help each other so idk. I use to not be a big fan of their relationship because I will admit when deep in hyperfixations I get jealous and I need a few days to remind myself they are fictional 😭 also It doesn't help reading angst fic with the cheating trope and her as the other woman BUT the moment I saw people hating her for non valid reason and just using her as an excuse for being sexists and mysoginist ughhh alys defender for life.

I will wait to see how the writer will do in season 2. Making her bewitching him after him being already victim of abuse would def a bad choice but also for how they written season 1 i really can't see this show aemodn juts fall in love it's so weird I'm so confused 😭🥴

One last thing I swear I'm so sorry but saying that aemond is a rapist/used her as prize....AND USING THE WHOREHOUSE EXAMPLE???

I have no idea whta kinda of show all this antis are watching truly.

So sorry for this long message expecially cuz a lot of things are already been stated I hope I didn't bother you too much.

Your blog is very lovely and you seems a very nice person. and it's a pleasure see when you post! Happy holidays❤️❤️❤️❤️,

Cordelia🤍🪐

Hi, Cordelia 😊 thank you so much for your input! Loved reading through all of it 🤭 happy holidays!

I’ve run into absolutely amazing Helaemond art! There’s no question fan artists are talented. I don’t mind shippers as long as they don’t insert themselves into other ship spaces and try acting holier than thou. At the end of the day, none of this is real and we’re just here to have a good time 😁

If they go with “she bewitched him” but just figuratively speaking then I’m fine with that. But if they pull that love potion bs then… 😅 also, why bother fleshing Aemond out if you’re just going to turn him into a cliché antagonist…… I hope they don’t go this route tbh.

Mushroom is the absolute worst out of all the narrators. He gives accounts of events that happened in King’s Landing when he was in Dragonstone LOL he thinks he’s Gossip Girl or something

Fire & Blood is to be read a history book, meaning we only know about the great battles and major events, but everything in between can be embellished and made up by those writing about it. Some people are taking that what happens in the book is canon and others are taking what happens in the show as canon… both are wrong approaches… they’re just different versions. This is not like ASOIAF…

[tokyo-daaaamn-ji-gang]

Roasting tokrev girls: part 1, hinata (99% percent about her relationship with takemichi because these are the parts i hate the most hhhhh)

these are only my negative opinions and i'm still being negative about them

So i will start from beginning, i think takemichi only liked her because she was popular and loved him not because of who she is and combined with hinas live at first sight its not convincing me that its a type of love that will last twelve years and be healthy at the same time. At some times it even seems that takemichi isn't in love with her but more with the symbol of her: the only girlfriend he ever had, the person he's trying to save, the person that truly remembered him. (Although i think that changed later a little it still has other problems)

the most common critique about her relationship with our hero (i promise i'm going to talk about other things). Takemichi is 26 and she is 14 (i think?) Which makes their whole relationship....weird, i am not going to talk too much about it but it makes me really uncomfortable

I hate the fact that her beating up takemichi is portrayed as funny or deserved by michi the biggest ones i remember are the scene where she beats him up for cheating (i also think the whole concept of this scene is weird but this a whole other matter) or for breaking up with her i don't remember much from this scene but when i read it it was just...uh i don't know why a person like hina couldnt understand takemichi breaking up with her

She has no thoughts of her own about anything other than takemichi and arguably emma this is understandable with really minor characters but she is the reason this manga exists (or is she? Well even if not she was in that role for 3/4 of the story) but she is used in the story like a plot device a few stepps away from being a macguffin

God this is not nearly enough text for a character like hinata but i just can't squeze more if i think of something else i will just send another ask

Side question i would also like to do emma but first i want to reread some moments of the black dragon arc do you know where i could do it?

(last thing if i made you uncomfortable in any even very small way please say)

Ok I do a lot of positivity posts so I think it'd only fair we roast them too, gotta have that balance.

I actually do agree with the first point, I don't think past Takemichi really really loved her, this could partly be because he's only a teenager. But he definitely didn't seem to respect her a lot especially since he was definitely about to cheat on her with Emma before the switch. He definitely seemed to take her granted. I think he did love her in his own way though, after all she was what he thought of when dying. I also think when he first travelled back he wanted to save this idealised version of her like you said, almost like he had nostalgia for his only girlfriend. I do think that changed as he spent more time with her and got more sure of his goal though, it's like travelling back reminded him of everything good about her.

Yeah the violence bit is a little weird especially since she's supposed to be a pacifist. I think that's just Wakui's way of showing her strong emotions, like she was so upset she broke her own character and her own code. Definitely not cool though, it's definitely not a great trope.

Unfortunately she's mainly reduced into the love interest role so most of her characteristics will be based on Takemichi. Especially since she's mainly shown with him.

(Mangadex tends to be the best)

[halohamilton]

Do you have any favorite fics of all time? If that makes sense lol. I'm new in reading fan fics so I wanted some recs from different blogs :)

Hi! Sorry it took so long, I had to look for some fics because I'm HORRIBLE with names. It ended up being 35 fics (I'm sorry) but I may have forgotten some🙃 these are some of faves though(in no particular order) :

1. Adore You by isthatyoularry @isthatyoularry

Love this fic so so much. I'm rereading it now (sixth time?) and every time is as good as the first. Love the writing and the characterization. Such a good fic.

2. California Sold by isthatyoularry @isthatyoularry

I just recently read this for the first time and I don't know why I haven't before? It's so good and this author really knows how to write an interesting story.

3. Unbelievers by isthatyoularry @isthatyoularry

The beginning of this fic is so iconic. One of the first fics I read and I love it to this day.

4. Got that sunshine on my shoulders by hattalove

Okay if you've been following me for a while you'll know I yell about this fic all the time. It's super super angsty. Right up my alley and it makes me cry like a baby every time.

5. Our lives, non-fiction by indiaalphawhiskey @indiaalphawhiskey

Recently read this one and wow wow wow. I don't normally read Marcel fics but this one had me up till like 4am to finish it. It was so good.

6. For reasons wretched and divine by indiaalphawhiskey @indiaalphawhiskey

After reading the previous fic I had to check out this one and I really loved it! Such a good story and written so well.

7. For as long as I can remember (it's been December) by green_feelings @greenfeelings

This fics makes me cry so much and I've read it like four times. It's so lovely and the angst is perfect. This author has some great fics

8. Have faith in me by stylinsoncity

I read this a while ago and I loved Harry and Louis' characters in this. I loved the angst and the slow burn. And the Smut rip its really good!

9. Adjudication by bottomlinsons @bottomlinsons

Suuuccchh a good story overall and I love a lot of this author's works!

10. Your best line ever by green_feelings @greenfeelings

Oh my God so good! I loved idiots in love and Harry was so dumb here but we love him anyways.

11. The wonderlands by stylinsoncity

Okay I'm a hoe for this author's fics. Not always up for kid fics but this was really good and I found myself invested in not only Louis and Harry, but Harry's kid as well.

12. Come as you are by stylinsoncity

Again... Love this author. Great work. Great writing.

13. I love you most by stylinsoncity

Also one of the first fics I read! Made me obsessed with friends with benefits fics for a while because I loved the angst.

14. Come my love again by softfonds @softfonds

Oh the Emma AU was written so perfectly. I couldn't put this one down! Love it so much.

15. Love isn't always on time by softfonds @softfonds

For someone who doesn't like angst, the author writes angst really well. And I loved the pain I went through in this one haha.

16. Put on your running shoes, I'm ready to go by PeachbootyLou @peachbootylouis

Oh this fic was hot and it was super fun to read. We need to get more trainer Louis fics

17. Baby won't you look my way? By PeachBootyLou @peachbootylouis

This was so sweet! Perfect for Christmas time and so cute. Mostly Fluff and wholesome overall

18. Like pretty lights by wildestdreams

This, as with most of the fics on here, has really good angst and it was a really good read. I loved the journey.

19. Remember me fondly by kiddle @bluejeanlouis

Oh one of my favourite authors too- this fic is one I couldn't put down either. The style and the story overall was so different and unique and I loved every second of it.

20. Godless, graceless and young by kiddle @bluejeanlouis

One of the first fics I read from this author and I got obsessed haha! It's so well written. Such a good read

21. Tudor Rose by casuallyhl

I love this one. I didn't know what to expect but I do love historical aus and this did not disappoint. Perfect amount of Fluff and angst.

22. Gods & Monsters by velvetoscar

Again one of the first fics I read! Still love it to this day. Louis calling Harry, "pup" needs to be written more.

23. Hush by wankerville @wankerville

Oh the writing is impeccable in this. Everything was so soft and I related so much to Louis' character here.

24. Try to not remember (rather than forget) by hereforlou @hereforlou

Oh hello! This fic is a hidden gem I swear to God. It has everything and it's done so well. Fluff, Angst and more Fluff.

25. Wings to break your fall by karamelised

Harry in wings and mirror sex. Yeah do I need to say more?

26. To know I'm gonna be alright by aiienharry @leedsau

Oh this was such a wholesome fic and I think I read this all in one go? So lovely. Another kid fic I didn't know I'd love so much.

27. Loving you's a bloodsport by rosesau @rosesau

The writing in this is incredible and I've already yelled about it enough but everything in it is perfect.

28. Holding out in the kitchen by littlemousling

Surprisingly only came across this one recently? Loved it though. Miscommunication is my middle name.

29. Mine Would be you by crinkley-eyed-boo @crinkle-eyed-boo

So obsessed with this fic and read it twice already. Exes to Lovers - angst, are we surprised? Great writing and great storyline

30. You might want to marry my husband by rearviewdreamer

This was so puuurrreee it was so so cute and I loved their characters so much.

31. I'm a captain on a jealous sea by devilinmybrain @thedevilinmybrain

Jealouis is all I have to say.

32. We're what's right in this world by briamaria

This made me cry but it was so worth the pain. Their relationship is so wonderful and the story is very cute too.

33. Becoming Us by sweariwouldnt @sweariwouldnt

Such an unusual story and written so well! I loved how they had to work and make an effort for their relationship to last.

34. The end should be a good one by bananasandboots

Oh hello angst again. It's so angsty but so good and I think I've read this like five times by now.

35. Meet me in Montauk by make_this_feel_like_home

Underrated fic! Great story, painful angst but so worth it. Definitely a fave of mine.

[isfjmel-phleg]

July 2022 Books

The Castle of Tangled Magic by Sophie Anderson

I wanted to like this one. The inspiration from Russian fairy tales sounded promising! But I didn’t care for the story, which I couldn’t connect with. And the protagonist is a member of a formerly royal family whose apparent response to a revolution many years ago was to immediately and presumably peacefully surrender their status and take up a trade. The nature of this revolution is never made clear, but the protagonist sees her family’s royal past as something to be ashamed of, something she must compensate to others for. And knowing what I do of actual Russian history, this just...didn’t sit well with me.

The One and Only Bob by Katherine Applegate

Though perhaps not as profound (in a children’s-book way) as its predecessor, this one was charming. Applegate is good at creating animal protagonists who are anthropomorphized enough to bond with but also believable as their species.

Wreck at Ada’s Reef by Michael D. Beil

Some interesting mystery elements, but I didn’t care for the protagonist/narrator and had some content issues.

The Ghost Garden by Emma Carroll

Probably the best historical fiction of this month. My only fault with it is how very short it was! It felt more like the beginning of a series or at least a longer book--which regrettably doesn’t exist.

The Turnaway Girls by Hayley Chewins

Gorgeous prose. Did not care for the story at all.

The Gilded Girl and The Tarnished Garden by Alyssa Colman

“A Little Princess but set in New York with magic” is in theory an interesting premise, but the execution didn’t convincingly portray the period in which it was set.

SPOILERS also can we please have an adaptation or retelling of ALP where her father stays dead? It’s important thematically that this be the case.

The Tarnished Garden, despite its title, has very little connection to The Secret Garden and is more a direct sequel to The Gilded Girl, with similar unconvincing portrayal of turn-of-the-century society.

Theodore Roosevelt: A Strenuous Life by Kathleen Dalton

Read this as a counterpoint to McCullough’s biography. I liked Dalton’s perspective better--more balanced, less hagiographic without being a hatchet job. And she doesn’t dismiss asthma as purely psychological or manipulative. But my goodness, I feel for this family--the patterns of problematic parenting, the influence of the culture of muscular Christianity that led to self-loathing and insecurity for anyone who didn’t measure up. TR seems to have spent most of his life running from chronic illness, constructing an image of himself directly at odds with that, and pushing himself incredibly hard, which might have had something to do with his relatively early death at age sixty.

The Hundred Dresses by Eleanor Estes (reread)

I had forgotten how poignant this one is.

The Einsteins of Vista Point by Ben Guterson

A mystery with some supernatural elements. I especially enjoyed the family relationship--the sibling interactions, the running inside jokes--all quite believable. The book and the characters are in the spirit of classic children’s summertime adventure stories (the protagonist is even reading a series that appears to be an alternate version of the Swallows and Amazons books).

Very Rich by Polly Horvath

Bizarre and I have no idea what to make of it.

Emmy and the Incredible Shrinking Rat by Lynne Jonell

Light-hearted and charming, with some surprising depth.

The Chronicles of Chrestomanci Volume 1 (Charmed Life and The Lives of Christopher Chant) by Diana Wynne Jones (reread)

Always enjoyable to revisit.

The Plentiful Darkness by Heather Kassner

Plenty of elegant prose and atmosphericness, but I was disoriented by the world and detached from the characters.

The Edge of In Between by Lorelei Savaryn

I wanted to love this one. A retelling of The Secret Garden by a Christian (Catholic) author? So much potential. She even begins the book with an epigram from The Great Divorce!

...but the other epigram was “If you look the right way, you can see the whole world is a garden,” attributed to The Secret Garden. Not Burnett directly, but still vague. It’s not from the book. It’s from the 1993 film. That should have told me that this book was about to complete misunderstand its inspiration.

Savaryn is telling a story about grief, the terrible lengths to which people can go to deal with it, and finding hope. Completely valid themes. Interesting concepts (it’s set in a world where people can literally lose their color). Beautiful prose. It just doesn’t work for me as a retelling of The Secret Garden.

Equivalents of the characters are present. The basic story beats still happen. But Saveryn really builds on that “whole world is a garden” thing rather than any of Burnett’s actual themes. As I’ve addressed elsewhere, The Secret Garden is about healing from emotional neglect. It’s about the detrimental effects that being raised in such an environment has on children and how healing can be found through connection, through caring for something. This is the heart of the story, and this is what needs to be present in any adaptation or retelling.

For instance, Ellen Potter’s The Humming Room, which retells The Secret Garden in the present day in the Thousand Islands region of New York, makes a lot of changes to the story and characters but has at its center the Mary analogue’s arc from detachment after a unstable and loveless upbringing to being able to connect with and help others, as well as accepting herself. This converses well with Burnett’s themes, and the retelling works.

The Edge of In Between doesn’t do this.

It opens with the Mary analogue enjoying her happy life with her wonderful, attentive parents. She’s creative, sensitive, and compassionate--quite likeable. But she’s devastated when her parents die and becomes withdrawn, cynical, and desperate to somehow get them back. There’s even an occasion or two where she explodes in a tantrum, which comes across as more obligatory because of the source material than authentic to the character Savaryn establishes. This is a very different character from Mary, with a completely different arc--which would be fine, but for a retelling there needs to be continuity. The Colin analogue is likewise suffering from bereavement and is introduced with some very on-the-nose dialogue about his estrangement from his father. Like a lot of the characters, he comes across more like an embodiment of something than an individual. 

Saveryn’s story is very theme-heavy, which is not necessarily a bad thing, but in this case it comes at the cost of believable characters and the retelling in general. The themes and characterization are so far removed from those of the original that it should have been presented as its own story with a few vaguely Secret Garden-inspired elements than as a retelling. Despite its heavy-handed themes, it’s not a poorly-told story, but it’s so completely removed from Burnett in spirit that I found it more disappointing than enjoyable.

Flights and Chimes and Mysterious Times by Emma Trevayne

Some very interesting concepts but didn’t seem fully developed. I was left more disoriented than satisfied by the end.

Meet Kit; Kit Learns a Lesson; Kit’s Surprise; Happy Birthday, Kit!; Kit Saves the Day; Changes for Kit; Really, Truly Ruthie; and Kit’s Short Story Collection by Valerie Tripp (reread)

Already addressed here!

Childhood at Court 1819-1914 by John Van der Kiste

This is the kind of information I’m looking for in researching royalty from this era! Very useful and interesting.

Leave It to Psmith by P. G. Wodehouse (reread)

I think we all know how I feel about this book.