#v bookclub

[starrazorr]

vess saying her magnificent mansion spell wasn't "terribly complicated, all told" is soooo funny knowing caleb spent upwards of eight months in-game trying to figure it out

[natreads]

in an attempt to get back into reading during this long weekend I’m now reading too much at once

[bones-sprouts]

thinking about all the books im gonna read when its not summer anymore and the mental block that stops me from reading during the summer is gone

[formosusiniquis]

I've never been in a real bookclub before, a black mark on my librarian record, but like what if I was feeling a little silly would any mutuals be down

[bisexualstruggles]

12th book of the year: cursed bunny by bora chung

general remarks: this was a very satisfying read. i sometimes had the feeling that each short story was better than the one it precede it. i wanted to write a few of my faves, but actually most of them were great and most of them will stick with me

[seavoice]

[arbitrarity]

oh no! I missed two Dracula Daily Bracket votes!! so sad. at least the polls both went the way I would have voted. if Mina had been beaten out I would have been deviated (and extremely surprised, but we've already established that i don't know what a tumblr sexyman is)

[the-raindeer-king]

"Mama Riley smiles at the both of you, a coffee in hand. “You kids get your feelings worked out?” She teases. "

I'm dying, I know I said before that she wasn't going to bookclub she was going to brag on the pair and you said she was going to tell the barista about it that is now canon in my head mAMA RILEY JUST STROLLED IN WITH A COFFEE LIKE THAT THEY H A V E TO KNOW SHE DIDN'T HAVE BOOKCLUB!!!!

Perfect, wonderful, 10/10, spectacular, loved every sentence and go enjoy sims 4

I thought it so funny I had to add it in!! 😂 I'm glad you enjoyed it! It was so much fun to write! I love Mama Riley. I'm sure I'll end up coming back to the story later for like grandkids or something.

[kindestofkings]

got a book for every situation

ryan mcmahon x reader

reader runs a bookstagram/bookclub but instead of just reading about love, until she meets a certain drummer...

authors note: guys i think i love ryan an unhealthy amount

yourusername

location: london!

liked by bookfan1 and others

yourusername heyy guys sorry I've been kind of quiet on here but I've MOVED egh it's been v scary and hectic even though it was only from Dublin to London. don't worry tho bookstagram will stay alive !

hows everyone doing?! what are yee reading rn?

view 100 comments

bookfan1 wow city girl! I'm reading normal people at the moment :)

yourusername ik shaking things up hehe, also hope you're enjoying the heartbreaking miscommunication ... bookfan1 it is hard out here :(

bookfan2 no way I'm living in london ! lmk if you need any friends here xx

yourusername omg yes! I was thinking of starting a bookclub? thoughts? bookfan2 yes I'd so be down !! bookfan3 me too! I just moved here aswell

bookfan4 currently just buying books and not reading them

yourusername meee, expect I'm now broke from moving so I'm on a self-inflicted book ban 😔😔

ryanmcmahon_15

liked by elijahhewson and others

ryanmcmahon_15 get on your jogging shorts and pick up a brush

view all 83 comments

inhalerfan1 ok artist 🥴

inhalerfan2 your bob ross era omg

yourusername

liked by yourbestie and others

yourusername new city but same old hopeless romantic <3 maybe london will hold a romantic interest ?

also next months bookclub is organised so keep an eye out for my story with the dets 💗

view 70 other comments

bookfan1 yayyy can't wait!!

bookfan2 omg getting closer to a face reveal by the day

yourusername 🤭🤭

yourbestie YOU COULD EASILY HAVE A ROMANTIC INTEREST IF YOU TEXTED THAT GUY ! (also come home I miss your bookclub)

yourusername ughh leave off it ! he was just being nice .. yourbestie oohh yeah he walked up to you at a bar, talked to you for a few and then gave you his number only because he was being nice... mmhmm bookfan2 omg text him what the hell! bookfan3 this is the stuff of books! bookfan2 is he cute?? yourusername ahahha yes. and fineeee I'll text him 😅 terrifying😅

ryanmcmahon_15 added to his story!

location: london!

replies:

bobbyskeetz ehhhhh what do we have here??

joshjennkinson_ IS THAT THE GIRL FROM THE BAR !!!

↳ ryanmcmahon_15 it might me yes 🤭

inhalerfan1 ryannnn okay cheater !

yourusername posted on their story!

location: national gallery!

fear I'm terrible date company, but in my defence there was stuff to read EVERYWHERE

replies:

yourbestie WE DONT CARE ABOUT THE PLAQUE HOW WAS THE DATE !!!!

↳ it was so good, he was the sweetest and really into art and and is really passionate about music and and and he was just really pretty ...

↳ yourbestie omg girlllll you are hung UP

ryanmcmahon_15 great company* lets not lie

↳ ahhh have you not made me blush enough this month !

bookfan1 stop you are slay, he's so lucky for your company !

joshjenkinson_,bobbyskeetz and elijahhewson just followed you!

yourusername

liked by ryanmcmahon_15 and others

yourusername happy 9 months to my pride and joy, our book club <3

your support has meant to me and has supported my reading addiction, big MWAH !

I've met so many new friends, insanely made it onto three publishing houses pr list?!?!? and got a job all through this little bookstagram. you all are the best xx

view all 100 comments

bookfan1 wooow we love a successful queen !

bookfan2 reading is sooo hot and sooo slay

bookfan3 is that a book bouquet? and a pic taken by someone else???

yourusername mwhahah eagled eye youuuu. also HOW cute is the bouquet ! (liked by ryanmcmahon_15)

inhalerfan1 high key why did all the band follow a random bookstagram?

inhalerfan2 shes irish living in london, maybe they're friends from home?? inhalerfan3 but then they'd already follow her tho

yourusername

liked by yourbestie and others

yourusername dating a musician means one thing... associating tunes with books !!!

(also getting your oranges peeled for you 😭😭)

view all 75 comments

yourbestie y'all are adorable, I love <3

bookfan1 he seems so sweet !

ryanmcmahon_15 you forgot forcing people to listen to lana del ray...

yourusername oh yeah !! how could I forget that I'm bettering the lives of others :))) bobbyskeetz he does be humming let the light in constantly. yourusername awhhh too soft for it

inhalerfan1 ooohhh is she dating ryan !?

yourusername

liked by elijahhewson and others

yourusername ugh sick with love, but he reads my favourite books and instead of annotations he paints them 🥹

also tickets for next month's book club are out this sundayyyyy ! Xx

view all 123 comments

inhalerfan1 omg boyfriend ryan is everything

joshjenkinson_ ryan being in his bookworm era has the tour bus kinda quiet

bookfan1 sooo invested in your relationship , also have the alarm set for the tickets !

ryanmcmahon_15

liked by yourusername and others

ryanmcmahon_15 black and white is owned by lewevans btw

view all 88 comments

yourusername being really cool is owned by you btw

joshjenkinson_ 2/3 pics you're reading, yourusername your power is unmatched 🤭

elijahhewson reading era

inhalerfan1 hahaha ugh I love them your honour

lewevans 🖤 🤍

yourusername posted on their story!

gorgeous boy <;3

replies:

ryanmcmahon_15 love you ❤️

↳ LOVE YOU MORE

inhalerfan1 im so so jealous of you

bookfan1 when are you writing a book about your love story ??

↳ hahhaha omg imagine ! dont tempt me..

yourusername

location: new york new york!

liked by ryanmcmahon_15 and others

yourusername yeah my boyfriends pretty cool but he's not as cool as

THE BOOKSTORE THAT I FOUND WHICH SELLS BOOKS AND PICKLES !!!

view all 64 comments

bobbyskeetz meeeee, im a brooklyn babyyyy

yourusername you get me.

yourbestie you are SO cool

bookfan1 wait I need all the details ??

yourusername it was the cutiest little secondhand bookshop in the lower east side of manhattan but they also make their own pickles

the end

what did you think? 😏

[c-e-d-dreamer]

Like Good Neighbors Do

A/N: It's officially the last day of @nestaarcheronweek. It's definitely sad to see a great week of content come to an end, but I hope everyone has enjoyed it as much as me :) @dustjacketmusings and the bookclub get full credit for this idea, and I would like to thank all 200 of you who voted in my poll to decide who should break their face. In the end, I did decide maybe they both should be shirtless after all ;) Enjoy!

Link to AO3

Cassian tugs at the waistband of his shorts, shifting and maneuvering the fabric until it lies just how he wants it across his hips. Low enough that it shows off his v lines, but high enough that he won’t get any angry calls from the Neighborhood Watch Group. He turns slightly in front of his bedroom mirror, examining how the hem of his shorts fall, admiring how the red fabric sits on his thighs. His quads are definitely on full display. It’s perfect. Maybe he’ll have to thank Mor for this Solstice gag gift after all.

He grabs a hair tie from his dresser, scraping back the curls of his hair and pulling them into a messy bun away from his face. He pads down the stairs and grabs his shoes next, lacing them up quickly and heading for the door. Before his hand closes around the doorknob, though, a thought strikes him. He quickly drops to the ground and does a dozen push-ups, rolling onto his back and doing a quick set of crunches next. He hops back to his feet, glancing down at his chest, his abs, flexing his arms to look at his biceps. It definitely did the trick. He’s ready now.

With a determined nod, Cassian yanks open his front door and jogs down the front steps of his porch. He turns right when he reaches the sidewalk, keeping his pace light, almost slow. He makes sure he keeps his head forward, doesn’t turn to look, doesn’t give himself away, no matter how much the desire to thrums beneath his skin. But he still checks, out of his periphery. He still waits to catch a hopeful glimpse of her staring.

Maybe today her jaw will slacken at his apparel of choice for his run. Maybe he’ll even get to hear the sound of her gasping softly floating on the breeze as he runs past her house. Maybe, if he’s really lucky, she’ll call out his name. He’d love to hear his name fall past those lips again. They can chat again. Start with menial stuff like the warm weather. Cassian can ask her what book she’s reading today. She’ll ask if he wants to come inside and—

Cassian is so caught up in the web of images his mind has begun to spin that it takes him a moment too long to realize that the porch next door is actually empty. She’s not there.

Nesta Archeron isn’t there.

Cassian stops and turns to face the house completely, frowning. It’s near identical to his own, pale blue siding to his yellow, and on her porch, a swing dangles from two chains hooked to the ceiling. And every Saturday, ever since the days have gotten longer, ever since the weather has turned from cold and biting to warm and breezy, Nesta has spent her afternoons sitting on that swing with her legs curled up and a book balanced on her knees. It’s given Cassian the perfect excuse to see her recently, to talk to her, to continue their neighborly games.

To say that Cassian has been a goner for Nesta Archeron since the day she moved in last fall, would be an understatement.

He still remembers that first day. He had seen the moving truck pull up first, and then he’d seen the most gorgeous woman he’d ever laid his eyes on. Her face was all cool and cutting angles, eyes piercing even from his window next door, a willowy dancer build clear beneath her sweater, as she strode up the front walkway of the house, shoulders back and head held high. Her hair looked like burnished gold in the low, autumn sun, braided around her head like a crown. And she had looked like a queen, barking orders to the movers about what to put where.

Cassian had walked next door the next day, ready to use being a good neighbor and welcoming her to the neighborhood as the perfect excuse to talk to her, to learn her name. She’d taken one look at the plate of cookies in his hand and asked him what was wrong with him, informed him that no sane person actually liked oatmeal raisin cookies. It had lit a fire that blazed through Cassian’s veins that he still had yet to douse, that left him going back for more. He lived for the spark that glinted in her blues before she rolled them. Lived for the way the corner of her lips would twitch up with a hidden smile before she scoffed. Lived for the teasing and the taunts and the way his chest felt the first time he made her laugh.

And now, she’s not even here to appreciate his outfit. Or lack thereof.

Cassian’s eyes dance around her porch, looking for a clue that maybe she just stepped inside for a moment, but there’s no book sitting on the swing, no glass sitting on the small outdoor side table. The only thing on Nesta’s porch is a small package placed just beside the door. It has Cassian’s frown growing. Maybe she’s not home?

With a soft sigh, Cassian turns back on the sidewalk, prepared to finish his run regardless, but he barely makes it a step before he recognizes the small, dark colored sedan in the driveway. It’s Nesta’s car, which means she’s definitely home. He glances back toward the front door again. Should he wait her out? He doesn’t want to look like a creeper, doesn’t want her to step outside just to see him standing here dumbly.

He huffs and shakes his head, picking up the pace and starting into a full run after all.

The entirety of the eight mile loop Cassian does on the weekend, he thinks about Nesta. Maybe she’ll be back out on her front porch when he heads back toward his house. Maybe it’ll be better if she sees him after his run anyways. He’s certainly worked up a sweat under the afternoon sun. He just hopes his hair hasn’t gotten too unruly and frizzy from the exertion. But of course, the entire idea relies on Nesta being on her porch when he gets back.

So as Cassian starts on the final two miles of his run, he starts to formulate a backup plan, starts to think about what he’ll do if Nesta isn’t on her front porch. It would be so easy, an easy story, an easy lie. She’d never know, and he could still talk to her today. By the time he’s jogging past Nesta’s still empty porch, the decision is made.

He takes a moment to breathe, to cool down his thundering heart after his run. One last deep, heaving breath, this one more for nerves than anything, and he rolls his shoulders, walking up the front path and the front steps to Nesta’s house. He glances over both shoulders, ensuring there’s no neighbors lurking, watching, and when he’s sure the coast is clear, he bends down and grabs the package waiting for Nesta. He tucks it neatly under his arm, clears his throat, and raises a fist, knocking on her front door.

Hello, Nes. Your package accidentally got delivered to my house.

Hey, sweetheart. Looks like the mailman got the address wrong.

I have your package. Can I come in?

As the seconds continue to tick by in silence, Cassian frowns. He tries knocking again, but still, there’s no answer. He leans over to peek in one of the front windows, squinting through the pane and trying to spot any hint of golden brown hair, of blue eyes.

“Nesta, it’s Cassian. Are you here?” Cassian tries calling through the door.

He waits another minute before stepping back down off the porch. He follows the large, round pavers that are inlaid in the grass around the side of the house. He’s just reached the fence that winds around Nesta’s backyard, reaching over the gate to unlock and open it, when he finally spots her.

Nesta has a blanket strewn out in the grass under the sun. She’s laying on her stomach, knees bent and legs swinging back and forth aimlessly while she reads the book perched between her hands. She has on a pair of black biker shorts, the fabric tight and short where it rides up her thighs. Cassian’s eyes trace the line of her body, along her legs, over her ass, up her back.

His attention snags on her hair, on the fact that her hair is down. It’s the first time he’s ever seen it this way, falling in soft waves over her shoulders and down her spine. It’s beautiful and steals the breath straight from his lungs, his heart skittering between his ribs. He wonders what it would take for Nesta to let him run his fingers through those strands.

Before Cassian can truly spiral about seeing Nesta with her hair down, she pushes up onto her left hand. She uses her right hand to brush her hair over her shoulder and to her back, and Cassian realizes that she isn’t wearing a shirt. She isn’t wearing anything other than those black biker shorts. He takes in her full breasts, the perfect size to fit in his large palms, and his mouth goes dry. He wants to feel the weight of them in his hands, wants to knead them, wants to get his mouth on those dusty rose nipples.

The next thing that Cassian knows, he’s losing his balance. He must have unlatched the lock without realizing, must have put too much weight onto the gate in his dazed state, because suddenly the ground is coming to meet him. He tries to splay his arms, but with the package still in his grasp, he can’t quite brace himself. His face smacks straight into one of the stone pavers, and Cassian swears that he can hear the distinct crunch of his nose. Pain flares and radiates across his face, and he lets out a pained groan, rolling onto his side and clutching at his nose.

“Cassian?”

Cassian blinks open his eyes to find Nesta now standing above him. She has one arm crossed across her chest, covering herself, her face bewildered as she stares down at him.

“What the fuck are you doing?” Nesta demands, face twisting into a scowl.

“Package?” Cassian wheezes out, just the one word sending another jolt of pain through his face. He pulls himself up into a sitting position, blood beginning to trickle between his fingers.

“You’re bleeding all over my patio.”

“So sorry, sweetheart,” Cassian drawls, pressing against his nose to try and stop the bleeding. “Any chance you have a towel handy?”

Nesta scoffs and rolls her eyes, but she vanishes inside her house. When she steps back outside again, Cassian is only slightly disappointed to see that she’s thrown on an oversized tee, but she tosses a dish towel at him. He balls it up and presses it against his nose, mopping up the blood as best he can.

“So, do you plan on telling me what exactly you’re doing in my backyard?” Nesta asks again, crossing her arms.

“I was just bringing you your package…” Cassian starts, pulling the towel away enough that he can see how bad it is.

“The package you stole, you mean? I have a Ring camera.”

Cassian winces and instantly regrets it. “Was just trying to help, sweetheart.”

Nesta hums, but it’s clear from the sound that she doesn’t quite believe him. Her eyes narrow, eyebrows dipped low, as she assesses him, as her attention sweeps over his frame. Cassian watches the exact moment she realizes his current state of dress. Those blue eyes widen slightly, lips pinching together for a moment. The smallest dusting of pink scatters across her cheeks, and her throat works as she swallows.

A smirk starts to tug at Cassian’s lips, pride swelling in his chest at his having an effect on her, at his shorts working after all, but it’s another movement that he instantly regrets. Slowly, he lifts his fingers to his nose, carefully pressing and feeling along the ridge.

“I think it’s broken,” Cassian murmurs, dropping both his hands back into his lap. “How does it look?”

“Do you want me to be honest or do you want me to lie?” Nesta taunts, tilting her head and raising an eyebrow. “It’s certainly an improvement to your face.”

“What if I wanted you to be honest?”

Nesta scoffs and shakes her head, but even with the pain making his eyes water, Cassian can see the barely concealed amusement in her face. The way her eyes glint extra blue under the sun, the way she presses her lips more firmly like that will fight back the fond smile.

“Glad to see that despite breaking your nose, your ego is still fully intact.”

“I heard women like a rugged man with scars. Isn’t that what’s in all those smutty books you’re always reading?”

“Wouldn’t you like to know.”

“I’d certainly love to help you reenact one.”

Nesta throws her head back, and there’s Cassian’s favorite sound. Light and breathy, her laugh is truly his favorite melody. It takes the pain of his broken nose to stop his wide grin in response, but there’s no stopping the way his heart swells, the warmth that blooms through his veins, twining like vines around his limbs just like that sound.

“You’re insufferable,” Nesta teases, although there’s no real bite behind the words.

“Any chance of you helping my insufferable self to the ER? I don’t think I can drive.”

“Fine, but if you bleed all over my car too, I’ll kill you.”

Carefully, Cassian pushes himself back up to his feet. “Wouldn’t dream of it, sweetheart.”

Thankfully, the ER isn’t too busy, and they don’t have to wait too long before Cassian is taken back. They reset the bones of his nose and splint it, the nurse carefully taping and bandaging everything in place once the doctor is finished.

“The doctor prescribed some painkillers, and you can ice it for the swelling, but you should be all set,” the nurse explains, handing over the script to Cassian. “You just need to sign the discharge papers, and then your girlfriend can take you back home.”

“Oh, I’m not—”

“Thank you,” Cassian cuts Nesta off, nodding to the nurse who offers one last friendly, if not a bit awkward, smile before vanishing to grab the paperwork. He can feel Nesta glaring at him now, but he lets her stew another few moments before finally turning to her. “I should thank you too, for driving me.”

Nesta’s gaze softens then. “Well, I couldn’t just leave you to bleed out in my backyard, could I? I was being neighborly.”

“You should let me properly thank you too,” Cassian dares to push, smiling when Nesta fondly rolls her eyes.

“Why do I have the feeling your idea of ‘properly thanking me’ involves some sort of innuendo?”

“Oh, no. We’d save that later. I was actually just thinking dinner? I’ll cook and everything. You wouldn’t even have to leave your house.”

Cassian watches, entranced as Nesta’s eyes narrow slightly, as her bottom lip finds home between her teeth. Say yes, say yes, say yes, echoes like a chant, a prayer, inside his mind. It’s a plea that thrums in time with the pounding of his heart. With every second that passes, he feels like he can’t breathe, anticipation prickling along his skin, squeezing inside his lungs.

“Alright, but I expect dessert too.”

—

Updated Taglist (let me know if you’d like to be added): @moodymelanist @nesquik-arccheron @sv0430 @talkfantasytome @bookstantrash @eirini-thaleia @ubigaia @fromthelibraryofemilyj @luivagr-blog​ @lifeisntafantasy​ @superspiritfestival @hiimheresworld @marigold-morelli @sweet-pea1 @emeriethevalkyriegirl​ @pyxxie @dustjacketmusings @hallway5 @dongjunma @glowing-stick-generation @melonsfantasyworld​ @isterofimias @goddess-aelin @melphss @theladystardust​ @a-trifling-matter​ @blueunoias​ @kookskoocie​ @cassiansbigwingspan​ @unlikelypersonalknight1​ @blurredlamplight @hereforthenessian @skaixo @jmoonjones @burningsnowleopard

[starrazorr]

it's the way katniss and peeta are such fundamentally different people when it comes to their driving emotions and the way they view the world, but no matter what, at the end of all things, they are the only two people in the entire god damn world who can understand the specific suffering that they both went through. for katniss there is one person who can share her trauma. for peeta there is one person who knows what it's like. and that's why they will always end up side by side at the end of everything.

[sad-eyed-lady-of-the-paperbacks]

Thoughts on 1.3

Ok, I’m still devastated over Sofia Ivanovna but I’m finally able to put that aside just enough to belatedly type up my thoughts.

But first, I wanted to acknowledge the antisemitism in the room, because it appears briefly in this chapter, comes in even stronger in 1.4, and will unfortunately continue to crop up throughout the book. I love Dostoevsky’s writing and find it to generally be very compassionate and humanising, but there are unfortunately antisemitic tropes present. Jewish people are more often mentioned than actually depicted or included as characters, which means these tropes occur as passing nods, but it is still noticeable. I do not know enough about the man’s personal views to know how much of this was done consciously or intentionally on his part, and how much was a consequence of the general climate of Europe and Russia at the time, but to be blunt, I don’t care to know. Intentional or unintentional, it is wrong and has a harmful effect. And it feels irresponsible of me to be posting about this book without pointing out and categorically disavowing that aspect of it. These tropes are disgusting and evil. They have zero basis in reality, but they do have an immense damaging impact on the lived reality of Jewish people down to this day. This bookclub will have zero tolerance for antisemitism.

Now onto my thoughts.

It seems that Fyodor not only has a constant eye for opportunities to invest his capital, but also for opportunities to prey on vulnerable women

Sofia is the orphaned daughter of “some obscure deacon.” Interestingly, she will not be the last woman in the novel who meets that description, which makes it feel like a significant detail

The only detail the narrator is able to give us about Sofia's childhood (the fact that she made an attempt to hang herself and had to be cut down) is the only detail we need in order to create an absolutely horrific and gut-wrenching picture of what this girl suffered. And there's just something so real about it? The fact that this old benefactress lady is not evil or motivated by any real malice. She isn't a Bad Person, she isn't Cinderella's wicked stepmother. I doubt she truly even hates Sofia. She does seem to be almost resentful of her own decision to take the orphan in, and takes that out on her, as though Sofia is the one who asked to be orphaned and then taken in by this woman. But it's not really about Sofia at all. Her constant picking at and criticising of Sofia comes from sheer idleness and boredom (and let's be real, probably some generational stuff from the way she herself was raised). This is how it so often is in real life. The fact that bullies and abusers of this kind are not necessarily bad or malicious people just makes it even worse. It's so pointless and petty, but the damage is real, as we can see for poor Sofya Ivanovna.

On a stylistic note, I again love the limitations of our narrator. He can’t tell us everything, he’s just reporting to us what he himself has heard or been able to uncover. It imbues the whole thing with so much reality

“What could a sixteen-year-old girl possibly make of it all beyond realizing that she would be better off throwing herself in the river than staying with her benefactress?” (McDuff) - <\3 ouch, my heart.

It’s a small comfort, but I’m glad that he at least didn’t benefit financially from this marriage. Although that seems to have possibly worsened his treatment of Sofia Ivanovna. I do think that he did have—perhaps not respect, but something like it, for the fact that his first wife was from a better family than him and brought so much wealth to the table. (The fact that she was fully capable of beating him up probably helped too.) But with Sofia Ivanovna, “he even trampled with both feet on the ordinary decencies of marriage.” (P&V)

Grigory standing up for Sofia is a little glimmer of something heartwarming and beautiful in such a dark and sordid and deeply sad chapter

This is the first mention of the klikushi, which is translated numerous different ways. I talk about it in this post and provide a good resource to learn more

The benefactress equates Sofia’s absolutely horrendous circumstances as having been sent by God. As punishment for her “ingratitude.” When she eventually took charge of the children, one wonders if she ever voiced this opinion to them. Was Ivan ever told that: that God caused his mother’s suffering?

I wish we knew more about Yefim Petrovich Polenov. He sounds like such an excellent person.

Ivan appears to be pretty much the polar opposite of Mitya. He works hard at his studies, and then works hard to support himself, loathing the thought of being dependent on others and not banking on any inheritance. He’s resourceful and creative about it too

I love his little alter ego as “Eyewitness”

Ivan managed to write an article in such a way that people of completely polarised views all read it and thought the author was on their side. Honestly, this isn’t that dissimilar from how Dostoevsky’s own work gets picked up today.

Are the “one or two astute men” who conclude that Ivan is basically the 19th century equivalent of a troll the correct ones here?

Why did Ivan show up in his hometown when he had been preparing to go abroad? What business could have possibly made Mitya decide to summon the help of his brother that he’s never met before? Whatever it is, apparently even this will not serve to make his arrival completely explicable.

Why does the arrival almost immediately give our narrator an uneasy feeling? What is this sense of looming catastrophe that continues to haunt these pages?

Ok. Now I’m off to delve into chapter 1.4, and then I’ll be caught up!

[antxnous]

i need to hear your sallowgraham headcanons you are aware of this, correct?

well,, if u insist… ☝️😋

I have a feeing htis will be long winded and annoying so it’s all under here…

Pre-Legion stuff:

- Josh is a recent orphan and in Ed’s head his mom is practically dead (I hc she is lowkey a lil nuts) and they bond over this initially😙

-they’re both fucking losers. ppl in New Canaan think Joshua is weird and while Ed can make friends he’s like that one bully-friend we all had at some point where u eventually are like wait this guy sucks and u part ways. Joshua doesn’t bend to his bullying and that interests him, and Edward’s interest is exciting to Joshua.

-In my hc, Joshua’s dad was a trader and it’s why Joshua is so proficient in dialects and languages. His dad gave him a copy of Caesar’s Commentarii to practice Latin. When he’s trying to make friends with Edward at first, he offers to let him read it and this is how Ed gets the book hehe

-Bc they’re young men and young men are Like That, I think they fought a lot, verbally and physically. It was Bill’s hand that extended the offer to have Joshua translate and Joshua saw it as a sign from God to be useful and accepted without thinking about how fucking annoying Edward can be.

(Bill headcanon interjection moment, but he was 100% the only thing keeping them from both feeding off each other’s violence and ideas. When he’s gone is when the legion rly explodes, but also they get along MUCH better. Mask drop time??)

-Toward the end of the expedition, before getting to the Blackfoot, Joshua totally begged Edward to at least walk back with him to New Canaan before he went back to California and Edward was like “ok (ew)”

-… so when they created the legion and Josh saw that they’d continue doing this to other tribes as they pushed into Utah, he begged Edward to leave New Canaan alone and Edward was like “ew, but ok”

-Joshua’s clothes r fucked up, sewn together and patched like nothing else. Edward gives him his clothes to wear so he doesn’t look like such a rag doll.

Legion stuff:

-The crosses and crucifixions were Edward’s idea, the razing and heads-on-spikes-warnings were Josh’s ideas.

-Cringe aside joshua totally sees their relationship as a union, Ed’s been his only partner and they share a tent wayyy late into the Legion, even when they don’t have to. I dunno if Ed sees it the same way, but I think he’s just comfortable with what he has, and is probably aware Joshua sees it that way and feels it gives him an angle over him.

-In the earlier days, they would scavenge books for each other and spend nights reading them together 💔 their dates would include bookclub, hunting, hiking, and watching arena fights💔

-While Joshy-poo is a survivalist in my head, Edward is v educated and has (had?) a good background in anatomy from his studies and a few medical stuff Bill taught him when they left California. Joshua can make tea and healing powder, but Ed’s gonna throw pills at his head either way.

-I love an albino vulpes hc. Joshua wanted that thing DESTROYED, but Edward was like 💔 it’s a thing. and nearly tried to convince Joshua he could be their diversity hire son. But that was too gay.

-Every region they went thru, Joshua reimagined a homestead there instead of camps. He’ll always want his tradwife ranch.

-THEY BOTH WORE VESTS 💔 until Ed got too big for his

Post-Legion/Hoover Dam

-Ed shaved his head before Joshua was supposed to head for the Dam. Joshua usually cut his hair so he thought it was odd.

-A week before, Ed pestered Joshua about making sure he was going to take the Dam and Joshua was ofc very sure he was, he’s never lost before. He made up his mind already that if Josh lost he’d have to kill him, and even suggested he wait and strategise further, but Joshua insisted it was fine. Ed was already drafting letters to Lanius in case.

-After the Dam loss, Ed didn’t kill Josh immediately. He acted like nothing was wrong because he was struggling to go thru with it. Ed was just going to throw him down the Grand Canyon, but wanted him GONE, and ordered the pitch last minute. and they totally slept together beforehand

-Josh tried to climb back up the canyon at first hehe half confused, half angry.

-Ed’s decision to decimate New Canaan was 100% because of the promise he made Joshua before.

-Joshua leaves taunting messages on the bodies of the Frumentarii sent to kill him <3 love letters

-Edward couldn’t stand to be around cooked meat and open flame for a few weeks after Josh’s burn. #vegetarian

-Joshua and Edward both have recurring nightmares about that night for separate reasons.

nsfw hc?? I fear I’m too shy to share those. josh was a total submissive the first few years and then eventually they both got used to the power and control of their roles and sex became a dominating hate thing between them that they enjoyed but eventually it devolved into giving each other the laziest hj and bj youve ever seen

Hiiiii byeeeee love u

[literary-illuminati]

Book Review 37 – The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by V. E. Schwab

I picked this up for my still-somewhat-theoretical bookclub with some friends, and honestly probably wouldn’t have looked at it otherwise. (The only previous work of Schwab I’d read was Vicious which I was, honestly, not particularly impress by.) So chalk one up for book clubs I suppose, because I’m incredibly happy I gave this a try.

The book follows the eponymous Adeline “Addie” LaRue, a peasant girl in late 17th century southern France who, desperately trying to escape marriage and a life limited to one tiny farming village, and just generally being a peasant, makes a deal with the devil. (Or primordial darkness. Or some ancient pagan god she learned about from the old witch living in the woods that comes standard with every peasant village – it’s somewhat vague, and doesn’t really matter regardless. He goes by Luc.) The deal is for her freedom – she will get to live life untethered and according to her own desires, until she is sick of it, and when she is, her soul will be his.

What this means is that she is a) immortal, and eternally 23 years old, and any change to her body reverts in a matter of moments, but also b) incapable of leaving a mark on the world. People literally forget her the moment she is out of their sight, any letters she writes fade before she finishes a word, she is quite literally incapable of saying her own name out loud and has to pick a pseudonym out of the air with each new interaction, and so on. Reality also conspires against her having more than she can carry on her person – stashes are discovered or accidentally destroyed by what seems like random chance.

The book’s divided more or less in half, with a singular narrative in 2014 New York where Addie has a meet cute with Henry – a 28 year old bohemian bookstore clerk whose made his own (much, much worse) deal with the devil, and as a happy unintended consequence is actually able to remember her – being intercut with flashback chapters telling the wider story of Addie’s three-hundred-year life, how she adapted to her blessing/curse and figured out how to have a life of something other than endlessly freezing and starving in Parisian gutters, and her relationships with Luc.

To lay my cards on the table – Henry is charming, and the book’s New York is fun and appealing, but the historical vignettes really do make the book and elevate it a bit beyond pleasant but forgettable fluff. Partially just because the nature of Addie’s anonymous immortality is so specific, the book has a lot of fun with how she learned to navigate and make the most of it. The utter misery she’d been stuck with and endured also grounds (..maybe not the right word, given the immortality, but you know what I mean) the generally pretty fluffy New York narrative a bit.

Also, given how much I loathe the whole ‘death is what makes life meaningful!’ cliche, I really do appreciate that even after spending however long buried in a snowbank in a Parisian slum perpetually one second away from freezing to death, Addie’s reaction to ‘would you make the same deal again?’ is ‘fuck you, I’m immortal!”.

The plot of the present day New York chapters...exists. If mostly as connective tissue for cute dates and descriptions of bars and art shows; this is really overwhelmingly a character piece, and after that the focus is still more on making specific scenes and vignettes vivid more than any sort of overarching drama. Which isn’t any sort of complaint, to be clear – adding action or high stakes politics or a cosmic battle between good and evil or anything else would have ruined this. The fact that the book keeps its stakes limited to a few specific souls is a huge point in its favour.

The novel’s organized around a romance (I mean, a love triangle, technically), though given the ending I’m not sure it technically qualifies for the weirdly specific criteria for a Romance Novel I’ve been yelled out about in the past. It’s not exactly the sort of love story that’s going to set the world on fire, anyway; though Henry was charming and sympathetic and inoffensive enough to effortlessly vault into my top tier of least annoying romance male love interests.

Luc I think I would have absolutely despised if either Addie had ended up buying into his bullshit or if the narration ever really tried to make you sympathize with him. As is, it’s incredibly to read him as actually sincerely falling sincerely in love with Addie at a certain point, and she basically never stops hating him to the point of going all unreliable narrator and always framing his actions as more Machiavellian and monstrous than they are. It’s great.

It’s not exactly surprising how studiously apolitical the book is, but it did still kind of strike me? Given the span of history involved, I mean – the French Revolution and World War One both intrude on the narrative exclusively as ‘bad news Addie gets out of Paris/Europe to evade’. The only active political stance she’s shown as taking in the entire modern era is returning to France during WW2 to be an anti-nazi spy out of a vague sort of patriotism.

On the one hand oh my god a version of this book that went ‘she’s queer and was alive at the time, so obviously Addie would have been at Stonewall’ would have just been, so so bad lol. But the part of me that loves drama and books that get internet hate campaigns dedicated to them does kind of wish the book had done a bit more with what she (immortal 23-year-old early modern bohemian aesthete runaway peasant girl) actually believes or thinks of the world.

Though the book’s restraint on involving historical events vanishes entirely in the cultural sphere – Beethoven makes an appearance, having sold his soul for artistic genius. I don’t mind this too much, honestly; Addie learning that even if she can’t leave a direct mark she can still inspire people and indirectly shape the world that way is a pretty central theme to the whole book, so it more or less fits. When she justifies why she considers her life worth living, the central element is beauty, she lives for songs and fine meals and paintings and books and films. The occasional intrusion of names I recognize just feels like it fits.

Speaking of: quite possibly my favourite bit of the book is how, at the beginning of each part, there’s a page with a sketch and an auctioneer’s description of a different piece of fine art that Addie had inspired over the course of her long life. Nothing much intelligent to say about them specifically, just that I adored the little touches it added.

Unfortunately, the ending of this was the weakest part of it by leaps and bounds. Just – it would have been damn near perfect, if it just ended two chapters before it did! As is, re contextualizing the entire book as an artifact that exists in universe just makes the entire thing make no sense at all (also, my god, can you imagine being Robbie or Henry’s family and reading how you’re portrayed in his ‘novel’?) But even beyond that, it felt like the book had reached a natural, nicely bittersweet ending, and then spent the last ten pages furiously trying to backtrack and make it as unambiguous and upbeat as possible. A damn shame.

Anyway, not a revelatory read or anything, but with that exception very fun and well-put together.

[sunnydaleherald]

The Sunnydale Herald Newsletter, Friday, August 9th

BUFFYBOT: (OS) Anya! BUFFYBOT: How is your money? ANYA: (laughs in surprise) Fine. Thank you for asking.

~~Intervention~~

[Drabbles & Short Fiction]

Back-up Plans by veronyxk84 (Spike & Clem, PG-13)

Who's a Good Kitten? by Anonymous (Angelus/Fred, M)

Scientific Inquiry by Anonymous (Angel/Spike/Maggie Walsh, E)

The Other Side of Corporeal by Anonymous (Angel/Darla/Drusilla/Spike, M)

Expectations by mmooch (Buffy, Big Bang Theory crossover, T)

Favours and Flowers by Diary (Angel, Fred, Supernatural crossover, G)

Dreamt of Drowning by Anonymous (Spike/Drusilla, T)

Willow tells Xander she's bisexual by Johanna6Cats (Willow/Xander, G)

The Taste Of A Heart Beating by Geliot99 (Buffy/Spike, NC-17)

[Chaptered Fiction]

Buffy season 8 " Wicked me", Chapter 8 by FreyStewart (Buffy/Angel, not rated)

Slayer & Rose Bride, Chapter 11 (complete!) by acpendra, Sparkle 94 (acpendra) (Buffy, Shoujo Kakumei Utena | Revolutionary Girl Utena crossover, M)

Darkness and Desire - Book - 01 - Hex Born, Chapter 7 by zxandris (Buffy, Willow, Tara, multiple crossovers, E)

Enter Sunnydale, Chapter 3 by Philister (Faith, Transformers crossover, M)

Further From Home, Chapter 2 by zombiesam (Buffy/Giles, E)

Who Are You Now? Chapter 2 by Mirrored_Illusions (Buffy, NCIS crossover, G)

School of Hard Knocks, Chapter 11 (complete!) by Melme1325 (Buffy/Spike, NC-17)

Rebirth: A Stargate Tale, Chapter 12 by Buffyworldbuilder (Ensemble, Stargate crossover, FR13)

2024 FaD Tribbles, Chapter 2 by mmooch (Oz, Harry Potter crossover, FR13)

What the Drabble? Vol. 2, Chapter 58 by VeroNyxK84 (Buffy/Spike, PG-13)

Tale as Old as Time, Chapter 14 (complete!) by honeygirl51885 (Buffy/Spike, NC-17)

Task Mistress, Chapters 2-4 by HappyWhenItRains (Buffy/Spike, R)

[Images, Audio & Video]

Manip: There is a Geppetto in the house! by KneeHighMischief (Puppet!Angel, worksafe)

Screencaps with lyrics: Lyrical, Chapters 1-11 by scratchmeout (PG-13)

Artwork: Spike by isevery0nehereverystoned (partial nudity, probably worksafe)

Artwork: they've probably had better dates... by mistyintherivers (Giles/Jenny, worksafe)

Artwork: a little buffy drawing by teenaween (worksafe)

Artwork: Joyce has invited him to bookclub before without a DOUBT! by tothetoonandback (Spike & Joyce, worksafe)

Fanvid: ► Dynasty [Buffy & Stefan] by WeCanTry (The Vampire Diaries crossover)

Fanvid: Cordelia Chase - Primadonna Girl by TheOverlookedOne

Fanvid: Forsaken: Buffy v Lestat ("Official Trailer) by Brendan Ryan

Artwork: My kinda ok #btvs #drawings ❤️ by Wolvyn Woods (Buffy, Faith, Tara, Willow, Spike, worksafe)

Fanvid: Buffy & Angel - I Dont Care (remake) by Angelus_Clips

Fanvid: Buffy + Angel She’s my wind by AshleyBurchettAJLeefanlove23love

Fanvid: Wesley&Lilah | Vampire Smile by 1SnoWhiteQueen1

Music video: Are You Afraid of Buffy's Goosebumps? - CRACK HORROR | Official Video | by Whalley Exchange

[Reviews & Recaps]

Video: LET'S TALK ABOUT BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER by I RAMBLE A LOT

Video: My thoughts on Buffy the Vampire Slayer by The Autistic Buffy

Video: Buffy 2.11 Ted by Jen Katz and Ryan Something

Video: BUFFY the VAMPIRE SLAYER already has me HOOKED by Ashleigh Burton

Video: The Dated Vision of Buffy’s 23rd Century Future by PanelHopper

Video: Analyzing Buffy: Do You Wanna Hear My Philosophy? | 1x01: Welcome to the Hellmouthby The Bronze

Video: Analyzing Buffy by The Bronze

Video: Same Time, Same Place-Slayer Sunday by Jane Talks Buffy

Podcast: Twice More With Irony - A Full MUSICAL Review of 'Once More With Feeling' by Beer with Buffy

Podcast: DORPCast 247 - Buffy und Angel by DORP

Podcast: Buffy 2.12 Bad Eggs by Once More: A Rewatch Podcast

[Search & Recs]

Looking for [Spuffy or Spike/OC] fanfic recommendations by Ok-Olive-4048

Art rec: Darla/Drusilla (not worksafe) by drea.d.art, recced by roselynnthornwood

[Community Announcements]

Video: Slayerfest '24 Readathon Announcement - Buffy The Vampire Slayer Readathon! by Rescues and Reads

[Fandom Discussions]

btvs is just a seven year long competition between buffy and giles to see who can be the most unhinged depressed bisexual by comradesummers

A large portion of the issue with spike’s soul by greensaplinggrace

the scoobies were really the worst friend group ever by latrodectal

Okay, so... The Body... by redhatmeg

Never Kill a Boy on the First Date Fashion Part One by theoverlookedoneedits1997

Genuine Buffy/Angel Question by annarowyn

it’s so important that in Chosen (7x22) [Buffy] didn’t end up with either [Angel or Spike] by fictiongods

buffy you cannot seriously be comparing what willow did to sleeping with spike by justsolas

My dislike for Ensouled Spike with Buffy doesn't come from a place of not liking their relationship or preferring Angel by mortalaf

i think angel would have been a 1000% better character if they just put him in more situations by not worksafe

Why I was more invested in Spuffy than Bangel by peppermintquartz

Who the fuck curses a vampire with ... by sympathischeufos

Buffy rewatch podcast with Juliet Landau continued by Dogs of Winter

Rewatch thoughts and questions continued by multiple posters

I have never fully understood this joke [Wesley's in Underneath] by AndrewHeard

Please I need closure, and can’t get a clear answer. Shanshu… by Altruistic-Salt-8303

Having a brain fog here but help… [the blood on Robin Wood's knife] by Trixieswizzle

Sometimes the recaps at the start of episodes skip some lines from the original dialogue. This is my favourite of those by Baron_Butterfly

Which antagonist did the most damage? by jdpm1991

If you guys were a vampire just chillin' in a graveyard late at night by Spyderwarp55

Totally forgot how they gave Faith an accent in the beginning by VisibleCoat995

Buffy's Complex Release: Emotion vs. Desire by Interesting-Tea3907

What is the best order to watch? by wildguitars

Who is your absolute favorite character in the Buffyverse and why? by hatcherry

Which unheard OMWF song would you most like to hear? by MonsterTournament

Who has the better nonexistent, faux-British accent? by nowlan101

A small and fairly insignificant question about the season 5 finale by nickel4asoul

How did Buffy not realize who Robin was? by bluish-velvet

AU Scenario Swap! Angelus Chipped & Spike Remains Evil by orchid-noogie

Reboot? by sluteeprncss

Who looks more like their actor in the comics? by jdpm1991

I'm so mad the Slayers didn't get a wage by Suitable_cataclysm

Tara's name by MissSpooky69

Graduation Day, the poison and The Mayor by yukeee

Video: Buffy and Angel- The relationship that should have been? In under 3 minutes!" by BingeTalkTV

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