#was needed to make these readable/enjoyable lol

[megarywrites]

roy g biv tag game

I was tagged by @thewriteflame (thanks, this was really fun!) everything is from Seafoam, and as always, it got long lol

I'll tag: @flowerprose @the-orangeauthor @aninkwellofnectar @pinespittinink @ashen-crest @daisywords @surroundedbypearls (no pressure ofc!)

red

The light of the dying sun bled into the raging sea, and still Pa’s ship had not yet come into port. Its silhouette was etched on the horizon with perhaps an hour or two of sailing before the Pontus would return to shore. Then, he would be home and warming himself at the hearth, regaling Ma and I with tall tales about the pirates and sea serpents he encountered with his crewmates. Each time, his stories became more elaborate, more far-fetched. All to make her laugh, if I had to guess, because Ma’s laughter filled our home for days following his homecoming.  I twirled the thin stem of an othima blossom between my fingers, then tore my gaze away from the outline of the Pontus to look at the tiny flower. It blended just so with the light of the setting sun, a mottle of bright red and orange with the tips of its five petals dipped in gold. “Thala!” Absently, I looked up at the sound of Ma’s voice. The fact that she had called my name did not quite register until she did it again. Louder, this time, her voice floating up to where I was perched on the bluff.  “Thala! Come home! Supper is getting cold!”

orange

“It was just a dream,” she said, softly now. I shook my head, my breaths coming quick and short as my eyes darted behind her, scanning each of the unfamiliar faces. All of them, witnesses to my shame. “It wasn’t real.”  Ma—no, Mitha—swam up behind the crowd, flanked by another stranger. She wove effortlessly through the scattered throng, making her way toward me. I pressed myself closer to the wall, despite the discomfort in my fin, watching her warily as she approached. She reached into the satchel at her hip, removing a little pouch made of folded dark red algae. From within it, she extracted a few translucent orange orbs, letting them collect on her palm as she stopped before me.  My gaze flicked between the orbs and the face I knew so well.  “If you take these, you’ll be able to rest peacefully until you naturally wake.”  I eyed the orbs, then her again. “No nightmares?”  “No dreams at all.”  Cautiously, I held out my hand, waiting for her to pour them into my palm. Once she did, I swirled them around, watching them bump together before I popped them into my mouth. I bit down, the juice of the orbs exploding in my mouth. They tasted of unripe tomatoes, the acidity dripping a harsh line down my throat as the world grew numb around me. I floated forward, slumping into Mitha’s waiting arms, and knew no more.

yellow

Once I pulled my hair out from the back of my kapta and slipped my sioti on, I opened the door, and Solera pushed off the wall, glancing up at me. She reached out, tucking a loose curl behind my ear before she turned and led me up and out of our room, through the common room, and up the stairs to the corridor. We raced into the latridom with the other stragglers, slowing to a brisk walk when Sorma Rimal pointedly cleared her throat.  All of us fell into lines flanking the aisle, the Smara churning below us. I tried to stand beside Solera, but Rinni had already taken the spot, so I took the place across from her. She signed something, but the opening of the double doors took my attention away before I could read her hands.  People streamed into Katania, the chatter muted as they walked between us. We all pressed our hands to our chests, inclining our heads respectively. Everyone was dressed in their best garments, white and ivory predominant, but pale yellows, and bright reds were scattered amidst them. Gold accents flashed in the sunlight streaming through the many windows of the latridom. When everyone was through, Sorma Rimal walked down the aisle, her chin held high, her gold-filigreed ivory robes swishing on the glass floor behind her. The Stoli filed in two lines behind her, Solera’s fingers brushing against mine when we were back beside each other again.

green

Laughter from inside was carried out on the breeze. Ma’s laughter. I grabbed the handle of the bucket and hurried back in to find Solera sitting with Ma, who was now all wrapped up in our biggest, warmest blanket, on the sooty edge of the hearth. Both of them looked up at me, then at each other conspiratorially, Solera breaking into a grin.  “What?” I asked, my gaze darting between the pair of them as I placed the bucket down by Ma.  “Oh, nothing.” Solera, taking the cue from Ma, tried to school her expression. Unsuccessfully. “I think I might be a little hungry.”  “Oh?”  “Something light, I think,” Ma added as I started to clear the counter so I could start preparing a meal.  Solera hopped up to help, but I shook my head, gesturing back to the hearth. “Just relax. You two can keep making jokes about me if you want.”  Ma chuckled as I slid my hands through the handles of the mugs littering the counters. “Whatever made you think we were doing that?”  I rolled my eyes, which only made her laugh again. There was that green bottle that Solera had noticed earlier. Bulbous at the base, narrow at the spout. No cork. It was empty. “Do you want to reuse this?” I asked her, holding it up and glancing over at Ma. She shook her head without even looking my way, wrapped up in her whispers with Solera. Huffing a sigh, I tossed the bottle into the bin, both of them looking up when it shattered.  “What, sweetheart?”  “What are you in the mood to eat?”

blue

I kept staring at Olena, waiting for her to look back at me before I raised my shaking hands to ask Can you look after her for me? When she gets back?  She nodded and I braced myself against the table as I stood. Faced Cilia. “I’m ready.” She pushed the door open further, holding it in place as I walked out the door. Panic speared my heart as the door fell heavily closed, draping the stairwell in darkness. Against my wishes, I scurried toward the promise of light on the ground floor. Sorma Rimal emerged from the shadows seconds after I did, her robes so blue they were almost black. Her eyes were on me, pity clearly swimming in the depths of her gaze. Her attention darted away, toward the inner hall of the latridom, before she fished in her pocket and produced a small, thin vial of translucent sage-green liquid.  My brow furrowed as I looked at it, then up to her when she held it out to me. “Take it.”  “What is it?”  “A potion to keep you from getting pregnant.” Dread frosted over me, sending a shiver down my spine, and my mouth popped open in a response that never came. She grabbed my hand by the wrist, setting it on my palm and closing my fingers around it. “It’s quite potent so just be sure to take a few drops every day.”  “Yes, Sorma.”  She released my hand and continued walking, so I tucked the vial in the pocket by my side and trudged after her.

indigo

Dusk was settling in, the indigo clouds stretching across the sea barely brushed with gold on the edges. I caught glimpses of it as we ran past the windows. But then the wall opened up to another, lantern-lit corridor and I stopped running to look all around. A loud snap sounded behind me, and I whirled around, finding Solera, bathed in a warm, yellow glow stretching out from an opening in the wall before her. She waved me to join her, and I hiked up my skirt even higher, sprinting so fast that she reached out to grab me to slow me down. Laughter was sparking in her eyes as she nodded into the kitchens.  A vast room, probably the size of the house Pa had built for us, filled with counters and scullery maids and baskets fit to burst with vegetables of such variety that I hardly recognized some of them. There were so many smells, it was hard to keep track of them all, but it made my stomach grumble. If only I could stay in here and taste everything rather than go up and serve the Diamo and his guests… Bottles of vina rested in holes drilled into the wall, waiting to be used. Curled glass pitchers were lined up beneath them, one of the scullery maids carefully pouring a golden vina into several of them. All of the Stoli were getting platters and plates and serving utensils down, directed by a rather red-faced, rotund woman with kind features and her wispy silver hair tied up into a bun.

violet

“Are you ready to head home?”  I gulped, then shook my head and reached out to brace myself as I swam up to the edge of the upper deck, leading to [the captain]'s room. The site of many of my nightmares. Would his corpse be lying within, still tangled in the violet sheets where I had left him? Or had they disposed of him, too?  “Is that the captain’s quarters?”  I nodded.  “We don’t have to go in there.”  “I know.”  Closing my eyes tightly, I sighed, then started forward toward the ajar door. It pushed open much more easily than mine did, but it was equally as wrecked. Only, there were more things to be tossed about. Bedding, lanterns, maps, instruments to chart the seas, collected trinkets from years of travel, and all the furniture.  Thankfully, though, no [captain].  The thought returned in the pressing silence as I cast about the haunted room—the thought that they should all pay for what they did.

[thehydraethereal]

VENUS BABY AAAAAAAAHHHH THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THIS I POUTED WHEN I READ YOUR COMMENT AND HONESTLY? YOU'RE LIKE MY IDOL GIRL <3 IF I EVER START PUBLISHING MY WORKS, JUST KNOW IT WAS ALL BECAUSE OF YOU (and @pedrosyouknowwhat)

Back to biz 🙂‍↕️ I'd like to put in a request, please <3

This will be basically the continuation of my last request because your prompts just made me go back to it and ugh, I loved it too much to let it go so easily. The way you write dark Acacius >>>

Prompts are: ⒙ Him finding your "escape" bag and burning it in front of you and⒐ Saying you made him do this while cleaning your bruises in that order because— because.

I just picture it. Reader has had enough, doesn't want that life for herself anymore and plans an escape with the help of her servants. And Acacius is out of the house for X reason, and she takes that time to pack her bag in plans to go away from Acacius, maybe back to her father's house, maybe out of Rome for good. But he comes home, sees her trying to hide her emotions and finds the bag, and... well, nine prompt.

Warning tags are the same as last time; age gap, abusive relationship, power imbalance, physical abuse, heavy domestic violence, manhandling.

THANKKKKK YOUUUUU A ZILLION TIMES AGAIN. I CAN'T WAIT <3333 (I can, pls take your time so you don't burn yourself out baby)

𝐓𝐇𝐄𝐑𝐄 𝐖𝐈𝐋𝐋 𝐁𝐄 𝐁𝐋𝐎𝐎𝐃 ههههه

dark GENERAL ACACIUS && wife ! reader

PROMPTS && MAIN M. && PEDRO PASCAL M. ههههه (PREQUEL) LINK HERE

NOTES: This is the first thing I've written after my break (1.8 K words MY LONGEST WORK YET OMG) and I can only hope it is at least readable and enjoyable. My love for DARK Acacius will never fade away, and I wish I am one of the writers that can give him to you, but in a beautiful and derranged way as well. Please tell me your thoughts, they are welcomed always! Now, for my beloved @katwriteshardy, I thank you again for requesting this. You make me too hapoy and I am honestly looking forward to you requesting something again. Can't wait to read your feedback and to talk about this one with you. I love you ˁˀ PLEASE PUBLISH YOUR MF WORK, I NEED IT LOL

Your body instinctively flinched, tendons of your heart curling in themselves, as Acacius rose from the table. He wore his armor still, darkened eyes settling upon the guard that presented next to him to report the state of the army he sent to the North African kingdom. His brows furrowed as the guard breathlessly narrated, and all of a sudden, the general struck the table with both his hands, so violent that tears sprung straightaway in your eyes. "By the gods, I’ll skin the bastard who led that charge. Whose orders did they follow? Because they weren’t mine.", the general growled and you could almost feel the anger radiating off of his figure. 

“Ready my horse. Rouse the commanders—I want every man armed and accounted for by nightfall. Tell the harbor—my ship sails at dawn. No delays. I move with the sunrise. If those filthy barbarians want this, I will give it to them. I will have my armor, my blade and their blood over me by the rise of the moon.”

You looked up at him while you gripped your skirts subconsciously in an attempt to stop your insides from trembling. His words never failed to terrify you. 

But as you watched him step away from you, jaw clenched in pure madness, and as you unclasped your fingers from the soft fabric, you realised you could not live like this any longer. This wasn’t you, but the remains of a shell of your existence. You had to leave.

The eyes of the new stable boy shyly looked over your figure as you strolled by him. He was a couple of springs younger than you. You often saw how he turned his face away when Acacius grabbed you or spoke to you, not wanting to witness your endless pain. You stopped your walk and, while watching upon his bowed posture, you let your voice free.

“Can you be trusted?”, you asked, voice cracking as his eyes pierced yours. You raised your brows, expecting an answer and he gave you a small nod. “Very well. I will send you my maid, she will tell you how you can be of service.”, you whispered. “Please…I need your loyalty", you said to him, and the sudden vulnerability made him shift. “Yes, my Lady.”

“My queen.” The title made you flinch as a strong, gold-wrapped hand snaked around your ribcage. The boy quickly looked down and you could almost see Acacius’s cruel gaze, even though your eyes were on the dusty ground. 

“I will have to leave. Duty calls for me", the General growled, kissing the palm of your hand. You tried to give him a small smile, but his hand was already cupping your chin. “I have the trust that you will not do anything stupid until I return”, he finished.

You shook your head and his lips were on yours, devouring your mouth. Then, you watched him stroll away and the scrunching of the gates closing was the confirmation you needed. Marcus Acacius left and you were yet to be free. 

You and your maids spent the entire night preparing a tiny wooden cart with keepsakes too beloved to leave. Your mother’s wedding dress, worn again at your own, as custom demanded, was a bittersweet memory which you had to take with you.

The ring your first lover had carved out of a santal tree, the bracelet your father had gifted you when you turned sixteen, the mortar you had used as a child—everything you loved was wrapped carefully in clean rags and put in the cart.

A few guards, once sworn to your father, now to you between the constricting walls of the villa, kept watch for your safety and discretion, and the boy at the stables went to bring you bread, figs, olives, ointments and water for the lengthy trip that stood before you.

You needed to leave Rome as fast as possible. Even the air was making your insides churn, choking your senses and souring your gut.

The cart had been triumphantly finished and hidden among other carts full of hay, but you were not sure it made it out the great gates of Rome.

You were left at the villa, it would have been too dangerous and suspicious if you left along with the humble cart, and just had to wait for the man that would guide you towards Praeneste.

Then, you would run to the Colli Albani mountains and from there, you would be able to start a fresh life, where fear, pain and dominance would be only stray memories.

With one last vague, disgusted gaze upon the mighty marble villa, you turned your head to go inside and change for the trip. 

But your dreams vanished when the first drop of burning light of the sunrise hit your skin and the pounding of hooves shattered the silence of early morning.

“It…It can’t be—”, you sobbed to yourself as the gates opened. The burgundy of a mantle sewn with gold caught your teary pupils. You could recognize it anywhere.

You raised your eyes, looking at your husband through wet lashes. Your heart was punching your ribcage and instinctively, you took a couple of infant steps back. 

“My wife,” Acacius called a smug smirk planted on his face, as he approached you, still riding on the stallion. Everything in your being screamed at you to keep your calmness, but the moment overwhelmed you. The questions kept flowing—’Why was he not gone?’, ‘Why is he back?’, ‘Did he find out?’, ‘What will he do?’. 

“You seem frightened and distressed, my love,” he furrowed his brows and pouted his lips tauntingly at you. You took another step back, now that he was on the ground. He raised his hands, looking back at his soldiers, at your lack of words and they started laughing. 

“Is there something I should know?”, he asked and blood froze in your veins. He always used this tone before he would hurt you, that honeyed tone, that pretend pout.

You caught your lip between your teeth, tears starting to blur everything but that damn maroon cape.

“Answer me,” Acacius growled, trying to maintain his composure. “No,” you spoke, too swiftly.

“No?,” he puffed, chest heaving with an unamused chuckle.

“If not, then—,” he started and gestured towards someone, “—what is this?”, he finished, voice dropping an octave.

It was clear and light as daylight, he knew. The very first tear caressed your cheek, leaving a long stripe of wet agony as your husband’s calloused finger was tracing it. The cart—your small cart—was dragged inside the courtyard. 

“Did you try to run from me, hm? Did you try to leave me?”. His voice was torturous, and his hand felt heavy on your cheek.

You felt every stripe of skin on his fingertips, every drop of shedded blood, every particle of ash, and it constricted your throat.

He released your face with a light push, and he walked away towards the gates.

“Bring them in”, he gestured disgustedly towards a couple of his men.

The faces of your maids and the stable boy, littered with cuts and dirt, stared back pleadingly at you, their eyes darkened with fear.

“NO!”, your scream was visceral and raw, and it was bruising your throat as you let it out. Falling on your knees, your fingers wrapped around the crimson, heavy cape of the General. “Please, my lord, p-please—”, you whimpered, eyes darting from his dark, captivating eyes to their restrained bodies.

A guard was pushing the young boy on his knees, while another was tearing at the dress of your closest handmaid. Her pleads were echoing through your skull.

“The crosses are already prepared for them. Betrayal is not forgiven.”, Acacius stated, looking down at your knuckles on his clothes. The words made the people that helped you plead to him, terror lacing their tones.

Acacius raised his hand and flinged it twice and the screams were getting further. He crouched next to your crawling body and his hand came behind your head. His fist wrapped in your silky hair and he forced you to look at him. 

“I shall break your kneecaps, then drag you after my horse through all Rome. And, when it would be over, people would call it mercy.” A whimper fought its way out from your pained throat. 

“But how can I do that to my beautiful wife? Even though you wanted to humiliate and shame my name, I will not do that.”, he growled and you let your eyelids cover your eyes, knowing what he was yet to say or do would be much worse. 

But he never spoke, and, as he raised up, he dragged you up by your hair. Your voice gave up on you moments ago, and you could only whine brokenly. 

Bending your spine, he smashed your body against his chest. “Burn it”, you felt his hard chest rumbling as he spoke out these words.

 You broke into a sob when you saw moths of ash falling down from the torch one of the guards was carrying. When it landed upon the cart, flames started eating at the wood and at your beloved trinkets. You felt waves of fresh tears burning your cheeks as the fire consumed everything you had dearer. 

“Please—p-please, just stop i-it, I am begging you—”, you hoarsely cried, but his fingers tightened in your scalp and his bicep curled against your chest tightened you closer to him. His pelvis rubbed discomfitingly against your back as you squirmed in the uneasy position he was holding you in. 

“No, NO! Marcus, st-stop it—”, you screamed when the wood started creaking under the unbearable heat. Strings and torn pieces of your dresses were flying around, looking like burnt butterflies. “Am I not merciful enough? I could have had your tongue cut in the center of the market, most men do that to disobedient wives for less. Do you want me to turn these words into truth?”, he yelled, lips pressed tightly to your ear.

You delicately shook your head with the strength you had left in your body, and your husband flipped you so you would be able to face him. His large palm curled over your neck, as he pulled your face closer. With rough but careful fingers, he tried to clean the small cuts and scratches across your face. 

“You forced my hand, my love. All those people, who lived under my roof, are dying right now…It was you who made this happen.” His words made your whole body jerk, guilt ringing in your stomach. 

“I will tie your hands to the altar and take you there if you run again. I’ll put my child in you on those stones. You will cry while my seed settles. And if the gods are cruel enough to spare you the first time, I will come back the next moon and try again. I will fill you and then—”, he growled, touching your belly with the back of his fingers and knuckles “—we will see how rebellious you are with my heir growing inside of you.”

TAGS: @pedrosyouknowwhat @highonmarvel @essraxi

[cakejerry]

Pls drop more fic recs

okayyy. the long awaited sequel to the wildly popular rec pt1 and rec pt1.5

mostly recent and underrated stuff. I have beef with 99% of jikook writers and high standards so this will not be your typical wattpad lite slop. enjoy

36k vacation romance oh my godddd I don't even usually like slice of life stuff but this was so readable and enjoyable, maybe drags on a bit at places but this is the perfect plotless fluff you need for a rainy day

24k gym/yoga trainers ok we get it author, you're australian 😑🙄🙄🙄. nah just kidding lol, despite this fic falling into some tropes I don't like such as 'womanly intuition' jimin etc and the prose being just a hair shy of self masturbatory, it struck a perfect balance all the way through and I enjoyed both of their povs and the way their relationship progressed.

42k miscomm angst pining YASSSS wet rag friendless loser jungkook yasss men who dont speak yasss men who cry and are pathetic and chad jimin has to step up and fix him >>>. But in a lighthearted ot7 nerd shenanigans way.

83k etl offline rival-journalist-coworkers online friends. Idk guysss I don't be reading long fics like this usually but this one really gripped me. jimin lowkey toxic and problematic but they communicate and make up and surprisingly the characterization and plot both feel actually mature and not wattpad-y.

***72k fae jm alpha jk. OH MY GODDDDD OH MY GOD THIS ONE. THIS IS THE ONE. Literally brilliant amazing showstopping if you read any fic from this list read this one. Literally cannot find a single fault with it, read every word with immense joy and stood up and clapped at the end.

12k meet cute through cloud storage. Guys idk, this rec list is making me realize I like this type of writing way more than I let on. artsy fartsy heightened romanticism "can you feel it? between us? even without saying?" ass prose rlly hits the spot occasionally idk....

12k youtubers travel vloggers au. which is cringe in and of itself but not the way it was done here. I liked it idk

32k. this fic's title is literally just 'unrequited love' and there's nothing more to say. unhappy ending. (jk is the one pining). I freaking love this shittt folksss

18k kinda cute sweet rival lawyers to lovers. aka jimin thinks they're rivals because jk flirts like a kindergartner.

41k kinda interesting take on heats and a/b/o dynamics but not really. sexless sex. it's giving "do I have your consent to touch your hair" hairdresser. still makes jimin a whore and a victim of misogyny but in a halfway woke feminist way.

19k canon post-ms. not gonna lie guys I dont really remember this one but I never bookmark canon fics so this one was probably deserving of the praise

32k traditional a/b/o. YALLL yall know I don't fw this trope like that but this was truly so good. ajk ojm but it didn't piss me off once (huge deal). jm helping jk and not the other way around>>>>

*5k fae jm alpha jk. AGAIN. but this one is conceptually different (etl) and honestly might be one of my fave jikoo fics ever GUYSSSS the banterrrr. The brevityy.

26k magical. Realizing that I read this trope way more than I thought. usually I tell people I hate magical aus 💀. But this one was tew good and actually had very interesting lore that wasn't exclusively a backdrop to jkks relationship but also wasn't too distracting. UGGH I NEED TO REREAD

12k gcf japan pt2 teas

17k quite possibly nothing more cringe in this world than christians and their shitty ass christian guilt """art""" + the concept of jungkook being god is simply laughable + this writer is a dead dove writer (L) however it's a good fic officer. I do recommend it.

[bowlofmie]

Library haul!! :D

I spent like an hour in the library and ended up with a big ol stack. Went down to check out and stared in horror when the screen said “Cannot check out. $167 in fees.” Luckily the librarian noticed my shock and printed out a list of books that needed to be returned and told me that if i brought them back I could bring the new books home. So I walked home, ate a sandwich, found my books, and walked right back to the library. She complimented my Curious George tote bag i brought my books in and we agreed bags should be measured by how many books can fit in them. And then i brought my books home! And also found a printer on the side of the road! Nice!

Now I’m gonna go through my books:

The Snowy Day and the Art of Ezra Jack Keats

I love this illustrator/ author but I didn’t know much about him. I read quite a bit of this one while I was in the library and ended up loving it. He seemed like a very interesting person. Similar to me in a lot of ways. I want to do some studies of his paintings because I absolutely adore the textures, colors, and shapes. The subject matter was also very ahead of its time and it’s fascinating to read about his motivations and upbringing.

The Seven Moons of Maali Almeida

I’ve been wanting to read this one for a while but just haven’t gotten to it until now. Initially what caught my eye was the gorgeous cover, but the synopsis also sounds fascinating and I’m excited to read it!

In the Lives of Puppets

I have to admit something. TJ Klune is my guilty pleasure author. The House in the Cerulean Sea brought me a lot of comfort when I read it in 2020 and it got me back into reading. In a lot of ways his writing style isn’t necessarily groundbreaking, but it is extremely readable and enjoyable. I try to keep my distance from his work because of some ethical issues i have with him but i saw this one on the shelf when I was looking for Ursula K Le Guin and couldn’t help myself. The synopsis sounds extremely interesting and I’ve been enjoying reading about robots and humans recently so I think I’ll enjoy this one.

Find Your Artistic Voice

lol i accidentally typed autistic initially. This one was on a display shelf connected to a local art competition (which I may participate in? Unsure atm) and I was intrigued. I think in a lot of ways Ive recently found my artistic voice and what I want to do, but I’d love to read further and get more insight. Especially with school starting up again soon and my having some artist statements I need to submit for exhibitions, I think this could be helpful for me to put words to my thoughts.

Craft Activism

This is another one that was on a display. I flipped through it and it seems like there’s a lot of artists doing interesting things in it and I’m thinking about how I can further bring activism into my work. That’s something I’ve been thinking about a lot recently. I’m writing a speech about suicide prevention that I might give at a local queer convention so I’ve been thinking a lot about activism in the everyday. As a part of routine instead of as a break from it.

Upcycling

One of my biggest hobbies is zero waste crafting. I love making a little shelf out of cardboard and using plastic wrap and plastic bags to wrap things. I even made a yarn winder out of cardboard, some wire, and a broken paint brush. It feels better to have functional things that I made myself and also to know that I kept something out of the trash. It seems like this book is going to have all sorts of ideas for things I can make and I’m excited!

Steering the Craft

I have a lot of respect for Ursula K Le Guin, so when I saw she wrote a book about writing I had to pick it up. I have a creative writing minor and a lovely professor whose kindness got me back into writing, so i think it could be nice to read more about the craft of it. I don’t have much confidence in my writing, but I do enjoy doing it. It can be a struggle to express nuanced emotions quickly through painting, but I feel that with writing I can put it all out there, whether it’s good or not. Since this is a pretty short read, I’ll probably get through this one this week in between other things I’m doing.

Beatrix Potter’s Gardening Life

This one was next to the Ezra Jack Keats book on the shelf and I was immediately excited by it. I grew up on Beatrix Potter and always loved the illustrations and stories (even if some of them scared the crap out of me.) I think we had a similar book growing up, but this one is more recent. I did a commission of some mice a couple months ago and took a lot of inspiration from Beatrix Potter, so I’d like to do some more reading on her.

[thegeminisage]

THE FINAL FRONTIER breakdown

as always my first impressions were typed hastily and in shorthand w typos on my phone and i am translating them to proper readable language

opening scene was very reminiscent of mad max and the sound effects made me think of sybok as darth vader, lol. when i realized he was vulcan i knew exactly who he had to be

the first mind meld scene was like. weirdly sexual. that share your pain thing also reminded me so much of sound of my voice lol

cathy's reaction to the names in the credits: sighing heavily on seeing william shatner's name. no reaction to leonard nimoy's name. delight at seeing deforest kelley.

second scene of the movie i watched while blinded by tears because spock was there. to be fair to me i had been primed by the world's longest rock climbing scene ever in which i glorified in the sheer fact that i was NOT watching tng. i needed this so much. my reward for finishing most of the first two seasons which is some of the worst tv i have ever watched in my entire life.

cat lady with three tits. bill shatner is a fucking freak

every time there's a woman catherine and i have a bit where we gasp and go, in shock, a woman! but when it's a romunlan woman we really are shocked every single time. just like in the enterprise incident, so true

uhura is still super mega fucking hot in these movies btw. she's so beautiful. it's very cute that she's with scotty i guess (and i was really surprised!! i guess this explains why i see them as a side pairing in fics so often) but she could be marrying ME instead

thrilled to learn that bones can cook and that spock is. willing to sample his beans, as it were

i loved the whole camping scene. i understand the Plot of this movie is bad but the character scenes were some of the best in all 5 movies and indeed the entire tos series. like this is the most married those 3 old men have EVER been. "we don't have families but we have each other" THEY WERE LITERALLY DOING THE GAY FOUND FAMILY ON ACCIDENT. HOW DID WILLIAM SHATNER WRITE THIS???

"i've always known i'll die alone" is maybe the worst thing kirk has ever said or will ever say and i don't want to talk about it.

my one point of complaint is "marsh melon" or whatever spock said. it was cute but i know his ass read and pronounced it alone in his quarters like 700 times first. it's like when you make castiel not know what an egg is. maybe he was being silly on purpose to amuse kirk and bones <3

LOVED their singing. i didn't think they'd actually do it but they did. times were different back then

bones was in fine form in this movie. he had a lot to complain about but he also jumped to spock's defense at least once that i remember right off hand. i swear he just gets progressively better with each season/movie the way uhura just keeps getting hotter. some things truly do get better with age ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

i loved how when spock had some distress re: potentially recognizing sybok they all had to go in their little longue and have a heart to heart together with him. i don't think this movie ever left anyone out - even in the voyage home, which i LOVE, bones was left out of the kirk-and-spock duo. but almost every single scene they had involved all three of them. truly a win for the throuple enjoyers <3

really mixed feelings about naked uhurua. i'm glad she got to sing her little song. and she is, again, extremely hot. AND i love when she gets to surprprise people even though nothing will ever beat her telling that little ensign to get in the fucking closet. but how could they DOOO that to her william shatner IS going to hell

"hold your horse captain" made me chuckle. also, can you vulcan nerve pinch a fucking HORSE?? i guess you can now. i bet they had to train those horses so well. how often do you see a fucking HORSE play dead

when sybok was like "well spock what do you have to say" and spock, outnumbered 100 to 1, guns pointed at him, obviously in deep turmoil, was silent and expressionless for 5000 years and then replied with "you are are under arrest." KING shit

sorry to be like this but spock with a gun was fucking awesome. i'm glad he didn't shoot his bro but still.

the three of them truly bickered like an old married throuple in the brig. bones coming to spock's defense was so funny he's like fine to gang up on spock until he realizes kirk is genuinely upset and then he switches sides because they're only supposed to gang up on him for fun

"STAND BACK" i knew those idiots weren't going to get the morse code in time and it was still funny. same with scotty like "i know this ship like the back of my hand! [BONK]" anyway he totally came in clutch i love him sm

i don't remember why i wrote "bones is so frail and waiflike" because we said it about 7000 times during this film but it's true

spock's rocket shoes saving the day nearly made me cry again except i got jerked out of it by my SHEER ECSTATIC GLEE that he got to take both kirk and bones ently in his arms while carrying them around. wow <3 love wins <3

"the people of your world once believed it was flat but columbus proved it was round" bitch the fuck he did. i'm blaming william shatner for that one. who knew that in 2023 they would still fucking think the earth was flat

the whole thing with bones's dad was fucking brutal. normally we talk through everything but we were dead silent for that bit. even though i knew what was gonna happen my jaw was on the fucking ground

spock's little baby vulcan ears...wait hold on

LOOK AT HIM!!!

that birth looked brutal. for once i'm giving aos some credit whatever they had going on looked much nicer. sarek seemed less disgusted too. maybe this was just spock's imagination he was like yeah my dad took one look at me when i popped out of the womb and diagnosed me with human cuz i was crying lmao

the second half of this movie was where the plot started getting dicey for me. i didn't really care what was going on before now bc i was having fun but when they started talking about the great barrier i got confused. i thought that was on the outside of the galaxy? and i thought at the center of the galaxy was some fucking anomaly and the devil lived there. cuz that was in the animated series. i know. i watched the whole thing.

like we get there and everyones like wow its so beautiful! like no offense cool rocks bro but ??? there's literally nothing there

the big ribcage rocks popping up out of the ground gave us a laugh. at first were like: hopeful: tentacles? no. just spikes. this place is not a place of honor etc

god as a giant inverted face over white light who shot lasers out of his eyes was the stupidest fucking thing i have ever seen in my life. i laughed so hard. i do love though that kirk is apparently an atheist who enjoys backtalking god. he talked to god the way he talks to computers when he's trying to suicide-bait them

i wish we had gotten some explanation of what that actually was? and why everyone thought it was god? but whatever. apparently this movie was also trying to say something about cults but it didn't. again, whatever, i was mostly having fun with whatever was going on so i didn't care but the plot was really very very bad

at one point in my hysterics i typed "LMAO GOD'S GONNA FUCK THE SHIP" as in "and make jim jealous because that's what he wants to do" but i don't remember why so i'll just leave it as the mystery that it is.

spock's little "get ahold of yourself" when bones started being frantic about jim being al;one down there after the two of them got beamed up. lol.

spock's little "damn you, sir" 🥰

metal as hell and also anime as hell that they killed god. what a ride that was. first i thought kirk was gonna do it. then i thought the klingons did it. then it was SPOCK that did it. i could not have asked for a better outcome

"not in front of the klingons" i finally have context for this. i had seen snatches of it in gifs and videos but it was even gayer than i imagined. WILLIAM SHATNER WROTE THIS???

genuinely in SHOCK they ended it with them camping again. i was like if they start singing i am Going to scream. and you know what they did?? yes. yes. yes.

i don't understand why everyone hates this movie. like, yes, the plot was bad near the end. the villain was bad. the stuff about god being In Your Heart was lame af. but the character moments were PERFECT and the movie was extremely funny and everyone was very charming. it boggles the mind that it almost meant there was no sixth movie. like it wasn't perfect but it had so many redeeming qualities!!

that said. i did watch it after some of the worst tng i have Ever seen AND on the same day i watched into darkness so maybe that has something to do with it lmao

[braskide]

𝙗𝙚𝙛𝙤𝙧𝙚 𝙞𝙩'𝙨 𝙨𝙤𝙢𝙚 𝙠𝙞𝙣𝙙 𝙤𝙛 𝙢𝙪𝙧𝙙𝙚𝙧? . . . BRASKIDE, ide: “son or descendant of” — 𝗒𝗈𝗎𝗋 𝖾𝗒𝖾𝗌, 𝗍𝗁𝖾𝗒 𝖻𝗎𝗋𝗇 𝗐𝗂𝗍𝗁 𝗋𝖾𝗌𝗈𝗅𝗏𝖾. selective & canon divergent & heavily headcanon based yuna from final fantasy series ( based post years post x-2, check main timeline! ), loved by muna, 27, she / they. est. 2013. blog revamp is a work in progress starting 19th july 2023.

à propos de: higher self, mortality, ( dethrone god ) , purpose, guilt, commitment, facing fate, owning what one's owed. the hands that cradled my face and tilted it upwards to kiss my forehead are soaked in unfathomable quantities of blood. but they cradled me, yes?

𝐈. multimuse blog. 𝐈𝐈. main verse. 𝐈𝐈𝐈. insp sb.

i. private yuna blog focusing on developping different universes through plotting and friendly ooc interactions. can give discord upon request ( need to be mutuals / have interacted through ims first! ) for further plotting details or interacting, feel free to ask if those conditions apply.

on the term of tidus: if you are a tidus writer, please do not approach with the canon idea of them being together. while i adore tidus & yuna's dynamic and one will often find analysis posts about it on this blog, i have no true intention of getting into a pre-established relationship verse with any tidus writer off the bat ( this is only reserved for close friends! ), if one were to approach i'd want to discuss and develop through muse interactions first.

ii. duplicate friendly & i do not demand exclusivity in regards to my character. i will never follow a duplicate first for i know it might make the fellow writers uncomfortable, but do feel free to become mutuals with me if you chose to as i quite enjoy being mutuals with others yuna enjoyers.

iii. replies are done in order of muse, which mostly depends on how deeply we have plotted the verse + characters relationship. please do not pressure me in any way to reply to any thread as i will never pressure you into replying to anything of mine; i want my partner to be comfortable and prioritize whichever they see fit for their own hobby.

iv. i am ESL and an university student and i have a job ; i appreciate your patience with eventual typos & grammar errors & patience with spotty presence across the dash, as well as varying any discord activity. timezone is gmt.

v. i've been a long time on this platform but as well gone from it for a while, so excuse me while i try to adjust to the new etiquette and formats of the roleplaying community across tumblr and whatnot. i tend to maintain a rather clear & simple style for my threads and i do not mind what my partners use as long as they are fine with me. for my own preference i use small text + colored font, but if you have any problems regarding readability, you are welcome to let me know through any message!

vi. i avoid people at my own discretion. this is my hobby and i intend to mantain this blog as my safe space, thus i do not care for drama and do not want to see anything that could create any form of it on my dashboard. as soon as i will see or sense something that might make me uncomfortable ( call out posts, trivial drama, petty sub posting and whatnot ) i will simply go gone ghost lol cause i simply do not care and do not have time for it. do not come to me with gossip over other writers. i do not care. as i do not interact or associate with minors, as an adult fellow writer i demand that you behave as such, without any petty gossip over other adults. i love writing yuna and interacting with other people that share that passion for writing, but i will not sacrifice my mental health over this kind of matters. i do not hard block unless i feel extremely uncomfortable on a personal level.

vii. it goes without saying but: i will not stand by any form of bigotry. homophobia, transphobia, racism, misogyny, all of that and more will simply get you blocked from my space.

docs will be added at a later date while the revamp is in process.

credits —

𝐈. all icon bases for yuna are by @ dresspheres.

[this-is-not-a-slow-burn]

I'm sorry what? lol no.

Using said is actually the exact opposite of "childish".

You can use dialogue tags, but they should be judiciously applied. The best and most effective way to avoid using so many adverb dialog tags is to write the dialog in a way that conveys the adverb instead. Nobody is saying abandon them completely, but it's not a "style choice" so much as it is an issue of readability. Use said, or re-write the dialogue. It's a much stronger and evocative way to write if you put the emotion in the dialogue itself. Clarity in writing makes your works much more enjoyable to read.

This isn't a personal opinion. This is actual factual truth, supported by many many writing instructors.

This post? This post drives me nuts. They're hiding the most important part in the first lines. People are not going to retain that, they're going to just glom onto the lists of "alternative" words and use them, which is a big fat NO.

Much clearer to just leave it at

USE SAID OR DON'T USE SPEAKER TAGS. Otherwise your writing sounds weak and hackneyed. Using these kinds of dialog tags that OP is suggesting makes things stilted and confusing. Use said, and then explain the way they said it.

The anger rolling off his being in waves was almost palpable. "It was all for nothing??"

"Why yes, yes I do like to eat 'the good stuff'" she said, rolling her eyes with annoyance.

"Nobody has ever looked at me that way before." she said, voice all awe and fondness

"I am N- NOT scared!" but the stutter belied his fear.

I will say, personally, I am ok with "replied" instead of "said", if the dialog is indeed a reply.

"Well, if that's what you want to do..." she replied, smugly.

"These are all just off the top of my head as I write this post, so they're not great, but they get the point across, I think."

She said.

[nny11writes]

My “favorite” thing about the bloodborne AU is each time I get a burst of excitement and inspiration for it, the very first thing I have to do is scrap tens of thousands of words of written work because it’s cluttering the story.

I’m not deleting them, but good god each time I look at this monster I realize a huge problem is I’m doing the equivalent of trying to explain all the backstory and lore in the fic itself. Which, like, most of my worldbuilding has been more for me than my readers. For internal guidelines and rules to follow, but they would detract from the story if left in.

I am just not used to doing this kind of in depth world building, so I have to stop come up with explanations and background to help me chart out the plot, and then painfully realize that there is no way for me to include some of these things at all.

I have a hole document just for Etherian Customs and Practices, a deep dive breakdown on the main types of blood (one of which I don’t think even makes a named on page appearance), major institutions, political historys and alliances, important items to the story, and a timeline that stretches over the 72 years the broader fic takes place during.

And today I realized I need to focus in on one character’s story if I ever hope to finish this.

I’m glad I’m making it better! Just! Would be cool to write something that will actually be in the fic. :)

[spaceorphan18]

Hi! Are The Land of Stories books any good? I usually don't read books by celebrities (I know at this point Chris is more an author than an actor but still) or children's books but I'm going through another Glee phase and I'm very curious to read Chris' books. I just want to prepare myself if the writing is bad😅

Do you want the short answer or long answer? Lol

The short answer is this: The Land of Stories series is a perfectly adequate and enjoyable book series for the intended audience of middle grade readers.

I think if you go in understanding that it's a fun adventure meant for 9yos, I think you'll have a good time. I think it holds up better than a lot of celebrity-turned-authors efforts.

The Long Answer (under the cut in case people don't want to read it.)

Instead of going to college, Chris got famous first, and I think it shows. While I don't think you need a college degree to write well, I think he was a bit exploited by the system -- his publishers (and possibly editors?) wanting to get his book(s) out in order to make money off his name instead of helping develop his skill.

And to be fair - it's not the publishing industry's job to make you a better writer. It's a business, and a business that wants to make money. Is that cynical? I suppose. But, it is also the reality of the industry.

I think Chris does well with ideas. He has a great imagination, and a lot of fantastic elements of world building and characters. The problem is that the actual writing is limited -- I can tell that he was probably a very creative high school student, with people at the school (or in his life) encouraging him to take it further. I think he's funny and entertaining, and a really good storyteller. But it's a shame that his education seems to stop at the high school level.

I've never heard him ever discuss any writing development he's had at a higher level (though I have heard rumored that the first drafts of TLoS had to be heavily edited into something readable), which I think is a shame. I think with some good education or a good mentor -- anyone who will be able to give him honest and trustworthy feedback would be a good choice. Because I think he has the potential to be a great writer.

The problem with his writing is that the great ideas aren't developed all that well on the page. He often has pacing issues and is overly expository. His wording is often clunky and lacks the finesse and nuance of a really good writer. He's often too preachy and on the nose with some of his themes. And while he is definitely a funny guy, sometimes his inclusion of comedy is awkward.

That said - for middle grade readers, they mostly don't mind as long as their being entertained, and I think the novels work on their level. They''ve been highly popular (though, they're in decline). While they won't have the staying power that Harry Potter has (or even Percy Jackson) I do think Chris will, long term, especially if he continues to stay away from acting, might become more well known as an author.

Personally - I did enjoy the original TLoS novel. Despite my issues with the technical side of the writing, I thought it was a lot of fun. The second one was a lot of fun, too. The third and fourth ones were cute and had some good elements, but even though I think Chris's writing did improve, I wasn't as invested as much. The fifth and sixth ones were not good. The plotlines were too stretched out -- and I have a theory that the publishing industry pushed him to take his ideas and expand them so he they could make more money off the popularity of the series.

Most of the add on books (like the picture book and the supplemental material) aren't really worth the time, unless you've really fallen in love with the world or you really feel like you need to check out all of Chris's writing.

I honestly haven't gotten around to reading his sequel series - A Tale of Magic, though I've heard it holds up better than TLoS, so I will get to that at some point.

I do have plenty of thoughts about his two YA novels, Struck By Lightning and Stranger Than Fanfiction, but since you didn't ask about those, I'll won't get into that.

I'll end by saying, I'm some what fascinated to see where Chris goes with his writing at this point, since TLoS series seems to have come to a close.

I think it's somewhat of a shame that Chris has married himself to the middle grade reader, and hasn't tried, really, branching out. I think he had (has?) a lot of potential as a screen writer/tv writer -- though my theory is that he's shied away from it after his film, Struck by Lightning, and his episode of Glee (both of which I liked - even if I recognized there were flaws) were panned critically. And I would love to read his take on a full adult novel, one where he doesn't have to feel limited by his audience.

But, I think Chris either seems to be aware of his limitations or comfortable with staying in his lane, because I don't think we'll see either of those things happen. (I'm always happy to be proved wrong.)

[nebulouscoffee]

3, 6, and 19 for the AO3 wrapped asks? 💜

Thanks for the ask! Really needed some writing positivity today❤️

3. What work are you most proud of (regardless of kudos/hits)?

Ahhh this is hard! Okay it would probably have to be 'Home', simply because I still cannot believe I actually worked up the courage to post the thing haha! Sometimes I look back and genuinely wonder if I was possessed by someone else.

This fic was my first ever attempt at fanfiction, first time writing romance of any kind, first time posting my writing on the internet (well, technically second posted, but close enough), receiving feedback from actual humans, interacting with fellow writers (I made friends through this fic?? That is so incredibly precious to me)- plus, it was SO not written with an audience in mind- it honestly began somewhat as an exercise in self-therapy lol, so the fact that I eventually chose to make it publicly readable (half a year later, but still!) is sort of huge to me. Not sure how obvious this was, but I was constantly terrified while updating it (I still never look at stats because if my brain sees numbers increasing it goes ABORT ABORT PEOPLE ARE SEEING THIS DELETE AND NEVER POST AGAIN lmao), but I'm glad I powered through, because sharing this story was such an Experience- like someone really told me reading it was healing for them? Someone felt inspired enough to make art?? I just!! dgsfgh people are very nice sometimes

Idk, I guess that I took the plunge and wrote something so far outside my comfort zone and shared it does make me feel a bit proud :)

6. Favorite title you used

'Light Matters and Hollow Graphics', simply because I am a Bad Puns Enjoyer first and everything else second

19. What’s one pairing you want to explore next year?

I have a few deranged and probably more entertaining answers, but since you asked- siskoshir! I've been outlining a multi-chapter, and if I manage to write it in time I'd love to contribute to the Siskoshir Big Bang 2023 :)

[ja-khajay]

2020-2021 Animation Watch(ed)list

I haven’t posted about animation in a while that I remember, and I know a lot of my followers are into it as much as me so I decided to make a list of the animated movies and series I watched on the past year or so, coupled with my short, spoilerless take on them. Enjoy!

Organized by

Things I saw for the first time

Things I rewatched

Under a cut for the sake of your dashboards! PS: I have not added any images yet. If you are interested in knowing more about the visuals of these movies, I might make an old fashion ask-prompted imageset list.

Part One: Things I saw for the first time

The Bear’s Famous Invasion of Sicily

Movie, 2019, Italian/French

9/10, a delightful little movie with amazing visuals. It feels like an animated picture book.

One of those “plot is in the title” media! I had never heard of this before but was heavily recommended it by my family members, who all loved it! It’s a sweet story, nothing groundbreaking but the unique colorful visual style alone makes it worth it.

The Castle of Cagliostro

Movie, 1979, Japanese

10/10. Reminded me of all the books i loved reading as a child

I assume its because it’s so old and the art style and themes are so different that it gets little to no love compared to other Ghibli movies, which is a shame! It’s fun with an endearing cast and as always, great animation and music

Mushishi

Series, 2006, Japanese

10/10 three episodes in I knew it was going to be my favorite series ever

One of the few things I’ve seen I’ll describe as life-changing. It’s absolutely lovely but never toots its own horn about it. Humble, calming, emotional and surprisingly mature. It’s pretty impossible to binge due to how intense the experience is. I just want to walk in the forest now...

FMA: Brotherhood

Series, 2009, Japanese

6/10 Dissapointing adaptation of a classic story

I read the manga for this when I was in middle school and remembered loving it. The animated version does an ok job of presenting the characters and worldbuilding and has some nice action scenes but overall looks really damn cheap and just. Not very good. Seeing I already knew most of the plot I did not have the element of discovery that made me marvel so much reading the original. It’s still a nice series but I really recommend reading it instead.

Code Lyoko (s1+2)

Series, 2003, french

3/10. 1.5 being for the opening song alone

This show sucks ass if I hadn’t been watching this with my bestie I would have dropped it two episodes in. The art style is ugly the stories are always the same and the first season has a (later removed thank fucking god) LITERAL “erase any consequences” button as a plot device in every episode. If you watch it for one thing let it be the nostalgia factor of early 00s Vidya Game Plot

The Legend of Hei

Movie, 2019, Chinese

7/10. Impressive visuals and a poor story

I finally watched this, peer pressured by the load of gifsets on my dashboard! It’s a sweet movie with really impressive animation, sometimes a bit too flashy for my taste (the action sequences go so ham they become not very readable...) but the story was just ok? The setting is barely explained and you are instead bombarded with vague epicspeech about powers and stuff that made me fondly remember Kingdom Hearts lol but that asides it’s a really good time! I need to watch more Chinese movies the few I know are just delightfully off the shits in how they approach action and I love that

Hunter x Hunter

Series, 1999, Japanese

9/10. Superior to the recent one!

I first got introduced to the series via the 2011 one. Comparatively, the 99 series focuses way less on action and way more on the characters, which I love because that fits my personal preferences! Despite mediocre filler episodes and some weird slight pointless plot changes, what it changes from the original manga doesn’t have much of an impact on the characters. The animation quality isn’t always consistent including a huge art style change for an arc (???) but it’s overall pretty nice. The series really shines in the last arc it adapts.

Oban Star-racers

Series, 2006, Japanese/french

9/10 a lovely surprise

This series is completly obscure despite having been created by people famous for their other series (Cowboy Bebop, Code Lyoko that i can name) and it’s a crime! It’s a kids show but without being stupid about it who tells the story of an inter-planetary race. If you liked that one scene in the star wars prequels you know what I mean. It’s got surprisingly nice animation for a TV series, and some truly great character design. The art style is a bit unique in a not for everyone sense, but I didn’t mind it much. It’s also THE most offensively 2000s series i’ve seen in terms of visuals. y2k kids assemble

The Little Prince and the Eight-Headed Dragon

Movie, 1963, japanese

8/10. Classic fairytale format with incredible visuals

Watched this for the art style because I know it inspired Samurai Jack, and it delievered! I dont’ have much to say about this one, it’s a very simply film but it’s sweet. For my pirates out there if you want to find it in good quality with english subtitles it’s VERY hard to find. If you just want to see the looks of it, it’s on Youtube with portugese subs.

We now enter the Gobelins Shorts Zone....!

My Friend Who Glows In The Dark

10/10 makes me cry each time

Pure delight...great animation writing everything. A little short about death and friendship but not in the way you imagine!

Colza

9/10

Visual treat...homely and nice :) not far from a 10 but a 9 because nothing about it is that groundbreaking

Sundown

9/10

If you’ve ever been ten minutes from failing a group project because of a single dude you will REALLY enjoy this. Loved the colors and personality

T’as vendu mes rollers?

10/10

It’s SUCH a sweet little short I loved that one so much

Dix-huit kilomètres trois

10/10

Surprisingly well written dialog. Visuals are great but the humanity of the characters carries this to another level

Un diable dans la poche

9/10

Amazing visuals and the most tense/creepy of Gobelin shorts i’ve ever seen. Chilling

La bestia

8/10

I had some issues with the pacing. Interesting story and visuals choices but I was not fond of the art style

Goodbye Robin

5/10

Confusing but predictable. Both at once??? Yes!

Le retour des vagues

6/10

Cool animation stuff but felt pretty pointless

                                                                ***

Part Two: Things I rewatched

Ruben Brandt: Collector

Movie, 2018, Hungarian

10/10. Underrated as hell

Watched this fully blind for the first time in an animated festival and rewatched it with friends. It’s a crime I never see anyone talking about it given the amount of whining I see about the lack of both adult animation and 2D movies? This film is a unique love letter to art in the form of a weird mix of charming crime story and psychological horror with amazing visuals. I recommend watching it blind and also buying it to show appreciation for how nice it is!!! WATCH THIS MOVIE...

Mononoke

Series, 2007, Japanese

10/10 Visual/storytelling masterpiece in the weird shit departement

If you can stomach intense stuff watch this. The visuals are incredibly unique and beautiful and under the jewel tones and art direction high takes it’s a really cool horror series. My only obstacle to enjoying it the first time I saw it was how dense it is - simply put, it’s so...culturally Japanese it’s not very accessible to me who doesn’t know anything about the culture? Watching it for the second time helped understanding the stories more! 

Corto Maltese in Siberia

Movie, 2002, french

9/10 but really close to ten. A great adaptation!

I’m a huge fan of the original comic so I entered this a biiiittttt suspicious it would suck but it was a really pleasant surprise! It has all the wonder and charm of the original and the animation was surprisingly good for the little budget. If you’re not familiar with the series, it’s a sort of geopolitical action/adventure movie but with it’s own really poetic vibe to it. It’s almost impossible to find online but happens to be fully on YouTube so go ham I guess?

Redline

Movie, 2009, Japanese

10/10 cinema was invented for this, actually

Every review of this movie i’ve seen gives it five stars and starts by talking about how immensly stupid it is. I’m no different. It’s a masterpiece of escalating energy with the depth of a puddle and it fucking rules. It’s free on YouTube too so there really is no excuse to not watch it. Watched it for the first time on a huge cinema screen and despite this my second rewatch on my small laptop was as/even more enjoyable. If you watch this stoned with friends you might travel to another dimension

Spirited Away

Movie, 2001, Japan

10/10 deserves the love it gets

I watched this a single time as a kid and had little memory of it! I mean it’s Ghibli you know it’s going to be good as hell but this one rly shines in how colorful and detailed it is and in it’s world! It made me remember I had a huge crush on the dragonboy as a kid. I’m gay now

Kung-fu Panda (1&2)

Movie, Usa

10/10. KFP fucking rules

Honestly my favorite franchise of the whole disney/dreamworks/pixar hydra. It’s fun as hell, doesn’t skip a single beat and has amazing animation and character designs. If something is a good time I will not care if it’s deep or not and boy I fucking love these movies

Sinbad, Legend of the Seven Seas

Movie, 2003, Usa

5/10 Some great some really bad and overall generic

I tend to hate american cinema and this includes that era of animation I have no nostalgia for. Sinbad is in a weird place because I love adventure stories and the visuals of the movie absolutely deliver but it’s very predictable and TANKED by the addition of the female character, pushed in your face as “look we have woman!!!” despite her writing being misogynistic as hell lol. The evil goddess rules tho. This movie would have been a solid 9 if instead of the girl the two dudes had kissed

[rigelmejo]

7/23/2021 Reading Progress - Almost 2 Years

I know I posted a little about reading progress a few days ago, but it’s really just exciting to me! And really really motivating!

These past few days, I’ve been reading one of my favorite fanfic writers. I started intensively reading, and now I can get by reading faster (which for me is only 140 characters a minute ToT so still quite slow but hey its something) and just looking an ACTUAL only 4-5 new words per chapter (which is 4000-5000 characters).  Just the fact I am ACTUALLY 98% comprehending chinese reading material. And material I actually want to be reading. Goal reading material! Because like? 

Even when I was extensively reading before, I was reading stuff that was ‘hard’ to read extensively (enough that I’d need to think and use any clues from context to guess what’s going on for certain key words and phrases I didn’t know but needed, and there were enough of those that I needed to focus a lot). This is really like the first extensive reading I’ve been able to do where I can actually just relax and speed read the extensive reading if I want to. Where it feels more like reading Lord of the Rings fast, or Dracula (some vocab I don’t know or weird phrasings for me but its fine to get through until I get used to it) - or some stuff easier now like reading Good Omens (where its an easy read where I get comfortable fast). Where it feels much more like reading english, just slower (and with less context hints for new words lol - since english I can sound out and guess if I heard it before and already know all the ‘word stem’ hints of meaning). Now, because of there being less ‘context stuff’ i can rely on compared to english, i do plan to keep using a digital dictionary to read sometimes (especially because it is the FASTEST way for me personally to reinforce new hanzi pronunciations). 

Like. This past week I’ve been following the Silent Reading audiobook along with the novel, and also just reading the Chinese novel. And also just reading some new stuff by one of my favorite fanfic authors. And I’ve been able to. The fanfic story is a bit easier, so I suppose I can read it with no prior context! (That’s what I looked up about 5 new words for - chairman, deputy were the keywords I needed then most of the rest made sense from context lol). And Silent Reading I read in english but like years ago, so many paragraphs felt new to me but they were fine to read except a few description-dense sections where something economic-related was being said (along with some 4-character phrases I wasn’t sure of). I knew lately I’ve been able to read new Guardian chapters while following along with the audiobook without the english translation, if I don’t want to know every single word but just follow the plot/most of it, so its been really cool seeing this week that I can do it with Silent Reading too! 

I’m fairly sure my level of comprehension is like this: the more murder mystery, investigative/detectives, more contemporary, more supernatural, more romantic, more daily life - the more I will comprehend it. 

Those seem to be my more ‘comfortable domains’ vocabulary wise. Specifically mystery/supernatural/contemporary (since most anything I watch or read is in usually at least one of these genres partly). When I get into xianxia, the farther it is from the very joking/basic SVSSS xianxia vocab the less I can comprehend. I did read 28 chapters of Tian Ya Ke before so maybe some of that will help with reading wuxia genre, but I’d argue it was months ago and tyk doesn’t really go very deep into using wuxia genre words compared to some novels. So basically my xianxia and wuxia vocab is very basic main-plot words like you’d hear in show scripts, but not necessarily enough to follow the details of novels - I do think I know enough to follow the overall main plot though. Happily, Tian Ya Ke and Qi Ye are on my reading list in the future, so they may both help more with political/court and wuxia genre words so that those genres get more comprehensible for me. 

I’m really excited about the tyk and qy reads now, since I planned to read them extensively while glancing at the english translation for help if I didn’t understand. And since I’m starting to be able to extensively read some of priest okay, then doing that with a novel while using the translation so its like a bilingual-resource to reference making things easier, should not be as hard/intensive as it might have been a few months ago. 

This is just. For me a very big milestone. I’m at a point where some of my goal reading is something I can extensively read without too much pain, and have enough hanzi-knowledge to guess some new words and phrases from context a decent amount of the time.

Summary: it’ll be 2 years in a month. And I’m officially at a point where some of the goal novels are able to be extensively read, genuinely, and some of the ‘goal other stuff’ is extensively readable now (some fanfics, some easier bl novels, etc). Past me would be really excited. ToT

I plan to: keep reading intensively and extensively (with an emphasis on reading through a lot more characters/words), keep doing L-R Method and listening-only during day (keep working on improving listening). And occasionally shadowing now/repeated listening/practicing speaking. In the long term: I’d like to read my grammar guide and practice writing/speaking from what I learn. 

That plan has worked really well the past few months

-

Related: my japanese reading skill! Because weirdly enough its been seeing improvements too!

So, I already realized me knowing more hanzi definitely helps me ‘guess more japanese words’ from context. Because: 1. its like english-french, while some are false cognates with nothing actually in common I can sometimes figure that out from the fact the scene is ‘wrong’ for the word I would’ve guessed, and I do know the word endings in japanese so that helps guess if its noun/adjective/verb, and I do know around 2000 common japanese words specifically so that also helps me notice what’s not actually similar in meaning. 2. so i’ve got this basic framework to guess stuff from context: 2000 japanese words I do know, some basic grammar recognition, ~2000 hanzi I do know and then however many chinese words I know, rough recognition of some of the katakana words, and then I usually try to read something I have prior context for so I’ve either read/played in english or know the overall plot main points in english. Apparently all of this helps a lot.

Now its not putting me on anything near 98% comprehension lol (except maybe KH2 since I know that story so well I really do figure out a lot but its more like idk 90% and me just very good at telling ‘unknown part’ was ‘probably X’ but not actually able to be sure, so i can follow fully but i’m not able to learn from a certain amount just cause i can’t be sure its not perhaps actually-something-else more nuanced). But whatever comprehension it puts me at, its enough to follow the main plot (better than I could ever do before with japanese lol with anything more than... well anything... i couldn’t follow even simple manga main overall plot unless i had a dictionary at year 2.5... so now the fact i can generally follow main plot of games, and catch a decent amount of details - not a majority but still regularly noticing some details, all without a dictionary, is pretty cool to me). 

Lately I’ve been watching some REALLY old Shin Megami Tensei and related game lets plays in japanese, with the player reading aloud (so hopefully I learn some actual word pronounciations my biggest weak point). Because I understand enough right now that I can pick up a lot more just by continuing to watch. Like, playing KH2 I could pick up the ‘reading’ of some new stuff and grammar. But with a voiced lets play, I can also try to pick up those new words and maybe if I’m lucky how the more common ones are pronounced as they’re said again and again. I figure I can probably learn a lot more words this way, and continue getting used to the grammar, for a while before I see less frequent payoff. For now, I’m seeing constant easy payoff from doing it. I’ve got a lot of grammar I’ve read details on but not seen regularly enough to get used to, so that all gets reinforced and learned better. And I’ve got a lot of hanzi I know, and doing this helps me start learning the similar-cognate kanji and words writing/pronunciation, the slightly different ones and their rougher meaning along with writing/pronunciation, to be aware which ones are totally different (tho depending on scene context i may or may not learn these words at least i’ll know they’re not the same). 

My point is: now engaging with japanese is a lot more relaxing and enjoyable. (I realize lol a few months ago playing in japanese or watching a lets play was doable but exhausting, so perhaps i am getting more used to it or actually have learned a little lol). In the sense that, now it feels a lot more like ‘reading french when i started learning’ - i feel like i have a LOT more scaffolding to lean on and help me when i’m struggling, whereas i know the first 2.5 years i studied japanese i felt drowning since nothing was familiar - not the grammar, not the words, not the sound, not the lack of word-spaces, etc. Now it feels like there’s a lot more i have ‘some prior experience’ with (from grammar being restudied over and over now lol and i still need much more lol, to onyomi kanji pronunciations now being my favorite lol and kanji my favorite part of reading), so when i’m diving into japanese instead of drowning i have some floaties to grab onto usually (unless i go outside of the domains i’m used to).

By domains i mean - if I try listening-only i still drown (since then i only have grammar and 2000 japanese words i’m still rusty on listening to), if i do listening-watching without subs i have fewer floaties to grab (i have my 2000 learned words but am super rusty on hearing them especially without kanji to see for reference), obviously if its an old or technical text i will drown (im used to modern japanese, and very specifically daily life or supernatural/light-fantasy video game stories). So like... nier, kh2, crisis core, persona games, smt games, are much more in my comfort level of following a plot (again with subs, because without subs it HAS to be something i know the english well for if i’m going to follow much besides simple daily life parts since i’ll need the visual context and prior context to guess what’s going on just in general - not understanding those parts of the japanese). 

Long story short, its been super fun for me lately engaging with japanese. Japanese is NOT even in my ‘realistic’ study plan right now lol!

But this month I still: read a chapter of japanese translation of Guardian, played 4 hours KH2, read the opening scenes of the script of FFX (fyi: in Idiom app they made HUGE improvements I can now play the audio line by line and repeat-automatically as much as i want AND the definitions now come from much better dictionaries), watched 40 minutes of SMT game lets plays (both with and without audio - though since my pronunciation info literally doesn't exist for so many words I decided adding audio as often as possible would be better). 

My ultimate goal for japanese was to be able to play the games I like in japanese, and follow them before localization changes. I’m not picking up the level of info necessary to be fully satisfied with how much I’m noticing. But I do follow enough now that I’m able to start practicing/studying japanese BY playing the games I want or engaging with them in lets plays/scripts etc. And its very motivating to know I’m far enough into this goal to be studying by doing (at least for now, if it stops paying off as much I’ll likely need to approach it from new angles for a while). But like? I can taste it! I’m starting to do what I want, not as well as I want but I am starting to be able to do those things. And that’s really exciting. 

Side notes: I still personally want to continue reading my grammar guides until I've finished them (japanese in 30 hours, tae kim, sakubi), and keep going through clozemaster. Both of these were helping, do help, and ensure I’m building the weaknesses (grammar i just need SO much more help with for japanese, and clozemaster gives me actual word definitions and pronunciation and lets me practice listening skills and grammar in context which are ALL weak points for me). So that’s the overall japanese goal for a long while (yes i might also finish Nukemarine’s memrise decks if i ever feel up for flashcards again lol). 

In the LONG long term, i would probably want to move onto my other japanese study books i own while continuing to go through clozemaster - i have two reading-japanese books i think would help a ton especially if i want to speed up reading speed and/or read novels more, a sentence pattern book that for me personally would help with reinforcing and getting comfortable with grammar and common words (particularly for long term active use). I also have a kanji remembering book i probably could go through - although by then idk how many kanji i’ll remember the pronunciations and meanings for by then.

[hallospaceboyy]

Hey! Pure filth again: Zelda being the bottom this time and getting thoroughly fucked and dominated by an otherwise shy reader.

I Don't Beg

This really is pure filth. Warnings for smut and use of strap on lol

You take Zelda's hand, dragging her upstairs and into her bedroom, slamming the door and immediately pressing her against it. The woman lets out a groan as her back hits the hard wood, and she looks at you with a glint in her eye, a small smirk playing on her lips.

“Oh, you’re taking charge tonight are you, darling?” She teases in a sultry voice, and you kiss her hard, nip at her lip, and she parts her lips invitingly. You slide your tongue into her mouth, and she sucks on it, chuckling against you as you groan.

“Yes Zelda, I’m in charge tonight.” You lick along the line of her jaw, nip at her earlobe, and the witch instantly tilts her head, granting you access. “I'm going to fuck you senseless, my love.” You whisper, your hands gripping her hips tight. Zelda's breathing is already laboured, heavy with arousal, and she hums when you begin to undress her, unbuttoning her shirt with quick, deft fingers. When she's shed of all her clothes, you take a step back to admire her, the soft flush of her cheeks that extends to her chest, her rosy pink nipples, erect at the centre of perfectly round breasts, the porcelain expanse of her abdomen, the tender flesh of her thighs. Her alabaster skin is as a canvas, blank, pristine, and waiting to be marked, and you smirk at the thought of the delicious marks that will blossom there when you’re done with her.

You kiss her again, bruising, hungry kisses, and she moans against you, gripping your shoulders as you hook your hands beneath her thighs and lift her, and her strong legs wrap around you. You carry her to the bed without parting from her lips, gently lower her down onto her back, and then your wet lips move to her neck, biting and sucking, red marks blooming in your wake.

“Are you going to fuck me hard, baby? Make me scream your name?” Zelda murmurs, hands tangling in your hair as you move your assault lower, biting at the swell of her breasts, and then kissing there.

“Most definitely. If you’re a good girl.” You hum, taking a pert nipple into your mouth and tugging on it with your teeth, and Zelda moans loudly, arching her back. You suck gently after, soothing the pain. Not that Zelda seems to mind the pain, certainly quite enjoys it, the masochist in her unabashedly delighting in it, unleashed by her trust in you, knowing that you will never hurt her any more than she wants you to.

You continue sucking at her pale skin, leaving hickeys on her stomach, her thighs, claiming her as yours, and Zelda is keening beneath you, mouth so close to her core now and you can smell her as she parts her legs further. But you crawl back up her body instead of putting your mouth where she needs it, and she squirms, looking up at you with dark eyes.

You mumble soft words, and a strap on appears between your legs, and Zelda's eyes widen when she feels the protrusion press against her thigh, glances down there, and her flush deepens. She bites her lip, gyrating her hips against you, desperate for some friction, any stimulation she can find. You rub the tip of the toy against her slit, and she gasps.

“Beg for me, Zelda darling.”

She whines, tries to wrap her legs around your waist and pull you to her, but you grip her knees and press her thighs against her abdomen, pinning her there.

“I don’t beg.” She smirks despite her aching need, green eyes meeting yours with defiance.

“Well, good girls beg, and only good girls get rewards.” You purr, and pull away from her entirely, sitting on your haunches and raising a brow. Her legs stay where they are, delightfully spread for you, and you can’t stop your eyes from flicking down to her exposed cunt, see her dripping to the sheets, and you grin.

“F-fine, fine! Please, Y/N.”

“Tell me what you want, Zelda.” She rolls her eyes, huffing with frustration.

“Please fuck me. Hard.”

You bite your lip, grin widening, and your hands come back to rest on her shins, holding her in place and she shivers with anticipation, watching you avidly. You glide the tip over her slit again, rubbing it over her clit, and she moans wantonly, trying and failing to stay still. You position the toy at her entrance and thrust into her with one fluid motion, and she cries out, hands immediately grasping at your back, nails digging into soft flesh, scratching you, and you groan.

“F-Fuck Y/N, Yes!” You begin to pound into her, pace relentless, and she is putty beneath you, moaning incessantly now, loud obscenities, and cries of your name. She pants, grips her own knees to keep herself in place as you fuck her, head thrown back. She's glistening with a light sheen of perspiration, and you bury your face in her neck, biting at her soft skin, and you feel her hot breath against your ear as her face turns to you. You feel her hands come up to grip your hair, and she pulls your face to hers, kisses you hard, fuelled by passion and lust, and she moans sinfully loud into your mouth as you keep up your fast, hard pace despite your aching hips.

Her nails dig into your scalp, and you hear her breathing quicken as she reaches her peak, and she comes hard, contracting around the toy, and you continue to thrust into her as she claws at your head, your back, your ass. Then she slackens beneath you, and you slow, and then stop entirely, pulling the toy from her before waving it away with an inaudible whisper. You gaze down at the redhead, and she is a quivering mess beneath you, her eyes are closed, her hand pressed to her forehead, and the other to her chest, trying to catch her breath. Her mascara is smudged around her eyes, her lipstick all but gone, leaving her lips pink tinged.

“O-Oh. Oh. My.” She mumbles breathlessly, and you laugh, stroke her thighs as she stretches her legs out. When she finally opens her eyes to look at you, they are hooded, and cloudy, misted over in a post coital haze, and she grins at you, laughing lazily.

“You okay?” You ask, laughing with her, and you settle yourself beside her and her shaking hand instantly reaches out to clasp yours.

“Mm. I’m very okay. Quite wonderful, actually.” She sits up, and her hair is mussed, frizzed at the back of her head, sticking out at all angles, and she glances at you with a dreamy smile. She looks thoroughly well fucked, and it suits her. She looks beautiful, all need for composure forgotten, body language relaxed and open, readable for a change. “If I'd known you were that good with your hips, I would have had one of those on you sooner.”

You giggle, watching her as she lights a cigarette in her holder with quivering hands, and then reclines back against the plump pillows. She catches you staring and winks, and you grasp her wrist, pull the holder to your lips and take a long puff. You blow out the smoke, and then roll onto your side, wrapping an arm around her waist and pressing a kiss to her shoulder.

“You’re always so passive. Quite the pillow princess. I didn’t think you had it in you.” She jokes, eying you curiously.

“Well, when one is around a force such as Zelda Spellman, one tends to let her take charge.” You shrug, nuzzling into her further as she stubs out her cigarette and wraps an arm around you.

“Feel free to take charge more often. I found it quite enjoyable.” She smirks. “But only sometimes. I still most definitely wear the trousers in this relationship.” You both laugh, and she rolls on top of you, pinning your wrists to the mattress. “Now, I am most definitely recovered, and ready to return the favour.”

[levyfiles]

helloooo!!!! since you are my fave blog about shyan content, i must ask: what are your favorite fics???

AHhh! I–OK well, Lately I’ve been finding more and more fics that fill my heart right up with every gorgeous headcanon there is, but If we’re talking all-time favourites, I have finally compiled a List from the moment I started reading shyan fic in 2018 of fics that have ruined my life; all of them here in no particular order.

Be All My Sins Remembered by spoopyy

Summary: In every lifetime, they find each other.

Review: This fic manages to take you on a long journey through what feels like a series of AUs and they all weave in and out of the wealth of their relationship with some vivid descriptions of the historical settings their journey takes them through. As someone who grew up reading Anne Rice’s epics through historical events, this fic is right up my alley. A vampire Shane passing through the wave of human society’s climb searching for a reincarnated Ryan again and again, trying to hold on to him and keep him through great tragedies and timeframes that just don’t let them be together. This was one of the first fics I read when I was only a lurker and to be quite honest, I need to give this one a nice re-read, maybe for the book club which would be loads of fun. Either way, 10/10. Would be Hurt in the heart again.

Perfect Fit by @beaniegara

Summary: There’s a legend that says anyone able to take all of statue Shane’s cock will summon the god to the mortal realm. Given the statue’s excessive size, no one has ever succeeded to prove or disprove the story.Until Ryan that is.

Review: Listen. You wanna talk actual fandom legends. This fic is one of them and it pulls out all the stops on being delicious and evocative. Also features one of my favourite incarnations of size queen bergara. Good stuff and you’re really rooting for Ryan in this lol. 

Everything’s Weird and We’re Always in Danger by the beethechange

Summary: Ryan perches on the edge of the bed, an indistinct shape that Shane can only just make out in the dark, so he turns the lamp back on. He wants to see Ryan’s face, wants to know that he is alright. Ryan’s cheeks are damp, his hands fisted in the hideous flowered duvet.

“It won’t go away,” Ryan says miserably. “I’ve been like this since we got here, basically, and it won’t fucking—”

“Ah,” Shane says. “Well, you know, sometimes fear…adrenaline…they can affect people. Physically.” He waves his hands indistinctly crotchward. “It’s a, a scientifically known phenomenon.” Shane feels a little better staying in the realm of scientifically known phenomena.

Review: Word of advice. You see a fic is authored by beethechange, run don’t walk because you’re absolutely always going to be treated to the best of banter, the best of prose, chemistry, organic execution and feels right up the bottom end of your heart. This fic, this changed everything I thought I knew I wanted out of a bed-sharing fic. It’s got a little bit of two treats here. You got a sex-pollen-esque situation mixed with bed-sharing and holy fucking damn that is more than you think you deserve, but read this because you do deserve the best of the best. The build up, the dialogue, the surprisingly hilarity of it, the hotness woah, and The Aftermath. When you think you know what you’re in for, you’re wrong and you’re most pleasantly surprised. Get this fic in your life and honestly? while you’re at it, you could do a clean sweep of every fic in her list of works and while my less than adequate reading time management may still be short on some of her most well-recommended pieces, I have an adamant faith that Bee doesn’t disappoint. Go get y’all juice.

Maelstrom by thewindupbird

Summary: Here’s the thing about driving halfway across the country to see someone. You can’t really deny, after that, that you’re pretty much head over heels for them.

Review: Listen. One morning on a day off, I just laid in bed and read this– all 40k+ words– while lying there clutching my pillows, hurting and loving every moment of it. The descriptions of Americana, the slow steady metronome rhythm of Ryan’s feelings as frightened and helpless as they feel when you’re relating deeply to them juxtaposed with the deep-seated struggle of understanding what it is to be with someone you love so much but your mental health is burning quiet holes in your ability to express it in a way that can be understand. Ryan’s fierce determination, breaking through the silence of their non communication is really Everything to me in this fic. i think I really left my heart in the scene in Shane’s parents kitchen. That finished me. Read this fic and understand the deep relief you get when you’ve finished a fight with someone you fiercely care about and they understand you and you understand them and it’s OK; it’s gonna be all right. Augh. 

A Burial on Box Hill by InkStainsOnMyHands

Summary: The Celtics believed that the yew flower symbolized both immortality and death. Meanwhile, for centuries, the buxus flower was seen as a symbol for safe passage into the afterlife.

Or,Shane and Ryan were never the same after investigating the Black Forest of Germany alone.

Review: Let me just quote my bookmark comment here. Usually I flee from tragedy like a cat spotting a cucumber but the brevity and the prose dragged me in and now I’m a functioning mess. Bless this fic. Oh my god it’s short and reads like one of those quick horror stories you’ll read to your friends just as the scary stories are transitioning from the urban legends to the ones that feel real. Big warning for main character death but still read it if you appreciate a good story told.

Body Farming by shiphitsthefan

Summary: Failed suppressants and a surprise heat: the worst of cliches, and here Ryan stands, living the trope on location with the alpha he’s hopelessly in love with. Even worse, they’re spending the night in the famous Bell Witch Cave, completely alone and with no way to contact the outside world.

Ryan knows he can survive and keep his preheat a secret, as long as Shane will stop being so protective and concerned. After all, it’s not like Shane wants to bond with him.

Right?

Review: Now judging from the reactions of many people I’ve spoken to, big heavy ABO kink is not popular here but guys, GUYS. This one. Let this one in I promise it is not what you think it is. The dynamic is organic and the worst side of the trope is subverted in all the best ways and lord help us, the smut is hot, like swelteringly smoking. It’ll stay with you. 

Believer by cellard00rs

Summary: Some demons and otherworldly creatures love climbing up the power ladder. Shane is not one of these. He likes where he is (thank you very much) and has no interest in moving up. All he wants is to give his friend Ryan a nice birthday gift. So, naturally, everything goes to hell.

Review: This fic is another fandom legend. When I think demon!Shane. It’s this and one other one that always pops right into my mind. This was my first exposure to the bureaucracy meets the supernatural!Shane trope and I was sold from the get-go. The Shane in this fic is everything I imagine a demon!Shane is and his ginger care for Ryan, the concept of their bond and how even though Shane is a demon and responsible for keeping the supernatural a firm secret from Ryan and the rest of the world, his skepticism is relayed through his status as a demon. I want to talk more about it but I think so much of the enjoyment comes from the surprises as the plot unfurls. 

Heartbeat by quackers

Summary: So the guy Ryan sits next to at work is a vampire. That’s no big deal, right?

Review: I could talk your literal ear off about this fic. Vampires, man. I love the trope; you don’t know me as a person if you don’t know this at least. And this fic kept me fed all damn year. It was a readable garden. If there is one thing I can guarantee about quackers’ work, it’s that their world-building is a festival of detail. The realms and alternate universes they work with while still managing to keep Shane and Ryan’s voices so familiar and real is a talent not attributed to your everyday author. This fic propelled me into wanting to write more and more because quackers makes stories so much fun! Reading their work is, to me, not unlike the feeling I got when I was younger and finding series that speak to my need to escape this crummy existence, made me want to believe in fun spicy things like a vampire that lived through centuries, cynical but still searching, navigating a world where people are still people, adjusting to differences and prejudices, finding comfort in a guy that understands that and more. I’ve talked about this fic in more than a few different posts so I’d just be reiterating a lot of things I loved about the more historical aspects of Shane’s journey, the way Ryan is so firmly curious and inventive in ways to connect with Shane. Look, even if vampires aren’t your thing, I can promise that if you visit quackers list of work, you will find something for your supernatural-lovin’ palate that speaks to a gentler side of your own curiosity about monsters and the jocks that love them. lol.

I’ll Crawl Home by carrieonfighting

Summary: “Shane was almost unnerved by how quickly he’d settled into this body, this name, this life - his friendship with Ryan was the most time he’d spent with any human before, and yet the man fascinated him.”

Review: This is the second fic I think of when someone says the words ‘demon!Shane’ to me because ohhhh my word, this fic is a masterpiece. I really am hard pressed to find anything better than the feeling I get when I think of demon!Shane headcanons interwoven with the irl Buzzfeed reality and the idea of the Ryan as we know him being protected and watched and loved so deeply by a demon that found him so long ago and wanted nothing but to protect him. I feel an almost vicious glee reliving that moment when Ryan and Shane are on goatman’s bridge and man, I just really love canonical fic mixed with a slight twist. The writing in this makes it work so well with lines that still haunt my heart and soul like “Ryan liked popcorn. So did the demon. Genuinely, not just out of a desire to please the human – he liked the way it crunched between his vessel’s teeth. There were some aspects of taking a corporeal form that were…nice; laughing, coffee, feeling warm. Ryan made him laugh.” FUCK! The beautiful agony of it, watching the demon fall in love with Ryan through the eyes of his vessel. Just stark with pain and unspoken, well-written angst and pain with a perfect ending, I wouldn’t change for anything. I love this for us as a fandom and will always love that author crafted this piece and shared it with us. (Also every time I hear Work Song by Hozier, I think of this fic again and sigh).

Like I said at the beginning, thanks to @skepticbeliever-bookclub I’ve been discovering and re-discovering some fics I hadn’t had the chance to read and or have never even heard of before and my bookmarks list is growing with each new week. So if you get through this list and need more in your life, here you go. Every fic in my bookmarks deserves the community’s attention. If I can just make one special request of you guys? If you do happen to click any of these and enjoy what you read, please take the time and tell the author what you loved about it. It really changes the game out here for fanworks and fan-creators like you wouldn’t even believe and the people who shared these works with us worked hard to make the stories what they are and put a great deal of emotional investment in sharing it. Share more than your silence in return. 

Hope you find something you like here, nonnybabe.. 

[weltonreject]

hello it's egr again ! sorry i Disappeared i got Quite Busy and haven't been on here much but! i think recently i have gotten out of my years long reading slump which is exciting ! i've finished 2 books and am currently devouring a third since i last sent u something (the first two i didn't love bc like i said before i'm Picky about writing style so while the concept was fun the style put me off and i read them more to find out what happened than pure enjoyment but !! i am loving the third one so far it's called The Unspoken Name i'm not sure if it's ur kind of thing but it's very Captivating so far very different and fun and i like the style of this one a lot so ! based on the first 4 chapters i would recommend so far). i also made a quilt for my friends birthday which was exciting and have been making sourdough bread almost constantly which is fun, it all makes me feel like i'm elderly but in a good way haha. anyway i hope u are doing well, i see u are trying to implement new habits and routines so i'm wishing u lots of luck for that !! that can be a tricky thing to do but i believe in u to push through the rough days and recover from any that don't go exactly as planned and hopefully reach ur goal :D i hope u are having a wonderful evening/day and something nice big or small happens to u !! love egr (also i always read egr as "egger" which reminds me of like some weird historic nickname or literal eggs lol)

Egger! Egg! My Love!

I’m glad to hear you got out of your reading slump. That’s fantastic! I’ll have to add The Unspoken Name to my list-- I’m gathering pretty much any and all titles that can be vouched for being Readable. I’m trying to balance out my Classics with some contemporary fiction just to see what’s going on in the publishing scene. You know. To be Relevant and such.

A QUILT??!! Oh I LOVE THAT. I love the feeling of a quilt over every other blanket. And my m*ther has been making a lot of sourdough bread lately, which is fun to help make but I don’t particularly like the taste so now every meal is half overrun with a Not Great Bread-- helping me cut out carbs though I guess?? But, anyway, I do love the feeling of Being Old from Hobbies. I cross stitch a lot and that always makes me feel like I’m sitting by the fire waiting for my husband to comeback and tell me the newest correspondence from the King to the Colonies or something like that...

I’m doing alright! Trying to get my shit together in an environment where having one’s shit together is not exactly a priority or respected, so I’m really trying. This week is a Declutter Week, so I started with my whole space yesterday and then today is my desk and all my papers. I have an entire filing cabinet filled with old writing ideas and snippets that I need to tidy up. There is so much stuff. Like, easily twelve books (or at least base plots for them) are buried in this little plastic file hellscape. Let’s hope it’s an easy task today.

Sending you my love and my best. Hope today treats you kindly.

-M

[aimmyarrowshigh]

fic titles meme

Tagged by @iwritesometimes!​

Look at the most recent 20 (or however many!) fanwork titles on your AO3 account and answer the questions below.

I’m skipping the ones that are just titled, like, “March Madness M/M 1/16″ or whatever, because those aren’t titles, really.

A Constraint That Makes It Possible to Fly

Heart Always Seems to Know

I Needed You Out There  

Revenge / Return / Rise 

The Time of My Life       

I Don't Know You (But I Want To) 

If There Be Thorns 

Do You Think Anyone is Listening?      

!@#$%^&* 

Dearest, Darling, Dead       

Whatever You Please 

You Know What You Are?       

Love Is Not All; It Is Not Meat Nor Drink 

You Don't Have to Be Who You Are Back Home       

They'll Be Chasing Their Tails Tryin' to Track Us Down 

Don't Cause Distress, Don't Remind People of a Loss 

Someday When Our Stories Are Told       

If These Delights Thy Mind May Move 

Pretty Can't Feed You       

Might Compel Me To

1. How many are you happy with?

I mean, most of them do what they should do which is like, go with the prompt they filled and be. titles. of fics. I wanted “ Revenge / Return / Rise” to be more evocative of the Prequel Trilogy’s ~mood than it actually is, so I’m not happy with that one. I like !@#$%^&* a lot because it’s what R2-D2 taught BB-8 (to swear). I thought about answering this with all of the individual titles within A Constraint That Makes It Possible to Fly tbh because I really like how almost all of those turned out, in terms of starting off the tone of the drabble they precede? But that seemed like cheating and overkill.

2. How many are…not great?

I mean, none of them are GREAT. None of them could ever be the title of anything that ISN’T a fic, if that makes sense? Mostly because they’re all quotes from other things, and 18/20 of them are prompt fills so both the title and summary are from that other thing and influenced the work.

3. How many did you scramble for at the last minute?

Heart Always Seems to Know, for sure -- it’s the only one that isn’t REALLY a prompt fill, even though I smushed it into a prompt to post it, so there wasn’t a song or poem or lit quote that really Went With It, and I didn’t want to quote Soon By You 1x01 for the title even though I pretty much just straight-up stole its plot beat-for-beat for the story, lol.

4. How many did you know before you started writing/creating, or near the beginning?

I’d say all of them except for A Constraint That Makes It Possible to Fly and Heart Always Seems to Know, just because I knew that the titles would be another line from whatever poem/song/lit quote/movie quote the prompts came from and @dracosollicitus and I came up with the prompts in the first place. (Ha.) 

5. How many are quotes from songs or poems?

All of them except BB-8 swearing are quotes from poems or songs, or they’re from very prettily written novels like Bone Gap (Pretty Can't Feed You) or they’re from movies (mostly Star Wars).

6. How many are other quotes?

Whoops, just answered.

7. Which best reflects the plot of the story/content of the fanwork?

I think A Constraint That Makes It Possible to Fly and all of the individual titles within it, just because I have enjoyed looking them up AFTER writing the drabble-chapters and I like when I can link them together to show the chronology of certain parts of the nonlinear story.

8. Which best reflects the theme of the story?

Hmm... probably Pretty Can't Feed You?

9. Which best reflects the character voice of the story/pov of the fanwork?

Heart Always Seems to Know is really the only “voicey” story, since the rest are drabbles or drabble-fic and those are more in “my voice,” if they can be said to have a voice at all. I’d LIKE to think that they have a voice and that it’s, like, readable and enjoyable, but who knows?

10. Which is your favourite title?

For this one I actually AM going to go into Constraint and answer with some titles/title strings from it, because I can.

#14 How Lovely The Ruins/#15 How Lovely The Ruined Children Must Be

#19 Absence Can Be Present, Like A Damaged Nerve, Like A Dark Bird

#21 First-Person Singular Prohibited/#22 In Order to Be More Crow/#23 War! War! War! War! War!/#24 Everything Passes, Even A Massacre

#27 I Broke My Left Wing in the Revolution

#32 Each Separate Dying Ember Wrought Its Ghost Upon the Floor/#33 Darkness There, And Nothing More/#34 Deep Into that Darkness Peering, Long I Stood There Wondering, Fearing/#35 Back Into the Chamber Turning, All My Soul Within Me Burning/#36 Presently My Soul Grew Stronger; Hesitating Then No Longer/#37 Doubting, Dreaming Dreams No Mortal Ever Dared to Dream Before/#38 Nothing Farther Then He Uttered—Not A Feather Then He Fluttered—/#39 Let Me See, Then, What Thereat Is, and This Mystery Explore

I’m going to tag @glycerineclown, @fille-lioncelle, @dracosollicitus, @nichestars, @bebeocho, and @morethanonepage.