#whyborn things

[thisblogwasmadeforlurkin]

Comms I run on Dreamwidth

because I am nothing if not Sisyphean! 

Comms I Started:

Fear Street: fearstreet2021 [dot] dreamwidth [dot] org - dedicated to all things related to the Netflix Fear Street movie series! Join us Fridays for Fic Rec Friday!

Stranger Things: harringrovers [dot] dreamwidth [dot] org - a comm for Harringrove shippers to come talk about the ship, cross post fic, discuss the show in relation to said ship. Join us Fridays for Fic Rec Friday!

King Falls AM: kingfallsfans [dot] dreamwidth [dot] org - For fans of the podcast King Falls AM to come and talk about the show, cross post fic, discuss theories, and so on!

Power Rangers/Super Sentai: pr2017 [dot] dreamwidth [dot] org - Made in response to the 2017 Power Rangers movie, this comm is for fans of any iteration of Power Rangers or Super Sentai to come talk about the shows, cross post fic, and so on!

Z Nation: znationhq [dot] dreamwidth [dot] org - A comm for fans of Z Nation to chat about the show, discuss theories, cross post fic, and so on! Join us Fridays for Fic Rec Friday!

Coming Soon:

General/Multifandom: ficreadersadvisory [dot] dreamwidth [dot] org - a comm for discussion what works or doesn’t work for us in fic and strengthening critical analysis as well as just generally reccing things we like! Join us this coming week for our first Trope Scavenger Hunt!

Whyborne & Griffin/Jordan L. Hawk: knowsitsown [dot] dreamwidth [dot] org - inspired by my reread of the Whyborne & Griffin series this is a comm that is open to any and all discussion of any of Jordan L. Hawk’s work, a place to discuss theories, cross post fic, etc. (I just have to put together the rules and some tags as well as a profile to get us started!)

Comms I Co-Run:

Eerie, Indiana: eerieindiana [dot] dreamwidth [dot] org - if you like this obscure little 90s kids show, this is the comm for you! Chock full of episode discussion, cross posted fic, theories, crossover thoughts, etc, it’s a great space for a great little fandom! Join us Fridays for Fic Rec Friday!

[aurorawest]

Summer Reading Update (part 1)

Teach the Torches to Burn by Caleb Roehrig - 4.75/5 stars

This was a really well done retelling of Romeo and Juliet. I read another book from the Remixed Classics series, Dear Henry, and while that one was also good, it felt like it adhered too slavishly to The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde, so sometimes things seemed to be happening only because they happened in the original. And I haven't actually read the original book, it was just...easy to tell. Teach the Torches to Burn never felt like that, and I loved how it fleshed out so many of the characters from the play.

You Should Be So Lucky by Cat Sebastian - 5/5 stars

I feel like tumblr sings this one's praises enough that I don't really have to, but—everyone should read this. Everyone should read all of Cat Sebastian's books. I think I liked this one better than We Could Be So Good, but that could just be because I've found myself becoming more and more of a sucker for sports romances.

Unhallowed by Jordan L Hawk - 4.75/5 stars

Sad to say goodbye to the Whyborne and Griffin series, but I already love this spinoff!

Soul of Ash by HL Moore - 3.75/5 stars

Crow's Fate by Kim Fielding - 3.75/5 stars

The Sleeping Soldier by Aster Glenn Gray - 5/5 stars

I sound like a broken record re: Aster Glenn Gray, but please read her books. If you like Cat Sebastian's mid-century romances (like You Should Be So Lucky!) you like Aster Glenn Gray. This one is ostensibly a Sleeping Beauty retelling, but one where the sleeper actually sleeps for 100 years. In this case, it's a Union soldier who is put in an enchanted sleep in 1865 and wakes up in 1965 and oh my god, it's so good. It examines racism, it examines toxic masculinity, it examines homophobia, and how same-sex platonic affection became taboo. I'm pretty sure this woman has never written a bad book, but this may be her best.

Alec by Kaje Harper - 3.75/5 stars

Artemis by Andy Weir - 3.75/5 stars

Oak King Holly King by Sebastian Nothwell - 4.75/5 stars

I loved this one! There are so many books about Faerie and they can be pretty hit or miss for me, but this one struck just the right balance of otherworldly, inhuman creatures and characters I could root for. Shrike and Wren were lovely.

Imperfect Illusions by Vanora Lawless - DNF at pg 56

Orchestrated Love by AJ Buchanan - DNF at pg 1

Razorblade Tears by SA Cosby - 4.25/5 stars

The Starless Sea by Erin Morgenstern - 5/5 stars (reread)

The Only Light Left Burning by Erik J Brown - 5/5 stars

Excellent sequel about what happens after you make it to the last bastion of civilization after the apocalypse.

Unwieldy Creatures by Addie Tsai - DNF at pg 12

A Nobleman's Guide to Seducing a Scoundrel by KJ Charles - 5/5 stars

Oh man. This may have displaced the Will Darling Adventures as my favorite KJ Charles book. Wonderful MCs, A+ side character arcs, and villains you really loved to hate. I rambled on a lot about this book to my wife after I finished it.

Stars in Your Eyes by Kacen Callender - DNF at pg 156

His Lordship's Secret by Samantha SoRelle - 3.75/5 stars

Us, Et Cetera by Kit Vincent - 5/5 stars

Cinderella retelling with androids but Christ on a bike was this a painful read. Really, really well done. Highly recommended.

Charming Young Man by Eliot Schrefer - 5/5 stars

My 5 star rating diverges pretty sharply from the average Storygraph rating for this book, and I'm not sure why, other than maybe people thinks it's PrObLeMaTic. It was definitely not a super happy book, though it ends on a good note (that's a pun btw!). I thought it was a great book about a period that isn't often written about (1890s Paris) with a fascinating protagonist (who was a real person).

Dark Heir by CS Pacat - 5/5 stars

It's a CS Pacat book; it's the sequel to Dark Rise; obvs I loved it. I don't understand why this series is shelved under YA except that Pacat's publisher thinks more people will buy them. This series is the gay Lord of the Rings you always wanted and somehow is an even slower burn than Captive Prince.

Of Knights and Books and Falling in Love by Rita A Rubin - DNF at pg 50

Cover Story by Valerie Gomez - DNF at pg 176

Letters to Half Moon Street by Sarah Wallace - 4/5 stars

[voxofthevoid]

Hi Vox, what books do you like to read? Genres etc, physical or e-books? Also do you have any recommendations on books to read? I'm dying to get into new books but I have no idea where to start looking.

(by books I meant outside of fanfic.)

PS, will you ever continue your doubledong dickfest (the train age swap one) fic again? I'm so down bad for teenage Satoru getting dicked down haha.

Recently, I've mostly been reading online even when I'm not reading fanfic—stuff like the SCP stories, r/nosleep authors and series, and original fiction on Ao3 and Fictionpress. Been hearing good things about Royal Road too, though the popular genres there may not be to my taste.

Anyway, when it comes to published books, I prefer fantasy or SF. Or both! And I'd rather have physical books than digital ones.

As for recs, the ones from my recent reads are—

The Locked Tomb series by Tamsyn Muir. It's a blend of SF and fantasy. It has four parts, and three are currently out. We're waiting with bated breath for the final one.

How to Survive Camping series by Bonnie Quinn. It's a complete four-part series of supernatural mystery and horror that started out on r/nosleep but has been published as books.

My last proper reading spree was over five years back, so I have no idea how I'll feel about these books if I were to read them now:

Whyborne & Griffin series by Jordan L. Hawk

Cut & Run series by Urban and Roux

Literally everything by Megan Derr. Her collection was impressive even circa 2016, and I'm sure it's grown now.

A few classics™, if you swing that way:

Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen

The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald

Candide by Voltaire

Catch-22 by Joseph Heller

I have an extensive to-read list too, and I can't exactly recommend anything from that, but here are the ones I'm looking forward to the most:

The Murderbot Diaries series by Martha Wells

Into the Drowning Deep by Mira Grant

A Memory Called Empire by Arkady Martine

Ancillary Justice by Ann Leckie

Ahh, double-dong dickfest, my beloved! That one suffered from having my attention diverted at just the wrong moment (thank you, chapter 236). Other, shinier ideas keep pulling me to them. Plus, what I currently have is some 14k that could easily stand as its own fic; the remaining outline is an escalating pornfest, and it's got a lot of fun bits I'd like to tackle, but if I don't start, what I've written would make a coherent oneshot.

I can promise a lot of teenage Satoru getting dicked down though. That, I keep going back to faithfully 😂

Thanks for asking this! It was fun to answer.

[dvar-trek]

Romance Roundup: Part 2

the full list:

loved | liked | okay | didn't like

 ●Captive Prince Trilogy by C.S. Pacat     ○Captive Prince     ○Prince's Gambit     ○Kings Rising     ○The Summer Palace  ●Whyborne and Griffin Series by Jordan L. Hawk (there are like 11 of these in total, but this is as far as i got. this is not the only reason i stopped, but this series does contain a sex scene wherein sliding back the foreskin is described as "peeling". and i just. i simply don't think you should peel a dick. i don't think it's good for them.)     ○Widdershins     ○Eidolon     ○Threshold  ●Sweet Disorder by Rose Lerner  ●Sailor's Delight by Rose Lerner  ●Something Human by A.J. Demas  ●Doomsday Books by KJ Charles     ○The Secret Lives of Country Gentlemen     ○A Nobleman's Guide to Seducing a Scoundrel

 ●Old Bridge Inn Series by Annick Trent     ○Beck and Call     ○The Oak and the Ash  ●10 Things That Never Happened by Alexis Hall  ●Boyfriend Material by Alexis Hall (okay, listen, the first chapter hits you with a high concentration of cringe, and is therefore difficult to read. but the cringe concentration lessens considerably as you go along, and this ended up being one of my faves.)  ●Husband Material by Alexis Hall (again with the cringe, but it's not a strong enough book otherwise to make up for it, imo. the first book stands up great without having to bother with the sequel)  ●The Secret Diaries of Miss Miranda Cheever by Julia Quinn  ●Bridgerton Series by Julia Quinn     ○The Duke and I     ○The Viscount Who Loved Me (there are six more of these, but i simply couldn't go on)

 ●The Mystery of Nevermore by C.S. Poe  ●Turner Series by Cat Sebastian     ○The Soldier's Scoundrel     ○The Lawrence Browne Affair     ○The Ruin of a Rake     ○A Little Light Mischief  ●The Last Binding by Freya Marske (these are kissing books, but i didn't like the actual romances so much as the. like. plot.)     ○A Marvellous Light     ○A Restless Truth     ○A Power Unbound  ●Lucky Lovers of London by Jess Everlee     ○The Gentleman's Book of Vices     ○A Rulebook for Restless Rogues  ●A Taste of Gold and Iron by Alexandra Rowland  ●His Heart's Obsession by Alex Beecroft  ●Seducing the Sedgwicks by Cat Sebastian     ○It Takes Two to Tumble     ○A Gentleman Never Keeps Score     ○Two Rogues Make a Right  ●Hard Sell by Hudson Lin  ●Green Men World by KJ Charles     ○The Secret Casebook of Simon Feximal (can be read as a stand-alone. is also not really a romance, per-se, although they sure do fuck. more like if shelock holmes had been a ghost-hunter, and watson had told us about all the sex they were having)     ○Spectred Isle (n.b. this was meant to be the first book in a series that is on hold indefinitely, though i enjoyed it plenty on its own)

 ●Winterbourne series by Joanna Chambers (there's one more novella in this series but none of my libraries has it)     ○Introducing Mr. Winterbourne     ○Mr. Winterbourne's Christmas     ○The First Snow of Winter  ●The Vicar and the Rake by Annabelle Greene  ●The Gentleman and the Spy by Neil S. Plakcy  ●The Lord and the Frenchman by Neil S. Plakcy  ●Unfit to Print by KJ Charles  ●Brook Street by Ava March  ●Enlightenment Trilogy by Joanna Chambers     ○Provoked     ○Beguiled     ○Enlightened     ○The Bequest (epilogue novella)  ●Unnatural by Joanna Chambers  ●Restored by Joanna Chambers  ●Society of Gentlemen by KJ Charles (another one where the whole series is worthwhile for the story, even if i didn't love all of the romances. the characters are endearing and there's an excellent little series epilogue availble on the author's website)     ○The Ruin of Gabriel Ashleigh (prequel novella)     ○A Fashionable Indulgence     ○A Seditious Affair     ○A Gentleman's Position

 ●Something Fabulous by Alexis Hall  ●Hither, Page by Cat Sebastian  ●The Missing Page by Cat Sebastian  ●Sins of the Cities by KJ Charles     ○An Unseen Attraction     ○An Unnatural Vice     ○An Unsuitable Heir  ●Red, White and Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston  ●Bright Falls series by Ashley Herring Blake (I'm still on a waitlist for the third book, which just came out)     ○Delilah Green Doesn't Care     ○Astrid Parker Doesn't Fail  ●Fake it 'til You Make Out by Isla Olsen  ●The Lady's Guide to Celestial Mechanics by Olivia Waite  ●The Care and Feeding of Waspish Widows by Olivia Waite  ●The Lilywhite Boys by KJ Charles     ○The Rat-Catcher's Daugher (prequel novella)     ○Any Old Diamonds     ○Guilded Cage     ○Masters in this Hall (sequel novella)  ●England World by KJ Charles     ○Proper English     ○Think of England  ●Will Darling Adventures by KJ Charles     ○Slippery Creatures     ○The Sugared Game     ○Subtle Blood

 ●The Lady's Secret by Joanna Chambers  ●A Charm of Magpies series by KJ Charles     ○The Magpie Lord     ○A Case of Possession     ○Flight of Magpies  ●Other KJ Charles book linked to the Magpies world     ○A Queer Trade     ○Rag and Bone     ○Jackdaw  ●Wanted, A Gentleman by KJ Charles  ●The Gentle Art of Fortune Hunting by KJ Charles  ●A Thief in the Night by KJ Charles (novella linked to Gentle Art)  ●Band Sinister by KJ Charles  ●Unmasked by the Marquess by Cat Sebastian  ●A Duke in Disguise by Cat Sebastian

romance roundup part 1

[three--rings]

Hi! I come from the danmei fandom and wanted to ask you if you pls have some good novels from the west to rec? What I'm looking for is: BL, fantasy & good plot. I'm not looking for political agenda just for a good read where the focus is on the plot and romance. I seriously don't know where to start looking. I tried checking out recs on google but honestly after the danmei books mostly everything looks unappealing to me. I was hoping you could help me out. Thank you in advance!

Ooo, yeah I can come up with a few things.

(All links are Amazon, but of course if you can buy elsewhere it's recommended, especially author sites. But if you buy from these links I get like a few pennies.)

The Magpie Lord (and rest of the series) by K.J. Charles - This is honestly the book that got me into reading modern m/m historical romance before I ever discovered danmei. 19th century England, magic, romance.

The Whyborne and Griffin series by Jordan L. Hawk - An incredibly long series of adventure novels set in a Lovecraftian 19th century America, starring a shy scholar and brash detective who get pulled into supernatural highjinks and romance together. The author's other series might also appeal. I'm a big fan of their Hexworld series which is recommended if you like the ideal of shapeshifters and their destined soulmate partners.

Lord of the White Hell by Ginn Hale - Fantasy European setting in a boys boarding school. Kiram is the first from his religion/ethnicity to attend this prestigious school and has to room with a boy who is supposed to be cursed by hell. Magic, religion, culture clash coming of age, and a fantastic romance. I love this whole world and series so much.

The Archer's Heart by Astrid Amara - Fantasy India setting with a rigid caste system where homosexuality is punished with death. So the romance between a prince and a warrior has very real stakes. Lots of politics and suffering for the characters. Sorta epic political fantasy but with queer romance. Definitely danmei esque.

The Nightrunner series by Lynn Flewelling - An older series in which a young man is taken as an apprentice to a thief/spy/rogue in a typical European fantasy world. Very interesting political and magical intrigue. The romance between the two main characters doesn't become textual until the second book and definitely is not a main focus or very in your face, most likely because of the age of the books. BUT I love everyone in this bar so so much. And they are explicitly the fantasy equivalent of married in later books, so it's not NOT a thing.

The High King's Golden Tongue by Megan Derr - A young man is trained to be consort to a king his whole life, but the king in question isn't interested in him because he's still mourning his late husband. Fantasy world with normalized queer relationships, slow burn romance development, a very gentle book without a lot of drama. (I haven't read the rest of the series but I think each book is a different couple.)

Okay and then a couple additional recs with special circumstances.

A Taste of Gold and Iron by Alexandra Rowland - I haven't read this one yet because I just haven't had time, but I've read some of their other works and trust that it's good. The author is @ariaste whose MDZS fic you may have read.

The Hands of the Emperor by Victoria Goddard - The reason I haven't read the above yet is because I've been deep in reading this and all the related books/stories in this world. Absolutely I think danmei fans need to read this book. The worldbuilding is fantastic and immense. The political intrigue is more West Wing than Game of Thrones. It's a book about making incremental change from inside a flawed system. And it's a book about two men opening their hearts to one another glacially slowly, with so many barriers in the way, but so much love.

The caveat is that it's not precisely a romance or primarily a romance so it doesn't meet your criteria. It's super long (again for danmei fans) but while these two (an emperor and his secretary) love each other so much, it's not explicitly romantic or sexual? At least not yet. (Next week, sequel next week aaaaaahhhh.) So...it's a weird one to rec. Which is why I've been waiting and putting off writing it's own rec post. But it's a magnificent novel I can't say enough good things about.

So yeah, that's what I've got for now. Thanks for asking, clearly I'm always just waiting for someone to ask me to rec things.

Other folks feel free to add your own recs in reblogs if there's stuff I've missed.

[trollocs-ooc]

names post

The meanings of every characters name

Main characters

Riikii Taavii - literally just a riki tiki taavi reference. His lusus is also a mongoose

Eileil Naraal - eileil is pronounced as elil, which in watership down means "enemy" in lapine. Naraal is a butchered version of "narwhal". Because eileil has one horn

Slashr Faiyze - butchered version of "slasher phase" because they grow up to be a serial killer

Liexii Naraal - "lie" is "eil" backwards, and "XII" is the roman twelve. Because his ooc nickname is twelve

Emhoji Simmbl - butchered version of emoji symbol

Rastko Nemanj - shortened version of the name Rastko Nemanjić, who is the saint of the day balkantrolls blog was made

Kullie Awoble - butchered mixed version of "cullable" and "adorable"

Lutrin "whybie" Naravi - Lutrin is short for lutrinae, which is the family otters are in (or something similar) because their lusus is an otter. Naravi is a combination of 2/11's last names. Their ooc nickname, Whybie, is short for "whyborn" because theyre a mutant who hates themselves

Ruzmar Vrtlar - Ruzmar is short for ruzmarin, which means rosemary in serbian. Vrtlar in Serbian means "gardener"

Mikesh Lobanj - mikesh was named after a cat in a mobile game because i found the name funny for a female cat. Lobanj is a butchered "lobanja" which means "skull", because he wears skull facepaint

Miscellaneous characters

The polycrewl

Raksha Splash - named after a clangen cat. Also he was thrown in water to drown by highbloods so splash is ironic

Tripto Manich - Tripto is butchered for triptych. And manich sounds like "manic" and is similar to "manifold"

Roseta Onchar - She was based off a black panther, so roseta is for "rosette" and onchar is a butchered version of one of the scientific names

Iliyal Drator - .

Chizma Lichor - "čizma" means boot and lichor sounds like licker. Because she is technically one of the oldest ocs i imagined for the crew. And the scenario i imagined her in involved (literal) boot licking. And eileil. You can use imagination 😭

Associated with the Dehorner

Horiza Hircus - her pupils are horizontal and hircus is a part of the scientific name for goats

Verico - vertical pupils. Vertical text

Dzanis - sounds like "janus" the two headed snake god. I associate with twoface because of the two heads thing, so i associate janus with law. And dzanis is a tealblood.

Mielka Karava - butchered "milka krava" aka milka cow. The chocolate mascot.

[evenaturtleduck]

The problem with hoopla is that my library only allows me to check out a certain number of items a month, but "an item" can mean both a 12 page short story AND the entire Whyborne and Griffin box set.

It's not like I need to read the whole thing in 3 weeks--I can just check it out again-- but it's more that I can't stop reading. They're just right here, on my phone, in constant peril. Help.

[pretensesoup]

Queer fiction, day 2/30

Since I mentioned it yesterday, let's talk about Widdershins, which is book one of the Whyborne and Griffin books. There are eleven in total, but they're in a series such that you kind of have to read in order, so I'm going to talk about them as a group.

I only have these as ebooks right now, so I'm gonna hotlink to goodreads for the cover. Hopefully that works.

Okay, so the plot. Let's start by saying these do have a plot. Set in a very gothic town called Widdershins, in Massachusetts (just down the road from Arkham, it seems). As places go, it's very Night Vale--people keep to themselves and don't make eye contact if they're out after dark; the city's museum was designed by a man who slowly went mad during the work; everyone worships at a church called First Esoteric, which has some rather non-standard ritual practices.

The books are set around 1900. At the outset, we meet Dr. Percival Endicott Whyborne (he goes by Whyborne, which makes sense). He's highly educated, a philologist (someone who studies the history of languages). He speaks something like thirteen languages himself, and is also interested in cryptography, so it makes sense that when a private eye named Griffin Flaherty is referred to the museum with an occult, encyphered book, Whyborne is the person who's asked to help him. Together, they investigate a secret brotherhood and also fall in love.

I love a bunch of things about these books: the side characters are excellent; the sense of place (for a place that doesn't exist!) is extremely strong, and it's a funny, creepy place; the way the main characters get a chance to grow, both personally and in their relationship across all the books (unusual to find a series with so many entries in this genre); the explicit ways that Hawk deals with and subverts the ideas of "other" in Lovecraftian fiction.

Key quote: "Although the public areas of the museum were designed to give the appearance of a neat and orderly progression through history, the rest of the building exemplified chaos. Storerooms burrowed deep into the earth, while various wings sprawled off in every direction. The library was a literal labyrinth, and shortly after I'd first been hired, I'd found myself obliged to cross the flat roof of one of the wings as the most direct route from one department to another. Even though the museum was less than forty years old, there were rumors of lost storerooms and offices, and I did not doubt the possibility."

These books have a lot of sex in them, so be forewarned. When I read the first book, I found the use of euphemism in these a little grating to the inner ear ("my length" and suchlike), but over the course of the books I came to appreciate the voice. Then I read all the books and turned into a tiny eldrich creature myself.

10/10 for them.

[cav-core]

One of my favorite things about the wider Whyborne & Griffin verse is just how much of an aneurysm the Endicotts would give HP Lovecraft if he just thought about them.

[otakusapien]

Dr Percival Endicott Whyborne <3

1: sexuality headcanon- Canon gay. Is so gay he can't tell when women are pretty. This is just canon 2: otp- Whyborne/Griffin 3: brotp- Whyborne & Christine 4: notp- IDR his name, but that distant cousin who made pass at Whyborne 5: first headcanon that pops into my head-If he lived in modern day he would refuse to use the internet. Christine would have to force him to use email for work. He touches it for no other reason, and only when he has to. 6: favorite line from this character-There are a lot, but first that comes to mind is when Griffin drives his car a /little/ fast and Whyborne goes, "I'm going to be a widower by sundown" 7: one way in which I relate to this character- The low self-esteem 8: thing that gives me second hand embarrassment about this character- His obliviousness 9: cinnamon roll or problematic fave?-Not really either, but closer to cinnamon roll if I had to choose

[funkymbtifiction]

Paid Request: Coraline: Whyborn [INTP]

Paid Request: Coraline: Whyborn [INTP]

MBTI Type: INTP Whyborn insults Coraline the first time he meets her, by assuming she came from someplace where it rains often and then making fun of her using a water divination rod. When she gets mad at him for this and accuses him of setting his cat on her, he calmly explains that it’s not his cat (of course, he feeds him every night and the cat brings him dead things…). He then rambles on…

[cattatonically]

Deosil - Jordan L. Hawk (Whyborn & Griffin series, book 11, finale)

Synopsis

Whyborne, Griffin, and their friends have faced down cultists, monsters, and sorcerers. But their greatest challenge is now upon them.

On the return voyage from Balefire Manor, Whyborne receives the worst news possible: Widdershins has fallen before the onslaught of the Fideles and their servants. There’s still time to stop the return of the Masters, but that window grows shorter by the hour.

Together with Christine and Iskander, Whyborne and Griffin must reach Widdershins to face the ultimate test—and decide the fate of the world, once and for all.

My Thoughts

It honestly took me a very long time to bring myself to read this book, mostly because I wasn’t ready to let go of these characters, or this world. Whyborne and Griffin have become so near and dear to me, I couldn’t bear to part with them. But all good things must come to an end, as they say (and honestly, what a silly saying), and so too must I bid adieu to this incredible adventure.

Right from the get-go, it’s more or less non-stop action, planning, and plotting. Just as Whyborn, Griffin, Christine, and Iskander get a handle on something, their plans are turned on their heads. This whole book is a masterclass is pivoting, and adapting. And honestly, my anxiety was right there with theirs.

I found myself unable to sit still, or relax, while speeding right along to our conclusion. I didn’t even take the time to savour in every element of the world and the characters as I usually do (that will be for the re-read, when I’m not as desperate to reach the conclusion). I just wanted to make sure these characters who have felt like family to me had their happy ever after.

This series has captured my heart, and my soul. I have fallen hopelessly in love with this beloved cast of characters, and I find myself pining a little for a welcoming (though it didn’t feel that way at the beginning) and supportive community like Widdershins.

This series will always hold an extremely special place in my heart, and I honestly cannot wait to explore more of what Jordan L. Hawk has to offer in their other works.

[flawedamythyst]

book questions 6 and 17!

6. Was there anything you meant to read, but never got to?

::hollow laughter:: I have had The Jasmine Throne by Tasha Suri in my To Read Kindle folder for pretty much the entire year. I don't know why I keep just not starting it.

Currently there are 5 other books in there, but none of them have been there longer than a month or so.

And this is my To Read shelf for hard copy books:

The ones on the extreme left have been there since I moved in, 8 years ago.

17. Did any books surprise you with how good they were?

YES! The Extraordinaries by TJ Klune, A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness (made me very sad, prepare for Emotions), the whole Whyborne & Griffin series by Jordan L. Hawk, The Girls I've Been by Tess Sharpe and everything I read by Alexis Hall which was, um, a lot of things, I went on a bit of a binge.

It should be understood that I've interpreted 'how good they were' as 'how much fun you had reading them', I do not pretend to be able to objectively judge a book's actual worth. Also, these are the ones that I was surprised by, there were others I read that I was expecting to be really good and then they were.

[teejaystumbles]

1, 4, 8 for fandom year in review?

Yay more asks!! :D

Favorite fictional characters this year:

Dream of the Endless and Hob Gadling, no surprise there. Other than that, Klaus Hargreeves, the Thirteenth Doctor (she grew on me, it took a while), and from books: Therem Harth re ir Estraven (The Left Hand of Darkness) who is such a wonderful character I can't even, and Percival Endicott Whyborne (Widdershins) who makes me whisper things like he is an idiot - but he is MY idiot and I can relate.

4. Favorite books read this year:

The Left Hand of Darkness by Ursula K. LeGuinn. It's not a new book but I had never read it before and I absolutely loved it.

Annihilation by Jeff Vandermeer. Just the right kind of weird mind-fucking sci-fi. I need to read the other two books but am being kept away by the Sandman fandom and fanfics and

The Widdershins Whyborne & Griffin novels by Jordan L. Hawk that are not the height of literature but immensly enjoyable for a Lovecraft fan like me who likes to have gay men in their books. I've read a lot of short novels like this but this series is the first I've found with a Lovecraftian setting and I come back to read another volume once in a while. It's my comfort reading material when fanfictions run out.

8. First fandom of the year:

This is hard, because what is time, and what happened this year? I don't remember well. It was probably Stranger Things, because there was nothing else with a fandom attached I have watched. I think. I'm not sure. I wasn't active in fandom this year until August and the Sandman. If there are fandoms that I missed, it would probably include Archive 81, and I watched a lot of Gotham and was quite into it for a few months.

[mrmissmrsrandom]

I am still haunted by the urge to write Sharkman Liu Qingge. I have a mighty need.

[mwritesink]

The never ending shelf of WiPs

(Working titles are italicized. this is my attempt at organizing myself. Includes both Original and Fan Works. Post under a cut as this got long real quick...)

Original Works

“Rebel Songs”: November 1920. Dublin, Ireland. A chance meeting brings WW1 veterans Shannon Maxwell and Lawrence Barton together and into a whirlwind romance. Their first problem? Shannon is an IRA soldier and Lawrence works with the RIC Special Reserve. (currently writing random scenes, outlining, and researching)

“iceskating”: Modern day. Somewhere. Danny Reid is hired by Esmé Caldwell - renowned former Olympic Ice Skater and current coach - to help get her protege back into competitive shape. Jason O’Rinn - scarred, intense, and guarded - is just the sort of man Danny should stay away from, but he can’t turn away from fixing broken things, especially when Jason reaches back to heal Danny’s own scars. (I’ve maybe an eighth done of a first draft. fully outlined. need to do research)

“Red Headed Bastards”: [fictional year. fictional city name]. Lauren Lowfey, marked from birth as an outsider by her red hair, is just trying to make a life. One day she gets a package to deliver at the Aesir Castle that sends her life into far more adventure than she ever asked for or wanted. Outside the city, though, forces are moving to make the first moves of Ragnarok. (need to write scenes, need to outline, need to research)

“Chicago History Poetry Zine Series”: Poetry to inform about significant, and some not so significant, details about Chicago history. (have a set written about Camp Douglas, though several are in edit mode. Need to figure out the best way to arrange and publish. constantly in research)

“My Squire, My Knight”: visual novel idea. Arthurian based. the MC is related to a king allied to King Arthur - leaning towards being the youngest son of King Pellinore -  and is assigned to be a squire to one of Arthur’s knights: Sir Kai, Sir Dinadan, Sir Palomides, Sir Galehaut, or Sir Mordred. The course of the final days of Camelot are changed depending on the path and choices of the MC. (have the ideas, outlining, researching)

“Mad Ladies Ghost Stories”: Visual novel idea. MC is a Paranormal Investigator trying to find and free the ghosts of a haunted mental hospital without joining their number herself. Each ghost is of a woman falsely deemed insane and fell victim to the cures of her time. (have ideas, need to outline, need to do more research than one book)

“Crow Merwin”: Fantasy inspired by the French Revolution, but with more figures who are not white, presumed straight men. (idea there. I had notes from a year ago, but lost them. need to recreate notes)

Fan Works

K. J. Charles series

“The Magpie Lord - Script Adaptation”: for Charm of Magpies series. Writing exercise. Is what it says on the tin, just me practicing script writing by adapting The Magpie Lord by K. J. Charles. (in progress)

“Damned Spot”: for Green Men Series/Secret Casebook of Simon Feximel. Simon and Robert resolve the story of a haunted theatre. At one point Robert gets stage blood thrown on him. I get to indulge in how much I love MacBeth. (in planning)

“Elaphromancer”: for Charm of Magpies series. A Jono/Doug AU, where Jonothon “Chamber” Starsmore and Doug “Cypher” Ramsey are remade for existing in the world of Charm of Magpies. Jono is a magician who works as a fire breather and sword swallower for the Hellfire Freak Show and Circus. His life gets infinitely more complicated than it already is when he encounters a runaway autonomous Automaton who insists on having Jono help protect a political fugitive. Then the Justiciary gets involved. (in planning, opening scenes written)

Jordan L. Hawk series

“Griffin’s Queer Chicago”: for Whyborne and Griffin Series. Collection of one-shots and other shorts speculating on Griffin’s time in Chicago. So far planning to include the following: bed-sharing w/ Elliot [finished!], almost getting caught having sex under a bridge, having outdoor sex in one of the parks, the Columbian Exhibition World’s Fair, hotel sex w/ Glenn, and the Chicago Athletic Club. (In planning, first short finished!!, may be a while until the next one, in research)

“Seduced by the Shark-Man”: for Whyborne and Griffin Series. Fishborne AU. Instead of an Umbre, Griffin and Glenn find a shark-man who says his name is “Fire In His Blood”. He got very lost, ended up in fresh water, and would like to go home. But not without first finding out everything he can about land-dwellers. (the idea is there)

“Jono, Doug, and the no good, very bad haunted adventure”: For Spirits Series. A Jono/Doug AU where Jonothon “Chamber” Starsmore and Doug “Cypher” Ramsey are remade for existing in the world of the Spirits books. Doug and Jono are both Mediums. Jono’s talents reside in Pyromancy, and Doug has a willing “Spirit Guide” named Warlock. Doug enlists the help of Henry, Vincent, and Lizzie to free Jono from a haunted asylum after one of Jono’s seances goes horrifically wrong and he is confined as mentally insane. (in planning, have beginning scenes written)

“SPECTR: Hunter of Demons - Script Adaptation”: Writing Exercise. Practicing writing comic book scripts by adapting the first book of the SPECTR Series. 

Marvel Comics/Movies

“Hellions AU”: Jono/Doug AU. Jonothon is invited to join the Hellions by Emma Frost when he is 14. He and the Hellions get entangled with Doug Ramsey and the New Mutants, which leads to a radically different Jono, and a different Doug. (in outlining, some scenes written)

“Jono Frost AU”: Jono/Doug AU. Jonothon was adopted at a young age by the Frost Family, and followed Emma to the Hellfire Club. Along the way, Jono gets involved with Shinobi Shaw and other 90′s X-Men villains. (in planning)

“X-Force AU”: Jono AU. the NHS catches Jono’s mutation when he is 16 and sends him to Muir Island to be taken care of by Dr McTaggart. While there he becomes friends with Terry and Maddrox and follows Terry to X-Force. Various relationship entanglements ensue as well as morality questions regarding what X-Force does. (Idea is there)

“Excalibur AU”: Jono/Douglock AU. After exploding, Jono is sent to Muir Island, instead of getting an invite to join Generation X. While there, Douglock befriends him, and (along with Rahne) they begin a romantic relationship that goes rocky when Warlock comes back on the scene. (in planning)

“Savior”: personal/fan essay. tying “Savior” by Rise Against to the wreckage of Jono/Paige. (idea is there)

“Guthrie Family Dinners”: personal/fan essay. the implications of the New Mutants and Generation X staying together/breaking up and the number of times each team gets invited to Guthrie family dinners. Sam regularly takes the New Mutants to Guthrie Family dinners, and they mostly stay together. Paige only ever brings Jono over (once, and not to dinner), and Generation X is never really brought back together. (idea is there)

“Holistic Villains AU”: Jono/Doug AU. Jono is nabbed by Clan Akkaba right after his mutation explodes his body and he’s given the Apocalypse look. Taking on the codename Leviticus, he sets out to assemble his own horsemen and become a new Apocalypse for a new age. His Death is the newly revived Doug Ramsey. (in planning). 

“Really a Villain AU”: Jono/Doug AU. Jono was brainwashed by Clan Akkaba from a young age, and has been their agent. After M-Day, he turns himself over to Utopia. Doug becomes interested in him and in his apparent reformation. theme song: Sedated by Hozier. (in planning)

“In the Flesh AUs versions 1 and 2″: Jono/Doug AUS. setting Jono and Doug within the world of “In the Flesh” tv series. Version 1 has both Jono and Doug as PDS and wrangling their lives post treatment. Version 2 has Jono and Leeland (oc child character belonging to @stem-cell who lets me and @nobiliorpomis use) are PDS, and Leeland gets his living father together with his PDS friend. (in planning)

“that one Burnside AU”: Captain America AU. Set in the MCU somewhere. Steve gets kidnapped by William Burnside, a historian of WW2 and the super soldier project who looks uncannily alike to Steve. back and forth pov of Steve’s captivity by Burnside and the other Avengers trying to find and rescue Steve. (the idea has been there for a long while)

Fire Emblem

“Ride Across the River”: Palette Swap AU where Arvis and Sigurd switch roles and families and what happens with the fallout from that. (first few chapters on AO3, in progress)

Dragon Age

“The Salt in the Ashes”: Inquisition AU with Samson as the Inquisitor. somehow I get him and Dorian together. (in hiatus/in progress)

Mo Dao Zu Shi

“Untitled”: mash up with Exalted. Detailing the rise and fall of First Age Twilight caste Solar Wei Wuxian, Zenith Solar Lan Wanji, and the Death Lord “The Yiling Patriarch”. (idea there)

“Untitled”: a Mo Xanyu lives fic, where he and WWX share his body, and freely go back and forth between who’s in control of the body.

Castlevania (Netflix)

“Untitled”: Get Alucard out of the house a bit and rescueing Hector from Carmilla’s clutches. Romance ensues. (idea is there, plus a paragraph or two)