#you can make the difference between fictional murder and real life? about coffee shop romances and workplace harassment?

[originalaccountname]

alright i gotta ask, and of course youre free to not answer (of COURSE) but what led to all the reblogs regarding shipping? did something happen, are you okay?

I've had to unfollow someone whose art I liked because of them spouting "anti" rhetoric and making a low-key callout post for someone who isn't even on tumblr and now I'm doing my part in counterbalancing any potential damage

[sassyhazelowl]

Lists:

LGBT+ Fiction LGBT+ Anime Yuri Manga LGBT+ Film & Comics

Part 2 of LGBT+ Fiction because I’ve had some free time to finish a few more books. Under the cut for length, and for this batch, it is mostly bi or lesbian fiction. Enjoy.

Titles/Author: Tides/ Betsy Cornwall Genre: YA, [urban] fantasy, romance Relationship(s): f/f The Good: likable characters, solid plot, quick and easy read The Bad: villain was a bit wimpy Extra Notes: selkies! how can you go wrong with that? also grandma lesbians. Warning: eating disorder mention. Personal Rating: 8/10 Recommend: Yes

Titles/Author: Summer Prince/ Alaya Dawn Johnson Genre: YA, romance, dystopian Relationship(s): m/m/f, m/m The Good: lively and fast moving plot, interesting world building, good characters and motivations, character development, writing style is easy and pleasant to read The Bad: unnecessary sex scenes, tension falls flat, okay ending, world building holes Extra Notes: unlike coda I feel this one is enjoyable regardless of whether you like the genre or not but I’d be hesitant to recommend to readers under 16 due to inappropriateness. also, it is based on brazilian culture (I believe), which could be problematic, but I don’t know enough about it to know myself. A reviewer said it was “so tumblr” and I have to agree it has that vibe to it in some ways. Personal Rating: 8.5/10 Recommend: Maybe, see notes

Titles/Author: Serpentine/ Cindy Lo Genre: YA, romance, fantasy Relationship(s): f/f The Good: easy read, fast paced, solid plot, emphasis on sister-sister bond as the main relationship The Bad: not necessarily bad but the book felt mediocre for the genre in pretty much all aspects, not a huge fan of the male lead Extra Notes: the sequel sounds more exciting tbh Personal Rating: 7/10 Recommend: Yes

Titles/Author: Santa Olivia/ Jacqueline Carey Genre: adult fiction, dystopian, paranormal Relationship(s): f/f The Good: unique writing style, diverse support cast, likable protagonist, subversion of genre tropes, romance had conflict The Bad: beginning dragged and threw off the pacing, ending was good enough to be satisfactory but could’ve been better with a tenser climax Extra Notes: liked the book a lot but have no interest in reading the sequel Personal Rating: 8/10 Recommend: Yes

Titles/Author: Fingersmith/ Sarah Waters Genre: historical fiction, crime, psychological thriller Relationship(s): f/f The Good: fairly true to the setting and time period, characters are very realistic and a bit gritty, plot and narrative have a unique twist, ending was satisfactory The Bad: big drag in the beginning of part two where it basically is a re-telling of the end of part one, gruesome and graphic in places, hard to get into at the beginning even though the set-up is extremely important to the plot, language is a bit difficult until you get the hang of it Extra Notes: I watched the movie The Handmaiden first, so I had a good idea what was coming at me. Fortunately, it is not as gruesome and disturbing as the movie is, but unfortunately it is still full of potential triggers and uncomfortable topics. It is also an extremely long book (600 pages). Sex scenes, allusions of rape, mentions of torture, etc. I enjoyed it and rammed through it in two days but I just can’t imagine the general populace wants to read this book without an interest in the dark and macabre. Personal Rating: 8/10 Recommend: No

Titles/Author: Iron & Velvet/ Alexis Hall Genre: paranormal, detective Relationship(s): f/f, background m/m The Good: fits genre expectations, quick read, lots of action and excitement The Bad: it is a little over the top with some of the supernatural stuff, side characters aren’t that great Extra Notes: This book was gaudy as all get out but a ton of fun and lots of witty lines. I don’t really think it is the kind anyone will re-read but it is a fun book for entertainment value alone. Sex scenes, lots of casual mentions of sex and wanting to have sex. It reminded me of fanfiction circa 2010. Personal Rating: 7.5/10 Recommend: No, unless you like the genre or fanfiction circa 2010

Titles/Author: Star-Crossed/ Barbara Dee Genre: YA romance Relationship(s): f/f The Good: completely age appropriate, addresses real life topics frankly, super cute, likable characters The Bad: predictable (for an adult or well-read children would probably be fine for most kids), Shakespeare is overused and that seemed to make it more cliche than it actually was Extra Notes: This is one I was looking forward to and it didn’t disappoint. It’s really rare to find a young adult written for younger teens and this was written perfectly to suit the age group. It is super cute and very positive without washing things over with rainbows and sunshine. Real-life problems are addressed, acknowledge and dealt with, which I always appreciate in a story.  Personal Rating: 9/10 Recommend: Yes, if you’re 12-14 or a parent or a childrens’ librarian or just want a cute read

Titles/Author: River of Teeth/ Sarah Gailey Genre: alternative history; bio sci fi Relationship(s): hard to qualify but there is a gender fluid, gender binary and 2 bi characters along with bi x nb relationship vibes The Good: Interesting premise, fast paced, distinctive characters, lots of tension, subtle but not non-existent romance The Bad: It’s a novella, so it’s short. Some of the action at the end, while well-written, was still confusing to visualize mentally. A few editorial bloopers. The characters aren’t as fleshed out as I’d like but it is a novella, so yeah, expected. Extra Notes: I read this while waiting for my stupid computer to update. It is a novella not a novel, so it is short. But it is extremely well paced and the balance between action and dialogue is well done. There is death and there is knife play and people having unfortunately accidents with hippos. There is a sequel, which was also good, but for completely different reasons (much heavier on the romance). Personal Rating: 9/10 Recommend: Yes, unless you are afraid of hippos

Titles/Author: A Place to Rest/ Erin Dutton Genre: romance Relationship(s): f/f, background m/m The Good: A light, quick read with a realistic flavor that doesn’t get too heavy. Very cute premise and heavily character-centric with nice arcs. Obligatory hot cocoa scene. The Bad: The pacing dragged a bit, the side characters were pretty stock. There were some repetitive elements that came off clunky in execution. Nothing terrible just seemed like the author is a bit inexperienced in a few areas. Extra Notes: This, to me, read like a slow burn coffee shop AU fanfiction, so if you like that sort of thing, you’ll really enjoy this book. I, personally, enjoyed the fact that there was family-centric tension that wasn’t omg you’re gay! and instead focused on normal sibling problems. Also, I liked that the protag was in her 30s because a good chunk of recommended reads for queer books are YA and at some point its nice not to read about teenagers. Sex scenes. Personal Rating: 8/10 Recommend: Yes

Titles/Author: Letters Never Sent/ Sandra Moran Genre: romance, historical fiction Relationship(s): f/f The Good: Well constructed and interesting plot, realistic premise, suitable twists, lots of pertinent and salient issues, queer history in the US midwest The Bad: Not a lot. There are 2 main characters, a mother and daughter, so it does waffle between the past and present time, which isn’t balanced perfectly and could have stagnant spots. Extra Notes: Honestly, I’d like to find a lot more adult books like this one. It hit my radar as a Must Read, and I don’t always care of Must Reads, they tend to be hyped from a small pool of mediocre. This one was worth it but... on to the warnings: sex scenes, homophobia, internalized homophobia, rape, abortion and murder. Nothing was gritty, in fact, the story itself is serious but not overly important about it.  Personal Rating: 9.5/10 Recommend: Yes

[markiepoohismysunshine]

11 Questions Tag

Tagged by these 3 beautiful people @cecenybabe @redtuan @cuddletuan (this post is gonna be super long, sorry in advance!) 

Rules: 1. post the rules 2. answer the questions given to you by the tagger. 3. write 11 questions of your own 4. tag 11 people

•• @cecenybabe Q’s (thank you for tagging me, Cece! 😘)

1. What are you doing right now?  - hugging my hot compressor b’cause this flu got me feeling cold 

2. What do you think of me and my blog? If you think I suck I can handle you tellng me that - Your blog is amazing! Because not only you’re a GOT7 and Mark stan... you’re also Paramore, Halsey, Avril, and Evanescence stan!! And i am too! yay!

3.  Your favorite authors and books you like to read if you like books( TOP 5) - I haven’t gotten the chance to buy any book lately, so I'm mostly reading stories on Wattpad and AFF. But I like Oscar Wilde’s (The Picture of Dorian Gray), Edgar Allen Poe (The Raven), Melissa De La Cruz (Blue Blood Series), and Claudia Gray (Fateful)

4. What music do you like to listen to? Any music besides K-pop? - My music genre range from pop, pop-rock, alternative-rock, indie, r&b, electronic, dubstep, and classical music

5. Are you a night or morning person? - Both 😄

6. Where do you wish you were right now? - Right where I want to be... Home~ 😁

7. whats’s your favorite season and why? - Winter because I get to cuddle with my blankie and I’m a winter baby. And Spring, it’s the time where it’s not too cold and not too hot, just nice.

8. What shows or movies are you into? - Riverdale (patiently waiting for S2), How to get away with Murder (haven’t finish S3 yet), Gotham (barely finish S1 T_T)...And I finally watched Insurgent last night 😄😄

9. What helps you when you’re stressed? - Chocolate, music, writing, drawing and coloring the mandalas 😊

10. do you play any instruments or wished you did? - I used to play piano and guitar...I wish to re-study piano again and try maybe drum or violin.

11.  do you prefer online or in store shopping? - In store shopping 

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•• @redtuan Q’s (thank you for tagging me, Nicole! 😘)

1. Which fictional character do you think would be the most boring to meet in real life and why? - Probably all the bitchy and villains characters because I might either strangle or just murder them hahaha

2. What would be on the gag reel of your life? - Me yawning 24/7, searching for smth to munch 24/7, laughing like a maniac and trying to win my cats love 😆😂

3. What is one thing your ultimate bias does that irritates you? - Hm...like... WHY IS HE SO GOD DAMN CUTE?! HE ALSO PROBABLY KNOWS WHAT RED HAIR DOES TO HIS FANS ADN SECRETLY LIKES KILLING US ALL! ASDFGHJKL!!

4. Do you have any irrational fears? - Clowns, crowded area, drowning, and spiders

5. You have the chance to spend a week with your ultimate bias - do you have them show you around their hometown, do you show them around your hometown, or go somewhere neither of you has been before? - Maybe go somewhere where neither of us has been before.

6. Do you have any guilty pleasures? - The classic movies

7. If you could direct a MV for any of your ultimate bias group’s songs, which song would you choose and describe the MV. - this is tough... it’s a choice between GOT7 Paradise or Mayday.. But i guess, I’m gonna go with Paradise...Since GOT7 has been making serious MV from If You Do Era up to now, I supposed Paradise could be like those Summer holiday spending at the beach feels mashing it with a refreshing new found relationship type of MV.

8. What is your dream job? - Owning my own cafe 😊

9. What is one word or phrase that you say too much? - Heh... meh... nyeh... 😆

10. Realistically, if you had the chance to go on a date with your ultimate bias, would you? - Yass!! I mean, I’ve been given the chance to go and it’s once in a lifetime opportunity!!

11. Out of all the members of your favorite group, do you think the member you’re the most compatible with is your bias? - Hm...tbh i don’t know... Mark gets shy and overwhelmed when someone he doesn’t know approach him (me too!) He is quiet but becomes really childish around his friends (i am too!!) So, i think we are(?) 

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•• @cuddletuan Q’s (thank you for tagging me, Jeng! 😘)

1.) If you’re a book/fic, what would be your genre and alternate universe? - Fantasy with a little bit of romance. All kinds of supernatural mythological creature living in one world type of A.U

2.) Best nuggets in the world? - Mcdonald’s chicken nuggets !!!HANDS DOWN!!!

3.) Do you have your own emergency stack of ramen? - nope

4.) What do you want to eat right now? - Tteokbokki (Spicy rice cake)!!! and Lamb Chop!! 🤤🤤

5.) Oldest Korean song (from a Korean idol/group) you know by heart. - It’s You and Sorry Sorry by Super Junior (can I just say that Donghae still looking hot af after all these years) 🤤😍

6.) Do you have any pets? - yes! 5 disrespectful lazy cats~ 😺😺😺😺😺

7.) What song are you listening right now? - Excuse Me by Jazmine Sullivan 💕

8.) What do you think of Tumblr? - Hm...if you follow the right ppl, Tumblr is fun. But if you hang out with the wrong crowd, it can be a little disturbing... Be careful of who you follow because some of their posts are either mind triggering or just simply nsfw. And i have a hard time following ppl back now T_T

9.) Is there anything you want wish when you meet the dragon Shenron of Dragon Ball? - Idk... I don’t want this to be like the movie ‘Wish Upon’ 😅😅

10.) Favorite Korean variety/reality show? - ever since I became a kpop fan, i have none 😋😄

11.) Say something about your ult bias. - ermm... I’m not good with this... But, what drawn me to him, aside from his obvious good looking appearance and the fact that he made himself known as the quiet one in the group (I am most attracted to that one quiet member..idk what’s wrong with me :D) To someone who’s not an Ahgase, he may give off the mysterious vibe, but to us fans, especially those who stan him... He’s actually just a cute shy cinnamon bun! And he’s just like every introverted people in the world! Quiet - and again - shy, prefers to stay around friends whom he’s known over the years, a family type of guy who happens to adore his two nieces. How cute is that?? asdfghjkl!! And have you seen him land all those magazine shoot gigs?! He looks gorgeous like the model he should be!! Well, this is all I can say, and I think I said enough... I think... 😋😄 _______________________________________________________

My Questions:

1. What is your favorite quote from any songs of your fav group(girl or boy)?

2. If your life is a book or movie or drama, what would you name it (title)? 

3. Would you write a song, choreograph, or become a manager of your fav group?

4. Coffee, Chocolate, Tea, or Water?

5. If you were to be in the situation like Madea’s Witness Protection movie and have to live with her, how long would you last? 

6. Which emoji do you usually use?

7. Where would you go if you were given a plane ticket and your flight is leaving in 2 hours?

8. *cont from Q #7 ... And who would you go with? One of your parents or siblings, best friend, or your ultimate bias?

9. Heights, Deep water, Insects, or Reptiles?

10. If you could pick a director, actors, and actresses to direct and play your life. Who would they be and why?

11. Branded makeup or Drugstore makeup?

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Tagging in: @2jaekisses @superfanboy19 @youngjaesloudlaugh @jj-nyoung @imjaebeomtrash @jeonandtuan @imxjaebeom @different-or-weird @pup-yongguk @wanderingingot7wonderland @krisyoels @aragyeom @officialwangtrash

[tanmath3-blog]

Some authors are afraid to cross the line.

International Best-selling author Andrew Mackay makes it his starting point.

Multi-genre author Mackay is the author of the best-selling Brit satire series In Their Shoes. He is also responsible for keeping people up at night and questioning their sanity with his extreme horror series Pure Dark, and also writes crime (Versus, Let’s Kill Mr Pond) and romance (Simple Machines.)

Self-proclaimed “Antisocial Justice Warrior” Mackay is the founder of Chrome Valley Books – “The Home of Dangerous Fiction”. His works often contain a ruthless and shocking commentary on society, delving into the darker machinations of modern life, but always with a sense of humanity and wit.

His influences include John Cleese, Tom Sharpe, Kurt Vonnegut, James Patterson, Hunter S Thompson, Douglas Adams, Imogen Edwards-Jones, Michael Frayn, Chris Morris, Jerry Sadowitz, Christopher Hitchins, Bill Maher, George Carlin, Milo Yiannopoulos and Larry Cohen.

His obsessions include (and are essentially limited to) unhealthy amounts of: smoking, drugs, alcohol, caffeine, sex, arguing, fighting, vandalism, daydreaming and writing about himself in the third person.

I’ll stop writing about myself in the third person, now, because it’s annoying and pretentious.

Please help me welcome Andrew MacKay to Roadie Notes���……

1. How old were you when you first wrote your first story?

I think I was eleven years old, as that was my first year in high school. Our English teacher gave us some homework. A half-finished story he’d written about a prince fighting a dragon. We had to finish it. I had never really contemplated writing seriously at the time, but I was a movie freak. I thought it could be my first proper attempt at writing something. I ended up filling out the exercise book (as they were back in the early nineties) and included a twist, a sex scene between the hero and a character I introduced, and filled it with gore and action. I loved writing it, exercising my overactive imagination, and it ignited a passion that my readers are continually hassled by to this very day lol

2. How many books have you written?

I’m about to finish my twelfth. It’ll be out just before Christmas. My first book was released October of 2016.

3. Anything you won’t write about?

God, no. I’ve tackled most subjects others daren’t touch. From pedophilia to class warfare and back again. I’ll have tackled every genre I can think of before very long.

4. Tell me about you. Age (if you don’t mind answering), married, kids, do you have another job etc…

I turned 39 two months ago. I’m married but don’t have children. I hate kids with a passion. Little, scary pre-adults with absolutely no filters. God, they’re annoying. They make fascinating subjects, though. I was a teacher for fifteen years till summer of 2016 and gradually grew to hate the job as much as the kids. There was no way I could continue. During the last year of that job, I spent most of my free time unhappy and wanting to kill myself. I knew I wanted to write, so, it was either kill myself or make a decent attempt at being a writer full-time.

I’m also a traveler, been all over the world. My wife is from South Korea, where I spent quite a bit of my time, now. I’m also a psychopath, which probably won’t come as much of a surprise to my readers or those who know me. It’s way more common than you think, actually. I believe upwards of 90% of everyone on the planet are psychopathic, or at the very least mildly sociopathic. Certainly everyone is out for themselves. A half lifetime of dealing with thousands of people in the teaching profession and filmmaking world teaches you this is true, and fair enough. Then again, this is something a fucking psychopath would say, isn’t it? It certainly makes sex all the more interesting in ways I can’t be bothered going into right now…

5. What’s your favorite book you have written?

The one I’m writing now, Simple Machines, even though it’s not quite finished. It’s a romantic thriller featuring some very interesting characters and dilemmas. My second favourite is probably In Their Shoes: The Dealer (Book VI) which is a mile-a-minute rollercoaster of action, suspense and deranged violence, and very satirical. It’s an epic and wild ride, and I amuse myself thinking about it from time to time.

6. Who or what inspired you to write?

My desire to murder people and cause serious harm to others for real is quelled by my writing. I get to kill fictional characters, rather than real people. I think my writing is my own prison time, really. I love it and can’t live without it. Deep down inside, much like you, probably, I fucking hate the world we live in. It’s full of injustice. Pointless wars. Corrupt governments. Insanely rich people getting even richer. The poor are left to fucking die. I spend a lot of my time laughing at the news, reconciling the fact that the world is indeed a fucked up place. I consider it my civic duty to write about the disastrous state of affairs in my books, almost to the point of trivialization. Because, after all, what’s the fucking point in anything, ever. Right?

7. What do you like to do for fun?

I’ve perfected the art of staring at women’s butts when I’m out shopping and making it look like I’m not doing it. I like plugging my earphones into my head and blasting music into my cranium at full volume whilst smoking myself to an early grave, dreaming up mad-ass scenarios for my books. Music is a big part of my life, because it adds a soundtrack to my fucked up thoughts. Often, they’ll translate as sequences in my books. Life is just one long, huge movie trailer in the world of Andrew Mackay. Sometimes it’s a scene where I dissolve a child molester in a bath of acid. Other times, it’s me in a threesome with another guy where we’re spit-roasting the shit out of an unsuspecting woman. Sometimes, it’s compassion. Slow-moving and heartfelt. Now that I think about it, a lot of my life is dictated by my penis. I���m glad I took part in this interview, it’s been therapeutic so far…

8. Any traditions you do when you finish a book?

On the last letter of the last word of the last sentence, I usually punch the key and spin around in my chair, like it’s the final blow to my opponent, and I’ve knocked the fucker out once and for all. Let’s say the last word in the sentence is “fuck” – the “K” will get a pounding ten times harder than the last girl I slept with.

9. Where do you write? Quiet or music? I write at home at my desk, which is also my media centre and where I masturbate. Sometimes I fall asleep on my desk. But my life is basically in the corner of a room on the seventh floor of an apartment block somewhere in Hampshire. It’s my life, really, and definitely as sad as it sounds. It’s not especially healthy, either. I smoke quite a lot, you see. And I drink occasionally. Lots of coffee, too.

I write to music – as I type. It’s often a four-hour YouTube video/mix of some description. There are some great horror ambience tracks for when I write horror. For Simple Machines, I’ve found a chill-out mix thing which features a remix “You’re Not Alone” by Olive, which has sort of become the book’s signature track, quite unintentionally. But it’s a perfect fit for the tone of the book, and would definitely by in the film adaptation.

10. Anything you would change about your writing?

No. Or, rather, yes – everything. Depends on what you mean by the question. Would I change the way I write? Hell, no. It’s what makes me, me. Do I want to evolve and get better? Yes, with every single book, please. I demand honest, no-BS feedback.

11. What is your dream? Famous writer?

I admire a lot of different authors, but I shan’t name any because none of them are as good as I am. That’s not me being arrogant, actually, quite the contrary. I write stories I want to read. I’ve not come across any other author who has written exactly what I want to read, except me. I many ways, I write my books for my own edification. If I want to read it, and like it, the chances are some other people will, too. Like Shakespeare said, “To Thyne Own Self be True”. Never, ever, write a book with the intention of pleasing anyone other than yourself, first and foremost.

12. Where do you live?

Mainly in my black-hole, perma-nightmare brain. Answer you want; Hampshire, UK.

13. Pets?

No. I love, love, love cats, though. My wife hates them. I used to have a cat years ago, but he died. I was heartbroken. I’d have another cat in a heartbeat. Maybe six of them. They’re gorgeous little bastards, aren’t they?

14. What’s your favorite thing about writing?

The bits in between I have planned. I’ll know what “A” is, and I need to get to “B”, but am relying on my ‘pantsing’ to get me there. It’s where the real genius comes into play, if you trust yourself enough. It’s happened twice this week already with Simple Machines. It’s great.

15. What is coming next for you?

Simple Machines is next. Jan, Feb, March will be a zombie horror trilogy which I think will put me on the map, properly.

16. Where do you get your ideas?

Mrs Doris McWhirter, a charming old woman who lives in a remote Scottish village. She sends me her ideas by post on the first Monday of every month, because she doesn’t know how to use emails. November’s ideas included Convenience and Simple Machines, which I thought were wonderful. December’s included the horror trilogy. I once asked her where she gets her ideas from, and she didn’t have a fucking clue.

You can connect with Andrew MacKay here:

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Andrew-Mackay/e/B01MDKTJ2Y

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1289569681153945/

Some of Andrew MacKay’s books:

Getting personal with Andrew MacKay Some authors are afraid to cross the line. International Best-selling author Andrew Mackay makes it his starting point.