#I’ve read some really compelling books with 6+ POVs
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Fic writers' end-of-year roundup: 2022 edition!
It’s that time of year, writer friends — time to take stock of what we’ve been up to this year! Tagging to literally ANY AND ALL WRITERS who would like to participate, but I’ll throw down some tags from the top of my head: @contrivedchaos @kittynomsdeplume @little-lightning-lavellan, @varric-tethras-editor @lavendreapark @hobo-apostate @ranaspkillnarieth @iamcayc @ocean-in-my-rebel-soul @hollyand-writes @elveny @johaerys-writes @charlatron @noire-pandora @hellas-himself @crackinglamb @barbex @mogwaei @alyssalenko @musetta3 @iarollane @about2dance @mythicaitt @cthu-boo !
Words written (published or not, WIPs included!): 1 012 607. I was hoping to crack a million this year and I FINALLY DID IT. 😂
Smut scenes: 41! Less than other years, but not the least.
New things I tried:
I wrote fanfic for anime for the first time this year — for Samurai Champloo (Fuu/Jin/Mugen) and for Cyberpunk: Edgerunners (David/Lucy). On a related note, this year was the first time I wrote for a form of media that I didn’t originally watch in English. I was always a little scared to write in English for something that I hadn’t watched in English, because capturing characters’ voices and speech patterns is so important to me, and it’s hard to translate that across languages. But CPER got me by the throat, so I watched it in both Japanese and English so I could capture the characters’ voices as best as I could. I watched Samurai Champloo dubbed in English, though, and I am a sucker for Jin’s English voice, so that was a snap to write. 😂
For the first time, I also wrote for a game that I’ve never played before: Far Cry 5! @schoute got me reeled in with her raving loving descriptions of cheeky shithead John Seed, and I was compelled to write some smut for her. I had a blast watching a playthrough of FC5 with her (LOVE YOU BB ❤), and writing from John Seed’s POV was A MINDFUCK AND A HALF, let’s just say. GOOD TIMES. 😂
Fic I spent the most time on:
Becoming Whole (Aloy/Kotallo), which has been my main focus since March and is more than 500k words now. I genuinely did not expect or intend for this fic to be this long! I’ll blame the party banter for this. My outline will say “GAIA Gang chat over dinner”, and this single note will translate into 10k words in the chapter 😂💀 In any case, VERY honoured by everyone who has stuck with this extremely long fic!
Fic I spent the least time on:
The Wisdom In A Bowl Of Pudding (Felassan/Tamaris Lavellan). I was inspired by the news about the DA:D milestone and got so excited that this oneshot came together in… one day, I think? One or two. I JUST LOVE FELASSAN OKAY.
Favourite thing I wrote:
It’s a tie between two fics. I loved writing Finding Something In Common (Aloy/Nil/Drakka) because a) writing Nil again after 5 years of being “away” was like coming home 😭❤ and b) I fucking love Drakka with a burning passion LOL. But I also loved writing my Samurai Champloo fic Just Hold On, We’re Coming Home because it was purely and entirely for me. There are so few fics for that anime and even fewer explicit fics for the OT3, so I knew that basically nobody was going to read it and that anyone who did would be really grateful to see a rare fic for the OT3, but I had to write it because I just had the urge and couldn’t rest until I did. It was a gift to myself to kick off the year. 😂
Favourite thing I read:
I’ve actually done some actual reading this year!!! Both of fics and published books, because I wanted to start working my way through my bedside tsundoku, with mixed results: I read a couple of books from my tsundoku pile but then bought the entire Sailor Moon manga set and have only read 6 issues so far 😂😭💀 one step forward, 10 STEPS BACK.
Anyway! Fave fics of the year:
I read a few fics for Samurai Champloo. As I mentioned before, there aren’t many fics for this fandom, but one of the fics I read was both the shortest and the most drop-dead gorgeous fic I’ve ever read: Bodies of Water by moemachina. I genuinely envy this writer for their ability to pack so much emotional punch into so many words.
Where The Time Goes, a Chloe Fraser/Nadine Ross fic by @contrivedchaos. OH MY GOD WAS IT EVER LOVELY. Cat used a repeated phrase/theme throughout the fic that just had me on the edge of my seat the whole time, and MY GOD was the ending ever wonderful and satisfying. 😭❤
Written In The Stars, a Kotallo/OC fic by @iamcayc WHICH IS SUCH A TREAT. Caycee has created a wonderful OC to pair up with Kotallo and expanded on Tenakth lore in a way that had me squealing!
HZD Terraforming Base-001 Text Communications Network by Discar. It’s a texting fic between the GAIA Gang and it’s SO GOOD. Hilarious, great characterization of the crew, incredible expansion on the worldstate and lore. I stopped reading halfway through because I was afraid that I’d start accidentally stealing their headcanons/lore expansion since it just makes so much sense, but I just recently noticed that the fic finished, so I might get back into it soon!
Writing goals for next year:
Oh man there are so many things I want to write and so little time and I’M SO MAD ABOUT IT.
Finish Becoming Whole. Now that we know the DLC is coming out in April, I am DETERMINED to finish BW before then so my slate can be clear for new fics ideas 🤩
An Aloy/Avad sequel to Window Bird. The conversation that Aloy and Avad have at the start of HFW makes MY ENTIRE HEART HURT. I will stubbornly maintain that Avad is the most tragic character alive in the Horizon universe, and I’m going to give him some love because he deserves it, the poor sweet man.
More Aloy/Drakka. This entire fic has been my treat to myself, and the next oneshot is in progress -- probably the first thing I'll publish in 2023!
Aloy/Nil. I fucking love Nil to the moon and back, but writing this ship again is going to take some mindfuckery because I’ll be rebooting my take on the ship as though Stormbirds and Stalkers didn’t happen 😅
I’m sure this won’t be all; I always end up getting blindsided by a desire to write something I didn’t expect (e.g. Cyberpunk this year), so we’ll see what else comes up as the year progresses!
Can't wait to see what everyone else has been up to!!! Please tag anyone you think would like to participate, and tag me back so I can spy on what you've been up to as well! 🥰
-- love from your friendly Pikapeppa xoxo
#fanfic writer's life#pikapeppa writes#2022 roundup#horizon forbidden west#hfw#the witcher#the witcher 3#samurai champloo#cyberpunk edgerunners#cyberpunk: edgerunners
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December 2022 Reading Review
last monthly reading reflection of the year!!! woooo. see y'all in 2023 :)
books read this month
1. The Eyre Affair, Jasper Fforde
delightful sci-fi mystery by an author who loves literature and loves worldbuilding! made me remember why i love reading. the characterization’s a bit thin and the plot is just okay, but the uniqueness of the setting is marvelous
2. If I Had Your Face, Frances Cha
it was alright—interesting examination of beauty standards and misogyny in korean society, but trying to split it into four POVs / only vaguely intersecting storylines in <300 pages was a little too ambitious and i didn’t really get to know any particular character that well.
3. Ninefox Gambit, Yoon Ha Lee
worldbuilding is dense as hell and none of it is really explained, with little exposition. nonetheless, the two lead characters are delightful, their interactions are compelling, and if you’re willing to put up with not knowing what’s going on and enjoy military SFF with lots of queerness, this one might be for you! really liked this
4. Floating, Brilliant, Gone, Franny Choi
early franny choi not as compelling as later franny choi. it was just okay. couldn’t really remember any lines
5. Dear Senthuran: A Black Spirit Memoir, Akwaeke Emezi
an epistolary memoir! what a charming idea. talks a lot about queerness and emezi’s relationship with writing and divinity and love. the prose is lovely, without ever getting too bogged down in excesses
6. Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell, Susanna Clarke
i swear i rounded up my 4.5 stars just because it was such an accomplishment to finish (reading AND writing) this book. alternate history and the ugliness of war and horrible characters abound and aggressive britishness and faery lore as told in lavish footnotes and cozy fantasy, all in one (very long) book. what a marvel, what an innovation. (and now that i’ve read both this and the secret history, i HAVE to read babel since it’s a response to both)
7. Raven Stratagem, Yoon Ha Lee
the sequel to ninefox gambit! if you can get me to read the sequel to a book within only a few weeks of reading the first, that’s an accomplishment in itself, since i usually like to cool down a bit before leaping to sequels. even better than the first, since i had a slightly better handle on the worldbuilding and there’s a lot more focus on developing the cast as a whole—i got really attached to some of the non-lead characters in this one. DELIGHTFUL plot twist, comparable to harrow the ninth’s pov plot twist
8. Bestiary, K-Ming Chang
prose is beautiful and excessive and indulgent (complimentary) but it was hard for me to follow what was going on. i think i don’t have the background needed in oral storytelling tradition, mythology / folklore, etc to really understand its nuances—it felt more like a series of disconnected events than a narrative. nevertheless, it’s very queer and diasporic and poetic (in a good way), and i support writers being experimental and ambitious
9. Waste Tide, Chen Qiufan, trans. Ken Liu (favorite of the month)
oh!!! this is set in guangdong (where i went to high school) and the locality was rendered beautifully, even set in a more futuristic cyberpunk version. it made me miss home even as it illustrated home as the ugly place it is. also just very neat & interesting as an SF thriller about environmentalism and capitalism
10. The Sundial, Shirley Jackson
weird horrible people being weird and horrible to each other. not my preferred sort of atmosphere (i like more outright horror and this was more like a domestic dark comedy), but atmospheric nonetheless. enjoyed the ending and this has absolutely top-tier hilarious dialogue. as usual, jackson raises a lot of interesting questions she never answers, which i admire but don’t feel the need to ponder too much—i enjoy simply that she’s raised them, and the mystery of it all
(+ bonus: reread Gideon the Ninth this month in two sittings and wept my fucking eyes out)
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The First Post To The First Slash /Shipping Mailing List
The Date: October 19, 1992 ("it was almost 29 years ago")
The Poster: sherrold*
Context: the first pan fandom slash (shipping) mailing list, Virgule-L, was in its infancy. Safe spaces for women to talk about slash online were rare. And most fan fiction was distributed in print fanzines (which is why fanzine reviews like the one Sandy wrote were so important as a single fanzine cost $15-20 or around $30-40 in today's dollars.) Fan run conventions were the only way to meet other groups of fans and mailed letters and phone calls were the tenuous tethers that strung these fan groups together. The mailing list - and the Internet - was about to change...everything.
****************
Well, welcome to my adventure in mailing! I hope to have this set up soon as a 'real' mailing list, with it's own address. Until then, I only know one way for one of you to write to everyone at once. Just reply to a letter from the list, and answer yes, when it asks, 'reply to all'.
So far there are 7 of us. I'll let everyone introduce themselves.
I am Sandy Hereld,* I write as Alyx (often with a friend who used Alys) the pen name is *not* a secret. I started in "/" fandom in trek, moved to Pros, and now am very crazed about B7. I still love Pros, and like a lot of different fandoms, including Wiseguy, Starsky and Hutch, and Muncle.
I helped run a slash con here in town last week, Virgule, and hope to make Escapade** this year (in February, in Santa Barbara--one of the list subscribers co- runs it--memberships still available), but not Revelcon.*** Maybe, if I get a new job, Media West. I've never been there, and I've always wanted to go.
I just finished a great Multi-mediazine called Homosapiens Too. It has an interesting variety of fandoms and crossovers; even more important, there wasn't a single story that stunk (though I liked some better than others, of course.)
Page count is
Pros/Booker 18 pgs (Bodie/Booker)
Eroica/Muncle 5 pgs (Eroica/Illya)
Batman 4 (Batman/street punk)
Nightflyers 6+ (cartoon, from the movie)
TNG 5pgs (Beverly/symbiote)
B7/TOS trek 5 pgs (Blake/Spock)
Dangerous Liaisons 7 pgs (Valmont/Danceny)
Damiano 2 pgs (from the R.A. McAvoy books)
MUNCLE 2 pgs the usual
Star Wars 4 (cartoon, original characters)
Pros 4 pgs the usual
B7 50 pgs (Blake/Avon)
Perhaps I should mention at the there was a contest for most outrageous crossover pairing.
My favorites were:
The Right Place To Be (Bodie/Booker) by Arcane Annie & Stew--Bodie quits in a huff after an Operation Suzie, and is too embarrassed to go back; Booker has quit somewhat similarly. Seeing how stupid the other's foolish pride looks, they both learn things about playing roles and 'what really matters.' They also have pretty good sex.
Do Blond's Really Have More Fun? (Eroica/Illya) by Barbara T. This definitely is set at a time when Solo and Kurykin are having some problems. The crossover is a fascinating one, and it works. (Anyone needing Erioca explained, just e-mail me. It is a pretty new/small fandom, but growing fast.)
Brand New Day (Spock/Blake) by Jane Carnell follows immediately after Blake's pod makes planetfall after Star One. A great Blake, and if not a totally convincing Spock, it's close. Worth it for this scene alone.
--Blake "What do you like?"
"Anal penetration,"
"Which way round?" Blake inquired.
"I am a telepath. It hardly matters. Whichever way pleases you."
Valmont (Valmont/Danceny) by Stew -is a romantic, but very plausible retelling of the movie Dangerous Liaisons, all from Danceny's POV. For any that have read the book, you know it is told solely in letters and diary entries, so this collection of Danceny's diaries is very faithful to the original feel. It is also an amazingly concise retelling, squeezing 2 hours into 6 1/2 pgs.
Submissive It Ain't (Pros) is basically just a sex story, but one firmly based in the very different personalities of Bodie and Doyle. Nice idea, beautiful sex, slightly weak ending.
Puppeteer (Blake/Avon) by Bryn Lantry is a convoluted but beautiful story where: the action is in the emotions, everyone has multiple motives, and no one truly knows their own minds, much less understands their crewmates. A bit alternate, set sometime in the months before Star One but after Blake has already got the idea in mind, this is a wonderful character study of Blake and Avon, with Vila and Cally in strong supporting roles. Not my favorite type of story -- I think I prefer something a bit more straightforward, but undeniably compelling and well written.
The other stories weren't dogs either...
The Muncle story, Hanging In Time, by Y.J. is a very disturbing portrayal of the hurt-comfort syndrome in Illya,
The Batman story will appeal to anyone who liked "The Dark Knight Returns"
With All My Symbiotes -Susan Douglas- has some nice female slash.
Why Couldn't It Be Me has gotten a certain amount of press as "Biblical slash." It does have two biblical characters in it, but it is just a vigniette, and has no overt slash content.
A few caveats: I disliked the art in the first story, and was indifferent to the rest. I had a hard time reading the 2 cartoon sections; I thought the penning needed to be clearer, and the xerox needed to be darker for those sections.
With those few quibbles in mind, I recommend the zine highly. It has an interesting collection of stories set in an amazing variety of universes. The editor is joining a growing number of publishers and putting the word count down -- 80,700, with 40,700 of it in Bryn's B7 story.
It is available from Manacles Press here in the U.S. at [address removed]. There is no U.S. price on the zine; it says to SASE Manacles Press, and I can't remember whether I paid $15 or $18 at the con.
From Australia, it is available from the publisher...[address removed] $12 within Aust, $20 posted overseas airmail. (I assume that's $Aus)”
*Sandy passed away in July 2011 of cancer. One of our final joint projects was going through our emails dating back 20+ years to find fandom history we could share
**Escapade is the longest running slash convention and is still held in Southern California (as of 2021)
*Revelcon is a slash friendly multi-fandom convention held in Texas. As of 2021 it is still running
#fandom history#fandom love#escapadecon#fanzines#Blake's 7#Star Trek#Star Wars#Eroica#man from uncle#the professionals#book fanfic#feedback#snady
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Hi...how are you? If you don't mind me asking what are your top 5 favorite danmei novels (until now)? And why? Sorry if you've answered this question before.....
Hi, sorry for being slow at answering!
In no particular order:
Ok, so I liked the 3 from MXTX:
- Grandmaster of Diabolic Cultivation/ Mo Dao Zu Shi
This one I loved but it has a particular style that ppl might not like in that it feels jumpy, confusing and with information gaps while reading, even though eventually everything that matters does end up being explained...in other works this would probably be just lazy writing, but here it is clearly an intentional choice bc 1) she doesn’t do this in her other novels 2) this is in WWX’s pov and dude has heavy ptsd and adhd, plus he tends to pretend to take everything lightly as a coping mechanisms...all this put together and it’s easy to understand why the story has such an unreliable narrator that even the other characters constantly point it out. I ended up loving this extra layer of storytelling.
- Heaven Official’s Blessings/ Tian Guan Ci Fu
If you’re in the mood for a saga type long ass novel with a ton of interesting side stories and side characters with a main character who is a true cinnamon bun in sweet romance with a side dish of sweet sweet aaaangst.
- Scum Villains Self Saving System
The most entertaining out of all of them. It manages to be a parody of two genres, both danmeis and wuia/jianghu harem het novels (fighter of destiny style) with OP leads, while also being its own cute and funny story with a heart to it.
From other authors:
- Meatbun’s 2ha/ Dumb Husky and his White Cat Shizun
What if someone took a look at the parody that is SVSSS and said...”no, you know what? This really deserves to be an epic, long ass, and I mean, topping old classics’ length novel packed with angst, filled with pain and topped with despair...and then we’re sprinkling some funfetti on top to fool y’all”...and you know what? that’s some good cake. (If you’re into cdramas SVSSS is to 2ha what The Romance of Tiger and Rose is to Goodbye My Princess).
- Priest’s Sha Po Lang:
Steampunk China plus creepy voodoo tribal ritual magic, involved in internal and external wars over petrol (with a different name) and with our leads in Iron Man suits, fighting, among other enemies hot young(er) hands on, on the field, western troop General, the Pope, that I can only visualize in my head as Jude Law. I tell you all of this nonsense just to say that instead of the ridiculous fun this should be, it ends up being a very compelling romance with lots of scheming and heavy plot and some heartbreaking scenes.
- The Golden Stage:
This is a court drama type novel with friends-to-rivals-to-lovers that is just the right length and compelling with not too many plot twists but two main characters who are really great both individually and together and this is the one out of all in the list I feel like re reading the most. It really is a solid read and I feel like I’m selling it short, bc it really is good. It is similar to Sha Po Lang and To Rule in a Turbulent World, a simpler version of those but not worse for it.
(Since you said top 5 and I’ve said 6, I regretfully cut down Heaven Official’s Blessing bc even though I love it, unlike MDZS or SVSSS, it didn’t feel like a standalone novel because some of the several storylines of the side characters that I loved were left open ended (although the main characters had a complete story arc), as if this book was supposed to be the first of a series and those characters would have their own spinoff books where I’d know where their story took them...except this really is a standalone, and so the lack of resolution bothers me).
>> Honorable Mentions:
- To Rule in a Turbulent World
This one doesn’t go in the top 5 list yet bc it’s not fully translated, last time I checked (tho it’s very near the end). As an ongoing novel, I adore it. If the ending isn’t terrible it might be in my top 3. It’s similar to the two above in plotlines but it has a quality to it that it takes care to make every character in it multidimensional. There are no good and bad characters, even the ones on the opposite side are given something that makes them relatable and human. Plus, the characters all change throughout the novel, most of all the protagonists and the novel gives itself breathing time between events where you just chill with the characters and learn about random things like agricultural practices.
- The Wife Is First
This one is just that light fluff feel good one that is great to pick up from time to time since it’s on going. Dumb Jock husband did everything wrong in his first life, gets a re-do and from then on it’s adorable respect the spouse juice and awe of said spouse smarts. Cute. Also, there’s a baby pet tiger.
>> Others I did like, just not in the top 5:
-Faraway Wanderers and Lord Seventh/Qi Ye by Priest:
Qi Ye is similar to To Rule in A Turbulent World/The Golden Stage/Sha Po Lang. I really liked it still, just a tiny bit less than these. Since it’s the same author as SPL and I think it was written earlier, I have to say, the writing only got better.
Faraway Wanderers is a short read, but you’re only gonna like it if you’re ok with amoral main characters (I guess that is true for many on this list but it’s more obvious in this one bc the novel and the characters are unapologetic about it).
- YuWu by Meatbun - Still reading it, but is isn’t grabbing me like 2ha did.
>> I assumed you only wanted danmeis as in period fantasy bl novels, but if we go modern, fantasy or not:
- Silent Readings by Priest:
I love crime fiction novels (love Ding Mo’s novels) and this is that type of conspiracy, murder novel with smart criminals and smart investigators. Little romance, but still there.
- Guardian by Priest:
Priest is hilarious and except the last part that gets a bit heavy on the lore this is just a joy to read. Also pretty short.
- Advance Bravely:
I read it a long time ago and it’s okayish, with some cute and some weird, problematic characters.
- Addicted/ Heroin:
Also read it (this is 2 books) ages ago...and this one is NOT cute. It starts out as a pretty normal, but kind of toxic very typical oldschool drama/manga romance right down to the step brothers’ trope....and then it keeps escalating to new levels of WTF am I reading?!! All I have to say for this one is, that while I cannot recommend it per se, nor say it’s good, the title really is fitting, bc it is addictive as f.
#ask#asks#thank you for the ask#addicted heroin cdrama#advance bravely#guardian#silent readings#yuwu#faraway wanderers#qi ye#tian ya ke#tian guan ci fu#heaven official's blessing#to rule in a turbulent world#the wife is first#the golden stage#sha po lang#scumbag villain self saving system#2ha#mo dao zu shi#svsss#priest#cnovels#cdramas#the untamed#bl novel#word of honor
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WIP Wednesday
Title: Extraordinary
Pairings: HotchReid (more to come)
Summary: League of Extraordinary Gentleman/Vampire AU;
Within the FBI there is a specialized team full of an elite selection of people. Unique individuals with very particular skill sets. And their job is to take the unusual cases: the ones that need to not only be solved, but are undetermined if the unsub is human, or something else entirely.
In a world filled with Vampires, non-human creatures, and subspecies unknown, there is only enough information to have them vaguely regulated. Rules that are so easily, and violently broken, all while hidden in plain sight among the unsuspecting public. Unrivaled for eons.
That’s where the BAU comes in.
Official Posting Date: October 2021
Links: (Masterpost) (Snippet 01) (Snippet 02) (Snippet 03) (Snippet 04)
(TW/CW: dead body/crime scene, blood and bite wounds talked about in detail, hypnosis/compelling someone to do something against their will, overall discussion of murder (basically what we see in every episode of the show))
(the story so far/what you need to know for this clip at least: Absolutely nothing you don’t already know, this is legit from the first chapter. Hotch is a Vampire (although the LEOs don’t really know that), Rossi is a priest, Morgan is so empathetically telepathic he can touch the auras in the air, and Reid is Reid. I know I’ve been giving you the juicy HotchReid stuff but here have some case stuff too, to see what you’re in for with the plot and everything. This is FIRST DRAFT so it’s terribly unpolished, first part is generalized POV (hence the more professional titles) and the second is within the team dynamics so they get more familiar. idk my first drafts are messy and indecisive, enjoy anyway. 💕)
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They approach the body and Rainer shoos away his pestering, hovering officers and --- winces once again at the sight of the bloodied woman. “This is the third body in two days; a jogger found her about 6 am. Coroner says she thinks she’s been dead for about 6 hours; killed in the middle of the night, just like the others.”
“Closer to five hours, I think,” Dr. Reid says, crouching down to look closer. All long legs and his gun looking too big on his belt next to his FBI badge. “Could still be within the Witching Hour, though.”
“Do you have accurate time of death estimates for the other two bodies?” Agent Morgan adds on, already picking up the train of thought Dr. Reid has started on. The detective pulls out an old-school flip notebook book and looks through it before answering.
“3:15am the first night, 9:30pm last night and now this.”
“Well that rules out hex, sacrifice, and spell gone wrong,” he concludes, as the other agents surround the body to inspect it from all angles. “So what are we thinking?”
“It’s a frenzied bite,” Agent Hotchner points out, looking from where he stands and not having to get as close as Dr. Reid to inspect it accurately. His eyesight is better than any microscope. “Shows multiple entries, it couldn’t get a good enough hold to rip her throat. Or she struggled, so it wasn’t strong enough to keep her pinned down.”
“The boys think it’s a Vamp,” Detective Rainer points out. “Maybe a baby one, still learning the ropes?”
“Vampire changes are regulated and no sire would allow whoever they turned to do this,” Agent Hotchner says, a colder flint to his voice that matches the way his dark stare cuts up to the detective. “No one has been turned in the United States in the past twelve years.”
“It’s not a Vampire bite,” Dr. Reid agrees, putting on latex gloves to further inspect the body and test the bite radius. “And it’s not a werewolf bite, either.”
“...Werewolf?” the detective says with a winded sound, eyes wide and looking to the three agents who didn’t even blink at the word. “There’s -- there’s such thing as werewolves?”
“Detective, I think you should let my team and I work, we will come to you with our findings and then help you track down your killer.” Agent Hotchner doesn’t leave room for argument, his dark brown eyes looking pitch black in the early morning light, and Detective Rainer… suddenly feels the overwhelming urge to walk away. Like he can’t breathe if he doesn’t comply; he fights it, tries to fight it, and feels his will crumble beneath him like a sand bank giving way under his feet. He turns, even that small gesture lessening the pressure crushing his chest, and takes a step away from the group, air swept into his lungs like a riptide. He makes a hasty retreat after that, winded as if he just ran up a flight of stairs and the sweet taste of oxygen being his only reprieve. He doesn’t know what happened, and wouldn’t upon further inspection until much, much later.
-
“That wasn’t very nice, Hotch,” Rossi points out with a look of glib reprimand towards their team leader. “I thought compelling feeble minded beat cops was for those who have no skills to avoid it.”
“My patience was running thin, and we need to move faster on this case before our unsub kills again. He’s escalating.” That much is obvious, by the timeline alone, but Father Rossi still gives him a side-ways glance that says he finds far too much amusement in the undead’s antics. “Reid, are you sure it’s not a werewolf bite? It would explain the lack of control and precision.”
“I’m sure,” Reid says with finality, and no one makes a mention on why. He had done more research than any human possibly could in the past few months on werewolf transformation and the after effects of attacks. With what happened to one of their former agents mere months ago, no one doubted his newly learned expertise. “It’s also not a shifter, or a ghoul. We can rule out ghost and poltergeist as well, no residue or temperature shifts.”
“Demon possession?” Morgan asks, looking to Rossi just as he does his customary Sign of the Cross at the mere mention. Can’t help the gesture, after his own past experiences. Giving anything the power of a name, even arbitrary, can be a dangerous thing.
“We can’t rule it out,” he admits. “The teeth marks are human, someone possessed would still have a hard time biting that deep and doing that much damage. Cannibalism is only reserved for the amusements of level three demons, however they aren’t usually powerful enough to reach the mortal plane or take possession of someone’s body. They would need help.”
“You really think someone would weaponize a demon like that?”
“We’ve seen people do worse things, as has history, but I’d like to hope it wouldn’t happen in my lifetime.”
“We need more information,” Hotch concludes, arms crossed and watching as Reid stands up and removes the blood stained gloves. “Morgan,” his gaze cuts to the tall man in his deep blue suit. “Can you walk the scene, tell us what you see?”
“Not with this many people around,” Morgan shakes his head, eyes glancing to every person within a twenty foot radius. “Too many readings, the aura field here looks like an oil spill. The only thing I can latch onto is…” his gaze is back on the ground, hovering over the dead woman, who would have no aura to speak of at all and therefore a blank canvas. He replaces Reid’s space, crouching down to touch the air over the bite wound. Fingers spread wide, less than a foot from her but not touching, palm suddenly curving as if over an invisible shoulder, the place where someone had once been not so long ago. It could have been the coroner, or the crime scene photographer, but with it being so close to the body -- chances were it was the unsub.
“They were crouched down, half on the ground, no… human thoughts that I can hear,” he says, closing his eyes and letting his hand glide through the air a little more, following the curve of someone’s spine and up their neck, resting where the head would be. “They have a fever burning them up, hot as a furnace--” he keeps his hand there too long, suddenly jerks it back as if it had physically burned him, then stands up again. Shaking off the aura reading still sticking to his fingers and the forefront of his mind. “Sound like anything you’ve heard of, pretty boy?”
Reid shakes his head, sharing a glance with Father Rossi. “We might have to go through some of your demonology books.” The older man grins wide.
“You just want to get your hands on them, at this rate you’ll have them memorized by next week.”
“Dave --” Hotch says slow, a reprimand of his own.
“Fine, fine, I’ll have Garcia send us some scans. If the Vatican knew I was putting a book like that in his hands they’d strip me of all my titles.”
“Didn’t they already do that?” Morgan teases with a grin.
“Ex-communicated. I got to keep the dog collar, the honorifics, bless the holy water, you know -- the party tricks.”
–
((if you want to be apart of the taglist just hit me up via comment, reblog tag, DMs or asks 💕))
#THIS IS JUST A SNIPPET#a really fucking long snippet but who's counting#I've missed WIP wednesdays#spooky season is upon us so I'm channeling that#a glimpse at how they handle cases that obviously don't look human#cw blood#cw murder#cw biting#paranormal stuff#sorry it's kind of all over the place but I got to play with Morgan's abilities and that was fun for me#Extraordinary#katyswriting#katyswip#wip wednesday#ALSO I DECIDED ON A POSTING DATE hope that doesn't bite me in the ass later lol
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Thanksvember Master Post
Day 1 - Like Coming Home - It has a super rare “wholesome plot twist”! Without spoiling anything too huge, I really like that @julesherondalex took the time to talk about how important it is to take care of yourself first. You can’t love someone else properly, the way they deserve, if you don’t have that same love for yourself. I wasn’t expecting the heartbreaking scene, but the beautiful way in which that topic was was approached neither took away from the story or the joy.
Day 2 - Must Love Dogs - An incredibly fluffy (literally) fic that I loved reading. @rosehallshadowsinger did a really great job weaving Azriel and Elain’s canon personalities into this adorable AU scenario. It is obvious @rosehallshadowsinger took care to create believable personalities for two characters that didn’t get POVs in the books.
Day 3 - Striking Matches - I have to say that I wasn’t at all attracted to an AU fic about firefighters. I was also not a big Rowaelin fan before that, but I was work procrastinating so I gave it a try. Wellll, 30 parts later, I found myself delighted at the writing and sad it was over. I couldn’t believe how well @shyvioletcat cat was able to entirely re-characterize these two into such a different setting, yet still retaining what made them popular in the books. Aelin was perfect in her role as a snarky schoolteacher irritating the stoic firefighter Rowan. And the descriptions of the kids lining up at the firehouse demonstration and Jake’s adorable prodding was icing on the cake.
Day 4 - Close Quarters - I really loved the way @lady-therion wrote Nesta in this modern AU. I particularly like how she equates Nesta’s sometimes standoffish attitude as a very relatable personality trait. She has trouble reading people and gauging situations. It’s well written and the dialogue is unique for a plot that is common in ff!
Day 5 - Like A Lonely House - It’s got a colossal I love Lucy level misunderstanding mixed in with a lot of tension and angst. This Nesta that is full of sacrifice and duty and fire is how I imagine the Nesta who feels that she has a stake in the Fae world would be like. @featherymalignancy wove such a captivating new world in Macar, that it felt a lot like being introduced to the 8th court in the ACOTAR world.
Day 6 - Death Dance - There are several takes out there that touch on Nesta in the Ilyrian camps, but I love how @thewayshedreamed interpreted Nesta’s skills on the battlefield as a calculated dance. Nesta has always been a raging storm, but I love how @thewayshedreamed took care to show us a Nesta that channeled that storm into discipline. If SJM never intended to release a Nessian focused book, I would have considered this a satisfying end to their story.
Day 7 - One Night Standards - I love the way @sassyhobbits writes Aelin with her typical extremely sassy exterior, but also made sure to saddle her with a vulnerable side that runs deep. I normally don’t care for slow burns, but I like the pace of her relationship with Rowan here, and that they had to work hard at it. I also like the plot lines that involved their PR stunts and how the public grew to love them as well.
Day 8 - Goose Chasing - Its the most absurd plot of any fanfic I’ve read! The title is not figurative. Its really does involve chasing a goose. @rhysismydaddy did a fantastic job encapsulating the spirit of silly Cassian and grumpy Nesta in a situation they’d likely never find themselves in, yet making it entirely believable.
Day 9 - Manon Chooses The Worst Babysitter Possible - It’s such a casual and fluffy and hilarious read. It was fun to read about a softer and more delicate Manon. Through this absurd mistake, @sarah-bae-maas did an excellent job really humanizing Manon and postulating a fun in-world domestic scenario.
Day 10 - My Hunger Knows No Bounds - @perseusannabeth manages to take a simple concept and weave a sweet narrative. I particularly love how @perseusannabeth incorporated her personal details into it and took the time to share her lovely culture with us.
Day 11 - Knowing me, Knowing you - We never got to actually see Aelin rule Terrasen (well we got a tinyyy bit) in the books. Though this was modern day, @nalgenewhore tells a fun story of what that could have been like.
Day 12 - Forever (is a long time) - @noodlecatposts takes Elide and Lorcan’s completely polar opposite personalities and spins an interesting (and frankly quite adorable) story. All the rules crack me up. My favorite Lorcan is the one that reminds me of Luke Danes from Gilmore Girls. Currently, he is in the middle of grumpily fixing up her flooded room, so I am sure that my favorite parts are yet to come.
Day 13 - Go Your Own Way - I appreciate @tomtenadia for putting to words a scene that I desperately wanted in ACOWAR or even ACOFAS. A lovely parallel to an equally lovely Fleetwood mac song.
Day 14 - In Which She Makes A Friend - It is no surprise that the fandom wants Nesta to find her place in the Illyrian mountains and even bring about some social change with the female warriors. But the way @bookstantrash got there was such a wonderful and endearing journey. Big fan of the callbacks to how Kaelin was treated and the similarities to a certain Illyrian warrior was when he was younger. We got to see a sweet Nesta, who I’d like to think was attempting to make up for some of her regrets through taking care of Kaelin.
Day 15 - The Ranch - As a huge fan of Sweet Home Alabama, its should be no surprise that I loved this fic by @tacmc . I enjoyed the slow change that we saw in a stubborn Nesta as she opened up to this new way of life and reconnected with her sisters and found a home with Cassian.
Day 16 - Felons - Such a unique interpretation of Nesta and Cassian. I really like the self-sacrificing Nesta angle and @rhysismydaddy did a great job weaving intrigue into the unraveling of what we knew to be a her innocence. I never read The Witness, but this really made me want to.
Day 17 - Of Books and Timber - Cassian offers to build a shelf for Nesta. The way @duskandstarlight goes through the entire range of emotions through Nesta is brilliant. She starts out with cold indifference, but by the end, we get from her a sweet and tender gesture of gratitude. Showing that meeting each other halfway with small gestures is all they ever needed.
Day 18 - You Should Sleep In My Bed More Often - I absolutely loved this quick exchange between Nesta and Cassian after she accidentally injures him. I can’t believe how much I laughed out loud when Cassian said “I need you to protect me closer”. @charincharge perfectly captured the teasing childish essence of Cassian and Nesta’s hilarious victim-blaming was so on the nose that I might have thought this was taken right out of ACOSAF.
Day 19 - The Right Swipe - I really enjoyed this take on the inner circle mixed with the super modern online dating plot. I especially love that @redisriding created genuinely realistic characters (body issues, social anxiety etc). Great read!
Day 20 - Goldfish Prompt - What a fun read. I love how frantic and much personality Feyre had here. I love how dedicated to her fish she was, and how that made her super endearing. Cute read from @azrielsiphons
Day 21 - The One With The Snowstorm - What I really like is that Cassian actually says that he is sorry for his part in Nesta’s exile. I am not bitter about it, but it was an interesting turn. They need to meet halfway here and I rarely see it so well written as @joysbell has done here!
Day 22 - Prompt - A lovely and cute and sweet prompt written by @crowsvalentine! I love the ramp up of suspense just to get to the hilarious payoff. Its adorable and worth the quick read.
Day 23 - Fix It - is one by @thewayshedreamed that I love in its simplicity. It’s a small little argument Cassian and Nesta get into, but its still compelling. It’s sweet and super endearing the way the two of them are written and the subtle way they work through it. Great read!
Day 24 - I Do Bad Things To You - The mob angle may have been done before, but I don’t think with as much care and regard that @tswaney17 has been giving it. I how the canon personalities of the characters translate so well into this modern AU. Its very obvious that @tswaney17 has done her research. I especially love all the details around Elain as a surgeon. The story is compelling and well written and every chapter has me wanting more.
Day 25 - Love Her Like She should Be Loved - This is an excellent fic that I really loved. @julemmaes did such a great job translating some of the canon tension from ACOFAS into a modern world. It’s ripe with emotion, drama and quite a bit of heart. I love how earnestly Cassian comes to Nesta’s defense even in the face of going against his entire family. I like the reference to some very real psychological struggles. I think a lot of people can relate to it.
Day 26 - Literally In Love - I really enjoy the subtle mystery that follows this entire journey. I enjoy that @julesherondalex keeps us guessing, while simultaneously weaving a sweet and tender story about two shy teachers and just a slew of mishaps worthy of a Shakespearian drama.
Day 27 - The Shadow Bond - I love Azriel, and this is such a wonderful fic by @radientwings focusing on how his shadows might work. His shadows are the one thing that I am most curious about him in the series, so it was lovely to read such a well written interpretation of them.
Day 28 - Exes and Oh’s - Just a shout out to @highqueenofelfhame for this lovely story about rekindling past love. I like that even though the plot was uncomplicated, the emotions were not. I love that Aelin didn’t have a perfect reason for what she did, but sometimes that is just how things are. This is a story about taking a second chance, whether it’s deserved or not.
Day 29 - Fever - I really love this fic called Fever. I enjoyed how @lady-therion portrayed Nesta. She hit the entire gammut of characteristics (snarky, worried, vulnerable, caring, short-tempered, flirty, you name it!) but it really worked here. I found this nurse Nesta to be endearing and relatable and the dynamic between her and Cassian was very sweet. Just go read the damned thing.
Day 30 - Baby Steps - I really really love this fic. @runesandfaes did such a great job in just so few words to show a really sweet moment between Chaol, Yrene and their daughter learning to walk. I love the parallel back to when Chaol was learning to walk and the cameo of the golden couch. So sweet.
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TerraMythos 2021 Reading Challenge - Book 17 of 26
Title: The Other Wind (Earthsea Cycle #6) (2001)
Author: Ursula K. Le Guin
Genre/Tags: Fantasy, Third-Person, Female Protagonist (Kinda)
Rating: 5/10
Date Began: 7/8/2021
Date Finished: 7/12/2021
The sorcerer Alder is haunted by a recurring dream. Every night he stands at the border of the afterlife, and the dead call to him from the other side, begging him to free them. Fearing that he may unleash evil upon the world, Alder seeks out Ged, a living man who once escaped the land of the dead. Alder finds himself central to a vast mystery; the origin of the afterlife and how it relates to mankind’s ancient connection to the dragons.
“I think,” Tehanu said in her soft, strange voice, “That when I die, I can breathe back the breath that made me live. I can give back to the world all I didn’t do. All that I might have been and couldn’t be. All the choices I didn’t make. All the things I lost and spent and wasted. I can give them back to the world. To the lives that haven’t been lived yet. That will be my gift back to the world that gave me the life I did live, the love I loved, the breath I breathed."
Content warnings and spoilers below the cut.
Content warnings for the book: Death, suicidal ideation, references to child abuse, reference to misogyny, mentioned animal death, mention of slavery.
Man oh man do I wish I enjoyed this book more. It’s not horrible, and there’s stuff I liked, but I found it really hard to get through at times. The Other Wind feels different than anything else in the Earthsea series— to its detriment. There are three main issues I have with the book, all of which I’ll get into. But ultimately I consider it a mediocre conclusion to an otherwise great series.
First, this book has unusual pacing. The Earthsea books are generally slow, with a gradual buildup and gratifying conclusion that ties the themes of the story together. The Other Wind is more like a reverse bell curve; it has a great beginning and finale, but the middle meanders and stalls. The novel is split into five chapters, roughly the same length, and the middle three are a slog. There’s the barest whisper of an interesting plot, but not a lot happens— and what does happen isn’t very compelling.
The closest thing to a story in the middle is a subplot involving Seserakh, a Kargish princess. She’s sent to King Lebannen’s court with the expectation he’ll marry her to secure an alliance. A stock idea to be sure, but I can see how it might provide political intrigue. But it’s just aggravating. Tenar is in this storyline for some reason, and she feels contradictory and out of character. She wants to live a simple life and leave palace politics behind— but she also wants to push the literal king into a marriage he doesn’t want. Lebannen gets framed as The Absolute Worst because he (1) doesn’t want to get married to a woman he’s never met, and (2) is distracted by other stuff. There’s an implication that the match is a great choice, yet Seserakh and Lebannen don’t have a conversation until near the end. Of course Lebannen falls madly in love with her the moment they talk. No need to… develop their relationship? Normally I can gloss over a weak subplot, but since so little happens in the middle, that’s impossible here. It’s irrelevant to the main story, so it’s a shame Le Guin spent so much time on it.
There’s a lot of talking in this book, but little action. Dialogue-heavy characterization isn’t necessarily bad. Le Guin is usually great at that kind of writing. But here, it emphasizes my second problem with the book: there’s too many major characters. Previous books focused on 1 or 2 people, allowing for intimate connection and character growth. LeGuin clearly tries for that here, but there’s so many people and relationships that everyone is underdeveloped. Perhaps this would come off better with a single perspective character, but Le Guin instead chose a shifting POV between 5+ characters. An alternating POV isn’t inherently bad, but it wasn’t a good fit for such a short book. I found myself wishing for focus on Alder (the protagonist!), who’s a genuinely compelling character. Alas.
My third problem with The Other Wind is exposition. This book resolves several plot threads from previous entries. Obviously, there needs to be some context from the series to tie everything together. But the sheer amount of recap is unreal. So many scenes boil down to a character explaining something that happened to them in a previous book, then connecting it to the current plot. It’s not subtle and sometimes happens with the same event multiple times. It genuinely feels like Le Guin didn’t trust the reader to infer ANYTHING on their own. Having just read the rest of the series, this was especially irritating. I can cut a little slack here; this series began in 1968, and perhaps some returning 2001 readers wouldn’t recall key events. But regardless, The Other Wind is one of the most over-explained things I’ve read in a long time. It’s especially odd because the previous books aren’t like this.
There are things I genuinely like about The Other Wind. On a prose level, Le Guin's a great writer. Even the plotless parts of the book are full of interesting writing choices and philosophical observations. One nice thing about Earthsea is the characters age over the course of the series. Ged started A Wizard of Earthsea as a young boy, but as of The Other Wind is a seventy-year-old man. It’s cool to sit back and see just how much each character developed over time. Earthsea itself changed with them; each book’s events have serious repercussions for the world as a whole. And this book has the most significant change of all.
When the The Other Wind’s plot is relevant, it’s one of the most interesting in the series. I think it’s a fascinating way to tie up two disparate plot threads. As much as I love The Farthest Shore, it does present a glaring conundrum regarding Earthsea’s core themes. True immortality is only obtained through death— not because of an afterlife, but because the dead become one with the rest of the world. So why does the Archipelago have an afterlife at all? Why is it so bleak and depressing? Why are there no plants, animals, or dragons there? Speaking of, there’s the revelation that dragons and humans were once the same species. Tehanu introduced this idea with various folktales, and the eventual reveal that Tehanu/Therru is a dragon. This idea is newer to the series and thus more malleable, but I like the idea of an entity being two creatures at once, and the mystery behind that.
I think the integration of these two ideas is interesting. Dragons and humans were once the same, but decided to split into two species to pursue different goals. They formed an ancient bargain to rule different aspects of the world. Fire and air represent the dragons’ realm, freedom— and water and earth represent the humans’ realm, ownership. But some humans learned magic and broke that covenant, binding everything to its true name. This established a form of freedom— immortality via one’s name. The afterlife is a result of that; it shouldn’t exist, which is why it feels wrong. Everything links back to the desire for immortality without change as introduced in The Farthest Shore. On a meta level it’s weird that none of this came up in that book; the explanation that dragons suddenly remembered this great wrong is a little retcon-y. But I understand Le Guin probably never intended to expand on these ideas, and it’s nice to see the contradiction of Earthsea’s afterlife resolved in the end. I went into this book expecting the titular “other wind” to be the other side of Earthsea, not another plane of existence; and I think that surprise is pretty cool! I like the metaphysical aspect of this other realm and how it connects to the dragons.
Even though I didn’t love the book, I do think it works as a series conclusion more than Tehanu did. Tehanu drops such a huge, unresolved bombshell in its ending that I’m surprised Le Guin intended it to be the final book of the series. The Other Wind does create some open-ended mysteries, but they’re the kind that don’t need a resolution.
Despite that, I find myself wondering if this book was necessary. The Other Wind ties together some threads, but I wasn’t a fan of the execution overall. If the dragon and afterlife plot was a heavier focus, maybe I’d like the book more. Instead there’s a bunch of filler and extraneous detail. The book feels forced, like a novella stretched into a full novel— yet also like something’s missing. Perhaps The Other Wind works better on a reread, but I’m inclined to skip it in the future.
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Hey hi! I'd like to request the fan asks (favorite male character, favorite female character etc) for ST:TNG or ST:VOY, please (your choice)!
I had this ages, and then got distracted and it's such a nice ask! (thanks for your patience! and asking!
Favorites from TNG and VOY: (so under a cut but I got wordy)
Favorite Female Character: When I was very little, it was Deanna, because she seemed so nice and had a great smile. I also have a difficult relationship with my mother.
Currently, it's Beverly Crusher, because she has this crappy self-made vibe to her, and she rocked the single mom thing and that's my life so...she's also funny and has this fragility about her that I find fascinating and compelling. Part of her has retreated, she's known loss, she's also so kind and empathetic and caring. She'd be an amazing Captain and should show up in new trek as one.
Favorite Male Character: My favorite TNG character has fluctuated. It was Riker when I was very small because he was funny and kind and I was rather afraid of Picard, he was so serious. Data was my brother's favorite (and I have three brothers so we share things but all having different things). Geordi was middle brother' favorite, then youngest brother liked Worf.
I had a Picard is so soft actually, period when I was really into Picard/Crusher, and he's VERY hard to write because he's so intelligent and thoughtful and well-read.
Now, I'd definitely say Riker, and that's so much because of Jonathan Frakes, who is wonderful and charming and funny, and how Riker is such a sweet family dude in Picard. There's this earnest softness about him that I find so appealing. He's also a good friend and a good lover (so kind) and I have funny thoughts about the time he and Beverly (he was Odan, but still) had sex because they're so siblingy. (tangent). Riker.
Favorite Season: Five! it's five. There are some awesome episodes in 5, Power Play, Conundrum, it's one of my go to favorite seasons, the hair is good, the crew gets to do cool things. (6, 4 and 3 are close runner ups.
Favorite Episode: Remember Me, because it's Beverly out of her element, alone in a very scary place, and she uses her brain to figure it out and saves herself. Damn. Also there's a very nice hug at the end.
Favorite Cast member: Dammit TNG, why do you have the nicest most wonderful cast? A tie between Gates and Frakes. They're such sweethearts.
My Favorite Ship: (Enterprise E so fantastic). Currently, Troi/Riker because they're doing really great things in Picard, and they had this gentleness. They were always okay with each other. When they saw other people, when they were lost, somehow, they always worked it out. Brilliant. (shout out to Picard/Crusher for also being so caring and kind to each other, you can tell they're very good friends.)
a character I’d die defending: Beverly Crusher, in a heartbeat, with essays.
a character I just can’t sympathize with: I am quite over Data he's nice but I'm so done with his pov. There's so much about him and I just...
a character I grew to love: Nechayev, because there's so much sexism behind how she's treated in the narrative and she's really just doing her job, well, at a very high level. Also Shelby, she's really interesting and I would have loved to see her again.
my anti otp: Picard/Data, Picard/Q, I find them both really dull.
my favorite female character: So so many options, it's Janeway, by a tiny bit because I love Seven and B'Elanna and Kes, but Janeway, just because she went through so much and made it in the end. Her autobiography also went a long way towards really bringing her to life for me.
my favorite male character: Tuvok, he's the loveliest space dad, trapped on a ship with ridiculous emotion beings, and he's so dedicated and caring and occasionally funny, such a good friend to Seven and Kes and Janeway and B'Elanna and Tom and he's just great.
my favorite book/season/etc: Four, I think? Year of Hell, One, Demon, Omega Directive, early Seven of Nine adapting, Janeway not that broken yet. It's a fun season.
my favorite episode (if its a tv show): Macrocosm, the flashback Janeway fights viruses and is a badass in a tanktop just always pleases me. It's so Star Trek.
my favorite cast member: Jeri Ryan, had to deal with so much and is so kind caring, funny, supportive, brilliant. All the love for her.
my favorite ship: Chakotay/Janeway was a big part of my formative years of fandom. They're wonderful. I think in some ways it's Janeway/Crusher now, because of how important it would be that Janeway date someone who wasn't her subordinate (and I like they're dynamic, yes I've mostly made it up, but that's fun).
a character I’d die defending: Tuvok, in a heartbeat.
a character I just can’t sympathize with: I loathe Neelix with Kes because he's had so much experience and she's SO young. I also don't connect with the Doctor at all. He's so rude and awful and entitled and self-centered and there are so many episodes about him and I just don't like him.
a character I grew to love: Seven of Nine, I just didn't get her at first. She was cool but the struggling to be human hadn't really clicked for me.
my anti otp: Janeway/Kashyk, so many of my friends really enjoyed it, I find him annoying. It feels self destructive of her.
favorites!
my favorite female character
my favorite male character
my favorite book/season/etc
my favorite episode (if its a tv show)
my favorite cast member
my favorite ship
a character I’d die defending
a character I just can’t sympathize with
a character I grew to love
my anti otp
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April 2021 Roundup
Welp - a few days late on this, but I’ve had a busy week, including finding a blue-tongue lizard in my house. I have no idea how or why the poor thing got in or where it thought it was going, but it gave me quite the shock. After some trial and error I was able to herd it into a box and release it in the backyard, where I suspect it’s made a home in my compost bin.
Other than that, this month I was lucky enough to live see my first live musical in over a year - The Wedding Singer. I love the movie and have listened to songs from the Broadway cast album, but this is the first time a professional production has been staged here. It was enormously fun, with an exuberant cast and tongue firmly in cheek. It was so nice to be back in a theatre (with social distanced seating) after everything was cancelled last year.
Reading
David Copperfield (Charles Dickens) - I’ve never really read much Dickens outside of A Christmas Carol, but I enjoyed the Iannucci film so much last year I decided to go back to the source material. I was surprised at how much that adaptation retained from a novel so large, at least in terms of important plot points, but then there’s a great deal of characters sitting in rooms and talking about things only tangentially related to the plot. It was an enjoyable read and of course Dickens is a witty writer, even if I found some parts a bit tedious - anytime Mr Micawber or Mr Peggotty shows up my eyes tended to glaze over. But the novel is dense with so many intersecting characters and plots that I can certainly see why it’s been well read and much studied.
A Column of Fire (Ken Follett) - the last (chronologically) novel of the Kingsbridge series, this time set in the 16th Century amid the Catholic/Protestant conflicts in England and France, but also touching on Spain, Switzerland, the Netherlands - even the Caribbean. Follett’s favourite tropes are all here; lovers kept apart by circumstance, despicable villains with too much pov page time, rape as a plot device, the apathy/self serving nature of kings and queens. Ned Willard is a typical Follett male (self insert) hero, and as usual it’s the female characters who are far more interesting - Margery the devout but conflicted English Catholic, and Sylvie the enterprising and determined French Protestant. Both are the object of Ned’s affection, which I suppose is telling, and Follett desperately needs to learn how to write some other kind of romantic plot.
Of course it packs in the historical events for them to witness and/or participate in, from the end of Mary I’s reign all the way to the Gunpowder Plot - but it does feel that the latter is rushed in at the end and the novel probably could have ended at the Armada. While I did enjoy the broadened scope, a part of me missed the locality of Kingsbridge as a microcosm of England - this book was more concerned with the macro perspective where the other books (particularly Pillars) was effective in telling the story through Kingsbridge-as-a-character. On the other hand, I did enjoy the France side of the plot (mostly for Sylvie) that covered the machinations of the Guise family, the struggles of French Protestants, and events such as the St Bartholomew’s Day massacre (a rather harrowing section).
Watching
Shadow and Bone (season 1) - I went into this show completely cold (other than the trailer and general excitement on my dash), and really enjoyed it. Alina was a bit generic spunky heroine at first, but she grew on me by the end although I can’t say I really cared much about any of the romantic plots (and want to stay faaaaar away from the discourse). It was the Crows were the real draw for me, and while I was aware that their material came from later books, for me (not knowing any better) their integration into the Grisha plot was seamless.
While I was impressed by the worldbuilding I could have done with a bit more exposition - I still don’t know who the Shu and Suli are, where Fjerda is in relation to Ravka and what the basis of the conflict between them is. On the other hand, I can appreciate they resisted the urge to do too much “as you know”-ing and assume the rest of the world will be revealed as it becomes relevant. Still, I think if shows can learn one thing from Game of Thrones, it’s the value of finding some way of presenting a map to the audience to give some geographic perspective - a few times I did find myself needing to think about which side of the Fold the characters were on at any given time, and have no idea where Nina and Matthias were meant to be at the end. But then I’m the person who constantly flips to consult the map at the front of a book while reading - I need to see it.
I’ll add my disappointment to the RH fans at the chance of seeing Lucy Griffiths again, only for her role as Luda to be a brief flashback that saw her promptly stabbed to death (her entire demo reel could be made up of death scenes at this point). It’s a real shame, because she is perfect for a series like this (in a role like Genya perhaps), and it seems like such a waste.
Mighty Ducks: Game Changers (episodes 1-6) - The new strategy for family entertainment: taking a property that was popular with young Gen X-ers and/or Elder Millennials in their childhoods, and rebooting/reviving it as a show they can now watch with their own kids. The premise is simple enough - the Ducks are now a corporate juggernaut of the live long enough to see yourself become the villain variety, cue a new rag tag underdog hockey team, training at the run down ice rink owned by a disillusioned Gordon Bombay.
It’s mildly entertaining, the child actors are all very good and I’m always here for Emilio Estevez, although I can do without the inevitable romance with Lauren Graham (the team’s coach and mother of one of the kids). But the most recent episode, where a bunch of the og Ducks (sans Charlie) appear, coupled with liberal use of the Ducks Theme, hit me right in the childhood. They got me! They got me with the nostalgia! Because I am a sucker.
The Handmaid’s Tale (season 4, episodes 1-3) - I was very frustrated with this show last season, because it seemed more concerned with endless extreme close ups of Elizabeth Moss emoting rather than telling a coherent story. June is a character with the thickest plot armour I’ve ever seen, while almost every person she comes into contact with meets a bitter end. Rather than the slow domino effect to topple the regime depicted in the original novel and its sequel The Testaments, the show is moving at a breakneck pace, while somehow little actually happens except rinse repeat torture/endurance porn.
More interesting is the Canada side of the story with Moira and Emily (the excellent Samira Wiley and Alexis Bledel), and the difficulties for refugees adapting to life outside of Gilead, which wasn’t explored in either novel and could use more focus in the show. Ann Dowd is absolutely compelling as Aunt Lydia, and a far more interesting villain than the Waterfords (whose scenes have become interminable) yet funnily enough doesn’t get the devoted close-ups, long speeches, or writer interest they do. I’m still watching, if only to see if the show follows her story in The Testaments or not.
Writing
Not a very productive month on the writing front at all, I can’t even bring myself to look at the meagre word counts, so I’m going to let them roll over into May.
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sarah’s top 10 wlw media [that i consumed] in 2020
i noticed i read/watched a lot of really stellar wlw media this year so i wanted to make a list shouting out some of the amazing stories I found bc seriously this was a good year to be a wlw
note: these aren’t necessarily 2020 releases, just stories I happened to read or watch this year
1. Portrait of a Lady on Fire (2019)
Brilliant. Showstopping. Spectacular.
In all seriousness anyone who knows me will not be surprised at all to discover this ranks at the top of my list. It checks every box on the list of “Things Sarah is an absolute hoe for”: period romance, tender angst, references to Orpheus and Eurydice, GAYS IN WATER, a beautiful reconsideration on the relationship b/w the artist and the muse, “did you dream of me?” “no, i thought of you”, H A N D S... listen. i don’t have anything to say for myself this is just one of the most beautiful movies i’ve ever seen.
2. The Miseducation of Cameron Post by Emily Danforth
If I’m going to be totally honest I have a lot of trouble finding wlw YA novels I really vibe with. Nina Lacour’s books are pretty up there on my list, I loved Leah on the Offbeat when it came out, but for the most part i just find wlw ya stories hard to connect to. Reading this book changed that for me. Its portrayal of a tomboyish girl growing up in a really conservative area resonated with me so deeply, as well as her queer friends she was able to find and connect with even in the most traumatic environment. Cameron goes through some really heavy shit but the book ends on such a beautiful and poignant note of hope. This really is a book that made me feel seen.
3. The Half of it (2020)
Alice Wu said “I’m going to make a movie about a vaguely gnc Asian American protagonist who is a literary hoe and passionate about writing and music so basically Sarah as a coming of age teen movie protagonist” and you know what it gave me rights! This movie has no business being this fucking good for a teen coming of age “romcom”, for real. the absolutely phenomenal character work... the LAYERS in the writing... the cinematography... “gravity is matter’s response to loneliness” who said that” “I don’t know” “then you said it” I’M GONNA LOSE MY DAMN MIND!
4. She-Ra - season 5
The build-up to the series finale was just so incredibly well thought out and beautifully crafted months later i’m STILL shook about it. Catra and Adora’s relationship has been the driving force of the entire show, literally the nexus the whole story revolves around, and to know that all of it was intentionally building up to a romance is one of the most satisfying things narratively speaking I’ve ever experienced in real time. Also this entire season was just so beautifully written. Catra’s redemption arc, Adora’s arc and learning to harness her power without the sword, Spinnerella/Netossa’s heartrending side story, the final showdown with Horde Prime, just absolutely chef’s kiss.
5. The Last True Poets of the Sea by Julia Drake
This truly was the year of “Sarah finally gets all the quality wlw YA they have been needing and craving”! I just think the writing in this book is so brilliant, i love all the things Drake does with style and pov, and as a coming of age romance it’s just so charming and i love the aesthetic of it so much! Also i think this story is a brilliant adaptation of Twelfth Night, I mean frankly it didn’t even register for me that this was a twelfth night adaptation until after i finished it skdjnfsdknfs but as soon as I realized it it all made stunning sense. as well i just adore that the protagonist is allowed to be so complex and messy bc i feel like that’s actually pretty rare for female protagonists. it makes her all the more compelling as a main character!
6. On A Sunbeam by Tillie Walden
Gorgeous art, spell-binding world building [soft and dreamy space sci fi aesthetic!!!!!!!!!], there’s basically not a single man in this story, and all the characters are absolutely to die for. And the story is just so achingly tender, i love it so much. 10/10 would reread over and over and over again.
7. The Priory of the Orange Tree by Samantha Shannon
The fantasy wlw story of my absolute dreams!!! This book is over 800 pages but it doesn’t feel like it, seriously, i inhaled it all in one day bc the story moves along at such a good pace and everything feels so naturally laid out. i absolutely adore the world building in this, i mean really how can you go wrong with DRAGONS??? and also the love story b/w Ead and Sabran in this story is insanely fucking good. nothing makes me more tender than the bodyguard/royal trope ABSOLUTELY NOTHING
8. This is How You Lose the Time War by Amal El-Mohtar and Max Gladstone
The writing in this is so, so breathtaking. I don’t even have the words to describe, it’s just such a beautiful book. it’s so beautiful that it made me, a known epistolary hater, into an epistolary lover. ITS POWER.
9. The Owl House - season 1
This one is only not as high as the others on the list bc I’ve had less time to get invested in it than shows like She Ra. But it is an insanely cute watch, i love the characters so much especially Luz, I love her relationship with Eda, I LOVE EDA, i love the way her friendships with the other characters evolve so naturally over the course of the show, and really it’s just such a fun and sweet show I adore it so much. [and fine okay amity’s crush on luz is the cutest damn thing i’ve ever seen are you happy]
10. Druck - season 6
ABSOLUTELY DO NOT @ ME also if i’m going to be 100% honest the only reason why this isn’t higher on the list is because at the time of writing this only two and a half episodes have aired sdkjfndksjfnsdkjfnskdnfskjn but really if you thought i wasn’t going to put a story about a black lesbian falling in love with a vietnamese bi girl on this list you are out of your damn mind
[honorary mention: @boxesfullofthoughts‘ and my cyberpunk OCs Charlie Tang and Harper St. Clair I mean i am extremely up my own ass at all times but i can’t put my own characters for a story i haven’t even written yet on this list skjnfskj STILL I LOVE THEM AND WOULD DIE FOR THEM AND I HOPE THEY BOTH KNOW THAT]
#sarah.txt#i was going to save this for tomorrow but honestly i had so much fun putting this post together here it is now skdjnfsk#2020 recap
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Sherlolly Self-Interviews 2020
Well hi 👋
Ignoring the internal image of Gilderoy Lockheart smiling smugly while flashbulbs pop and saying ‘In my autobiography, Magical Me...’ 🙈😆 I shall take the opportunity of this lovely event to introduce myself as a writer of Sherlolly fanfiction on AO3...
I am English and somewhere over 30. I watched the show as it aired, and lost my heart as quickly to Molly Hooper as to Sherlock Holmes. The kiss is British television history. Series 4 is my favourite. Moriarty on the beach is life. The Holmes brothers break my heart every time.
I am extremely lucky to have been provided some questions to answer here by @ohaine and @mybrainrots - huge, huge love and thanks to these two lovelies, and not just for this. I admire you both so much as writers, and your support means the world to me ❤️ Thanks too, to @sherlollyappreciationweek!
Where did you begin to write, and have you written for other fandoms? I wrote my first fanfic when I was eleven years old - a 100 page ramble about The Monkees. Oh yes. Then in 2018, I fell for the characters of the Disney Pixar film Cars and began writing and publishing. So far so random! Writing in this fandom sprang from binge-watching all four series of Sherlock during lockdown. I remembered reading Louise Brealey talking about being disappointed Molly didn’t get chance to ‘roundly kick Sherlock’s arse’ and agreeing with her wholeheartedly. That, over a few weeks, turned into my first fic - Who You Really Are.
You’re a recent (and welcome!) arrival to the Sherlolly ship, and I was wondering if writing in an established, less active than it used to be fandom has been a challenge? Thank you, firstly. My experience of this fandom has been incredibly positive - the sense of welcome has been wonderful. I will admit I was terrified posting the first fic - there are hundreds of times more stories posted daily in the Sherlock fandom as in the one I had some experience of. But I needn’t have worried, it’s been a blast. I will also admit, that it’s no small thing to be surrounded by such brilliant writing and the long-standing passion which goes with it. But I find that inspiring in itself, and I’m very glad to be here - how supportive the fandom are makes me feel like I always have been!
What’s your favourite place and way to write? My aesthetic is Lin-Manuel Miranda in his in-law’s laundry room 🤣 I wrote my first ten-thousand words on the notes app on my phone before my other half told me to stop being ridiculous! I switch between the laptop, my phone and longhand (I’m a sucker for a nice notepad and a Uni-Ball Eye) and, more often than not, not sat up properly at a table.
Since you’ve (done something I’ve never managed successfully and) written a novella length fic... how did you organise/keep track of all the details and where you wanted the story to go? Did you outline/plot in advance? First of all - I would love to see a novella length fic from you @mybrainrots! The final scene of Who You Really Are came to me very early on and I knew I wanted the fic to fit within TFP - a lot of it takes place in the timeframe of the final montage. At first, it was going to be much more about Sherlock’s relationship with the ideas of sentiment and love (the phrase ‘I’m not sentimental about you, I love you,’ haunted me for a while) and I spent some time researching the psychology and playing with scenes from throughout the series - one of my favourites I didn’t go on to use was inspired by the final scene of THoB. Using scenes from the canon gave an automatic structure, and I was always aiming for the final one I wrote early on - the two of them on the beach (everything is about the beach, with me!) As I went along and started, inevitably, to slow down, I mapped out the chapters with a short note of what I wanted to be in each, then would add notes or phrases as they came to me - often emailed from my phone! I had to force myself through a tricky section set in Baker Street at one point, but it came together in the end. I did plot The Pathologist’s Skeletons on paper first, as I found with a casefic which remains a WIP, that I can get confused and lose focus when it comes to details and how to reveal them in a way which stays paced and interesting. I’ll certainly do that from now on with longer stories and cases. How did you keep up enthusiasm for the work? I want to write an original novel, so I am forcing myself to work through the knotty bits and blocks as a learning experience. Not everything is destined to be finished or finessed, of course, but I’m finding this process is building my confidence that I can overcome problems and slow periods. I also find I know when I need some external inspiration - some of my favourite scenes have come to me while out walking the dog or sitting on the beach. I’ve also been inspired by books or other series or things going on in the world, as we all are, and sometimes that’s pushed me on. Plus, of course, I’m a newbie - I’m very much in the honeymoon period of my writing, even though I’ve loved Sherlock for ten years! (Ten years! Bonkers.)
You’ve got a knack for writing Sherlock’s thoughts and capturing his voice. That said, which character do you find easiest to write? Which is the hardest? Thank you so much. I absolutely love writing Sherlock and Mycroft, and I’m sure that’s because they suit my somewhat over-the-top writing style! I find Molly and her POV really difficult. I want the scenes I write from her perspective to sound completely different to Sherlock, but that means writing in a style which doesn’t come as naturally to me. I’m a long way off happy with that at the moment, but I’m enjoying the challenge.
Is there a scene or character that specifically inspired you to start writing Sherlolly? The whole of TFP, but especially from the moment Sherlock arrives at Musgrave onwards. I am desperate to see what a Sherlock Holmes who has been reacquainted with his own heart would look like. I find his emotionality in those final scenes hugely compelling (Mycroft’s office is one of my favourite moments from across all four series) and, as I have always believed in him and Molly, I practically jumped up back in May after watching it and said ‘right, where’s my notebook?!’.
There’s a lovely peaceful, quiet feeling to your fic ‘We’re All Right At The Moment’. Can you tell us what inspired it and if you’ve thought of doing the backstory that goes with it? Thank you! Like everyone, I would go back to January of this year and start again in a heartbeat, but I am hugely fortunate to be able to say that I have a lot to be grateful to the UK lockdowns for. I might never have begun writing in this fandom otherwise, for one, and I have had a brilliant time so far and met some lovely people. Honestly, I don’t feel able to do any sort of justice in my writing to what has happened in the world in any broader sense than drawing on my own experiences of staying at home and enjoying my family. This particular super-short fic sees Molly cutting Sherlock’s hair at home in Baker Street. I wrote it in the evening after I had cut my other half’s hair and had been reminding myself that despite how horribly worried I was - and still am - about everything, we were all right in that moment, and to focus on that as much as possible. I wanted to try to capture that, if for no reason other than to look back on this entire experience and remember something lovely, so I am so pleased to hear you felt the fic did that. It was only after I finished it and reread it, that I realised it is ambiguous as to whether Molly is worried about Sherlock contracting the virus, or whether she is remembering him being treated for it... As I say, I don’t think I could write more about these extraordinary circumstances - perhaps it’s just too close at the moment - so I don’t plan on extending it. But you know how it is, the plot bunnies hop where they will...
Do you have a Sherlolly music playlist? What are your top five favs from the list? Here’s a run down of (6 🙊) songs I have been getting emotional over in the last little while, leading my brain to assign their significance to my favourite couple...
Kissing You - Des’Ree - It’s so 90′s, it’s a bit cheesy, it’s oddly disturbing. It helped me write A Request, Made Properly, and that gave me an excuse to have Sherlock kiss Molly in the snow.
How Long Will I Love You? - Ellie Goulding - part of the playlist, but also in remembrance of a friend who passed away recently. Life is very short, love is forever.
High and Dry - Jamie Cullum - It’s made me emotional for a very long time. The original is my partner’s version of choice, this is mine.
Think About You - Delta Goodrem - Okay, this one isn’t emotional, and it’s not my usual vibe! Blame the zoom exercise class I do! But oh my goodness, it’s Molly. Bless her.
Blinded By Your Grace (P.T.2. F.T. MNEK) - Stormzy - One of the best ever, I reckon. Spent an awful lot of time thinking about angels and demons, grace and what it takes to save someone, while writing my latest - The Pathologist’s Skeletons. This has been in my head most of the (blimmin’) time!
Love Me Like You Do - Ellie Goulding - I didn’t know I was a fan of Ellie until I wrote this list... I don’t subscribe to the theory that the love Molly wants or that which Sherlock has to offer is any lesser because it isn’t ‘normal’ or expected. I don’t think romantic entanglement would come easy to either of them. But it’s still love and it would be beautiful.
Thank you so much for reading. Thanks and love to @ohaine and @mybrainrots. And thank you @sherlollyappreciationweek for the event and for everything you do ❤️
Feel like I should sign off with a quote from the show...
“You’re not a puzzle-solver, you never have been. You’re a drama queen!” Dr John Watson (Moffat & Gatiss) 2014 😜
X
A fav fic of mine by @mybrainrots
https://archiveofourown.org/works/7563193
A fav fic of mine by @ohaine
https://archiveofourown.org/works/10562904
My stuff:
https://archiveofourown.org/users/EnglandsGray/works
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Imaginary Friend Book Review
Imaginary Friend by Stephen Chbosky Book Review
This is undoubtedly the weirdest book I have ever read.
You might be thinking… but, thetypedwriter you read fanfiction! This can’t be the weirdest thing you’ve ever read! Things like ABO universes exist!
You would think that, wouldn’t you?
But no.
I shall endeavor to give you a spoiler free synopsis of the book first followed by my thoughts and criticism, but note that this is an endeavor for a reason. I have now explained this novel in depth to two different people, and both times I have found myself completely and irrevocably stuck on how to even begin, let alone end.
With that forewarning, here we go.
The novel surrounds a single mother and her young son moving to a small Pennsylvania town in order to escape the tragedies of their past that include the passing of her husband and her current abusive boyfriend.
However, while things in their new home start out well-they find solutions to unemployment, poverty, the son’s dyslexia, etc, things start to go awry when Christopher, the son, is lured into the Mission Street Woods at the edge of town by a voice only he seems to be able to hear.
As Christopher continues to listen to the voice in the form of a cloud, or a plastic bag, or even inside of his mind, he starts recruiting his friends to build a treehouse in the woods that will transport him to a different time and place.
The voice, lovingly called the Nice Man, instructs him to finish the tree house by Christmas Day.
Or else everyone will die.
As Christopher struggles with newfound powers and responsibilities, coping with two different worlds, his mother struggles with her son’s sanity, the town struggles with anger, blame, and temptation, and what follows is the chaotic descent of a small town into the throes of good versus evil, love and loss, and most importantly, trying to differentiate what is real versus what is imaginary.
In the simplest terms possible (a facetious statement if there ever was one), I thought this was going to be a thriller mystery book about a single mother and her young seven-year-old son Christopher leaving their home and her abhorrent abusive boyfriend in order to start a new life with hope and potential.
And it….is?
But it doesn’t stop there. Chbosky crams so many genres, themes, motifs, and messages into this book that when you think about it, it’s unsurprising that it’s over 700 pages long with the tiniest, most miniscule font I have ever had to squint at.
However, make no mistakes like I did, this book is horror.
Yup. You read that right folks, horror.
To preface, and I might have mentioned this in another post for another book at some point, but I vehemently dislike horror of any kind. This extends to books, movies, shows, etc.
I understand that horror is a great joy and pleasure for a vast amount of people and that it contains its own literary merit, tropes, and rules, and I can appreciate that for what it is from afar, but I personally take very little enjoyment from consuming anything horror related (I apologize to all the Stephen King fans out there in the world).
I did not fully realize the extent to which this book was a true horror.
This is entirely my own fault. I was very much blinded by the rosy colored glasses from college when I first read The Perks of Being a Wallflower, Chbosky’s first and only other novel.
Perks is wonderful. It is a tragic, yet fundamentally hopeful and loving bildungsroman that shows the beauty and the pain of growing up and accepting yourself. The movie with Emma Watson is what dreams are made of.
I committed author fraud when I picked up Imaginary Friend based on the pure speculation that I would most likely like it since he had written Perks, a book I adored as both a reader and a teacher.
I’ve warned readers against this in the past, but it seems like I should have taken my own advice: just because an author has written one good book or one book you like, does not automatically mean you will like their second book, or any of their other books for that matter.
This cannot possibly ring more true for Stephen Chbosky, as not only are his two books completely different in narrative and structure, but also vastly different in genre and purpose.
I should have stuck with my gut and realized that I probably wouldn’t like this book based off the synopsis, the genre, and yes, even the cover (it looks scary to me, okay?), but I said noooooo, it’s Chbosky, you have to read it!
And this is where we ended up.
First of all, I didn’t hate the book.
I can recognize that it is extremely well written, well crafted, and well developed. I can enjoy a slew of characters, and oh boy are there a multitude to pick from, and I can give credit where credit is due.
Chbosky is a talented writer. There is no doubt in my mind about this. The way he crafts words, the way he plays with texture and space, and with fonts and sizes, is nothing less of sheer brilliance.
He undoubtedly is also masterful at motifs, foreshadowing, and symbolism. Notably, there were so many recurring objects, colors, metaphors, and so on that were sprinkled out so consecutively and intentionally throughout the novel-some I didn’t even pick up until the end-that I was left reeling from how immensely talented and brilliant he is.
Things like his use of baby teeth, blue moon, and fogs/clouds/mist struck me in particular. I know this seems like gibberish, but Chbosky truly came across as understanding what he wanted to portray and how he wanted to deliver it.
However, the biggest compliment I can give to Chbosky is the sheer magnitude of his imagination and creativity. This book almost overwhelmed me through the use of ideas and concepts I had never really thought of before.
Alternate dimensions? Check.
Supernatural powers? Check.
Incredible use of diction and figurative language? Check and check.
Chbosky had so many wild and tantalizing beautiful turns of phrases, expressions, and descriptions that it left me with the same sort of gasping epiphany that Maggie Steifvater’s writing always leaves me with, the feelings that writing can be so utterly beautiful and compelling, that it can be all-consuming as well as never ending with its potential to stun, to create, and to warp to unique needs and purposes.
It definitely was a reading experience quite like any other I’ve had.
Be that because of the horror genre or because of Chbosky’s odd, yet addicting writing style and this has definitely become a book that left me more than a bit dumbfounded. Although I’ve sung its praises and admitted to my own faults at this point, this book isn’t without flaws.
To me the horror genre itself is just not my cup of tea like I’ve stated. Strike number one.
Second, the book was...abysmally long. Atrociously long. As I’ve also said before, I do not mind large books. In fact, big books when you’re reading something you love is a true blessing. Finding that fanfiction at 3am that hooks you immediately and you look up to see its 300k? Amazing.
Starting a new book series that you fall in love with body and soul and realize you have several installments left in the series to gorge and devour? Ecstasy.
Sloughing through a single book that starts to drag on and on repetitiously for what seems like forever? Borderline hell.
This book could have been 300 pages shorter and still contained everything Chbosky wanted to accomplish. It could have had the same brilliant writing, messages, and motifs, but without all of the never-ending back and forth between worlds and battles that just kept popping up time and time again. The abominable length considering its content is strike two.
Last, the ending was a bit of a cluster. At this point in the novel, so much is going on, you are being exposed to so many pov’s that it’s almost stress-inducing, and events taking place are cataclysmic and 10/10 on drama. Chbosky bit off more than he could chew here.
The book choked itself at the end, which, after reading for 700 pages is not the feeling you want to have. The ending left me befuddled, disappointed, and also bereft of a conclusive end and explanation for the shitstorm that had just rained down. It was not the ending I wanted, could understand, or could even really grasp. Strike three.
This book has a plethora of merits followed by three enormous criticisms. If you like horror, then you’ve already crossed hurdle number one. If you can accept it’s repellant length (let alone have days upon days of free time to actually ingest said behemoth) then that’s hurdle number two.
Hurdle three is up to you. Perhaps you would like the ending where as I found it lacking in structure, content, and answers. I like my endings tied up with neat little bows. I don’t like to be left thinking...hmmmm what does this mean?
If I am going to read your massive book, I deserve an ending that satisfies the journey. Authors telling readers that it’s up for interpretation makes me want to strangle something. It comes across as enormously pretentious to me and oftentimes lazy.
In the case of Chbosky, I think he had given himself so many loose threads that the neat little bow I desired was next to impossible.
So he didn’t even try.
Score: 6/10
Recommendation: If you love The Shining, are lacking bouts of creativity and imagination, have lots of free time during Quarantine, and don’t mind having an Inception-esque ending where you might not get all the answers you want, while being tasked with concocting it for yourself, Imaginary Friend might be your new best friend.
Bonus: Here’s a pic of my kitty photo bombing this book shoot. Hope she brightens your day!
#imaginary friend#stephen chbosky#perks of being a wallflower#horror#horror book#stephen king#the shining#literature#books#book blog#book review#book rec#Book Recommendations#book reflection#book analysis#popular fiction#top books#booklover#book
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Favorite Fics: Drarry Edition
Like I mentioned last time, reading has been a big comfort to me with all this craziness and sheltering at home, so I want to pay it forward and send love to some of the writers whose work has been brightening my quarantine. Thanks, guys!
For this list, we’re leaving the MCU for a while and heading over to the Wizarding World. I liked Harry Potter when it came out, but I never really read much fanfic until I realized a couple of years ago how much a redeemed Draco fit into the redemption trope that I loved in Harringrove, LoVe, SnowBaz, and other fandoms and ships. Once I started perusing the fics out there, I realized that one of the strengths of this fandom is the length and quality of the stories. I love stories that are a meal, and Drarry provides so many!
As I’ve gotten into the ship (so many years late, lol), these are my top 10 favorites.
dirtynumbangelboy by @magpiefngrl
This is probably the Drarry fic that I most enjoy. I come back to it fairly often when I need just a good read in the HP world. Fake dating is one of my absolute favorite tropes, which made this one an automatic win for me, but it’s written with such heart. I really, really love Draco in this fic. His uni studies and his flat being so different from the diffident image he projects. This is also probably the best Astoria I’ve ever read. Also--Jam Today! Read it now!
Do It All Over Again by DracoWillHearAboutThis
I only discovered this series earlier this year, and I’ve already read it at least three times from beginning to end. It’s a re-telling of the original series starting from Book 1. Draco sends himself a letter from the future basically saying that his dad is wrong, and he needs to give up his pure blood ideals and befriend Harry, then--boom--the Golden Trio’s adventures all happen with Draco in tow (and eventual romance, of course). The plot is fairly similar to the actual series, but I am there for the angst and the character growth. Narcissa kicks ass in this ‘verse, and Draco/Hermionie as besties is a treat! Book 4 and Book 6 are both amazing. And her titles are hilarious. This is the only series on my list that is still a WIP, but there’s plenty to read. Books 1 - 6 are complete, and a new chapter for 7 comes out every two weeks. It’s a safe bet so far, and it’s so good--why wait?
A Secondary Education by Thunderbird587
In this fic, Draco takes a job as Potions Professor at Hogwarts after getting divorced under horrible circumstances and renews his acquaintance with Harry, who is the DADA Professor. It’s got a bisexual awakening, and manages to combine friends with benefits with some supreme pining. Like a whole pine forest. Thunderbird587′s Draco POV is so fleshed out, and yet it also lets us see how Harry is pining, even when Draco himself doesn’t. Plus, at over 200K, it is long enough to get lost in for ages, which is perfect right about now. And when you finish the main fic, there are three other ancillary fics, two in Harry’s POV that take place during the main one. The cufflinks one is my favorite, but the writing is so good that I even thoroughly enjoyed the third sub-fic that fleshed out an OC. So, so worth the read--all of it!
The Foundations!verse by Saras_Girl
All of the fics by Saras_Girl are great. You can’t go wrong with any of them. But Reparations, Foundations, and all the little one-shots after are my favorite. It honestly surprised me at first, because alcoholism is a trigger for me, but this fic actually helped me realize that it’s the addiction part, the fall to rock bottom that triggers me. Recovery stories are different. And, I guess, this one is a bit different in that, though it has plenty of characters recovering, Draco himself is actually in a healthy place and facilitating recovery without relapsing. Harry is a Healer in this one, which is not the usual, and I quite enjoy his other relationships in this ‘verse, as well. He, Ron, and Hermione’s friendship is great in this one (their pub nights crack me up), but I also really like Harry’s friends at St. Mungo’s. My second favorite Terry Boot ever, and two awesome OC chicks. And the process of Drarry going from can’t stand each other to in love is slow and prickly and yet really believable. Oh, and Harry and Narcissa’s relationship in this one is just fabulous.
Golden Age by zeitgeistic (faire_weather)
The Hufflepuff in me was bound to fall in love with this fic. I really enjoy Eighth Year fics, especially the ones that embrace inter-house unity (shouldn’t have taken them a war to see the need for that!). This one takes it to a new level when everyone in... I think it was 6th - 8th years were resorted at the welcome feast, and the whole 8th year dynamic is shaken up. Harry, Draco and Neville become Hufflepuffs; Hermione and Pansy become Ravenclaws; Ginny becomes a Slytherin; and somehow Ron and Blaise are the ones who stay in their houses because the hat thinks they are basically the uber Gryffindor and Slytherin. But with the rest of them, we get to see them embrace other facets of their personalities, which is super interesting. And then, after the resorting, we find out that Hufflepuffs have a whole different world going on that basically no one outside their house knows about, and that world is brilliant. Even Hufflepuff food in the Great Hall is different! Everyone would enjoy this story, I think, but if you are a ‘Puff, you really, truly should not miss it. And if you like this one, check out some of zeitgeistic’s other works. Her world building is fabulous.
Life skills outside the curriculum by Endrina
In this fic, Harry gets fed up with the Dursleys before his 11th birthday and runs away before he gets his Hogwarts letter. He ends up on the streets and somehow embraces this kind of instinctual magic that is really fascinating. A few years later, Draco runs away rather than get involved more closely with the Dark Lord, and of course they meet up. This whole fic is super compelling. Harry’s world view and the way people gravitate toward him even without chosen one status. Also, this fic has one of my favorite versions of Remus and Sirius ever. I really wish there was a part two that went in depth on everything that happened after the end of this one, but even on its own it is so worth the read. And everything is wrapped up. I’m just greedy and would’ve loved more. :-)
A Convenient Impracticality by @firethesound
This fic combines friends with benefits and fake dating into a really enjoyable story. Harry is so oblivious, but it all works out in the end. And Draco is a secret mastermind, but in a good way. So is Hermione. Unlike some of the other, angstier stories on my list, this one is so fun, and I love it. And if you like it, check out more of firethesound’s work, as well. It’s worth it!
you’ve got the antidote for me by kandakicksass
And then, back on the angst train, lol. Soulmates, red string of fate, rejected bond = terminal disease. Whew! There’s a lot to unpack in this one, but after I read it, I never forgot it. I read a lot of fic in a lot of fandoms, and I always know a story is going to become a favorite if it stands out so much that I remember it later and think about it. That surely happened here.
(We’ll Call This Fixer-Upper) Home by phdmama
This is one of the first fics I read on my first Drarry binge, and I’ve always remembered it. Just like I love Eighth Year and Hogwarts professor fics, I also love fics where they have really unexpected jobs--pretty much anything other than Aurors. In this one, Harry is an artist/photographer and Draco is an up-and-coming rock star. The music and art, the creativity is important in this fic, but it also really looks at Draco’s recovery after the war in ways I haven’t read since, and I’m also a sucker for our favorite characters actually addressing and recovering from their trauma.
Boom Clap (The Sound of My Heart) by @femmequixotic and noeon (noe)
This fic takes the Eighth Year trope to the next level. Draco, Harry, Hermione, and some other faves are teaching fellows at Hogwarts. Junior professors, kind of. It read like if the HP crew went to college. And, of course, Draco and Harry fall in love along the way, but not without much angst and obliviousness. I really enjoy the Draco POV in this. His worries and anxieties feel so real for that stage in his life, but amped up because of the past. This was one I read, never forgot, and then had to go back and find so i could read it again.
So, those are my top 10, but there is lots of other good Drarry out there--both from these authors and all the others in the ship and the fandom. Thanks for all the writing you guys do.
Oh, and tagging @virtual-insomnia, but only because she said she might want to make some quarantine fic lists of her own. :-)
#drarry#fanfic rec#fanfic#reading#highly recommend#harry x draco#draco malfoy#harry potter#quarantine reads#thanks for writing these fics
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Summer Book Sprint!
I've mostly moved into my tiny house, but my wifi situation is not quite stable yet. So, instead of constantly streaming podcasts and shows (I got back into CR for EXU only to lose it again...) I've read more books this week than I have for all of 2020!
I feel like documenting this unusual productivity. So, here's what we've got so far. I started light with a fantasy/historical fiction and then a whole deluge of modern romcoms.
For each book I am recording:
a) how many times did I cry?
b) how queer is the story?
c) was I compelled to be a goblin and stay up way too late or read at work when I should have been doing other down-time tasks like shelfreading the DVDs?
d) overall rating out of 11 stars
and e) do I recommend it and to whom?
Titles and ratings under the cut, so I don't decimate anyone's dash.
Written in the Stars by Alexandria Bellefleur
A cotton candy read, sweet and fluffy, quick and impermanent. Definitely fun, but this one didn't leave much of an impression on me tbh. Very online humor from Elle, I've definitely seen some of her jokes before as tumblr posts, and that didn't super work for me. It did manage to make me invested in reading about characters solving an escape room, so kudos there. I was excited by the blurbs calling it gay modern Pride & Prejudice..... it is NOT that, but it is good at what it is!
Times Cried: 2. It does a good job of getting into the heads of the POV characters, and I definitely was rooting for them.
Was It Queer: Yeah!
Was I A Goblin: Not really. I was able to keep it in my bag until my lunch break without much issue.
Overall: 6 stars out of 11. Fun, sexy, sweet, quickly over. Cotton candy, whipped cream, you get it.
I'd recommend this to readers who: Think naming a character Darcy makes this a modern Pride & Prejudice?? (that is, like Darcy's roiling sexual frustration under his uptight demeanor more than his feudal land-lording skills). Were very online in 2015, but in a Pintrest way. Want a tall girl to make a spreadsheet and fuck them on it.
The Ex Talk by Rachel Lynn Solomon
I have Very Strong Opinions about my local NPR affiliate, so this was very fun for me. The sexist boss stuff was a little heavy-handed, and the Orcas Island bit and The Confession felt contrived enough to take me out of the story a little, but the characters were so well-built and compelling that I stuck it out for them.
Times Cried: 1, but I did laugh a lot.
Was It Queer: No.
Was I A Goblin: Yes, I was almost late back from my lunch break because I had to read another chapter.
Overall: 7 out of 11 stars. Clever setting, strong main characters, truly funny dialog.
I'd recommend this to readers who: Would love to listen to a podcast about two exes giving relationship advice in real life. Love a good old-fashioned sexist man gets his comeuppance storyline. Have been personally victimized by public radio donation drives.
The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by V. E. Schwab
Best book I read this week. Really well-handled magic that is revealed and explored in a very engaging way. I did think it was sort of silly that a practically immortal character would stay only in Europe/the US for 300 years, many of which had international flight, but that's more of a nitpick than a true plot hole.
Times Cried: A chart-topping 7!
Was It Queer: While both of the main characters are bi/pan, and there are a number of queer supporting characters..... the story does not feel very queer to me. It doesn't explore queerness or queer topics, it's just about characters who are queer. There were some missed chances, I guess, especially in the gender department.
Was I A Goblin: I didn't even have a chance to take this to work, because I read it all in one sitting and went to bed after 1 because I couldn't put it down. Peak goblin behavior.
Overall: 9 stars out of 11. Engaging, mysterious, interesting world and compelling characters.
I'd recommend this to readers who: Want art history courses that are just juicy gossip about the lives of Renaissance painters. Think lawyers are sexy when they find loopholes in copyright contracts. Are monsterfuckers but in the straight way, where they love an attractive white man who sometimes turns into smoke and mostly because they want to be special to him when he's Capital E Evil to everyone else.
Red, White, and Royal Blue by Casey McQuinston
Turns out, books that get fantastic ratings from both big-name publications and the bookblrs I follow tend to be very good! A great cast of characters, heart-string pulling love letters, dramatic speeches... this has got it all.
Times Cried: 4. Add Henry to the list of fictional characters I need to hug and make hot cocoa for.
Was It Queer: Hell yeah!
Was I A Goblin: Oh, absolutely.
Overall: 9 out of 11 stars. Honestly just a joy to read. Engaging start, darling middle, uplifting end.
I'd recommend this to readers who: Think West Wing should get a sexy reboot with a younger, queerer cast. Appreciate the value of an annotated bibliography when sexting. Love a good supportive sibling dynamic.
First Comes Like by Alisha Rai
This fake-dating drama just keeps escalating, but in an authentic and easy way. The side characters feel a little under-utilized, but only because there's so many and each one is interesting.
Times Cried: 1. Mostly I was having too good a time!
Was It Queer: Not as a focus.
Was I A Goblin: Yes indeed.
Overall: 7 out of 11 stars. Funny, fast-paced and full of twists.
I'd recommend this to readers who: Think the sexiest things a man can do are respect women and be a good dad. Loves sisters loving sisters. Figure if they've dug themselves a hole, they might as well keep going till they hit gold.
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what's your writing process like? do you plot things out beforehand? or do you sort of write it as it comes? a mix of both?
Depends on what I'm writing!
In general I'm a planner. I can't write from a blank page, unless I'm just like... really really captivated by whatever I'm writing, which was what happened with the first chapters of both The Art of Living Your (Second) Life and The Partnership Plan.
a) In general, if it's a fanfiction I'm writing, I tend to build the plan as I write - meaning, oftentimes I'll be inspired to write the first chapter, and I'll write that with little idea what the rest of it will be. Or, even if I have an idea what the rest will be, it's more of a vague skeleton than a full plan. And then, as I continue to write, I think more about where the story is going and I continuously add to and refine my plan kind of alongside the actual writing. In this way, the plan grows at the same time that the actual chapters do - but because the chapters take significantly longer to write than planning does, the plan outpaces the "real" writing and I usually know the basic story arc from fairly early on. Then it's just a matter of fleshing it out, adding detail, writing down scenes I thought of, etc. And then when I get to that point in the actual writing, I have a framework in place already.
-_-_-
b) Sometimes for fanfic, I have a more complete plan upfront - although I use "complete" here to mean "from beginning to end," not "completely detailed." So, more like a full skeleton than a full body, if that makes sense. I did that with Roll for Strength. What usually happens is that my plan will look something like...
...
Chapter One
-Will suspects Mike has a girlfriend and is kind of put out about it but thinks he's over Mike so he tells himself he doesn't care
-Will walks in on Mike and his BF (name??) and has a crisis (they don't see Will, so Will knows about Mike but Mike doesn't know that Will knows)
-Will might get off to that later, guiltily? (Or move to chapter two)
Chapter Two
-Do Mike's POV to tell about how he ended up dating a guy, how he got very disillusioned with the world after canon events and got into a "fuck it, the rules don't matter and I hate them anyway" mentality, which eventually snowballed into him kind of realizing and accepting his sexuality earlier than usual fanon
-Also introduce BF (name??) in a scene
-Set time and place - season should set the mood if not already mentioned in Ch 1
-Maybe also do BF's POV briefly to introduce him?? Or leave that for later
...
Etc.
And that's the original skeleton plan. And then it gets expanded upon more and more and more as I continue to think about the story, sometimes even with full pages' worth of unbroken text blocks as I get inspired and start basically thought-vomiting an entire scene. So by the time I get around to actually writing it, it might look like the above, or it might be a few steps shy of an actual draft already, depending on how much I've thought about / worked on that part.
See #5 in this writing advice post to see what I mean about a "thought vomit" draft.
-_-_-
c) Here's the thing - the above was for fanfic, or for short stories, or stories that I'm just kind of having fun with.
For original stuff, I adhere much more tightly to the "rules," because the guidelines for original work (that you might try to publish in the actual publishing market) are much stricter - and for good reason! Fanfiction is a sandbox, and we're all invested in the characters and worlds and settings already. We're all reading and writing fanfic because we already love these characters and this world, and we just want to play in it.
It's a different situation with original novels that you hope to publish. The plot, pacing, tension, and story beats have to be much, much tighter and more polished. Because people reading original work have no prior reason to be invested in it or care what happens - that's work that you have to do. For fanfic, that work was done for you by the original thing. Not to mention, the publishing world is so absolutely choked with competition, and the emphasis lies so heavily on sales, that if your book isn't fucking top-tier compelling, no publisher or agent will take a second look at it. Which is kind of unfortunate, because there's value in slower, more relaxed, more reflective storytelling, too - it's just not what capitalism has decided to value, which is sad.
But anyway.
When writing an original thing, I basically need a full plan - beginning to end, covering all plot points. Not necessarily all the details, just all the plot points - I need a skeleton and I need connective tissue. The rest comes later. But to start, I need to know what happens, why, and how the characters get from event to event. I need to know the physical story events, the emotional beats, and how those things logically flow throughout the story.
Some people can write without this and it still turns into a compelling story, tight narrative, etc. I envy these people. I have all respect for these people. I cannot do this. If I write original work with no plan, and especially without at least like 50-75% of a plan, I end up with something slow, meandering, and kind of limp. No bueno.
So, I usually use a beat sheet.
What's a beat sheet?
It's a 15-beat plotting structure used by screenwriters. And, yeah, technically it's for movies / screenplays. But storytelling is storytelling. And it's highly flexible. (And my favorite professor ever taught it to me in college so you can pry it out of my cold dead hands.)
Google it. It's what I use to make sure my (original work) plots are tight, have momentum, have a satisfying character arc, etc.
Okay, okay, I'll paste the basic structure below just so you can see wtf I'm talking about:
-_-_-
-Act I:
1) The First Frame
-What is the first thing we see? This should be a snapshot of the main character’s problem, before the story begins
-Ex: the Star Destroyer in A New Hope
2) The World Around Us
-What is the main character’s world like at the beginning of the story?
-What is missing in the main character’s life?
3) State the Theme (sneak this into The World Around Us)
-What is the story secretly about? This should happen during The World Around Us
4) Inciting Incident (smol tentpole)
-What happens to put the hero on the road? This is where the hero’s life changes forever.
5) The Hero Questions
-1st introspective moment
-Can the hero really do this? Should the hero chicken out?
-Oftentimes the hero fails at something
-Ex: Luke gets his ass beat by the raiders
-Act II:
6) Crossing the Threshold / The Emotional Hurdle (big tentpole)
-The main character makes a choice
-Beginning of Act II
7) The B Story / The Love Story
-Introduced here
-Often but not always a love story
8) Promise of the Premise
-Fun and games in the world you promised
-Horror movie? Creeps here!
-Sci fi? Space battles!
-Animation? Shenanigans!
9) Midpoint (big tentpole)
-The hero finds out that what they want is not what they need
-Luke rescues the princess - turns out that’s not really what the story was about
10) Bad Guys Close In / Throwing Rocks
-Events conspire to tear the hero’s goal to shreds
-Wesley is mostly dead, Inego is drunk, Fezzick is part of the brute squad
-This is the other side of the fun and games coin where things are no longer fun
11) All is Lost
-Something super bad happens, and that goal is impossible
-If someone important is gonna die, it’s probably now
12) The Pit of Despair (smol tentpole)
-The hero mourns the death (if someone died) and wallows in his/her lowest point
13) Inspiration
-A fresh idea
-Act III:
14) Come and Get Some / Final Confrontation (big tentpole)
-The final confrontation - the final showdown
-A and B stories wrapping up at the same time
-The theme makes sense and the battle is engaged
15) Final Frame
-Opposite of the first frame
-The hero is changed
-_-_-
It's what I use. But hey, you don't have to. What works for me might not work for you.
I'll finish this off by pasting in a section of actual real-ass planning I have open in a document for one of my novels at this moment (it's giving me the evil eye, I swear) so you can see what I kind of mean by "thought vomiting." Also note that in my actual document, the bullet points are indented incrementally to be kind of "nestled" underneath the relevant points, if that makes sense, and that it's a whole eye-watering mess of different colors. But for Tumblr, it's this:
-_-_-
-You have to be rescued by the rest of the team, because you fell down that hole - and you are, eventually, after screaming yourself hoarse some more (plus it’s been like an hour or more now, so they have since noticed that you were missing)
-I could gloss over this, like end the chapter when you run away, and open the next one with “It takes another half hour of screaming your throat nearly bloody before the team finds you,” or something
-They berate you for chasing after ghosts - you say you didn’t find anyone down there, because you know for damn sure nobody’s gonna believe what you think you saw, and you don’t even think you believe it
-This leads to a trip to the local doctor (a clinic, probs, akin to UrgentCare), which you’re not happy with because that’s more people taking notice of you
-However, you’re also going through the change in mindset here - see below
-Note: I as the writer don’t have to worry about the paperwork or whatever that you’d normally have to fill out, getting hurt on the job, because you weren’t officially hired - however, it would be a good “humanity is okay” moment if the guy who hired you came in and helped you with the medical expenses because he felt bad - he’d also probably be a little nervous about you suing or something, but you assure him that you have zero interest in that
-I could include a funny line where the guy says he’ll pay for your doctor bill and you try to say no (being indebted to someone is bad news for you) but he insists, because he says he feels responsible, and you just kind of stare at him and then blurt, “Do you need me to kill anyone for you?” (Something you probably regret as soon as you say it, not because you expect him to accept but because you abruptly remember what happened two days ago.) (Would it be too much to also add like “You want me to murder anyone for you? You want a blowjob? I will do anything,” and he gets flustered and bats it off like “Nah, nah, nah, chill out. You’re crazy, man.” And insists that you don’t need to pay him back)
-Here’s a decision I have to make - does the guy pay for your doctor bills as well as paying for your work today (leaving you enough money to potentially split town, but you decide not to), or do you have to pay the $2,500+ in doctor bills with no insurance for the injury, which raises the stakes by depleting all your money?
-I think I like Option A best, because it gives Sam more agency as a character if they decide to stay despite having the option to leave, versus them just being stuck completely - plus I don’t know how else I’d be able to explain away you having money for the hotel
-The guy who hired you pays you for the work day here - and maybe, just maybe, that gives you barely enough to buy that used car (although, why would it? It couldn’t have been more than like $200 for 8 hours of work, maybe $300 if he was really really desperate - if it was a really cheap used car, that might give you barely enough to buy the car but literally nothing left over)
-Point being, maybe you have enough money to bolt now, if you chose to - and you have to make the choice not to
-The car you found might be a $1,500 Honda Civic (or Jeep or whatever) with a dead battery, and the guy selling it says it should run fine with a new battery, which you Google (apparently it would be somewhere in the range of $100-$200) - maybe you think of how nice the mechanic was for you and wonder if you could cut a bit of a deal with him, if you get this car - and if the guy pays for your trip to the doctor and pays you for the temp work, this could just tip you into the margin of being able to afford the car, if you haggle with the seller
-_-_-
Or another example, with more actual sentences:
-_-_-
-As you approach the trailer you start to register a smell that turns your stomach - something like a porta potty and something like the sharp tang of rusting metal. It makes you pause - maybe there really is someone in there, using the place to live whether there’s a sewage hookup or not - it wouldn’t be the weirdest thing you’ve heard of. But after standing for a bit, silent and listening, and then hiding behind a large tree to chuck a rock at the vehicle to no response, you continue forward. You’ll just have to be cautious. Your spirits lift when you see the door. It’s completely grown over. (Leafy vines lace over it, tangling in the handle, yellowing and unbroken. If someone is living in there, they’ve been using the window to come and go, and that doesn’t seem all too likely. Bolstered by a new swell of confidence, and picturing the unlikely riches you might find stashed away in a cabinet or a glove compartment, you cross the last few feet towards the shape.
-You find the body and recognize it as one of the two obnoxious vlogging dudes from the motel
-I’m kind of imagining the moment of discovery like the wardrobe moment in Narnia where, during your nice forest trek, there’s been some pleasant acoustic music playing (like All the Pretty Girls by Kaleo maybe) and then it just stops abruptly in the middle of a phrase, maybe echoing slightly, when you see the body, and all at once everything is sickly silent.
-Oh dude, maybe you continue thinking it’s a duffel bag (possibly feeling pretty upbeat, though cautious until you’re literally about to step over it, and then you happen to glance down and get a sickening, chest-slamming shock when an empty human face is staring up at you
-Note: there should be mushrooms growing in, on and around the RV, because mushrooms are Creepy
-You go to investigate the RV
-Maybe you recognized the body as one of the vloggers and you’re trying to see if his friend is around - or maybe, in a kind of sick daze, you short circuit and find yourself doing the only thing you can think to do: continuing along your trajectory, stumbling towards the RV and tearing the rusted-out door free from the lattice of brittle vines that held it in place (this is what alerts The Dude that someone has been here), like if you just get to your original goal that’ll fix everything - somehow, if you just keep moving forward on the track you set out on, that thing won’t be real anymore - at the very least you have to get inside, to put a door between you and the body, like you’re pulling the blankets over your head to shield yourself from the boogeyman. Just as long as you’re not out there with, with...
-_-_-
Anywho, I'll stop.
I apologize again for... (scrolls up for a million miles) all of that, but you asked me about my passion and now you pay the price, lmao.
#asks#anon#writing#writing advice#i guess?#my writing#thought vomit draft#also you get a sneak peek at The Vanishing Day I guess lmao
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Personal Recommendation (3/14/21)
Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo
Why am I recommending this book?
I’ve already read Bardugo’s Six of Crows series, but I wanted to read Shadow and Bone before the tv series came out. I’d heard it wasn’t very good, but I was pleasantly surprised.
Want something short and sweet? Check out my tiktok
Plot 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
Set in a eastern European-influenced kingdom known as Ravka, Alina Starkov, a mapmaker, awakens a legendary power within herself. After a failed attempt at crossing the Shadow Fold, a rift of shadow and monsters that cuts Ravka in two, it is revealed that Alina has the power to summon light. She is then taken by the Darkling, the mysterious commander of the Grisha, magic-using soldiers, in an attempt to train her to use her power to destroy the Shadow Fold once and for all. Unfortunately, spies from Shu Han and assassins from Fjerda aren’t the only things that stand in the way.
This is a good, classic YA book. An unwilling savior of the world must step up despite her insecurities. It really isn’t anything original. However, despite the cookie cutter plot, it’s executed very well. The pacing is good, and the characters really help to flesh it all out. All in all, there isn’t much to say about the plot. Most of what I noticed had to do with the characters.
(Spoiler) The best thing about the plot was that at the end Alina and Mal didn’t decide to take a stand and fight for what’s right. They’re teenagers, so they made the decision scared teenagers would make. They ran. And I loved it. (End Spoiler)
Characters 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
Despite the tropey writing, Alina stood out to me. Most YA main characters in these sorts of books are sort of bland in an effort to appeal to a wide audience, but I didn’t get that from Alina. I wouldn’t say she had a clearly defined personality, but I think that’s because she hasn’t decided who she is yet. Is she an unassuming mapmaker? Is she an insecure new Grisha? Or is she the powerful, confident Sun Summoner? She cares for those close to her, and she works hard at everything she does, but I don’t think Alina has become her own person yet. Most of her decisions throughout the book are influenced by other people like Mal, Genya, and the Darkling. She bases her choices on what will help them or save them or defeat them, not what she wants or strives for. There’s a flash of it at the end there, when she decides she wants Mal and her alive and free despite what it could mean for everyone else. I can’t wait to see her develop in the later books.
The Darkling. There’s a lot to unpack there. I, as an avid YA reader, was always wary of the brooding, handsome, older, and much more powerful character. I know his and Alina’s relationship is very popular, but I have to admit that every time they had a romantic interaction I felt sick. The Darkling is a good character because I’m horribly curious about him and his past. However, I can’t bring myself to genuinely like him. To put it simply, his interactions with the other characters and the way his actions drive the plot forward, it’s all very compelling, but I would never read a Darkling-focused book.
I can’t say much about Mal at this point in time because he’s only there for about a quarter of the book. I think he’s very sweet, and I love his devotion to Alina, but I don’t really know much about him as a person. However, I do have my suspicions about his unnaturally good tracking...
Finally, Genya is the best character in terms of writing. She’s interesting, and I have no problems sympathizing with her. Her treatment at the Little Palace actually infuriated me, her power and status are unusual and intriguing, and totally get why she took the side she did. I only hope that in the later books she’ll change her mind. I get the feeling she will, based on her explanation to Alina, so I look forward to how that will come about.
Writing Style 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
There aren’t a whole lot of distinct qualities in the writing style. In comparison to Six of Crows, I would say it feels a bit more inexperienced, which makes sense. I do wish that there had been some POV changes at certain points, but that may just be because I love reading from multiple perspectives. I did really like the beginning and ending chapters where it’s told from third person with no names used. I haven’t quite figured out if it means something or if it’s just a stylistic choice.
Overall 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
Shadow and Bone is a wonderfully average YA book. The plot is absolutely predictable, but the characters are well-written and very interesting. Alina, despite seeming like the usual blank slate YA protagonist, has a unique sort of character development, and I found her much more compelling than I expected. I am happily reading the next book now; it caught my attention enough for me to continue. Keep in mind, you must read all three books for this one as there are no pretty wrap-ups at the end of the books. I would recommend this book to people who like fantasy, chosen one stories, and mildly technologically advanced settings.
The Author
Leigh Bardugo: 45, American, also wrote Six of Crows, King of Scars, and Ninth House
The Reviewer
My name is Wonderose; I try to post a review every two weeks, and I take recommendations. Check out my about me post for more!
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