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askundeadbluelesbians · 3 years

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17!

Describe or write a really fluffy scene!

Book Club for Two

OTP Ask Game here!

Vicky was waiting in the library, rereading before this session of book club was set to begin. Oz had called out sick earlier that day and thus couldn’t attend. This meant that for the next forty minutes after the final bell rang for the day, she and Polly Geist would be… alone.

Why was she nervous? She knew Oz liked her and her and Damien… well, her and Damien are kinda complicated right now, but still, she shouldn’t feel nervous. Besides, she and Oz have been a two-member club since its inception back in Freshman year. This shouldn’t be a nerve-wracking issue.

… So why is it when it comes to Polly? Vicky’s thoughts were interrupted when she head the familiar sound of entire bookshelves rattling as they were being phased through, all the quicker for Polly to reach their little nook in the library.

“Hey, Boo~!” Polly greeted, sitting down in the chair next to Vicky. “Where’s Oz?”

“He’s sick. Some sort of Fear Flu or something,” Vicky answered. “So… I guess it’s just gonna be us this week.” Polly just nodded, trying hard to not smirk in that moment.

“Alright. So, I was thinking that we could try reading another book this week,” Polly suggested.

“Uhh… we’re still not done with the last book yet.”

“I know, I know. However, since it’s just gonna be us girls this week, I figured we get into some real girl talk.” Polly then took out two books, handing one copy to Vicky and keeping the other for herself. Dragon Heat it was called.

“Did… did you plan this?” Vicky asked.

“Eh, I’ve been keeping this in my bag for a while. Waiting for the right opportunity, so to speak,” Polly answered with a giggle.

“So what’s it about?” Vicky asked, observing the hardcover, a pair of Draconian lovers on what appeared to be a ship, one roaring a proud roar as they held a cutlace in his hand, the other embracing them from behind. There was a tagline above the title. “The only thing that burns hotter than the dragon's flame… is his heart.”

“It actually started as a fanfic of… what was it? Alluring Adversity? The author, L.E. Jones, turned it from a dark college romance to a thrilling fantasy adventure erotica. Then she felt the need to publish it and turn everyone into dragons.”

“Oh! I’ve read Alluring Adversity! Honestly, not one of the best romance series I’ve read,” Vicky added.

“Honestly, same. Dragon Heat blows its source material completely out of the fucking water, ironically!” Polly gushed. “Go on; read the first chapter. Tell me what you think.”

“Alright… I’m interested,” Vicky giggled, opening the book herself, reading the first page. Polly just looked on as she did so, watching Vicky’s face gradually shift from one of curiosity to one of intrigue. Polly noticed something right then: that spark. Vicky always had a spark in her eyes.

This girl, so passionate about everything she threw herself into, as far as Polly knew. This girl was on just about every school club here: from International Film to Improv, from Debate to Drama, from Gaming to Gardening, from Anime to Art History, from Foreign Language to Future Engineers… Polly could barely list them all. How does one girl have time for so many extracurriculars?

Maybe it was that same determination that kept her on top of the Honor Roll every year, that kept her GPA at a 5.0 (a rarity for Spooky High students), that allowed her to be an absolutely amazing person to be around… Somehow, despite the fact that she no longer had veins for blood to flow through, Polly felt her face become hot at the thought of this girl in front of her.

What… what was this?! She never felt this way about anyone, not even when she was alive! And yet…

“Uhh… Polly?” Vicky was able to snap Polly out of her trance with her words. Polly just blinked and shook her head.

“Y-Yeah?” she asked. Polly saw a similar blush on Vicky’s cheeks, the book open but face-down. Either she managed to get through Chapter 1 really quickly, or Polly was staring at and thinking about her for a long time. Polly silently reminded herself to drink whatever just came over her away.

“This is good,” Vicky said simply. “I wasn’t expecting a sex scene right out the gate, but… whoa!”

“Now you know what I wanted to bring this just for the two of us?” Polly asked with a smirk, placing her arm around the shorter girl. “Not that I don’t think Oz could handle this, but… let’s be honest: he’d probably faint after reading the first page.”

“H-Hey! … That’s probably true, but hey! Don’t be so mean to Oz…!” Vicky giggled, Polly joining along. These two were especially close now, noses nearly an inch away from each other. Both sat in silence before Vicky gently pried herself away. “So…”

“So?”

“Same time next week? I need to reread the chapter on my own, for a more in depth analysis,” Vicky suggested. Polly had a sneaking suspicion as to what, “a more in depth analysis,” meant, and that suspicion led to a smirk appearing on her face.

“Yeah. Same time next week.” Vicky just got up and sped-walked away, likely to attend one of her countless other clubs. Polly’s smirk only grew wider, having managed to convert another classmate of hers into becoming a fan of the book series she liked.

Still, though, Polly was extra happy for Vicky becoming a fan. Why was that? And why did she seemingly spend the majority of the hour staring at and thinking about her? Eh, nothing a swig of her favorite toilet wine wouldn’t solve. Either she’d come to a realization or she’d forget about it altogether. Either way, it was a win-win.

#Ask the Mods!#Mod Venus #Ask Game #Undead Vignettes #Vicky #Vicky Blue #Vicky Schmidt #Polly #Polly Geist #Vicky x Polly #Vicky Schmidt x Polly Geist

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twittytelly · 4 years

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The Library

Chris Evans x Reader

Disney Drabbles Masterlist

Inspired by

Summary: Chris wants to make your first Christmas living together as special as possible by making a childhood dream come true. All the fluff.

Warnings: The slightest bit of swearing and sexual references.

The first time Chris took you back to his home, you were blown away by how nice it was. Tucked away in a quiet Boston suburb, far from the camera flashes you could see why he preferred to be here over the glare of Los Angles. Inside was clean, crisp and cosy, with the biggest back garden you had ever seen. Even in the dark, you spied a den and a climbing frame. Primarily installed for Chris' niece and nephews, you couldn't help but be tempted to have a go yourself. However, all thoughts of playtime and interior design went out the window when you felt a pair of strong hands squeeze at your waist and a beard brush against your neck. Turning to look into his ocean blue eyes, you couldn't help but surrender yourself to him as he leaned in to press his lips against yours...

A couple of years later, when Chris asked you to move in with him it was a no-brainer. So much so you gave your answer by simply jumping into his arms and kissing him. While there were creases that needed ironing out, the pair of you soon fell into your new routines and homes were found for your belongings. As Chris was taking an extended break from work after back-to-back filming and press, he decided that it was time he started taking carpentry classes like he always said he would and you relished the time to yourself to work on your own personal projects.

However, when the oppressive heat of summer gave way to a cool, freeing autumn breeze Chris started acting strangely. He had asked you to stay out of the small spare bedroom to the right of the master suite and when you enquired why, he simply stated that it was a surprise, raising his eyebrow the way he would when he was up to something.

When Chris had first made his request, you thought it would be for a day or two. But the days turned into weeks and the weeks turned into months. You still had no idea what Chris was up to, but the house regularly echoed with the sounds of sawing, drilling and hammering, and it wasn't even the kind you enjoyed! Once or twice, you gave into your inquisitive nature and tried to steal a glance only to find that Chris had installed a lock on the door. Bastard. Curiosity may have killed the cat, but it was fuelling your frustration.

As time came around to swap the pumpkins for fairy lights, more oddities started occurring. You started misplacing your books, only to find them the next day in the exact same place where you left them. You could have sworn that some of your other belongings had gone missing too but when you had tried enlisting Chris' help... well he was as useful as a chocolate teapot!

You were not planning on spending your first Christmas with Chris' family contemplating murder, but here you were stuck in snowy Boston traffic on Christmas Eve cursing yourself for not being able to resist Chris and his puppy-dog eyes. He had practically begged you this morning when he confessed that he had forgotten to buy the book of fairytales he had promised to get for his niece, but was too busy to get it himself.

“Please Y/N,” he pleaded. “I promise to make it worth your while.”

You began quietly reciting the long list of ways he was going to make it worth your as you finally found a parking space. Fortunately, the first book shop you came across had the exact copy of the book Chris wanted. Relishing in your victory, you decided to tolerate the shoppers who were as idiotic as Christopher and have a quick browse. A good bookshop was your Achilles' heel after all, and there were one or two books that you needed to buy sooner or later.

Chris was waiting for you at the front door when you pulled up on the driveway with a look on his face that aroused suspicion. Before you could think about it too much the air was filled with an excited bark and you felt two paws on your hip. Bending down to greet Dodger you felt any remaining annoyance dissipate. You had barely crossed the threshold before Chris had swept you down the hallway towards your shared bedroom.

“Chris I know you said that you were going to make it up to me, but you could at least give me the chance to put my bags down!”

Chris chuckled shaking his head. “Keep it in your pants Y/N! There won't be any of those shenanigans until later.”

You then realised that you were being led towards the forbidden room. A nervous excitement rushed through you, and you quickly forgotten that you were still in your coat and bobble hat. Were you finally going to be allowed in? Chris suddenly stopped outside the door and you turned to him.

“I want to give you your Christmas present now.” He started sheepishly. “But it's too big to fit under the tree. I need you to trust me and close your eyes.”

Turning back around, you compiled with Chris' request; but apparently you were not to be trusted as you felt Chris' warm, large hand cover your eyes. As he leaned to open the door you felt his hard chest press against your back, as both of you felt Dodger brush past. Taking your free hand in his he guided you inside. Your face, back and hand felt cooler as Chris removed himself from you. But then you sensed his lips millimetres away from your ear.

“Open.”

As you opened your eyes, you couldn't help the gasp that left your lips. Your nostrils were flooded with the scents of fir trees, your favourite festive candle and fresh paint. Looking around the white, bright room you could barely believe what you were seeing.

The walls were lined with bookcases, mostly filled with your books; but with plenty of space for you to add to your collection. To the side sat a desk, where sat your laptop, a small potted Christmas tree and your most treasured trinkets, including your favourite framed photo of you and Chris at the L.A. house just before you left for the Oscars: the blue velvet of his jacket making his eyes pop and the golden yellow of your outfit making your skin glow.

You. Were. Speechless. You had mentioned on an early date that when you were little you wished you had a house that was big enough to have a library in it, but you didn't expect Chris to remember, least of all actually give you one.

“Chris this is incredible, I...” You breathed, trying to find the right words, eyes welling up. “Thank you so much!”

You hadn't realised you were still holding onto your bags until Chris had pried them from your grip. Placing the bags on the desk, he pulled you into a tight bear hug as you allowed the tears to fall. Dragging yourself from the embrace, you brought yourself back towards him and captured his lips in yours. Hoping to convey your gratefulness that could not be described with words. Soon enough you had to tear away from each other in order to breathe. You stole another glance around the room, as if it was about to disappear.

“Did you make all this furniture in your carpentry class?” You asked, still amazed by what was around you. Chris' body started shaking as he tried to suppress his laughter.

“No this was all done by some Swedish guy. But I did make that” he said as he gestured towards the window.

Another gasp left your lips as you saw what you were too overwhelmed to see before. It was the pièce de résistance. On either side of the window stood two bookcases that were connected by a window seat where Dodger was currently lounging. There was more shelving underneath the seat, where Chris had placed your original Harry Potter collection as well as the books that you never got tired of rereading. On the side you saw your Christmas candle burning and you noted that it would be a perfect spot for a mug of tea. You looked out of the window onto the garden. New snowflakes were falling from the sky, blanketing the garden. You imagined looking out to see Chris playing fetch with Dodger, his niece and nephews playing on the play equipment, your future children running about and causing chaos.

“Oh, Chris this is perfect” you started.

“I'm sensing a 'but'.” Chris cautiously interrupted.

“But..” you said making your way back to the desk and fishing through the bags. “Where's the little guy gonna sleep?”

Confusion swept across Chris' face as he looked towards Dodger and back to you. “What do you mean?”

You couldn't hide the smirk that ran across your face as you walked towards him, book in hand. Wordlessly you placed the book into his grasp. You saw his eyes look down at the book and back to you, before doing a double take. You watched his eyes widen as he read the words.

What to Expect When You're Expecting

#Chris Evans #chris evans fan fiction #chris evans fanfic #chris evans fanfiction #chris evans x reader #chris evans x you #chris evans x y/n #Disney #captain america #Steve Rogers #steve rogers fanfiction #beauty and the beast #TwittyTelly writes #disney drabbles #christmas fic

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uncouthulhu · 3 years

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okay, so, long story about something thats literally only important to me, pls just scroll past it, thanks:

i finally went back to my parents house and visited, and on the way back i took with me all the remaining belongings i had at their place, yeah? mostly books, really

and i had been wanting to reread this book i had gotten from a book fair in elementary school, called The Rangers Apprentice, by John Flanagan, so when i got back to my apartment i dug itnout of the mountain of books and reread it.

so i finish the book in like an hour and a half, and then im left with 11 other books in the series that i dont own, and im looking on amazon and finding that the whole set costs around $100, while thrift books etc have each of the books for maybe $3

then i think, ive had Open Library open on a tab on my phone browser for literal months bc i saw a tumblr post about it like, last year. i dont usually read anything other than fanfiction bc im that ex gifted kid type, whatever, you know what im talking about

so i sign up, make an account and search, and find that they seem to have most of the books in the series! yay! so ive soent the last day or so making my way through the first 6 books. some of them you have to re-rent every hour bc they only have one copy, whatever, its a whole thing, not important

im a third of the way through book six, the kids are all grown up and kicking ass, and it occurs to me, these boys, they should kiss?

and then it occurs to me, as it usually will at some point after being sucked into a new (old) hyperfixstion, “Has anyone written fanfiction about this?”

so in a frenzy i go to ao3 and search “rangers apprentice” and the first result is a crossiver fic and i click on the Rangers Apprentice fandom hyperlink and

there are 462 works in this fandom.

so my little gay heart is beating so hard, im about to go apeshit, i click on the filters and out loud i ask “what are the ships?” and lo and behold

45 fics where the boys kiss.

at this point im screaming, filled with this validation thats been waiting for over a decade, im out of my mind—

and thats the end of the story. the universe did me right today, and im fuckin pleased as punch, dude. not that ive gotten this out of my system im gonna go finish the series and then read all 462 fics on ao3, many of them more than once.

#im doing this here so that my friends dont wake up to a literal essay in theirs DMs #this is so long what the fuck #ive been listening to Old Man River on loop the entire time ive been reading this series pls send help #me

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jellybeanbeing · 4 years

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History of My Bookshelf Challenge

Created by the amazing Emmmabooks!

1. The oldest book on your shelf - An Ember in the Ashes by Sabaa Tahir

This is the first physical book I’ve ever gotten and still have. Yes, I only purchased it in 2018 but it’s been about two years so it counts because the other books I have, I got after.

2. A book you read in 2013 (adjust for however many years you like!) - Divergent by Veronica Roth

I’m like, 85% sure I read this in 2013. I think I read it because the movie was coming out and I wanted to read the book first so I could judge the movie, but it’s been like five years and I still haven’t seen it.

3. A book you read in 2014 - Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher

I only remember reading this book during this year because I was sitting at a teacher’s desk when someone came up to me and asked me why I was reading the book when it was going to be required reading in the near future. Other than that, I remember liking the book, but I’m pretty sure I wouldn’t today.

4. A book you read in 2015 - Side Effects May Vary by Julie Murphy

Again, this is one I’m 85% sure I read in 2015. This whole book was a fever dream to me and I kind of want to read it again.

5. A book you read in 2016 - The Fill-In Boyfriend by Kasie West

The one thing that makes me sure I read this in 2016 was because I had made a new friend that year and the characters in the book had the same names as her brothers and I messaged her about it.

6. A book you read in 2017 - A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas

2017 was a good reading year for me. Before 2017, I read a lot of YA romantic contemporaries and I wasn’t going to change that until my friend lent me ACOTAR. I was reluctant at first because fantasy isn’t my favorite genre but I gave it a try and I really liked it. I ended up finishing the series and moving to other popular fantasy and otherworldly books.

7. A book you read in 2018 - The Dark Descent of Elizabeth Frankenstein by Kiersten White

This is the year I finally started tracking the books I read. I read about 52 books this year and I’m choosing this one because my experience with it is a semi-interesting one. So I read Frankenstein in class that year and hated it. Found out this book was coming out and showed it to my English teacher who preceded to buy the book, read it, and lent it to me. Said I would probably like it better than the original (because I was open about my feelings of hatred towards the book in class) and turns out, I did! I loved what Kiersten White did with the story and the characters. I was engaged and actually really cared about the characters.

8. A book you read in 2019 - On the Jellicoe Road by Melina Marchetta

I’m obviously going to talk about this one so here it goes: I honestly don’t know what made me put this book on my TBR but it ended up there somehow (I think Goodreads recommended it to me???? But I’m not too sure). Anyways, I was watching a video from Jessethereader where he deciphers emojis into book titles and one of them was “On the Jellicoe Road” so I took that as a sign to read the book. I read it, was confused for a bit, but then fell head over heels for the story and the characters and everything about it. It’s one of my all-time favorite books now and I’m going to reread it again soon. I’ll try to make a review for it.

9. A book you’ve read more than once - The Raven Boys by Maggie Stievater

Is this a surprise? No. Well, kind of. I’ve only read this book (and series) twice but I’m already planning on rereading it soon and every year after that. It’s my all-time favorite book series and that’s not gonna change for a while. I love the books, I love the characters, I love the story, I LOVE EVERYTHING ABOUT IT. And it’s funny because it took me so long just to read The Raven Boys because I kept DNFing it. I picked it up in 2016, read the first three chapters, put it down, and forgot about it. A couple months after that, I picked it up again, read the first three chapters, and decided this book wasn’t for me. Around 2018, I got the sudden urge to read the books and thought “fuck it, I’m reading it and I’m gonna finish the book.” I finished the series and mildly liked it. I got another sudden urge to read the series again this 2019 year and IT BLEW MY FREAKING MIND WITH HOW GOOD IT WAS. I just have so much appreciation for this book and Maggie Stiefvater now, and I love it.

10. A book you waited over a year to be published - A Reaper at the Gates by Sabaa Tahir

This is honestly the only book I’ve waited over a year to come out. I finished Torch in 2016 and I had to wait until 2018 to read Reaper. It was torture. And it’s still torture because we’re all waiting for Ember 4.

11. A book you read on vacation/away from home - Nectar in a Sieve by Kamala Markandaya

I read this for school and I remember going to California for a dance competition and not having a phone or something to entertain me so I took the book with me. For about a week, I read bits and pieces of it before going to bed. One moment I remember so vividly is reading the book on the plane ride back and it being dark and someone telling me to turn off my light because they were trying to sleep. I then proceeded to turn off my light and stare into the darkness because I wasn’t tired and I couldn't read my book. And if you’re wondering, it was one of those planes that didn’t have a TV at every seat.

12. A book you got from someplace special (anything that’s not your local bookstore/online retailer) - Madame Bovary by Gustave Flaubert

My English teacher was retiring and giving away some of his books, and so I decided to rummage through his book and found a special edition of Madame Bovary with gold spray painted edges. It was gorgeous, but I gave it away.

13. A book that made you cry - Mosquitoland by David Arnold

I didn’t cry while reading this book at first, but I went back to read a few passages before giving it away and I don’t know what struck a chord in me but I was crying my eyes out over the book. The passage I had read just resonated with me in that moment and I couldn't help but cry. I read the book before some problems in my life occurred so I guess when I went to read the few parts of the book again, it all hit me real hard.

14. A book you read in one sitting - My Heart and Other Black Holes by Jasmine Warga

This one is a fun one (my experience with the book, not the book itself). So, I was, I think 12 or 13 or 14 years old when I read this. At this particular age, I was a firecracker when reading books. I would finish a book, A FULL 300 PAGE BOOK, in one night. I did this a lot. I’m not exaggerating. I think it’s about more than 20 books that this “finishing in one night” happened. This one though, was crazy. I started this book one night at around 7/8pm and finished it around maybe 12am? I then proceeded to pick up another 300 page book right after AND FINISH IT THAT VERY NIGHT, or morning, whatever you think. My reading energy was off the fucking charts at that age. I can’t do this anymore, by the way. It will literally take me a whole month to finish a 200 page book.

15. A book that was a gift - A Conjuring of Light by V.E Schwab

I had already gotten the book for myself but a friend of mine bought me the book and I couldn’t say no so I took the book and now I have two paperback copies of ACOL, and I’m not mad about it.

16. A book you read before owning (library, borrowed from a friend) - Sula by Toni Morrison

I read for school, and let me tell you, it’s the only book I’ve read for school that I liked and was memorable for a good reason. Right from the first page, it captured my attention and kept it through out the book. I’m planning on rereading it and hopefully I’ll still like it as much as I first did.

17. A book you lent to someone else - Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo

Six of Crows is a popular YA series but do you know how hard it was to make one of my friends read this and actually finish it? I gave it to like three of my friends and they all ended up telling me they couldn't get past the first couple of chapters. But I finally got one of my friends to read the duology and finish it and love it as much as I did. I finally have a friend I can talk to about the books.

18. A book that has been damaged - The Raven King by Maggie Stiefvater

I tend to keep my books in pretty good condition, but I also have butter fingers, so that’s something. Anyways, the amount of times that I have dropped this book and bent the covers is truly astonishing. And it’s bizarre, because whenever I dropped TRB or TDT or BLLB, the covers didn’t bend but when I drop TRK, the cover ALWAYS bends and it’s a whole mess but I still love it. I almost forgot to mention that I got it already fucked up so maybe it’s meant to be.

19. A book you got on sale/discounted - An Ember in the Ashes by Sabaa Tahir

Yes, I’m using this book again because, why not? Anyways, I got this at a thrift store and I was so psyched. I saw this book on the shelf and was so appalled because who would thrift such a good book? (If you didn’t like the book, great. That’s your opinion.) So I decided that this was my chance to finally own a book after years of not owning one, and have it be one of my favorite books.

20. A book you read with someone else (buddy read/read with a book club) - The Refugees by Viet Thanh Nguyen

I take this question to also include books I have read as required reading in class because technically, I did read it with my class. I had such a fun time picking at this book. It was not my favorite book, though I really liked the first story. My English teacher had us write commentary and I loved it. There was no literary analysis whatsoever in my notes, and I think that’s what I loved the most. I reread my notes for that book recently and they are gems.

21. A book you associate with a song - A Study in Charlotte by Brittany Cavallaro

When the Party’s Over by Billie Eilish is just a song that I associated with Charlotte Holmes, and that’s never gonna change.

22. A book you associate with a food - Queen of Air and Darkness by Cassandra Clare

It’s not a specific food but more of school lunch for me. I just remember that QOAAD had come out and I was carrying that hunk of a book around and it didn’t fit in my backpack so I carried it in my arms. I was reading the book while my friend was eating her lunch beside me. After she finished eating, I had told her that there were pictures in the book and I wanted to be surprise but she wasn’t gonna read it so she flipped through the book and looked at the pictures.

23. A book you got years ago that you probably wouldn’t buy now - The Book Thief by Markus Zusak

I got this book in Chicago this 2019 year around May only so it’ s not years ago, but I was a different person in May 2019, alright? I honestly wouldn’t get this book now because I’ve learned that I’m not a big history fan.

24. A book you associate with a specific time in your life - Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson

I was first introduced to this book a long time ago, around the age of 9, I think? My sister had a stack of books from school and I decided to look through it. I read a book called Hushi(?) and I literally, for the life of me, cannot remember who the author was but I really liked that book. Anyways, after reading that, I read bits and pieces of Speak and I vividly remember the day being a bright and sunny day, and reading the attack scene and being so shocked by it. I didn’t really understand it at the time, but every time I read that book or see it, it brings me back to when I was nine.

25. A book you used to like, but don’t anymore - The First Time She Drowned by Kerry Kletter

I talked about this book in another post of mine but it reiterate what I said: this book was a favorite of mine in 2018 but then I reread it again and didn't love it as much. It wasn’t a book that fully captured my attention or kept me intrigued.

26. The newest book on your shelf - Call Down the Hawk by Maggie Stiefvater

LAST QUESTION! Call Down the Hawk came out recently and you know I had to buy it. I’m currently reading it right now, and I’m already loving it. I’m so excited for what’s in store for the characters. I am, however, feeling a little bit sad because we won’t get to see the whole Gangsey together again (or for a while). Reading CDTH is also making me realize that those who haven’t read The Raven Cycle aren’t going to know the Ronan and Adam and Gansey and Blue that those who have read TRC know them. I don’t say this to be offensive or “you’re not a true fan because you didn’t read TRC”. No, I’m not trying to say that. It’s just like you meeting someone when you’re both 30 as opposed to 14. People are different people at different ages, and Ronan and Adam are different characters in CDTH than TRC and so some people who haven't read TRC series won’t know that version of them. And also, I mean different as in they’ve grown and certain aspects of them have changed.

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televinita · 4 years

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Little Women (2019): Thoughts

REQUIRED READING: the prequel post about my background going in to this film.

SNAPSHOT VERSION: Though I have some casting qualms, and may adjust my opinions after I reread the book, mostly I think this is everything my heart has needed since the magic of the ‘94 movie was broken for me. My heart is very full.

FULL VERSION: Twice as long as the prequel post (a.k.a. 1800 words), starts below.

I did not expect LW to be the first Unexpected Comeback Fandom of 2020 (or a comeback fandom ever, really), but here I am, having spent every day since I saw this film mooning about this story and looking up different editions and supplemental books in the library catalog, so I'd better process how I feel about it while the memories are relatively fresh.

Most of my thoughts are on casting rather than specific scenes because like I said, I can’t remember the book super well, so I’d like to get my movie memories to fade so that the book can surprise me. Also because I think I will have a more in-depth post about them when I watch the film a 2nd time, whether that’s in theaters or on DVD. But here’s what I’ve got for now.

ON CASTING

In no particular order --

* Emma Watson is very pretty but it is so hard to take her seriously as an actress. She's just Emma Watson, Famous For Being In Harry Potter and Getting Hired For Other Big Name Projects. I feel like she's so consciously acting all the time. She made a not-terrible Meg, I guess? No worse than she made a Belle. But it was roughly as hilarious watching her try to be a mother now as it was watching her try to be a mother in the last Harry Potter movie. To the point that I just kept hearing the "Damn! I'm SO maternal!" song playing as her theme in the background at all times. * I realized 6 days prior to seeing the movie that Florence Pugh is recognizable because she's in Midsommar and honestly, that just ruined everything for me. I didn't even see that film, I just know it's gross and I would hate it and while she is not tainted forever like the 50 Shades actors, she is definitely too tainted for Little Women. Also I could not stop thinking about how I associate Amy with being very dainty and prim and Florence, while perfectly lovely, is not. * Laura Dern was kind of strangely modern and kooky for Marmee, but I love her as an actress and I loved that she was just like "HELLO STRANGE NEIGHBOR BOY, COME BE MY FIFTH CHILD." So I was OK with that. * ARE YOU KIDDING ME WITH BOB ODENKIRK. What kind of anachronistic garbage. What crack were you on, because it was obviously not the good stuff. "Did I stumble into an SNL parody??" I wondered more than once. * Meryl Streep as Aunt March was AMAZING. Ten Oscars. * Beth consistently looked younger than Amy, so that was weird. She was okay but kind of childlike, and failed to make Beth my favorite like she is in the book. * JO! Saoirse Ronan is by far my favorite actress in this set, but I didn't think she was right for Jo going in. "Jo's not a redhead!" I said, indignantly stamping my foot, because my childhood-era love for this novel reigns defensively supreme like for no other classic besides Black Beauty. (another 1994 classic they should remake soon, even though I love that version. Just saying.)

But damned if she did not COMPLETELY embody every essence of Jo there is and make Jo my favorite character this time. Truly, nobody except Meryl Streep so thoroughly matched my expectations for their character. Ten Oscars, part II. Or at least the one she is actually nominated for. If Jo loses to ScarJo I will riot. * John was nice. I feel like he was exactly what he was supposed to be, which is to say kind of plain and milquetoast but perfect for Meg. I don't actually remember him existing in the novel, so that was an interesting game of "how important is this guy?" until suddenly Meg was getting married and I realized I did, in fact, have a very dim memory of a wedding from the book. I think I will like their romance more the second time around, though. * Mr. Laurence was VERY EXCELLENT. IDK why I know the actor, even after looking him up, but I liked him in this role a lot. His grandfatherly quasi-adoption of Beth was so sweet. * As for Professor Bhaer...UGH. I hated him on sight and my brain wouldn't even let me recognize who he was for like 3 scenes, I was just like, "who is this random boarding lodger and why are we focusing on that weirdo." I mean, he's objectively handsome? But he did not do it for me. He lacked the gravitas I expect from this character and his thick accent scraped my ears and drove me insane (update from the future: his accent is also driving me insane in the book, where I have peeked in at a few chapters as incentive to reread. whyyyyyyy). * LAURIE: maybe it's been too long since I read the book, but never could I ever have imagined I'd want to use the term "fuckboy" to describe Laurie. It wasn't even Ski Chalet's face so much as it was that in all present-day scenes (post-rejection), he is such an insufferable, melodramatic, pouting trash heap that I didn't want him to marry any of them at that point. (Also YOU STILL DIDN'T MAKE ME UNDERSTAND WHY HE GOES FOR AMY, so good job.**) However, I took especial delight in paying attention to all the cuddly platonic friend cuddling he heaped on Jo growing up, in focus or in the background, and I loved it...kind of a lot? The ship radar made noise. That noise is getting louder by the day, smoothing away his faults. He may have permanently taken up residence in my mind's eye as the new Laurie. ...this is the worst. Make it cease. (**update from the future, I am peeking at the book and it looks like it's a lot easier to understand both in text and when you're inside Laurie's head. He is still clearly sulking his way through Europe, but in a way it's easier to recover from. Also, I don’t have time to unpack this but as I finish the edits on this post I started 5 days ago, I’m starting to think I could not only ship Laurie/Amy, but believe in it from the start.) ACTUAL PLOT AND FILM QUALITY

+ The shifting between past and present was very jarring right off the bat, but after that I think it worked.

+ I loved the attic play rehearsals so much

+ I am so glad Jo’s shorn hair is both fleeting and as hideous as it should look, and not Pixie Cut Chic (Childhood Me wailed at that part reading the book)

+ I remember hardly anything about the book's Part II / Good Wives, so basically everything in their adult lives was news to me. Amy and Aunt March go to Europe? Jo goes to live by herself in New York? Meg marries a relative pauper? Any of this could be true to the book or just made up as an alternate idea to explore, and I would be none the wiser. That made it more fun. (NOBODY SPOIL ME ON WHAT'S TRUE)

+ It did not occur to me until just now that the part where Jo publishes her version of Little Women is not in the book (right?), but that was beautifully done.

+ The house interiors were breathtaking. It's not like I don't regularly watch period pieces, but this time there was just something about seeing an old house, like the ones I am often in for estate sales, decorated the way I always imagine seeing when I enter those homes, that kind of made me tear up. + The outside shots were pretty too + Jo made me cry with her I'm so LONELY! speech, rude. (I went into this movie thinking I was 100% on board to finally read Alcott’s sequels for their Jo/Professor content, and now I'm like 'ah damn it is gonna be the season for the Jo/Laurie AU novel, isn't it.')

+ A strike against Beth and/or the actress playing her: I did not cry about her death (in my defense I was busy crying about Jo's pain).

+ I did NOT remember precisely how Laurie & Amy got married, so even though I knew it happened eventually, I felt that sucker punch to the gut reveal just about as hard as Jo did. WHAT DO YOU MEAN YOUR WIFE.

+ My mom said she’d heard this movie was lauded as being super feminist, which rarely goes well for me, but I thought it felt like really authentic "married women literally were not allowed to control their own income and it sucked" 19th century feminism, and not someone using their 21st century voice to claim this is how people would have REALLY talked if The Patriarchy Of Historical Record hadn't silenced/suppressed it. Nothing rankled me. I’m very confused by the people who think it says Jo is queer and/or didn’t end up with the Professor, but if that’s what you see then I guess it’s a win/win situation for all of us. + LOVED the closing montage. + Basically, at all times that I wasn't annoyed by the casting, I was feeling the same magic I did while reading the book and/or while watching the 1994 movie as a child. I can’t think of any parts I really hated.

IN CONCLUSION

Part of me is honestly kind of sad I didn't reread the book before watching this movie, because even though I usually prefer to go movie first and then get the Expanded Edition that is the book, in this case I wish I'd taken my last chance to properly visualize everything in my head on my own -- since I’ve mostly forgotten the ‘94 film -- before the new movie washed it away forever. This is one of the rare times I would have liked to hope and guess what would be shown vs. cut, and be able to anticipate the thrill of seeing the page come to life.

However, seeing it was the impetus I needed to finally take my childhood copy off the shelf (and thank heavens I have it, because the library request is backed up 3 or 4 deep for every copy), and it took all of 5 minutes to get instantly sucked into chapter 1 and feel such rapturous joy and familiarity that I consciously cut myself off and decided I am going to journal out my feelings after each chapter on this reread. So that’s something!

#the biggest surprise is that maybe Timothee Chalomet is not the worst thing ever #and I frankly do not know what to do with this loss of identity #little women #little women spiral

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genie-of-the-4th-wall · 6 years

Text

Found

@hatofulshipweek Day Seven: Home

AO3 Link

This one’s a little late, but I’m usually terrible when it comes to consistently writing and posting, so I feel I’ve done a pretty good job this week. Speaking of which, participating in this Ship Week was a blast! It was really fun, and I feel like I’ve improved just over the course of the week. So thank you to @hatofulshipweek for hosting this event, thank you to all of the other participants for your amazing works, and thank you to the people who read and enjoyed my stuff! Enough rambling, here’s the story.

Nageki was used to Hiyoko frequenting the library, especially since she found out he physically couldn’t leave the area. She wasn’t very good at staying quiet (much to the dove’s chagrin), but he appreciated her company nonetheless. She had even taken to checking out the books he recommended so they could discuss them. Nageki had to admit it: Hiyoko was his best friend. So it didn’t surprise him too much when the hunter-gatherer girl snuck into the library after school hours, toting a sleeping bag and a full backpack.

“What is all that?” Nageki asked.

“We’re having a sleepover! The staff is all gone for the weekend, I already checked,” Hiyoko answered with a grin.

“A... sleepover?”

“Yeah, a sleepover! I figured it must get lonely spending your nights in the library, so I thought I’d stay over tonight. Have you ever had a sleepover before, Nageki?”

“Maybe. If I have, I don’t remember.”

“Well, I’ll make sure you have a blast tonight!”

Nageki learned that you didn’t really do much sleeping at sleepovers. You played boardgames, and watched movies, and just talked a lot. It was different from his quiet norm, but it was an enjoyable experience. As Hiyoko finally settled down to sleep, she gave Nageki her signature sunny smile.

“I’m gonna help you experience all of the great things in life, Nageki. It’s a promise,” she said.

A couple days later, she told him that the detention she got from stealing the janitor’s keys was completely worth it.

Ryouta didn’t often come into the library on his own. Sometimes Hiyoko would drag him in there to hang out, but Nageki could always sense a strange awkwardness Ryouta had around him. Nageki wasn’t the most socially adept bird in the world, so he couldn’t really do much about it. Thus, he wasn’t quite sure what to do when Ryouta approached him in the library, alone.

“H-hello, Nageki,” Ryouta stammered.

“Hello,” Nageki responded, pretending to be engrossed in his book. Okay, maybe it wasn’t the most polite of responses, but Nageki didn’t know how else to proceed.

“Um, what are you reading?”

“‘Destined to Find You’. It’s a romance novel about a world with predetermined soulmates. Romance novels aren’t usually my favorite, and I’ve already read it. However, it has some very interesting themes of destiny and the importance of both platonic and romantic relationships. I find that I can appreciate it more upon rereading it.” That was probably the most words Nageki had ever said to Ryouta directly, but he couldn’t help but ramble when it came to discussing literature.

“Oh. Sounds really interesting, actually. Does the library have another copy?”

“I don’t think so. Here.” Nageki gave the book to Ryouta.

“Uh, weren’t you reading this? I wouldn’t want to take it away from you while you’re busy with it...”

“It’s okay. Like I said, I’ve read it before.”

“Well then, thank you! I’ll let you know what I think of it when I’m done!” Ryouta accepted the book, giving Nageki a warm smile. As he left the library, Nageki smiled too. The tension was broken, and Ryouta definitely seemed like the kind of bird anybody could be friends with.

Nageki usually didn’t mind being confined to the library. A place full of books was probably one of the better places to be trapped, especially if you enjoyed reading as much as he did. And with the recent discovery that he could move vertically, he could go to the roof for a breathe of the outdoors. However, he found himself wanting to leave the library more and more lately. Maybe it was his brief freedom of movement on the Holiday Star, or maybe it was Hiyoko’s determination to help him experience as much as he could. Regardless of the reason, there were days when Nageki desperately wished to escape the confines of the library.

Today was one of those days. Most of the students had shuffled out for the day, but Nageki could hear the faint noise of somebody playing the piano. It was a beautiful sound, and it sparked Nageki’s curiosity. Who was playing? What song was it? If only he could find out... Nageki found himself drawn to the door of the library, straining to hear the music better. He leaned closer and closer to the boundary that kept him trapped within the room... and stumbled into the hallway. Nageki blinked, unable to believe his eyes.

“What...?”

Nageki wasn’t sure how he had managed to leave the library, but he knew what the first thing he wanted to do was. He followed the sound of the piano, leading him to what he could only assume was the school’s music room. A fantail pigeon that Nageki recognized as one of Hiyoko’s friends was playing the piece. Hiyoko and Ryouta were also present, watching him perform. Hiyoko, ever alert, noticed Nageki enter the room. She stared at him, eyes wide.

“Nageki?!” she exclaimed.

That got Ryouta’s attention, whose mouth dropped open at the mourning dove’s presence. The fantail (Sakuya, he believed?) stopped playing and looked them, annoyed.

“Who is this, and why do you find the need to interrupt the flow of the music?” he grumbled.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to interrupt you. It sounded so beautiful, and I wanted to hear it bett-“ Nageki was interrupted by Hiyoko grasping him in a bear hug, spinning around in excitement.

“YOU’RE OUTSIDE OF THE LIBRARY! HOW IS THIS EVEN POSSIBLE?!” she squealed.

“Er, Hiyoko? I think you’re making him dizzy,” Ryouta commented. Nageki was greatful, considering Ryouta was right. Hiyoko stopping spinning him and loosened her grip, but she didn’t let go.

“Hehe, sorry. I’m just really happy for you, Nageki. How did this happen, anyway?” Hiyoko said, smiling.

“I’m not really sure myself. I really wanted to listen to the piano music, and when I went to the entrance of the library to hear it better I found I was no longer trapped,” Nageki explained.

“Weird. Well, I don’t really care how. I’m just glad you’re here,” she said.

“Will somebody please tell me what is going on?!” Sakuya interjected.

Hiyoko introduced Sakuya to Nageki and gave a basic explanation of his backstory as the library ghost.

“But wait, I thought you couldn’t see Nageki, Sakuya. At least, you couldn’t when we all went to watch the eclipse. Oh! Is it because you’re no longer a classist jerk?” Hiyoko mused.

“What?!” Sakuya sputtered in indignation.

“Um, I was wondering, what song were you playing?” Nageki asked, changing the subject before things could get out of hand. Sakuya noticeably relaxed when the conversation was brought back to music.

“The piece is called Clair de Lune by Claude Debussy. Would you like to hear it in full?” Sakuya asked, giving Hiyoko a sharp glare.

“That would be lovely,” Nageki said.

Sakuya started the piece again. Nageki thought it sounded even more beautiful up close.

“Coo, coo!”

Nageki sat on the bleachers, watching an energetic dove run laps around the track. Since the piano incident, Nageki found he could now go as far as the school grounds. After that, he hit an invisible wall much like he had before in the library. Hiyoko was disappointed he couldn’t leave the school, but Nageki was content with any improvement. It certainly made it easier to hang out with his friends, given that they tended to cause a bit of a ruckus in the library. Case in point, Okosan. The dove always managed to make a mess or anger the librarian whenever he stopped by, so he was overjoyed to hear Nageki could meet him outside instead. Despite his oddities, Nageki thought Okosan made for pleasant company. Okosan paused after finishing his latest lap, flying up next to Nageki’s spot in the bleachers.

“Coo coo? (Is Nageki enjoying watching Okosan run?)” Okosan asked.

“Yes. Your speed is quite impressive, Oko,” Nageki replied.

“Coo coo! (Of course! Okosan is the fasted member of the track team!)” Okosan puffed out his chest proudly. He noticed Nageki staring beyond the track.

“Coo? (Is something bothering Nageki?)”

“Not much. It’s just... weird, being out here. I was trapped in the library for so long, and now I suddenly have the whole school. Will I be able to go even farther? I wonder...”

“Coo coo. (Okosan thinks it’s just like running.”

“Hm?”

“Coo coo, coo! Coo coo! (Like, Okosan started out only able to run a few laps at a time. But Okosan trained and trained, and now Okosan can run many many more! It’s the same for Nageki. Nageki’s spirit needs to get stronger and stronger, so he can run farther! The stronger you get, the farther you can run!)”

Nageki thought about it. He did feel stronger than he did before. Bonding with Hiyoko, and making actual friends... he had certainly grown a lot from when he had first awoken as a ghost.

“Heh... maybe you’re right, Oko.”

“Coo coo! (Okosan is always right!)

“Estelle, I must implore you to take this cursed painting from my possession!” Anghel said, thrusting a piece of paper in Nageki’s direction. He seemed flustered.

Nageki examined the the paper. It contained sketches of Nageki and all of their friends, but it was different from Anghel’s usual fare. Instead of the fantasy style he drew his manga in, the drawings were much more realistic. He vaguely remembered Anghel busily sketching the last time everybody hung out together as a group. He must have drawn everybody then.

“What’s this, Anghel?”

“The other day, I came across the Golden-Winged Messanger on my way out of these cursed halls. As I made haste so as to not waste my crimson blood on him once more, the Tome of Epics was nearly lost. The Golden-Winged Messenger retrieved it, and remarked that indulging in a study of the profane would allow me to better harness my abilities. However, now that the training is complete, I can no longer hold onto this page, lest it infect me with the despair of the unenlightened,” Anghel explained.

“I... see,” Nageki said slowly, “Why are you giving it to me?”

“I thought... you would appreciate an illustration of those you have formed the pact of blood with,” Anghel muttered, embarrassed.

“Pact of blood?” Nageki echoed.

“Yes, a pact of blood! The spiritual entwinement of souls, interlocking fates!”

Nageki stared at Anghel, confused. He had gotten used to interpreting Anghel’s... Anghelisms, but he couldn’t possibly mean what it sounded like he meant. Anghel sighed in frustration.

“Family, as the unenlightened would put it,” Anghel grumbled, clearly unhappy with having to use normal language.

Nageki stared at the paper. Family, huh...? Nageki remembered having a family. It was blurry amd distant, but he did have one at some point. But now...? He thought about Hiyoko’s bright encouragement, Ryouta’s gentle conversations, Sakuya’s strong presence, and Okosan’s exuberant advice. And of course, Anghel’s strange brand of affection. Nageki smiled brightly, tears pricking his eyes. Yes, he supposed he did have a family now.

#hatofulshipweek #hatoful boyfriend #Nageki Fujishiro #hiyoko tosaka #ryouta kawara #sakuya le bel shirogane #okosan #Anghel Higure

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lurkerdelima · 6 years

Note

“If you die, I’m gonna kill you.” - SilverFlint but make it fluffffff.

I wrote some ridiculously fluffy illness hurt/comfort for you @beneaththeblacksails! I hope this is something like what you had in mind. 💕

This is set in a modern universe of my own creation, which I call Hawaii verse or No Ka Oi (loosely ‘the best’ or ‘none better’ in Hawaiian) verse. Flint is a writer who lives in North Shore, Silver is a masseur who lives in a rundown apartment with Max. Our two Gross heroes met on the beach because of course they did.

Silver tries to deny it for a few days, but by the time Thursday night rolls around, he just can't deny it anymore: he's sick. Fever, chills, a cough, the sniffles, he's got it all. That's not the worst of it, either - he'd planned to have a date with Flint tonight and now he'll have to cancel.

A few hours before Flint’s supposed to pick him up, he texts him, reluctant: ‘so I thought I could fight it off but I have a bad cold, I can't go out w/you tonight. I'm really sorry :(‘

He sighs and puts his phone aside immediately after sending the text, lying prone on the couch in a state of sadness and deep, syrupy self-pity. Out of the corner of his eye, he sees the screen light up with a new message.

‘I’d still like to see you. How about I pick you up, bring you back here, and make you some soup?’

Silver beams when he reads Flint’s message, not quite believing his luck.

‘that sounds perfect, I'm sure Max would like a break from me and my germs (and my whining, lbr, I’m not a good sick person)’ he texts back.

‘Great, I'll be there at 7,’ Flint replies, and Silver definitely doesn't hug his phone to his chest or anything because that would be ridiculous. Instead he heaves himself up from the couch and packs an overnight bag, hopeful that Flint will invite him to spend the night. They've only had a handful of sleepovers so far - all at Flint's house, since he lives alone and Silver does not - but they've all gone very, very well.

He texts Max, who's out with Anne, so she won't be surprised if he doesn't come home that night. Then he showers and changes into a fresh set of pajamas - lime green ones with pineapples printed all over, because he knows Flint will be amused by them. He settles on the couch to wait for Flint to come rescue him, and without meaning to, he falls asleep there.

He wakes a short while later to someone knocking on the apartment’s door. He hurries to answer the door, opening it and smiling when he sees Flint.

“Hi,” he says. All he wants to do is fling himself into his boyfriend’s arms, but he holds back, not wanting to share his germs right off the bat.

“Hello there. You look better than I expected, I think you're the prettiest sick person I've ever seen,” Flint says with a little grin. “Nice pajamas, too.”

“Flatterer,” Silver says, grinning back. “Shall we?” he asks, then steps out and shuts the door behind himself. He locks it, then follows Flint to his car, overnight bag in hand. “I hope this isn’t presumptuous of me...I brought my toothbrush and a change of clothes, and some other things, just in case.”

“Not at all. I’ll gladly have you for as long as you want,” Flint says.

“Careful, I might just want to stay forever,” Silver jokes, easing himself into Flint’s sleek car. It’s much fancier than his own island beater of a pickup truck, that’s for sure.

“Well, I’m certainly not opposed to that idea,” Flint says, and then he’s starting the car and driving off toward his house in North Shore while Silver seriously ponders moving in with him, even though they’ve only been dating a little while.

They arrive at Flint’s gorgeous seaside villa a short time later and Silver climbs out of the car, following Flint inside and whistling a jaunty (if somewhat congested) tune. He sets his bag down inside the door, standing still when Flint’s ornery cat Kapena saunters over to sniff at him curiously.

“He’s coming around. He doesn’t hiss at you anymore,” Flint observes as the cat circles Silver once, then trots away. “That’s progress,” he says. “Now, let’s get you set up on the couch and I’ll start making soup.”

That evening finds Silver curled up on the couch with Flint, enjoying delicious homemade chicken soup and watching a TV series they’ve been waiting to watch together. Once he’s through with dinner, Silver rests his head in Flint’s lap and falls asleep there, despite it being barely 9 PM.

He wakes a few hours later to Flint gently rubbing his back. “John,” he murmurs, “it’s time for bed. I’ll help you up. Do you want some cold medicine first?”

“Yeah,” Silver says drowsily, more than willing to let Flint stand him up from the couch and half-carry him to the huge, welcoming bed in the master bedroom. He drinks down the little cup of foul-tasting cough syrup Flint brings him afterward, and then he’s out like a light.

—-

When he wakes the next morning, despite the soup and the cough syrup, he feels even worse than before. He groans and buries his face in the pillow, whimpering.

“What’s wrong?” comes Flint’s voice, and then a big, warm hand is on the back of his neck, rubbing gently just the way he likes.

“I think I’m dying,” Silver mumbles into the pillow, turning his head so he can squint dubiously at his boyfriend.

“If you die, I’m gonna kill you,” Flint says tenderly, then leans in to kiss Silver’s forehead. “Hm, you are a bit feverish. I prescribe a day of rest with a handsome older gentleman catering to your every whim.”

“Sounds good to me,” Silver says, rolling over onto his back and stretching his arms over his head.

“Cough syrup makes you really weird to sleep with, by the way. You woke me up and pointed at the wall, then said ‘can you see it?’ I asked you what you were seeing and you said ‘all the barbed wire, and the demogorgon,’ then went back to sleep,” Flint says.

“Sorry,” Silver mutters sheepishly, feeling himself blush.

“I’m not done,” Flint says, smirking. “Around 2 in the morning you woke me up again, saying that I knew nothing about the swamp because I hadn’t lived in it and you had. You were pretty incensed,” he says, laughing. “Then for your grand finale, just before dawn you grabbed me, gave me a big kiss, told me to have an excellent day at sea, and pushed me out of bed to the floor. Then you stole all the covers.”

“Wow, I am apparently a dick when I take cough syrup. Lesson learned. I am really sorry,” Silver says, reaching out for Flint’s hand.

“It’s okay,” Flint says, taking his hand gently and kissing his knuckles. “I still love you.”

“I love you, too,” Silver says, feeling his heart beating a little faster.

Flint beams at him, and Silver feels that smile all the way down to his toes. “Can I make you breakfast? What do you feel up to eating?”

“Pancakes?” Silver asks hopefully, shuffling closer to Flint in bed when he reaches for him. Together they leave the bed and Flint walks Silver to the living room, getting him set up on the couch with cartoons and a box of tissues before disappearing into the kitchen.

They have breakfast together - pancakes, fresh fruit, and coffee - and then Flint makes sure Silver has everything he needs, fussing over him.

“Let me know if I can get you anything. I’ll be in my study, I have to get some work done today. But you can text me if there’s anything at all you need, I’ll have my phone,” Flint says, kissing Silver’s forehead. He shouldn’t like that as much as he does, he thinks. “You get some rest, and recover.”

“You got it,” Silver says, smiling wearily up at Flint. He watches Flint’s cute butt as he walks away, thinking about how very lucky he is that said butt is his to enjoy.

He falls asleep again and wakes a little before lunch, feeling restless. He gets up from his nest on the couch, ambling to the bookshelf to find something to read. To his great surprise, he finds a few titles he recognizes - J.E. McGraw gay romance novels. Who knew that a literary, educated man like Flint would even read such a thing, let alone apparently enjoy them so much that he’d buy hard copies to keep forever?

Silver reaches for one of his personal favorites - Captain & Quartermaster - and is shocked to realize he’s holding a first edition. All he can think is that Flint must really, really like McGraw’s work. He takes the book with him back to the couch and settles in for a comforting reread, slowly shutting out the world around him, carried away as he is by the beauty of McGraw’s undeniably erotic prose.

He doesn’t surface from the story until a shadow falls across him and he hears a pointed throat-clearing noise. He starts, nearly dropping the book, and looks up at Flint, chagrined.

“Uh, hey. Sorry. How long have you been there? I got really absorbed in the book,” Silver says.

“Not long. I just wanted to see if you were hungry, I’m going to order something for lunch,” Flint says, a curiously self-satisfied smirk playing around his lips. “So you enjoy that one, hm?” he asks, gesturing to Captain & Quartermaster.

“Yeah. I’ve been reading McGraw since— well, since I found a copy of his first book shelved in the wrong section of the library as a teenager, actually. It was a big part of my sexual awakening,” he murmurs. “You must really like him too, I noticed this isn’t the only first edition you have of his on the shelf,” Silver says, gently putting the book aside on the coffee table.

“...you don’t know, do you?” Flint asks, a strange expression crossing his face. He looks bewildered and amused all at once.

“Know what?” Silver asks. He’s normally pretty quick on the uptake, but being sick makes him slow and sleepy, and he’s not getting what Flint is implying.

“I am him. I wrote those books, I’m J.E. McGraw,” Flint says, folding his freckled arms across the enticing expanse of his chest.

“No fucking way!” Silver blurts out before he can stop himself.

“Yes fucking way,” Flint replies, laughing. “Really, I swear. I could call my publicist now and prove it. That’s why I have all those first editions - I wrote the books.”

“I can’t believe I’m meeting one of my favorite authors,” Silver says, rising slowly from the couch, feeling a huge grin threatening to overtake his whole face. “I can’t believe I’ve been dating one of my favorite authors. I’ve had sex with J.E. McGraw!” he crows, slightly delirious with both fever and excitement.

“Easy, there. You’re still sick, I can’t have you getting all worked up,” Flint says, easing Silver back down onto the couch and sitting next to him. “Let’s order something to eat and then I’ll let you ask me whatever you want about my books.”

“Okay,” Silver says, nuzzling Flint’s shoulder and grinning some more, his eyes closing. “Can we make out, too?”

“Hmm...I would be worried about getting your germs, but I probably already have them from letting you sleep in my bed. Sure, if you can stay awake, we can make out,” Flint says, slipping one arm around Silver and drawing him in close.

Five minutes later Silver is asleep again, his head on Flint’s shoulder, drooling and snoring. In his fevered dreams, he and Flint are a dread pirate captain and his beloved quartermaster.

#prompt a lurker why not #prompt fills #silverflint #no ka oi verse #hawaii verse #my fic #black sails fic #beneaththeblacksails

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thelittleprincessbookblog · 4 years

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Day 3 of 100 days of Booklr: 20 books to read in 2020

I know, I know i'm more inconsistent than the weather in the south right now. I am going to challenge myself to post everyday this week. I am going to plan my posts today or tomorrow so all I have to do is spend like 15 minutes before bed typing. But with that being said I will be talking about 20 books I really need to read this year. A lot of these books you may have seen in one of my 2 others posts but oh well. I’ll try not to include to many but a few have been on my tbr for like a year and I need to get them done and read.I don’t own all of these books but I either plan on buying it or reading it on E-book through Libby. Without further ado on to day 3.

ps. these are in no particular order.

Finale by Stephanie Garber

Me; says I won’t include to many books I’ve already talked about

Also me: Starts with a book I’ve already talked about

Ok ok in my defense I’ve had this book since about a month after it came out so since June of LAST YEAR, and I still haven’t read it. Why you may ask? No real valid reason other than not wanting to. EVEN THOUGH I’ve had 2 really big fantasy book binges since then. I’ve already talked about this book before but in summary I loved the first book, loved the second book even more then i decided that the last book wasn’t worth my time. I’m really bad at reading books when I first get them. It’s like my brain has decided that once I spend my money on the book, it’s not worth my time. But I’m gonna stop there before this becomes a post about my horrible reading habits.

How to be a Bawse by Lilly Singh

I’ve started and stopped reading this book so many times I’m not sure why I don’t just DNF it. The problem is that I’ve stopped reading it for no real reason that I can tell you. Like the advice in it is great and each time i reread the first few chapters that I’ve been able to get through, I always find something new and valuable. This book is just a collection of good valuable tips, I just can never get through it. So this year I am determined to read it. If I don’t read it someone PLEASE slap me and force me into a room with nothing but this book and some of the annotating sticky notes, you know the really thin, long ones. Yea those and don’t let me out until I read it. Ok? Thanks!

The Book Thief by Markus Zusak

Wait, wait, wait! Before you take away my book nerd title hear me out. I have gotten like 75% done with this book like twice, but then I get bored. Not because what’s happening in the book is boring (even though I last tried to read this in like 2018 and barley remember what happened) I just couldn’t bring myself to finish it. That’s the case for a lot of books, I just kind of give up on them. I am the QUEEN of DNFing books you will come to find out. This year though will hopefully be the year I finish. In another post I’ll talk about my new method of trying to finish books like this, probably sometime this week.

The Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank

(Sorry about the cover not matching the others, it would not work with me)

Now you are allowed to call me uncultured. I read bits and pieces in 7th grade in one of those HRW books but I’ve never read the full book front to back. I really want to though and have since the 7th grade but I just haven’t. I’m hoping I can find a copy in my library bookstore because i really just want a copy to own, but this book is expensive, with good reason but still.

A heart so fierce and broken by Brigid Kemmerer

Now I did a whole spew about this book on day 1 so if you want to know my feelings about this book go there and come back. I’ll wait....your back? Great, so with all that being said the reason I need to finish this book is because the third book is supposed to come out early January of next year and I need to know if I’m going to finish the series. I most likely will because I hate not finishing series, but it’s good to pretend.

Little Women (The complete collection) by Louisa May Alcott

Now I know I mentioned this book before but this time I’m referring to all 4 books. Not just the first one, so this is actually 4 seperate books but since I have the one physical copy for this post it’ll be one book. Even though on Goodreads it’s going to be 4 seperate books.

7 Habits of Highly effective teens by Sean Covey

I got this book for 8th grade graduation from the school and I never read it. I really need to though because next year is only going to get harder and I can’t keep my same study habits. Like now for instance I have 3 assignments that are either late or due first thing tomorrow but here i am avoiding them and making tumblr posts. Oh well!

Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore by Robin Sloan

This doesn’t have a long thought out reason other than it seems like a good book.

The golden Compass by Phillip Pullman

I’ve wanted to read this series for a while but everytime I would go to the library I would find another book to read, which is my own fault but this year I want to get to at least the first book.

The lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe by C.S Lewis

I loved the movies when I was younger but like all movies they tend to leave things off. So the main reason I really want to read this is to see if I like it more than the movies.

In order to actually post today i’m going to post 10 today and 10 tomorrow, that’s why the last few are more rushed also. I plan on doing more in depth reviews when . I’m sorry guys my life is just kinda hectic and I’ve been avoiding my homework like I said earlier and I still have chores and stuff to finish so see you tomorrow for part 2, byee!

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gingerly-writing · 7 years

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Reader’s Tag Game

Tagged by the wonderful @mcubed35 , who puts so much work into @writeblrconnections and is a blessing to us all, and @lmartinezwrites

1. Which book has been on your shelves the longest? Probably the Jane Blonde books (Listen they are amazing, everyone can fight me). Or the Narnia series.

2. What is your current read, your last read and the book you’ll read next? Current Read: About to reread Dragonfly by Julia Golding for the millionth time Last Read: Small Great Things by Jodi Picoult (so so so so good) Reading Next: After Dragonfly I’m thinking of rereading the whole of Marissa Meyer’s Cinder series before I finally get around to reading Winter

3. Which book does everyone like and you hated? Pride and motherfucking Prejudice

4. Which book do you keep telling yourself you’ll read, but you probably won’t? I actually just bought Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard, so I’m crossing that off. Probably the Simarillion. I just can’t put my brain through any more Tolkein.

5. Which book are you saving for “retirement?”  At some point I’m gonna read the whole of Terry Pratchett’s Discworld

6. Last page: read it first or wait till the end?  Wait until the end. Sometimes I want to peak and I have to stop myself 7. Acknowledgements: waste of ink and paper or interesting aside?  Interesting! Especially in books like Small Great Things where the author has clearly had to do a butt-tonne of research and I want to know who they questioned. 8. Which book character would you switch places with?  Ooooh, this is so hard because there are worlds I would love to go to, but horrible things happen to the characters. Maybe I’d swap places with Celeana/Aelin so I could kill Rowan and make the other side characters happier than her boastful ass ever could. 9. Do you have a book that reminds you of something specific in your life (a person, a place, a time)?  I remember picking up Julia Golding’s Dragonfly in the children’s library for the first time. LotR also reminds me of my school library becasue I can picture the very shelf I picked them up from. 10. Name a book you acquired in some interesting way. I got my own copy of Dragonfly when my school librrary was being cleared out. Hence me rereading it now that I own it! (All the check outs from ‘my’ version in the public library, and indeed the school one, were just me for the last 10+ years.) 11. Have you ever given away a book for a special reason to a special person?  No because I’m a hoarder and all my friends and family have better taste than me. However I did just buy my grandma a copy of Small Great Things in bigger font so she could read it. 12. Which book has been with you to the most places?  I keep talking about Dragonfly but it’s sat right next to me… 13. Any “required reading” you hated in high school that wasn’t so bad ten years later? Holes. I hated reading it with my class but it’s actually a really good book and film. 14. What is the strangest item you’ve ever found in a book?  One time there was a ‘dropped in the bath’ library book that I was reasonably sure had been peed on… 15. Used or brand new?  New. I need my books crisp and neat. 16. Stephen King: Literary genius or opiate of the masses? I’ve never read him because I’m a big wuss about horror. But he can come over here and pry my occasional adverb usage from my cold dead hands. 17. Have you ever seen a movie you liked better than the book? I liked Holes as much as the book…tbh the Pride and the Prejusdice film is probably better than the book for cutting out much of the dire first act, but they missed out some of Lizzie’s best witticisms so… 18. Conversely, which book should NEVER have been introduced to celluloid?  E R A G O N. 19. Have you ever read a book that’s made you hungry, cookbooks being excluded from this question? No. 20. Who is the person whose book advice you’ll always take? No one because my taste might suck but so does everyone else’s.

Not seen this tag game around so much so I’ll tag @eggletine @time-to-write-and-suffer @sroloc–elbisivni @oqualo @brynprocrastinates @athaeania and @sakrebleu out of nosiness and curiosity

#tag game #reading tag #book tag #about the author

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midnightliar · 7 years

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the beautiful, luminous, inimitable @violaeade tagged me for 50 book questions!

1. What is your favourite book and/or book series of all time?

oh maybe everything leads to you by nina lacour! it just really gets to me

2. What is the longest book you have ever read? How many pages?

uhh idk what’s the longest harry potter book bc probably that? i dont... read books that long usually

3. What is the oldest book you have ever read? (Based on its written date)

ummm i think and then there were none by agatha christie? i dont keep track by time tbh but i dont read that many old books bc i tend to have trouble reading them

4. What is a book series that everyone else loves but you do not?

the raven cycle lol

5. What book or book series would you like to see turned into a film/ TV series?

oh god most of them? 99% of the lesbian ones for sure. percy jackson would make an excellent animated movie series imo. i’m clearly biased but tasu/teota would be great on screen.

6. What is your favourite stand-alone book?

most of the gay ones i read are standalones and theres so many good ones... i already said everything leads to you but we are okay and you know me well are also extremely good! of fire and stars killed me as well.

7. What is a book that you feel glad for not reading?

god. straight ones? ones that i heard are racist or homo/lesbo/bi/transphobic, but in general i’m picky abt what i read bc i don’t read that many books.

8. What is a book that you feel guilty for not reading?

i was gonna say i don’t feel guilty about not reading books i don’t like/don’t want to but that’s a lie- babe if ur reading this i am SO sorry i never finished the last chaos walking book

9. What is a book you have read that is set in your country of birth?

most of them lol that’s what i get for living in america. i read we are okay pretty recently which takes place in new york, the state i was born in, so that’s a bit more specific.

10. What is a book that you own more than one copy of?

i have 2 copies of redwall for no reason other than my high school library was selling one for a dollar so i bought it even tho i had it already. i have a couple copies of some of the a wrinkle in time books bc i got some of them as gifts a bunch.

11. What horror book made you really scared?

omg i don’t read horror but that one skulduggery pleasant short story about bubba moon or whatever freaked me the fuck out tbh

12. What book do you passionately hate?

um i haven’t read enough terrible books to say i hate them that passionately? but i rly kinda hated trc. oh yeah i read the first c*aptive pr*nce book in hs on the recommendation of a friend and it just made me so uncomfortable the entire time i really. did not have a good time with that one and i wish i hadn’t read it

13. What is the biggest book series you have read? How many books are in it?

skulduggery pleasant! theres 9 books plus short stories i still can’t believe i read all those

14. What book gives you happy memories?

aw sabrina answered this with the flywheel by erin gough and i have to say the same bc she sent it to me for my birthday, full of annotations of thoughts and jokes she made herself AND got it signed by the author, and i’ve uhhhh never felt so loved in my life

15. What book made you cry?

oh the book thief for sure. everything leads to you made me cry a bunch while rereading it even tho its not sad? thos were love tears. that happens a lot actually.

16. What book made you laugh?

skulduggery pleasant! there’s so many good lines in that one. my dad used to always hand me a book he’d just read and tell me to read a certain chapter he found hilarious but i never read the whole book but he always found hilarious memoirs too.

17. What is your favourite book that contains an LGBTQ+ character?

lmaoo like all the books i read are gay? the abyss surrounds us/the edge of the abyss have really unique lesbian characters because they’re so angry and vindictive and dumb and interesting and DRAMATIC so that one gets a shout out

18. Have you read a book with a male protagonist? What is it?

what the fuck is that (ok i legit just finished reading when the moon was ours by anna marie mclemore tho bc my gf rec’d it and it was p good)

19. Have you read a book set on another planet? What is it?

does fantasy count? bc then of fire and stars. uhh chaos walking is on a new planet. a wrinkle in time involves other planets too! wow i’m crushing this one

20. Have you ever been glad to not finish a series? Which?

the raven cycle lol i thought it was a finished trilogy when i started the first book so i just never read the last one and i am so relieved

21. Have you ever read a book series because you were pressured?

not really? i don’t really feel pressure, i value recommendations from my girlfriend friends way more than things that are trending or popular. i’ve read a couple that i blindly picked from internet lists that i didn’t care for tho but that was really a while ago

22. What famous author have you not read any books by?

pretty much any author we were supposed to read in high school. any classic or even modern famous author i probably haven’t read. i’ve read like a dozen books ever

23. Who is your favourite author of all time?

tbh nina lacour is really up there. when i was really young it was definitely gail carson levine. i rly loved anne ursu’s books as well.

24. How many bookshelves do you own?

only one! and a bunch of boxes that i never unpacked after we moved like 3 years ago. my mom wants to put a big wall bookshelf in our house somewhere bc this one didn’t come with any like our last house did but who knows if that’ll happen.

25. How many books do you own?

are u trying to make me count?

26. What is your favourite non-fiction book?

ohhh i don’t read much of this genre. i always avoided it as a kid and i’ve been meaning to get into it more but i haven’t yet. i’m really looking forward to reading a sally ride biography tho

27. What is your favourite children’s/middle-grade book?

the chronus chronicles by anne ursu were my JAM in elementary/middle school omg. i also really loved the may bird series which i didn’t read until high school.

28. What is your next book on your TBR?

i’m about to start georgia peaches and other forbidden fruit finally! my gf bought me 10 things i can see from here and i love her so whenever that arrive i’m probably gonna devour that. i want to reread a wrinkle in time soon since the trailer comes out this weekend! plus a million others

29. What book are you currently reading?

i literally just finished when the moon was ours which felt like it took me ten years to read and i haven’t started another yet but it’ll be georgia peaches bc thats the other one i got from the library and i already had to renew them haha

30. What book are you planning on buying next?

um this old west lesbian novel called backwards to oregon! i’ve been craving westerns lately but as always i’m also craving gay content

31. What was the cheapest book you bought?

i used to buy a ton of old paperbacks, usually goofy looking sf or fantasy novels from library sales for dollars or quarters so definitely those.

32. What was the most expensive book you bought?

i can tell u the most expensive book i got for free was a beautiful bound collection of hg wells stories that i just got from some book at bea before it was bookcon lol

ones i actually paid for... do art books count??

33. What is a book you read after seeing the movie/ TV series?

nah i usually have no intention of reading the book if i watched the show/movie first

34. What is the newest book you have bought?

akdjghksjgh a lesbian western novella called from the boots up for a few bucks on kindle

35. What three books are you most looking forward to reading this year?

the rest of the gay books i’ve bought but haven’t read yet! not your sidekick and labyrinth lost, i’m VERY excited to reread a wrinkle in time and i also really want to read stone butch blues

36. What is a book you love that has a terrible trope? (Love triangle, etc)

crush by sr silcox has the cutest lesbian teen summer romance AND one them is secretly a rock star avoiding her fame bc her controlling dad was turning into HIS dream instead of HERS akdjghksdjgh its fantastic i adored it

37. Have you read a book in a different language? What was it?

oh no i’m dumb as hell

38. What is a book you’ve read that is set in a time period before you were born?

for some reason dave at night by gail carson levine popped into my head first? that was my favorite as a kid and i reread it all the time and i think it took place in the 20s or 30s with all that good good jazz shit

39. What book offended you?

hm not sure how to answer this one

40. What is the weirdest book you have read?

idk the may bird series was pretty weird. gone by michael grant? i read the first for a high school book club and i just could not get into it or understand it even a little

41. What is your favourite duology?

ditty the abyss surrounds us & the edge of the abyss !!

42. What is your favourite trilogy?

wow i really haven’t read that many trilogies esp ones i loved. i guess may bird or the chronus chronicles then!

43. What book did you buy because of its cover?

the maze runner! also bc i heard it was good but i hated that book so

44. What is a book that you love, but has a terrible cover?

honestly i can’t think of one rn

45. Do you own a poetry anthology? What is your favourite poem from it?

nope! i also hated poetry as a kid and have only tried to get into it recently. i have a book of sappho’s fragments and i want to get tracy k smith from the library but thats about it

46. Do you own any colouring books based off other books?

nope

47. Do you own any historical fiction?

thats possible

48. What book made you angry?

the maze runner really did?? for some reason and i don’t get mad that much but it just really had me steamin. sabrina also said grasshopper jungle and i’m inclined to say same lmao. i haven’t read it but seeing all the lesbophobia in not otherwise specified recently made me really mad and also upset

49. What book has inspired you?

aw inspired is a serious word to throw around. the miseducation of cameron post, idk if it “inspired” me but it was my first lesbian novel and that really did a lot for me.

50. What book got you into reading?

i think it was a wrinkle in time! or maybe roald dahl books before that, but a wrinkle in time was definitely up there, and maybe the shadow thieves by anne ursu

i’m tagging @reading-takes-you-places and @mywomensworld and anyone who wants to! i don’t talk to many people here but if you follow me and want to, go for it!

#boy this was so many questions and i really don't......read..............#but ily babe ty for tagging me <3 #long post

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softbred · 7 years

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15,8 & 11 for the ask thing :)

hallo thank you :)))

15. five most influential books over your lifetime

okay this is a tough one because it’s been like a year since i last finished a book yikes but i’m gonna try anyway

The Rest of Us Just Live Here by Patrick Ness is my favourite book of all time. Seriously, go find it in a library and read it. It has diverse characters, a great plot and a great (sneaky) moral.Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell was my favourite before I read TRoU. It made me realise that being obsessed with fictional couples was fine, but that I shouldn’t base my whole life around fiction. It also inspired me to write, so, cool!Switched by Amanda Hocking was the book that really got me into reading. I got a copy of it free in a magazine and I took it with me everywhere- my water bottle leaked on it, there’s crumbs wedged in the pages, i dropped it in the bath and it smells like a fifty year book. When i finished it, I borrowed the next two books in the trilogy and finished them in a week; I stayed up all night and finished the final book in one sitting. After that, I read all the other Amanda Hocking books I could get my hands on. I borrowed 5 or so from the library and I bought the books from her newest series as soon as I heard they were available. I now have 8 of her books on my shelf. Point is; Amanda Hocking captured my imagination and taught me to look at the world in a new light.Danny the Champion of the World by Roald Dahl was the first ‘grown up’ book I read. My mum had a copy of it from when she was my age (around 10, maybe younger) and read it to me every night until it was finished. When we got the the end, I reread it on my own. It’s the only book I’ve read more than once.And then there’s the Rainbow Magic series by Daisy Meadows. I loved them. Everyone under the age of 12 did. And then we found out that Daisy Meadows wasn’t a real person and the stories were written by a computer and then edited for clarity. That taught me that sometimes, things are too good to be true.Shit that was long.

8. What musical artists have you felt most connected to over your lifetime?

Aight I’m gonna keep this one short and sweet.

Twenty One Pilots (shocking), dodie and Taylor Swift, back in the day.

11. Describe your ideal day.

Honestly I just want to hang out with my friends, do dumb shit, make memories and have fun

#thank u sm btw xoxoxo #long post #seriously i got very excited about the books I tried to reign it in as much as possible #ask #answered #me #mine

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televinita · 6 years

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Library Triage

Speaking of my incompetence, I managed to accidentally check out an avalanche of super-awesome-looking/hotly anticipated books with fairly restrictive deadlines toward the beginning of a 10-day hell period at work where I had no time to start them. I am almost out of it now, but they are basically all due by or before the end of June and my brain is spinning out trying to fathom how I am going to organize my reading schedule without rushing and ruining the books for myself, SO, time for project Talk It Out Concretely!

(or. you know. even more ramblingly than usual)

Starting with an achievement: Last night I finally had time to finish Fanny Fran Davis’ Everything Must Go, an absolutely delightful romp which was on its final renewal and only a week away from being due. Prior to that I was working on it in 15-minute breaks at work and 1+ minute stoplights on the commute to work. (seriously. thumbs up to its format.)

SO, HIGH ON THAT:

1. A & L Do Summer - Jan Blazanin: This is a book that Goodreads has been recommending to me for 5 years. I always thought it looked cute, but maybe not substantial, so I kept putting it off because it required an ILL request. But next week’s Top Ten Tuesday prompt is “books to read by the beach,” and I saw this on my recs list again and went, “You know what? This is exactly that kind of book. This is exactly the right time of year to finally read it. I want juvenile cuteness that lets me vicariously be 15 (17 apparently?) again with months of freedom ahead to enjoy in a rural Midwest setting.” I’m struggling with whether to read this or the next book first, but I think this one will go quicker. Due 7/2, like the next two.

[edit: I waited until the day before it was due, for some reason, but it was everything I wanted it to be!]

2. Like Mandarin - Kirsten Hubbard. Another book GR has been recommending to me for 5 years, another one that needed an ILL request. I figured I’d send away for them both together because of sort of similar themes in girl-bonding and rural locales, though this looks much more serious. It’s always caught my eye; there’s just something about the "young high schooler latches onto/idolizes Cool Senior High Schooler" concept that appeals to me -- oh, and only JUST NOW did I realize it's by the same author as my beloved Wanderlove! Definitely loving it now. Definitely.

[edit: accurate]

3. Heart-Shaped Hack - Tracey Garvis-Graves: After rereading The Island for the first time in 6 years and remembering how much I loved that romance/had anticipated more work from her, I saw this and immediately went, “I could cast Waige in this.” I am coming to the conclusion that this is untrue, because Mr. Hacker is turning out to be way too cocky for any character I’ve ever liked, but if I re-calibrate my expectations for what is actually being offered, I still feel like I will love this. And if that’s the case...there is a sequel. (which unfortunately would have to come rather far down on this list)

[edit: really should have waited for the sequel in hand! I think it will be better; this was good but rather more, uh, adult-romance-y than I expected so I’d like to at least see them in a higher stakes plot]

4. Going Geek - Charlotte Huang: technically due first, on 6/23 and it’s an ILL so getting it back is tough. BUT I am less interested in it than any of the 3 above, so if I don’t through at least 2 of them first, I’ll let this one go with no remorse. I only requested it because it seemed similar to Life in Outer Space, but that one was wholly satisfying on its own. This does look like a solid YA novel, but it doesn’t have a special hook, and I am up to my ears in Hook Books.

[edit: I made time! Glad I did; it was better than I expected it to be]

5. The Broken Girls - Simone St. James: Not a specific craving right now, but I have been on a wait list since it was released and mentally waiting since November because I love a good thriller with a mystery from the past & an abandoned building -- and then I forgot to suspend my hold and it came in before I was ready. Also due 6/23, and still hotly requested. I am probably gonna lose my shot to read this on time and have to wait another 4-6 weeks, but at least it’s in my home system.

[edit: I made time! Barely took me 10 pages to get addicted; SO WORTH IT.]

6. Learning to Stay - Erin Celello: This popped when I was looking for novels with brain-damaged spouses. I was looking for Waige-related reasons, and with the veteran angle this isn’t going to work for them, but its premise is irresistible to me and I have a suspicion who it’s perfect for: Barbie/Julia (with begrudging thanks for season 3 of Under the Dome for actively showing me what it could look like). Not due until July 8 and will probably delay it until after #7, actually, because I’m having trouble focusing on other ships right now, even ones I adore.

[edit: well done, though I couldn’t keep my characters straight because there was an annoying lot to match up with my original pick, so I kept unintentionally running everything twice.]

7. Shine Shine Shine - Lydia Netzer: All right, full disclosure -- this one is my final, brightest and best attempt to find Walter/Paige (complete with a Ralph!) in a novel. I am setting myself up to fail, in part because the premise includes the idea that the central female character is kind of off in her own way. But like. How else* was I supposed to react to “genius engineer husband whose wife has 'taught him to feel -- helped him translate his intelligence for numbers into a language of emotion‘ + autistic son”???

(*alternate option for how else: I’ve got Happy in my back pocket: As children, the temperamental Sunny and the neglected savant Maxon found an unlikely friendship no one else could understand. Even the ironic name fits!)

This one just got here and I’ll pick it up in a few days. It’s a home system request, but we only have one copy and I already had to wrestle it away from someone who kept it 2 days overdue* so we might tussle again. (*you might be asking yourself why I did that, given the state of this post. I don’t know either. I was in a feverish delirium of reading desire by that point and every book I found online looked more imperative to get immediately than the last, but I was stuck waiting for all of them).

[edit: it was beautiful and I have so many favorite quotes and I cried a lot and it was worth it even if only one character lined up well; the pair won my heart on their own merit.]

8. 45 Pounds (More or Less) - K.A. Barson: a cute YA novel about an overweight girl trying (or at least being pestered by her mother) to lose weight. I’ve been saving it for motivation for when I actually attempt to exercise / not eat like crap this summer. This, like the remaining books, has essentially no due date since no one is likely to request them out from under me even once I return them.

[edit: tossed back unread for the time being. too many shiny new things appeared.]

9. Voracious: a hungry reader cooks her way through great books - Cara Nicoletti: this is either going to help the above plan or hurt it, but it’s such a great premise, especially as someone who once considered starting a side blog devoted to highlighting passages in books that describe great meals. I am not actually sure if I will finish it at all. But I’d like to try.

[edit: see above.]

10. Shelf Discovery: The Teen Classics We Never Stopped Reading: this book was mentioned in a review for one of the lesser-known books in it; I forget which one, but it intrigued me because there are TONS of titles in here that aren’t usually mentioned in online lists like this, and I love when people talk about books I have actually loved instead of pretending that Catcher in the Rye and The Perks of Being a Wallflower are the best examples of universal YA literature we can find.

(What’s most likely going to happen is I’m going to read 3 chapters and then wig out about how many I haven’t read and put it back until I have, so I can enjoy the comparisons in our reactions instead of being unduly influenced, but... )

11. Sixteen: short stories by outstanding writers for young adults: Absolutely lowest priority, probably will never get to it, but if I had no other reading responsibilities right now? I would be reading it now. I spotted this when I went to pick up the above, and I don’t even usually like short stories, but this is a compilation of outstanding writers for young adults IN THE 1980S. And there is a very specific style to young adult books from the 1980s that sometimes, I just absolutely crave. Let me give you more of its description: Stories dealing with teenage concerns, written especially for this collection by well-known authors of young adult novels such as the Mazers [that would be Harry and Norma Fox], M.E. Kerr, Robert Cormier, Bette Greene, and Richard Peck. Biographical sketches for each author are included, as well as follow-up activities for the reader. Me, gesticulating wildly at basically all these names: I KNOW THEM! (as authors, I mean. Once upon a time the library’s teen section was full of their work and I devoured it as voraciously as the newer stuff)

[edit: it was short, so I read it and am glad I did.]

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AND AS PREVIOUSLY MENTIONED: THERE ARE STILL MORE I WANT, but I can’t think about them right now.

#reading triage #library checkouts #aw crap I just realized I forgot another two I actually have checked out #but I have been checking them out since April and still haven't gotten to them so IDK if I will bother

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