🇺🇸 What to Read After Watching Red, White, and Royal Blue 🇬🇧

🇺🇸 What to Read After Watching Red, White, and Royal Blue 🇬🇧

❤️ Have you watched the complete cuteness that is Red, White, and Royal Blue (based on the book by @casey.mcquiston) yet? If you haven't, this is your sign to make some popcorn, cozy up on the couch, and enjoy!

💙 If you HAVE watched it and want to keep the cute vibes thriving, here are a few books to consider adding to your TBR if you loved Red, White, and Royal Blue!

🇺🇸 American Royalty by Tracey Livesay 🇬🇧 Boyfriend Material by Alexis Hall 🇺🇸 Battle Royal by Lucy Parker 🇬🇧 American Royals by Katherine McGee 🇺🇸 The Charm Offensive by Alison Cochrun 🇬🇧 Everything for You by Chloe Liese 🇺🇸 If This Gets Out by Sophie Gonzales & Cale Dietrich 🇬🇧 They Hate Each Other by Amanda Woody 🇺🇸 Meet You in the Middle by Devon Daniels 🇬🇧 Playing the Palace by Paul Rudnick 🇺🇸 Love, Hate & Clickbait by Liz Bowery 🇬🇧 Her Royal Highness by Rachel Hawkins 🇺🇸 The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller 🇬🇧 The Gentleman’s Guide to Vice and Virtue by Mackenzi Lee

Who is your favorite anti-hero?

I’m not 100% sure you can call him an anti-hero, but Damien is one of my favorite misunderstood characters. He wants so badly to belong, but his power of suggestion leaves a lot to be desired when it comes to doing the right thing. I don’t want to spoil anything, but after reading A Neon Darkness by @laurenshippen I totally understand where Damien is coming from in the Bright Sessions podcast and why he does the things that he does. My heart really goes out to him and I’m so glad Lauren gave us a little more of his story.

If you’re into fiction podcasts and audio dramas at all, I highly recommend giving @thebrightsessions a go. It’s basically like what would happen if the X-Men were in therapy dealing with their trauma instead of saving the world? It’s so good! If you’re not into podcasts, there are three books set in the world: The Infinite Noise (follows Caleb and Adam), A Neon Darkness (follows Damien), and Some Far Away Place (follows Rose). All three books (and the podcast) are incredibly queer and so so SO GOOD! The books are all technically stand-alone and supplemental to the podcast. Except for The Infinite Noise—it’s basically the first season from Caleb and Adam’s perspective. So if you do read it, and you like it, definitely give the podcast a chance.

From the LGBTQ Iowa Archives and Library, a Queer archives, library and community center, located in Iowa!

Help support the work of the LGBTQ Iowa Archives & Library by becoming a Friend of LIAL. With an annual or monthly donation, you will help support our free programming, archival endeavors, and our library full of trans and queer books that cannot be banned by the state legislature. As a trans and queer volunteer-run organization, LIAL depends on community support to continue our mission of preserving and sharing Iowa's LGBTQ history.

If you become a Friend of LIAL before February 15th, you will also receive a handmade notebook by India Johnson!

Learn more about us here:

Join or donate here! https://donorbox.org/friends-of-lial

The Forgotten Dead by Jordan L Hawk

Queer Book Draw Challenge 15/20

75% done! :O

[ID: An illustration of Nigel and Oscar sitting next to each other on the child-sized bed in Mike's room. The bed is crowded with heaps of children's clothes, and the walls are decorated with posters of its former inhabitant's interests. Nigel's hand is on Oscar's thigh and Oscar's hand is on Nigel's back. Nigel is leaned forward into the light, squinting slightly as if to see more clearly. His expression is intense, soulful, and a little bereft. Behind him, Oscar's eyes are closed, and a peaceful expression rests on his face. A stream of light comes in from the window and a the shadow of a figure is just visible amongst the beams reaching out to Nigel. End ID]

Tip Jar | Commissions

reduced color version under cut

I had a ton of fun illustrating the promo postcard for this year's lineup of queer novellas from Neon Hemlock https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/davering/neon-hemlocks-2024-novella-series Help us reach some stretch goals before the campaign ends! (Pins! Interior Illustrations! Maybe more oracle cards 👀)

The 🏖️INDIE AUTHOR SUMMER EXTRAVAGANZA🏖️ is here! This weekend only! Spread the word!

Tons of indie ebooks—all genres included—free or discounted! 👀 a bunch of queer books too!!

Stock your eReaders👇🏻👇🏻

June was a heavy design month for me, but I got to read some GREAT books. The book this first illustration was based on, The Left Hand of Dog by Si Clarke, was my absolute favorite escapist read this year! PLEASE read it, I'm begging you!

Funny design note: I went through so many flag colors for the "tea." My favorite was the alternate agender flag, but we decided to go with rainbow in the end. They both look great, though!

This design is one of those that you really have to read the book to get, and I smile every time (also wish this was a real thing!).

I also really loved this texty art I did for @rainbowcrate based on The Disasters by MK England! This was used as the case design for a really cool collapsible straw! I have been keeping it on my desk because it's so cool, but I need to move it to my bag soon so I can use it!

Go read The Disasters, it's a fun ride. :)

[ID: An illustration of a universal translator that looks like an Apple watch with faded aro and ace flags on the band. The face says "Universal translator mode: Literal, Figurative. In the background are stars and flying bunny heads in pastel colors. In the foreground is a pink flying teapot pouring rainbow tea.]

[ID 2: An illustration of the words "Crime on an empty stomach seems like a bad idea" next to a glass of iced tea and a set of keys with a keychain that says "Swift kick." The second photo is of that illustration on an open oval bamboo case with a metal straw inside, on top of a sketchbook.]

I have just discovered the Queer Liberation Library and am super happy about it. They'll lend queer ebooks and audio books to anyone in the US for free. Whether you'd like to apply for a library card or want to make a donation, start here: https://www.queerliberationlibrary.org/

(I have someone on Tumblr to thank, but have already forgotten who... Thanks, lovely person!)

#read #LGBTQ #books #libraries

The Witch King By H.E Edgmon

Wyatt, a fugitive witch from an oppressive fae kingdom tries to free himself from his crimes and fiancee. Those plans are ruined when the heir to the throne, Prince Emyr and Wyatt’s fiance comes to force him to return. It is this course of events that sparks Wyatt’s plan to escape the kingdom. This is a book that talks about corruption, broken systems and systemic oppression.

(C) I enjoyed the characters presented. Wyatt and Emyr had strong personalities and were clearly fleshed out with likes and dislikes. I like the way they were able to blend together. I enjoyed the side relationships, especially Wyatt with his sister. The side characters also had decent voices. There were times where they seemed to be jerked by the plot, but overall their intentions were their own. I did not like what they did to Briar at the end of the book. It seemed like she and Wyatt were truly best friends, equal and both loving of each other. That is until she confessed that she felt like she had to bend to be what he needed. That destroyed their friendship in my eyes and made everything they seemed to have together be false. (A) I enjoyed the world building, it was real and immersive. The way the magic worked made sense in my opinion. I was able to picture most of everything that was being described, mostly I did struggle with the description of rooms and buildings. But I do not feel as if that was the most important thing when it came to setting. The energy in scenes were highly believable, the energy was there and it could be felt. (W) I liked the writing style. Wyatt’s voice was fun and witty. I feel like he was a great character, because this story told by anyone else would not have been the same. There was a good balance between dialogue and narration in my opinion. The train of thoughts were easy to follow, there was hardly any moment as to which I was lost by the writing. Unfortunately I have a bad habit of skimming while I read so the times I was lost, that was on me.It never felt stuck or like there was an odd transition. I personally hate leaving the series unfinished so I do know I will be completing this series but even if it weren’t for that, I enjoyed the writing style so I do think I would read something written by this author again. (P) There were a lot of subplots, the corrupt system, the romance plot, the betraying the crown plot and a few more I am sure went over my head. I am not the most analytical reader out there. It was one of the first fae books I have read so the mated plot was a first one for me. I think it would have gone deeper in the world building. I believe that would have made the plot much more exciting, especially when it came to the Fae left in the other world. The plot twist at the end was a decent one, there were a lot of bread crumbs left behind to point at it. (I) I was interested in the book around the time it came out but barely had the time to read it. I liked the idea of it being a new world. It was a pleasant read, there was not a time while reading it that I wish I had done something else. It is my first fae novel and I am very interested to pick up more books on this type of fantasy. I was really excited to see the way the characters bonded and developed together. I wholeheartedly wish there was a bigger discussion on Fae culture and/or biology, since it is one of my favorite things when it comes to fantasy. (L) The series made sense, except in the way that the Guard seemed to have more power than the crown. It was a weird way to set it up, it was poorly explained that they do not have more power but just follow the rules. Sometimes the rules of the magic seemed to be off but I personally attribute that to me not paying that much attention to the story. At the end, it did seem like Wyatt was acting out of character, but I wasn’t sure if he really was or if he just grew with the story. I do feel like there was a lot of this world that was underdeveloped. (E) I really enjoyed the book! It was sad, funny and witty, the relationships felt real, the system of oppression was realistic and could be related to. As well as the betrayal felt by Wyatt. I liked the way he and Tessa were real, I liked the book and overall enjoyed it a lot. I can’t wait to see what the story comes to in the second book.

it's so funny to me when people just believe that john is straight because he said "i'm not a homosexual" once because

1. you are believing the words of a 13 yr old who was 12 the day before.

2. people forget that he's 13 when he said that, and that he is not old enough for a proper romantic relationship.

3. john egbert doesn't think. in fact, he'd rather not AT ALL. like. EVER.

4. why would he think about ever liking a girl? can't he just say it out right if he does?

also, this part in a nutshell:

karkat: DO YOU WANNA BE IN A RELATIONSHI-

john: i am not a homosexual. 👍

5. god king of repression had you fooled FOOL.

and the most ironic part is that it's the same shit homophobic parents say like "yeah, but when you were 13 you said you liked girls soooo"

🦇 Good afternoon, my beautiful bookish bats! How was your Halloween? What did you dress up as?

🐈‍⬛ We didn't get a single trick-or-treater, so I'm a tiny bit disappointed. Anyway, I prepared WAY too much content for October. We have two black cats and I love bats; every day is spooky season here! To keep the spooky vibes going, here are a few queer vamps to consider reading about before the end of the year!

❤️ Carmilla by J. Sheridan Le Fanu 🦇 Carmilla & Laura by SD Simper 🩸 The Lost Girls by Sonia Hartl ❤️ Youngblood by Sasha Laurens 🦇 Court of the Undying Seasons by A.M. Strickland 🩸 The Fell of Dark by Caleb Roehrig ❤️ Terrible Praise by Lara Hayes 🦇 The Coldest Touch by Isabel Sterling 🩸 Dowry of Blood by S. T. Gibson ❤️ A Flame in the Night by Morgan Dante

Happy International Asexuality Day! 🖤🩶🤍💜

Much like last year, here's a recommendation list of aspec books I've read and a few on my tbr. I've also added some aspec authors, too. It's obviously not an exhaustive list, but it'll get you started.

I'm spending this rainy day celebrating (i.e. reading) instead of educating. I've got some posts already on my page with my experience being ace. I'm tired of constantly educating and defending my sexuality to people. Google is a good starting point. Search out ace bookstagrammers and content creators. We aren't a monolith and all of our experiences are different.

I hope you enjoy the recs! Have you read any of these or have any favorites I should put on my radar?

women who were the only girl with F/F ships in their mostly-sapphic teen friend group, and had to feign interest in the Pretty Gay Anime Boys Of The Week to talk to their friends at all, deserve financial compensation

The Untamed, Eps. 19, 20 // Red, Chase Berggrun

I love how Brennan as a DM was all "Riz, you need more than good grades. You need to stand out. You need showstopping extracurriculars." and to Kristen he was all, "I'm going to throw the weight of an entire religion at you, make you relive your family trauma through your brother and give you relationship issues."

Yet, SOMEHOW, when Brennan introduced little miss four dogs, the driven type A rogue, and had her run for president, setting up the perfect foil for Riz's character and an amazing extracurricular for Riz to aim for in one fell swoop, THE ENTIRE PARTY WENT "KRISTEN 4 PREZ!!!! SHRIMP PARTY 2.0!!!"

Don't get me wrong, I love that Ally went for the fucking throat on vibes alone. Like, that was truly loathing at first sight and I love that for them, I really do.

BUT ALSO THAT WAS RIZ'S PLOTLINE KRISTEN. YOU HAVE LIKE THREE PLOTLINES KRISTEN. WHY ARE YOU ADDING MORE TO YOUR PLATE KRISTEN.

thoughts on the people harassing glenn and rob on twitter from the macden fandom? they gave us so much s16 and ppl throwing it in their faces by tagging them and asking if they hooked up irl

Context:

Don’t care how famous they are, how old they are or how married they are, it’s literally never okay to directly tag and try and out someone. You said it, that’s harassment.

And what’s the end goal here? Like at best they don’t see it and you just look like an asshole, at worst they do see it and feel extremely fucking weird about it. At like, extreme worst, if either of them are queer, you drum up enough weirdos to back you (the Heartstopper kid situation) and you force one of them to out themselves.

This pisses me off the most because, like, it’s all fun and games to call MCD their ‘failsonas’ or whatever, but Glenn especially hates people comparing him to Dennis. How is this any more ‘ok’ than commenting on instagram that he’s D.E.N.N.I.S. System-ed Jill? (Hint, it’s really not). In both cases, it’s people trying to apply the character to the actor to entertain themselves and justify their fantasies of Glenn’s real life. Dennis is not. Glenn.

Again, what’s the end goal here? Like what’s the ideal situation you get out of this if one of them sees this and, god forbid, responds? This is such an icky sticky thing to even want to touch on publicly.

So they give us gay content and in return they get Reddit complaining about it and Twitter demanding they ‘admit’ that they’re actually gay themselves. Huh. Wonder why we haven’t gotten anything explicitly gay on screen from Mac yet? Huh. What a mystery?