One (1) biscuit full of yummy choco

Give me a letter? :D

Fri, 02 May 2025 19:18:01 GMT

Copied this from cyare so here goes! Give me a letter and I'll tell you....

Something I love:
Something I hate:
Somewhere I have been:
Somewhere I would like to go:
Someone I know:
A Beloved Movie:
The Best Book:
My favourite song:

Want to play? Ask for a letter and post this to your journal ;)

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Smut 4 Smut Recs!!!

Wed, 30 Apr 2025 04:51:10 GMT

SMUT 4 SMUT IS DELICIOUS AS ALWAYS!!!!

Here are some of my faves from this year's collection. :D

As the exchange title suggests, all of these are rated E for Explicit!

The Burning Kingdoms

Beyond the Cold Stars (Priya/Malini) - "Priya and Malini, and the eternity before them." aka POST-CANON SOFTNESS FOR THESE MESSY LESBIANS!!! This is just such a satisfying coda for the series, just wraps everything together for me.

Frankenstein

Life and Turbulence (Frankenstein's Creature/Elizabeth Lavenza) - "Elizabeth singlehandedly gives Frankenstein a happy ending through the power of monsterfucking." THIS IS SUCH A DELIGHTFUL EPISTOLARY FIC. Perfectly matches tone of the original but makes it BETTER because MONSTERFUCKING and also unbelievably tender and insightful as to Elizabeth's own frustrating loneliness with being disregarded and shut out by Victor's fears, including being put aside on their wedding night, and the way she finds a match in the Creature! Sublime!

Pride and Prejudice

Mistress of Pemberley (Elizabeth Bennet/Fitzwilliam Darcy) - "Mr. Darcy enjoys being master of the great estate of Pemberley, but all that responsibility can be taxing as well. He discovers that sometimes surrendering sexual control to his wife, his mistress of Pemberley and of himself, can be a welcome relief, and a very great pleasure to them both." aka DELICIOUS FEMDOM!!!! FUCK YEAH!!!

Original Work

Honeyed Wine (M!OC/M!OC) - A prince is given as tribute to a terrifying warlord, and unsure of what to expect of their first night together. The prince is trans…and so is the warlord! Double surprise all around, the first of many! This is surprisingly sweet and I love the way it plays with the tropes!

you're a bullseye (F!OC/F!OC) - WORLD WEARY SHIFU AND THE DISCIPLE WHO'S IN LOVE WITH HER!!!! I love the way the fic gets that sense of exhaustion as the Goddess of War just finally gets to go home after yet another battle, and her student is the one who helps take off the weight of her armor (literal and figurative). Very sweet.

Femme Wanted (F!OC/M!OC) - Super-cute childhood friends to lovers, between a straight cis dude and the friend who just recently realized she's a girl! Absolutely sweet and soppy. <3

exístēmi (F!OC/M!OC) - A young woman raised in a cult finds her pleasure with the god's statue. Deliciously creepy and mind-fucky with religion; mind the tags!

b-list (F!OC/F!OC) - SUPERHERO GOODNESS!!! One character's an early-30s speedsters who recently came back from the dead, and she's rescuing the 24 year-old former hero sidekick. There is tension and history and really it's just fun to watch them play off each other and comic book conventions! (Also, YES! Super powers during sex!)

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The Graveyard Smash (Danse/Hancock) - Fallout

Wed, 26 Mar 2025 13:28:19 GMT

The Graveyard Smash (41935 words) by ChocoChipBiscuit
Chapters: 8/8
Fandom: Fallout (Video Games), Fallout 4
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Relationships: Paladin Danse/John Hancock (Fallout)
Characters: Paladin Danse (Fallout), John Hancock (Fallout), Fahrenheit (Fallout), Magnolia (Fallout), Bobbi No-Nose
Additional Tags: Blood and Gore, Gore, Necromancy, Past Relationship(s), Background Relationships, Past Abuse, Dehumanization, Alternate Universe - Magic, Alternate Universe - Fusion, Alternate Universe - The Locked Tomb Fusion, Child Death, Kissing, Oral Sex, Blow Jobs, Anal Fingering, Anal Fisting, Body Horror
Summary:

When the bombs dropped, the resulting devastation created such a huge thanergic spike that all life was irrevocably changed. Certain individuals are able to harness that thanergic energy to perform necromantic theorems, aided by loyal cavaliers who function as soul-battery and catalyst.
There's no reason a necromancer from a free-wheeling community of ghouls, synths, mutants and reprobates should have anything in common with a cavalier unwillingly exiled from a fascist military organization.
Unfortunately, they have perfect synergy.

I'm really proud of this and commissioned some really cool art for it. :)

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Things that I've been reading!

Mon, 03 Mar 2025 04:18:44 GMT

Exactly what the title says! Things that I've been reading lately!

Short Stories

Folding Beijing by Hao Jingfang, translated by Ken Liu - 16k words - A really thoughtful and interesting story about a Beijing built on folding spaces, where social strata aren't just physically divided, but temporally divided as to whose spaces are active during their allotted time, and the hierarchy on which they're built.

The folding city was divided into three spaces. One side of the earth was First Space, population five million. Their allotted time lasted from six o’clock in the morning to six o’clock the next morning. Then the space went to sleep, and the earth flipped.
The other side was shared by Second Space and Third Space. Twenty–five million people lived in Second Space, and their allotted time lasted from six o’clock on that second day to ten o’clock at night. Fifty million people lived in Third Space, allotted the time from ten o’clock at night to six o’clock in the morning, at which point First Space returned. Time had been carefully divided and parceled out to separate the populations: Five million enjoyed the use of twenty–four hours, and seventy–five million enjoyed the next twenty–four hours.
The structures on two sides of the ground were not even in weight. To remedy the imbalance, the earth was made thicker in First Space, and extra ballast buried in the soil to make up for the missing people and buildings. The residents of First Space considered the extra soil a natural emblem of their possession of a richer, deeper heritage.

Or, in more actual story terms, it's about a Third Space dweller delivering a clandestine letter between Second and First space dwellers, hoping to earn enough money to give his adopted daughter a better life.

This is one of the stories that just nibbles on the edges of my brain from time to time. The first time I read this, I couldn't even say I liked it, I just thought it was interesting. I still can't say I like it, at least not in the sense that it brings me joy or pleasure. But I find it incredibly thought-provoking and feel like I glean new things every time I read it.

Fandom for Robots by Vina Jie-Min Prasad - 4.7k words - This is so fun and charming!!! It's a love letter to fandom and friendships and the joys of finding community through shared media, as Computron (a sentient robot) is on display at a museum, a quaint artifact of the past, until a museum-goer's question ("Have you ever watched this show called Hyperdimension Warp Record?") prompts him to explore anime, read fanfiction, and start writing his own fanfiction with an online friend. Absolute bubblebath delight of a fic.

Wooden Feathers by Ursula Vernon - 8.5k words - A sort of sideways take on Pinocchio; an amateur wood carver is curious about the old man who buys things from her market stall every week, and learns that he used to be a wood carver himself. It's bittersweet and achey and lovely in all kinds of good ways.

Monster Girls Don't Cry by Merc Fenn Wolfmoor - 7.1k words - love how this plays with both present and past tense to flick through memory and connect emotional beats, plus the second person POV as a choice to force the reader into that sense of vulnerability and discomfort. (Also critical of how unwilling the story is to lean into "monstrosity" beyond the physical, or as a shorthand for being marginalized. Which feels especially glaring given the last-minute "monster girls—and the monster boys, and the ones who are neither" and how it never more explicitly engages with race or queerness. But hey, that's why I wrote fanfic for it!)

Fiction

The Lotus Empire by Tasha Suri - I am absolutely wild for The Burning Kingdoms and this is the final book in the trilogy and it's SO GOOD!!! It brings home so many of the themes and character arcs!!! It's devastating and tender and I love how we see Bhumika, even having lost her memories, retaining the ache and memory of grief even when she can't recall all of what she lost. The Priya/Malini dynamic is delicious and fraught and I love this transformation as we see their relationship change from the first book to being pitched against each other in this war, the hurt and betrayal and the way Priya loves as a sacrifice and the way that Malini refuses to allow herself to be sacrificed for anyone's goals but her own, and ultimately Malini realizing that all of it—her power, her throne, her empire—mean nothing to her if she can't have Priya, and willing to hold herself hostage, to give herself, if it means saving Priya!!! It's just!!!!

I love this book so much, this blurb does not do it justice at all, but I really recommend this trilogy for anyone craving dramatic fantasy lesbians, in a setting that really sinks its teeth into fraught power dynamics, imperialism, messy politics, and the ways that faith can be a cudgel and a cult!

The Reformatory by Tananarive Due - Historical horror novel set in 1950, as a young Black boy is sent to the titular reformatory after kicking a white teenager who was harassing his sister. While his sister's trying desperately to free him, he's trying to survive the racist and systemic violence of the 'school.' His ability to see haints is both a blessing and a burden, letting him see the terrors of what came before and also making the warden take a personal (and terrifying) interest in him.

This is gorgeously, horrifically done. The use of character voice and POV is so well done, the setting is fully fleshed, and it's something I could only read in small doses, a chapter or two at a time, as it made me so uneasy.

It also deserves a bucket list of content warnings. The author based many aspects off the Dozier School for Boys, and if you're familiar with that, then you know what to expect. (Racism, slurs, physical abuse, sexual abuse including of minors, sexual assault, torture, death of children, etc.)

( Under a cut for spoilers and an excerpt referring to sexual assault of a minor and unintended necrophilia. )

He Loves Me Not by C.M. Nacosta - It’s You've Got Mail with rival flower shop owners! It's been literally years since I watched the movie, so I can't really compare to the original, but it was so much fun! Basically: Sumi just received a sizeable inheritance and a home from her great-aunt, so moves to Cambric Creek (a mixed race community with many nonhuman residents) to open a franchise flower shop! Ranar, the naga who owns the independent family-run flower shop that already exists in Cambric Creek, is understandably dismayed by the corporate conglomerate making moves in his small community.

This was just so much fun! Plus interesting for me to think about the ways that it has been adapted from the original; switching genders and the fact that Sumi is aware before Ranar about their secret online identities definitely shifts the power dynamics. And compared to a lot of the other Cambric Creek series, this has actual tension that goes beyond 'oops it was just a misunderstanding all along and we needed to talk more!', which I find very appealing.

That said: The ending felt rushed, and some of the species/race dynamics make me uncomfortable. I've mentioned in my review of Morning Glory Milking Farms that the fantasy species diversity felt like a substitute for real-world human diversity, and that it never really goes into the worldbuilding of just how humans came to be the dominant race and how history would have changed. (And I get it, this is essentially a light-hearted 'monster bait' series where the human women get to have exciting minotaur, moth-man, naga, etc boyfriends! It's mostly meant to exist as set-dressing for the monster romance!)

In this one, there is much more explicit cultural diversity (Sumi and one of the ogres in the book are Japanese and in a cultural heritage tea club, Ranar and his family are Tamil) but also…it's not really intersectional. Sumi's half-Japanese and half-Sylvan (therefore part non-human herself), with a white human father. She grew up not being able to connect to her Japanese or Sylvan heritage until she was older, and passes as human. Most of the book's focus is on her connecting with her Japanese heritage, not so much focus with what it means to be Japanese and Sylvan. Frankly, it felt like a way of softening the impact of a human-owned Big Business moving in on the nonhuman-owned flower shop. And there are a number of times when she asks questions about her nonhuman friends and apologizes with (essentially) "I'm just a stupid human, I'm still learning!"

Like. There's a deeper conversation we can have about how being Asian (or apparently Sylvan) in America is to be relatively privileged as a minority, and palatability/respectability politics, but this isn't that.

Nonfiction

Little Red Riding Hood Uncloaked by Catherine Orenstein - The subtitle is "Sex, Morality, and the Evolution of a Fairy Tale," which…about sums it up! The author studies how the traditional fairy tale (with, of course, a focus on the titular one) has changed over time to reflect social and political views regarding sex and gender. She highlights it with ten versions of the story, from Perrault's warning against predatory 'wolves' of the French court who might seduce a young girl to more modern takes (including a lesbian pornographic film!) with Red Riding Hood as seductress, riot grrl, and otherwise taking power into her own hands.

I love fairy tales in general, and in some ways it's fascinating for me to read because fairy tales really feel like mainstream fanfiction: they are a commonly accepted cultural canon, and many authors feel freedom to reinterpret the themes or focus in on characters and tropes they find appealing. It's also interesting for me to think of subtext that I hadn't originally been aware of, like the fact that Perrault had intended it as a morality tale for young women, or thinking about the presence (or absence) of the friendly woodchopper as a patriarchal savior who hadn't always been present in all versions of the tale. And that there were possibly older 'peasant' versions where an earthy young woman ("Let me out, Grandma, I need to shit!") tricks the wolf into freeing her so she can escape.

It was a very interesting read, I highly recommend!

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Fic Recs!

Thu, 20 Feb 2025 05:49:07 GMT

I've been a multi-fandom mess and reading lots of original work and library books (which will get their own post later!), but wanted to share some very good fanfic I've read too!

Dragon Age

a lull, a haunting, a truce (Morrigan/Vivienne) by adlerobsessed - 4.5k words - Fellas is is gay to obsess over your rival to the point of madness??? Morrigan's early days at court and the way she both despises the game and despises being terrible at it, as well as being constantly compared to Vivienne. It's got gorgeous horror elements and makes me feel things for a ship I never previously considered!

Greek and Roman Mythology

she gathered in my soul from many a thorn (Hades/Persephone) by AceQueenKing - 21k words - Hades is captured by the wild spring goddess Persephone after intruding on her garden. This is such a fun role reversal of the familiar myth, and I love the way it reframes the power dynamics and consent as Hades falls under the sex pollen. It does play up the uncle/niece incest of the original mythos (as well as the other actions of the gods, including rape and incest), so consider yourself warned.

The Locked Tomb

turn our golden faces into the sun (Gideon/Harrow) by liesmyth - 5.7k words - AU where Gideon is raised by John, and Harrow arrives to the Erebos as one of two new baby Lyctors. I love how this feels so satisfying and self-contained, but also hints at much greater scope.

Mass Effect

From: Ashley (F!Shep/Ashley) by CoaxionUnlimited - 1.1k words - One-sided epistolary of all the emails Ashley sends after Shepard's death. Funny and poignant and an absolute whammy in the feels.

follow me into the dark (FShep/Tali) by carnalapples - 2.7k words - Shepard and Tali, after Rannoch. This is sweet and achey.

Mexican Gothic

a bruise like a flower (Francis/Noemi) by phasmachinas - 961 words - A short and elegant coda, from Francis' POV. Bite-sized closure.

Singing Hills Cycle

Journey to Paradise by fresne - 17.8k words - A group of travelers tell each other stories while waiting out a natural disaster. I love how it plays with structure and the way that stories change over time (much like the source material does) and really feels like an addition to the canon, or an 'extra episode' in the series.

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Monster Girls Like You (F!OC/Melanie) - Monster Girls Don't Cry

Sat, 25 Jan 2025 02:54:08 GMT

Monster Girls Like You (2744 words) by ChocoChipBiscuit
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: Monster Girls Don't Cry - Merc Fenn Wolfmoor
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Relationships: F!Original Character/Melanie
Characters: Melanie (Monster Girls Don't Cry), Original Female Character(s)
Additional Tags: Attempted Sexual Assault, Racism, COVID-19, Biphobia, Kink Shaming, Under-negotiated Kink, Food, POV Second Person
Summary:

You first see her in the aisle of the Asian mini-mart, between the chili crisp and the Shin Black ramen. You're both wearing K95s, hers pink and yours black, and are the only two people other than the clerk wearing masks. She's pale and narrow, wrapped in a maroon sweater at least two sizes too big, the yarn so plush you ache to rub your cheek in it. She's straw-blonde and white-girl wispy in a way that should look fragile, but there's a sharpness to her. A study in angles.

And then you notice her shadows.

She has five.

First fic for this fandom!

Monster Girls Don't Cry is a 7110 word short story that's free to read online, and it squished into my brainmeat enough that I wanted to write fic for it. :)

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2025 Writing Goals!

Mon, 30 Dec 2024 01:50:14 GMT

I know it's the 29th and not the 31st (or January 1st!) but a) the new year is an arbitrary time to set goals anyway, considering that each new day or week is an opportunity to change or try something new, and b) ...well, I'm in the middle of working 7 days in a row and I have a cold. So I'll take advantage of today's moment of lucidity!

First of all, I'm proud to say that I succeeded with my 2024 goals!

2024 goals:

I finished and posted a longfic! Specifically, Those Who Hunt Monsters, the 25k word Cassandra/Leliana modern werewolf AU! It was delightfully self-indulgent and it felt nice reminding myself that yes, I can finish a multi-chapter project and carry it through multiple drafts!
I've been reading more books about writing and doing regular writing exercises! I've also started a writing group, which is a bit inactive at the moment but I'm hoping that more people will resume activity once the various holiday things are over and we've recovered from 2024. I'm very proud of myself for trying new things, including getting more comfortable with the idea of 'compost' or 'practice' pieces that are just meant to practice writing rather than be immediately folded into a particular project.
I've written for two new-for-me fandoms this year! Both femslash, funny enough! :P I wrote this Lute/Vaggie fic for Hazbin Hotel, and this Anya/Raina fic for The Fraud Squad. The Fraud Squad is also a fandom that predominantly features characters of color, which I'm continuing to look for!
I've given myself permission to be weird and experimental, even if not all the fic ends up published! I've written more kinks (the one with the Sybian saddle, the one with the gangbang, and the one with spanking and anal fingering all got published; the one where Piper bangs a deathclaw is still a WIP, as are the F/F/M femdom fic and the one with light feeder kink) and practiced with more writing first person and second person POV. Also been working on a little more original work, even if (again) most of it is unlikely to be published. It's just good to have some creative output that still feels like it's just for me instead of thinking about where it fits in fandom spaces. :)

So now I have some new goals for 2025!

2025 goals

Finish and post another longfic! The Fallout necromancy AU is the most likely candidate at this point, though it's in messy first draft (or maybe more accurately 1.5 draft?) stage and I haven't touched it in almost a year. But hey, it's something to get excited about!
Write for at least one new-for-me fandom this year! With The Burning Kingdoms trilogy now complete (though I still need to read the final book!) I really want to write something for Bhumika! Plus whatever other fandoms catch my fancy.

That's it, short and sweet!

Writing is pretty much a habit for me at this point, and I have plenty of other non-writing goals for next year, including a half-marathon in May! I've also been reading more...and buying more books, to the point that I've promised myself not to buy any more books until I've at least finished the hard copy books I've already bought! (Not including my e-reader, because I have various magazine subscriptions and a bunch of ebooks that I've either bought on sale or as part of a bundle.)

Life is good, and I wish you luck on your own goals! (Plus maybe share them if you are so inclined?)

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Basically a T. Kingfisher binge!

Thu, 31 Oct 2024 15:40:46 GMT

I originally meant to post about all the spooky seasonal reading I've been doing, but in practice? I've been finishing up my T. Kingfisher binge. And while she does have some delightful horror (I really love the Sworn Soldier series, particularly What Feasts at Night), in practice I enjoy more of her fantasy stories. Even her fantasy often has a darker edge, but mixed with humor and a sort of wry mundane charm that I absolutely love.

So! I'm going to talk about these two books instead.

A Sorceress Comes to Call by T. Kingfisher - A sorceress intends to marry a rich man, and only her abused teenage daughter and the man's spinster sister can stand in her way!

( More spoilerrific rambling! )

Thornhedge by T. Kingfisher - Another fairytale retelling, because I just love fairytales! Based on a very simple idea: what if the wall of thorns had been meant to keep Sleeping Beauty in, instead of everyone else out?

Or: our story follows Toadling, a kidnapped human who had been raised by fairies (greenteeth, specifically) until she's becomes more fey and less human, and who now guards the wall of thorns and the creature inside.

It's beautiful and sweet and sad (but there is a happy ending!), and mostly I love this because of the beauty of falling in love and being loved by monsters, how Toadling truly loves and misses the greenteeth that raised her more than the humans who are technically her family of birth. There's guilt (oh so much guilt) about having failed in her appointed task and the long exhaustion of trying so hard to protect a world that she's become increasingly distant from.

It's a lovely novella and I devoured it over the course of two days. (Would have been one if I didn't have to go to work!)

And now, actually moving to horror: I really love the slow horror and atmosphere of What Feasts at Night, the incredible texture and feeling of this small hunting lodge and the way that there's sympathy even for the 'monster,' without excusing it. It's just really good and I still find myself thinking about terrifying silences and PTSD.

In contrast… A House With Good Bones just didn't hit me the same way. There were many elements I loved (the slow horror of the garden, the kind wildlife rehabber with her pet vulture who also happens to practice her own magic, the way that even though I'm not normally a huge insect fan reading a book written through the POV of an archaeoentomologist really gave me new appreciation of both archaeology and entomology!) and I can definitely pick up the themes of monstrous family legacies and loneliness and power turned spiteful, it just…I don't know. I feel a little strange leaving this so ambivalent, especially since I try only to write about books I enjoyed and/or felt strongly about, but maybe I just need more time to think about this one. All its little hooks in my brain and feeling unsettled and unsure what to do with that feeling.

Anyways! This was my Spooktober reading and I hope everyone has a safe and happy season!

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Recs! Fanfic, short stories, and books.

Sat, 26 Oct 2024 01:54:47 GMT

Once again, I've fallen into the unfortunate habit of thinking "oh no, everything I write must be Grade A literary discussion and thorough reviews, not the semicoherent ramblings of someone who is already very busy but enjoys reading" and that means I've been sitting on a lot of fic recs, both fandom related and original work.

So. Without further blathering (and some very odd formatting as I C&P things):

Fanfic

The Burning Kingdoms
Namagraha by avani - 2k words - Certain names of significance among the Alori, myths and oral traditions.

Black Water Sister
the lightness of a foreign sky (Jess/Sharanya) by meikuree - 5k words - Jess reunites with Sharanya in Singapore, in a fic all about transitions and family dynamics and finding echoes of the familiar in the new. And about queerness as not a barrier to happiness, but a doorway to it. <3

The Locked Tomb
( under a cut just because this is the longest section :) )

Mass Effect
Actually, this is a book club (F!Shep/Garrus) by skogr - 3.4k words - While mildly shippy, this is mostly about the hilarious banter of the Normandy’s book club! The gang stages an intervention for Shepard, whose dietary habit of mixing powdered field rations with coffee is greatly concerning. This intervention takes the form of a book club during meals, meaning that we get an edifying literary discussion of tropes and cultural differences, and also. Well. Hilarious banter. :’)

You’re on your own, kid (F!Shep/Liara) by skogr - 5.1k words - The mortifying ordeal of being spied upon by your estranged father! Aethyta as Council spy, bartender, and maybe the estranged father that Liara only knows by name? A truly mortifying and tangled problem to deal with as an information broker mourning the loss and return of her human lover!

Schitt’s Creek
i have possibly, maybe, pined a bit (Alexis/Stevie) by Bluebluebaby - 5.6k words - Stevie picks Alexis up from the airport, and they get snowed-in on their way back to Schitt’s Creek. There’s only one bed. Absolutely note-perfect to the show, utterly sweet and wholesome and emotionally tender as they talk out their feelings. <3

The Singing Hills Cycle
Nothing to Fear (Ho Thi Thao/Trung Dieu) by Shadaras - 300 words - A few missing scenes that show the changing relationship between the scholar and her tiger-wife. <3

Stardew Valley
crowned with leaves (F!Farmer/Marlon) by apfelgranate - 3.5k words - The new farmer probably isn’t a witch. Cozy eldritch horror!

Original Work (AO3)
Knock ‘Em Dead (Assassin/Target) by HostisHumaniGeneris - 4.5k words - Fun, snappy, and brutal. The Mark, the Client, the Competition, and Management all get their own POV chapters, with the Assassin moving through them with terrifying efficiency. I was absolutely rooting for her. With popcorn.

Original Work (Short Stories)
Kwong's Bath by Angela Liu - 3.5k words - A ghost visits her twin, who just had brain surgery in order to access a higher standard of living, one that their family never could afford. Short and fraught with the weight of memory, personal connections, and the ties that tether family.

For However Long by Thomas Ha - 2k words - A mother reflecting on goodbyes and the remaining measures of time with family, the distance of years and miles between her son now living on Mars, herself living in Seattle, and her own mother who lived in Concord.

In April, the Dead by Natalia Theodoridou - 900 words - Death, grieving, and the dead that return from the sea.

Cold Relations by Marie Robinette Kowal - 8.3k words - Ghosts, memories, and fraught family relationships. I love how so much worldbuilding and complex emotions are packed into such a short fic.

How to Raise a Kraken in Your Bathtub by P. Djeli Clark - 7.2k words - Biting, dark, and fantastic.

Miz Boudreaux's Last Ride by Christopher Caldwell - 6.3k words - I absolutely love the characters and rhythm of the prose, the “what happens after they ride into the sunset” air of the protagonist and his husband and the dog he doesn't even like when they accept one last bargain from an old hoodoo woman.

Fiction
In the Bedroom of Medusa by Magen Cubed - HOT SAPPHIC MONSTERFUCKING! Or: protagonist is paid to be companion to a mysterious older woman and greatly enjoys the experience. Not much in the way of plot, but lovely and sensual. Technically flirts with erotic horror because it definitely plays with the tropes, though it's more like Gothic romance vibes. I really enjoyed this.

The Scales of Seduction by Rien Gray - SNAKE LESBIANS. SNESBIANS. Or: butch basilisk mercenary runs a gauntlet of deadly traps in order to confront Medusa. It's gory and hot and feral and there's so much going on about bodily reclamation and desire and them going from fighting to fucking. I could say many more clever words but I just enjoyed this. I bought it the day it came out and saved it until I knew I could savor it.

Nonfiction
Mott Street by Ava Chin - Family memoir and history, with the author using her own family tree to illustrate and highlight oft-overlooked aspects of Chinese-American history. It is deeply personal and that's part of its power; it's a personal connection to the individual griefs, tragedy, and joys of a community and different eras that makes it resonate so much more than a standard history text.

Mostly, it makes me think of history as a living document: the things deemed important enough to write down, and by whom. The struggle to read between the lines and recognize what was excised or ignored, reading past historical bias (some of which made me clench my fists in secondhand rage) to extract meaning.

Which is admittedly a very abstract way of discussing a book that deals with some very concrete topics, but I'm writing this summary months after actually having read the book, since I've struggled to articulate why I liked it so much without inadvertently doing a chapter by chapter recap.

Besides these....the last few months have been comfort reads for me, like romance novels (mostly Courtney Milan) and some light fantasy and horror (mostly T. Kingfisher). I've been craving a lot of comfort lately, due to Reasons, which are getting better.

I love romance novels (and occasionally get defensive about them) because they hit the same appeal for me as shipfic in fandom, in many ways. Some familiar tropes (often played with very well!), character focused, and with a promise of a happy ending. And much like fandom, I'm often overwhelmed by the sheer whiteness of mainstream offerings. (and the relative lack of f/f).

Anyways. I'm going to continue my library binge with some more T. Kingfisher (A Sorceress Comes to Call is up next!), various things that caught my eye, and The Priory of the Orange Tree. Which I've been meaning to read for a while, but just haven't made the time for yet. :)

Please yell about books with me! Tell me your thoughts if you've read any of these, or what you're reading now!

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Books recs! So many books!

Sat, 01 Jun 2024 01:23:12 GMT

It's been another six months since I've yelled about books! I've been very fortunate that a lot of library books I've been waitlisted for have come in, and it finally got me off my butt to write about them! Or more accurately: to post the thoughts I've already written!

Books (Fiction)

( The Midnight Bargain by C.L. Polk )

( The Water Outlaws by S.L. Huang )

( Morning Glory Milking Farm by C.M. Nacosta )

( The Night Tiger by Yangsze Choo )

( The Ghost Bride by Yangsze Choo )

( The Inugami Curse by Seishi Yokomizo )

( Aunty Lee's Delights by Ovidia Yu )

Graphic Novels

( American Born Chinese by Gene Luen Yang )

Nonfiction

( Paved Paradise by Henry Grabar )

( Unmasking AI by Joy Buolamwini )

Good books! Good reads! Even with the occasional good frustration!

I have one more book from the library (Mott Street by Ava Chin, which looks at Chinese-American history through family memoir) and then...I expect I'll need a break from reading. I have a few exchange assignments to finish up, then I look forward to diving into a video game. Probably Bastion, unless Control seduces me first. :')

Please let me know your thoughts if you have read any of these! I love yelling about books!!!!

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Femslash Kink Exchange 2024

Sun, 21 Apr 2024 01:28:26 GMT

Hello! This is my first time participating in the Femslash Kink Exchange, but as I love femslash and I love kink, I’m looking forward to whatever you choose to write! Besides my likes, I’ve included some prompts if they strike your fancy. Otherwise, feel free to chase your id!

( Under a cut for length! )

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Happy Smutquisition!

Mon, 18 Mar 2024 03:40:48 GMT

HELLO HELLO SMUTQUISITION IS HERE TO GIVE YOU ALL THE BEST DRAGON AGE SMUT THIS SIDE OF THE FROSTBACKS!

Here are my favorites from this year's collection. :)

a kiss may be grand (Carver/Merrill) by TheAceApples - 4k words - WHY HELLO I love the Carver POV here and the very fun consensual sex pollen as Carver and Merrill go flower picking. And then, yanno, 'flower picking.' ;)

Away From the Party (Cassandra/Josephine) by sweettasteofbitter - 1.9k words - Utterly lovely and tender established relationship smut on a sultry summer night!

oh no this again (Sigrun/Velanna) by ghostbunny - art - Very cute and playful Grey Warden gals getting it onnnn!

and my own contribution:

Gratitude for Service (The Arishok/Merrill/The Arishok's Men) - 6.5k words - Sex pollen and Merrill getting the Qunari gangbang of her dreams! (Or: HECK YEAH I FINALLY WROTE THE GANGBANG FIC!)

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2024 Writing Goals!

Tue, 02 Jan 2024 03:50:54 GMT

Technically, I failed most of my 2023 Writing Goals.

'Technically' because no, I didn't post either of my longfic projects, and no, I didn't do all the writing exercises I planned on doing.

Instead, I wrote a lot less in 2023. But I did a lot more nonfandom hobbies; I read more original work, including nonfiction. I spent more time jogging and going out with friends. I joined a board game meetup group. I have binoculars and while I hesitate to say I go 'birdwatching,' I definitely go bird-looking. (I'm also terrible at identifying most birds by their calls, but the Merlin app is very good for that!)

I'm trying to take that same sense of gentle exploration into 2024. Especially because I've been thinking of various reasons for why I've not been enjoying as much fanfic lately.

Essentially: I've come to think about the ways that fandom does (and does not) nourish me. Despite the much-vaunted transformative power of fandom, it often feels difficult (when it's not fundamentally hostile) for me to write about or for characters who are not just queer, but queer women of color, when writing for fandoms that so often default to white or pseudo-European fantasies as the baseline. (Some nitpicking about when it's the canon vs the people in the fandom who make those default assumptions, but the essential points remain the same.)

I've realized that for fandom to remain fun for me, I have to start consuming different fandoms and/or being more selective about how I engage with my existing fandoms.

So! I'm going to continue reading original work, and try writing fanfic for a few works that are new for me. I also plan to experiment more with writing original work, even if I choose not to post it. :)

Very loose bullet-point goals, just because having specific goals always helps

Still finish and post one longfic WIP (either Awoo AU or the Fallout Necromancy AU). (Undecided which, right now, which might be part of the problem; I need to get excited about them again. They're both in messy first draft stage so need revisions, then beta, then more revisions based on feedback.)
continue reading books about writing and doing the writing exercises; while 1 chapter/week remains the goal, no shame if it slides to 1 chapter/month
write for at least one new (to me) fandom this year, preferably for a canon that predominantly features characters of color. I'm already thinking about finishing my Fraud Squad fic, or maybe writing something for The Burning Kingdoms. I love Black Water Sister and don't feel like I can meaningfully write something for it right now, but there is this fic I'm so excited to read for it!
I am officially giving myself permission to be weird and experimental! Here's to writing the weird kinks and hyperspecific fetishes! Here's to writing second person POV! Here's to forced metaphors and alien analogies and leaning into my weird synesthesia tendencies!

That's it! Some very gentle goals for a very gentle year. :)

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Even more library books!!!

Sat, 09 Dec 2023 19:07:53 GMT

It's been six months since I last posted about books! I've been reading some fanfic, but it's mostly been library books. Per my usual, I'm only blurbing about the books and stories I actually enjoyed, or at least felt compelled and have opinions on!

Books (Fiction)

( Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin )

( Yellowface by R.F. Kuang )

( The Stand-In by Lily Chu )

( The Decagon House Murders by Yukito Ayatsuji )

( The Thick and the Lean by Chana Porter )

( Last Night at the Telegraph Club by Malinda Lo )

( Into the Riverlands by Nghi Vo )

( Silver Nitrate by Silvia Moreno-Garcia )

Books (Nonfiction)

( The New Guys by Meredith Bagby )

( An Immense World by Ed Yong )

Memoirs

( Eat a Peach by David Chang )

( Fun Home by Alison Bechdel )

( Why Fish Don't Exist by Lulu Miller )

Original Work (Short Stories)

So You Want to Kiss Your Nemesis by John Wiswell - 939 words - “Welcome to the Intimate Blade. We find the edge for that special someone in your life. My name is Robin. How can I help you today?”

Umeboshi by Rebecca Nakaba - 3k words - Chain emails, auguries, and disconnection. This is weird and hurty and fucks me up a little.

The Lily and the Horn by Catherynne Valente - War conducted via poisons and antidotes, and two women separated by years and obligation.

I feel like certain patterns in my reading are pretty obvious; I'm always interested in more queer stories of course, but I'm actively trying to read more books written across the Asian diaspora. I love fantasy and science-fiction, but also enjoy historical novels and am trying to broaden my reading genres.

Currently, I'm reading Network Effect by Martha Wells. I feel like I'm one of the few people who doesn't love Murderbot (I just bounced off the short stories and dislike the style. I can recognize the craft in the story, but it's not something I enjoy) so I'm trying the novel instead to see if it works better for me this way.

If you have read or are interested in any of these books, gimme a shout! I love talking books. :D Tell me if you're reading anything interesting too! I can always add to my miles-long TBR pile!

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Black Emporium 2023

Fri, 30 Jun 2023 04:32:58 GMT

Happy Black Emporium!

Thank you for taking the time to read my letter, I’m sure I’ll enjoy whatever you write. The prompts are only meant as inspiration if you would like ideas. I’m happy with any rating from gen to explicit, so even though I’ve included some smut prompts, please don’t feel obligated to write anything you’re uncomfortable with!

I mostly love this setting for its characters, their dynamics and banter and how at its best, we get to see them grow or change according to circumstance. I love them for how whole they feel, their weight and lives and histories beyond whatever interactions the PC might have with them. I prefer pro-mage runs and female or nb PCs (Warden, Hawke, Inquisitor).

I generally prefer happy endings over tragedies but am aware that may not be realistic for all the ships involved; I would prefer bittersweet at the most angsty. Feel free to go wild otherwise, but I’ve included various prompts if you would like ideas!

( Under a cut for length! )

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SO MANY LIBRARY BOOKS!!!!

Wed, 14 Jun 2023 04:36:32 GMT

It's been a while since I've posted about books, so I'm going to jump right in!!!

Books (Fiction)

( The Kingston Cycle )

( When No One is Watching by Alyssa Cole )

( A Master of Djinn by P. Djeli Clark )

( Ring Shout by P. Djeli Clark )

( The Fraud Squad by Kyla Zhao )

Books: Nonfiction

( Hope in the Dark by Rebecca Solnit )

This was a lot of reading, and I still want to finish a few library books (and the first draft of the Fraud Squad hatemance fic!) before switching over to video games. :')

Hope you've been reading and playing good things, please share if there's anything fun you'd recommend!

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Pride 2023 - F/F and F/NB recs!!!!

Mon, 05 Jun 2023 04:12:01 GMT

In honor of Pride, have some of my favorite F/F and F/NB reads!

Short stories (available online)

Radcliffe Hall by Miyuki Jane Pinckard - 40k word novella, with a Japanese student attending an American women's college in 1908. It's a Gothic novel with the characters encountering the supernatural, which is no less malevolent than systemic racism and homophobia.
The First Stop Is Always the Last by John Wiswell - Short and sweet time loop flirtation!
Scallop by J.L. Akagi - A woman begins growing eyes all over her body, and struggles to hide them. All the warnings for body horror, eye injury, and referenced sexual assault.
The World Ends in Salty Fingers and Sugared Lips by Jen Reese - Time loop story about the end of the world and the ways we try to deal with the crushing uncertainty of the inevitable.

Romance

One Last Stop by Casey McQuiston - Subway time travel romance! August moves to New York and meets Jane, a butch punk from the 70s who’s trapped on the subway. It’s warm and sweet and funny, with all the feels and queer found family goodness.
Fatal Fidelity by Rien Gray - Dark romance/erotic suspense featuring a bi femme fatale and a nonbinary assassin! The series begins with Love Kills Twice, in which Justine hires an assassin to get rid of her abusive husband…unaware that Campbell was also hired to kill her. Absolutely delicious.
Feminine Pursuits series by Olivia Waite - While I’m listing it as a series, each novel is entirely stand-alone! These are a set of historical F/F novels featuring women in arts and science (and beekeeping!) making their way and falling in love with one another!
Mrs. Martin’s Incomparable Adventure by Courtney Milan - Historical romance as two older women (73 and 69 years old, respectively!) plot the downfall of an absolutely Terrible Nephew who deserves everything that happens to him. An absolutely delicious comedic romp.
The Cybernetic Tea Shop by Meredith Katz - An AI repair technician and an autonomous robot who runs a small tea shop, set in a retro-futuristic America. It’s warm and gentle and yearning in very good ways.

Horror/Suspense

Manhunt by Gretchen Felker-Martin - Gender apocalypse featuring trans women! A virus has turned anyone with over a certain level of testosterone into cannibal rape monsters, so we’re following our trans protagonists as they try to survive feral men, murderous TERFs, and a sociopathic bunker brat. This deserves a LOT of content warnings but it’s also been blurbed as a ‘bleeding love letter to trans women’ and it really is.
Blackwater Sister by Zen Cho - A Malaysian-American lesbian moves to Malaysia with her family, where she is haunted by her grandmother’s ghost. Her grandmother is out for supernatural revenge, involving our protagonist with gangsters and a terrifying goddess.
Fingersmith by Sarah Waters - Historical crime novel in which a thief poses as a lady’s maid for a con, and ends up developing feelings for the mark. Except the lady’s not as innocent as she seems, and it’s difficult to add more without spoiling the novel but it’s good!

Science fiction

A Memory Called Empire by Arkady Martine - Ambassador Mahit Dzmare travels to the capital of the interstellar Teixcalaanli Empire, discovers that her predecessor has died, and must find not only who murdered him, but why—while trying not to get murdered herself, and trying to maintain her small station’s independence from Teixcalaan’s ever-expanding empire. And there is a sequel but that has its own plot and requires you to read this one anyway!
Passing Strange by Ellen Klages - Set in San Francisco, built on artifice and delight as we follow a group of queer women both present and in the 1940s. Central story is a romance, two women trying to navigate both joy and the brutality of the worlds they inhabit.
This Is How You Lose the Time War by Amal El-Mohtar and Max Gladstone - An epistolary love story across time and space, in far futures and alternative pasts as two rival agents—post-singularity Red and bio-consciousness Blue—foil and thwart one another.

Fantasy

The Burning Kingdoms by Tasha Suri - Indian-inspired fantasy trilogy (third book coming in 2024!) that follows a captive princess and a maidservant with forbidden magic who navigate the the tension between their different loyalties and the politics of empire. Just! So good!
The Kingston Cycle by C.L. Polk - A fantasy trilogy (that’s actually complete!) set in a world where witches are persecuted and placed in asylums…while secretly, the witches of elite families use that power in service of the crown. The first book (Witchmark) starts with a murder mystery and a doctor with PTSD who follows that mystery to government secrets that force him to confront his estranged family. It’s also M/M, but the sequels (Stormsong and Soulstar) center around F/F and F/NB main pairings, respectively.
The Locked Tomb by Tamsyn Muir - The first book starts with swordjock butches and lesbian necromancers in space going through (essentially) a haunted mansion together, and it just keeps going after that! It’s delightful, deranged, and full of fantastic characters I want to gnaw on!
When the Tiger Came Down the Mountain by Nghi Vo - A beautiful frame story with a very fairytale feel, where the cleric Chih is telling the story of a tiger and her lover, a female scholar, to a trio of hungry tigers who threaten to eat them if Chih tells the story incorrectly!
A Master of Djinn by P. Djeli Clark - Mystery and magic and suspense in a steampunk Cairo, set forty years after magic returned to the world! The first female agent for the Ministry of Alchemy, Enchantments, and Supernatural Entities is assigned to discover who murdered members of a secret cult. In addition to solving the case, she’s also assigned a rookie partner to train, and navigating the surprise return of her girlfriend, who has her own secrets! This is a really fun romp, full of joy and wonder. (And Fatma’s fabulous suits!)

Nonfiction

In the Dream House by Carmen Machado - A memoir about surviving domestic abuse, with each chapter using a different trope or genre convention to not only explore the way the relationship affected her sense of self, but also about trying (or failing) to find that representation in cultural history. It’s a rough read in places, but absolutely worth it if you’re in a space to handle that sort of content. (And in case it’s not obvious: her ex was another woman. Abuse isn’t limited by gender.)

Happy reading, and I’m happy to take recs too! ;)

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Writing Goals: Awoo AU!

Tue, 02 May 2023 17:27:33 GMT

Welp, my plans have gone completely askew from my original planned writing goals for the year!

But! I did finally finish the first draft of the Awoo AU. It's...an untidy mess, to be honest. I usually have heavy outlines before writing longfic, but this went off vibes and energy and I already can tell that certain scenes will need to be added, revised, deleted, and I'm even considering changing the main antagonist entirely??? HELP.

But! It's a first draft. The first draft is done. First draft is better than no draft, and first drafts are always the worst drafts because they haven't yet been revised or edited!

So...when I do revisions, I'm going to have to outline it. As in, re-outline it. Just write out my little scene card descriptions in Scrivener, rearrange them, add missing scenes. Decide what scenes to omit. That sort of thing.

It's pretty daunting, but I'm excited for it! Just...not excited to do right away. I think I've earned a break from this longfic project. :)

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Currently reading

Sat, 29 Apr 2023 01:30:02 GMT

So I've been reading Eating to Extinction: The World's Rarest Foods and Why We Need to Save Them by Dan Saladino, and really enjoying it so far! The writing is engaging and I find the topic interesting, especially as he talks about how the loss of biodiversity risks us losing traditional foodways and more vulnerable to crop losses due to disease and climate change.

I've heard of the Svalbard Global Seed Vault before, but never the world's first seed bank: the Vavilov Institute, founded in 1921 by a Russian scientist dedicated to ending world hunger. His ideas fell out of favor with Stalin and he was sent to a prison camp in 1940. During WW2, though:

….his seed collection came close to being lost as the German Army blockaded Leningrad in a 28-month siege. The Soviets had plans in place to save works of art from the city’s galleries but had done little to protect the seed bank. The Nazis, however, recognised its potential as a future food resource and saw the institute as an asset they needed to target. Fortunately, Vavilov had so inspired his fellow scientists that they moved hundreds of boxes of seeds to a basement and took shifts inside the dark building, in the sub-zero temperatures, to protect he collection. What happened next is well known to botanists, but it’s a story we should all know.

Surrounded by seeds they could have eaten, the caretakers of the collection faced hunger rather than jeopardize the genetic resource. By the end of the 900-day siege, in the spring of 1944, nine of them had died of starvation, including the curator of the rice collection. He was found at his desk surrounded by bags of rice. ‘We were students of Vavilov,’ one survivor said, explaining their heroic efforts to protect the seeds. By then, Nikolai Vavilov was already dead. In 1943, at the age of fifty-five, he was claimed by the very thing he had spent his life working to prevent: starvation. He died in a Soviet prison and was buried in an unmarked grave.

This book includes foods thought to have gone extinct, but which have been brought ‘back to life’ and restored to farmers’ fields because their seeds were collected by Vavilov and his colleagues and kept safe inside the institute. Nearly a century after his dead, a new generation is following in Vavilov’s footsteps.

Just!!! How is this not amazing? It’s sad and heroic and all I can think about is the strength of purpose it must have been to been literally dying of starvation while surrounded by the food that could have saved their lives, but still holding on to hope that these could be useful to replenishing food after the war, and for future generations.

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[Fic Recs] Short Stories and Books!

Fri, 07 Apr 2023 04:18:57 GMT

Original Work (Short Stories)
Rabbit Test by Samantha Mills - 7k word story about reproductive rights and autonomy over generations and throughout history. It's dark and biting and uncomfortable, but it's a discomfort I want to sit with. Mind the warnings re: sexual assault, abuse, traumatic miscarriage, psych ward treatment, and suicide.

Unname Me at the Altar by Ashaye Brown - 2.8k words. Three generations of family in one home, and a grandparent whose name changes daily, serving as a living altar to their ancestors. Content warnings for character death and references to war and mass killings. It’s short and bitey and a testament to grief and survival and the impermanence of memory.

Skin by Isha Karki - 4.9k words. The daughter of Nepalese immigrants wears different skins around her wealthy boyfriend, her academic advisor, and her family. Content warnings for body horror, racism, misogyny, and references to sati and death/burning. This gave me such chills, both for its way of depicting assimilation (or the attempt thereof) in the pursuit of safety, and also carries echoes of selkie wives.

The Storyteller by Rhea Roy - 1.4k words. Mala Auntie goes to the crossroads to make a deal with the Devil. She wants her dead husband back; and don’t we know how these stories go? I love how this one plays with folklore (Mala Auntie studied the literature of far-off places during her post-grad!) and riddles. A happy ending and great palate cleanser compared to some of my other recs!

Books (Fiction)
( Radcliffe Hall by Miyuki Jane Pinckard )

( You Sexy Thing by Cat Rambo )

( The Future of Another Timeline by Annalee Newitz )

( The Beautiful Ones by Silvia Moreno-Garcia )

( Manhunt by Gretchen Felker-Martin )

( On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous by Ocean Vuong )

( A Desolation Called Peace by Arkady Martine )

( The Demon of the House of Hua by Maria Ying )

Nonfiction
( Eight Flavors: The Untold Story of American Cuisine )

My brain's been mush lately and I plan to read mostly romance novels and fanfic for a bit, maybe play some viddy games. I keep wanting to finish writing Awoo AU too, but...I think that this point I need to accept that I'm just tired and my brain needs a break. I'll keep plinking at it, but am trying to take the pressure off.

If you've read any of these and have thoughts or feels, please feel free to yell about it with me!!!!

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2023 Writing Goals!

Sun, 01 Jan 2023 02:53:09 GMT

Congrats to all my amazing and skilled writer friends who have been writing about their years in review! I am not about that! :P Not at this time, anyway! So I'm going to focus on the year ahead!

I feel like I haven't been pushing myself lately or experimenting as much as I would like; or perhaps the old challenges just aren't challenging anymore. At this point, I'm confident in my ability to write longfic (admittedly, given time and only posting 1 or 2 major projects a year!). I'm also confident in my ability to pick up new fandoms (albeit more slowly than some) or write new (to me) kinks and character dynamics.

I want to write in ways that draw attention to the beauty or elegance of the words themselves, not 'just' in service to the story. I want to practice prose that feels more playful and experimental.

So I want to focus on writing as a craft again: the nitty gritty of sentences, vivid descriptions and careful consideration on why I choose a specific technique.

Therefore, I'm revisiting some writing exercises and books.

Word Painting by Rebecca McClanahan - one which I haven't finished reading, but have found very useful
Steering the Craft by Ursula K. Le Guin - a beloved favorite
A Writer's Grammar by C. Beth Burch - haven't actually read this one, but figured it might be useful!

My goal is to read a chapter a week and do the associated exercises for each book.

My current longfic projects:

Awoo AU: finish the first draft!!! I know I can do this in January, so that's my first goal! Revisions always take me a while, but I am confident I can at least finish this first draft! Then, depending on how my other longfic project goes, maybe I can do revisions and post later in the year?
Fallout Necromancy AU: The first draft is already written, and I already know areas that need massive revision. I'm tentatively planning revisions for March, and then (depending on how many more rounds of revisions it goes through and feedback from betas) hoping to post it in October. Thematically spooky, right? As for why I'm guessing it'll take 7 months from first revisions to posting, that's because it's currently 40k words of messy first draft and I know from experience that it takes me a while!

I’m iffy on what exchanges, if any, I plan to do this year. I’d like to do cephalopartyexchange , and I always have a good time with black_emporium and femslashex , but exchanges also take a lot of juice out of me! So I’ll probably do what I usually do: panic at the last minute and sign up, or sign up for pinch hits!

Last: I’m signing up for getyourwordsout ! I’m doing the habit pledge, and signing up for 240 days of writing this year! I chose this goal rather than a wordcount because I want to stay in the habit of writing…and focusing on wordcount alone doesn’t capture the amount of editing or revision I need to do, especially on longer fics!

I'm not bothering to itemize any shorter fics or one-offs, because I know I'll write them anyway regardless of my plans! And a lot of them will probably dovetail with my writing exercises!

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[Fic Recs] Books: Fiction and Nonfiction!

Tue, 22 Nov 2022 19:39:27 GMT

It has been a very long time since I’ve written about books! Originally I kept thinking “I really like these books, I should do a full write up about them!” or “ooh, I want to read more of the author’s other works so I can do a comparison” or “asdfds I need to catch up on the fan theories!” and various other reasons why I should turn this into a book report instead of a blurb about what I’ve been reading.

Finally, I decided: this is for fun and to share with friends who might want to yell about books. This isn’t homework. So! I’m just posting. :)

Books (Fiction)

( Nona the Ninth by Tamsyn Muir )

( Nettle and Bone by T. Kingfisher )

( Sorcerer to the Crown by Zen Cho )

( Stone Butch Blues by Leslie Feinberg )

( The Cybernetic Tea Shop by Meredith Katz )

( Spirits Abroad by Zen Cho )
( A Tale for the Time Being by Ruth Ozeki )

Books (Nonfiction)

( Bird by Bird by Anne Lamott )

That's my big old book haul! If you've read any of these, please share your thoughts! Or make a suggestion, something I can add to my ever-growing TBR pile. ;)

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The Locked Tomb Holiday Exchange

Fri, 21 Oct 2022 23:59:41 GMT

Happy Locked Tomb Holiday Exchange!

Thank you for taking the time to read my letter, I’m sure I’ll enjoy whatever you write. The prompts are only meant as inspiration if you would like ideas. I’m happy with any rating from gen to explicit, so even though I’ve included some smut prompts, please don’t feel obligated to write anything you’re uncomfortable with!

( Read more... )

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Black Emporium Fic Recs!

Sun, 18 Sep 2022 23:12:02 GMT

Black Emporium 2022 was amazing this year! It always is, but I was extra excited because this was my first time doing exchanges for a few years!

In the spirit of the anons period, posting without creator names!

( Art )

( Fic )

There are many other fine works in the collection, this was only a sampling of what I was able to read and consume during the anon period. <3

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[Fic Recs] Fanfic

Sun, 04 Sep 2022 03:55:17 GMT

I've been trying to clear my fanfic 'to read' list before Black Emporium goes live, and...that hasn't happened! But at least I read some very good fic and would like to share!

( Arcane )

( Discworld )

( Dragon Age )

( Fallout )

I hope you enjoy! :D

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