#<- this is just a temp tag to track it in case i write more for it. but idk

[faerieorbitars]

ph also while i was drafting that last post i found this in my drafts and idk i’m feeling a little goofy silly funny. so. heres some thoughts on my self indulgent princes tutu/disney classic fairytales (really though just peter pan) story idea . i’m just gonna post whatever this says mostly unedited

idk if ill actually post this or keep it in my drafts but probably i will post it bc i like when people read my things and give me feedback even if its just for my own enjoyment :) (i did post it teehee)

for anyone whos never watched princess tutu heres the Quickest possible plot summary without spoiling it bc you Should watch it: its abt a town where fairytales come to life, because of a man who died while writing his last book, trapping the hero (the prince) and villain (the raven) in their final battle without an end, so they break out into the town and the prince shatters his heart into pieces to seal the raven away, but losing all his emotions in the process

the story is abt a duck (named duck) who is turned into a girl by the man (drosselmeyer) so that she can turn into princess tutu, a heroine from his story, and find the shards of the prince's shattered heart and return them to him. there are other characters in town who take on roles from the story but most people (duck included) dont seem to realize there even Is a story or that their town is taking part in it- except for those that know the prince (fakir and rue) and very much Dont want the story to continue. thats abt as much as i can say without spoilering the twists but its very good and you should watch it. thank u

anyways . now time to put funny guy in here for no reason . one of the other important story points in pt is that drosselmeyer Loves tragedies. so that combined with this idea that some of the ppl of the town are inadvertently becoming characters In the story gave me this idea that like. the peter and co in the story (slightly more book accurate just way edgy for reasons i will get into in 2 seconds) are completely different from the ones running around gold crown town (basically the disney versions) . and peter from the story is more like some dudes 'dark' version of peter pan where hes malicious or whatever and doesnt actually care abt people . and the tragedy of his story is eventually the lost boys all either grow up or die, tink dies, hook dies (idk what im even gonna do with him LOL), but peter forgets all abt them bc hes so selfish and obsessed with not growing up he never even feels sorrow over losing them so he doesnt even know he should be lonely and sad

but i know my boy so like. hes not like that. he genuinely cares for tink, and the lost boys, thats his family even if he never like says it. which is part of the problem cause like, while the prince has no heart the story has stalled, so everyone is just stuck in the same place in the story, otherwise living out their lives. the raven cannot get out and nobody can meet ill fates bc the story has stopped. but duck/princess tutu returning the prince's heart shards is causing the story to progress . plot points from the story begin to occur and they are quickly hurtling toward the return of the raven and the end of the tale- which btw is ALSO a tragedy. its always going to be a tragedy. things dont end well in the ending drosselmeyer had planned. but bc duck is a good person even once she realizes this she knows that the prince deserves to have his heart back so she keeps looking for the shards

anwyays this is rambling as hell but the idea i had was that at some point while duck is looking for more heart shards, she runs into peter who is, despite being forever an immature obnoxious boy , like genuinely a good kid who tries to do the right thing, so of course even if he doesnt like. know whats going on hes gonna help out! he doesnt know duck is tutu bc thats a secret identity magical girl thing but like, if she ever asks for help he does and they get along very well . he also gets along with tutu who he just thinks is a different person . he has No Idea that gold crown town is trapped in a story or that the story doesnt end well for him Or duck (tutu's fate is that she'll turn into a speck of light and vanish if she confesses her feelings for the prince so. lol)

UNTIL. he meets another character named princess kraehe, a crow prima ballerina, who tells him to stop helping tutu and that theyre all better off if the prince stays heartless forever. she casually drops that tutu is fated to die if the story goes as it is, and hes fated to lose everyone he cares about and be alone forever, and if he doesnt believe her he should seek out the story of the prince and the raven and read it for himself. which he does. and yeah shes right. and when she finds him again and is like hey like even IF nothing happens, wont you have to grow up if the story ends? so arent you in a lose/lose situation here no matter what if you help tutu? hes like yeah ok maybe everything IS better if the story stalls and nothing progresses . i happen to like things exactly as they are

so from that point on hes actively stopping tutu from finding the shards of the prince's heart as much as he can. hes still friendly with duck bc shes great and as far as hes concerned shes basically a lost girl even if she goes to school instead of running away into the woods with him (which is fine but lame) but that also gives him more reason to oppose tutu . whcih is conflicting for duck bc She Is Tutu. he never directly allies himself with kraehe bc shes obviously evil but its still like a mess

and then later on character development happens n blah blah he goes back to helping tutu but like ill save that bc im lazy and also i would have to spoil the twists of the story to get into that so maybe another time. lol

#gold crown wonderland #<- this is just a temp tag to track it in case i write more for it. but idk #anyways im not othherwise tagging this bc its absolute nonsense #BUT if you do ahev have seen pt and wanna add another disney fav of urs to this PLEASE do it and also show me #this is just so self indulgent and i would literally cry if someone talked to me abt this and added to it

[caduceuss]

#𝐂𝐀𝐃𝐔𝐂𝐄𝐔𝐒𝐒    -    private    &    selective    /    mutuals    only    BAIZHU    of    GENPACT.    highly    NSFW    and    dark    themes    present.    DO    NOT    FOLLOW    IF    TRIGGERED    BY    SNAKES.    minors    do    not    interact.    mun/muse    25+.    heavily    headcanon    based.    MULTIVERSE    /    MULTISHIP    /    AU    /    CROSSOVER    /    OC    /    DUPLICATE    friendly. penned    by    Goose    (    29    /    she    +    her    /    CST    -    5    ) carrd.  -  art credit. -  temp.

𝐚𝐟𝐟𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐬: @eunoirous , @zhongshen , @raeso , @foliarlight , @ksharhrewar

𝐈. This blog is PRIVATE, SELECTIVE, and MUTUALS ONLY. I follow people I would like to interact with, as well as to make a point to keep my dash clean. If I follow you - please know it means I want to write!

This blog is also MULTIVERSE, MULTISHIP, CROSSOVER, OC, AU, and DUPLICATE friendly. I rarely do EXCLUSIVES or MAINS - unless my partner requests it. If that is the case, all relations will be listed here!

  𝐈𝐈. My activity can be sporadic at times, as this is a HOBBY and I refuse to force myself to write. Additionally, I run a number of other blogs on top of this one. However, given tumblr's penchant for not NOTIFYING me of things, please feel free to send me a poke of it seems like I have lost track of our thread.

I am a WORDY writer. I have a hard time doing short threads seriously, though I can make an attempt. I don't expect my partner's to match me word for word, and QUALITY over QUANTITY is always appreciated.

I DO format my posts and use icons, but do not expect the same. At this time I am able to use LTE - but if I notice my partner is using BTE I will switch to that as well!

  𝐈𝐈𝐈. None of the ART on this blog is mine unless stated otherwise. Any and all graphic resources will be credited here or on my carrd.

icon border.

A few other standard pieces of business: I hate DRAMA, do not drag me into it. I won't unfollow you for reblogging CALL OUT POSTS lest they be in excess. DNI if you, as a mun, condone or write pedophilia, incest, rape, etc. Racism, homophobia/biphobia, transphobia, ableism, etc by MUNS will not be tolerated here as well.

  𝐈𝐕. I absolutely love SHIPPING. Not only is it an excellent character development tool, but it is a great way to familiarize yourself with certain aspects of your muse. I am a HUGE shipper at heart and will ship about anything - from TOXIC, ROMANTIC, to PLATONIC. Obviously this does not apply to minor muses/minor muns or incest ships. No thanks.

I prefer to develop a bit of a repertoire with a mun before diving HEAD LONG into a ship so please feel free to slide into my DMs with any ideas or shipping suggestions you may have! Or even just to say hello. Seriously, I probably can find away to ship it.

  𝐕. AN IMPORTANT NOTE: Given the state of Baizhu's canon, a lot of this blog is headcanon based. As such I have made much of my portrayal morally grey/darker. I will not sacrifice this characterization for the sake of ships, or soften it in general. Additionally, this will blog contain a plethora of references to snakes and medicine, if either of these topics bother you, I would suggest not interacting.

I cannot reiterate this enough: NSFW may be highly present on this blog. If you are a minor or if your muse is a minor PLEASE DO NOT FOLLOW OR INTERACT. NSFW includes, but is not limited to: smut, violence, gore, drug use - etc. I will always make an attempt to tag triggers and place sexual content under a read more.

  𝐋𝐀𝐒𝐓𝐋𝐘 - my discord/UID is always available to mutuals on request. Please never be afraid to approach me!

#pinned post.

[amanda-teaches]

Update on me:

I know I’ve been kind of MIA the past few weeks, coming on very sporadically, and I’m sorry for that. I don’t know if you guys need an explanation or not, but I want to give you one anyway, for all the tags I have piled up, the challenge fics I still need to read AND write, and the general just lack of engagement. Longish update below the cut:

So, 5 weeks ago, I got sick. Like, really, really sick. I was fatigued, shortness of breath, couldn’t get out of bed, etc. So, after about a week and a half, I was able to get tested for Covid-19. They gave me the treatment while I waited for the results, antibiotics and an inhaler, and I self-quarantined at home. After I few days, the results came back as negative. I was shocked, because I’d never been sick like that before, but happy because I could un-self quarantine. So, I tried to get back to my normal routine, still staying home to be safe, but feeling better with the treatment and time.

I’m working from home anyway, so I focused on that for a week, thinking I was getting better and giving my body extra time. My breathing was much easier, so I thought I was past it. Then, last week, I started exercising again. I noticed I couldn’t go more than 10 minutes without getting winded, but I figured I was still recovering. I kept trying for the week, thinking I could build back up, but it wasn’t getting any better, even with the rescue inhaler. So, I called the doctor. She was worried, but, since I thought I was better and hadn’t been tracking my temp for the two weeks in between, she couldn’t say for sure if it was the same thing. So, now I have a new inhaler and I have to track my temperature for the week. If the breathing doesn’t get better, I need to go to urgent care for a chest x-ray and pulse ox and all that because they’re set up to deal with these cases.

And, I’m just a little scared. I’m scared I’m not getting better and this is going to be a long-term problem. I’m scared maybe my negative covid test was wrong. I’m really hoping the new inhaler works, but I have no idea at this point. It’s nothing I’ve ever experienced before.

So, that’s why I haven’t been as active. Every time I get online, I start talking and interacting with my friends, and I’m too tired to do much else. And, honestly, I’m ok with that. I’d rather use my energy on friends than running a blog. But, I am going to read all those challenge fics, and I am going to write, and I am going to catch up on all the other tags. It may just take a little bit. But, I figure, if you’ve read this far, then you must care about me enough as a person to be ok with that too.

To sum up, I’m still here and I’m trying to get back into it and catch up, it’s just going slowly as I focus on myself and work to get better. Thank you all for being patient and continuing to support me. Love you guys.

#update #personal #life stuff under the cut

[koriahorrocks]

The Format

The Format

             I come from Mesa Arizona, a teen in the early years of the 2000’s. What a great time to be a teenager. A simpler time. No real social media or politics (for teens to care about at least). Music was life. Alternative and indie rock was in a unique prime. From angsty emo tunes to mellow ballads.

           In middle school I had been really into Weezer and The strokes. I sported a strokes patch on my binder and a kid burned me a Pinkerton Cd to which I was very grateful. My sister had shown me modest mouse which I liked but some of it still felt weird. While navigating my way through music during that music age and during those pivotal coming of age years in my life; I needed to decided what music was “me.” It was a process to select music that felt my own. I didn’t really enjoy most main stream stuff like hip hop or rap. But I didn’t totally feel myself listening to some of the underground music I was exposed to either. Of course there were classics but those were beloved by everyone.

           The Format was that band whose songs felt like my own. The music was mellow but fun to sing out loud. Nate had a unique voice but it didn’t sound strange. On the contrary I soon craved that voice. I had found MY music.

Most people first heard of the Format with “tune out” I think I first heard it on the radio. “The first single” and “give it up” really were the first tracks that called to me when I listened to a bit of interventions and lullabies. The EP songs were really good too. I wanted more but it was enough to last through the start of High school. I got my first car. An old blue 96’ Honda Civic with a faded roof. I saved up for a black paint job and named her black beauty. (With the fuzzy blue interior still included) I sang my heart out in that car. Through speeding tickets and every social event of my life. My trusty cd’s saw me through. The selection of music for each drive in that car were the bread and butter to my teenage days.

My senior year I worked part time at mesa public schools for class credit. I didn’t have a lot to do there so I spent most of the time in my cubical using a program to design CD labels. Using the school’s dime to print dozens of them I decorated my favorite cds. Music was life. I loved singing certain songs in my car more than I loved any boy I dated. I felt more feelings during a show and at concerts than I did at a dance with a date.

When Dog Problems came out I can vividly remember driving around for an hour with a car filled with teens to listen to the whole album. My best girlfriends and I had befriended a group of guys who loved the Format as much as I did. They definitely encouraged my girlfriends to like the band more, for that I was grateful. These boys truly got the talent of the format. We drove up and down the 101 and around the valley just reveling in the new album.

“It sounds more circus-y”

“Ya, more instruments and jazzy.”

“It’s so different. Play dog problems again so we can learn the words at that one part.”

           It was an album to play on repeat. While getting ready, driving to Scottsdale to nanny on the weekend, down the street to the store or to the Harkins movie theatre. 

Any chance I got to hear Nate’s voice and Sam’s guitar. Then the summer after I graduated, I finally got to see them live on the dog problems tour. To this day it holds the greatest moment in my long history of live music.

           During the song dog problems when Nate sang “flew back to phoenix…” he paused and then stopped altogether and put the mic down while the crowd cheered for probably three minutes straight. He looked like he might cry and we all were. Then he finished that part with the spazy yell/singing while his hands shook at his sides (the way only he can do) and it was incredible. It was then I discovered I needed to hear some songs live. I didn’t need to be in the front row, just present in the same room to hear songs that I had long loved on my car stereo. The compromise was always the song on that album that was mine. I sang it in my car and in the shower with all that I was. Matches was such a new sound and feel for me with Format music and it starts off the album Dog problems so well.

            I saw All American Rejects in concert twice on the same tour just to see The Format open for them. I went in AZ and UT, not so much for them, but it was my only way to see The Format live again. After a while, The Format didn’t have enough albums to fill my music needs. Especially the more I had to commute for work and all the driving during weekends for my social life. 

But it has consistently remained the band that I feel the most connection with for whatever reason. Most bands I really like one or two songs. Maybe more. But The Format I love every song and know every word. That isn’t impressive but it’s consistently true. 

Life has gone on I left Arizona and now live elsewhere. Arizona isn’t my home anymore but when I drive back to visit family I can’t listen to anything else from the 101 to east Mesa than The Format. Nate’s voice brings me back to my roots and my teen years that I rather enjoyed. I don’t have many regrets. What could be better for a teenager in Mesa during 2006 than driving around listening to the Format?

           When I heard the news that Sam and Nate were parting ways I was sad. The news of FUN down the road intrigued me. I went to a show in Tucson the first time FUN went around. Some of the songs were so dang catchy and new. Anything new and anything more with Nate’s voice was like a breath of fresh air for me and my burned out playlists. But during the show I found myself mostly excited to hear some old Format songs. It was a small show, we snagged the set list that was scribbled on a ripped sheet of lined paper in heavy black marker. And we even met Nate.

           He seemed pretty high but that didn’t matter. We took a picture with him and it wasn’t as pivotal as I thought meeting a singer would be. It was very underwhelming and honestly that was okay. Hearing him live was better than meeting him. I realized it wasn’t the band or the singer, it was their work that I loved.

           I got to see Fun again when their next album and tour came. It was last minute and I went with a friend whom I didn’t know from high school in my early Format days, but she and I sang and danced to the new hit songs now playing on the radio, super bowl commercials and TV shows. FUN had certainly taken off. I felt very happy for Nate, and I truly loved hearing him sing live again. But it didn’t live up to that dog problems tour when I first saw The format, and nothing ever will.

           Sharing music you love and the joy you feel when you hear someone listening to it is almost as wonderful as hearing it for the first time yourself. A cousin of mine really appreciated The Format. I remember him calling me and asking me what I thought about certain lines and lyrics from certain songs. We speculated about Nate and Sam’s lives and wondered what they meant.

           I also remember hearing his dad randomly sitting down with a guitar while I was visiting them once and I heard him start to play something from interventions and lullabies. They gave me the credit. It felt good. Another time this same extended family of mine were driving me somewhere and excitedly turned on a song by pink and awaited my reaction. Curious why they were showing me the song I waited until my ears perked at a familiar voice.

           “Hey is this…Nate from the Format singing with her?”

           “Took you long enough” they laughed.

I could have done nothing better for my cousins than share my music with them. And it certainly was MY music. I claimed ownership of loving the Format. As I’m sure many teens from Arizona at that time did too. But for me, it was especially true!

           It’s been more than a decade since I found them, so much life and music has occurred but today my sister tagged me in a post about the Format reuniting this year. 12 years after their split. Even more years since I first heard them. I immediately wanted to buy a plane ticket to go back to AZ this coming April to be present for it. I’m not sure if I will be able to though. I have kids and responsibilities so I decided to write this in case I don’t. Just to try out painting a picture with my thoughts and words about a band I love with songs I know every single word to and will never forget. I don’t think it’s a coincidence that my Spotify playlist today kept playing format songs while on shuffle.

            When my kids are teens I doubt they’ll like my music that I show them.  They don’t like it now when I play it casually some days. Times are different. Music is different. But I am so glad I lived where I did and at the time I did. A time when those simple days called for simple and wonderful alternative music. 

I’ll always clap at that part in the first single after he says

“Cause a scene..” and again after he sings “Clap our hands and stomp our feet..” 

When I hear someone say Tempe I’ll think of “A save situation.” When he sings “I need to get back to Tempe.” When I hear the word calm I’ll think of “Be calm” from FUN. When I hear Nate’s solo stuff like “I am nothing without love.” I will think of The Format. And when I hear anything about Lena Dunham my mind will undoubtedly go off road to a trail about her and Jack Antonoff and how he was in FUN and Nate from Fun then I will circle back to: you guessed it, The Format. I will wonder what Sam is up to and think about the song “A mess to be made” or “Career day.”  

Thank you Nate Ruess and Sam Means! Maybe I will see you in Phoenix in April. But if not I’ll watch you live on Amazon Prime and I’ll keep playing your songs on Spotify, even if my young kids don’t like it. I’ll love your sound forever.

#theformat #nateruess #sammeans #fun #arizona #reunion #nostaliga #music #dogproblems

[ninja-muse]

Urban Fantasy Recommendation Masterpost

This is a list of the urban fantasies I’ve enjoyed most over the years, split down a few lines and to be updated as I discover new series. I’m also including contemporary fantasies because the lines often blur. Hope you find something you like on it!

$ for LGBT characters £ for characters of colour € for characters with disabilities * for potentially problematic depictions of the above ! for #ownvoices (all based on my slightly spotty memory, so feel free to correct if I’ve missed something)

World-Focused

or stories that spend most of their time steeping you in the magical world

American Gods - Neil Gaiman £

Shadow Moon gets out of jail and is hired by the cagey Mr. Wednesday to … he’s not really clear, honestly, but it puts him in the path of people who may or may not be gods. Multiple mythologies.

Among Others - Jo Walton €!

A 1980s teen flees her troubled home in Wales to get to know her birth father and attend an English boarding school. Is her mother’s family able to work magic or is it just wishful thinking? Reading science fiction might give her the answers. British folklore and faeries, and a very interesting take on magic.

The Boggart - Susan Cooper

A Canadian family inherits a Scottish castle inhabited by a mischievous boggart—who then stows away and finds himself in Toronto. Scottish folklore.

The Bone Clocks - David Mitchell £

The life of a woman from teen-hood to old age as she lives her life and occasionally intersects with an ancient war between good and evil, fought with telepathy and other things that look a lot like magic.

The Changeling - Victor Lavalle £ !

After his infant son is violently attacked, Apollo Kagwa, used bookseller, descends into the hidden world of New York in search of his vanished wife.

The City We Became - N.K. Jemisin - $ £ ! for race

New York City, newly alive, is being attacked, and six humans, no longer quite human, must do everything in their power to save their city.

the Dark is Rising series - Susan Cooper €*

A group of English kids—four siblings, a seventh son, and a boy who might be a reincarnated Arthur—versus the forces of darkness. Five books, only the last of which includes all the kids. Cornish and English folklores, Arthuriana.

Gods Behaving Badly - Marie Phillips

The Greek pantheon now lives in North London and is as dysfunctional as ever. Artemis walks dogs. Aphrodite does phone sex. Apollo is a washed-out TV psychic who’s just fallen, via Eros, for the cleaning lady—who’s trying to date someone else, thank you very much. Greek mythology.

The Golem and the Jinni - Helene Wecker £

A golem and a jinni both find themselves in turn-of-the-century New York, both literally and figuratively. A beautiful exploration of the immigrant experience, friendship, and identity. Jewish and Arabic folklore.

Good Omens - Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman

A mostly-good angel and mostly-wicked demon discover they’ve been training the wrong Antichrist days before the scheduled apocalypse. The real Antichrist wants a dog and to save the whales. Also features a legacy witch, a rookie witch-finder, the Four Horsemen, the Four Other Horsemen, Satanic nuns, and a Queen soundtrack. Christian mythology.

The Hunter’s Moon - O.R. Melling

A Canadian teen visiting her Irish cousin ends up mounting a cross-country road trip to retrieve her cousin who’s run off with the faeries. Irish mythology.

The Left-Handed Booksellers of London - Garth Nix $£

In the summer of 1983, Susan Arkshaw travels to London to find her birth father. What she discovers is a family of magical booksellers, and an Old World that’s very much alive.

Middlegame - Seanan McGuire

Roger and Dodger are exceptionally gifted, telepathically linked, and a little more than natural. James Reed will stop at nothing to use them, or people like them, to get ultimate power. Alchemy, time travel, and portal fantasies are involved.

Neverwhere - Neil Gaiman £

Richard Mayhew has it all: a good job, a hot fiancée, a nice flat. Then he helps an apparently homeless girl with the power to create doors and is pulled into the magical community below London. Nothing will ever be the same.

Of Blood and Honey and And Blue Skies From Pain - Stina Leicht

It’s tough, living in Northern Ireland during the Troubles, and Liam finds it harder than most. No one trusts him, he can’t find work, everyone wants him to choose a side, and to cap it off, he feels like a monster is inside him and knows something inhuman is stalking him and his. The war between the Fey and the Fallen is heating up, and the only people keeping peace are an order of priests—who also, surprise, want Liam’s help. Irish and Christian mythology.

The Sixth World series - Rebecca Roanhorse $£€ ! 

Maggie Hoskie is a Monsterslayer of Dinétah, but she’d rather not be. Even rescuing a kidnapped girl is supposed to be a one-shot deal. But the monster’s a new one, an apprentice medicine man’s attached himself to her, and Coyote’s around, so of course it’s not that simple. Navajo mythology.

Son of a Trickster - Eden Robinson £€ !

Jared’s life sucks. He’s sixteen, living in a crap house in a crap town with crap prospects. He’s paying his dad’s rent with weed money. His mom’s more interested in parties than holding down a job. His only friend’s a pit bull. And just when he thinks that’s as low as it gets, a raven shows up and say he’s Jared’s real dad. Heiltsuk (and other First Nations) mythology and folklore.

Sparrow Hill Road - Seanan McGuire

Rose Marshall, the Phantom Prom Date, the Ghost of Sparrow Hill Road, hitches her way from coast to coast while dealing with paranormal problems and route witches—and avoiding Bobby Cross, the immortal who killed her.

Sunshine - Robin McKinley

Rae is a baker. Tough and practical and smart, but a baker. Who’s just rescued herself and a vampire from captivity using magic she’d half-forgotten she had. Unfortunately, the master vampire’s still after them, the magical police know something’s up, and she just wants to keep being normal. Includes mild, realistic PTSD and a whole lot of delicious desserts.

An Unkindness of Magicians - Kat Howard

The Turning has started in New York and every magician in the city has their own reason for entering the tournament—power, status, acknowledgement, revenge, revolution. The high stakes would be enough for anyone, but it’s starting to look like there’s something suddenly wrong with magic, too.

Witches of Ash and Ruin - E. Latimer - $ £ € *

Dayna wants to be a witch, live her life, and block her OCD thoughts so she doesn’t have to deal with them. Then scary but gorgeous Meiner and her coven roll into town prophesying Bad Things, and a serial killer reappears who seems to target witches and shit. Meet. Fan. Themes of family and abuse.

Ysabel - Guy Gavriel Kay

Ned Marriner’s tagging along with his photographer dad to Provence when he begins to notice magic awakening around him. There’s an ancient love triangle that‘s repeated throughout history, using contemporary locals as proxies—and it’s very interested in Ned, his new friend Kate, and his father’s entourage.

Mystery-Focused

or stories that spend most of their time solving a magical crime

The Arcadia Project series - Mishell Baker $£€ !

Millie’s nearly broke, scarred, a double amputee, mentally ill, and Done with all the BS around that. She’s also despairing of ever resuming her directing career, so when a mysterious woman offers her a job with her temp agency, she’s intrigued. What wasn’t mentioned? She’ll actually be an immigration agent working with the Fae of Hollywood, and one of them’s just gone missing.

the Blood series - Tanya Huff $£€

Vicky Nelson is the pinnacle of the tough, no-nonsense PI—which poses a bit of a problem when she’s hired to catch a “vampire” on the streets of Toronto and then actually meets one. (He writes romance novels.)

the Felix Castor series - Mike Carey $*

Felix Castor is an exorcist. A hard-drinking, down-at-the-heels exorcist in a London brimming with ghosts and demons. Unfortunately, he never seems to get the easy cases where he can just waltz in and play a tune—and his past mistakes might be coming back to haunt him.

Dirk Gently’s Holistic Detective Agency and The Long, Dark Tea-Time of the Soul - Douglas Adams

Dirk Gently solves mysteries by wandering around, getting into strange situations, and then connecting dots no one believes even exist. Like time traveling robots and Romantic poets, or rampaging eagles and mold-ridden refrigerators.

The Grendel Affair - Lisa Shearin £

Makenna Fraser is a seer working for Supernatural Protection and Investigations in New York. “Seer” meaning she can spot the ghoulies and ghosties few people can, including her coworkers. When an off-the-books gnome removal turns into a blood-soaked crime scene, she and her partner are handed the case—but will her eagerness to prove herself just land her in hotter water?

the Greta Helsing series - Vivian Shaw $£

Dr. Greta Helsing serves the undead of London. Her best friends are vampires and demons. The boundaries between worlds are thinning, causing all manner of metaphysical trouble. Plays with 1800s horror classics; equal parts sensible, disturbing, and funny.

the Greywalker series - Kat Richardson $£

Harper Blaine prides herself on rationality and unflappability, but after briefly dying on a case, she’s suddenly wrong-footed and seeing ghosts everywhere. In the middle of all that, she’s hired by a mysterious voice to track down an organ that’s more than it seems, and suddenly haunted street corners are the least of her problems.

the Incryptid series - Seanan McGuire $£

Meet the Price family, a close-knit group of cryptozoologists whose mission is to protect and preserve endangered cryptids like dragons, gorgons, and the religious Aeslin mice from humans. They’re also hiding from the Covenant of St. George, a.k.a. why the cryptids are endangered in the first place. Technically paranormal romance.

the Iron Druid series - Kevin Hearne £

Atticus O’Sullivan is a herbalist and seller of New Age paraphernalia by day, two-thousand-year-old druid by night. He thought moving to Arizona would keep him safe from gods bent on revenge. He thought wrong. Multiple mythologies.

Last Call at the Nightshade Lounge - Paul Krueger $£€ !

Bailey Chen is fresh out of business school, broke, and living with her parents. When a childhood friend offers her a job as a barback, she takes it as a stopgap—but then she discovers the secret cabal of bartenders who fight demons using magical cocktails and after that, there’s no looking back.

Moonshine - Alaya Johnson £

Zephyr Hollis, a charity worker and ESL teacher in 1920s New York, and therefore flat broke, takes a side job from a student, Amir, without asking questions. But will the vampire mob, the drug-crazed vamps, Amir’s literal smoking hotness, or her family history do her in first?

Night Owls - Lauren M. Roy $

Valerie is a vampire with a successful campus bookstore. Elly grew up fighting monsters and fearing for her life. When their paths collide via a book in Elly’s keeping, they must unite to prevent said monsters from unleashing hell and then some.

the October Daye series - Seanan McGuire $£€

Toby Daye wants sleep, coffee, and for everyone to leave her alone already—not necessarily in that order. Unfortunately, as a changeling Knight and PI with a knack of finding people and solving problems with maximum chaos, none of those things will ever be easy to come by. Multiple folklores.

the Olympus Bound series - Jordanna Max Brodsky $£

Selene di Silva’s been keeping her head down for a long time, shutting herself off not just from New York, but from the world. (Being a former goddess will do that.) But then she stumbles on the body of a woman who’s been ritually sacrificed and her past as Artemis comes rising up again. Greek and Roman mythology

the Rivers of London series - Ben Aaronovitch $£€

When Constable Peter Grant meets a ghost at a crime scene, it’s only logical for him to take a witness statement. When DCI Thomas Nightingale learns of this, he offers him a job as an auror the sorcerer’s apprentice a valued member of a magically-focused police unit. London, its river goddesses, various magic workers, assorted Fae, and the Metropolitan Police will never be the same.

the Shadow Police series - Paul Cornell $£

Following the mysterious death of a suspect, four Metropolitan Police officers are drawn into London’s sinister magical underworld in their hunt for a killer.

the Smoke series - Tanya Huff $*£

Tony Foster’s found his footing as a PA on a Vancouver-shot vampire show. Unfortunately, the paranormal weirdness that is his life continues and it’s somehow up to him to save the day.

Unholy Ghosts (and following) - Stacia Kane £*

Chess Putnam works as a Church exorcist, partly out of obligation and partly for the pay, which goes to fuel her drug addiction. Unfortunately, no ghosts are nice ghosts and her private life keeps intruding on her cases.

the Watch novels - Terry Pratchett

Ankh-Morpork is the citiest of fantasy cities. Its City Watch is a bunch of misfits. Sam Vimes isn’t putting up with any nonsense. Somehow, they fight crime.

Zoo City - Lauren Beukes £

Zinzi December is a con artist and occasional finder of lost things who lives in the Johannesburg slums with her sloth familiar. Her latest case? Find a pair of missing teen pop stars—before the apparent assassins do.

#book recommendations #masterposts #urban fantasy

[desk-of-employee432]

@asgayasfalsettos tagged me

Rules: Answer 30 questions, tag 20 blogs

Nicknames: Avisan, Vi, Avi Ya’ll realize this isn’t my real name right

Gender: Female

Sign ✨: Scorpio

Height: my State ID rounded me up to 5 foot 3 and I’m taking it

Time:6: 15 PM

Birthday: Nov 9

Fav bands: I don’t really have favorite bands? I mean I don’t really keep up/track of who I listen to.

Fav solo artists: Same as above

Song stuck in my head: At the moment, none 

Last movie I saw: Enemies in law 2. Friend picked it out. It’s a K movie. 

Last show I watched: ...The latest Episode of the Simpsons. Mainly cause I heard it was a new Sideshow Bob ep. (I feel certain that it’s his last ep, maybe the show coming to a close?? who knows I mean the newest ep did ...should I put in spoilers or no? Does anyone who follows me actually care about The Simpsons?)

When did I create my blog: This blog was back in 2013 although I didn’t start using this blog as the main RP blog for 432 until after October. Cause originally the RP blog was a sideblog and this was my OOC blog. People kept following this blog instead so I gave up and just converted it. Hence all the non RP stuff. 

What do I post: A lot of random stuff. Rp, Pokemon, Animorphs, The Stanley Parable in terms of fandom. PMMM and MagiPro get shoutouts too. Nendroids and figmas, memes. 

Last thing I Googled:  youtube

Do I have any other blogs:  My dude...dudette? you have no idea. I have ~13 sideblogs on this last I checked. Mostly inactive fandom and RP blogs. My active ones that actually count are the BOM SS blog, vi-writes-bom, Employee431, a-mission-in-uganda (BOM RP blog). Semi active blogs, a CC blog and a blog for original fiction although some of that got moved to Toyhouse now.  I also have an extra Main set up in case I need to leave this one for some reason and that one has...a simpsons sideblog cause I had a fic idea for it a long time ago and wanted to try and get it back off the ground etc. 

Do I get asks:  As a RP blog-whenever I reblog the inbox memes and for starters. Otherwise? not really 

Why did I chose my URL: this was the OOC blog for ‘askemployee432′ 

Following: 448

Followed by: 314 (vi-writes-bom just hit 400) 

Average hours of 😴: It depends on how stressed/sleepy I am. I can run on like 3 hours of sleep but will crash later. (shout out to the time I stayed up till 3 am and woke up at 7 like it was no big deal I also stayed up like two days straight on that. Woke up on Monday and craved death.  and the time I stayed up till  like 2-3 with a friend to Walmart it’s a long story. Woke up at around 7 and crashed at 2) I can get 6 hours and be alright. I prefer like 8 or so, more really. 

Lucky number: -shrugs- 

Instruments: at some point I learned Piano. I don’t think Recorders count

What I am wearing: black(?) sweatpants, a striped red and blue t shirt, a plaid jacket of some sort, a fleece (?) jacket and a blue hoodie with the college logo on the back. Yes I wear that many layers.

Dream job: I don’t know but it’s not accounting.v

Dream trip: Does time travel count cause I wanna see dinosaurs. I’d be happy going just about anywhere if I’m being honest. 

Fav food: I’ll eat about anything. I have a bias towards Chinese (authentic ethnic chinese food) cause my mom makes that the most. I like noodles. Ramen is ok but I’m talking about the ones with the really satisfying soups. I also like soup in cold weather. 

Nationality: I’m mixed, Half Chinese on my mom’s side. German, French for sure on dad’s side. Possibly Irish and either Danish or Dutch fuck if I know cause he said one then changed to it the other. 

Fav song: Hmmm, of all time or just now? I can throw out a few. Everything’s alright from To The Moon, Your Silver Garden from PMMM Rebellion. I’ll have to think about it. my tastes range from rock to OSTs to orchestra stuff to techno. None of it fits

Last book I read: My tax book cause I was trying to study before finals. Before that it was the spreadsheet book. If you’re talking not textbooks then uh...Ceremony by Leslie Silko (I think) for War Lit Class

Top 3 fictional universes I wanna join: On one hand, Animorphs. On the other hand that’s all suffering. I’d be down for either PMM or MagiPro cause I wanna be a magical girl..but I’m useless in a fight and...that also includes death.

...Why do all the things I like have death in them? 

Animorphs, pokemon and can I cheat using one of mine? Cause I’d go with Karmic Hurt and Heal (the temp name for the magical girl series I’m half working on. No one has to die but I’m not saying no one won’t  die 

I tag: uh

shit do I know 20 people??? no I do not 

anyway I really hope you don’t mind me tagging ya’ll ;A; 

@l-avandula @secondstickingaway @nicxan @rabbitkinder @thelovablycynicalerinmac @esfer (I’m tagging RP partners at this point) @honeycitrusmint  @trans-edith @featherystorm  and @nekomumeii

#I feel bad whenever I have to tag people #honestly just do it if you want to #and I didn't tag you

[type2diabetestreatments-blog]

"Golden Rules" for Living with Type 1 Diabetes

New Post has been published on http://type2diabetestreatment.net/diabetes-mellitus/golden-rules-for-living-with-type-1-diabetes/

"Golden Rules" for Living with Type 1 Diabetes

One of the best resources for learning about diabetes and connecting with other PWDs (people with diabetes) locally can be summed up in five letters: TCOYD.

That would be Taking Control of Your Diabetes, the national educational conference series founded by endocrinologist and longtime type 1 Dr. Steven Edelman in San Diego. He's not only a super-knowledgeable clinician and researcher, but a really funny, passionate guy who infuses these day-long seminars with energy and inspiration. Seriously, everything I need to know about diabetes I learned at TCOYD.

For the past dozen years, I've had the privilege of speaking at my local Santa Clara event, that brings in about 1,000 patients for a full day of talks, panels, activities, a product expo and a banquet lunch -- all at the affordable price tag of just $20 per person!

This year, I was honored to be on a very cool opening panel for the Type 1 Track led by another awesome accomplished endo + type 1, Dr. Jeremy Pettus (who shared his smarts on alcohol and diabetes with us here).

Our panel was titled, "Golden Rules for Type 1s: Tips for Living Well with Diabetes," and included Dr. Bruce Buckingham of Stanford, Dr. Christine Ferrara of UCSF, Adam Brown of diaTribe, and Yours Truly from the 'Mine.

I think the audience really appreciated that we weren't trying to act as if we had all the answers, but rather just talking turkey about the realities of the hour-by-hour challenges of T1D. I thought you all might enjoy hearing the answers I prepared for this session, which aren't exactly "golden rules" but my own personal best practices, such as they are...

TCOYD) Do you have an overarching philosophy with your approach to managing your diabetes?

Amy) Do just enough to stay in decent control while STAYING SANE.

Has this philosophy changed over time?

It’s only grown stronger. Not having regular meltdowns over diabetes issues is an ongoing effort.

What would you say is the most important thing that has made a difference in your type 1 life and helped you keep on track? Inner strength/approach? A healthcare provider? Family members? Your job?

The support of my family for sure, and to a large extent exercise -- which makes me feel good physically and psychologically.

I also think it's super important to connect with other PWDs for sanity checks (TCOYD is excellent for that!)

What therapy or equipment has made the biggest difference in your life (CGM, pump, rapid insulin)?

I would say the OmniPod tubeless pump and Dexcom CGM. I love being able to pump with no dangling cannula, and the CGM has been a huge game-changer in just being constantly aware of what's happening in my body. I've also been using Afrezza inhaled insulin for the past year and have found the biggest advantage of that is having less complexity with IOB (insulin on board).

As you know, injected insulin sticks around in your system for four hours, whereas Afrezza is in and out in 1.5 hours. That means way less chance of insulin stacking, going low during exercise, nighttime lows, and more.

How important, or not, has a healthcare provider been in your success?

From my POV, the priority is that your HCP does NOT annoy / judge / misunderstand you / dismiss your concerns. You need to be comfortable and feel respected with that person! I have been fortunate to find such a doctor, although I must admit I don't see her all that often.

When everything goes to shit, what is usually the reason? Travel? Life stress? Change in diet? And what do you do to get back on track?

Travel and lack of sleep are huge for me; they usually go hand-in-hand. For that, I do my best to eat as low-carb as possible and check often, plus correct often.

Laziness / procrastination are also big factors. There are lots of times when my pump is beeping that it's time for a pod change or my CGM is alarming high, and I just don't want to deal with it immediately. I don't want to have to drop what I'm doing. But the results are almost always bad. I chalk this one up to being human.

Finally, my period does wonky things to my BG levels that are hard to predict. For the Ladies reading this: am I right? Hormonal cycles have a strong effect on blood sugar, an issue that's not discussed or explored enough.

How do you deal with exercise? Does it help your BGs or make them worse?

It’s constant trial and error. I have some set Temp Basals that I use regularly for spin class, aerobics, kick boxing, hiking and other workouts, but they’re far from fool-proof. To me, the most important thing is not to have to eat a bunch of empty calories I’m not hungry for -- in other words, to avoid going low at all costs, which often means I end up high after exercise and have to spend several hours at least chasing those highs. Come to think of it, I could use some improvement in this area.

What's your approach to food? Do you eat whatever the hell you want and just bolus for it, or do you avoid certain foods? Do you have any additional dietary restrictions?

I’m also gluten-intolerant, which is a pain in the rear, but it helps keep me very low-carb. I try to eat as low-carb as possible without making myself miserable -- meaning I try to do "just a taste" of the carby foods I desire most (which for me is mainly tortilla chips and granola bars).

Overall, I just eat a lot of protein and veggies, mostly salads. Thank God I actually like kale 🙂

How involved, or not, is your significant other in your diabetes? Do you want them more or less involved? If you could tell them one thing to change, what would that be?

My partner is very supportive, but not at all involved in the daily nitty-gritty. That's usually how I like it.

If I could change one thing, I guess I wish that instead of peering over my shoulder every once in a while to ask something like, "175, wow isn't that kind of high?," he would periodically ask a broader question, like, “Hey, how’s it going with your diabetes?” and then just listen to whatever I feel like sharing -- without necessarily trying to "fix it."

What do you LOVE to eat when you are low?

Raisins! I loved to eat lots of dried fruit before I got diagnosed, and had a hard time giving that up. Now I buy copious amounts of those little red snack boxes of raisins. Did you know the mini-boxes come in chocolate-covered and yogurt-covered varieties now too? Yum!

I stash them in my car, purse, nightstand, kitchen, suitcase, etc.

I stock up so much that one day when I had a bunch of six-packs piled in the backseat of my car, I picked up my daughter and her little friend asked, "Does your mom sell raisins?!"

Tell us a time that you have used type 1 to your advantage?

This is a hard one to admit, but I've definitely used it to get to the front of a buffet line. When I get really hungry, it feels like a low, even if my BG isn't dipping too badly. If you tell people you have type 1 diabetes and need to eat now, they're usually accommodating.

I've also had my doctor write me a letter to avoid jury duty. She actually encouraged me to get out of it if possible, because it really is tough if you get stuck there for weeks on end -- in terms of being able to eat right, exercise, etc. (Before you get judgy, know that many PWDs have gone this route.)

What does "being in control" mean to you? Is it an A1C? No hypos? Time in range?

I would say an A1C of 7.4 or less WITHOUT FREQUENT HYPOS.

My good friend Dr. Richard Jackson of Joslin Diabetes Center always encouraged me to think of "good control" this way -- not as pressure for ever-lower A1Cs, but maintaining a decent level without frequent lows, which shows that you are actually staying "in range" most of the time.

Tell us about your approach to complications. If you have them, how do you deal with them? If you don't, how often do they enter your mind?

I don’t have any yet, knock on wood! But I do think about them often – especially for eyes and feet, which are my “weak spots.” Gotta get those screenings regularly!

Give us a parting piece of advice to others on how to make life with type 1 better?

I’d return to my overarching philosophy: “Do just enough to stay in decent control while STAYING SANE.”

Sanity in this case means allowing yourself slip-ups, and taking time for family, friends and activities you enjoy (and occasional food splurges) WITHOUT FEELINGS OF GUILT.

So Dear Readers, got any "golden rules" of your own to share?

Disclaimer: Content created by the Diabetes Mine team. For more details click here.

Disclaimer

This content is created for Diabetes Mine, a consumer health blog focused on the diabetes community. The content is not medically reviewed and doesn't adhere to Healthline's editorial guidelines. For more information about Healthline's partnership with Diabetes Mine, please click here.

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