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bookgeekgrrl · 4 months

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My media this week (28 Jan-3 Feb 2024)

📚 STUFF I READ 📚

🥰 The Last Devil to Die (Thursday Murder Club #4) (Richard Osman, author; Fiona Shaw, narrator) - still loving the characters, love to hang out with them & Osman's plots move along nicely so you don't get bored at all. Fiona Shaw's narration is great & as a little treat she & Osman have a nice little chat at the end.

🥰 Four Letter Word For Intercourse (bendingsignpost) - 194K, destiel AU - adult college student Dean & professor (and phone sex worker) Cas - LOVE this fic so much & had kind of forgotten about it until it came up as a rec in one of my romance discord servers. Just, so good.

😊 Mrs Sidhu Investigates (Suk Pannu, author; full voice cast) - 2 episodes of the BBC Radio 4 program: #1 Murder with Masala; #2 Mrs Sidhu's Dangerous Highland Game - I prefer the slight changes made for the TV show's characterizations but still eminently enjoyable. (Meera Syal still absolutely rules!)

🥰 Lucky Bounce (Cait Nary) - extremely delightful hockey romance. Low/no angst, charming, cutie MCs. Definitely in the 'no plot, just vibes' category which honestly I love when done skillfully.

💖💖 +102K of shorter fic so shout out to these I really loved 💖💖

Ye Olde YouTube Love Story (Aria_Lerendeair) - The Sandman: Dreamling, 7K - love dreamling human AUs

Any Givens Sundae (dancinbutterfly) - Justified: Boyd/Raylan, 25K - excellently written 'what-if' pinging off a random line of dialogue: what IF Raylan had retired & decided to sell ice cream?

A Warning from Henry the Eighth (Writer_at_the_Table) - "I'm Henry VIII I Am" - Herman's Hermits: , 152 - a villianelle about I'm 'Enry The Eighth by Herman's Hermits - the creativity & cleverness of fan makers truly is boundless

master of a nothing place (strzyga) - Star Trek: Spirk, 6K - short, great fic about Spock going feral when they're trapped on a planet

📺 STUFF I WATCHED 📺

Austin City Limits - Pat Benatar & Neil Giraldo (s49, e9)

Austin City Limits - Duran Duran (s47, e11)

Murdoch Mysteries - s16, e7

Dirty Laundry - s3, e11

D20: Fantasy High: Junior Year - "Under Pressure" (s21, e4)

D20: Adventuring Party - "A Sea of Effluvia" (s16, e4)

Hazbin Hotel - s1, e1

🎧 PODCASTS 🎧

What Next: TBD - Why Is Everybody Sick?

Under the Influence with Terry O'Reilly - Cannabis Marketing

⭐ The Sporkful - Why Hibachi Gets Complicated

The Atlas Obscura Podcast - The Guerrero

How To! - How To Be Free Of Body Shame

⭐ The Atlas Obscura Podcast - Hello From The Otter Side

The Allusionist - 188. Lipread

The Weirdest Thing I Learned This Week - Nature's Weirdest Sleepers, Iron Maiden Myths, Parking Psychology

⭐ Today, Explained - Living in Zyn

It's Been a Minute - Ayesha Rascoe on 'HBCU Made' — and some good old college memories

⭐ Switched on Pop - The b*tch of loving musical theater (with Bridger Winegar)

99% Invisible #568 - Don't Forget to Remember

⭐ Vibe Check - You’ve Got Mouth Bangs, Girl

I Said No Gifts! - Lou Wilson Disobeys Bridger

Well, Now - How ER Taught Thousands Of Viewers About Cervical Cancer

Off Menu - Ep 220: Peter Capaldi

Films To Be Buried With - Kyle MacLachlan

The Atlas Obscura Podcast - Seeking The (Minnesota-shaped) Forest Through The Trees - Part 1 & 2

Welcome to Night Vale #241 - He Is Still Holding a Knife

I Said No Gifts! - Zac Oyama Disobeys Bridger

Dear Prudence - Am I a Bigot If I Don’t Want to Date Foreigners? Help!

What Next: TBD - The Taylor Swift Deepfake Saga

It's Been a Minute - Charlamagne tha Pundit?; plus, was Tony Soprano white?

⭐ All Songs Considered - Why we still love Green Day

Under the Influence with Terry O'Reilly - The Marketing of Taylor Swift: (Taylor's Version)

Consider This from NPR - Masturbation Abstinence Is Popular, And Doctors Are Worried

⭐ You're Dead to Me - Madam C.J. Walker

🎶 MUSIC 🎶

Pop Radio • Romance

'80s Metal

The Cars Radio • Pump-up

Psychobilly Swing

Rock Mix • Party

Presenting Iron Maiden

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poisindonottouch · 4 hours

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Queer Reads: Cait Nary

For today’s “Here are some queer books I recommend,” I bring you Cait Nary. (this is the second to last hockey-related recommendation, so hold tight, folks. I swear I read other things too.)

Cait Nary has three books, all mm hockey romances, and all fantastic. The first two happen in the same universe, but the third one is a stand alone. There’s actually nothing in the third book that rules out that it exists in the same ‘verse as the first two, but it isn’t actually in the series.

One thing Cait Nary does really well is mental health rep, as well as navigating homophobia in all of its very real forms in the world. Season’s Change has two of my very favorite characters, Olly and Benji, as well as my favorite quote about mullets ever. You’ll know it when you read it. Olly is the most anxious little meow meow and Benji is so fucking soft with him. Highly recommend.

Contract Season is about a hockey player and a country musician, which was a fun pairing, and Lucky Bounce is about a kindergarten teacher and a hockey player. I actually want to reread that one again, now that I’m writing about it.

#sandi reads #happy pride 🌈#queer books #hockey romance #lgbtq books #these books are so gay #cait nary #lucky bounce #countract season #season's change

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sous-le-signe-de-la-lune · 1 year

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APRIL WRAP UP ☆

Season's Change by Cait Nary

3.5 ☆

I follow a few people who have read the book, and I was intrigued. It was a quick read, a little bit angsty but also soft at the same time. - loved the focus on mental health and support net, i think it was well done because the support they received came from family, friends (old and new), therapists and their coach. - it was also great to see the importance of friendship and trust as their relationship evolved. I don't have the words yet to explain their dynamic, but i think it was one of the best aspect of the book - Benji took the time to figure out his sexuality and it was very drama free, i loved that, for him it was more "hey fun fact i'm bi" and it was interesting. - on another hand i feel like the ending was rushed, i think it could have benefited from another chapter to see them discuss what happened - i could not for the life of me understand their careers and their teammates names because all the information happened so fast. It didn't take away from my enjoyment of the book, but sometimes it was confusing

Heart Haunt Havoc by Freydis Moon

3.5 ☆

HEART, HAUNT, HAVOC is full of the long-lasting grief that can haunt your heart and your house, but it's also a soft story about two lost persons who find a common goal and maybe more. It's a well crafted short story with two mysterious main characters whose past weight on them. But slowly, they reveal themselves. t4t romance mean everything to me and I liked Colin and Bishop together but because everything happened so fast, I wasn't that into their romance (or the story tbh) but I hope they will be more developed in the next book. I'm also very interested in Colin's backstory with the Church and his powers. I don't agree with people who said Colin and Bishop's transidentity were not discussed in the book, I think it was still very present while not being the main focus of the story. It's a part of them but they're much more than that and that's what the narrative shows us. Speaking of the narrative, I wonder if Colin / Lincoln were names chosen to represent the duality of what someone could become, especially someone closed to Bishop. That, and the title were a clever aspect of the book.

Save the Date by Morgan Matson

4 ☆

SAVE THE DATE was as fun as I expected, even if I struggled to get into the story at first, I couldn't put it down because the chaos was that entertaining. But it was sometimes overwhelming because a lot is going on at the same time (and if anything like that were to happen to me I wouldn't react like them).

i loved that it isn't a romance (but there is a romance subplot) because the focus of the story is on the Grant family and the dynamics between the siblings. i wanted to know more about them, especially Mike but it makes sense that we don't know everything because the book is told through Charlie's pov, and she is blindsided by the love that she has for her family. Which was an interesting part of her growth as a character, because she learned to be more equal to her siblings, and she also learned to call them out when needed. I also liked that Rodney, their future brother-in-law has been part of the family for years and they have a lot of inside jokes and traditions with him. And as always, the easter eggs were nice

my goodreads

#mine #wrap up #book wrap up #monthly wrap up #books #season's change #cait nary #heart haunt havoc #freydis moon #save the date #morgan matson #goodreads challenge #book review

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thequeerbookish · 2 years

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Review: Contract Season by Cait Nary

Queer Country Music Romance or Ice Hockey Romance? Either way, there's Fake Dating!

This Queer IceHockey Romance reads more like a contemporary country music romance to be honest. Goodreads | Amazon* Quick InfoContract Season Title: Contract Season Series: Trade Season book 2 Author: Cait Nary Release Date: 6th September 2022 Genre: Contemporary, Romance Content Warnings: Alcohol addiction, Drug use Diversity: none Rating: 3/5 stars BlurbContract Season A heartbroken…

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#author: Cait Nary #Contract Season #genre: contemporary #genre: romance #pairing: m/m #rating: 3 #series: trade season #theme: Ice Hockey #theme: music #theme: sports #type: book reviews

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battyaboutbooksreviews · 5 months

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Queer Books Coming Out January 2024

🌈 Good morning, my bookish bats! Struggling to keep up with all the amazing queer books coming out this month? Here are a FEW of the stunning, diverse queer books you can add to your TBR before the year is over. Remember to #readqueerallyear! Happy reading!

❤️ Tentacle Wonderland by Reese Morrison 🧡 Cupid’s Revenge by Wibke Brueggemann 💛 Okay, Cupid by Mason Deaver 💚 Soren by Miranda Page & Lina Ganef 💙 Just Happy to Be Here by Naomi Kanakia 💜 Stars and Soil by Dax Murray ❤️ Deep Sounding Chaos by Adrian J. Smith & Neen Cohen 🧡 Minor Disturbances at Grand Life Apartments by Hema Sukumar 💛 Evergreen by Devin Greenlee 💙 Matsdotter and Adrastus (Adventures in Levena #2) by Aelina Isaacs 💜 Thousand Autumns: Qian Qiu Vol. 3 by Meng Xi Shi and Me Mimo 🌈 Destined by Jen Carter

❤️ Her Spell That Binds Me by Luna Oblonsky 🧡 Her Mechanic Bear Mate (Crescent Lake Bears #3) by Arizona Tape 💛 That Bitter Sting by Melissa Polk 💚 Bioluminescence by Toni Duarte 💙 Lucky Bounce by Cait Nary 💜 Don’t Want You Like A Best Friend by Emma R. Alban ❤️ Bachelorette Number Twelve by Jae 🧡 How to Share a Cat and Other Life Lessons by Evelyn Fenn 💛 A Sheep in Wolf’s Clothing by Amy Allen 💙 Bound by Kate Hawthorne 💜 Moonbreak by Lise MacTague 🌈 Falling All In by Laina Villeneuve

❤️ Murder on Castaway Island by Alicia Gael 🧡 The Butler's Vessel by S. Rodman 💛 Tadek and the Princess by Alexandra Rowland 💚 Escaping Mr. Rochester by L.L. McKinney 💙 Amid Our Lines by Zarah Detand 💜 Most Ardently by Gabe Cole Novoa ❤️ A Doctor’s Touch by A.A. Fairview 🧡 So Let Them Burn by Kamilah Cole 💛 Never Be a Saint by Mark Runte 💙 Maude Horton's Glorious Revenge by Lizzie Pook 💜 Eli Harpo's Adventure to the Afterlife by Eric Schlich 🌈 City of Laughter by Temim Fruchter

❤️ Enthralled by Her by Chelsea M. Cameron 🧡 Knight of Staria by Iris Foxglove 💛 The Storm Gathers by Maelan Holladay 💚 Stars of Chaos: Sha Po Lang Vol. 2 by Priest 💙 Fence: Redemption SC by C.S. Pacat and Johanna the Mad 💜 Dreamer by Kris Bryant ❤️ Not Just Friends by Jordan Meadows 🧡 Winter's Spell by Ursula Klein 💛 Two is a Pattern by Emily Waters 💙 All Things Beautiful by Alaina Erdell 💜 Curse of Souls by Niranjan 🌈 Voyage of the Damned by Frances White

❤️ The Principle of Moments by Esmie Jikiemi-Pearson 🧡 Curse of the Dragon Shadow by Selina A. Fenech 💛 No Shelter But The Stars by Virginia Black 💚 Shards of Trust by Fox Beckman 💙 My Fair Brady by Brian D Kennedy 💜 The Summer Queen (The Buried and the Bound #2) by Rochelle Hassan ❤️ A Luminous Heart by Cailee Francis 🧡 To Cage a God (These Monstrous Gods #1) by Elizabeth May 💛 Out of Our League by Dahlia Adler and Jennifer Iacopelli 💙 Earth and Water by J.L. Gribble 💜 Rend Me, The Wayward Knight by Mary Vanalstine 🌈 Prince of Endless Tides by Ben Alderson

❤️ Sweet Wicked Thing by Jessie Walker 🧡 Ocean’s Blood by Thelma Mantey 💛 Breeze Spells and Bridegrooms by Sarah Wallace and S.O. Callahan 💚 A Reckless Oath by Kaylie Smith 💙 Fallen Thorns by Harvey Oliver Baxter 💜 Faded Moon by T.L. Morgan ❤️ Game On by Amy Aislin 🧡 The City of Stardust by Georgia Summers 💛 The Invocations by Krystal Sutherland 💙 Spark of Wrath by E.M. Lindsey 💜 Honeybloods by I.S. Belle 🌈 Love Me At My Worst by Adrian J. Smith

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fallout4-reacts · 5 months

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k-peasants asked: An actual prompt this time! I know you're busy and have plenty of things to write yet, take your time. Soo I was thinking that maybe companions (and Maxson) horribly failing at confessing to Sole. Like for example they could clear out some Raiders, companion is impressed, tries to confess BAM Sole gets fucking decked by random raider they didn't kill. I feel like you could get pretty creative with that one. Like deathclaws, something exploding, just settlers running in, other companions interrupting etc.

Then comes the second portion of this request. No, I didn't intent to kill Sole on a regular basis; it was a one-shot deal with Deacon……….. (but maybe…) Anyway, for the time being, I'll give you in the

Part 2

Hancock / Preston / Strong (Yeah, Strong… not sure why… felt like it)

(Part 1 : Danse, Deacon, Nick Valentine)

(Part 3 : X6-88 alone because of a bug)

(Part 4 : Gage, MacCready, Piper)

(Part 5 : Cait, Curie, Codsworth, Dogmeat, Elder Maxson)

Hancock : Thirty years. Thirty years of solitude. Thirty years have passed since he was able to free himself from a toxic relationship that nearly ruined what little good existed in him.

Thirty years of being content with himself alone, consuming others as if they were chems, of feeling extremely alone in the midst of his sorry heart.

He gets a swift of Jet.

Today marks thirty years.

He sighs deeply. Fahrenheit stares at him with curiosity.

"A problem?"

"Outside this one?" With a wave of his hand, he shows himself. "Nope."

His daughter doesn't insist. He's in that mood... a mood she'd rather not fuel. When he sinks in this way, there is nothing in the world that can lift him.

"Hello in there!" a voice from outside the room says.

Hancock immediately straightens up, his eyes bright, as Sole walks into the living room.

"Well, well, well, if it ain't my Sunshine in the flesh."

Nothing other than the Sole Survivor can light him up. Fahr rises from her couch with a gentle smile.

"Um, I'll go on my rounds, I'll leave you."

Sole waves as she walks by, and Hancock gives her a chin sign. He, in turn, stands to greet the newcomers.

"Well now, to what do I owe the pleasure of your presence?"

"I was passing by and couldn't help but come and say hello to my favourite mayor."

"Nah, there be nary a choice to discuss in the neighboring vicinity."

"Kelly's not bad in Somerville."

Hancock smiles as Sole laughs. They sit on the couch, and the ghoul offers his companion a mentat.

"No thanks, I'm trying to stop."

"Hmph. Pray tell, how fares it in your realm?"

"Quiet. The Castle is well-kept. Hartfield does an excellent job managing the squads, Rony is fantastic at instructing the rookies, and Preston is simply brilliant at keeping an eye on the entire Commonwealth."

"You bestows all the credit upon others whilst granting but a trifling amount to their esteemed General."

Sole sighs slightly, their gaze lost in the nothingness.

"The General is a little tired these days so my colonel and my lieutenants have the lion's share of the job."

Hancock moves gently, almost nervously, his arm around his friend's shoulders.

"Require a modicum of respite, do we?"

"Why do you suppose I came to you? I always feel so much better when you're by my side."

Hancock smiles and would blush if his skin would let it. He clears his throat, trying to keep himself in control, but his tone is far from confident.

"I'd be willin' to do anythin' to put ya at ease," he admits, realizing after how unusual it sounds. "Well, what I mean is—

"You'd drug my drink if I had one," Sole chuckles. "I know."

"Nah, not in the slightest."

The mayor sighs, trying to find more appropriate words to explain himself. He should have done it years ago. And the time has come.

"What I'm trying to say is that—

The living room door swings open, revealing an obviously irate Fahrenheit.

"Mutants attack! Three spotters have already been killed!"

Sole rushes onto their legs, grabbing their weapon. Hancock follows, although a little less enthusiastically.

"Eh, when duty beckons, we must heed its call."

Preston : The linens are being stretched out on the recycled mattress that Sole fashioned for Cait's bed, which is set up in her room of the news appartements. According to Sole, this is the final edifice that she constructed at Sanctuary, and these sheets symbolize the consecration of her town.

"What if more people come?"

"We will begin to consider the possibility of cleaning up Concord. There is no longer a single space available for anyone at Sanctuary.

"What if couples have children."

"Do not tamper with my words, Preston. You are aware of what I am referring to..."

The colonel is unable to contain his laughter. It's true that he was having a great time at the expense of Sole. The reason for this is that he is well aware of the fact that Sole asserts today that Sanctuary is completely finished, but that they will come tomorrow with a new project that might be a house, apartment, bunker, or anything else.

As Sole is leaning over to replace a cushion, Preston places the sheet on top of the pillow, and their hands lightly brush against each other as they should on such an occasion. He laughs shyly, and his General looks up, inquisitive about what is going on.

"What's that?"

The poor man, who was swelled and wondering what to do with his skin, responded quickly, "Nothing."

Sole gives a little chuckle, and their eyes appear to light up as if they have suddenly grasped something that is quite obvious.

"Preston, my dearest friend." Taking a seat on the bed, they pat the mattress next to them. "Is there anything you'd like to talk to me about?"

The Colonel embodies a desire to pass away. His foolish chuckle has not gone unnoticed by the General, and he is now perfectly capable of dying out of shame. He knows exactly where Sole wants to go. However, after the wine has been drawn, it required to be drink. In order to do so, he sits down next to Sole.

"I'll tell you the truth, and after that, I'll ask you—

"HOW DARE YOU SIT IN MY BED?" Cait cries out as hurling her bags onto the ground while hoisting a baseball bat over her shoulder.

"Woh!" yells out Sole in an effort to calm her down. "We just putted the sheets on the bed!"

"GET OUT OF MY ROOM!"

Cait chases Preston and Sole while making threats, and they run away without waiting for a second warning while giggling.

Strong (seriously, I think I’m crazy) : Sole wipes their mouth after basically consuming their opponent's heart as Strong suggested —what would they do to finally gain the respect of the super-mutant— and the so-called super-mutant is noticeably impressed.

"Puny Human now understands. Human must capture valor of great warrior who died fighting."

"But it's still cannibalism."

"What problem?"

Sole furrows their brow. Cannibalism is highly common in the realm of these massive monsters. It comes as naturally to Strong as eating a puppy. Anyway, he's already done with the Gunner's carcass.

"If not, do you have another way to celebrate a victory?"

"Eat defeated, drink, sing."

"Sing?"

Strong casts a bored gaze upon Sole, and they hope they won't have to take a punch for their attitude, but it was too unbelievable.

"Strong good singer. Mighty voice."

"I would love to hear Strong sing a song of victory then."

The super-mutant smiles a little. Sole wonders if they made a mistake. A deathclaw would smile like that before devouring a pray. Strong, on the other hand, bursts through a series of borborygmas and discordant sounds. They resist to cover their ears with their hands and eventually opt to join the sound calamity.

Strong appears to be quite happy.

"Great tiny human. Capable of singing ancestral song."

"Ancestral? I thought you were created by the Institute."

"Ancestral," the monster adds with a smile still stretch on his face. "Strong like Puny Human, very honorable little human," Strong is pleased, "and uh—

"Look, Strong! Some Gunners appear to have survived our raid over there! Let's go kill them!"

For the first time of his life, Strong is upset to finds out that he is returning to battle, but Sole pays little mind to their green companion. They've already armed themselves and are ready to take out the soulless mercenaries.

#fallout 4 #fallout #fallout 4 companions #fo4 #fallout companions #fallout 4 reactions #fallout 4 react #sole survivor #john hancock #preston garvey #strong #fallout 4 hancock #hancock #preston #fallout4 #fo4 companions #sosu

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missgeevious · 5 months

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24 Reads in 24

Thanks @myheartalivewrites for tagging me.

24 books I want to read in 2024:

This Sweet Magic by Kit Olmstead aka @mostlyinthemorning, who is publishing her first book. It drops Feb 12 and it's very fun!

Pitcher Perfect by Lee Blair (another fandom friend who publishes books)

Ghost of Memories by A.J. Browning (you guessed it - another fandom friend who publishes books)

Whatever book(s) Tal Bauer hopefully publishes in 2024.

Lyri by Lily Mayne (I HOPE)

Free From Falling by E.L. Massey

Peter Darling by Austin Chant.

The Tragedy of Felix and Jake by J. Daniels

The House in the Cerulean Sea by T.J. Klune

Imperfect Illusions by Vanora Lawless

Werewolves Hate Clogs by K.L. Hiers

Dark Rise by C.S. Pacat

The Ferryman by Justin Cronin

A Taste of Gold and Iron by Alexandra Rowland

Lucky Bounce by Cait Nary

Prince of Agony by Tavia Lark

The Face in the Water by Gregory Ashe

Children of Time by Adrian Tchaikovsky

The Wedding People by Alison Espach

The Fury by Alex Michaelides

The Mission by Barbara Elsborg

Mistletoe Kisses by Lee Blair

Stray Fears by Gregory Ashe

Luca's book by Rachel Reid (I HOPE)

Tagging @fortheloveofdragandschitt @weathereyehorizon @lastchancecafe13 @neelyo67 but if I haven't tagged you and you also love reading PLEASE do this and tag me so we can chat books! 😘

#24 in 24 #books #tbr #reading

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linskywords · 4 months

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Have you read/heard of lucky bounce by cait nary? I’m pretty sure it’s a TK/Nolan hrpf with the names changed but I don’t have anyone in the fandom to talk to about it irl lol

I haven't! I tend not to read a lot of romance (chick lit? not sure what it's published as) since it tends to be less satisfying for me than fic, though it's nice that the gap has been narrowing in recent years. I'd be interested in what you think of it! I've toyed with the idea of scraping the serial numbers off a fic and making a go at traditional publishing, but so far I've found that the changes I'd need to make are way bigger than they seem at the start. There are just some features of fic that don't translate well, like how in fic the background of hockey can be totally incidental rather than plot-relevant, and the vast amounts of mileage you get out of having characters people already know.

That said, I think the main obstacle to turning any of my fic into a novel is that I like writing magical realism AUs, and I feel like a novel where the premise is "professional hockey player" AND ALSO "is werewolf" is just kind of a confusing pill to swallow. Whereas in hockey RPF the first one doesn't even count as part of the premise, really. So my fic in particular would be a hard sell. 😆

But yeah, the publishing field is changing so much in response to the popularity of fanfiction. I'm curious if you have any thoughts on how that jump is being made!

#fanfiction #publishing #writing #hockey rpf

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contemplatingenjoyingoutlander · 1 year

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OUTLANDER EPISODE 702: Two villains meet their untimely ends

Watching the second episode of season 7, I realize how much I've missed the show. They packed a lot into this episode. There were all the feels associated with Amanda's birth, the MacKenzie family saying goodbye to Jamie & Claire, Wille and Bree meeting at last, and Jamie severing his relationship with Lord John because of the war.

But there was plenty of dark drama too, starting with Allan Christie's confession and death, and ending with the Big House on fire.

So I thought I'd take some time to dissect the tangled paths that led two Outlander villains to their deaths in this episode--and to consider the choices that some Outlander protagonists made regarding these villains.

Ian's Retribution for the death of the "bairn" he once thought was his

Episode 702 started with a death, which proved to be apt foreshadowing for its ending.

Allan Christie's death in this episode is very much like the one in the book. Alexander Vlahos brought a good mixture of sleaziness, despair, and infantile anger to his portrayal of Allan.

Cait deftly portrayed Claire's enormous frustration at being put in a situation where she had to stop a man from killing himself, whom she probably wished would die for his crimes.

Finally, John Bell as Ian fully embodied his role as a Mohawk warrior. He was believable in how he stolidly disposed of Allan for having killed the "bairn" he had originally thought was his, but which he still thought "deserved to live." There was nary a sign of the carefree, mischievous lad Ian used to be. (Sadly there was also nary a sign of the boy who was distraught when he thought he accidentally killed someone in the print shop fire.)

Allan Christie was a horrible human being, who had gotten away for years with the incest of his sister Malva, and eventually with Malva's murder and the death of her unborn bairn. [The flashbacks illustrated the creepy brother-sister story perhaps too well--I was extremely uncomfortable watching them.]

Furthermore, Allan's attempt to hide his guilt almost resulted in Claire being hung for a crime for which she was innocent. It also indirectly led to his father's sacrifice to protect Claire.

Still, Claire, ever the physician who takes her oath to preserve life seriously, went above and beyond the call of duty by wrestling the gun away from Allan before trying to talk him out of suicide.

But Claire's valiant efforts were in vain because Ian made the decision to step in and grant Allan his death wish.

Ian's code of justice comes from both the Scottish Highlands and the Mohawk nation; therefore, he does not appear to have any qualms about taking the life of a murderer.

But there are issues I had with Ian's decision, besides the ones I have about his playing judge, jury, and executioner.

Although I agreed with Claire's decision to try to stop Allan from killing himself, I had issues with Claire's suggestion to Allan that he run away.

What I wished had happened is that Ian and Claire had worked together to take Allan to justice. In doing so, they could have cleared Tom's name. Even if they believed that Tom was dead, his memory deserved not to be tainted by a murder he did not commit.

However, I do appreciate that Claire felt that Tom's sacrifice had also (probably unwittingly) spared his son from having to die for Malva's murder. I don't think Tom knew that his son had killed Malva, but the end result was that Allan was free. Claire clearly thought it would have been a waste of Tom's sacrifice, if his son took his life.

Yet, I still wish that Ian in particular had chosen a different course of action, one that didn't involve Ian and Claire having to dispose of the body.

The irony could not have been lost on Claire that she had just escaped from an unjust charge of murder for one Christie, only to go on to help Ian cover up the murder of another Christie.

Both Claire and Ian were lucky that Mrs. Bug decided to help them rather than turn them in.

Wendigo Donner: The man who lost his moral compass in an uncaring past

We saw Roger in episode 701 meet Wendigo Donner, another time traveler, who had come back to help the 18th century indigenous people avoid the genocide that was to come. Unfortunately, Donner's plans went awry, and he ended up becoming a criminal, who didn't do anything to help Claire when she was kidnapped.

Brennan Martin as Donner did a good job of showing just enough of the decent man that Donner used to be to get the kind-hearted Roger to take pity on him.

Fortunately, Bree talked some sense into Roger, and he decided not to help Donner. We don't know what Donner would have done, if Roger had helped him to escape. But most likely, the end result would have been the same.

Despite Donner's crimes, Roger was sympathetic to him, because he felt guilty for some of the things he himself felt compelled to do (or not do) after going through the stones.

Still, Roger never lost himself to despair, anger and selfishness like Donner did. That's because the love of Bree, Jemmy, Claire, and Jamie helped to provide him with a moral compass as he confronted many of the hardships of living in the past. (It probably also helped that Roger was a minister's adopted son.)

Although it is clear that Donner had unselfish motives to travel to the past to help the indigenous people, when he arrived in the 18th century he was truly alone. The rest of "the Montauk Five" weren't with him--or weren't alive.

Unfortunately, unlike Roger, Donner never found a caring group of people in the 18th century to provide him with a moral compass to help him avoid losing his way, as he struggled with the difficulties of living in the past.

Over time, whatever concern Donner had for others took a back seat to his own needs, gradually corrupting him, and tragically leading to this:

The Big House finally did burn down on December 21, 1776. Not on January 21, 1776 as had been recorded. The colonial newspaper had gotten the date wrong.

The epicenter of all that the Frasers had built on the Ridge went up in smoke with the careless lighting of a match. A match that didn't belong in the 18th century, wielded by a man who didn't belong there either.

Still, I'm glad the show's writers made one change from the book in this scene. In the book, it was Ian who lit the match and accidentally caused the ether to explode (after Donner and his gang had been captured).

But it is far more fitting that the show's writers decided to literally show that it was Donner and his selfishness that ultimately made everything go up in flames at the end of his life--and of this episode.

[edited]

#outlander #episode 702 #07x02 #claire fraser #allan christie #wendigo donner #ian murray #roger mackenzie #book vs show #the happiest place on earth #my gifs #my edits

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zoroshonkingbazonkadonkas · 6 months

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#season’s change #cait nary

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dvar-trek · 3 months

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February Romance Roundup

what a fucking month! most of these books were bad, but the good ones were so fucking good that i got scared to read anything else in case i had to knock them out of the top spots. mostly what i did instead was learn too much about real hockey players. i, uh. i don't want to talk about what my wikipedia history looks like right now. ANYWAY!

the best of:

there's a tie for first place. sorry. it's my roundup and i make the rules.

Season's Change by Cait Nary- book one in the Trade Season series. if i can convince you to read one hockey romance book, please let it be this one. the yearning. the fucking tenderness. fuck. a veteran player (who is Going Thru It after having been harassed off his previous team) catches feelings for his roommate/teammate, who is. definitely for sure straight don't even worry about it. they help each other, like, grow as people and rebuild their lives, and it's funny and fond and it made my fucking chest hurt. it is really nothing like the captive prince trilogy, but the vibes are the same. i always read my faves multiple times, but i don't even want to tell you how many times i've already re-read this book. i am so fucking soft for these characters i can't even tell you.

Unwritten Rules by KD Casey- bounced off of this twice before i got sucked in, and then it rocketed to the top of the list. another one that is so fuckign tender. two guys who love each so goddamned much, but break up because one of them is entirely unable to stomach the idea of anyone else in the entire world knowing that he's gay (like, including other gay people), and the other one is suffocating under the pressure of not being able to be out to even his family or closest friends. and then a year and a half after the breakup, they see each other again and it is. exquisitely painful. and they have to decide how to work through it. yes this is another sports romance. don't @me. (also, pro tip, pretty reliable way to make me cry: give me a story with people who are so fucking in love, but the love isn't enough. whether or not it has a happy ending, i will cry every time i talk about it forever.)

the rest of:

loved | liked | okay | didn't like

hockey

●Contract Season by Cait Nary (second book in the Trade Season series. obviously had high hopes, considering, as discussed above, the first one wrecked me, but it is simply not as good. country singer and hockey player who hooked up one time get outed. in order to try and keep this from torpedoing their careers, they agree to pretend to be dating for the cameras. the plot had some weird back-and-forths, like, they both just kept fucking up the relationship in the same ways over and over. also, one of them was named Seamus, went by "Shay" for short, but spelled it "Sea". authors, please do not fucking do this. i have 25+ years of practice reading the word "sea" and it was so much work to get my brain to read this with the intended pronunciation.) ●Game Changer by Rachel Reid (book 1 in the Game Changers series. i had high hopes for this one too, because book 2 of this series is one of the most beloved stories in m/m hockey romance. however. it's not great. closeted hockey player fucks his way into a relationship for the first time in his life. but then after like, 2 fucking months, the boyfriend is like "if you don't come out, you have no integrity and also i will need to break up with you because i'm suffocating" which! the narrative treats as being the straightforwardly correct opinion! like, i'm sorry, queer couples have been dealing with not being out, or not being out to everyone, since forever. and the disagreement is not handled anywhere near as well as it is in Unwritten Rules. very difficult to take it seriously. idk. the writing is. fine. still on the waitlist for book 2, but 😕) ●Winging It (2015 edition) by Ashlyn Kane and Morgan James (i'm giving myself credit for this even though i read the 2022 edition last month because it is essentially an entirely different book. the sex scenes are hotter than in the new edition, but it is otherwise weaker in every way. i give you permission to just skip this one.) ●Crushed Ice by Ashlyn Kane and Morgan James (the newly released Hockey Ever After book 4. not as good as the first 3, but still basically enjoyable and funny. just features way too many things that are extremely unlikely. this one is about an incredibly uptight veteran player and his rookie who is. uh. well, his nickname is Trouble, if that gives you an idea. loved the characters, did not love the romance.) ●Road Rules by Brigham Vaughn (nothing really wrong with it, but also nothing in particular to recommend it. novella-length story about best friends/teammates/roommates who start sleeping together even though they are both straight. and then it takes them basically the entire book to figure out that they're probably not straight, and also that everyone already thought they were dating anyway.) ●Hockey Guys by Sarina Bowen (these books feature very different characters, but have basically the same premise (closeted nhl player starts an ill-advised secret relationship with another man that they maintain is casual even though they catch feelings way too fast) and the same weaknesses (incredibly awkward and unnatural dialogue, and sex that's still hot enough but pretty formulaic). every time i start a sarina bowen book, i think it's going to be so much better than it is. i don't know why i'm still doing this to myself either.) ○The New Guy ○I'm Your Guy

sports that are not hockey

●Dirty Players by KD Casey and Lauren Blakely (two baseball short stories in the same universe as Unwritten Rules. first one is about players on rival teams in the same city that have long-standing sexual tension. second one is about players in different divisions who have a one-night stand, and then end up traded to the same team. it is incredibly rare ime to find original romance novellas/short stories that still have good pacing, especially if there are sex scenes, and these both fucking nail it. not exactly groundbreaking works of fiction, but top marks for what they are.) ○Dirty Slide ○Dirty Steal ●Top of Her Game by M. Ullrich (y'all i tried so fucking hard to give this a fair chance because i know how embarrassingly little femslash i have on these lists, but i only made it halfway through. which is better than i did on any of the other femslash books i tried to pick up this month. it's not even that bad, it's just not any fun. at all. Kenzie is a rookie soccer player who ends up on the same professional team as Sutton, her idol/celebrity crush. Sutton already has a girlfriend, and also has a bad habit of falling for rookies who worship her, but ? it's different this time ??? because Kenzie's not like other girls????? i don't know, man.) ●Playing for Keeps by Riley Hart and Neve Wilder (story time: my mom grew up in china during the cultural revolution. foreign literature and anything that wasn't communist enough was illegal, and having it in your possession could get you arrested or worse. but my mom had a classmate whose dad had been a bookseller, and had a secret personal collection of great literature that he couldn't bear to part with, including shakespeare, tolstoy, dostoevsky, and verne. and this classmate used to smuggle in books that she would lend to my mom for one day at a time, and then return them before her dad noticed they were missing. so my mom read a lot of classics really really fast. the way she finished war and peace in one day was, in her words, by "skipping all the war". similarly, the way i got through a mediocre gay (american) football romance series was by skipping all the football. anyway, these are fine, but the writing quality takes a dive in the third.) ○Rookie Move (rookie player ends up on the same football team as his older brother's best friend, on whom he has a long-standing crush. they get assigned to be road roommates—which, side note, football players make hundreds of thousands to millions of dollars a year, there is no way they make standard-contract players have road roommates—and start having casual sex, which obviously leads to no complications or emotions whatsoever.) ○False Start (mid-career player gets traded to the city his ex used to play for (and still lives in). ends up moving in to his spare room until he can find a new place, and they start having casual sex, which is always a good idea, and of course leads to no complications or emotions whatsoever.) ○Illegal Contact (rival players who grew up in the same town have hate sex that gets very intense and possessive very fast. and. as you might guess. definitely leads to no complications or emotions whatsoever.)

everything else

●String Theory by Ashlyn Kane and Morgan James (i'm just gonna link you the goodreads description because i honestly don't know what else to say about this book. it's fine. the sex scenes are nothing special. there's a fair amount of therapy-speak. honestly not sure how these writers produce romances of such incredibly variable quality.) ●His Leading Man by Ashlyn Kane (tbh i have the exact same comments as above. here's the summary. nothing major to complain about or compliment.) ●Winner Bakes All by Alexis Hall ○Rosaline Palmer Takes the Cake (single mom competes on what is, for legal reasons, not the great british bake off. about what you expect from an Alexis Hall romance. sweet, so fucking funny, and a little awkward. the characters that suck really fucking suck, and the characters that you like are imperfect and lovable. doesn't quite measure up to my other Alexis Hall faves, but it's been a rough month. i'm grading on a curve.) ○Paris Daillencourt is About to Crumble (takes place on the following season of not-bake-off. uhhhhhhhhhhhhhh. this book is very funny and well-written, but i found it so incredibly painful to read. the pov character has the kind of undiagnosed, untreated anxiety that results in him constantly crying and apologizing profusely for how much he sucks, while continuing to make life very difficult for the people around him. when i got past the halfway point and he still wasn't in therapy, i seriously considered stopping. if you are a better and more patient person than i am, you may still love this book.) ●Roommate by Sarina Bowen (two guys in a small farm town rent a house together and fall in love. simply not very good! i don't think the author knows anything about the jobs she gave her main characters. it also does the thing where they both know they're into each other, but they won't just be together because ??? hand-wavey reasons ?? and then for other inexplicable hand-wavey reasons, they decide to just go for it. this is infuriating to me.)

thank you for participating in this roundup of highly variable quality! as a reward, please accept this special-edition photo of polwygle.

#romance roundup #do NOT @me about my dumb cultural revolution joke #i am fully aware that nothing on this list is great literature #thank you 😌

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