#textbook catalogue

[gangler]

The OP of that post I reblogged seemed to be upset by how many notes they were getting, so I deleted it.

But I really don't think it's a bomb shell to drop on an ex-mormon that their former religion employs racist rhetoric.

Very little about the Mormon Church is as unique as anybody tries to say it is. Before you start interrogating people about the racist leanings of religions they've left, perhaps you should start interrogating yourself about your own religious history. Unless you've been atheist your whole life I bet it's not nearly clean enough to be "casting the first stone" as they like to say.

#If anything most ex-mormons I've met are incredibly versed in the problems with the Mormon Institution #It's like they've never been able to really move on from Mormonism #They must devote their entire lives to cataloguing and memorizing textbooks of scholarly thought on why Mormonism's bad #Spend all their time on Ex-Mormon forums talking about not being Mormon #I don't think Russel M Nelson himself cares half as much about the Mormon Church as these guys do

[crow-stars]

❝JUST TO BE NEAR YOU❞

❦summary; sometimes, a gentle touch is all someone needs.

♪the characters in this story; malleus draconia, gn!reader

✎word count; 807

❀what do the ghosts say?; ambiguous relationship (can be seen as platonic or romantic), malleus just being a big cat

☛the author's notes; nothing to note...

☪look at the catalogue?

Humans were an odd species. Their rituals were different and what was normal for the fae was odd to them and vice versa. For example, when you began to get curious about the horns on his head, you just began touching them. Eventually you had moved on to stroking Malleus’ hair and have been so focused on it ever since. Even today, when he’s visiting you in your room, his head lays on your lap, your fingers combing themselves through his ebony locks. 

Malleus is quite happy with this odd arrangement, don’t get him wrong. He adores the affection that is showered upon him by you, not motivated by fear or ulterior motives but by you yourself. Truly, it makes Malleus feel lucky that you’re by him. 

As you rake your hand through Malleus’ hair, you hum some tune that the fae doesn’t know. It’s silent besides that, but some silences are welcome. 

“You know Mal,” Your voice tears through the silence, yet you still continue your motions, even as Malleus turns his head to look at you. “Your hair is really soft. I like it.”  

He relished in that compliment, lips curling into a smile. 

“Thank you, Child of Man. I appreciate it.” Your laughter soothes him, keeping that same smile on his lips as the silence settles between the two of you. Your humming comes back once more and all feels comfortable. 

The day ends with this and Malleus feels happiness swelling in chest as he appears in a flurry of fireflies in the Diasomnia commons room, where Lilia awaits along with Silver and Sebek. 

Sebek is first to talk after Lilia’s greeting, wailing about how he oh so missed the Young Master, how worried they were about his disappearance, so on and so forth. Lilia laughs at Sebek’s usually worrying, ushering the three to their rooms with playful laughter. 

Malleus finds himself wishing that he could fall asleep to the feeling of hands running through his hair again. It seems he’s gotten quite addicted to the action of you running your fingers through his hair. 

The next day, Malleus is the one to seek you out after classes are over. He finds you in the courtyard, seeming to be studying, with the textbooks and papers that are scattered around the table you’re at. You notice his presence before Malleus announces it, head lifting to smile at the fae prince. 

“Oh hey Mal!” You close your notebooks and textbooks, turning your full attention to him as he sat beside you. “Did you need anything?” 

“Yes. I require your touch.” 

Malleus has to stop himself from chuckling upon seeing you jump in surprise at his request. You raise your hand, lips parted and ready to talk before you stop, look away and then back to Malleus.

“I’m sorry?” 

Malleus places a hand on his head, the area between his horns. “I’ve started to crave when you pet the area here.” 

He can practically hear the hefty sigh you release, soft laughter escaping you as you shake your head. Malleus almost thinks you’ll deny his request, but the soft patting of your hand against your thigh tells him otherwise. As if practiced, Malleus curls onto your lap, head laying on your legs and rest of his body curled up to fit onto the bench. 

Your soft laughter soothes him as your fingers begin to comb through his hair, slow and at a steady pace. It’s a wonder how he keeps his eyes open as such gentle touches and you even scratch the area in between Malleus’ horns, earning a soft rumble from his chest. 

Malleus thinks he hears you mutter something, comparing him to a cat he thinks, but he could not care less, eyes fluttering closed as you continue your ministrations. The sun feels pleasant against his neck, warming him and numbing his senses. All he feels is the warmth of your touch, the warmth of the sun relaxing him sufficiently. 

It was... It was nice. His body felt afloat, but it was a welcome feeling, a new and amazing feeling. 

Malleus ended up falling asleep on your lap that day, right in the middle of that courtyard. Sebek was the one to find the two of you, aghast at the situation in front of him. You quickly shushed him, a bit passive aggressive when you asked if he wanted to wake the sleeping dragon. 

Of course, the knight yelped out a no and slapped his hands over his mouth. Lilia was next to arrive, chuckling softly at the sight before him. He commented on the situation at hand, smirking to himself as you just asked for Malleus to have some time to himself. 

Lilia dragged a despairing Sebek away, leaving the two of you on the bench, silence surrounding the area and work quickly forgotten.

#✎haunted books✎ #twisted wonderland #twst #disney twisted wonderland #disney twst #my writing #twisted wonderland writing #twst writing #malleus draconia #twst malleus #twst malleus draconia #malleus twisted wonderland #twisted wonderland x reader #twst x reader #malleus x reader

[bestiarium]

The Magdeburg unicorn [Bad paleontological reconstruction; miscellaneous]

I have a different kind of creature this week, because it's April 1st!

In 1663, quarry workers excavated a bunch of odd skeletons near Quedlinburg, Germany. Otto von Guericke, the mayor of Magdeburg at the time and also a local scientist, identified the reconstructed creature as a ‘unicorn’ in his report in 1678. The creature had a slightly curved horn of 5 ellen (about 2.3m) long. Otto also mentioned that the remains were damaged due to the clumsy removal of the bones by the quarry workers.

In truth, the workers had found the remains of Pleistocene animals, including the front legs of a mammoth, what appears to be a woolly rhinoceros skull and either the tooth of a narwhal or an elephant tusk. The bones are not identified with 100% certainty because the reconstruction became lost to time.

Forty years later, another unicorn horn had been found (this one was actually the tusk of a straight-tusked elephant). Several respected scientists (including Gottfried Leibniz) would eventually confirm that these were indeed the remains of a unicorn. In 1714, Valentine published his somewhat clumsy attempt at a reconstruction of what he believed to be a fossilized unicorn. If palaeontologists or paleobiologists at the time had any theories about the ecology of the creature, they might have been lost to time, as I couldn’t find anything about it. Going by the contemporary illustrations, perhaps the Einhorn might have been assumed to hop around like a kangaroo, or maybe it was a slow walker, dragging its tail behind it.

The Museum für Naturkunde in Magdeberg currently displays the famous model of the reconstruction (a double reconstruction, if you will, for the original reconstruction got lost). Today, the ‘Guericke Einhorn’ is widely used as a textbook example of a bad paleontological reconstruction, though in Guericke’s defense, the mistake wasn’t as obvious back in the 17th century as it is today. Several unusual bones were found closely together and were incorrectly assumed to be part of a singular, puzzling animal, as Guericke obviously didn’t have access to the current knowledge about each of the Einhorn’s component animals.

The Sewecken Hills area actually has a very rich Pleistocene fossil record – the Lampe collection being famously catalogued by Alfred Nehring in 1904 – but at least for the time being, unicorn fossils remain absent from this list.

Sources: Diedrich, C. G., 2021, Unicorn ‘Holotype’ skeleton from the Late Pleistocene spotted hyena den site Sewecken-Berge (Germany), Acta Zoologica, 104(1), pp.1-70. Van Kolfschoten, T., 2021, The woolly rhinoceros from Seweckenberge near Quedlinburg (Germany), in: S. Gaudzinski-Windheuser, O. Jöris, The Beef behind all Possible Pasts, pp. 39-48. DOI:10.11588/propylaeum.868.c11306 (image 1: image on the left: a 2011 redrawing by Elke Grönig of Leibnitz’ 1749 illustration. Right: 2012 drawing by George Teichmann based on the famous reconstruction) (image source 2: Reddit user and_so_forth)

#creatures #miscellaneous #mythical creatures #well not really a mythical creature #but I think it's a great fit for April Fools day!

[kitom-kortil]

im not even into the mandela catalogue, and i just read the entire callout.

You guys believe this shit? really? Oh so we just, are conveniently ignoring that every single screenshot with "damning" evidence and has others claiming to have been sent weird shit, Theyre so heavily cropped its hysterical. Like this is textbook screenshot faking. Ive had this shit done to me. Yall this is bullshit. The whole first half is just that alex and them had a shitty fuckin relationship. alex is 20 and said it theirself in one of the messages. Theyre bad at making decisions and is severely ill. This all sounds like transmisogyny and a shitty ass ex who decided to make shit up to hurt them. None of this makes any fucking sense, none of what this bitch said made sense.

Yes i read all of it. All of the messages. This is bullshit. I dont even fucking like TMC

Halfway through this mofo literally sounds like they are just straight up pulling shit out of their ass and all these screenshots are so clearly wildly out of context its insane. The sexual messages dont even have another message around em to prove they were sent to the people theyre claiming. This is fucking insane. This is animeribbon level stupid

#alex kister callout #the mandela catalogue #im a messy bitch who shouldve gone to sleep an hour ago #i even told my friends good night #but damn yallre stupid #this is batshit #i went into it ready to support victims and continue to never watch tmc #but wow #wow was i wrong #yall are blind as shit #oh my god #worse than LU fandomers

[sleepboysummer]

i experience such a visceral feeling of terror every time i see anything from the original carrie musical. this is textbook analog horror. i swear to god TELL ME this exact clip wasnt in the mandela catalogue. i can only imagine how it felt to watch live jesus christ

#carrie musical #carrie white #margaret white #sue snell #the mandela catalogue

[darkestprompts]

If the heroes found themselves in a library that wasn’t on fire what books would they be reading?

Plague Doctor: Predictably goes for medical textbooks and treatises of natural science, but also picks up manuals from other areas to expand her scientific repertoire. She favors mechanics, after all, what is the body but a complex machine?

Abomination: Avoids anything related to alchemy. Finds a few religious autobiographies and contemplative books, think Teresa D'Ávila's Inner Castle and Augustine's Confessions.

Occultist: Surprisingly doesn't go straight for the sections dealing with magic and occultism (most of the content is superstitious bunk anyway) but meanders through books of astronomy and philosophy. Checks for an assortment of really obscure books in different sections, claiming they will be very useful for... reasons.

Antiquarian: Will sweep the library for rare books. If nothing catches her eye, she will look through catalogues, reference books, geographical accounts and the odd atlas to plan future endeavors.

Highwayman: Searches for poems and discovers there are way more styles of poetry than he expected. Spends some time figuring out what he likes, then sticks to a single author for the most part.

Arbalest: Reads accounts of far off lands with equal measures of wonder and skepticism (she has been misled by them before). Likes making fun of illustrations of animals clearly unknown to the artist ("Hey, Tardif, this one's you after a bender!" "...").

Man-at-Arms: Looks for combat manuals and provides loud, extensive commentary about anything he disagrees with until Paracelsus threatens to poison his dinner if he doesn't shut his piehole.

Crusader: Makes distinctly masochistic choices. First seeks out military history and treatises, as if he could confirm his wartime decisions were normal and necessary, but ends up just giving himself a flashback. Then he finds a book that makes him feel nostalgic or homesick and obsesses over it for the rest of their stay.

Leper: Although he loves his poetry, he has to make concessions on book subject and pick anything with a large enough font for him to read. Or, if someone is so kind as to read to him, he will take that person's taste into account.

Vestal: I know you are expecting me to say "hard porn", but, while she takes a peek at that too, she pretends to consider some religious material, then sneaks around to check every entry on the Index of forbidden books. She was always curious what those were about. Her reactions vary greatly depending on the book.

Musketeer: Finds an illustrated volume about firearms and the development of gunpowder to study possible improvements and adaptations for her musket. Is surprised by the chapter about fireworks. May be tempted to check occult books to see if she can find the Thing she saw.

Jester: Picks up the Book of Bawdy Tales to make people uncomfortable, peruses a few dozen topics at random then settles for scathing political satire.

Hellion: Gets excited and overwhelmed by the amount and variety of books available. Gets help from her companions and ends up looking at a few anthologies of short fantastical tales. Sure, she would enjoy epics and chronicles too, but that's heavy reading and she needs to pick up her pace first.

Bounty Hunter: Beastiaries, goetias, any description of monsters or strange beings. While many are fantastical or inaccurate, he knows the tiniest detail can give you an edge. They can be beaten, he will find out how.

Houndmaster: Doesn't take any chances and goes straight for his favorite plays (they are overdue for a re-read!). Another one that doesn't like to stray far from his favorite authors and genres.

Flagellant: Claims he needs nothing but his Verses. Ends up distracted by the medical diagrams on Para's books.

Grave Robber: Pilfers a book of poisons, then takes her time with the novels. Pilfers her favorite and shares saucy secrets she happens to know about the author.

Shieldbreaker: The very opposite of Reynauld, looks for something light-hearted to ease her mind. Folk stories, happy tales, comedies, farces. If she looks for anything that reminds her of her homeland, it will be something with a positive association.

Runaway: Is intimidated by literature, even more so in a place like this, full of huge books about complex subjects. She wasn't the best reader at St Martha's and her adopted parents were humble folk. She'll do much better by getting a buddy to read together and help her get into it. Good choices are Boudica (also a beginner, enthusiastic and non-judgemental), William (friendly, the plays he favors are a good place to start since they are basically dialogue-only) or Baldwin (has a large repertoire but is more patient than Alhazred or Paracelsus, could use someone to read for him). Or they could all form a book club!

#dd lists #dd ensemble #asks #darkest dungeon

[theghostofashton]

wip wednesday

thank you to @lightningboltreader @heartstringsduet @reyesstrand @lemonlyman-dotcom @strandnreyes @carlos-in-glasses @louis-ii-reyes-strand @bonheur-cafe for the tags <3

He spent the entire drive home in a daze, heart hammering too fast, knuckles white around the steering wheel. He’s surprised he made it in one piece, barely able to concentrate on the road in front of him. Paramedic, he keeps repeating in his head, turning the word over and over, as if he’ll eventually find a way for it to make sense, to not sting his chest every time he thinks about it. He hates that he has to know this, and he hates that he hates it. TK wanted it for so long, it’s a good thing that it’s his now. It’s a good thing that he was able to make it happen. Carlos wishes he could just be okay with that. Wishes he could stomach not being there to see it happen, support TK through the whole journey. TK doesn’t owe him a thing. He lost access to his life six years ago, to every step and stumble and success that’s followed. He doesn’t know him, anymore, and that’s never been clearer to Carlos. He hadn’t realized he’d built up a version of TK in his head, imagined who he was and what his life looked like, until now, until he’s learning what it feels like to have that disintegrate before him, powerless to stop it. He remembers the day TK bought the textbook to start studying for the exam, the day he told him about it. It was late, a Friday night, he’s pretty sure, and they were both curled up in Carlos’s bed, his back pressed against TK’s chest and TK’s chin resting on his shoulder. Carlos always loved when they fell asleep like that, TK’s arms around his middle, Carlos’s body enveloped by him. He’s never felt protected like that. The words were slightly muffled, TK’s breath warm against his shoulder. He’d rolled over, catalogued the lingering hesitance on TK’s face, and grabbed him into a kiss. I’m so proud of you, he had murmured into TK’s hair, eyes burning with surprising tears. He was just so happy for him. It’s all thanks to you, TK had said back. Thanks for wanting this with me. By the time they’d broken up, TK hadn’t taken the exam yet. Carlos remembers his test date coming and going, how he’d prayed that night for it to have gone well. His prayers were answered. He just wishes he could’ve been there for it.

i'm getting to this pretty late so just gonna leave an open tag!

#911 lone star #exes to lovers au #neha writes #tarlos

[partyanimal167]

Hiya, please mote Miguel o'hara x black female reader please, particularly on the fluff side.

Heyo~

It'd be my absolute pleasure! This one is simple, but I hope you enjoy it.

Secret Happy Place- Miguel x F!Reader

CW: none, fluff, slice of life (in Spider Society), black fem reader in mind, silly reader

When asked, you told people that you were a librarian. And to be fair, that is the truth. You catalogue items, keep track of borrowing, repair books, and are a guardian to what seems to universes-worth of knowledge. Except that last part is a bit more literal than people would think.

You don't have a fancy origin story or secret powers. Simply, you were at work really late when some sketchy looking guy came in and tried to take a textbook in the 'Reference' section. You threw your shoe at him, security escorted him out, and that was all.

Until he came again and was acting...different.

You don't like to bore people with the little details. This guy was some weird villain who was trying to steal books and could appear and reappear sporadically. Spider-Man came, saved the day, the whole thing yada-yada.

But public funding got cut for some new solar rail system thing, and you were out of a job.

So then, you were doing a part-time gig cataloging experiment logs for a fancy rich bio-tech company, saw a strange bird-man-thing break in, witnessed a hero battle up close, and watched Spider-Man's suit glitch to reveal the face of one scientist whose name you recognized while the villain got away.

One smart, handsome Miguel O'Hara offered you a job at some secret superhero club, and now, you spent your days reading different literature on Van Gough's varying lives and direct Spiders through an extensive science section--most of those guys were such nerds.

So your life was a little different now.

Life was weirdly peaceful. You didn't see Miguel that much. He had a plethora of missions to organize and direct, so you mostly got emails with files to sort through and organize. At first, you wondered even why this job existed, but there was always something to do, so someone needed to do it.

On a slower day, you were wandering around trying to find a history book fish for Spider-Cat (you didn't ask why), when you saw your technically-boss staring at a bookshelf. You hadn't seen Miguel for some time, so you cleared your throat a little as you approached. "Is there anything I can help you look for?"

Miguel turned and looked at you as if he had expected not to be interrupted in this area. You were almost certain he forgot you existed for awhile if it hadn't been for your email exchanges. The shock quickly left his eyes; he only took you in for a second before shaking his head. "Uh not really. I was just seeing what was here. That's all."

You looked at the area he was in and noted that there were different books on varying species of spiders. You chuckled to yourself. "Is there a newbie giving you trouble? Different powets than you expected?" There were plenty of spiders that existed in one universe. You could only imagine what odd one got its genes reworked before creating a new hero.

Miguel scratched his head before turning away. "Uh no. I'm just checking to see the varying levels of paralysis that different spiders cause...I'm hoping to better control mine." he seemed shy to open up about that. It was an ability you heard existed--unlike the others--but you weren't sure why it was bothering him.

You cocked your head to the side a little. "There should be something we can find. But why would you want to change that? It only happens when you bite people, right?"

"Yeah, but I don't want to only hurt people when I bite them." Miguel went on.

You giggled a little. "I mean when else would you bite people- oh my god," you gasped. Miguel was starting to look flustered. "You have a girlfriend!?"

"What! No!" Miguel quickly denied.

You placed your hand on your head and nodded to yourself. "Ah that does make sense. Look at you! I mean, I don't think she'd want to stop moving if you guys are-,"

"Y/n! Please..." his cheeks were red, and you covered your mouth to stop from laughing. "Just forget I said anything." he mumbled before starting walk away.

"It's okay! Your secret's safe with me!"

"Stop yelling! We're in the library!"

"We're the only ones here!" you laughed.

~~~

So what if Miguel found a couple books with sticky notes filled with page numbers on his desk the next day? So what if the information was extremely useful? So what if he started thinking about the possibility of dating just because you brought it up? So what if your laugh rung in his ears ever so often?

It took a few days, but Miguel returned to the library floor and saw you typing away with an iced coffee in your hand and lo-fi playing in the background. He placed the books on the desk, and you finally looked up.

Miguel coughed a little. "Thanks for the books and notes. The information I found was really useful."

You shrugged. "Of course! I mean that's what you hired me for. Right? Not just to shut me up because I know you're Spider-Man?"

Miguel chuckled a little, but it was a sound you appreciated. "That's not why you were hired. You fit here well. I know the others like you." He paused unsure of how to continue this conversation. "I was wondering if you could help me find some more information..." he trailed off.

"On spider venom?"

"Dios-, no. Other things to research. It seems you know your way around here." he clarified.

You stood up from your desk and smiled. "Yeah! Let's do it!"

No one said anything if they couldn't find Miguel brooding in his office. Lyla would only chuckle when Miguel told her that he was going to the library for some quiet. You didn't even question it when Miguel came over since he could relax and hang out with you.

~~~

Fluffy~

Thanks for reading. Shout out to all the people who did their college work study in the library lol. Maybe that'll be my job once I retire.

Feel free to hit my inbox if you have an idea or wanna chat.

#atsv #spiderman #miguel o'hara #spiderman 2099 #spider society #miguel x reader #fem reader #black fem reader #librarian #atsv fanfiction #mine #partyanimal167

[jenovacomplete]

stayed silent publicly at the time to avoid harassment, but given that alex kister's accuser has come forward themselves and acknowledged that their callout post weaponised transmisogyny to ruin kister's life, i feel like i can finally say it: the callout of alex kister and the subsequent spiral is a textbook example of transmisogyny in action, and further exemplifies how few people can put their money where their mouth is when it comes to it. i cannot put into words how fucking heartbreaking that original document is to read, and i cannot articulate my disgust at people who read someone promising to never explore their gender identity or sexuality again and came out the other side going "yeah, this sounds reasonable". in the weeks since, i've been going back and forth over it, and writing this post i keep trying to soften the blow, to make this less impersonal for the naive to read -- but i can't. there is no way for me to spin this as anything but what it is: a failure. every single person who blindly followed this shit failed, and you should be ashamed, because it's fucking shameful that all it took to blind some of you was some vaguely progressive-sounding wording sprinkled throughout a hate screed.

like, every single aspect of that original document is a perfect case study in transmisogyny -- how it frames trans women's sexuality as something inherently awful, the fact that it literally concludes that kister's gender was a fetish... fuck, man, i could go on, but i don't particularly want to. instead, i just want to present this very telling quote from it:

I then created a thread for the channel because I was getting a little annoyed with gender discussions and the Mandela Catalogue discussions colliding and constantly going off-track. He continued talking about his experiences and what he does in private.

this, right here? if opening with outing their ex didn't do it, this should have been your wake-up call. not only is op upset that the creator of the mandela catalogue is taking things "off-topic" by talking about themselves in a tmc server, of particular note is their wording here: "what he does in private", as if discussions of gender are akin to what you do in the bedroom.

this is what happens when you do not know how to define something beyond the dictionary, and this failure has real, tangible consequences for everyone involved. let me reiterate: alex kister was fucking outed. this is something that cannot be undone. i wish it could be, but it can't, and we all have to live with that. about the only kind thing i have left to say is: failure is also an opportunity for growth, and i, for one, hope those who did so take it.

the rest would be against tumblr tos.

#speaking! #transmisogyny #transphobia #misgendering #<-in the quote #this is messy & sucks & i'm sorry for it #i am just So Fucking Angry #(& very tired lmao) #this isn't even touching on the ableism #or the harm done to the kids involved being 99% op's fault #by spreading this shit privately #BEFORE the callout #it's awful. this whole thing is awful #discourse #long post

[delicrieux]

Heyy! I hope it isn't too late to request.. Could u pls write Draco x reader for a enemies to lovers trope! Extra points for sexual tension (a lot of it 😅) you can take any kind of plot u want to!! Luv you!!

GIFT-GIVING | endless drabble series (summer edition)  

summary: a bookmark and a history pairing: draco x nb!reader a/n: i started w writing draco x reader enemies to lovers & ill die writing it too. used prompt 11. bookmark

masterlist. ☕. reqs are open for the  september prompts! make sure to check out the autumn features as well! <3

Inside the near endless catalogue of pages of your History of Magic textbook sits a velvety green bookmark with silver carvings of an ostentatious, long-since extinct flower. If you were to bring it close to your nose you’d feel a slight tickle from the fabric and smell something akin to sandalwood - musky, balmy, archaic.

It had belonged to Draco before he had gifted it to you - it was not only a marking of trust but also a declaration of something akin to affection. You had accepted it with an oddly beating heart.

It hadn’t always been mollified smiles and not-quite-baneful-but-not-quite-not conversations between you two - most of last year and rest before that had been spent trying to annihilate one another, be it in studies or in spirit. Pride was a treat the two of you indulged in frequently. It was only natural that, being so alike, you’d hate one another at first sight.

Winter is when you were at your worst. Arrogant and snoot, doused in perfume that changed depending on your mood - crushed daisies when happy, campfire smoke when angered - and you were particularly biting with your comments. ‘Didn’t do our homework again, did we?’, ‘What’s the matter, Malfoy? Father can’t pay you outta this conundrum. How unfortunate.’, ‘Why are your cheeks so red? You look ridiculous.’. Your cadence was gruff, insufferable. Draco once knocked your shoulder and you came tumbling down into the heaps of snow, grabbing his hand and pulling him along with you. 

He was particularly abhorrent to your warm breath on his cheek and the snowflakes that tangled into your hair, your lashes, “Let go of me, you--” His sentence came undone in a strangled yelp once you pushed him off of you. He dared not try a stunt like that without his entourage again.

You became more pacified during springtime, but only because summer was approaching and you could be rid of him soon. You daydreamed of heatwaves and seas and the sand between your toes, all while reading tomes in the library with a warm drink and a bleak afternoon outside your window. Studies took most of your time, but that did not mean you didn’t find a free minute to hex Draco’s book so that all of the writings would turn in gibberish.

In return, he simply lit yours on fire.

“You idiot,” You screamed, dropping the flaming pages onto the floor and grabbing your wand. Singed fingers stung, but you extinguished the book with one simple mutter of a spell, “what were you thinking, you oaf?!”

“Next time,” He yelled back from across the table, “learn to mind your own business!”

The library was shaking from the brewing argument. All promptly, and deathly, fell silent once the head librarian was in sight.

Summer’s when you’re at your happiest - ridding your broom and drinking so much lemonade your tummy starts hurting - but amidst endless adventure and sleepless nights you had noted a craving. As much as you adored your friends, you could never really talk with them the way you talked with Draco. None of them would talk back. 

You thought about ridiculing him for his lack of knowledge in Charms and suddenly the whole room smelled like daisies.

September you’re at your best, energetic and excited to learn, to get lost in these massive hallways and explore their secrets. You’re happy and chatty and all too loud for mornings, but no one really minded since you always had something interesting to say.

It was uncommon for Draco to find himself in the woes of almost getting detention, and the sight of it at the start of the school year startled you. The world’s axis had shifted, it seemed, because you were raising your hand and speaking his defense before you had realized what you were doing. It was a shock to everyone. You, perhaps, most of all. But he was spared cleaning the classroom and you felt too anxious after such a good deed to stick around for a ‘Thank you’.

It kept rolling from there - these small acts of kindness, or perhaps protectiveness, as if to say: only I have the right to pick on you, no one else. In somewhat of a twisted way it could be viewed as endearment. Your insults had lost their bite and gained a playful edge. He always looked too smug when conversing. By then, the whole school believed the two of you had been flirting, and it enraged the both of you.

That was until the night of the Yule Ball when he kissed you between the frost covered arches of the courtyard. You didn’t recall much from that night, only your cool cheeks inhaling mouthfuls of cool air after his kiss.

“I want you to have it,” He had said, handing over a pretty, green bookmark days after. It was old, you could tell by the dog-eared corners. You turned the marker and on the other side, in pale, glimmering letters, was written MALFOY. Strange, you thought, since everything about him and his family was always so pristine, “it’s been in my family for a while.” He admitted it with mild-embarrassment and the look in his eyes was begging you not to ask why he was giving it to you.

Your lips slinked into a small, pleased smile. You didn’t quite know what it meant, but you felt it - a warmth, a happiness, crushed daisies in the air - but even then, you still seemed smug. You’re at your worst in winter.

“Well,” You spoke after a brief pause, “’fraid I don’t have anything as fancy as this.” You motioned to the bookmark, “But,” You drew closer, “hope this’ll be just as good.” You closed the distance between you. The kiss tasted like coffee and truffles. The bookmark, crushed in your grasp, formed a few more creases. You almost forgot of it entirely once his hand landed on the side of your jaw.

hope you liked it <3

#Draco Malfoy #draco malfoy x reader #harry potter #hp #harry potter x reader #imagine #imagines #harry potter fandom #harry potter fanfiction #hp x reader #reader #xreader #autumn features 2022 #request

[captain-ghost]

John Hart is most certainly a textbook sociopath and everything so I expect he does have a shitty childhood back catalogue but since we've only got, like, one bit of information about his childhood I personally prefer the more comedic idea that John developed as a sociopath purely because of the Bunkyworld trauma.

#it was the final straw for him #torchwood #john hart #captain john hart #the sins of captain john

[floor-archivist]

How to spend less money on college textbooks:

Now, this may not work for everyone. If you have a class that needs a book and an online access code or something, see if you can buy the access code separately.

Guide below the cut:

(Click images for better quality)

DO NOT BUY FROM THE BOOKSTORE! I think that’s a given but just in case. Avoid it at all costs, your school does not need more of your money.

1.     Friends: Before I send you on an internet goose chase, check around with some friends. Did they take your class last semester and maybe would be willing to loan you the book, or even sell it to you at a nice price? Well, that’s spectacular you don’t need this anymore!

2.     What you need to start your search:

Title

Author(s)

ISBN number

Edition of the book or Publication Year

Preferably have these somewhere you can copy from and paste into search bars on a computer.

3.    First Option: Library Genesis (https://libgen.rocks/index.php) Open this with an ad blocker, uBlock Origin is free and very good. If you’re not using an ad blocker, click carefully.

Type the ISBN or title and author into the search bar, in my example I’m looking for Biological Science by Freeman (5th edition). You may need to scroll down a little, the book I’m looking for didn’t show up till the 11th entry. This was the entry I ended up choosing:

[ID: A cropped screenshot of Library Genesis, showing the result for Biological Science, which reads, “Biological Science 5th Scott Freeman Pearson 2014 English 0/1418 187 MB pdf“ End ID]

Make sure the file type is a PDF, which it will say in the list on the far right. Now click on the title of the book. You will be brought to the page that looks like the following image:

[ID: A cropped screenshot of Library Genesis, showing the page for the book, Biological Science. It lists all the previous information in the last image, as well as a description of the book, the edition ID, when it was added to the website, when it was modified and the ISBN number. The cover of the book, which appears on the left side of the picture, shows a green reptile. Along the bottom of the picture is a smaller version of the book cover, which is circled in red. End ID]

Make sure everything matches up and this is in fact the correct book. If it is, click on the small version of the cover, next to the file size, circled in red in the above example. You will be brought to the following page:

[ID: A cropped screenshot of Library genesis, showing the cover of the book, Biological Science, as described previously. Above the book in a box, is the word “GET”, circled in red. End ID]

Click “get,” as shown in the image above, circled. Once you have clicked “get” the file should either start downloading immediately or ask where you want the file saved (depending on your preferences). Once it has finished downloading, open the file and make sure everything is in order. If you’ve made it this far, congratulations! You have pirated your textbook! Repeat as needed.

If this doesn’t work...

4.     Second Option: Your School’s Library

Search up your book in the online catalogue. If it does show up, amazing! Go to the library and check it out!

But some schools may have textbooks on something called “reserves.” In the example below, that is what is going on with my book.

Reserve means you need to go to the library staff and ask to borrow it, which you will then have a few hours to use the book as needed in the library (usually 2-3 hours).

[ID: A cropped image of a library search for the book, The First Days of School by Harry K. Wong and Rosemary T. Wong. To the left is a picture of the cover of the book, showing the name and authors in green lettering. Along the bottom of the search result is a section that shows the location of the book, the first part of which is blocked out, and reads “Reserves (Circulation Desk) (PERSONAL COPY)” End ID.]

4.5    Third Option: WorldCat / ILL

Go into the advanced search options of your library’s catalogue and click “WorldCat” as shown below:

[ID: A cropped image of a library search engine. It reads as follows, “Search criteria. Search for: Books, articles and more.” “WorldCat.” is circled in red. Below this lists options for fields of search, material types, languages, and dates. End ID.]

This will search the catalog of every school that participates in a program called InterLibrary Loans (ILL). It will allow you to request books to be sent to your school for free! Now, if you find your book this way, submit a request and you should get the book within a week or two!

Public Libraries also have a similar system, if you are looking for a very specific book you may be able to find it through that, check out your local libraries’ website for more info!

** I’m not sure how Universities outside of the US work, however there is a chance they have a similar system of loaning books between participating libraries. Check your library’s website, there should be something on there if they do have a similar system.

5.     Fourth Option: PDF Searches

Google search “filetype:pdf “(insert book name here)”” In my example shown below I’m searching for a book called "El español a través de la lingüística”

[ID: A screenshot of a google search. The search bar contains, “filetype:pdf "El español a través de la lingüística”” The images shows the first three results of the search. The first is a pdf file titled, “felix-brasdefer-2008-cortesia.pdf” the next is a website titled, “Introduccion A La Linguistica Espanola Azeveado 2009 (PDF)” the last is website titled, “Introduccion A La Linguistica Espanola 3rd Edition Spanish...” End ID]

This only brings up search results that are pdfs, making it more likely to be a textbook. In this search I was able to find chapter 9 of my textbook in a pdf. Look through all the results.

6.   Tips for if the previous things did not work:

Get a buddy in the class and split the cost!

Buy secondhand; try amazon, chegg, thriftbooks, ebay

Get a digital copy, paper costs money man, saves some trees too?

Get an earlier edition. Yes, they’re particular about them sometimes, but the information remains the same throughout each book usually, especially if they’re close in editions.

Rent them!

DO NOT BUY YOUR TEXTBOOK TILL YOU HAVE ACTUALLY SAT IN THE CLASS. You never know if you’ll have to drop it for some unforeseen circumstance, or maybe you’ll just hate the professor so much you just drop the class.

If the book is not a “textbook” but more like a “required reading” check with your local public library!

Talk to your professor! Some will let students borrow books for the whole semester if they can’t get them or are waiting on shipping. Some will even scan the books and print them for you! But this works best in universities with very small class sizes.

I hope this was able to help to at least spend a bit less money on textbooks this year! Thanks for reading! Last Updated on: 6/20/2023

#university #college #textbooks #pirating #archies guides

[crow-stars]

❝CHILDHOOD RULES BROKEN❞

❦summary; childish fun doesn't always mean you have to be a child to enjoy it. ♪the characters in this story; gn!reader, riddle rosehearts ✎word count; 961 ❀what do the ghosts say?; platonic, just good old fluff times, reader and riddle jump on the bed together, riddle getting to act like a kid :) ☛the author's notes; nothing to note... ☪look at the catalogue?

“Why would you jump on a bed? Doesn’t that ruin the mattress?” 

“Well, yeah, but if in moderation, it can be fun!” Riddle shakes his head with a tired sigh, pinching the bridge of his nose. The thought of participating in something that only young children do in his adolescence seems ridiculous, yet you’re so insistent on trying to get him to join you. 

The two of you were sitting on Riddle’s bed. You were supposed to be studying, yet it somehow divulged into you telling stories about your childhood with Riddle listening. One of the fondest memories you had was getting to jump around on the bed, giggling and laughing before your parents told you to stop and go to bed. That was how the conversation led to this, debating about jumping on the bed. Though, it was more you trying to convince Riddle that it was fun and Riddle pointing out why it wasn’t fun, both in short term and long term. 

“Why don’t you try it? If you don’t like it, then you can say that jumping on a bed sucks.” 

A scoff came from Riddle as he shook his head in the way he did whenever he was unamused, or at least when he tried to act amused. He lowers the textbook he was holding, already a third of the way done with the book. It was dense enough to make anyone’s head spin. 

“I’m not going to jump on the bed. I already know the risks and factors when it comes to jumping on the bed.” He states it in such a matter of fact way, it’s almost comical. You shifted to sit on your knees, leaning forward as he gave Riddle a more intense stare. 

“But you haven’t actually jumped on a bed yourself! How do you know all the risks?” 

“My mother.” 

The stare you gave Riddle could only be described as a deadpan and even Riddle knew that his first response was the one that would come under scrutiny. After a long, frankly unnecessary silence in Riddle’s opinion, you let out a sigh and stood up on the bed, grabbing Riddle’s hands and attempting to tug him onto his feet. Riddle resisted, obviously, he still had his shoes on compared to you, who had taken your shoes off 

“Wha─ What do you think you’re doing?” The smile you had was wide, the giddy type of smile that told Riddle you had something up your sleeve. You bounced slightly on the bed, causing the papers and books that were resting on the mattress to jump in response. 

“C’mon! Take off your shoes!” 

Riddle gives you an incredulous look and you only nod encouragingly. There’s a nagging feeling in the back of Riddle’s head that tells him he’ll be in trouble for doing something like this. Yet with your hands tugging at him every few seconds and light bounces on the bed that gets him lightly bouncing along with you, Riddle ignores that nagging voice and takes off his shoes, which earns a loud “yay!” from you. He moves your two’s work from the bed, before he takes your hands into his. 

Thankfully, you help Riddle onto his feet on the bed, hand in hand with him. His legs noticeably shook, probably not used to standing on something he didn’t normally stand on but you kept a firm grip on him. There was a nervous, yet oddly excited smile on Riddle’s lips as you slowly began to guide him into bouncing. 

The two of you began with just slow bounces, feet never leaving the mattress as you did so. Riddle could feel his heart racing a bit, feeling anticipation and anxiety flow through his body. He felt awkward with just the little up and down bounces, but was thankful that it wasn’t too much at once. 

“A-Am I do it right?” Riddle lifted his head to look at you, earning a laugh from you. He looked like a puppy who was seeking approval, which was somewhat true. 

“You’re doing fine, Riddle. Don’t worry.” You lightly squeezed his hand before bouncing on the bed just a bit harder. Riddle was still on the slow, light bounces, so such a sudden change in the tempo leads to Riddle stumbling. He stutters and stumbles, gripping onto you tighter so as not to fall. It only makes you laugh as you keep with the new tempo, Riddle eventually catching onto it and beginning to jump up and down on the bed more properly. 

The nervous confusion eventually began to morph into something akin to newfound glee on Riddle’s face. He eventually let go of your hands to jump on his own accord. To see the stern and strict Riddle giggling and smiling like a child was a rare sight for anyone’s eyes and a true treat to see. And he managed to have so much energy too, gaining the courage to let himself fall backwards and let his body bounce up and down on the mattress. 

The feeling of jumping up and down on the bed felt absolutely exhilarating for Riddle, such a simple thing producing so much joy for the housewarden. He kept going well past his legs hurting, jumping up and down on his bed while laughing and smiling. You eventually had to stop, but Riddle kept going for a good few minutes after you before collapsing on the bed with a tired huff. You grin as you look over at the tired Riddle looking back at you. 

It’s silent for a few seconds before laughter bursts out of the two of you, giggles being faintly heard from outside of Riddle’s door, yet neither of you could care, not when both of you were smiling so widely.

#✎haunted books✎ #briarvalleyarchives #twisted wonderland #twst #disney twisted wonderland #disney twst #twisted wonderland writing #twst writing #my writing #riddle rosehearts #twst riddle #twst riddle rosehearts #riddle twisted wonderland #twisted wonderland x reader #twst x reader #riddle rosehearts x reader #riddle x reader

[ifacotarwasgood]

why was chapter 4 of acotar bad? some short craft lessons

CH 4

DISCLAIMER: not an exhaustive list, etc etc

click here for the full comparison between the original chapter and my revision.

all caps dialogue = amateur hour

tamlin has never felt less threatening than when he bellows, "MURDERERS!" if you ever feel the impulse to all-caps your dialogue (especially when its already tagged with an appropriate descriptor, e.g., "bellow," and italicized), don't. it's distracting and never gives what you think it's giving.

inconsequential micro action = bad pacing

a scene doesn't have to be a catalogue of every action. if I made note of every time one of sjm's characters looked at another character, or took a step, or otherwise moved in a way that had no bearing on the scene on either a physical or emotional level—we'd be here all day.

99% of the time, describing where your character is looking is a waste of words. the human brain can't imagine fine detail very well, so visualizing where a character's gaze is directed can be hard, especially as it changes over the course of a scene. it's also usually unnecessary: if two characters are talking, we can assume they're looking at each other in various ways.

it also isn't dramatic action. 'dramatic' in the literary sense, rather than the theatrical: it doesn't do anything. it doesn't increase tension. unless it's extremely well-placed, it doesn't underline the emotion of a scene in any significant way. all it does is become gristle that the reader has to chew through to get to the meat of the scene.

passive protagonist = deflated stakes

this was the chapter that originally convinced me to do a rewrite. it's such a textbook missed opportunity, I can't believe sjm's agent or editor didn't ask her to change it (it's totally possible that they did, and sjm chose not to).

it's sjm's first real opportunity to show us feyre's character: she's gotten herself into a situation that feels impossible to escape. she's killed a faerie, a crime punishable by death, and we feel the jaws closing in.

but instead of outsmarting or outrunning it, feyre doesn't have to do anything. tamlin (for reasons I guess make sense later? but are ultimately unsatisfying) rescues her from a situation that he put her in by suggesting she come live in prythian. we're told that feyre is good at surviving, but we don't get to see her put that skill to use. we're not shown her thinking on her feet; we're shown her saying 'yes' to a false choice.

tamlin handing feyre a way out makes no sense on a narrative or character level. it also undermines the apparent danger for the rest of the book. tamlin represents how dangerous faeries are: he's literally about to kill her to avenge one of his own. but then he decides not to—not because of her quick-thinking, but just because.

it seems like a small moment, but moving forward, it's hard to take any of the faeries as legitimate threats. not just because we've seen our first example completely undermined, but because it happened seemingly for no reason.

feyre hates her family = unbelievable motivation

purely on a character level, I find feyre's resentment of her family annoying. but who cares? one person's subjective judgement doesn't have any bearing over what should be done at a narrative level.

the problem is that feyre's primary motivation is keeping her family alive. once she's in prythian, all she wants is to return home so she can make sure they're taken care of. but that's hard to believe when we're constantly shown how little she actually cares for them.

time and time again, we're shown her resentment—her sisters are entitled, her father is useless—and yet we're supposed to believe that all she wants is for them to be safe.

in this chapter, sjm doesn't even give her a goodbye with each of her family members. she just has papa archeron tell her:

"You were always too good for here, Feyre. Too good for us, too good for everyone."

???

even a single moment of connection between her and her family would make her motivation feel more real, which would, in turn, propel the plot. it's a massive missed opportunity not to see her saying goodbye to each of her family members.

so that's why I included an extended goodbye in my rewrite. even a small moment of tenderness between each of them helps me understand and believe feyre's motivation as we move into the next sequence.

#a little craft lesson as a treat #ch 4 #actoar #sjm critical #acotar critical #anti acotar #writing advice #writing

[derpcakes]

The Best Books I Read in 2023

It’s the most magical time of the year—time to gather the lists of my favourite stories I’ve enjoyed across the past twelve months! As is tradition, my pile of book recommendations kicks things off, and the last post of the year will compile my anime recommendations. As always, I acknowledge that there’s a couple weeks of December left and a new favourite could sneak in at the last moment before the fireworks go off to mark 2024, but those titles will get parcelled into next year’s list instead.

So how do I catalogue 2023 in reading? It was a year with a lot of change for me, and changes to my reading habits followed. I finished my PhD and, with the ensuing move out of academia, reading and thinking about fiction is unfortunately no longer my job. Naturally, by sheer volume, I read fewer novels than I have in previous years (and I actually didn’t read any non-fiction or textbooks). However, that does mean I’ve been able to branch outside of my specific research niche and have been much more of a “mood reader”, picking up things that sound interesting or fun rather than picking things up based on their relevance to a current or potential project.

I read a lot less YA (though I still found a couple I’m very fond of) and did a lot more exploring in the world of adult fantasy and sci-fi. Most of these are queer genre fiction in some way or another, so that’s a trend that prevails; and as you’ll notice I’m entirely “off” contemporary realism and rom-coms… unless they’re in manga form, which I devoured plenty of. To confuse the trend data completely there’s a satirical thriller in there, but I think you’ll understand why it called to me when you read the writeup.

So without more dilly-dallying, here is the list of my favourite books and manga series I read in 2023! Does this roundup cross over with yours at all? Are there any recommendations you have for me based on my recommendations for you? Let me know in the comments!

Read more...

#book recommendations #queer book recs #this week's post

[mashpotatoequeen]

ooh for the ask game - the waiting room or the lady at the counter? :D

the waiting room is pretty easy to guess, but it's a little ficlet about how all the different kids would respond to the waiting room (from the books). I guess I just think about how this was a torture device a whole school of children associated with fear, and I wanted to explore how that fear would manifest with different kids!

it includes a scene where Kate builds mud castles while stubbornly repeating to herself that she's fine, she's fine, she's fiiiiiiine

the lady at the counter is actually inspired by this librarian post that i read recently (here it is!). It was about all these tiny kids approaching the librarian and asking for these ridiculously thick books. I was reading it and just thinking about Reynie and Sticky in particular.

So it's a series of moments with a librarian, currently with Reynie approaching the counter and asking for more and more obscure books, and the woman's observations each time. Think the beginning of the Matilda movie, but from the librarian's perspective. It's gonna end with the kids coming in all together <3

Here's a little rough excerpt:

"Excuse me, do you have An Introduction to Modern Stellar Astrophysics?" Bronwyn looks up, at first, and then directs her gaze downwards until it alights upon a little face just barely peeking above the counter. She glances up again, trying to find a parent or guardian, or a tired looking college student in need of textbooks. Goodness knows she's seen her fair few these past couple of days. No one else is there. "It's by Bradley Carroll & Dale Ostlie," the voice says again, and two big brown eyes blink. "Let me check out catalogue," she says, working more on instinct than anything else. With deft fingers, she flips through to section 520 in their great big binder of categories and traces the lines in search of the requested title. Absentmindedly, she notes that her nail polish is chipped. She finds it halfway down the third page, and lets loose a pleased hum. With a sigh, she rises to her feet and takes one last glance around the room to spot any sort of adult supervision and finds none. Maybe the boy lives nearby. Maybe he's old enough to take the bus by himself, and just appears small. Bronwyn certainly hopes so. Either way, she doesn't necessarily trust him to wander through their labyrinth of bookshelves and remain unlost all by himself, and Lewis is off doing read aloud, so it's up to her to be the boy's guide. "Follow me," she calls after herself, and takes a sharp right to head to the back end of the library. Bronwyn tries to keep it discreet when she examines the small average looking boy trotting contentedly along beside her as she leads the way through the stacks of books, but she's not ure she succeeds. She's not sure if she succeeds in guessing his age, either, especially because she's rather terrible with guessing ages to begin with. If she had to put out a number, she guesses he might be somewhere around the eight to ten range. She's got a niece somewhere around there, and they look rather similar in overall height. "What do you like most about your cat?" the boy asks, seemingly out of the blue, and Bronwynn blinks, stopping to stare at him. There have been times, of course, where she's discussed Puddles with kids visiting the library, but she's got a way with faces and she's quite sure this boy was never one of them. A flush rises up on his cheeks, and he quickly gestures to her blouse. His hand is very small. "You have some fur on your shirt. I'm trying to convince Mr. Rutger to purchase a cat for the Stonetown Orphanage. He said he would consider it if I wrote a three page persuasive essay presenting my argument. I was wondering if you had any insights." "Ah," Bronwyn says, and clears her throat. "Of course." She says it like she knows what she's talking about. She doesn't.

thanks for the ask <3

#tmbs #the mysterious benedict society #my writing #ask answer