#Terra's recommendations

[dont-f-with-moogles]

Fic Recommendation

We Built This Town on Shaky Grounds - Krikkit (this-is-krikkit on Tumblr / imnotstubborn on AO3)

The Alliance makes its way to Odiha to stop the Rumbling, and Levi and Hange get a moment of well-deserved peace. A beautiful, private glimpse into the untold feelings between Levi and Hange. Years of pain and sacrifice are briefly put aside for a few desperate moments of respite. And yet, whilst readers are momentarily satiated by the exciting development in Levi and Hange's relationship, the ever-present threat of The Rumbling lingers over them. This is a recommended read for all Levihan fans, particularly those that like a little spice and a shot of angst in their cocktails. Read here on AO3

#levihan fic #Krikkit's writing #this is krikkit #bestie #moots <3 #Terra's recommendations #read on AO3

[utilitycaster]

A few recent books I've read and disliked led me to this conclusion but it feels like there's been this switch over time with queer stories. It used to be that queer relationships (or queerness in general) had to be Show Don't Tell because, well, you could not make them textual! So you get, for example, shows like Legend of Korra, or Xena: Warrior Princess, where you have women who are clearly devoted to each other to a degree that goes beyond mere friendship, and a ton of effort and care is put into that depiction because they can't actually be shown in an explicitly stated relationship. And as a result, these relationships, while they never receive confirmation in the show, are rich and complex.

Now not only is it much easier to make explicitly queer stories outside of niche areas; it's even popular (and, cynically, a marketing tactic). The problem is I've run into a bunch of stories that are marketed very clearly as A Queer Story that forget to like...be a story, or show me why these characters should be in a relationship. It's All Tell No Show: I'm told that the characters are gay and are in a relationship, but no work is done to actually explain why I should care about this beyond "well they are gay and in a gay relationship."

I'm not going to rehash what I discussed here, but Baru Cormorant is an example of those books where I'm given no real reason to care. The protagonist is a lesbian but the prose reads like a phone book. On the other hand, while Starless has a queer disabled woman as a one of the two protagonists, it also provides her with traits other than "queer, disabled, woman, important" and grants her a rich interiority (even though the story is told entirely from the first person point of view of the other protagonist.)

And the thing about the good examples in that link (Starless, Teixcalaan): they show and tell. It's both explicit that these are queer stories with a canon romantic relationship, but the little moments that make up the tapestry of a relationship are given the time that moments in a subtextual - or frankly, even a queerbaiting work are. That's the real tragedy; for queerbaiting to work, you have to actually make the relationship compelling enough for people follow it until you pull the rug out from under them; whereas you can slap a cold fish kiss on a cold fish queer relationship and technically you are Better because it was Explicit Representation even though everything about it was poorly constructed. I would rather have an lazy and shoddy explicit relationship than queerbait just on principle; but honestly I'd rather have a good story that does neither.

One of my more cynical interpretations of this is that writers are either intentionally or inadvertently taking advantage of the legacy of the Show Don't Tell era of queer coding to place the burden of those small moments on the audience. They know that people looking for queer relationships in fiction are used to having to dig for moments and subtext; but instead of providing that subtext, they set up the clunky text and assume the subtext to support it will emerge from the fandom. Or perhaps, more generously, especially for younger queer writers, they are just so used to having to provide that work themselves that they forget they are doing the writing and are able to (and should) layer subtext and text together and weave something actually good.

Either way, it's this that's led to the "Lesbian necromancers in space, need I say more"* era of recommendations, taglines, and writing, in which explicit representation is, if not plentiful, at least available; but a worrying amount of it forgets to actually write realized characters or a relationship with chemistry or a plot that makes sense.

I should also note: there's obviously a TON of straight romances and books that range from mediocre to abominable. I am under no circumstances arguing that "gayboring" media shouldn't exist. But while I don't think queer stories should be held to a higher standard, I don't think I should be obligated to settle for a lower standard either simply because it's gay. I know it's fraught, in that we're at risk of publishers and producers taking away the message "people hate this because it's gay" rather than "people hate this because it's poorly developed," but like...at the very least, could we recommend things in terms of "this is a great book that has a wonderful queer romance" and "this show is gay but it is also deeply mediocre, and if it weren't gay I wouldn't recommend it at all; do what you will with this information."

*I should note: I happen to like The Locked Tomb (of Lesbian Necromancers in Space fame) a lot! I know it's not for everyone; I know it can feel very gimmicky at times. But no matter how you feel, that tagline is DIRE and does a miserable job of representing the books. Like, that premise could suck, actually (and plenty of people find it does) if you're not sold on the mere fact that it's got lesbians, necromancy, or space in it. Worth noting that neither Starless nor the Teixcalaan books were heavily marketed as Queer Romance Fantasy/SF even though both very much are, which does further make me think this is a case of people writing good books that are queer, vs. people writing books with the intention to be on some New Queer SF list or, god forbid, Booktok.

#long post #the book i read this week (light from uncommon stars) was also like. really hit or miss #the locus review of it is spot on. like. i think one of the characters' stories is fantastic but i think it's afraid to have any bite. #also this was out of scope for this post but like. i have recommended terra ignota before #and like. it is saying THE MOST about Gender since Le Guin or Butler imo. but it's NOT marketed as queer at all #and part of that is that it's really not capable to read it as a romance (certainly not a happy one) despite there being queer pairs in it

[kindledrose]

my brother and i went on a 4-hour walk to a different town and back today and recited, like, the entirety of the steven universe movie from memory (complete with songs!)... both of us have only seen it twice but we are both Insane 👍 it was very fun!

#using tumblr as a diary now ig pffff #i just wanted to share because we had Such A Day #would recommend singing no matter what with ur sibling as u walk on trails into the distance and sit near the base of power line holders #(ok i just looked those up apparently they're called pylons?? from greek for gate?? that is so cool???) #anyways. top tier experience :D #terra is rambling #amethyst + steven's relationship is so super important to me bc of my siblings btw #like waugh...... #(even if i'm apparently unquestionably pearl-coded according to them‚ lol)

[storm-driver]

gonna become a square enix executive so i can get exclusive access to kh4 stuff, and when the marketing team starts splicing together the worst trailer in the world to show you guys, ill whisper "psst don't watch that it'll be full of so many spoilers" and ill make my own trailer of all the shit i got to see instead without revealing the most important and plot-heavy stuff

#kingdom hearts #stormy weather #we all know id just include 2 minutes of running around in the maps and fighting and then 14 seconds of a cutscene of sora at starbucks #i unironically recommend going back and watching the kh3 trailers and whenever you notice something #like super plot heavy being mentioned or visually shown #ask yourself how many that one part of the trailer tells you about what happened in the game #for example: the lingering will appearing to fight terranort #well now we know lingering will is back and more than likely an ally #we now also know terra remained a vessel for xehanort #both stuff you REALLY APPRECIATE MORE IF YOU DONT KNOW ITS COMING #another good one here we go #xion was shown pointing her keyblade at a weakened axel #no you cant see her face but her physique is identical #and who else wields a kingdom key in the Organization #it was either gonna be roxas or xion #and given roxas FUCKING UNHOODS HIMSELF #HOLDING THE OBLIVION IN HIS HAND #you can PROBABLY guess who is who. #storm madge in the tags hi everyone

[thereadingchallengechallenge]

If you liked The Darkness Outside Us by Eliot Schrefer, try Do You Dream of Terra-Two? by Temi Oh

They both include:

teenagers sent to find inhabitable planets to continue the human race

grappling psychologically with the void

finding love in unlikely circumstances

#booklr #bookblr #the darkness outside us #do you dream of terra two #book recs #book recommendations #trcc original #lgbt books

[kailuakat]

Here are some songs from newer emo and pop punk bands that I like

#emo #emo music #emocore #pop punk #emotional hardcore #music #arms length #glacier veins #glass beach #terra #music recommendation #Spotify

[jay-ackerman]

classificação indicativa: +18

Uma releitura do clássico conto de Peter Pan e Wendy, um livro que de fato me surpreendeu.

Li o livro como desafio, uma leitura conjunta com uma amiga. Não estou acostumado com com o gênero 'dark romence' é um território estranho pra mim, embora em tenha lido muitas fanfic's desde do início de minha adolescência. Sou um leitor de fantasia e a ambientação do livro com o toque de maturidade que o livro trouxe para essa história me conquistou.

Realmente achei uma boa leitura, a protagonista está longe de ser chata e sempre toma atitude, mesmo estando no escuro sobre a situação, ela manipula quando precisa(manipula mesmo).

E sobre a parte +18...é de fato boa, digo isso como alguém que leu MUITA fanfic na adolescência. Se trata de um harém reverso, o que eu ADORO, mas não vou me estender nessa parte para não falar baixaria. Acho a relação da protagonista com Peter e os garotos perdidos um pouco superficial, mas não atrapalha muito a história.

nota: 8/10⭐⭐⭐⭐

#book blog #livros #book #book review #book recommendations #books books books #bookstan #resenha de livro #bookblr #booklover #the never king #o rei da terra do nunca

[useless-catalanfacts]

Sorry if you've been asked this before, but I couldn't find any posts about it. What are Catalan movies you'd recommend? Not matter if there is a translation or not

Salvador (Puig Antich) (2006), dir. Manuel Huerga. (In Catalan and Spanish). A real story about the events that led to the execution of Salvador Puig Antich, a young Catalan anarchist who was the last political prisoner sentenced to death by the Francoist dictatorship, in 1974. (Available on Filmin).

Herois [Heroes] (2010), dir. Pau Freixas. The protagonist remembers the best summer of his childhood, with a plot that runs parallel to her present. A beautiful and nostalgic film about friendship, adventure, first love, and memories that can move you to affect the present. (Available on Prime Video and Filmin).

Pa negre [Black Bread] (2010), dir. Agustí Villaronga. Cinema adaptation of best-selling books by Emili Teixidor, it starts with a murder. From there, it's a dark drama and mystery story that focuses on the relations between family members in a village in 1940, the post-war period, through the eyes of a child. (Available on Filmin).

Fènix 11·23 (2012), dir. Joel Joan. This drama movie tells the real story of Èric Bertran, a 14-year-old Catalan boy who was arrested for terrorism for having sent an email in 2004. (Available on Filmin, can be rented on AppleTV).

Barcelona, nit d'estiu [Barcelona, summer night] (2013), dir. Dani de la Orden. Romantic comedy of six love stories that meet on a summer night. It was very successful and has a sequel called Barcelona, nit d'hivern [Barcelona, winter night] (2015). (Available for free on RTVE Play).

El mètode Grönholm [The Grönholm Method] (2015). TV movie adaptation of a comedy theatre play, a group of aspirants meet for a job interview but are asked to do very unconventional things. As time goes on, they see that maybe there were more secrets between the characters than there seemed. It's funny and unexpected. (Available for free on TV3 a la carta).

Incerta Glòria [Uncertain Glory] (2017), dir. Agustí Villaronga. Cinema adaptation of the best-seller book by Joan Sales, it's the story of three friends who fought against Franco in the Spanish Civil War and who are in love with the same woman. (Available on Netflix).

Estiu 1993 [Summer 1993] (2017), dir. Carla Simón. A 6-year-old girl has to move in with her aunt, uncle and cousin after her parents die. Even though she is welcomed and treated well, she has difficulty adapting to her new life. This is an artistic film that was even selected for the Oscars, but be aware that it's one of the most "European artsy cinema"-style ones here. (Available for free under the Spanish name "Verano 1993" on RTVE Play).

Jean-François i el sentit de la vida [Jean-François and the Meaning of Life] (2018), dir. Sergi Portabella. A lonely 13-year-old boy finds a copy of The Myth of Sisyphus by the French philosopher Albert Camus and decides to run away to Paris to meet him, not knowing he's dead. On the way, he meets a girl who will accept to run away with him but has her own motives. (Available on Filmin and for free on RTVE Play).

El nom [The Name] (2018), dir. Joel Joan. Movie adaptation of a comedy theatre play, five friends meet for dinner and talk about two of them who will soon have a child. The witty chatter becomes a fight when the father-to-be says the child will be called "Adolf, like that man with the moustache". (Available for free on TV3 a la carta).

La vampira de Barcelona [The Barcelona Vampiress] (2020), dir. Lluís Danés. A dark story once again based on a real one. In the early 20th-century Barcelona, the investigation on a mentally-unstable woman accused of kidnapping children to sell them or harvest their organs will take a journalist through the poorest streets, brothels and secrets of the Raval quarter. (TW for child abuse & sexual assault. Not a happy film but it's worth watching). (Available on Movistar+).

Alcarràs (2022), dir. Carla Simón. Filmed not with professional actors but with the real inhabitants of Alcarràs whose story is being told, this film shows the story of a family of farmers. After generations of working the same fields, they are told they must leave because the land will be confiscated to install solar panels. A realistic rural drama about the loss of agriculture, based on the real experiences of rural people in Western Catalonia. This film has received many international awards and won the Berlinale Film Festival, but once again be aware it's probably the most "European artistic cinema" film of this list. (Can be rented on many services).

I've added what streaming platform they're in for an international audience (though sometimes it changes country to country), but if you have a library card from Catalonia they're available for free on the digital platform ebibliocat.efilm.info.

#cinema #arts #ask #anonymous #català #coses de la terra #cinema català #catalan cinema #european cinema #film recommendations #world cinema #carla simón

[exponentiate]

crying about ch13 of Perhaps the Stars again

#terra ignota #organic fraction c my poor little meow-meow </3 #literally rereading this book… every time Mycroft mentions that someone is sobbing/weeping I doubt him… #but here I am sobbing and weeping [not literally for the most part] over every little thing #[george this is the 4th of those books I love but recommend only with caveats]

[supercantaloupe]

finished reading into the wild

#opinion: it was alright #i like the afterward that elaborated on the cause of death. for whatever reason reading abt chemistry in nonfiction has me enraptured #but i'm not sure if the author's writing style is exactly my thing. didn't quite grip me like i expected it to #i might try reading into thin air or under the banner of heaven at some point and give him another go #but i'll probably dig into underland next since it's been recommended to me/on my reading list for a while now #and i would like to try reading smth else next #sasha speaks #sidenote. the last books i was reading on my kindle were the terra ignota quartet last summer #and seeing the length of the progress bars on those compared to into the wild is so funny to me #especially perhaps the stars. long ass book #i usually only use my kindle for traveling to cut down on packing weight so it's always harder to judge the length of a book #compared to a physical copy. girl perhaps the stars is like 600 pages.... #say what you will about terra ignota but that's a book series i couldn't put down til it was done..wow #tore through that shit like a hot knife through butter in like a month's span. anyway

[riotbrrrd]

Okay, you had me at "cannibal narrator"

Now the trick is to not lose you as you discover the ratio Cannibalism:Other, Stranger Derangements happening in this series is not in favor of the former

#give it a try. I cannot recommend it enough #but it is kind of a test of personality: #if you make it to the point cannibalism becomes relevant without being put-off by anything else then you're fine #if it puts you off before that you don’t have to push through because oh boy it does not get less off putting #terra ignota

[dont-f-with-moogles]

Fic Recommendation

The Truth Is Out There, But So Is Love - Alice/WanderLustQueenWrites No plans today? I've got you covered, Buddy. Directions: 1. Take one cup of tea and a bag of strawberry sprinkle doughnuts (replenish as needed). 2. Watch episode one of The X-Files (available on Amazon Prime) 3. Binge chapters 1-5 of this spine-tingling, nail-bitingly good Levihan AU fic here on AO3. 4. Enjoy the suspense of these out of context spoilers for chapter 6. 5. Go on, read the final chapter. 6. Profit.

Seriously, this fic is peak storytelling - you'll think you're watching a crime drama. X-Files meets Attack on Titan in the most glorious of crossovers.

#levihan fic #attack on titan x X files crossover #attack on titan #x files #wanderlustqueen writes #Alice's writing #moots <3 #Terra's recommendations #read on AO3

[rubyvroom]

Too Like The Lightning was recommended to me once as a good sci-fi series and a guy at the bookstore told me it was excellent worldbuilding, and I finally picked it up, but this opening chapter is setting off all of my alarm bells for reactionary right wing fearmongering, like a slightly better Bill O'Reilly novel. The premise being that:

Religion is outlawed. Oh no!

Trigger warnings are detailed and everywhere! Isnt that weird?

And from the back cover, not sure how it comes up in the book: "what seem to us normal gender distinctions are now taboo."

So this opening chapter is already making me tired. I thought the concept of writing a sci-fi novel in the language of Charles Dickens would be fun, but so far it's just tiresome and added to the above it's just another red flag. All the stuff about religion is making me itchy. I'm perfectly ok with religion in sci-fi but this feels more like a political point than actual world-building.

I'm only 20 pages in, am I judging unfairly? Do I need to give this more of a chance or should I check out now?

#I'm really surprised given the people who recommended this #which is why I'm hesitating here #Too Like the Lightning #any thoughts? #terra ignota #for reference the last two books I loved were by Becky Chambers and Yoon Ha Lee

[kindledrose]

thinking about martyn inthelittlewood (<knows next to nothing abt martyn inthelittlewood)

#IT'S THE CRANE WIVES SONGS OK. i just know which songs are him-core because of cherrifgire's series yknow #also tumblr keeps recommending me beautiful art of him kissing men. like what am i supposed to do here #i know he had something Very Homoerotic going on with ren in 3l. and that cleo hated him in dl (?) and that he's a listener (??) #other than that uhh. yeah that's the extent of my actual knowledge about him #i keep getting him mixed up with joel though. gosh i need to watch some different life povs so badly #terra is rambling

[clockworkspider]

What I want is a Terra e... remake. But not like the 2007 one where it's in a shinier, more detailed, artstyle. I want closer to the manga art style with flat colouring, but stylistic smooth animation.

I think the story has a timeless quality to it. If they just take the artsy spin. It could be like Utena.

#terra e #i really recommend the manga to other enstars fans btw #there's some stylistic similarities

[books-in-a-storm]

A Book To Read

Title: Water(Akasha #1)

Author: Terra Harmony

Pages:279

Synopsis: Elemental powers in the palm of her hand...and it won't be enough to save her. When Kaitlyn Alder is involuntarily introduced to a life of magic, she becomes part of an organization hell-bent on saving the Earth. Just as her new-found life holds promises of purpose, romance, and friendship, the organization divides and a rogue member holds Kaitlyn hostage. Now one of the most terrifying men the human race has to offer stands between her and Earth's survival.

#a book to read #to read #book to read #booklr #bookblr #books #water #terra harmony #bookworm #recommendations #july 2022