#also i love how laurent is written as absolutely gorgeous but i also love how damen is also canonically ridiculously attractive | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

dreamdropxoxo · 4 years

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Omg if you're still taking prompts, i would LOVE an omegaverse au where damen realizes laurent is pregnant during kr!! Can be either right before the okton, right after, at the trial, whatever, just smth w pregnant laurent during kings rising and people realizing it

Hello and thank you so much for your prompt. I had a blast writing this short story. Honestly, I almost forgot how much I liked writing Omegaverse :)

I hope you like the result :) I was very happy that I could write it, so thank you for that! I also think it has the potential for a longer story but unfortunately I am to tied up by my other long-term projects that I won’t be able to start another one soon. :(

Whatever, here is what I came up with (please keep in mind that the original work is written by the incredible C.S. Pacat and I don’t own any of the characters or of the universe (I also pilfered some of the original lines)):

Damen couldn't really explain his sudden urge to smoother Laurent in his arms. Half of the time, he wasn't even sure if he liked the git. It made absolutely no sense to him, but his instincts screamed at him to not let the blond man out of his eyes, or even better, his reach.

True, Laurent was damn attractive, gorgeous even, everybody would agree with that. Even Nikandros, who hated him even more after he had realized what Laurent had done to his king, had admitted in a drunken stupor that the omega was beautiful beyond measures.

Damen's back looked horrible, he knew it himself but he could also admit that Laurent had had his reasons. Cruel as they might be.

However, the instinctive urges explained at least why Damen's blood froze when Makedon demanded for Laurent to ride in the okton. Was the man out of his bloody mind? Damen couldn't really justify the wish for Makedon's swift death, but it was undeniably prominent in the forefront of his thoughts as he scrambled for words, a reason for Laurent's absence on the field, anything really.

"Veretians do not train in the okton," he said finally, it sounded weak an argument even to his own ears. Yet, he couldn't really reason with the fact that Laurent was an omega, because if he did, he didn't know how Laurent would take retribution, but it was undebatable that he would. Damen wasn't fool enough to risk that.

"In Akielos, the okton is known as the sport of kings. Our own King will take the field. Does the Prince of Vere lack the courage to ride against him?"

Damn it, Damen wanted to place his fist in smug visage of his general. Makedon knew that it was impossible for Laurent to refuse now. He was already looked upon with condescension from most of the alphas in their joined forces, he couldn't afford to refuse.

And he wouldn't. Damen needed just one look at his face and he knew that Laurent would agree, out of his foolish pride, and sharp mind. Because Laurent knew better than anyone else what they had to loose and he knew that the people gathered needed to acknowledge him just as much as they did Damen.

Suddenly, he wished for a different world. He wished for a world, where Laurent wouldn't need to prove himself worth of following and recognition just because he was not the warrior Damen was or his brother had been. A world, where Laurent's secondary gender wouldn't limit him in the ways it did.

He risked a glance at Laurent, hoping that his outstanding mind would be able to somehow sidestep, he didn’t want him on the field. He would give almost anything to keep Laurent here, keep him safe and that was rather startling an insight.

The omega beside him, though, didn’t even try. “Why not?” said Laurent and this made Damen’s stomach lurch. He needed all of his self-restrain to stop himself from dragging the blond man to the side and just straight out tie him up to keep him away from the course.

He couldn’t pinpoint the source of this feeling exactly. He just knew that there was a very faint, sweet smell in the air. It was mouthwatering to Damen. It came from Laurent. And it was the main reason he wanted Laurent nowhere near the okton course.

He balled his hands on his thighs. He had scented the sweetness coming from Laurent before on another person and it confused him. He couldn’t remember when exactly that was. The implications lost on him. The only positive thing was that he would be there too. Maybe he could keep Laurent from the worst. It was just wishful thinking, if something happened, he had no choice but to watch it happen.

***

Laurent’s spears were tipped in blue. It was fitting. Damen tried not to think about what they were about to do. He was nauseates, his inner alpha pushed him to keep Laurent back, to not let him ride. His skin itched with the struggle from keeping himself back.

Laurent, he knew, was good at riding. He was not only good, he was outstanding and Damen knew that. This knowledge didn’t keep him from fretting. What if something happened to Laurent? The alliance would be over, all their struggles would have been for naught, he would never be able to explore the potential of their tentative relationship.

This last thought was something that surprised Damen in its vehemence. He realized that he wanted to get to know Laurent better, he wanted the chance to court the other man properly, he wanted a future with Laurent. The one night together was not enough.

All of that meant nothing in the face of the okton. Men died during the okton. Damen almost sickened up, only the focus on the impending challenge kept him from swaying on his horse.

Suddenly, he remembered Laurent’s scent with such a vividness it caught him off guard. He had smelt the mouthwatering omega scent only once, Laurent’s control otherwise impenetrable. Through their night it had surrounded him, made his head swim and convinced him of their compatibility. He knew that Laurent could bring him to his knees with a whiff of his scent.

He was almost grateful that Laurent kept his scent under iron control. He wouldn’t be able to talk to him without thinking of fucking him, otherwise. Not that it wasn’t already challenging enough without Laurent’s scent added to the mix.

Damen’s focus was almost forcefully dragged back to Laurent. He catalogued every single micro movement from the Omega at the front of the line. The blond man sat relaxed and securely in the saddle. He didn’t look fazed or nervous. His face was concentrated and self-assured.

However, there was something else, he couldn’t put his finger on. He couldn’t keep himself from breathing in deeply, although he knew that he wouldn’t smell Laurent in the slight breeze. But his nose caught something else. There was this sweet scent again, coming from the omega. It made his head spin.

He saw Laurent assessing the course. He was clinical in his observations and Damen wished he knew what Laurent was thinking in that moment. His whole focus on the other man.

Then it hit him. He almost bolted towards the omega. The urge to leap out of the saddle overwhelming and desperate. He wanted to shout, demand that they stop. He wanted to rage and imprison Makedon for even suggesting Laurent should ride today.

But then Laurent already rode out on the field. Damen couldn‘t admire his prone form, his flawless control or his effortless grace, because he felt so faint he almost fell from his mount. Gods, he felt the bile rise. The cold terror had him almost missing how Laurent hit a perfect bullseye.

He missed entirely how Pallas rode out. The fear gripping his heart incapacitating him of rational thought. But he needed to concentrate. He couldn’t afford a single slip up, not when it could mean that he somehow hit Laurent.

When the third horn sounded he flung his horse into a gallop. Trying to block out the noise, earsplitting in its intensity, trying to forget that on one of the horses sat Laurent, the omega he wanted to court, the omega pregnant with his child.

As soon as he thought it, it was as if someone had his heart in an icy grip. The coldness spread through his body. He felt numb and he almost looked at Laurent. Only the danger of accidentally causing a mishap kept him from doing so.

After the first course he allowed himself a glimpse towards the omega. He was still just as composed as when he sat at the dais with him some hours before. He also realized that Laurent dealt with the danger of the okton by simply behaving as though it did not exist.

Damen admired him for it but at the same time he wanted to drag him from his horse and shake him before snogging him senseless. He wanted to wrap him up in silk and satin and keep him save. He wanted to worship his body from the tips of his toes to the top of his head.

He compelled his focus back to the course. Pallas, Laurent and he himself had yet to miss a shot. Aktis and Lydos were no real competition. It was extraordinary enough for three riders to ride a flawless okton.

They thundered into the final circuit. The mistake, which finally broke their graceful ride, was one that anyone could have made. It was a simple miscalculation and it stopped Damen’s heart. Aktis threw his spear too early, which caused the target to collapse.

Lydos and Pallas both lost their spears. Time seemed to stand still as Damen watched Lydos’ spear soar through the air in Laurent’s direction. It was going to hit either Pallas or Laurent and Damen couldn’t tear his eyes away from the blond omega. Even when he realized that Pallas’ spear aimed for him.

Instinct reacted before thought. He caught it out of the air, his hand closing hard around the shaft, the momentum of it wrenching his shoulder back. The crowd exploded into noise as he absorbed the force of the throw and tightened his grip with his thighs to stay upright.

However, his whole focus was on the other end of the field, on Laurent and the spear flying towards him. The blood froze in his veins. The only thought he had was that he couldn’t loose this, couldn’t loose Laurent, not now. The blind panic immobilized him, forced him to watch what would inevitably happen next.

He could see Pallas shocked face and he knew the impossible choice the younger alpha faced. Either he saved his own life at the expense of Laurent’s, a Prince and more importantly an omega or he died right there and would be celebrated as a brave and honorable alpha. And, worse even, Pallas didn’t even know that Laurent carried the next heir to the Akielon and Veretian throne. Damen, however, knew, he knew and he prayed to every deity out there that Pallas wouldn’t move out of the way.

He knew it was a horrible thought to have. He also knew that it changed everything. He realized that Pallas wouldn’t ever move out of the way because it’s what they were waiting for their whole life. Fighting to protect others and giving their lives for the greater good. Pallas, who was one of the best, despite his young age, would never be able to put Laurent in danger.

Damen could see that Laurent knew it too. It shouldn’t surprise him anymore. He already knew that Laurent was exceptionally perceptive. He had seen the collapse of the target early on, and that had given him the time necessary to react.

The prince acted without a seconds hesitation. Laurent leaped from his horse, a feat almost impossible with the momentum he still had from the ride, and jumped into the path of the spear as he launched himself for Pallas’ horse, stirring their course to the left.

Laurent pushed Pallas down as the spear sailed past them. Damen watched in stunned amazement how Laurent picked up Pallas’ last spear and threw it at the last target. Hitting bullseye. He completed the okton with a perfect score and Damen couldn’t really decide if he wanted to fuck him right there, in the middle of the arena or if he would prefer to drag him away to his chambers and have his wicked way with him.

When Laurent’s eyes met his gaze across the course with an obvious challenge in them, Damen grinned. Dizzy with relief and overwhelming confusion. He threw the spear he had caught across the full, incredible length of the field. Sent it flying right into the centre of the final target, where it rested, quivering.

Pandemonium.

#captive prince #ask #prompt #omegaverse #laurent #damen #lamen #laurent of vere #damen of akielos #Damianos of Akielos #King Damianos #prince laurent #kings rising #okton #Alpha Damen #Omega Laurent #pregnancy #c.s. pacat

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fallout4treasures · 4 years

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I’m bored. Here are my actor choices for a Fallout 4 movie.

I don’t think it’s everyone, but it still took me all day.

I tried to keep them in a rough order of appearance.

Also, I based Nate and Nora off of the games’ preset. However, if I were actually casting a movie, I would just have open auditions. But anyway, here we go.

Nate:

Milo Ventimiglia

It was between him and Jensen Ackles. But honestly, I already had my Nora choice in my heart and I could just see Milo and her running to the vault in a panic together. If that’s not enough I saw Nate in him instantly. The widowed soldier desperately looking for his son in the annihilated future. Plagued with nightmares, but he would still stay warm and uplifting. Milo + Jumpsuit + Dogmeat = Yes, please.

Nora:

Anne Hathaway

Anything I say about her won’t do her justice. First off, she’s easily one of the most talented actors of all time. From the Princess Diaries to Les Miserables, she has proved time and time again that she can be anyone she wants to. Could she be a full-of-life but grief ridden mother, making new friends and enemies while shooting her way through the Commonwealth to find her kidnapped child? In her fucking sleep. Plus her presence would be plenty strong enough to stand up to any of the rest of our star studded, “would-be” cast.

Codsworth & all the Mr. Handy bots(voice):

Tim Curry

I just want to see it, I have no other excuse.

Conrad Kellogg:

Christopher Meloni

I kept wanting to go with Jeffery Dean Morgan, but I just didn’t think I could learn to hate that face the way I hate Kellogg’s. But then once I thought of Christopher there was no other choice. He can do the voice and the terrifying, non-emotional thing with no issue. (His character seriously got to me in Handmaid’s Tale.) But he could also be relatable enough to actually feel for Kellogg while diving through his memories.

Preston Garvey:

John Boyega

I had definitely forgotten about John when I was browsing through. My husband and I actually discussed him versus Donald Glover for awhile. In the end we decided that Boyega’s Preston would have a stronger stoic side as well as the fun loving friend. I think he would effortlessly display Preston’s disappointment in the Minutemen, as well as his survivor’s guilt.

Sturges:

Chris Pratt

This part is way too small for Chris nowadays, but I really think he could fall into Sturges’ carefree 50’s mechanic vibe. Plus I could see him throwing in a new sarcastic side to him that could be fun. If not, then I think he would still take him on perfectly, line for line.

Mama Murphy:

Helen Mirren

She’s powerful. She’s gorgeous. I would almost be afraid she would steal from anyone else on screen with her. And yet, it’s the surreal power that’s needed to make Mama Murphy a real life character. So there ya go.

Paladin Danse:

John Krasinski

Have you seen him in Jack Ryan? I really think he could embody Danse, heart and soul. From his hardened and serious outsides to his soft, broken, and vulnerable insides. He would play the soldier with so much heart, and would probably have us sobbing when he struggles over his new identity. (Me being in love with both of them has absolutely nothing to do with it. Nothing at all.) Plus him in a flight suit. Nuff said.

Piper Wright:

Kat Dennings

First off, she’s freaking gorgeous. Second, I think Piper’s fiery personality would fit her like a glove. Plus she would take on the role of Nat’s big sister perfectly. If you’ve seen her in Thor then you already know she makes an excellent side-kick and adds some great comic relief.

Mayor McDonough:

Alec Baldwin

I jumped around a lot with this one. I even considered people like James Spader and Jack Nicholson (too old, I know). But then I remembered Alec’s ability to lay on the cheeeeeese. I have no doubt he could handle McDonough’s suspicious but seemingly normal character, and transitioning into his manic and desperate attempt to stay alive. Plus, he would nail his “I am not a synth!” speech, finding the perfect balance of creepy and welcoming.

Ellie Perkins:

Ellie Kemper

She has an adorable, scrappy, and loving personality that glows every time she’s on screen. I don’t think I’ve seen her in anything serious, personally, but I bet she’d be up for the challenge. Especially to fill the role for someone cute and spunky like Ellie.

Nick Valentine:

Liev Schreiber

I really, really struggled with this one. Obviously CGI and other special effects would have to happen no matter what, but whoever I chose still had to have those serious eyes, warm and friendly smile, and that old Boston gumshoe voice. Cue Liev. He’s probably a touch young, but if we’re already using CGI anyway so who cares.

Elder Arthur Maxson:

Tom Hardy

I don’t even feel the need to explain myself here. Venom. That’s all I’ll say.

X6-88:

Michael B. Jordan

As sweet as his smile is, I feel like the minute Jordan pulls on a stone cold look, blood would drain the face of whoever was playing opposite of him. However he would easily be able to add the oddly comforting touch X6 has when he watches over the Sole Survivor.

Desdemona:

Laura Prepon

Her commanding and sexy vibe in everything she plays is absolutely perfect. At least for me. She’s a bit young, but I think it would be easy enough to age her up. She would naturally become the leader of the Railroad, and would totally scare the piss out of everyone in her way.

Deacon:

Ryan Alosio

Yep, the man himself. He’s got the look, the charisma, and he can obviously do Deac’s iconic voice. Don’t fix what’s not broken. If you’re not convinced, watch this very impressive reel of his. Or do it anyway because DAMN. It was shameful how quickly I fell in love.

https://www.imdb.com/video/vi3911957785?ref_=nmvi_vi_imdb_1

Tinker Tom:

Anthony Mackie

Tom has a whole lot of energy to keep up with. I pushed him off to one of the last ones I chose because he is just so unique, and I actually needed my husband’s opinion. We finally settled on the talented and energetic Anthony. He’s goofy, absolutely lovable, and would probably have way too much fun playing into the crazy conspiracy bits.

Father(Old Man Shaun):

Gary Oldman

I feel bad not giving this brilliant actor a bigger role. His chameleon ability could land him almost anything here, but his soft but strong voice is literally perfect for Father’s. Just age him up a bit and he’ll melt into the role like with everything he doeswewse. He would make the reunion with Shaun 1000x more intense and emotional, and I could see him almost convincing all of us to join the Institute. I mean, it’s Gary fucking Oldman.

(Side Quest Characters)

John Hancock:

James Franco

I actually couldn’t believe I hadn’t put this together before. I’m starting to wonder if Hancock was actually written for James. Super chill, but not scared to get shit done. Including taking care of Finn in the most casual and Godfather way possible within the first few moments of meeting him. Then afterward he would take some chems with Sole and talk about life for awhile. I’m totally okay with this idea.

Robert MacCready:

James Marsden

I’ll be honest, I have never played with MacCready before. I had to watch some videos to get a feel for it but in the end I feel like I found a solid choice. I know he’s “pretty” but throw on some scruff, dirt, and a green cap and he’s there. Think Westworld.

Cait:

Karen Gillan

Cait can kick my ass any day, and that’s how I feel about Karen. They are both just so breathtakingly badass. Any sole survivor would struggle to keep from lusting after her, and then caring deeply as they worked through her drug addiction.

Curie:

Mélanie Laurent

Both Curie and Melanie are just innocently stunning and can light up a room with a smile. Curie would be especially difficult because not only is she gorgeous, but she’s almost always the smartest one in the room, but I think Melanie could do her justice.

---

So there is our very expensive cast list!

There’s a lot here that I feel on the fence about but this was still a lot of fun to do. I’m sure there are other actors that I have forgotten that could take on these characters too, so let me know what you would have done differently!

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notalittlebutalottie · 4 years

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Written for Klaroline Valentine’s Day Bingo 2020 @kcvalentinesbingo by @eliliyah (I am determined to get a bingo...even if I end up going past Valentine’s Day lol)

Prompt: Candlelit Dinners

“Klaus!” her voice travelled through the winding path lined with canvases both plain and painted. She wondered which of the paintings were being selected for his next show; she always liked to go because it meant free champagne and the chance to act like she had any idea about the cost of his paintings around real connoisseurs.

Caroline sighed as she found the main area of his annoyingly large loft apartment, the currently propped up canvas without its painter. While she dusted off the stray snowflakes on her black leather jacket, she hadn’t noticed him wandering in from the bathroom, paint rag in hand.

“Come to drag me off to dinner already, Caroline?”

Her shoulders jumped and she spun around to view Klaus covered in paint. He was like a child let loose in a kindergarten class. The splash of blue marking under his chin was indicative of his usual pondering gesture. She placed her hands around her waist, fingers drumming across the leather gently.

“I’m here to make sure you’re not late. You know how Elena gets when you rock up like it’s nothing.”

Their old high school group had managed to stay friendly over the years, luck bringing them all to New York for work. Unfortunately, there were less parties and more unfulfilled plans once they began their jobs. That was when she and Elena had proposed they meet every Thursday night for drinks and plastic-cheese covered nachos at a bar equidistant to their apartments. Caroline had done a meticulous search of bars fitting that criteria. Yet despite being freelance and having the most relaxed job in the entirety of the universe, Klaus could still find time to waste away while the rest of them waited for his arrival.

His relaxed posture tightened in panic as he replied, “Oh, well if Elena requested—”

“Shut up,” she broke out into a breathy laugh, reaching for a nearby brush to throw at his shoulder. She barely missed, the brush swiping against the skin of his arm.

Klaus’ brows raised teasingly, but he held his hands up in surrender when she folded her arms. He did love to see her face whenever he even grazed her buttons. “Okay, okay,” he chuckled before looking at his watch, his eyes crinkling in confusion. “Forgive me if my watch is playing up, but why the bloody hell are you here? We’re not meeting for over an hour.“

His watch was correct. Caroline shifted on her feet, shrugging as she wandered along to his easel. She picked up a thin brush to inspect as she replied nonchalantly, “Well, you see—”

Klaus pushed out his lips, attempting to contain the knowing expression wishing to break free. He kept silent and revelled in the cute way she meandered on her way to an answer.

“I finished work early and thought, ‘you know who lives nearby? Klaus’ and coincidentally I have this really fancy gala coming up. So then, I thought ‘you know who has a weird, bordering on creepy, collection of designer dresses? Also Klaus’. And then, I came up—”

“I don’t think it’s that weird,” he muttered in between her rambling.

“—and your door was unlocked, which, by the way, is totally dangerous! I could’ve been a murderer! So, I came up and here you are and here I am with the need for a dress!”

It was at this point, Klaus had resigned himself to chuckling rather tiredly. In all of their years of friendship, she hadn’t improved upon her lack of concise explanation, though he would argue against himself that it was an enjoyable pastime to hear it.

“First of all, sweetheart, you know that my sister uses my place as a second storage unit.” He pressed his lips together for a moment, noting the adoringly childish way his friend bit her tongue out. “Second of all, I resent being used as a designer store. That being said,” her eyes wandered coyly, “you did make the trip in the snow and I suppose it would be rude to deny you.”

“Thank you,” she said with a deepened tone and a curtsy. The lip-service was short as she rushed off to his room, which left him to laugh quietly as he preoccupied himself with painting.

Caroline was happy to see the trunk left of his bedroom door with its gorgeous gold baroque detailing atop a seafoam coloured paint. Oh, she could have just died as she unlatched it and lifted the lid; all those beautiful dresses could easily blind a person unprepared for its glory. Rebekah may have been a bit stuck up —Caroline refuted that she was a mini-version of herself—, but she had impeccable, expensive tastes.

“So, how is Rebekah?” she called out while removing her jacket and shirt in quick succession. Her eyes had been caught by the Saint Laurent midi dress that Rebekah had so smugly shown off when visiting the previous year.

“Wondering if you can get away with keeping one of those ridiculously priced gowns?” he questioned, soon speechless for a moment as her bare back reflected in a nearby mirror. Though it took him a moment, he averted his gaze.

“It’s not like she would notice one missing,” Caroline reasoned in a musical tone.

“You and I both know that is absolutely not true.”

A few dresses and many thoughtful paint strokes later, Caroline was strutting out of his room in the outfit she arrived in but with a silk black dress poking out of her bag. Rebekah would kill her if she saw the oxymoron that was her the two-grand dress in Caroline’s forty dollar bag.

“Your services are appreciated.” Caroline smiled, her eyes turning into crescent moons of themselves. “New piece for your next show?” she asked with the drop of her jaw at the beautiful shapes taking place on the canvas.

“Perhaps.”

She was enamoured by his concentrating face. The first time she saw it, she giggled at the murderous stare that took hold of the canvas. Now, it was simply pleasurable to see how much his work meant to him.

Her lashes fluttered in an attempt to break herself from her thoughts. “We should probably go. We’ll probably take a little longer because of the snow.”

“Already? I was so hoping we could spend more time helping you loot my sister’s clothing.” Klaus’ lips tugged out gently but spread into a full smile when her flat expression met his eyes. “Help me with some of these?” he implored, his arms gesturing to a stack of paintings below the window.

“Aye aye, captain.” She saluted, smiling back when she noticed another stain of paint had appeared on his cheek.

Caroline’s phone pinged and she quickly fished it out of her bag while Klaus picked up the first painting, taking the opportunity to peer out of the window. “Uh, love?”

“Hm?”

She squinted at the stream of messages coming through to their group chat. Damon was celebrating the snow blanketing the city while the rest of them complained about having to get home.

“I’m not sure we will be going out tonight.”

“Yeah, the rest of the group are calling for a reschedule.”

“No, I mean at all.”

Like a cruel punishment from the gods, the lights cut out with the end of his words.

“Are you kidding me?” Caroline puffed her cheeks out, her annoyance growing as she noticed the internet had immediately followed suit with the lights.

“The roads are covered and by the looks of it, every door down this street is blocked. I don’t think you’ll make it far,” Klaus informed her with faux guilt to cover the fact that he was happy to have her alone for once.

Caroline groaned, her feet dragging as she attempted to navigate his place in the dark. She could barely make out his figure but took hold of his arm to get her bearings. “I think this is the worst thing to have ever happened.”

“Ever?”

She didn’t need to see to know he was grinning ear to ear and promptly gave his chest a gentle punch.

“Forgive me, I was unaware you were so captivated by the cheap beer and knock-off Mexican food.” He couldn’t fully read her expression, but the idea of her pout was enough to tickle his senses.

“Hey, I was looking forward to drowning in those nachos after I missed lunch,” she reasoned with a huff.

He gave into a laugh, grasping her wrist and leading her slowly around the path of paintings to the kitchen. It was no surprise that she immediately commented on the lack of organisation in his loft.

“I’m sure I can whip up something just as delectable, love,” he mused, leaving her standing in the middle of the kitchen while he cautiously felt his way to the cupboards.

“I can’t believe you still don’t have a table,” she mumbled. “Where do you even eat?”

“At my workstation. I am an artist after all — can’t be away from my craft for too long.”

“How brooding of you.” Caroline took it upon herself to rummage through a bottom cupboard, pulling out a set of three medium-sized candles. Each one she had bought for him as a Christmas gift. That liar had told her he used them all the time, yet they were safely stored in the back.

Swiftly, she pulled a box of matches from a drawer and took to lighting each candle. The smell of cinnamon and winter berries filled her nostrils to her delight.

“Should I be concerned you know your way around my kitchen so well? And in the dark, no less.” Klaus couldn’t deny he was both impressed and rather infatuated with the idea.

She rolled her eyes, lips teasing a smile. “Should I be concerned you don’t?”

Caroline didn’t wait for his reply as she placed the candles in an odd triangular shape on the floor.

“Are you planning to sacrifice me, love? I should have known you only wanted my friendship for my body,” he teased as he finished the meal preparation.

“Yes, I’m trying to become a billionaire and the requirement for sacrifice was a frustrating British man who lacks a dining table,” her monotone voice rang out while she searched his bedroom for a blanket. His bed always looked so inviting, even in the dark she could only think about the memory foam mattress he had bought the previous Spring.

“Well, I am willing and able.”

She shook herself from those ideas when he shouted out in reply.

Caroline finally returned with a blanket, neatly laying it on the cold flooring of his kitchen. She looked up at him and the two plates of food in his hands. As he slowly lowered himself down to place them on the blanket, she scoffed through a laugh.

“Wow, I wonder if Picasso’s dinner of choice was also pop tarts and PB and J?”

“I assure you, I serve only the finest foods when hosting a candlelit dinner,” Klaus spoke slowly, enunciating in that delicious way he would when flirting with other girls. “Besides, I believe he was more of a macaroni and cheese, guy, sweetheart.”

She let her gaze flick to his lips, taking a gratuitous view of them in hopes that the candles didn’t expose her. “Well, I hope I’m not just another candlelit dinner during a snowstorm in that case.”

The smirk that grew on his face was hard to remove when he felt her eyes travel towards his lips. “Certainly not, Caroline. You’ll be the one and only.”

#klaus and caroline #klaroline fanfiction #the vampire diaries #the originals #drabble #valentine's day #bingo

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scarletwelly-boots · 3 years

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Books Read 2020

I started off really good this year, what with quarantine and all. And then I got sidetracked by reading one hundred and forty-nine fanfics (and counting) (mostly Destiel; CW can kiss my ass).

I read 30 books this year, which I thought was bad, but apparently I only read 24 last year, so not awful. I did the Popsugar reading challenge for the fifth year. There were 50 categories this year, so 60% isn’t too bad. So without further ado, let’s get started under the cut.

1. The Mermaid, The Witch, and the Sea, Maggie Tokuda-Hall (a book that’s published in 2020). This book, y’all. My god. It has it all: pirates, queer relationships, genderfluid characters, an intense plot. This book was so good. I definitely recommend this book. Pirates!!! And gay!

2. Somebody Told Me, by Mia Siegert (a book by a trans or nonbinary author). I don’t know how Siegert identifies, but I know they use they/them pronouns. This book was... okay but frustrating. A bigender teen, Aleks/Alexis, has a traumatic experience and moves in with their aunt and uncle, who is a newly converted Catholic priest. I liked the queer rep, but sometimes it felt like the author had these assumptions or prejudices about the Catholic church. Some of them were right, granted, and I’m not a practicing Catholic anymore so I don’t know why it pissed me off, but it bugged me anyway. So I guess if you don’t mind it seeming like the author did little to no research on Catholicism, then it’s a good book.

3. All the King’s Men, by Nora Sakavic (a bildungsroman). Who, me? Rereading my gay comfort trilogies during quarantine? It’s more likely than you think. Love the All for the Game trilogy. This is the third book in the series. It’s the best book in the trilogy. It is a series about a college sports team who play a made up sport called Exy, which is basically a more violent version of lacrosse. I’m not a huge sports fan, but the way she writes Exy matches had me on the edge of my seat. The team is made up of all “at-risk” students, the main character being a kid on the run from his mob boss dad. Trigger warning for the series for violence, sexual assault/rape, abuse, drug use, I may be missing some things. It was so good though.

4. Captive Prince, by C.S.Pacat (a book with a map). Back again with the gay comfort trilogies. This is the first book in the Captive Prince trilogy, and whoops, did I say love All For the Game? Love this series more. It’s awesome. It’s fantasy and gay and romantic. But the romance isn’t even the central part. Laurent is my favorite asshole. Damen is so sweet and sassy as fuck. HIGHLY RECOMMEND. Seriously. I can’t do this series justice.

5. The Foxhole Court, by Nora Sakavic (a book recommended by your favorite blog, vlog, podcast, or online book club). First book in the All for the Game series. What are you still doing here? Go start this trilogy!

6. Ella Enchanted, by Gail Carson Levine (a book that passes the bechdel test). This is such a good book. It was one of my favorite books when I was a kid. It’s basically a retelling of Cinderella, and if you’ve seen the movie version with Anne Hathaway, the book is way, way better.

7. Loki: The God Who Fell to Earth, by Oscar Basaldua (a book with the same title as a movie or TV show but is unrelated to it). God, I cannot WAIT for the Loki show. Anyway, this is a new comic about Loki (obviously). I love anything with my disaster wife in it, so 100% I recommend it.

8. As Drowning Men Clutch at Straws, by EA Roisin (a book by an author with flora or fauna in their name). Okay, so. Roisin is an Irish name that means rose, and EA Roisin is my (unpublished) pen name. In my defense, the manuscript is 186 pages long and it felt like an accomplishment when I finally finished rereading it for the first time since I finished it in 2015. Do I recommend it? I’ll let you know if it ever gets published.

9. Red White and Royal Blue, by Casey McQuiston (a book that won an award in 2019). I’m still rereading this book. I got interrupted because my sister wanted to read it and then I got a new book for my birthday. But this is, far and away, my FAVORITE BOOK. It’s so beautiful. It was very romantic (once they stopped “hating” each other), and gay. The premise sounds far-fetched: First Son of the United States falls for the Crown Prince of England. But, guys, it’s soooo gooooood. Highly, highly, highly recommend.

10. A Beautifully Foolish Endeavor, by Hank Green (a book with only words on the cover, no images or graphics). This is the sequel to An Absolutely Remarkable Thing. This was just as great as the first, but I spent a good chunk of the book vibrating with anxiety. The stakes were way higher, and I don’t think I’ve been scared while reading a book since reading Jade Green (Phyllis Reynolds Naylor) in junior high (which was fucking terrifying, btw). But I definitely recommend it!

11. Crush, by Richard Siken (a book with a pun in the title). Guys. I read this book almost every year, because it’s quick and gorgeous and the title is accurate because it absolutely crushes me. This is a collection of LGBT (more specifically, gay) poetry, and OH MY GOD. This is in my top five favorite books. I read it all the time. This is the book that made me fall in love with poetry, back in high school.

12. The Raven King, by Nora Sakavic (a book with a bird on the cover). The second book in the All for the Game series. Trigger warnings for All the King’s Men apply to this one, too.

13. 1014: Brian Boru, by Morgan Llewelyn (a fiction or nonfiction book about a world leader). If you know me, you know I’m a complete Irish history nerd. This book is about a very important battle that took place in Ireland, and the last great High King of Ireland, Brian Boru. High Kings are mostly just an elected title, who get paid via taxes from provincial kings and chieftains, but Brian was the only one who saw as close to a united, free Ireland as it got until 1921 (although since the island is split between the North and the Republic, it’s still not totally unified). I recommend if you like history.

14. The Magnolia Sword, by Sherry Thomas (a book by a WOC). Oh. My. God. So this is a retelling of the ballad of Mulan. Mulan is a very important story to me anyway (tomboy as a child, genderfluid, bisexual as fuck), and this retelling was so good and interesting. It also features one of my favorite tropes, Surprise Gays. I highly, highly recommend.

15. My Own Ways Through This Life, by Chris Viau (a book with at least a four-star rating on Goodreads). Okay, so it miiiight have a four-star rating because of me and my camp family all rating it, but it counts. This is a mixed media autobiography by one of my camp friends. He has written at least three books, and all are available on Amazon. This is the only one I’ve read so far, and it was really interesting. I definitely recommend it.

16. Insomniac City, by Bill Hayes (a book you meant to read in 2019). This book was beautiful and heartbreaking. It was a Christmas gift from my brother. It’s a memoir about Bill’s time in a relationship with Oliver Sacks, a famous neurologist. It’s sweet and melancholic and funny. Huge recommendation.

17. Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens’ Agenda, by Becky Albertalli (a book about or involving social media). Still such a wonderful book. Better than the movie, I’m telling you. It was really good, and I definitely cried. If you liked the movie, read the book. It’s different in several ways. I think if you’re thinking in terms of trueness to the book, the movie was maybe not as good, but they’re both good as their own standalone things. But I highly recommend both.

18. Loki: Agent of Asgard, by Jason Ewing (a book that has a book on the cover). This is such a good series. It’s a great characterization of my disaster wife. I love this graphic novel series. I love how they depict Loki, how he finally gets a goddamn redemption arc. It’s a really fun read. Check it out.

19. Kings Rising, by CS Pacat (a book with a made up language). This is pushing it, since they never actually speak in the made up languages on paper. But UGH. Third book in the Captive Prince trilogy, and hands down the best. Laurent and Damen finally let go of the goddamn longing and actually do something about it.

20. The Deep, by Rivers Solomon (a book set in a country beginning with C). This is pushing it, because it’s about mermaids (basically), but I think they’re in the Caribbean. I loved this book. It was so interesting. It’s based on a song by clipping., Daveed Diggs’s group. The premise is the wajinru (the mermaid people) originated as the infants from pregnant Africans that died and were thrown overboard during the slave trade. So like, it’s a pretty heavy book. But it’s heartfelt and sweet, too. Also more Surprise Gays, which came at an excellent time (November, post-Supernatual finale) for me. I highly recommend.

21. Written in the Stars, by Alexandria Bellefleur (a book you picked because the title caught your attention). I just finished this book tonight and it was so. good. It’s basically a modern, lesbian, fake dating rendering of Pride and Prejudice. And let me tell you, if there’s one thing I love more than Pride and Prejudice, it’s lesbians. It’s really really great. I highly, highly recommend.

22. Running with Lions, by Julian Winters (a book with a three-word title). Thanks to All for the Game and movies like Handsome Devil and Boys, I have discovered that I have a huge thing for queer sport stories. So this book was really, really good. It’s got friends to enemies to friends to lovers, which is great. It’s got soccer, which is way more homoerotic now. And it’s got gays, which is really why I picked this book up. But it’s well written and the story is interesting, too. I definitely recommend.

23. The Prince and the Dressmaker, by Jen Wang (a book with a pink cover). Oh my god. AHHHHH!!! This book is amazing. It’s a graphic novel, so it’s a quick read. It’s fantasy and feels a little Cinderella-y, but that’s not the best part. The queer relationship is amazing, but that’s not the best part. The prince is genderfluid! Like me! And his mask name is Sebastian! Like me! (Okay, so my name is Bastien, but close enough) This was so so so good. I got it at a convention in February, and I was practically vibrating with excitement as I read it. I highly highly highly recommend.

24. Girl Crushed, by Katie Heaney (a book by or about a journalist). I think I’d have liked this book better if it wasn’t so...similar to my life. The main premise is the main character is getting over a sudden and painful break up, after being dumped by her long-term (maybe first? I can’t remember) girlfriend. The ex has the same initials as my ex and acted very similarly, so maybe I ended up picturing her when the character came up in the book. The ending pissed me off. It was very gay and that wasn’t the entirety of the book, so maybe you’ll like it more than me. It was just too true to life for me and opened up some old wounds I didn’t want to open up. The author is an editor at Buzzfeed, so that’s how it fits into this category.

25. Date Me, Bryson Keller, by Kevin van Whye (your favorite prompt from a past POPSUGAR Reading Challenge--a book published this year). This might be my second or third favorite book, goddamn it’s that good. It’s queer, obviously, and sort of fake dating? Bryson is dared to date someone new each week. He’s assumed to be straight, so all the people he dates are girls until Kai asks him. It’s really sweet, and there’s some issues with coming out to your family that don’t always sit well with me, but overall it was really good and it ends well. I definitely recommend.

26. Loki: Where Mischief Lies, by Mackenzi Lee (a book written by an author in their 20s). AAAHHHH!!!! Fuckin.... Okay, y’all know I have feelings about Loki. He’s my spouse and I love him to death. This book was so, so good. Loki gets sent to Victorian London to solve a mystery and meets a group of humans who know about Asgard and basically keep Midgard in order for Odin. Loki is canonically pan and genderfluid (as he should be), and Theo is a sweetheart. I wrote a 10k fic coming out of reading this book (Phantom Limb by Irishavalon on AO3, check it out.). I seriously recommend!

27. Because of Winn-Dixie, by Kate DiCamillo (a book by an author who has written more than 20 books). I read this with my third graders at the beginning of this year. Such a good book. I read it as a kid too. The movie is great but as always, book is better. Recommend.

28. Adventures of Charls, the Veretian Cloth Merchant, by CS Pacat (a book with more than 20 letters in its title). This was a reread of a short story that comes after the Captive Prince trilogy. Charls, the cloth merchant, was such a great side character in the CP trilogy, and telling the story from his perspective was great. It doesn’t have to be read after the other CP short stories, but at least the trilogy should be read first.

29. Fence vol.1, by CS Pacat (a book from a series with more than 20 books). I’m pushing it with this category. I read the first volume, but this is a comic book series, so the 20 books is more issues. This is very good too. It’s another gay sports story, and is probably going to be enemies to lovers, but they’re still enemies by the end of volume 1. Still recommend.

30. Prince’s Gambit, by CS Pacat (a book with a main character in their 20s). Book 2 of the Captive Prince trilogy. Very very good.

#books #Book Recommendations #book recs

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happymetalgirl · 4 years

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March 2020

Wow, March seems like such a bygone era, time doesn’t mean anything anymore with so much turned upside down (especially in the music industry) in the throes of the pandemic going on right now. One of those things was me losing my punctuality with this blog. While I haven’t been on top of my writing, I have certainly been listening as much as ever, with plenty to talk about this month, so better late than never I suppose. Here are the albums I listened to during March.

Code Orange - Underneath

I just wrote about the Pittsburgh metalcore juggernauts’ highly anticipated fourth full-length, but I’ll summarize again what led me say that Underneath is a good album, but not as good as the breakthrough album whose high bar this album was always going to have a hard time clearing. The band go all in on the industrial elements that accented Forever on Underneath, as well as push their luck on the more melodic, alternative metal-oriented hardcore tracks, which came with some growing pains, the latter more than the former. And I really think that they probably are just growing pains with the band getting more comfortable with this expansion of their sound, which (contrary to what the many zealous 10/10 reviews are saying) I think the band will get significantly better with if they keep this trajectory going into their next album.

8/10

Body Count - Carnivore

I really have tried to focus on the positive aspects of Body Count’s music, the fearless, topical, confrontational lyricism and the capacity the band has to generate a good hardcore breakdown, but the band really do seem to be unable to get out of this one-dimensional rut they’re stuck in, with Carnivore simply a few shovels deeper in. The band’s appeal tires very quickly with Ice-T’s recycling of lyrical themes and his band’s repetitions of generic hardcore tropes. They come through with a few moments of intensity, a sick breakdown or two, but the positive, hopeful moments are too few and far between. I would think that with not a whole lot of competition and a hip hop icon behind the microphone that Body Count would have the capacity to do more for rap metalcore, but they seem stuck in a cycle I do respect the stances Body Count takes against injustice, and I want them to be a more prominent, important voice in metal, but they have some climbing to do to get there.

4/10

My Dying Bride - The Ghost of Orion

The grand masters of gothic death-doom don’t ever really steer too far off course, rather they sometimes just take their foot off the gas, as they do on The Ghost of Orion. It has all the elements of any beautifully melancholic My Dying Bride album; the slow and burgeoning guitars, the downtrodden vocal melodies juxtaposed with bursts of growled anguish, and the melodrama of vibrato-laden strings; but it’s all arranged and conjured without much tangible passion or pain. That’s by the standard of the band’s pretty solid discography though, so with that considered, it’s by no means a terrible death-doom album, it just won’t be converting anybody or getting anyone more excited about My Dying Bride and death-doom.

6/10

Warp Chamber - Implements of Excruciation

Brutal death metal can often seem pretty one-dimensional, and it often is, but in the hands of a band who really has the ambition to make more of it than just some guttural rumblings from all the instruments involved, the genre can really take on a wholy new monstrous form, its horrific, deathly instrumentation heightened by the melody and the compositional nuance that a competent band can bring to it, and that is exactly what Warp Chamber do on their debut album here. Full of cavernous growls and ceaseless low-register battery, it can seem, at face value like just a regular brutal death metal album, but when the band starts breaking out the winding tangents and manic solos that, again, just heighten the chaos and compliment the brutality. It’s more than just regular-ass death metal, and I’m glad to have heard this debut. I hope Warp Chamber has more in store.

8/10

Loathe - I Let It in and It Took Everything

Do you love Deftones? Maybe you do. I do. But I don’t think either of us love Deftones as much as Loathe loves Deftones. I’m goofing right now, but Loathe really do channel their Deftones fandom real hard when they’re not in full hardcore mode or getting eccentric with the segues on this album. And it does offer a great combination of styles, with angular, low-tuned modern metalcore noise riffage juxtaposed pretty strongly against the gauzy shoegaze that immediately hearkens to that facet of Deftones’ music. The band struggle to get the flow just right on certain songs and across the album in general, with some pretty inconsistent songwriting, but it’s definitely outweighed by its still somehow immersive quality and the strength of the individual pieces going into it.

7/10

Earth Rot - Black Tides of Obscurity

The Australian band brings forth some more of the tried and true modern death metal a la Bloodbath, Carnation, and modern Cannibal Corpse, but with enough eerie, blackened oddity throughout the songs to keep the journey from being too homogenous. It’s these moments that both give extra life to the bludgeoning, but at-times basic, modern death metal the band is conjuring and kind of disrupt the flow of that muscly death metal. At times I do wish the band would chose to focus one or the other more exclusively, but if this pushes Earth Rot further into this kind of stylistically ambitious death metal, I appreciate the stepping stone this album acts as.

7/10

Myrkur - Folksange

After riding a pretty strong wave of critical adoration for her contribution to the growing wave of atmospheric black metal that culminated in the respectably sonically unique Mareridt in 2017, Myrkur’s Amelie Bruun has taken a step back to refocus or recalibrate artistically. As the title suggests, Folksange finds its creator rewarding herself for her contributions to black metal with a return to her love of Scandinavian folk music, and you can tell she loves it on this entirely folk-music-based project devoid of any black metal elements. I may not have been as head-over-heels as a lot of critics were about her black metal albums, but I certainly appreciated her folk-inspired ambient take on the genre, especially the unique sonic pallet of Mareridt. I liked those albums quite a bit, yet it is clear that the sound on Folksange is her forte, which makes sense if Scandinavian folk has been a longer-standing passion than black metal for Bruun. The instrumentation is absolutely beautiful and Bruun’s angelic voice fits so perfectly with it, but Folksange is more than just superficially aesthetically gorgeous. The songs (old and original) are written and arranged with such a natural knack for the style that makes it such a serenely enveloping experience that stands as Myrkur’s best work yet. I highly recommend it.

8/10

Old Man Gloom - Seminar IX: Darkness of Being

The famed supergroup’s first of two releases planned for this year after the loss of Caleb Scofield sees them dabbling around in an experimental array of genres that all the members have some sort of significant experience and specialty with. From post-metal of the sludgy, Isis-esque variety to the more noisily esoteric, Sumac-esque variety, to distinctly post-hardcore-influenced stylistic diversions, the band’s wide-reaching sound takes all sorts of twists and turns along their most recent experiment with the members’ varying pedigrees and influences guiding the music on quite the unusual nomadic trek. From the repetitive chord progression of the opening track to the album’s noisy finishing tracks (one of which features what sounds like rocks tumbling down a shaft of some sort for an extensive period of time), the band let their adventurers’ instincts guide them as they wander through their own experiment through the interplay of their members’ various styles. It’s weird, and not super polished, but it’s certainly fixating.

7/10

Candlemass - The Pendulum

After further cementing their relatively unchallenged status as the kings of epic doom metal with The Door to Doom about a year ago, Candlemass have offered up a quick little demo-focused EP with one new fleshed-out song, the title track, which takes them to the faster, more Dio-era-inspires side of their sound with the grand, soaring operatic vocals on the chorus and the relatively fast (by doom standards) guitar rhythms on the verses (think “Paranoid” or “Children of the Grave’). I love the very Dio-esque delivery of the word “fools” at the end too, very fitting. The demo track “Snakes of Goliath” slows it back down to Ozzy-era Sabbath worship in typical Candlemass fashion, the riffs and arrangement pretty respectable for a supposed demo track. The other full-length demo, “Porcelain Skull”, by contrast, does feel much less compositionally fleshed out and more like an actual demo piece. The other three demo tracks are just little instrumental studio doodles that don’t really add anything to the EP. If this EP could be interpreted as any kind of power move, it’s that Candlemass at demo level have just such a sharp compositional intuition for grand Sabbath doom metal and can pretty much nail it in their sleep.

demo-level 7/10

Igorrr - Spirituality and Distortion

I was definitely looking forward to this album big-time after the gloriously unashamed weirdness of 2017’s Savage Sinusoid filled a massive void I felt was needed in my metal bank. By contrast, Spirituality and Distortion is such a reserved project it feels either shy or cowardly from the usually hyper-eccentric band. The greater absence of the vocals of Laurent Lunoir on the album highlight also just how much character he brought to Savage Sinusoid through his zany performances. Without his vocal wildness across the album, the attention on Spirituality and Distortion is then directed to the significantly timid production and electronic finagling that doesn’t measure up to that of Savage Sinusoid.

6/10

In This Moment - Mother

*Sigh* In This Moment is one of those bands who I think really do show a lot of potential but just can’s seem to reach it. They get a lot of unnecessary shit for Maria Brink’s sexy stage presence and generally theatrical aesthetic and live show, but they do have the capacity to produce emotive alt metal ballads like “Whore” and bangers like “Big Bad Wolf” that give some insight into what heights they could potentially reach if they were much more consistent. I was hoping that Mother would be a solid rejuvenation/comeback after the benign disappointment of 2017′s Ritual, and while it’s certainly different, it’s not better. Mother really tries to take on this big, enveloping sound, and biblical, post-apocalyptic feel, and it can sort of carry it for a little bit and be temporarily immersive until the band needs to go full force. When it’s just some fancy eerie atmosphere and Maria Brink’s sultry vocal delivery, it holds up okay, but when the horribly synthetically produced arena-booming instrumentation really comes in and breaks that immersion, you remember that it really is all just trite alt rock whose lofty flair is all a facade.

4/10

Mamaleek - Come and See

Undoubtedly the most wildly experimental album to grace my ears so far this year, I was not expecting such a forceful avant-garde project from Mamaleek so relatively soon after Out of Time, but damn I’m glad I got it! The anonymous brotherly duo have always taken black metal on quite the far-off journey whenever they bring it along on one, ever making it their mission to create something one-of-a-kind with their work, and Come and See has to be their most enthralling album yet. Ramming together the transfixing manic anguish of their blackened experimental noise with the angular dynamism of jazz and even some blues rock in a musical particle collider, Mamaleek have made a truly one-of-a-kind album, and that’s even by their standards. I’ve mentioned before that I tend to like my jazz pretty rowdy and aggressive (like my metal), and the chaos that Mamaleek already generates with their brand of black metal is perfect to trim with and infuse with the angular dissonance of traditional jazz at its more energetically extreme. While the array of chaotic sounds may make Come and See their most intangibly black metal album, the ethos of that root genre pierces through by way of the harshly shrieked vocals just as much as the new jazz elements do. I really might just have to do a full-length review on this one because there is so much going on here that is worth admiring and I can’t stop loving it.

9/10

Phalanx - Golden Horde

This album came out a few months ago and has been making some pretty significant waves on Bandcamp, and for good reason. The relatively young band on their second release ever do showcase a pretty good knack for groove and death metal brutality, balancing slow, thick, tasty groove and blasting death metal without falling into metalcore breakdown clichés or death metal clichés. The three-pronged vocal attack the band touts isn’t quite as dazzling as they might think it is (with the abundance of talented vocalists capable of shapeshifting through a variety of metal vocal techniques), but I do think it would be cool to hear them use that approach with all three vocalists acting more simultaneously to more effectively convey the chaos of the war-related lyrical themes they focus on. Nevertheless, this quarter-hour taster is a great starter for them and definitely worth checking out. Hopefully it’s a foreshadowing of the blossoming of a bright new act for death metal.

7/10

Regarde Les Hommes Tomber - Ascension

I’ve been seeing a lot of praise being thrown this album’s way, and I honestly can’t disagree too much with that it is a pretty damn good album. It is very reminiscent of the Numenorean album Adore that I praised so highly last year. Like Adore, Ascension is an atmospheric black metal album that could easily hook your typical dude who hates Deafheaven and blackgaze and makes a really big deal about it. The band’does well on Ascension to avoid the reliance on generic post-rock guitar reverb ambiance that turns so many people off from blackgaze, working together a lot of unique sonic twists that don’t usually find their way into ambient black metal and channeling direct, cutting, yet humanly vibrant instrumentation that’s backed by raw cries of agony very similar to what Numenorean was doing last year. Perhaps this is the new way forward for atmospheric black metal and blackgaze. If so, Regarde Les Hommes Tomber are doing well to lead the way.

8/10

Deadspace - A Portrait of Sacrificial Scars

I already offered my praises to this album at length with my long-form post dedicated to it, but I’ll give it another shout for its brilliant, bittersweet sending off of the seemingly tireless Australian band. Deadspace give their oppressive/depressive sound the added magnitude and glory offered by choir and orchestral elements with more tact than most bands that use those elements regularly. I really am surprised that the band have decided to split up at such a high point in their artistry and I wish there could be more from them, but I have to respect their decision to end it here, and A Portrait of Sacrificial Scars is a great note to end on.

9/10

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bixgirl1 · 6 years

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Five Books

Tagged by @julcheninredand @writcraft to list five books that made a deep impression on me at different points in my life. Not necessarily your top five favourite books ever, nor even books you’d recommend to someone else now, but five books that were important at the time, whether you loved them or hated them.

Thank you, guys! (Also, I hate this because I have like 70k books and it made me cry that I couldn’t pick all of them. *snort*)

Taking a cue from Writcraft and going into detail under the cut because it gets long. lol

In no particular order:

1. Phantom – Susan Kay 2. Written on the Body – Jeanette Winterson 3. The Harry Potter series – JK Rowling 4. Firestarter – Stephen King 5. The Captive Prince series – C.S. Pacat

Honourable mentions (don’t huff at me, you guys asked me about books! Just be glad this list isn’t 200 deep lol):

Shopgirl – Steve Martin Bastard Out of Carolina – Dorothy Allison Second Nature, and Practical Magic – Alice Hoffman The Stand, and Carrie – Stephen King Charlotte’s Web – E.B. White The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks – Rebecca Skloot

Notes on the top five below the cut:

1. Phantom, by Susan Kay

“She wanted an Angel of Music . . . an angel who would make her believe in herself at last. I'd been the Angel of Doom for the khanum. There was no reason in the world why I could not be the Angel of Music for Christine. I couldn't hope to be a man to her, I couldn't ever be a real, breathing, living man waking at her side and reaching out for her . . . But I could be her angel.”

This book. God, this book, guys. I’ve read most of the books on my list more times than I can count, but I may have read this one the most. Told from different perspectives (Erik, his mother, his mentor, his friend, Christine, and Raoul), it follows the story The Phantom of the Opera, from birth to postmortem. It shows humanity at its ugliest and most broken, and the heights it can achieve, and does it all surrounding this one brilliant, exceptional man who eventually descends into madness over his love for someone he knows he can’t have. But it’s a redemption story, too, and so bittersweet I can’t, to this day, read it without crying and feeling immensely satisfied. Erik is the perfect anti-hero — maligned at first for something he can’t help, and then later for what people have turned him into, but nearly always sympathized with, and loved by the reader. Until reading this book when I was, I think, twelve or thirteen, I didn’t know writers could do that, tbh.

2. Written on the Body, by Jeanette Winterson

“When I say ‘I will be true to you’ I am drawing a quiet space beyond the reach of other desires.”

I cannot stress what an impact this book had on me. I first picked it up because I’d read a book of Winterson’s short stories (The World and Other Places) and I thought she had a really cool style and wanted to read more. She lived up to her short stories in style, of course, but what really blew me away about WntB — what really stole my heart and made me think — was that she wrote it in such a way that you never know if the narrator is male or female. I was around sixteen when I first read this, and still heavily involved in the church, and struggling with being attracted to girls as well as boys, and when I read this, the narrator was wholly female to me. I was reading lesbian love affair. I was stirred by it. When I think about the things that have influenced my coming to terms with my bisexuality, with me accepting who I was (though it took me longer to accept that it was okay to be who I was), this book is definitely on that list.

It’s also gorgeous, like everything she writes, so there’s that.

3. The Harry Potter Series, by JK Rowling

“Harry saw Voldemort's green jet meet his own spell, saw the Elder Wand fly high, dark against the sunrise, spinning across the enchanted ceiling like the head of Nagini, spinning through the air toward the master it would not kill, who had come to take full possession of it at last. And Harry, with the unerring skill of the Seeker, caught the wand in his free hand as Voldemort fell backward, arms splayed, the slit pupils of the scarlet eyes rolling upward. Tom Riddle hit the floor with a mundane finality, his body feeble and shrunken, the white hands empty, the snakelike face vacant and unknowing. Voldemort was dead, killed by his own rebounding curse, and Harry stood with two wands in his hands, staring down at his enemy's shell.”

I feel like this one doesn’t really need much explanation behind it. Lol. But I will say that I came into the HP series a few books in, around the time the first movie came out, and I was in an odd place in my life at the time. I was…listless. I’d always been a big reader, but it had been a long while since something had so captured my attention and focus, or had riveted me with its world building in such a way. I fell in absolute love with Harry, with the surrounding characters, with the social and moral parallels drawn. I kept asking myself “this is a kids series?!” There are things, in retrospect, that one can criticise about the Harry Potter series, plenty of valid problems to discuss and deconstruct. But I will never not be loyal to it, for its creativity, for its surprising depth, and for its heart.

4. Firestarter, by Stephen King

“It was amazing how time got by, how quickly a child could change, change in front of your eyes with an unobtrusiveness that was nearly terrible.”

Many apologies to @julcheninred because I know this one was on your list too, but Firestarter meant so much to me as a kid. I dove into King’s depiction of Charlie, and the simplicity of the writing and plot blended with the complexity of the characters and their relationships. I loved the idea of a young girl with so much power — frightening and potentially deadly, but hers. And though I was too young, when I first fell in love with this book, to understand the (actually pretty overt lol) sexual metaphors, I didn’t need to. It’s not a book that requires you to figure everything out while you’re on the ride — it’s a book that makes you want to, even if that means reading it a hundred times and wearing out several copies. (Which, ahem, I may have done.)

5. The Captive Prince series, by C.S. Pacat

“He thought of Laurent's delicate, needling talk that froze into icy rebuff if Damen pushed at it, but if he didn't--if he matched himself to its subtle pulses and undercurrents--continued, sweetly deepening, until he could only wonder if he knew, if they both knew, what they were doing.” (Book Two: Prince’s Gambit)

Okay, I know I blog a lot about this series and as a drarry shipper/writer/blogger, it’s easy to assume my reasons. And to be fair, drarry is what initially attracted me to the series. It was first recced to me by @magpiefngrl, then by @l0vegl0wsinthedark and @o0o-chibaken-o0o (thank you guys!!!!!!!) and finally I was so wound up about by them that I checked Amazon for a sample. Upon reading it, I immediately ordered copies, then read all three books online while I waited for the books to be shipped, they’re that good.

And I found it’s not about the similarities to drarry. (There are a few, but only in the most basic of ways.) It’s about the writing, which is so beautifully taut, I genuinely doubt I’ve read anything like it before. It’s about the characters, who are sharp and perfect in their imperfections, and dialogue and tension and subtly intricate plotting that thrills me anew every time I read it. It’s about a love story that feels fantastical and wildly relatable, a happily ever after that you need — and get, like a stunningly wrapped gift you never expected. The way Pacat manages to pivot an arguably hated and hate-worthy character into someone you would give your life for reads like a dream, and I’m not exaggerating when I say these books changed things in me. Maybe all small — an appreciation for simplicity in writing; a jadedness that seems to surface sometimes about my ability to immerse myself in a story — but all fundamental, and all appreciated to my bones.

Idk who’s been tagged so my apologies in advance, but @jadepresley , @lqtraintracks, @camael-fanart, @femmequixotic, @noeeon, @o0o-chibaken-o0o @agentmoppet and anyone else who wants to partake! <3

#five books #fave books #(yes I know I didn't have to list faves but I have a lot of faves okay?)#reading life #book life

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sahibookworm · 5 years

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It’s the season of awards, so how can our bookish community be left behind. I have done a version of this last year too (click here) and I had so much fun, so when I saw this year’s slightly modified version on Jasmine’s blog, I just had to do it. Do checkout Jasmine’s Reading for more wonderful bookish posts.

The tag was originally created by BOOKadoodles.

Best Actor: “Best Male Protagonist”

Captive Prince / Prince’s Gambit / King’s Rising

There’s no easy way to pick favorites but I’ll choose the protagonists from the Captive Prince trilogy – Damon and Laurent. They go through such wonderful character development through the series that they are my top picks for this award.

Best Actress: “Best Female Protagonist”

Another one that is not easy to choose, but I’m gonna go with Mia from Nevernight – the badass assassin and Hazel from Josh and Hazel’s Guide to Not Dating – the quirky adorable grade school teacher ; both these ladies are completely unapologetic about who they are and how they want to live.

Best Cinematography: “Best Plot Twist”

I read quite a few action/adventure/suspense novels this year but nothing can beat the plot twists in When Death meets the Devil and Why the Devil Stalks Death. This series is just full of twists and turns and cliffhangers that will blow anyone’s mind.

Best Costume Design: “Best Book Cover”

Lots of gorgeous looking books I read but one cover that matches the story perfectly and is as beautiful as the writing is Autoboyography.

Best Supporting Actress and Actor: “Best Male and Female Sidekicks/Supporting characters”

My favorite male side character has to be Inspector Vale from The Invisible Library series and I especially enjoyed reading more of his investigative exploits in The Mortal Word. As for the women, it took me some time to narrow down but I really enjoyed Johanna’s perspective from The Lady’s Guide to Petticoats and Piracy – she is both feminine and has a scientific mind and I loved how comfortable she was in balancing both the sides.

Best On-Screen Kiss: “Best Couple/Romance”

Choosing OTP’s is always the toughest and Jaime and Ryan from Him will always be special (and I’ve gone on about them many many times on my blog). But another couple who really left a mark on me last year were Logan and Tate from the Temptations series.

Best Original Screenplay: “Most Unique Plot/World”

There is only one answer for this and it’s Foundryside. I will never stop talking about the most unique worldbuilding in this series.

Best Adapted Screenplay: “Best Book-to-Movie Adaptation” OR “A book that should be adapted into a film”

I have watched a few adaptations this year, but my favorite has to be Love, Simon because it was absolutely adorable.

Best Animated Feature: “A book that would work well in an animated format” OR “Best Graphic Novel” OR “Best Children’s Book”

2018 was also the year I discovered graphic novels and they have been a revelation. While Check Please was a lot of fun to read, Fence is a favorite because I’m very invested in the whole fencing team’s story now.

Best Director: “A writer you discovered for the first time”

I just did a post on the huge number of amazing authors I discovered last year, but one I missed is Layla Reyne. I binge read two of her series which gave me three wonderful couples and I still can’t choose between Aiden-Jamie and Nic-Cam.

Best Short Film: “Best Novella” or “Short Book”

It has to be The Summer Palace – it’s essentially an extended epilogue to King’s Rising and one that I really needed. It was beautiful to see Damon and Laurent in lovebirds mode.

Best Picture: “Best Stand-Alone”

The Nowhere Girls. It is definitely one of best YA books I’ve ever read and one I think everyone should pick up.

Best Documentary: “Best Historical Fiction” OR “Best Non-Fiction”

The Gentleman’s Guide to Vice and Virtue – the book that finally made me believe that I could enjoy historical fiction too.

Best Original Soundtrack: “Best Audio book” or “Best Book in Verse”

The audiobook that really cemented my love for the format is Him, obviously thanks to the wonderful narrators Jacob Morgan and Teddy Hamilton. And the one book that’s written in verse and is also an excellent emotional audiobook is The Poet X.

Best Foreign Film: “Best diverse author” OR “Best book with Diverse Representation”

2018 was a great year for me in terms of reading diverse books and two of them which featured a widely diverse cast of characters that left an impression on me were Not Your Sidekick and Running with Lions.

So, these are my awards…!!!! Have you read any of these books? Did you enjoy them too? Feel free to do this tag if you want to choose your own award winners and link back to me so I can checkout all your answers!!!

Bookish Academy Awards 2019 It's the season of awards, so how can our bookish community be left behind. I have done a version of this last year too (click here) and I had so much fun, so when I saw this year's slightly modified version on Jasmine's blog, I just had to do it.

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