#no one in that trilogy has the answers and jeff vandermeer is not going to hand them to me for some false satisfaction.

[essektheylyss]

I'm currently reading The Ministry for the Future, and it's really pinpointing some of my issues with contemporary fiction and why I struggle to solve them. It's essentially a near-future speculative fiction concept about climate change, which I think is difficult for me whether optimistic or fatalistic. I am suspicious of escapism where some miraculous solution is found, because I do not enjoy being placated and I find that I have no patience for those who want to be (in this genre of fiction anyway—I personally don't like escapism in general but I acknowledge its necessity otherwise), but I also get frustrated with defeatism because it tends to fall dangerously close to, if not outright within the bounds of, ecofascism, and if a middle ground between the two within a semi-realistic story exists, I haven't found it yet.

Granted, I am only about 20% of the way into this book, so it remains to be seen if Robinson has found that, but... it is making me think I should stick primarily to second-world speculative fiction.

#granted this is also why the southern reach trilogy fucks. #no one in that trilogy has the answers and jeff vandermeer is not going to hand them to me for some false satisfaction. #that reminds me I gotta pick up the ambergris trilogy as well. #actually hummingbird and salamander is probably closest to this genre maybe i should see if my boy jeff has done it lol #I'm SORRY I'm so fucking picky and i don't like being coddled #nor do i like hopeless crying. it's useless to me and I have avoided careers where i have to listen to it. #something something never tell me the odds or whatnot #megs is reading

[utilitycaster]

thanks for the book answer! would you share your fiction favorites in general?

Hi anon,

I'll post a few but I think to clarify - this is also kind of just going to be a list. I meant more like...are you looking for book recs? If so are you looking for specific things (eg: queer characters, fantasy and if so which subtype, sci fi and ditto, literary fiction, etc.) Or do you just like, want a list of books I have liked.

Anyway this is a list of a handful of books/series/authors that I'd count as favorites, loosely grouped, but I didn't go into any details about anything.

Fantasy I read a teen and has permanently shaped how I interact with fantasy fiction; some of this is YA

a large swathe of what Diana Wynne Jones has written

The Belgariad and Mallorean by David Eddings

The Old Kingdom series by Garth Nix

Sorcery and Cecelia by Caroline Stevermer and Patricia Wrede (this came up on the comfort reads panel I watched yesterday and it is indeed a comfort read for me) and Mairelon the Magician by Patricia Wrede (set in the same sort of world)

Lord of the Rings and the Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien

I read some of the Patternist series by Octavia Butler as a teen but then didn't revisit it until adulthood

Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell by Susanna Clarke (Piranesi is very different and also excellent but that came out when I was an adult, but it's still a favorite)

The Hero and the Crown by Robin McKinley (I also read a bunch of her fairy tale-based books which I don't know if I'd call them favorites still but I do think they're an influence)

Sandman by Neil Gaiman

American Gods by Neil Gaiman

Middlegrade/YA fiction I read as a kid that also permanently shaped something

Several Ellen Raskin books but especially The Westing Game

Elizabeth Enright's books but especially the ones about the Melendy family and Gone-Away Lake

Fantasy and SF I read as an adult and would consider exceptional/a favorite

The Broken Earth Trilogy by N. K. Jemisen

The City and the City by China Mievelle

The Locked Tomb series by Tamsyn Muir

Phedre's trilogy of the Kushiel's Legacy series by Jacqueline Carey (have not read the others in the series so this isn't saying they're bad, I just can't speak to them)

The Southern Reach Trilogy by Jeff VanderMeer

The Left Hand of Darkness by Ursula K. Leguin

Arcadia by Iain Pears

The Terra Ignota series by Ada Palmer

The Raven Tower by Ann Leckie

The Vorkosigan Saga by Lois McMaster Bujold

The Night Watch books from Discworld by Terry Pratchett; I have read like, one other Discworld book and it didn't have Sam Vimes in it so I didn't really care

Stars in My Pocket Like Grains of Sand by Samuel R. Delaney

Literary fiction/not sf I read as a teen or adult

(there's notably a lot less of this because I do lean heavily towards fantasy but)

Catch-22 by Joseph Heller

Where'd You Go, Bernadette by Maria Semple

Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn

Drive Your Plow Over The Bones Of The Dead by Olga Tokarczuk

#answered #Anonymous #ngl I used to be a MASSIVE rereader but i do not have the time so this is based on a scan of my bookshelves #and the last 8 years of my goodreads #in addition to what i know i have reread a bunch #m's book recs

[headspace-hotel]

what are your favorite books? and why? ☺️

I saw this earlier and I feel like I fail to answer asks like this usually because I get too indecisive.

Like I have authors where I love their worldbuilding so much I want to explode, but frequently can't stand their characterization (looking at you, China Mieville), and others where the characters were great but the plot sucked in some way, and it's Very Hard to narrow down to the "best." I have a lot of books like "yes this book is amazing and visionary, yes I rated it 3/5 stars"

Also I read a lot of nonfiction or books that aren't my "usual" genre and it feels weird to compare them you know

The Epic of Gilgamesh was the first book that I could feel it changing me forever as a person. I am still genuinely obsessed with it.

Robert Jackson Bennett's Divine Cities trilogy is so fucking underrated, his characters are SO good and so is his worldbuilding.

Borne by Jeff VanderMeer. it's actually better than Annihilation imo

The City of Dreaming Books by Walter Moers

All of the Malazan series (that i've read so far), by Steven Erikson

Leviathan and sequels by Scott Westerfeld

A Natural History of Dragons and sequels by Marie Brennan

Gentleman Bastards series by Scott Lynch

The Edge Chronicles series by Paul Stewart. Give your child this series instead of harry potter

Railsea by China Miéville was pretty great and The Scar was also great in terms of worldbuilding but i hated the main character so much and also it should have been at least 3 books

This is a weird one but The Twistrose Key by Tone Almhjell is WAY better than a middle grade book about a girl going to an afterlife where pets go to has ANY right to be. It's got this super lush, VIVID world and it's just really, really good for SOME REASON

What If? by Randall Munroe. Yes it is nonfiction, Yes that's the guy that made xkcd, it's GREAT

Where the Sidewalk Ends by Shel Silverstein bc it decided who I am as a person I think

#books

[rowanthefierce]

Ok, one more Scavengers Reign post before I sleep. This one's about how the narrative(s) unfold(s) and pacing. Under a cut because spoilers for everything up to ep 9 ("the mountain")

One thing I am very much enjoying about this show so far is how we get more and new information about Vesta and our survivors pre-crash.

Not everything is shown or revealed to us right away. And while yes, duh, that's par for the course for this sort of story / narrative, SR balances its present and past really well. Specifically, I love how it tells us about the alien ecosystems that the characters interact with.

Take how we meet the 'mimic pods' (someone lmk if there's a different fandom-preferred name for 'em) in ep5. Something's clearly not 'right' between the creepy graveyard of wildlife + Sam getting attacked, and then in ep6's cold open, we see how they more or less reproduce and keep spreading. How widely have these things spread? Is this cycle of mimicry and devastation the only way they propagate?

Same thing with the 'heart-asite' (again lmk if there's a better name). It's introduced in ep7, explored more in ep8, and then in ep9, we get some backstory. But how was John infected initially? And where did he and the woman (I don't know her name, oops) come from? How long had they been surviving on Vesta?

Personally, I enjoy see something come up, have it explained a little later on, and then watch the characters struggle to understand it. Something something dramatic irony.

As seen above, I have so many questions about the flora and fauna, the different biomes, everything...but I am fully aware that the show is going to answer things on its own terms at its own pace, and I don't expect stuff to be spelled out for me on its first appearance.

Vesta is full of mysteries. It is inherently foreign and nigh-indecipherable to outsiders (humans). But it's clearly brimming with things that have survived, even thrived, in a very hostile landscape, and I like that we get little bits of it at a time instead of big expository explainers that clearly show how everything works and how all the pieces fit together. It reminds me a lot of Jeff Vandermeer's Annihilation / Area X trilogy, another one of my favorite pieces of media (at least the books).

Would love to know if anyone else has any thoughts on this. Hopefully this whole ramble makes sense! Stoked for the final trio of episodes this week.

#scavengers reign #scavengers reign spoilers #here i go yakking about scifi again #i hope some stuff remains unanswered tbh. it helps with the alien flavor of things #somethings are innately unknowable or incomprehensible #and we must navigate around that as best we can #rowan speaks

[quarkscooljacket]

13 books

What’s up readers?! How about a little show and tell? Answer these 13 questions, tag 13 lucky readers and if you’re feeling extra bookish add a shelfie! Let’s Go!

Tagged by @softest-punk

1) The Last book I read:

Foster by Claire Keegan, which is what the movie An Cailín Ciúin was based on. It's only 70 pages (though I listened to the audio, which has a stunning narration) and I think I am in love with Claire Keegan maybe.

The last australian book I read was Witchy (vol 1+2) by Ariel Ries. Really fun comic about young witch Nyneve who is conscripted into the Witch Guards, runs away, and has to figure out her place in the world. Beautiful art!!

2) A book I recommend:

This year I finally read A Safe Girl to Love by Casey Plett, which is a collection of short stories about trans women living in Canada/the US. Every story felt so lived in and alive. It is mostly real-life stuff but there is one story where a woman can speak with her cat and it's done so well. Semi-related stories in that some of the characters know each other/mention each other. A trans classic!!!

3) A book that I couldn’t put down:

Birnam Wood by Eleanor Catton. Set in Aotearoa, centred around these two young women who run a guerilla gardening collective. one of them meets a billionaire who wants to give them a bunch of money. Now see the blurb told me it was an eco thriller but the thriller part is very slow burn until ur like JAYSUS SLOW DOWN.

4) A book I’ve read twice (or more):

I re-read the Southern Reach trilogy (Annihilation, Authority & Acceptance) by Jeff VanderMeer at the end of last yr because he accounced the fourth book. I just love them. The kind of spec fic I would love to write tbh.

5) A book on my TBR:

Praiseworthy by Alexis Wright. I bought it because I knew i was quitting my job and I wanted the staff discount and I thought I'd read it in my unemployment phase. Turns out quitting your job because you're horribly treated means that u enter a big extra-depressed phase so I did not have the brain space to read more than the first 25 pages. But i loved those, they just required more energy than I had. I'm gonna paste the blurb here actually because it just sounds fucken rad:

Praiseworthy is an epic set in the north of Australia, told with the richness of language and scale of imagery for which Alexis Wright has become renowned. In a small town dominated by a haze cloud, which heralds both an ecological catastrophe and a gathering of the ancestors, a crazed visionary seeks out donkeys as the solution to the global climate crisis and the economic dependency of the Aboriginal people. His wife seeks solace from his madness in following the dance of butterflies and scouring the internet to find out how she can seek repatriation for her Aboriginal/Chinese family to China. One of their sons, called Aboriginal Sovereignty, is determined to commit suicide. The other, Tommyhawk, wishes his brother dead so that he can pursue his dream of becoming white and powerful. This is a novel which pushes allegory and language to its limits, a cry of outrage against oppression and disadvantage, and a fable for the end of days.

6) A book I’ve put down:

A Marvellous Light by Freya Marske. I just simply do not care about rich English people. I had about an hour left of the audiobook, I rly tried to push thru but I just couldn't care enough.

7) A book on my wish list:

I would like to get a physical Irish-English dictionary!

8) A favorite book from childhood:

I did love Enid Blyton's Faraway Tree series which look I'm sure u can tell about me if you know me. And look I still do but my god. The amount of parents and parents buying these for their children at the shop for the love of god get them at the op shop PLEASE.

9) A book you would give to a friend:

Vague ............ well it would be something aus.

10) A book of poetry or lyrics that you own

The last one I bought was Non-Essential Work by Omar Sakr. I think Omar is one of the best writers working today in this godforsaken colony. HIs work is just exquisite and so precise.

11) A nonfiction book you own:

The last one I bought was Orientalism by Edward Said which made me realise how if you don't read anything academic in ten+ years it's very hard to get back into reading (or again, perhaps it is the horrible mental illnesses attacking my brain which mean I find it extremely hard to concentrate on anything!!! wahoo!!!!) so I am taking that one slow.

12) What are you currently reading:

Ghost Cities by Siang Lu which comes out in May. It's very funny and absurd and written just the way I like. It's about a dude who lives in Sydney and works as a Chinese translator, but he actually speaks no Chinese and uses google translate to do his job. He's fired via elaborate prank and then somehow gets the attention of a famous movie director, and is currently being whisked away to one of the ghost city apartment complexes in China to make a movie with him. There's a parallel story about an ancient emperor and I just finished the 30-page poem that his newly-imprisoned eunichs composed. It's exciting!!

13) What are you planning on reading next?

The Orphancorp trilogy (dystopian aus YA) by Marlee Jane Ward, which I have already read and simply adore. Three novellas that imo have perfect pacing and are about "what if capitalism was extra bad". They are deeply queer and anti-capitalist.

Tagging: @tideoftrash @drbuttox @briarrolfe @so-boop-tac-u-lar @hamthezombie @frankenfossil @dragnew @tekaihau @rows-study @nessie-nosebleed @tenderfacemeat @athousandhungrythorns @gamling

#a tag game!!!!!!! i love being tagged in things #tho i often do not do them #i still want to do ones i was tagged in months ago hehe #books

[rebeccadumaurier]

March 2023 Reading Review

The Kingdom of This World, Alejo Carpentier: no idea what happened in this book. it’s a respected hallmark of Latin American magical realism but I just found the writing style too hard to follow and I don’t think I had the background to get what’s going on.

Murder on the Orient Express, Agatha Christie: a fun, brisk page-turner, as Christie generally is. I already knew the answer to the mystery but that didn’t take away from the entertainment—it was neat to see how everything came together. My second Christie but my first Poirot and he is absolutely her little meow meow.

The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up, Marie Kondo: i read it to motivate myself to unpack / clean lol, and it helped. Take the advice that helps you and discard the rest. Very simple and accessible book, and I like that it doesn’t try to motivate you by shaming you.

The Art of Death, Edwidge Danticat: my 3rd danticat book. short and moving book about her mother’s death and various literature on death and dying. danticat’s style is very simple but also so poignant without being melodramatic. I enjoy her taste in books as well.

Peaces, Helen Oyeyemi (favorite of the month): my fourth oyeyemi. very lighthearted and cute, even romantic, although there’s a few unsettling parts. she clearly had a lot of fun writing this. The ending is disappointing, but the journey there is a lot of fun. it’s a book about a gay couple on their honeymoon on a whimsical train with their pet mongoose, that’s just delightful. She’s one of my favorite writers and I really respect her range!

Annihilation, Jeff VanderMeer: fun sci-fi horror! Not nearly as mind-blowing as expected, more of a “haha wouldn’t that be so fucked up if it happened” exploratory type of book, but the writing style is very atmospheric without being dense and the worldbuilding interests me enough to pick up the sequels. It’s also a quick read, less than 200 pages and I got through it in one sitting

Artificial Condition (Murderbot Diaries #2), Martha Wells: this series is literally pure joy in novella form. Plot is as usual just okay, but murderbot’s dynamic with ART is the real highlight and introducing ART was such a smart narrative choice, as it really challenges murderbot to reflect and grow.

Revenant Gun (Machineries of Empire #3), Yoon Ha Lee: a satisfying conclusion to an enjoyable trilogy. I miss Jedao and Cheris already. The world of this series is truly so vast and 3 books was barely even a glimpse into it, but that glimpse was so much fun. Lee’s writing style is really unique and sometimes it gets tiring, but it’s a privilege to see his mind at work.

#ange.log #ange.txt #ange.book

[whimsyqueen]

5, 22, 44

Thank you for the ask @aninkwellofnectar!! How’s your day going?

5. Books or authors that influenced your style the most.

Oh shit there are so many okay I’ll just make a mini list of some of the big ones:

The Night Circus (and anything that Erin Morgenstern has written, honestly)

Gideon the Ninth (and the whole Locked Tomb Series by Tamsyn Muir)

A Psalm For The Wild-Built (and again, most of Becky Chambers’ work)

The Shades of Magic trilogy by VE Schwab

Annihilation by Jeff Vandermeer

NK JEMISIN (the city we became is the first that springs to mind but her short fiction especially really gets to me sometimes)

Nothing But Blackened Teeth by Cassandra Khaw is a HUGE horror influence for me

REBECCA ROANHORSE (Black Sun changed my life)

Cloud Atlas by David Mitchell

I know I’m forgetting a BUNCH but these are just a lot of the big ones that pop to the front of my mind

22. How many drafts do you need until you’re satisfied and a project is ultimately done for you?

This depends on the project, and how many times I’m able to actually get it workshopped and get feedback on it. I’m just mediocre at editing my own work, honestly, I have a hard time being able to tell what is actually serving the story and what isn’t, so reader feedback means a lot to me in terms of the drafting and editing process!

That being said, I really will write and re-write as much as I need to, but I tend to become satisfied with a piece relatively quickly, and prefer to revise rather than to rewrite.

44. Best piece of feedback you’ve ever gotten.

My final semester of undergrad, my fiction professor told me to read Annihilation by Jeff Vandermeer, because one of my pieces (Balefire, which would be the piece that got me my insane scholarship and got me INTO grad school) reminded him of Vandermeer’s work. I loved this professor, and I hope I can take him again as a graduate student. That comment about my work low key changed my perspective on everything. He’s the same professor who was constantly telling me that it was fine to create questions for the reader to ask in the openings of my work, but that the reader was also trusting me to ANSWER those questions, at least eventually. I love things to be vague, but if the reader doesn’t trust the author, no one is having a good time.

Send Me An Ask About My WIPs!

#aninkwellofnectar #ask the author #writeblr #my writing #my wips #creative writing #ask games

[editorauthoranna]

SOUTHERN REACH TRILOGY: ACCEPTANCE (Book 3) Review

Acceptance

By Jeff VanderMeer

We did it! The Southern Reach Trilogy is finished!

Before I get into the third book, Acceptance, I’d like to talk a little about the series as a whole. I’m still fully of the opinion that the second book, Authority, could’ve existed as 150 pages lighter with no real drawback in regard to plot or characters. Honestly, that’s my main complaint about the series. Well, main complaint from an editor’s standpoint when looking at things like pacing and reader interest levels. It’s possible to be subtle without being long-winded, and Authority dropped the ball off a three story building with that one.

Onward to Acceptance though! Overall? Much better pace. Acceptance starts us out with the habit of narrator changes via chapter change! I couldn’t have been happier to see that style of narration for this book. It was exactly what the series needed. It not only sped the pace but filled in massive knowledge gaps for the reader as the story progressed.

Control has a less grating personality this time ‘round. That is to say, he isn’t changed much, but he’s broken from the “tortured spy” gimmick that cropped up too much in Authority.

Grace . . . well, I don’t really want to talk about Grace. Besides existing in Acceptance as the “mentor” figure to answer some questions—spoiler: that would’ve been answered anyway via the biologist’s letter—before the journey could begin, she had no real impact with the other characters, her environment, her situation, or herself. No change from the second book, really. Still kinda unnecessarily aggressive. Still wanting to act as boss lady. Still a flat character. Sure, we get some tidbits: she’s a divorced, middle-aged woman with adult children that she doesn’t see often enough but also doesn’t have much of a relationship with. So? This isn’t enough to let a reader feel connected to Grace. Not really. We don’t meet these people. They may as well not exist. The story would be just fine without them. And I know VanderMeer is more than capable of making the average important! He does it with Control’s chess piece. It’s beautifully done. It’s practically a character, and it’s a better one than Grace.

Ghost bird is still pretty good. Though, being fair, she’s also the most dynamic of the three. She is, by far, the most internally driven character. Part of her curiosity is the reader’s endeavors to figure out what part Ghost Bird plays in the story. Why does she exist? What’s her purpose? Is there one at all? Of course, Ghost Bird asking these questions of herself is the complication given to her character. She’s self-aware enough and brave enough to analyze everything. Even herself.

However! We get new characters in Acceptance! The lighthouse keeper and the director both make comebacks in the finale of the Southern Reach Trilogy. The lighthouse keeper is wonderfully written and full of life. He’s a believable person and, as a reader, he’s very easy to sympathize with. His life. His story. His actions are led by emotions that are all too easy to understand.

The director is a little more difficult to like and understand, but it’s really just the good writing of her damage and the way she relates to the world—similar to the biologist—that makes her compelling. In comparison with what we got of her in Annihilation, this version of the director and her memories are much more impactful in Acceptance.

The ending. Oh boy. So, I was really looking forward to the finale of the Southern Reach Trilogy. All my questions answered. Right? All my theories shot or developed. Right? Nope, not really. You will get answers from Acceptance—here’s the part where my significant other says it’s like I’m going through stages of grief with this book, and maybe he has a point—but you won’t get what you’re looking for. Probably. Me? I was seeing tons of buildup and lines drawn in the sand for a reveal that never happened. In the end, the finale felt “just okay” or “a little disappointing” compared to my expectations paired with what VanderMeer was building. With so much preparation, so many embeds, and callbacks, and twirled oddities of phrase, you get your final answer: (spoilers?) it was an accident of fate. And that . . . That, people, is disappointment wrapped in lethargy. An “accident of fate” is one level up and adjacent to “it was all a dream.”

Now then. Was it a horrible, terrible, badly written ending? No. It fit the story well enough. You won’t end the series confused about what happened, broadly speaking. It makes sense on paper, but isn’t brilliant. There’s nothing patently wrong with the ending. There’s enough strings to lead to the right conclusions, or the characters make them for you, and you’re more likely to end on an “oh” rather than an “ah ha!”

I still love VanderMeer’s writing style! There are more descriptive gems in Acceptance than in the other two books in this series combined. It was a delight to read them all! My general apathy about the Southern Reach Trilogy’s story, particularly the ending, wouldn’t stop me from picking up another book written by VanderMeer. From this small sample of his work, I’m inclined to think he excels at novels more-so than series. I’d be curious to try out a singular work from him. Maybe if another title finds its way to my bookshelf in the future.

~ Anna

#book review #supernatural #environmental horror #southern reach trilogy #jeff vandermeer #paranormal #books #writing

[pleas3pretendimnothere]

Reading for March! I only read 3 books this month. I've been dealing with some mysterious medical issue (classic "all your tests are normal! Here's some pain meds, go home."), so my stress has been very elevated. I'm in pain every day, and it's made the physical act of sitting still and reading quite difficult. Shout out to audiobooks for allowing me to get through these while broiling in the bath!

Authority & Acceptance

By Jeff Vandermeer - I read the first book in Vandermeer's Southern Reach trilogy Annihilation some five or six years ago shortly after Alex Garland's film released. I loved the movie, so I was happy to pick up the book it was based on! That book was very different, neither in a good or bad way. Some things, the movie improved on, and other things the movie failed. Regardless, it was a haunting read that stayed with me years later, when I finally picked up the sequels.

Annihilation is about Area X, a dangerous seaside dream-world that defies explanation and has become secreted by the military. Delightfully, Authority opens up the world of the Southern Reach, the nearby operating facility where the world's brightest attempt to understand Area X's many horrors. The main character is the young and mysterious new director, Control, who delves into understanding the strange, clandestine operations of the Southern Reach, especially those linked to his now deceased predecessor. One scene in particular involving a secret attic will stay with me for a loooong time!

In the following book, Acceptance, the worlds of Area X and the Southern Reach converge. Characters from different times, which feel each like different, distinct worlds, tell stories that expand the reader's understanding of Area X. I won't spoil much, but this book was a near perfect end to this series. The horrors of Control and Ghost Bird's conclusions, the tragedy of the lighthouse keeper and the creation of Area X, and the deep character intrigue surrounding Gloria each play into an ending that doesn't answer all questions, but in the spirit of the series, still provides a mysterious yet satisfying feeling of finality. Though not all things "work out", there is relief.

Authority may have been the weakest book in the trilogy, but Acceptance was the strongest. It's not often that you find series that finish so well, but Vandermeer's Southern Reach trilogy is definitely among the good ones. The books are highly psychological, and often, I was forced to reread passages in order to completely understand them. Sometimes, the writing felt intentionally confusing, and other times, perhaps not so intentionally! The books make for slow reads for that reason, but thanks to the great storytelling, that was something that did not bother me. I love written horror that fails to describe the indescribable because, of course, of the nature of the thing. Whatever description results is highly paradoxical to the reader. It's horror that is inherently confusing, and therefore all the more horrifying. These books are boiling over with this stuff, and I loved it! The suspense, the paranoia, the terrible climaxes... Chef's kiss, all around!

A fantastic sci-fi horror series I'd recommend to fans of the genres. It's a staple in character work and psychological terror (or terroir? Nay...). Definitely BUY IT!

Frenchman's Creek

By Daphne du Maurier - And now for something completely different! How different? Why, some classical literature about a high society Englishwoman who tires of the frivolities of court life! Luckily, adventure awaits her at her summer home... in the form of piracy! And adultery, of course!

Rebecca is a favorite of mine, and I knew I had to read more by du Maurier. While Frenchman was no Rebecca, it was still a wonderful time! Our main character Dona is a delightful wild soul who says what's on her mind and does what she feels like. She's a breath of fresh air who can't be cowed, and her stubborn character makes for a wonderfully likeable hero. No wonder she falls into the arms of a handsome pirate hiding his ship and his crew in the nearby creek! She just can't be tamed!

Frenchman is just plain fun. It's cheesy romance, tongue-in-cheek writing, and ridiculous adventure that left me sometimes in giggling fits. If you enjoy romance, this is a fun one. RENT IT!

Okay, no promises, but I MIGHT read Way of Kings this month. With this illness, we'll just have to wait and see!

#personal #reading #fiction #books #book review #booklr #bookblr #booklover #reviews #jeff vandermeer #annihilation #southern reach #southern reach trilogy #daphne du maurier #frenchman's creek #romance #horror

[127-mile]

I have this is how you lose the time war and the invisible life of addie larue on my to read list, i'm super excited about them!!!

I unfortunately didn't have time or energy to read during uni, and then i started working full time so once again, no time or energy, but then i started working from home and I make my own hours now, so this year I have been reading non stop, and it's been amazing!!

My most recent fave is the southern reach trilogy by jeff vandermeer, the first book (annihilation) is written from the pov of a biologist, and it not only worked soo well for the story, but also I felt represented like those would have been my thought processes too. After borrowing it from the library I had to buy the books immediately cause I feel like there are a lot of questions that I didn't find the answer for during the first read, and i'm happy to go at it again.

I don't really like whodunits in general but I read the seven deaths of evelyn hardcastle and it was surprisingly entertaining! Of course it had it's flaws but I really enjoyed the structure and the game part of it.

I think the book with the biggest impact on me this year was how high we go in the dark by Sequoia nagamatsu, it was amazing and horrible and sad and fascinating and hopeful, I really enjoyed how the chapters were connected and the ending!!!!!! No words.

I wanted a palate cleanser after that book so I read the shuddering by ania ahlborn and holy shit I only wanted a fun little creature horror but it was so good??? I was so scared it was amazing. Another good horror for me was near the bone by christina henry, it was so tense I couldn't put it down I had to read it in one night.

And of course we had fairytale by king too which was another ride.

I am a huuge horror fan when it comes to books, so i would love to hear about your all time favourite and your current favourite horror novels :D

Ohh! Do let me know when you read it, I would love to hear what you think of them.

I understand, there are times when life doesn't allow us to read but I'm glad you now have time to read as much as you want. Feels nice uh.

I've checked the names you have given, and southern reach sounds interesting. The summary of how high we go in the dark tickled something in my brain, so I will look for the book.

Okay, I read the summary of Near the bones and I feel like I've read it but I'm not sure. I'll have to check that too!

I haven't read Fairytale yet, I'm waiting for the library to receive it.

I wish I had the chance to read multiple good horror books but unfortunately most were flops. Maybe because scaring me is kind of complicated. But there are two horror books from my favorite author, Franck Thilliez, that I would love to read again for the very first time.

Puzzle (I think the English title is Paranoia) is absolutely amazing. I would use psychological horror more than anything to describe it. It has the treasure hunt trope in an abandoned psychiatric hospital in the middle of nowhere during a snowstorm with two rules: Nothing is real. One of you is going to die. And it's one of the books I could talk about for hours. They made it into a graphic novel too, it was rushed obviously but it was nice too.

Another one of him (I have no idea if it was translated) is called La forêt des ombres (the forest of shadows) about a mortician/writer called by a man who wants him to write a book about this horrible serial killer while living in a cabin in the middle of a forest with his family.

Other than that, I've read a couple books of Aron Beauregard, but you need to have a good stomach for that. The basic of the Haunting of Hill house too, The exorcist.. And I've been a big Stephen King fan since I was young so I've read those too even if I wouldn't consider half horror but eh, some are good.

If you have good horror recs, please, I am on my knees lol.

#aura's asks #jnyonghoon ♥

[bubblegumbi-tch]

I was tagged by longtime silent mutual and absolute book connoisseur with impeccable taste @kajafrompluto to share 6 books I want to read in 2022:

1. This Is How You Lose the Time War by Amal El-Mohtar & Max Gladstone

Among the ashes of a dying world, an agent of the Commandant finds a letter. It reads: Burn before reading. Thus begins an unlikely correspondence between two rival agents hellbent on securing the best possible future for their warring factions. Now, what began as a taunt, a battlefield boast, grows into something more. Something epic. Something romantic. Something that could change the past and the future. Except the discovery of their bond would mean death for each of them. There's still a war going on, after all. And someone has to win that war.

This is the most recent on the list after I saw a few quotes. It's wlw, stupidly romantic, and super poetically written so I've heard. You know I'm in. I am a sucker for romances that span lifetimes or longer or have some other timey wimey dimension to them.

2. Authority by Jeff VanDermeer

After thirty years, the only human engagement with Area X—a seemingly malevolent landscape surrounded by an invisible border and mysteriously wiped clean of all signs of civilization—has been a series of expeditions overseen by a government agency so secret it has almost been forgotten: the Southern Reach. Following the tumultuous twelfth expedition chronicled in Annihilation, the agency is in complete disarray. John Rodríguez (aka "Control") is the Southern Reach's newly appointed head. Working with a distrustful but desperate team, a series of frustrating interrogations, a cache of hidden notes, and hours of profoundly troubling video footage, Control begins to penetrate the secrets of Area X. But with each discovery he must confront disturbing truths about himself and the agency he's pledged to serve. In Authority, the second volume of Jeff VanderMeer's Southern Reach trilogy, Area X's most disturbing questions are answered . . . but the answers are far from reassuring.

This is one where I'm kinda only planning on reading it bc I read the first one bc I watched the film of it and loved it, and can't leave a series unfinished. The first book was ok, it was very disconcerting to read which I think was the point but I was kinda left waiting for something that never happened, and found the writing style a bit slow, but I didn't hate it. I feel like this is the one instance where the film might be better than the book simply due to being able to use visuals to add to that creepy feeling the book had. I liked that the first book, Annhilation, was entirely female centered but didn't make a song and dance about it like look at me I'm a book with solely female characters, rather they just did all the things any male characters would do, but just happened to be women. It looks like each book is centered on a different group so we shall have to see how Authority turns out!

3. As yet unreleased and untitled Dreamer Trilogy book no.3 by Maggie Stiefvater (book one cover used in place)

The majestic conclusion to Maggie Stiefvater’s Dreamer Trilogy. The war between dreams and reality intensifies... with Ronan at its center.

If you know me at all, you'll know I am utterly in love with both this book series and it's preceeding series The Raven Cycle. These characters, this world are all somehow both so vivdly real and magically otherworldy and every time I read one of these books its like coming home to your group of best friends (probably helps that the first series are based around legend from my home country, however minus points for anglicising the names maggie lmao). I adore the way Maggie writes, it's so easy to read, and I love the passion and dedication she has put into these books. I feel her real life interests jump out in them, and it helps that they're often the same as mine have been throughout my life. These books are just super close to my heart and I simultaneously can't wait for October to come so I can get my hands on this third book in this series, and also never want it to come so I never have to finish with this world and these charaters.

4. Milkman by Anna Burns

In this unnamed city, to be interesting is dangerous. Middle sister, our protagonist, is busy attempting to keep her mother from discovering her maybe-boyfriend and to keep everyone in the dark about her encounter with Milkman. But when first brother-in-law sniffs out her struggle, and rumours start to swell, middle sister becomes 'interesting'. The last thing she ever wanted to be. To be interesting is to be noticed and to be noticed is dangerous. Milkman is a tale of gossip and hearsay, silence and deliberate deafness. It is the story of inaction with enormous consequences.

I got a copy of this free from uni like 4 years ago and never got a chance to read past the first chapter, although that first chapter seemed incredibly promising. Not sure what to expect as I've never read anything by this author before, but it seems up my street so I'm optimistic!

5. Icelandic Folk Tales by Hjorleifur Helgi Stefansson (idk how to do the accents on this laptop soz)

Iceland is a country where stories are as important as history. When Vikings settled the island, they brought their tales with them. Every rock, hot spring and waterfall seems to have its own story. Cruel man-eating trolls rub shoulders with beautiful elves, whose homes are hidden from mortal view. Vengeful ghosts envy the living, seeking to drag lost loves into their graves – or they may simply demand a pinch of your snuff. Some of the stories in this collection are classic Icelandic tales, while others are completely new to English translation. Hjörleifur has always been deeply interested in the rich lore of his island. His grandparents provided a second home in his upbringing and taught him much about the past through their own way of life. Hjörleifur is dedicated to breathing fresh life into the stories he loves. He lives on his family farm in Borgarfjörður, and also spends a lot of time in Scotland, where he is becoming renowned on the Scottish storytelling circuit.

Does what it says on the tin really, a collection of easily digestible short icelandic folk tales. This was gifted to me and I'm part way through it already and its proving to be a great gift. Some are funny, some are dark, some appear to make little sense at all as folk tales are. Definitely up my street and I love how bitesize they are, as unfortunately my attention span and free time have decreased dramatically recently lol.

6. You Will Get Through This Night by Daniel Howell

"There’s a moment at the end of every day, where the world falls away and you are left alone with your thoughts. A reckoning, when the things you have been pushing to the background, come forward and demand your attention." Written by Daniel Howell, in conjunction with a qualified psychologist, in an entertaining and personal way from the perspective of someone who has been through it all—this no-nonsense book gives you the tools to understand your mind so you can be in control and really live. Split into three chapters for each stage of the journey: This Night - how to get through your toughest moments and be prepared to face anything. Tomorrow - small steps to change your thoughts and actions with a big impact on your life. The Days After - help to look after yourself in the long term and not just survive, but thrive. You will laugh and learn—but most of all, this book will assure you that even in your darkest times, there is always hope.  You will get through this night.

I put off buying this for so long bc not only am I super skeptical of self help books, but self help books by youtubers?? Hmm. But seeing how passionate Dan was and is about this book and how much of himself he's put into it I couldn't help it. Say what you like about him or the people that watch his content but he's one of, if not the only one of the OG youtube lot that has held my interest up until now (and hansn't had some sort of horrific scandal lmao), and you cannot deny, he is a good egg who has remained himself throughout his career and hasn't let fame change who he is. He has integrity. And what he is doing with his career now is something mature and thoughtful and I'm fully behind him. I have read bits and pieces of this already, but just dip into every now and again when I feel like it. For a self help book, it is actually pretty great. I feel like I can hear Dans voice as I read his mix of sarcastic, self depreciative humour, and serious talking points. It's very him, and quite comforting, as he's been in the background of a lot of my life in one way or the other, and continues to do so, albeit in a very different way with this book.

-

Wow, this ended up being long! I wanted to put a little blurb to each book though to encourage others to read them too if they like the sound of them!

To do this next (if they want) I tag @two-cupsofcoffee @gaym3bo1@bitchyglittercreator and @clotpoleincamelot

#bookblr #tag game #books #the dreamer trilogy #this is how you lose the time war #you will get through this night #milkman #authority #icelandic folk tales #maggie stiefvater #dan howell #daniel howell #jeff vandermeer #anna burns #max gladstone #amal el mohtar #hjorleifur helgi stefansson #iceland

[northern-passage]

Recently played your demo for the first time and love love LOVED it, from the textured worldbuilding to the snappy dialogue and especially the horror elements. are there any works/books that inspired you originally? or just fave book recs in general?

i know i've answered this before but i literally cannot find it because tumblr search function hates me >:-(

but i'm always down to rec some of my fave media soooo hehe

there was nothing specific really that inspired tnp, i guess dungeon and dragons since this started out as a campaign. i haven't done a lot of reading lately so i'm just going to... skip over the books... lmao. i do have some favorite authors though: gillian flynn, cormac mccarthy, benjamin alire sáenz, ocean vuong, and carrie fisher... just to name a few.

i play a lot of video games, which i think is where i usually get my fantasy fix, because even when i do actually read i don't really read fantasy. but i'm a fan of dragon age (sometimes... 😬), dishonored, assassin's creed, tyranny & pillars of eternity, stuff like that.

fullmetal alchemist is what i based my alchemy system on. i named the alchemist in blackwater alphonse as an homage lmao

i also really like westerns..... as like, a concept. there unfortunately aren't that many good westerns. logan, true grit, shane, the revenant (the book not the movie) and 3:10 to yuma are some of my favorites, though.

also i love black sails. literally cannot recommend that series enough... the characters in that show definitely inspired me a lot. a specific quote by jack rackham lead to the creation of clementine :-) i definitely pull a lot from black sails for siren's call, my side project (that i have not worked on in a long time but we'll ignore that...) but just in general like... the storytelling in that is something i strive to achieve.

as for horror i always link this video here which talks a lot about the kind of horror i like. isolated, unknown, dark and lonely but still compelled to go forward. that youtuber has a lot of really good video essays, i also recommend the vid on artificial loneliness and jewish superheroes, too.

the southern reach trilogy by jeff vandermeer is like. the best horror i can imagine. definitely recommend those books. i haven't seen the annihilation movie but the visuals look amazing. the game soma is also one of my favorites. asks a lot of questions and the ending is.... memorable. one of the only horror games i've actually played (i'm really bad at them)

the host & train to busan are two of my favorite horror movies. i really like the focus on family in both of them and the tragic endings :-)

i also can't not mention the last of us... that game means a lot to me. definitely inspired certain things in tnp.....

#anyways. sorry i just got off work and drank a red bull so im like 🤪 #i've talked about most of these before but like i said i can't find the post so fuck me ig #but yeah!!! storytelling.................... #sorry i don't really have any books like i said i haven't been reading much #ask #low-fantasy

[ofgentleresolve-a]

ANSWER THESE & TAG 9 PEOPLE YOU’D LIKE TO KNOW BETTER / CATCH UP WITH!

LAST SONG: Otherside - eaJ

CURRENTLY READING: Acceptance: A Novel Book Three in the Southern Reach Trilogy by Jeff VanderMeer. It’s okay...i actually thought the first book was the best one, the second absolutely bored me to tears ;-; ....but next on my list is What Are You Going Through by Sigrid Nunez....love her writing, i used her other novel The Friend in developing Mana’s voice

CURRENTLY WATCHING: Ka.iros and Agg.re.stuko: Season 4!! i might vibe with tohru a lot but u know who else i lowkey vibe with?? a red panda office worker who sings death metal karaoke to get her rage out- i love her so much JFKLSDJ

LAST MOVIE: uhhhh haven’t watched any movies in a long while but i was dragged into watching the first season of cas.tlevan.ia so....i have to also finish that sooner or later

CURRENTLY CRAVING: A JOB. PLS. as much as i like having the time to write and do my other hobbies i swear i can be contributing member to society, capitalism sucks :// also some motivation to write more replies bc i don’t like how high the draft number has gotten

tagged by: @theimpalpable and @mythvoiced ( thank you both so much you wonderful humans!! <3 ) tagging: @bloodxhound @undrowns @perzistent @temporalobjects @eternasci @gwyynbleidd @xfaucheuse @manticxre @escapedartgeek @interxstitial @shamsgoddess and you!! thievery is encouraged :D

#change your mind ( aka about ferre. ) #i've been trying to watch more shows....but sometimes it's been hard to sit still for an hour :/

[thefolioarchives]

Reading of 2021, Part V

26. City of Saints and Madmen by Jeff Vandermeer

Vandermeer is one of my favourite authors and his Southern Reach trilogy was my main reason for going back to uni to do my master's. This short story collection was published long before SR, so it's daft that I didn’t read it for my dissertation and throughout reading it I felt like I was being smacked in the face with that realisation, again and again. Kind of torturous for a person who still has panic attacks about small stuff she said on the phone to a stranger, let alone big life stuff like your master's degree. Hahahahaha. *Goes and cries for a bit*

Moving on, this collection brings into focus the fictional, terrifying and crazy city that is Ambergris. From the perspective of returning missionaries, a historical pamphlet for tourists and nightmarish narratives of the lives of lowly artists. I'm a big fan of this as a concept and I feel like Vandermeer has managed to make Ambergris come alive through the various accounts of the characters we meet and its old and creepy history. It didn't GRIP me, however, not like Annihilation did all those years ago and it did not make me immediately want to read Shriek and Finch: an Afterword (novels that are included in this edition as well). The writing style is quite different from his other works that I've read, a bit old-timey as we like to say in the business, which made it hard for me to thoroughly immerse myself in it.

27. Her Body and Other Parties by Carmen Maria Macado

Another short story collection! This one was marketed to me as some brilliant reinvention of SFF. I hate when they try to do that as it sets the bar so incredibly high and I can't help but be swept away in the assumptions and reviews. What kind of expectations can a person who loves genre literature expect after reading something like that? Well, I was expecting the high heavens and sadly it didn't live up to its marketing. To be honest, there isn't a lot of science fiction or fantasy in these stories and if I was to describe it I'd maybe call it contemporary fiction with a dash of magical realism and the uncanny. I'm not saying all genre literature has smack me in the face with dragons and photon torpedoes, but sure, I was expecting more. That being said, I loved some of the stories a lot and I appreciate Macado's creativity in presenting her stories and characters. I especially liked "Inventory" (a woman recounts her sexual history while awaiting the end of the world), "Mothers" (a jump in time story about a woman and her ex, their life and journey towards motherhood), "Especially Heinous" (this one was probably my favourite: each little snippet is a take on a Law and Order: SVU episode (I have never seen the show), as Benson and Stabler struggle with mental issues, doppelgangers, criminals and relationships) and the "Resident" (an author arrives at an artistic retreat and weird things start to happen).

28. The Only Good Indians by Stephen Graham

I have a lot of feelings about this book. It tells the story of 4 men who grew up on a reservation in the American Midwest and how one stupid mistake, can lead to… bad things, basically. The narrative is tense with the potential of violence throughout, no one is safe as reckonings must be made. What I really loved about this story is how the Native American culture is represented. The cultural references felt completely unique and for someone who's never read a book where the majority of the characters ( here mostly all) are Native American, it's powerful to read how much of that original culture has been retained throughout years of blood, slaughter and violent oppression. And yet there's this friction between the old and the new that I enjoy as well. How one of the main characters is in school and they're told to create a mural. She wants to create one that's dedicated to basketball because basketball is her passion but her teacher is all "but what about your heritage?". Is that what all native American identities boil down to? Heritage? Either way, it brought up a lot of interesting questions and themes that I'm keen to explore in more literature like this.

29. A Memory Called Empire by Arkady Martine.

I think I bought this book on sale a long time ago after reading how it had been nominated or won a lot of SFF awards, but I didn't pick it up until going on holiday in late June. This is essentially political fantasy intrigue dressed up as science fiction. A space station needs a new ambassador in the capital of a massive galactic empire because the other one died under mysterious circumstances and drama ensues! The "science" part of this book is so vague and it kind of bothers me. Here are some of my questions:

How has the empire managed to expand so much? How does space travel aka the jump gates work? Did the empire create them? What's the difference between humans and whatever the galactic empire's main "race" is? Did the humans come from earth, originally? How does it work that an entire planet is a city? WHAT THE HELL DOES EVERYONE DO FOR WORK?

I like the main characters (and the relationship that develop between "newbie in town" and "established authority trying to teach newbie the ways" is well done) but the city gave me a distinct Hunger Games Capitol vibe (without the excessive decadence) which in turn took me out of the story a little bit. Maybe it's an issue when creating a supposedly sprawling metropolis. Some of the finer details get glossed over, its history is never fully established and you only really get to see a small portion of it. I'm a big fan of fictional cities and I like to be able to almost smell them off the page, if that makes sense. However, this book never stops going and it's, overall, a very exciting read. The ending sets up a nice story for the second book which, to be fair, sounds like it might answer some of my space-related questions so I might be picking that one up at some point.

#jeff vandermeer #reading my favourite author #weird fiction #short fiction #short stories #ambergris #city of saints and madmen #Carmen maria macado #her body and other parties #sexuality #science fiction #native american literature #stephen graham #horror fiction #horror #a memory called empire #arkady martine #scifi books #scifi literature #reading of 2021 #booksbooksbooks #booksarelife #book thoughts

[everygame]

Control (PlayStation 4)

Developed/Published by: Remedy Entertainment / 505 Games Released: 27/08/2019 Completed: 24/06/2021 Completion: Beat the main campaign, and both DLC. For some reason. Trophies / Achievements: n/a

Been a while since we had one of these! By which I mean a game that, by the time I get to it, has been so heavily hyped that I’m like “waahh, waahhh, this isn’t as good as everyone said” (like Titanfall 2 and that.) I’m not really sure what I was expecting, to be honest--me and Remedy Entertainment have a… complicated relationship?

I mean… not really. It’s just that (and don’t laugh) I have this one scene in Max Payne 2 locked in my mind as a watershed moment of cinematic action (it’s, uh, this bit where you’re protecting a character with a sniper rifle, which sounds so passe now…) but I thought Alan Wake was too po-faced, wore its influences much too clearly on its sleeve and was ultimately narratively sort of drivel--without actually being that interesting to play.

This is also Control, sorry. I mean Control feels so indebted to Jeff VanderMeer’s Southern Reach trilogy (the basis of Alex Garland’s Annihilation, but Control lifts stuff outside of the scope of that) and I find it pretty hard to believe that Twin Peaks Season 3 wasn’t lifted extensively (even if it did come out during the game’s production.) This would be fine if it was mere influence, but as in Alan Wake, here it feels like they didn’t have an actual story to tell, they just wanted to have a cool setting, and in exactly the same way you get to the end of this with basically no answers and go “so… that’s it?”

(And for what it’s worth: I loved Twin Peaks Season 3, and it’s lack of “answers”--because it told a compelling story while that was going on.)

The game itself… meh. If this was an old-school game mag and I was marking it out of 100 I’d happily throw on like a full 10% extra for having really, really really great accessibility options that don’t turn off achievements or anything. I’m certain that people would say I didn’t play it properly but I slammed on snap-to aiming and I had, well, at least 10% more fun.

But not that I had that much fun in the first place. I found Control’s map confusingly samey (Brutalism is cool, but not at the expense of “memorable maps”) the in-game maps and guidance worse than useless and upgrading weapons obtuse and time-wastey (love to constantly have to empty my inventory.)

Combat? It’s fine. It’s mostly fighting waves of baddies and it doesn’t really get interesting until you’ve been upgraded a few times, but it also throws wayyy too many armoured and bullet-sponge enemies at you constantly to the point where by the end I found it so tedious (the dream, of dodging around, throwing concrete while firing your pistol does happen--but every bullet sponge just kind of stops it dead. I’m not sure why they didn’t go for quantity instead considering how they want to to play the game, but what do I know.)

The thing is… I just found this really boring. Charmless. Thrill free. Well, apart from the thrill I felt when it was over and I didn’t have to play it anymore.

Will I ever play it again? No. I shouldn’t have played the DLC, which were blessedly short but no more interesting. Alan Wake is in the last one, it’s nice that the universes are connected but it’s still drivel.

Final Thought: Worth noting that performance is terrible on a stock PS4 as well, with huge pauses when you come in and out of the menu. Feels like I haven’t played anything else where it felt as much like PS4 Pro or no.

Support Every Game I’ve Finished on ko-fi, either via a one-off donation (pay what you like) or by joining as a supporter at just $1 a month.

#video games #gaming #games #control #remedy entertainment #ps4 #sony playstation 4 #playstation 4 #505 games #2019 #review #text #txt

[phantomarchive]

Instructions: Always repost with the rules, answer the 11 random questions left for you and leave 11 more for the people you tag!

TAGGED BY: @conorbyrne

TAGGING: @luck-crowned @soulcluster @ravusnightblossom @themechaneer @talzjan @notthedyingtype @healingwords and whoever wants to do it!

 QUESTIONS TO ANSWER

1. make a mini-playlist for the day & post links please?!

Sunset - The Midnight : Make our home where we stand / One suitcase and half a plan / Follow the wolves and sing along / Past the voices to the song // Sunsets, no regrets / First chance, last dance / Stuck in the middle / Even bad girls know good love / You taste so sweet it hurts a little

Soul Of A Man - Steven Stern : I’ve traveled different countries / I’ve traveled in furthest lands / I haven’t one to tell me / What is the soul of a man / I want someone to tell me / Answer if you can / I want someone to tell me / What is the soul of a man

You Spin Me Round (cover) - Auralnauts : You spin me right ‘round baby right ‘round / Like a record baby ‘round ‘round

2. what is the book you are currently reading or the last one you finished? how’d you like it?

Last book I read was Annihilation by Jeff Vandermeer. I was really intrigued and interested by it at first, but by the end it was really dragging with vagueness and a plot that felt like it was being padded by filler words to describe the abstract, and not in ways that felt like it meant anything. By the end, I was so frustrated with the book that I just wiki’d the other two books in the trilogy.

3. how are we feeling about 2021 so far?

It’s alright. Feels like less of a shitshow than 2020, but it still isn’t like, great. Especially with how the pandemic is going, it feels like it might be more of the same but with less T.rump (thank god).

4. name one piece of media that has gone through a recent critical re-evaluation that you really loved to see.

I can’t really think of anything offhand, but the resurgence of Rodger & Hammerstein’s Cinderella has been incredible. I watched that a ton of VHS when I was younger, and it took me ages to find it on blu-ray (which I gifted to someone else). So having it come to Disney+ and get new eyes on it has been great. What a fantastic movie.

5. please describe your character ( for multi, pick one ), badly!

Bikin-clad triple agent has twin clones against biological dad’s wishes. Questionable morals, great rack.

6. what is your favorite scent in the world? describe it!

I love scents that smell clean and not overly floral or sugary. Usually what you find in candles or febreze, something like fresh laundry, what bottlers think the ocean breeze smells like, coconut. I love the smell of sunscreen, so I have a few coconut lotions and body sprays that I love a lot.

7. how involved in politics are you?

Enough to know the general goings-on around the world, and to know what’s affecting the country and my immediate area, but not so much that my life feels like it’s taken up by it.

8. how deep into astrology are you? what’s your sign, babey?!

I love astrology, but I don’t put much stock into it. I use it a lot for character creation, and also to send to my friends and roommate to see if we actually relate to it. I’m a Sagittarius sun and Aries moon - check out all that fire, baybeeee! Also, I’m year of the tiger, so it’s a lot of energy bundled into one person.

9. i want 1 (one) unpopular opinion about food!

Stop shaming people for dumb shit like pineapple on pizza. I don’t like it, but I just don’t like pineapple at all. Instead, shame people who hate broccoli, that’s the real crime.

10. what is a current fad in the rpc community that you dislike?

Double-small type, lots of space between words, extra formatting that doesn’t do anything. The first parts just makes it difficult for a lot of people to even read what your saying, lots of extra spaces just looks like a way to make it look like you’re writing more when it’s actually just a couple of sentences, and extra formatting can be such a strain on the eyes. I have actively not followed blogs that otherwise look promising because the eye strain of trying to read their writing is more than I want to handle.

11. anyways, what’s the hot gossip? i love some drama. online or offline.

My sister works in the packaging department at her job. Not doing actual packaging, she designs the packaging for a few brands of foods, and she helps find suppliers to print and ship the packaging to the people that actually put the product in the packages (take a shot every time I use that word lol). Anyway, two companies were bidding to be the ones to print for my sister’s company, and they decided on company A rather than B. So my sister had to call company B to tell them they didn’t win the bid.

Partway through the conversation, the guy turns away from the phone, and it was obvious he thought he was muted, and he said, “I want to punch these people in the throats,” then turned back to the phone, realized he wasn’t on mute, and immediately hung up. When he called back, since he still had things to work out with my sister, he started by immediately apologizing.

And this is why you always triple check that you’re muted if you’re gonna talk shit.

MY QUESTIONS FOR YOU

1. What band have you been listening to a lot lately? If not a band, then what song?

2. Guilty pleasure! Whether it’s a show, movie, book, game, band, song, etc. just tell me one!

3. What fictional character do you identify with and why?

4. Favorite hot beverage!

5. If you could live in one fictional universe for one week, which one?

6. Say something nice about someone you follow! Positivity is always nice!

7. Favorite thing about RP? Least favorite thing?

8. A book you read that really stuck with you. Not necessarily your favorite book, but one that stuck with you for whatever reason.

9. If you were going to sit down with a movie at the time of answering this question, which genre would you pick? Do you have a specific movie in mind?

10. What’s something interesting, neat, fun, or noteworthy that’s happened to you recently?

11. If you’re familiar with Pokemon, tell me your favorite one. If you’re not, tell me which one you like aesthetically.

#« About the mun » #long post