#so i shall speak about it

[scentedsstuff]

The Secret Place

by Tana French

Rating: 2/5 ⭐️

Last night, I finished 'The Secret Place' by Tana French. I had been meaning to read something else centered on mysteries and crime solving after finishing 'The Red Palace,' so I figured Tana French was the way to go (And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie is there but I'll make my way to it eventually).

Synopsis had me intrigued, the first couple of chapters were fine but the characters..........

I loved Detective Conway, I was rooting for her. Her no-bs attitude and the dynamic she had with Detective Moran was enjoyable but anyone else..........no. I ended up liking and looking forward to the detectives chapters a lot more than I did reading about the girls and their backstories. Listen, I'm not 16 but I don't recall using so many 'OMGs' in between sentences, and sometimes the language felt a little over the top, but my experience dosen't speak for everyone else's so I'll leave it at that.

This is my blog so I'm just going to be upfront with my thoughts but some of the stuff mentioned.........completely cringe for me. The whole Selena and Chris thing, fine by me, an interesting part of the story, but once Moran sees the video, man starts going on and on AND ON about how these two kids 'found the real thing' and 'what they had was special or deep' any and every chance he gets. He mentions how Conway ignored the sentimental moment between Selena and Chris when forming thoughts and theories and I've never loved her more because SAME. I was seriously considering to DNF the book at that point but I was already 300 and something pages in and I figured why not just complete the whole thing.

The reveal at the end was fine but it couldn't save the book for me. As for the girls (the main 4).......didn't like them, didn't care what happened to them or their little friendship circle, by the end the only friendship I cared for was the one forming between Detective Conway and Detective Moran, so that's that.

I'm still going to check out another Tana French book, 'The Likeness' to be specific, because I like the premise, so hopefully that turns out better.

#another rant nobody asked for but fuck it #i waste 2 days on this book #so i shall speak about it #the secret place #tana french #the likeness #book review

[puppetmaster13u]

Prompt 277

Danny would be pouting, but this? This is actually kind of hilarious. He’d be laughing his ass off if he could, but allows himself to shriek excitedly around the binky in his mouth. Jordan on the other hand has no such thing stopping him, letting out his own toddler cackle as something bursts into flames. 

Their current caretaker- Clockwork’s nephew apparently, who is on babysitting duty for the next couple of decades- coos, and then they’re off again. Someone had apparently wanted their sort-of-Fraid-member to go to a meeting despite him informing them he’d be unavailable.

So of course he- and the three of them and Ms. Teekl the cat- just had to set the whole place on fire. You honestly can’t be that rude! It’s like, not exactly maternity leave, but something similar- don’t make fun of him he’s stuck with a toddler-brain right now! 

(All three of them would’ve had completely toddler minds if not for the fact that they were partially made from ectoplasm) 

Really, it was perfectly normal for them to set the building aflame and disappear into another dimension, even if maybe not for humans. Everyone knew you didn’t try to mess with a nesting Realms being! Especially if they weren’t fully Fraid yet. Honestly it’s all the idiots’ fault. 

#Prompts #DCxDP #DPxDC #Deaged Danny #Deaged Ellie #Deaged Dan #Halfas are like phoenixes in the fact they have to rebuild their flesh bodies too #So off to another dimension so they don’t have to worry about their own world #Klarion with triplet children: This is going to cause so much Chaos >:3 #Space Core Danny #Moon Core Ellie #Sun Core Dan #Klarion: I shall bond with my baby cousins #Realms beings have a very group-orientated idea towards care of ghostlings #The DC world is the equivalent of the daycare world for a bunch of primordial beings #JL: Okay the chaos lord is acting strange wtf do we do- #Jordan Ellie & Danny chanting Fireball in ghost speak: #klarion the witchboy #So many misunderstandings because no one asks Klarion lol #klarion the witch boy #klarion bleak #klarion

[skitskatdacat63]

Every time I read Fernando cursing in fic, I can only think about this clip and then my brain short-circuits

#i have many feelings i shall not disclose about this clip #but i thought abt it again bcs in some fic i was reading it had fernando saying 'joder' #AND THIS CLIP JUST SHOT DIRECTLY INTO THE FOREFRONT OF MY BRAIN #fernando season 1 truly fed us so well #like seriously that show is a fernando fans wet dream theres just...so much...interesting...stuff... #i kept having to replay this clip bcs aaaahhhhhhhh my god.......the cursing...the low tone...the rolling Rs #wdym this clip is about being ahead in a race? all i can hear is sexy cursing and that it is brilliant :) #and nando himself listening back to the clip and just nodding confidently...I AM DEAD HE KILLED ME #(im not really used to reading Spanish J(too used to English J and German J) so the H sound doesnt really pop into my head immediately) #(so i could never really like visualize Spanish speaking charas saying words like joder in a sexy way) #(and then they showed that part in the show and my brain leaked out of my head) #*not actually strollonso but strollonso in my heart because this clip is how I visualize dom Fernando hehehe #i dont remember the ep i think it was either 4 or 5 #i think itd be funny if it was 4 tho bcs i think that ep had the most insane clips and gave so much content #(that one had kitty fernando/carlando sr gay drama scene/nando getting railed(thematically)/etc) #fernando alonso #fernando(show) #fa14 #formula 1 #formula one #f1 #we do a little bit of f1 #fernando s1e5

[chiropteracupola]

granby + iskierka + keynes

#em draws stuff #em is posting about temeraire #temeraire #iskierka #john granby #doctor keynes #<- I do not know if keynes ever gets a first name so This Shall Do for tagging purposes for the present moment #speaking of which. my logic here is that granby is always getting whopped upside the head and stabbed and shot and dropped from high places #and therefore I think he should maybe cultivate his relationship with his crew's surgeon. because he is going to Need to. #keynes now. My Friend Keynes. I reallyreally would like to know More About Him and how exactly someone ends up as an aerial corps SURGEON #what is UP with this man I would like to KNOW about him #I would like to write fic even maybe. Hello Sir. Your Backstory? #designwise he ended up looking like patrick gallagher who you may be aware of for his role as awkward davies masterandcommander #which was not entirely intentional but I did end up leaning into it as I went on with the drawing. #he looks a lot like many people's version of tharkay here... I should make an effort for distinguishing them by drawing More Tharkays. #either way. keynes and gong su my favorite tem characters I don't really see anyone drawing. my underappreciated blorbos... #(this is maybe because I'm only on book 3 but) keynes is certainly on page a deal more than certain fellows I could name #anyWay. we are slowly creeping up to drawing BigLarge Iskierka but not all the way there yet. Stay Tuned.

[satorugojoswiife]

i kinda miss back when jjk wasn't big

#back in my day when the fandom was alot smaller #and the fans were all just super chill #i keep seeing so much negativity lately :( #and ofc its fine to dislike the story and be critical about it #but some of you are so rude about it #especially towards gege #also thinking about the irreparable damage a certain leaker who shall not be named has done to the english speaking fandom #the amount of misinformation 😭 #sorry for being negative !!! just needed to vent abit will prob delete later

[lilbugprincess]

Baldur's Gate 3 is so addictive bc like. You'll have some guy be like "Hey! I lost my cow, can you look for it? It went east :(( I'll pay you if you find her." and you'll be like yeah, sure, and then head east where you'll find some cow prints that lead to a dead end and then you pass your perception check (everyone else fails) and notice a hollow log nearby? and then you check it and a beam of light shoots out and it reveals a nearby wall is illusory and BEHIND it is a CAVE and there's a small camp and a journal with the ravings of a mad woman ending with "soon I will become one with the cows... I look forward to it rapturously..." and your quest will update with "But where's the cow???" so you have to move ON and then you'll find cow prints besides a ladder and when you go down you have to look carefully or you're ambushed by cow elementals and there's a tight fight after which you get a ring of cow (moo cantrip once per short rest) and then you can open a locked door to a chamber with a person interrogating a cow and you find out a mad wizard turned herself into a cow and lost her mind and her apprentice is trying to wring her secrets out of her but she's lost in the cow sauce and you can either tell him to let her be or offer to help him or just attack and kill them both and then you have to pass your intelligence check to recognize that she is simply happier as a cow and doesn't want to go back and unless you convince her apprentice he'll start a fight and kill you about it and at the end you send the cow back up but in the chamber where she was you find her secret map pointing to an even more incredible cow magic that opens a new journal entry called "Mastery of Cows" and then you take the back way out and it leads into a cave system you've never seen that's full of spiders that leads into a town you've never seen with ANOTHER set of quests and then three hours later you FINALLY make it back to that guy

and then he thanks you and gives you 50 gold and a bottle of milk if you spared the cow

#and you cannot complete mastery of cows for another ten hours. don't worry about it. #BG3 #I am just trying to GO PLACES #it's so good. it's so good for it tho. I will go on side quests I could not even imagine. #and I SHALL WIN THIS QUEST EASILY BC I HAVE SPEAK WITH ANIMALS PERMA ENABLED!

[weidli]

never want to come down

[on ao3]

#this one goes out to tumblr user katastrophen and oliver mommsen's big brown eyes #tatort bremen #fought me tooth and nail every inch of the way but then again i did make it a solid 70% because i wanted to play around with those drum bit #and then got all perfectionist about it as i am wont to do #so the amount of time i spent wrangling this is absolutely solely my fault #anyway i'm sad about them anyone else want to come be sad about them with me #it's funny how i AM in the abstract mad about tatort not letting people retire and killing them off instead but in praxis #the Killing Someone Off episodes i've seen fucking slap #feine geist AND this one are both actually really compelling #can't speak for the ones where nina and martina die because i haven't seen them but i shall continue my research in that direction at some #point

[zozo-01]

"fl is so over dramatic, me personally, i'd walk it off"

mf, you sent someone hate because they bashed darlin in the tags of a fic, DON'T EVEN

#i was gonna send this as an anon but im more classy than that #so i shall vague post about it #sigh this is why i dont unblock people #this is zo speaking

[crescentfool]

with the year coming to a close, i hope that anyone who's reflecting about how the year went remembers to be kind and fair to themselves with how you evaluate the year as a whole.

i think there are definitely times when life throws things that are... Not So Great at you. whether if it's some external circumstance that surprised you, or maybe your mentality wasn't at it's best. i wish for anyone who's encountered those kinds of challenges to be able to triumph over them and be able to say that they got through it.

heck, it might still be a work in progress even though you've kept chipping away at it, and that's ok! the results will show themselves eventually as you work through it! and i hope that we can all remember to be patient with ourselves as we go through these processes (learning, healing, etc.), because damn, it can be frustrating when you feel like you're "not there yet."

knowing that life can be rough at times, i think it's unfair to yourself (and others) to discount and downplay any progress you've made this year- whether if it's something that you did for the first time, or maybe you came to a new understanding and insight that you didn't have in the previous year.

it's not to say that you should undermine the validity of your experience with hardship, but to take the time to remind yourself what makes life worth living. to recall what moments were the most satisfying to you- and use it to strengthen your resolve for the next year and beyond. no amount of hardship will ever take away from the fact that you deserve to have hope that things will get better.

i hope that looking back on the year, you don't leave out the things you cherish. that you can remember the good that came this year. whether if the small victories are things like meeting someone new, trying something out for the first time, or making some strides in a long-term project/obligation...!

i wish everyone a happy new year! may it be prosperous, and that your life can move in a direction that's close to what you want out of life. you're all going to do great! remember to congratulate yourself for what you did well! despite everything, you're still here, and that's wonderful. never forget that!

#lizzy speaks #hello everyone. i know that there are *checks calendar* still 20 days left of december and 2023 #but i've had a lot of strong emotions and feelings i've had to sort through as i've been thinking about how 2023 went for me #so a lot of what i've written here comes from the perspective of someone in their early 20s #it's like... a crash and burn from when you were a teenager thinking that you know everything #and realizing how big the world is and how many responsibilities there are #all while a feeling of overwhelm looms over as you try to sift your way through the world and adjust your understanding of it #for me i've definitely had an underlying thought that 'you should have your shit together by now why aren't you there yet' #and it's! not motivating! at all! to think that way. and it's made me more than ever want to be a friend to myself. to extend a patient- #kind voice to myself that reminds me that others are also trying to navigate these feelings and to accept that i'm not going to have an- #instantaneous understanding of how one goes about adulthood. and neither will they. even if they look 'put together.' #like... these people have also undergone similar stresses and along the way figured out how to navigate through that space #and personally i've found peace in knowing that there are people who are older than me. trusting that they've dealt with these things too i #some shape or form and that them living... being here.. is proof that we shall be fine in the end and that we will move past what plagues- #our mind. there's definitely been some... anger i've had this year that. school didnt teach me these things or skills!! i was so mad lol #but hey if we are little guys who are living on planet earth for the first time we shouldn't condemn ourselves to an unrealistic standard- #of going through life and being able to instantly do everything 'correctly' and know how everything works #i'm still working on improving that patience... and also trying to put in the work to understand these things. #in the midst of a very tough week for me i was tempted to say that 'nothing happened this year it was not productive' #but then i was like. that's. objectively not true if you just look at other things. also theres worth in life outside of 'productivity' #...i think i passed 20 tags at this point. but like. my favorite thing about 2023 was meeting so many cool awesome people! #who would've known that funny lil squid game could bring so many connections and friendships i cherish! #thank you so much! for being a part of my life and changing me for the better! for giving me many fond memories! #and i'm very grateful to anyone who supported me and my art this year... for sticking around even though i wished i could do more #it means the world to me knowing that there's proof that i exist and have touched someone's life in a positive way! thank you! truly! #ANYWAY. happy early new year. i hope everyone can nourish a friend in their head that extends acceptance and patience to themselves #as we try and make sense of the world together. there will be things that we don't understand yet! but one day we will! and it'll be like #wow! look how far i came! i'm okay! i'm alive! yipee! thank you for reading this post i made to get my feelings out! have a nice day!

[the-force-awakens]

can I just say how healing it was for the star beast to be so eminently focused on platonic love? After so long of dealing with romantic relationships being propped up as the goal and everything else as second best in fandom and other shows I quit watching — hearing Donna Noble go "I know I have my husband and my family, but there's something missing" because she knows her life is incomplete without her best friend and platonic soulmate....was fucking revolutionary to me. It felt so fucking good to hear someone go "yes I have these kinds of loves but my life isn't whole and complete without my best friend by my side"

#I keep thinking about it #I keep thinking about it a lot #ordinarily it doesn't bother me but. #these past couple years it has been (amanornativity) #and this year exacerbated it with a Certain CW show that shall not be named any longer #with how it let platonic relationships fall to the side or make them feel like 'second best' #and ofc pair up every single character bc No One Can Be Single #so just #just hearing that. just watching an hour of television where friendship is propped up as just as important as any other kind of love #really just. was so soothing. #dw spoilers #doctor who #nym speaks #aroace tag

[maximotts]

Remember when I said my first kinktober fic would be my longest? It’s not

#this ones gonna be well over 4k idk how I’m finishing editing this monster tonight #BUT ITS ONLY 9PM SO!! we shall see #choosing kinktober fics of things I write long fics about may have been a lil whoopsie on my part #its fine we’re fine #motts speaks.

[haarute]

raw nonstop insistence eventually paid off #ABASWEEP

#a.b.a #guilty gear #speak her name and she shall appear #i need you all to know that i recorded myself watching every strive announcement for the past two seasons #entirely in hopes of catching the moment when a.b.a comes back to life #never posted any of them because i really didn't care about anyone other than a.b.a so like fuck those videos lmao #but we finally got it. #and yes. i kept an ABASWEEP overlay at the ready on OBS for like. two years. #i'm normal btw.

[quasieli]

I love you rot I love you decay I love you natural infestation I love you fungus I love you returning to nature I love you feeding the soil that once fed you I love you nature taking over a body I love you overgrowth I love you being overtaken by the earth I love you surrendering to Mother Nature I love you inevitability that She will take you into Her embrace at The End

#Eli Speaks #Horror Tag #sorta #ask to tag #Ive been thinking about rot and decay on and off all day #i wanna draw something in this theme so bad #mayhaps i shall try in the morning

[chaosinterlude]

not a single obey me character manages to make me feel as conflicted as asmodeus does. it's incredible really how he manages to make me both very interested and very frustrated at the same time. i think that mainly has to do with the fact that i see a lot of potential in asmo, but he never lives up to that. both because of his personality and the... questionable writing in the game.

in any case, i'm very skeptical about 'asmo learned to love someone outside of himself', because 1) that would mean asmo loves himself, which he doesn't, and 2) asmodeus... doesn't really learn or change.

let me explain; asmo constantly craves outside validation and deflects any criticism he gets, circling back to how great and beautiful he is. in my humble opinion (and experience), that's not someone who is comfortable with themselves or loves themselves as they are.

asmodeus continuously deflecting any criticism he gets, not taking it to heart and just writing it off as others being jealous, also means that he doesn't change. not drastically, at least. change for asmo would mean listening to the criticism others have of him, and he doesn't - even not when it's coming from mc, whom he supposedly loves.

i personally don't think you love someone if you don't even listen to them when they come to you with valid criticism. of course that goes both ways, but asmo doesn't really seem to listen to mc when they (or anyone) confronts him with his behavior, and he just aggrandizes them (as well as himself). to me that seems more like obsession rather than love, which makes sense, since asmodeus represents lust.

and this is where the frustration part for me comes in. i truly believe asmo is capable of change and loving someone else, if only he'd listen to others. but instead he keeps chasing the high of attention, craving that same adoration he had as the 'Jewel of the Heavens' in his days as an angel, which again, makes sense because of lust.

so yeah, there's the potential of change, but asmo doesn't take the chances that are presented to him. what asmodeus needs isn't an mc who will coddle him and/or praise him, no he needs someone who confronts him and lets him reflect on himself.

#this post was brought to you by late night discord calls with my friend #thank you for yelling about this with me at 12am #am i surprised that the game never really explores a true character arc for asmo? no #but i sure as hell am disappointed because as i said there's so much potential... #i suppose that means i'll just pick up my own pen and write it myself /hj #i speak from personal experience when i say that sometimes you need someone to tell it as it is #and not soften the blows for you or constantly praise you. sure compliments are needed and nice but #criticism makes you learn so you need a balance between the two #obey me #obey me shall we date #obey me analysis #obey me asmodeus #obey me asmo

[intern-seraph]

REASONS WHY A JEWISH MC MAKES SHALL WE DATE? OBEY ME! 10x FUNNIER (along with some notes on general jewish ideas relating to the game's themes and setting) (note: i am not an expert on judaism. i am a jew. and i looked at a lot of sources trying to piece shit together bc this is an ancient culture characterized by scholarly debate over interpretations of texts so there's very little that everyone agrees on):

judaism does not have a concrete idea of the afterlife. we especially don't have Hell (or at least, not a hell that anyone actually, like, agrees exists? the mentions i have found of something similar to heaven and hell are typically in the context of what will happen upon the resurrection of the dead?? it's really complicated but point being is that nobody fucking agrees and i doubt any jews believe in the Christian Hell. cause we are not diet christians!)

i should be allowed to wrestle with raphael in nightbringer it's culturally significant

the seven deadly sins? yeah that's a firmly christian concept. we have demons (although whether or not these demons are actual creatures or just metaphorical? it's debatable.) but all of this seven sins nonsense is not our style. demons honestly don't really take up a ton of our folklore either (they're mostly interpreted as metaphors). imagine mc at the start of the game getting introduced to the brothers as the Demonic Avatars of Sin and being just like. "wow that's wild. anyways,"

we do not have original sin in judaism. not even a scrap. in fact if you repent and/or try to make amends for your sins you're good. there's a lot of potential there for writing right? please i am BEGGING for some fics that address sin in a way that's not overwhelmingly christian i can't keep doing this shit

bathroom demon

"hey lucifer do you think [bizarre devildom food] is kosher"

solomon is there??? like, king solomon????? i'm pretty sure solomon obey me is supposed to be king solomon judaism?????? he has a pact with asmodeus which is consistent with the lore surrounding him but like what's up with that anyways??? what's with the nightbringer solomon lore drop?????? hELP???????

"oh my rabbi is gonna have a FIELD DAY with this"

#obey me #shall we date obey me #obey me nightbringer #seraph speaks #anyways i need to see more visible jews in this fandom #particularly bc i've seen some wild (derogatory) stuff from gentiles #forever thinking abt that fic i read where they just. casually talk about the nazis. bc they're in the devildom which is clearly hell. #so there are just. nazis there? #and the author has the ~cool edgy demon~ mammon (an absolute goober of a man) say that the nazis he knows?? are pretty cool???? #and nobody in the comments was like “hey uh that's kinda fucked actually” #genuinely awful! goyim come take out your trash!!! #anyways this is just rambling i just want to fire up my space laser yknow?

[akindofmagictoo]

Dragonsong now officially has a grand total of 10 dragons! previously we had Enya, Fintan and Bedelia. now we also have Electra, Oriane, Tanwen, Vesta, Adar, Hagan and Ignatius :)

#wip dragonsong #dragonsong enya #dragonsong fintan #the rest are not getting tags yet #but so far Tanwen Vesta and Hagan have been properly in a scene #they have speaking roles :) #we shall see about the others #also their names pretty much all mean something related to fire #because i can #electra and oriane only tangentially #but whatever