⨝ ross, she/her, 29, usa
⨝ 18+ nsfw incl. dark content; MDNI
⨝ MASTERLIST. RULES. AO3. ABOUT.
⨝ writing blog + reblogs of what I like
⨝ multifandom, but mostly Tokyo Rev, Blue Lock, JJK, and Haikyuu
⨝ ask box is open :) - most everything is queued though, so if i'm not responding but posting, i probably actually haven't logged on yet to see your message
⨝ recent work:
from his mind to yours c14
the devotion of the girl in the mirror ch 6
the art collector ch 1
a labor of love
do not repost or translate any work found on this blog without permission, including works by other authors or fanart.
hello!!! hope all has been well, any chance you’ll be sharing your favorite books and movies this year? I miss your writing and your reviews. regardless, truly hope life has been treating you well
done :)
and thanks life is good just in a different stage with it right now. a lot of corporate laddering.
my work by olga ravn (⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐) - my girl takes book of the year again (she also won in 2023). just an all time author. much more grounded than the employees but i'm fascinated by narratives about motherhood and pregnancy.
after sappho by selby wynn schwartz (⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐)
the most secret memory of men by mohamed mbougar sarr (⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐) - book blurb compares it to the savage detectives which made me scoff but...honestly...deserved
call me cassandra by marcial gala (⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐)
rejection by tony tulathimutte (⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐) - laugh out loud funny
hot milk by deborah levy (⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐)
the book of goose by yiyun li (⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐)
birnam wood by eleanor catton(⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐) - i just love the way she writes characters
peaces by helen oyeyemi (⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐)
either/or by elif batuman (⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐)
breakwater by marijke schermer (⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐)
jawbone by monica ojeda (⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐)
heart lamp by banu mushtaq (⭐⭐⭐⭐) - the story about circumcision was particularly excellent
paradais by fernanda melchor (⭐⭐⭐⭐)
the netanyahus by joshua cohen (⭐⭐⭐⭐)
role play by clara drummond (⭐⭐⭐⭐)
grown ups by marie aubert (⭐⭐⭐⭐)
martyr! by kavh akbar (⭐⭐⭐⭐) - fine book but a complete let down since people hyped it so much. too implausible for me.
the lonesome bodybuilder (⭐⭐⭐⭐)
everything inside by edwidge danticat (⭐⭐⭐)
saint sebastian's abyss by mark haber (⭐⭐⭐)
i was the president's mistress by miguel syjuco (⭐⭐⭐)
the book censor's library by bothayna al-essa (⭐⭐⭐)
new animal by ella baxter (⭐⭐⭐)
flowers from the void by gianni washington (⭐⭐⭐)
since i laid my burden down by brontez purnell (⭐⭐⭐)
fulgentius by césar aira (⭐⭐⭐)
afterlife by julia alvarez (⭐⭐⭐)
no windmills in basra by diaa jubaili (⭐⭐)
invisible ink by patrick modiano (⭐⭐)
border districts by gerald murnane (⭐⭐)
literary fiction published 1971-2014
the secret history by donna tartt (⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐) - reread. it's a perfect book. you could teach a whole class on the first page alone. masterclass.
my struggle, book 1 by karl ove knausgård (⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐) - fucking loved this. balances existential insight, history, and character expertly
annie john by jamaica kincaid (⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐)
blindness by josé (⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐) - horrific and nearly unreadable at parts but the end is pure beauty
bloody chamber and other stories by anglea carter (⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐) - reread. most delicious prose.
a brief history of seven killings by marlon james (⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐)
zenzele: a letter for my daughter by j. nozipo maraire (⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐)
the sellout by paul beatty (⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐) - absolute wacko story with the sharpest wordplay i've read in ages
the last samurai by helen dewitt (⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐)
the queen of the damned by anne rice (⭐⭐⭐⭐)
pretty things by virginie despentes (⭐⭐⭐⭐)
the queen's ball by copi (⭐⭐⭐⭐) - vile final page all but ruined this one for me.
crash by j.g. ballard (⭐⭐⭐⭐) - speaking of vile 😂
foster by claire keegan (⭐⭐⭐⭐)
the mysterious disappearance of the marquise of loria by josé donoso (⭐⭐⭐⭐)
dictionary of the khazars by miloard pavić (⭐⭐⭐⭐)
before by carmen boullosa (⭐⭐⭐⭐)
blood and guts in high school by kathy acker (⭐⭐⭐⭐)
a leopard skin hat by anne serre (⭐⭐⭐⭐)
fem by magda carneci (⭐⭐⭐) - i wanted to love this with my whole being and i underlined a million lines (conservatively) but the flashes of brilliant insight weren't enough. i was bored.
when the whales leave by yuri rytkheu (⭐⭐⭐) - worth a read. a lovely little fable
camanchaca by diego zúñiga (⭐⭐⭐)
the stain by rikki ducournet (⭐⭐⭐)
trilogy by jon fosse (⭐⭐⭐)
standing heavy by gauz (⭐⭐⭐)
the madwoman of serrano by dina salústio (⭐⭐)
the obscene madame d by hilda hilst (⭐⭐) - i read this book during a move so maybe my brain was just too shot to really parse it.
the emigrants by w.g. sebald (⭐⭐)
vaseline buddha by jung young-moon (⭐)
god in pink by hasan namir (⭐)
party headquarters by georgi tenev (⭐)
literary fiction published start of time-1970
the game by a.s. byatt (⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐)
the ravishing of lol stein by marguerite duras (⭐⭐⭐⭐)
his name was death by rafael bernal (⭐⭐⭐⭐)
a room with a view by e.m. forster (⭐⭐⭐)
rosa mistika by euphrase kezilahabi (⭐⭐⭐)
childhood by tove ditlevsen (⭐⭐⭐)
house made of dawn by n. scott momaday (⭐⭐⭐) - i remember liking this but i have lost every memory of it. my brain was a sieve in the spring.
war by louis ferdinand-céline (⭐⭐⭐)
black no more by george s. schuyler (⭐⭐)
thérèse and isabelle by violette leduc (⭐⭐)
the face of another by kobo abe (⭐⭐)
nonfiction - all time
nine moons by gabriela wiener (⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐) - pregnancy diaries are catnip to me
on freedom: four songs of care and constraint by maggie nelson (⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐)
tone by sofia samatar and kate zambreno (⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐)
the abandoners by begoña gómez urzaiz (⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐)
body work by melissa febos (⭐⭐⭐⭐)
the weird and the eerie by mark fisher (⭐⭐⭐⭐)
the undying by anne boyer (⭐⭐⭐)
caste: the origin of our discontents by isabel wilkerson (⭐⭐⭐)
stay true by hua hsu (⭐⭐⭐)
letter to my rage by lidia yuknavitch (⭐⭐⭐)
men explain things to me by rebecca solnit (⭐⭐⭐)
who gets believed? when the truth is not enough by dina nayeri (⭐⭐)
soul eater - underwhelming ending and immature sex jokes aside...this manga was remarkably successful at balancing 4 main characters. i'm actually scratching my head to come up with a shonen that has landed the plane so successfully for 4 separate mcs without diminishing one of them.
i give ratings out of 10 stars based on a rubric that considers the following:
2 points - ambition of what the anime is trying to achieve / 3 points - effectiveness of the anime in achieving its aims/ 4 points - my personal, subjective enjoyment/ 1 point - pacing/ +1/-1 - miscellaneous
so with that said… ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ (1 anime)
panorama agent - unapologetically art. just kept getting better each episode. felt like a celebration of humanity despite the violence and ugliness.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ (2 anime)
aggretsuko season 1 - watched this while working very late one night and the vibes were immaculate. amazing english dub.
demon slayer training arc - this got a massive buff because i watched it after i watched infinity castle
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ (1 anime)
ranma 1/2 season 1 - unbelievably charming turn your brain of television. love that netflix released it episode by episode because it would have gotten repetitive in a binge. but the characters and hijinks are darling in small doses. watching season 2 now.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ (2 anime)
spice and wolf - i see this heralded a lot, and i understand the novelty of it, but after the first two arcs i was ready to wrap it up. the core relationship never grasped me either. but it was a bold concept, which i appreciate.
dandadan - the accrosilky arc is like a 10/10. gorgeous. no notes. but i'd already read the manga, so there wasn't a lot of surprise and for some reason this adaptation didn't grip me. tuning in felt like a chore.
bonus: currently watching soul eater. as in like 1 episode a month.
i give ratings out of 10 stars based on a rubric that considers the following:
2 points / ambition of what the anime is trying to achieve3 points / effectiveness of the anime in achieving its aims4 points / my personal, subjective enjoyment1 point / pacing+1/-1 miscellaneous
so with that said… ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ (2 anime)
delicious in dungeon - i hate cooking shows. with that in mind, giving this a ten stars, is like me giving the characters/plot a 12 star endorsement. it's that good.
heavenly delusion - oh i am seated for season 2. not enough people gave this a chance. it's got twists to take your head off if you give it the chance. please please please
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ (3 anime)
march comes in like a lion s1 - reflecting on the meaning of discipline and sport in an ai world. i cried my little eyes out at this one.
frieren: beyond the journey's end - the bold animators who asked "what if we did a fantasy that didn't blow" and then delivered a meditation on human connection for the ages
apothecary diaries - maomao is adorbs that is all
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ (3 anime)
dear brother - watched this because of an edit of mariko hating men and it surpassed my every expectation. the most fun you can have with your clothes on.
welcome to the nhk - i am still cackling about the accidental suicide pact arc. this one is such a fever dream of hateful incel characters. it won me over completely.
skip to loafer - soooooo fucking darling i love it!
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ (2 anime)
mononoke - gorgeous, creative anime
jujutsu kaisen s2 - gojo and geto should kiss :)
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ (1 anime)
the melancholy of haruhi suzumiya s1 - could not care less for every character but there's something infectious about the mystery. at first.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ (2 anime)
the melancholy of haruhi suzumiya s2 - if i watched haruhi in the airing order it might have increased my enjoyment. but watched in order...that no one ever puts haruhi in her place is going to haunt me. if she's god, it's the world's job to rise up and destroy god. i swear.
kimi ni todoke - a play by the numbers boy/girl high school romance elevated by some great friendships explored along the way.
⭐⭐⭐⭐ (1 anime)
a condition called love - probably too generous on the rating. because these characters are saccharine mannequins created to smooch.
⭐⭐⭐ (0 anime)
⭐⭐ (0 anime)
⭐ (0 anime)
& then ongoing shows that i’m not going to rank until i finish them –ranma 1/2, dandadan, shangri-la frontier, kaiju no.8, spy x family part 2, pluto
the flowers of evil - never have i wanted to shake a character harder but i appreciate the literary approach to character and theme. it's opaque and ugly but worth reading.
lovesick ellie - cute!
solanin - there's a maturity to the characters & their relationships that gets bogged down by melodrama, but still the art style is lovely and it's a cute little read
happiness - there's a scene so heartbreaking in this that will stick with me forever. but severely lacking in anything interesting to say about the vampire genre as a whole.
blame - works best as an episodic scifi romp in the first volume before slowly devolving. i won't lie. i could not follow the plot of this one and the ugly world it constructed slowly bored me.
bakemonogatari - wanted to give this a chance and it pissed me off to degrees never before seen. degenerate and not a tenth as deep as its fans try to claim, but it does have the kernel of something redeeming.
no. 6 - despised this. completely derivative and i couldn't stand the lead character.
Nefando by Monica Ojeda (⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐) - book of the year but warning it is the most triggering book i've ever read. i sobbed and could barely function for a full day. it's so painful. csa tw
Hurricane Season by Fernanda Melchor (⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐)
Tentacle by Rita Indiana (⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐)
Annihilation by Jeff VanderMeer (⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐)
Toño the Infallible by Evelio Rosero (⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐)
The Maniac by Benjamin Labatut (⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐)
If an Egyptian Cannot Speak English by Noor Naga (⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐)
Outline by Rachel Cusk (⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐)
La Bastarda by Trifonia Melibea Obono (⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐)
Scattered All Over the Earth by Yoko Tawada (⭐⭐⭐⭐)
Afterparties by Anthony Veasna So (⭐⭐⭐⭐)
A Passage North by Anuk Arudpragasam (⭐⭐⭐⭐)
Lincoln in the Bardo by George Saunders (⭐⭐⭐⭐) - rating this was the biggest challenge of the year because the highs are extraordinary but the lows are miserable. i literally hated it while reading it but then returned to it more than almost any other book this year.
black moses by alain mabanckou (⭐⭐⭐⭐)
crooked plow by itamar vieira junior (⭐⭐⭐⭐)
behold the dreamers by imbolo mbue (⭐⭐⭐⭐)
the north water by ian mcguire (⭐⭐⭐⭐)
dr. no by percival everett (⭐⭐⭐⭐)
birth canal by dias novita wuri (⭐⭐⭐⭐)
transcendent kingdom by yaa gyasi (⭐⭐⭐⭐)
my year of rest and relaxation by ottessa moshfegh (⭐⭐⭐)
the gospel according to the new world by maryse condé (⭐⭐⭐)
manhattan beach by jennifer egan (⭐⭐⭐)
the archive of alternate endings by lindsey drager (⭐⭐⭐)
the inheritance games by jennifer lynn barnes
(⭐⭐⭐)
the aunt who wouldn't die by shirshendu mukhopadhyay (⭐⭐⭐)
deacon king kong by james mcbride (⭐⭐⭐)
four minutes by nataliya deleva (⭐⭐⭐)
blood red gy gabriela ponce padilla (⭐⭐⭐)
boulder by eva baltasar (⭐⭐⭐) - i appear to be the only person not dazzled by this book and feel left out of the party, but i just don't get it.
burnt sugar by avni doshi (⭐⭐)
you glow in the dark by liliana colanzi (⭐⭐)
the pisces by melissa broder (⭐⭐)
our wives under the sea by julia armfield (⭐⭐) - another beloved sapphic book that left me bored out of my mind. the writing about bodies felt very 2018 tumblr (non-complimentary)
the touch system by alejandara costamagna (⭐) - just pointless. one star is probably harsh though.
divided island by daniela tarazona (⭐) - i will admit i might be too dumb for this book
fiebre tropical by juli delgado lopera (⭐)
a door behind a door by yelena moskovich (⭐) - and the razzie goes to...!
literary fiction published 1971-2013
The Luminaries by Eleanor Catton (⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐)
Kassandra and the Wolf by Margarita Karapanou (⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐)
The Savage Detectives by Roberto Bolaño (⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐)
Ahab's Wife, or the Star-Gazer by Sena Jeter Naslund (⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐)
In a Free State by V.S. Naipaul (⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐)
The Remains of the Day by Kazuo Ishiguro (⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐)
If on a Winter's Night a Traveler by Italo Calvino (⭐⭐⭐⭐)
My Tender Matador (⭐⭐⭐⭐)
Happiness As Such by Natalia Ginzburg (⭐⭐⭐⭐)
All the Lovers in the Night by Mieko Kawakami (⭐⭐⭐⭐)
Written on the Body by Jeanette Winterson (⭐⭐⭐⭐)
The Transmigration of Bodies by Yuri Herrera (⭐⭐⭐⭐) - the way he nails how people would react to the covid pandemic 7 years early is wild in an otherwise pulpy mob thriller
shalash the iraqi (⭐⭐⭐⭐)
the disaster tourist by yun ko-eun (⭐⭐⭐⭐)
mother to mother by sindiwe magona (⭐⭐⭐⭐)
the route of ice and salt by josé luis zárate (⭐⭐⭐⭐)
pussy, king of the pirates by kathy acker (⭐⭐⭐)
awake by harald voetmann (⭐⭐⭐)
the raven king by nora sakavic (⭐⭐⭐)
touch by adania shibli (⭐⭐⭐)
cold nights of childhood by tezer ozlu (⭐⭐⭐)
the foxhole court by nora sakavic (⭐⭐⭐)
akhenaten: dweller in truth by naguib mahfouz (⭐⭐⭐)
the rooftop by fernanda trías (⭐⭐⭐)
tell them of battles, kings and elephants by mathias enard (⭐⭐)
sea of lentils by antonio rojo benitez (⭐)
literary fiction published start of time-1970
The Ice Palace by Tarjei Vesaas (⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐)
Masks by Fumiko Enchi (⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐)
Down and Out in Paris and London by George Orwell (⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐)
Girl Upon Heaven's Pier by Eeva-Liisa Manner (⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐)
Final Exam by Julio Cortázar (⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐)
Two Novels: J and Seventeen by Kenzaburö Ōe (⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐) - J is an easy 5 star but Seventeen is more of a mixed bag
The Member of the Wedding by Carson McCullers (⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐)
Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen (⭐⭐⭐⭐)
night on the galactic railroad and other stores from ihatov by kenji miyazawa (⭐⭐⭐)
the wild geese by Ōgai mori (⭐⭐⭐)
the phantom of the opera (⭐⭐⭐) - despised this while reading but my god did it leave an impression. the phantom swimming around with his reed just lying in wait makes me burst out laughing once a quarter "do you choose the GRASSHOPPER, Christine???" he's so stupid
madame bovary by gustave flaubert (⭐⭐⭐)
orlando by virgnia woolf (⭐⭐⭐)
mr. president by miguel ángel asturias (⭐⭐)
four stories by h.p. lovecraft (⭐) - the racist stench is just emanating off these stories and they're boring too for good measure
the mysterious correspondent: new stories by marcel proust (⭐)
dropping in to admit I looked forward to your yearly review of books and anime. I miss your stories too. Take care!
thank you this is super sweet
it's touching to log in and see a couple messages like this since i stopped checking tumblr.
using your anon as just I guess a status announcement, which is that i started a new job at around the same time that i found myself losing fandom interest and just faded out.
the less you write, the less capable you feel at writing. so coming back to my stories feels overwhelming from both a time, interest, and skill perspective. but i really feel honored that you like them enough to miss them 🥲
i can absolutely post a yearly review though because my ability to consume media has not decreased lol
i give ratings out of 10 stars based on a rubric that considers the following:
2 points / ambition of what the anime is trying to achieve
3 points / effectiveness of the anime in achieving its aims
4 points / my personal, subjective enjoyment
1 point / pacing
+1/-1 miscellaneous
so with that said… ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ (2 anime)
revolutionary girl utena – heavy breathing panting crying what a fucking roller coaster nanami the child you are anty the child you were utena the child you choose to be – just one of the true masterpieces of all anime. took a few episodes to realize that this show understood tone and comedy perfectly and wasn’t just a wonky children’s show and by golly! the nanami in season 3 gutted me unlike anything else
attack on titan: final season (for real this time) – decent conclusion to maybe my favorite anime of all time
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ (10 anime)
school rumble – so goddamn funny and i cared about every goddamn character. it’s witchcraft!
trigun – good ole saturday morning cartoons
golden kamuy s3 – how does it keep getting better???!?!
fruits basket – i was a certified hater after s1, but slowly but surely i gave into the melodrama. akito and shigure were EVERYTHING
nana – the most disappointing ending of all time! for one of the greatest anime of all time. manga pls save me!!!
rascal does not dream of bunny girl senpai – i’m embarrassed. i cried.
princess tutu – expressionistic, dedicated to storytelling, tremendously kind-hearted. you have to let it move you
blue lock – i’m officially a sports anime girlie
cyberpunk: edgerunners – this was just so slick!
chainsaw man – nothing needs to be said here
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ (8 anime)
yamada-kun to lv999 no koi wo suru – adult romance that hasn’t been stripped of all conflict and maintains momentum nearly to the end
oshi no ko – my expectations were non-existent after ep 1 but then it crept up on me. i can’t even fully put my finger on what works so well? but it does! it knows when to take itself seriously and when to be nonsense.
demon slayer s3 – best season of demon slayer to date, i actually cared
durarara!!x2 shou – this is a confession. my inner edgy teen loves durarara. i appreciate huge casts of characters acting in opposition in atmospheric tokyo.
gintama – i finally finished gintama one of my favorites of all time. the end pulls all the threads together but it does so at the expense of the laughs so loses some points
chihayafuru – amazing background anime. just consistently fun and engaging.
perfect blue – i feel stupid and uncultured to not give this a 10
vinland saga – askeladd is so hot wow
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ (7 anime)
buddy daddies – funny and sincere in degrees but a truly annoying little girl character
serial experiments lain – god you’ve gotta appreciate the wild swings creatives were taking in the 90s
durarara!!x2 ten
great teacher onizuka – ugh he’s a creep but also heh he’s funny
trigun stampede – they yassified them!
mob psycho 100 s3 - meandered a bit but the characters are forever favorites
to your eternity – the first 3 arcs are extraordinary. march is one of the great child characters of all time. the end drags.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ (8 anime)
zom 100 – crazy good first episode that earns its premise and then a slow descent into mediocrity; cool colors though!
terror in resonance – utterly forgettable
dororo – way too long with way too many hit or miss episode arcs
bungou stray dogs s4 – the cracks are showing but the rampo backstory is dope
lycoris recoil – those cute girls shoulda been lesbians
classroom of the elite – is it edgy? yes. are the quotes frustratingly misused? oh yes. is it fun? ugh yeah actually
romantic killer – pretty cute and the edge of danger at the end really sells it
free – solid watch but it left my brain like sand in a sieve
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ (4 anime)
wolf’s rain – what passes as deep when children are your primary audience
hell’s paradise – boring and i liked the manga so.
durarara!!x2 ketsu – the conclusion falls short
land of the lustrous – bold but was too slow for me
⭐⭐⭐⭐ (3 anime)
tomo-chan is a girl! – sometimes funny but the conceit does not justify 13 episodes and it loses steam fast
mushishi – some of the vignettes were beautiful but felt repetitive
bleach: thousand-year blood war – sleek, hype, plagued by all the old bleach problems
no game no life season 1 - confused that this was such a phenomenon when it came out. it’s fine i guess.
⭐⭐⭐ (5 anime)
kamisama kiss – trite imo
given – god save us from anime about perfect people being perfect with each other – but this time set to music!
tokyo revengers s2 – 🤷
natsume’s book of friends – i don’t need vibes this cozy
sasaki to miyano – and i really don’t need vibes this cozy
⭐⭐ (0 anime)
⭐ (0 anime)
& then ongoing shows that i’m not going to rank until i finish them (but actually all are pretty good so far) – skip to loafer, heavenly delusion, spy x family s2, apothecary diaries, jujutsu kaisen s2, frieren: beyond journey’s end, vinland saga s2
pluto – cinematic and i just love the way urasawa draws children
firefly wedding – a hot romp
fire punch – reread the 1st half and then finished and it didn’t hit like it did the first time ☹ but still gotta respect that it’s such a crazy swing in the first place
