#vanillacorpse

[swordbyte]

9, 17, 22, 4 for the book asks!! >:^)

9. Did you get into any new genres?

this year i read the sci-fi series murderbot diaries by martha wells, composed of short novellas (and two novel length books) following the exploits of a secunit who calls itself murderbot! up until 2 years ago i was content with holing up in fantasy until i took a science fiction elective and had my world EXPLODED. to this day, i believe the left hand of darkness by ursula k leguin is the best book ever written; stories like it and like frankenstein, 2001: space odyssey, neuromancer, etc. i read in that class made me realize there are other ways to explore themes i'm interested in & questions i'm always seeking new answers to, about what it means to be human.

in other words, i am slowly but surely trying to read more science fiction + am gladly taking suggestions :)

17. Did any books surprise you with how good they were?

on a whim, i gave book lovers by holly henry a try. i don't read romance genre, ever. i'm usually accustomed to romance being a B-plot in stories but i wanted to try something a bit more lighthearted after finishing the earthsea trilogy. i initially gave this book a bad faith read because the tonal shift was taking! me! OUT!!! but it became entertaining in the end, so it got a 4 star rating from me. like i was looking for a fun time and i got it but just for future reference, going from ursula le guin style of writing to anything else is like swapping the most rich tasting mountain water you've ever had for a can of dr pepper that costs 1.50 in a gas station. like anything i read after her pales in comparison. who would have thought that!! but in the end i had a good time, surprisingly.

22. What’s the longest book you read?

return of the thief by megan whalen turner! it's the final book in the queen's thief series and i believe it was 450? 460 ish? pages. not the longest i've ever read but it's the last in a series meant to wrap up everything, so it was the longest i've read this year. turner's writing is sincere and mature and i appreciate that she didn't sugarcoat the ableism pheris, the disabled MC, experiences. he's probably my favorite narrator in the whole series.

4. Did you discover any new authors that you love this year?

as mentioned in the question above, megan whalen turner won my heart this year. the queen's thief series is centered on a thief called eugenides, named after the patron god of thieves, and his terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day when the king's advisor pulls him out of the king's prison to find an ancient artifact. the series is considered YA and in truth, her style is simplistic on the surface (especially in the first book tbh) but going forward, it's much more polished and sophisticated than i expected. i loved how the plot got its hooks into me in each following book. there's war, and politics, and it feels very balanced with consequences - a world building that's very satisfying and sharp with details, which i appreciate. also? i just love eugenides. hes a little pathetic and dramatic. he's just a thief. he's his patron gods' favorite little pawn. hes as much trouble as he's worth, which is very much in lots of people's hearts, including mine. what the hell just writing this makes me remember how much i love this guy. i had so much fun reading this

turner also does my favorite thing with characters where they start at their LOWEST point in the beginning of the book and go up from there. safe to say the beginning of book 2 had me troubled and shocked in the best way.

thank you for the asks !!! from the end-of-year book asks <3

[fairycosmos]

i used to feel the same when i was younger, like none of the messages about unhealthy beauty standards ever made sense to me because like, i KNEW that, but i still felt like shit at seeing myself in the mirror, so like, it didn't change anything. but i did get over it eventually, which i never thought i would. i do a lot of life-drawing where i draw all kinds of people, and it changed the way i reacted to seeing myself. bodies (including my own) appeared less "pretty" and more "real" in the 1/2

+ the "everyone is extremely human" kind of way. it's genuinely one of my favorite things these days, how comfortable i am in myself & others. still have bad days sometimes, but i'm definitely so much better. it's a lot of like, becoming familiar with the way bodies work rather than look. it's more rewarding to find beauty in movement, in emotions, and wrinkles. one of my favorite things is how old people have crows feet around their eyes, from squinting at the sun, or smiling a lot.

god words can licherally not describe how much i luv this mind set and entire concept.....i adore the idea that becoming more familiar with the patterns of the human body actually made you more comfortable in your own skin. that seeing both yourself reflected in others and the differences between you made you realise we're all just existing. i used to think my body was nothing more than a meat sack that carries me around and i still do to some extent, or at least i think it shouldn't be the focal point of 'me', but it's also really cool that our bodies ARE an undeniable part of us and they tell the story of our lives (not to quote one direction) in a tangible way 😳 and that in and of itself is way more interesting than conventional beauty, you know? it's like if a lover of yours has a scar, you dont think it's ugly, you ask them what happened and if they're comfortable, you get to hear a little bit more about who they used to be and who they are today omg.......the implications of it all. anyway i'm so glad you actually are at a point where you got over the whole insecurity thing at least generally. i feel eternally stuck at knowing so called ugliness doesn't matter but feeling defined by it. it's totally normal to have bad days too, as long as you remember it's just like you said bodies are 'real', they dont really care about fitting a ridiculous mold when they're too busy keeping you alive and fulfilling a purpose. also art being used as a lens to see the world in a healthier way UGH im obsessed 💕💕

thank you so much for sharing your thoughts and giving me some peace of mind!! i hope you're doing ok n taking care n everything. all my love x

[gei-may]

@vanillacorpse happy birthday!! It’s ya boy

[brothfan1997]

FINE then roxy and jade kiss in the middle of the chart

as if i would have it any other way

[officialspec]

Angels Peak Time Today???

TODAY!!! im stayin up late tonite writing up character summaries but !! stuff Will be posted in ~8 hours. lets GO babeyyyy

[apolohgy]

hey jsyk radcybergoth is a terf :(

i’m not trying to be snarky this is a genuine question... what do i do w that information? their post about men claiming they don’t get to show emotions but then go beat their wives and punch walls is a valid point and i don’t think that reblogging a post necessarily means that i co-sign everything on their blog or support their beliefs. at the same time i also don’t want to give them a “platform” ... if you want to tell me what you’d do that’d be helpful or if any of my trans followers would like to tell me what i can do to make them more comfortable i’m receptive to both

[steakbatter]

tupens SHIRTTTTTT LMAOOO

she watches kindaichi case files and death note like a TRUE INTELLECT don’t u dare lump her with any rando anime fan

[liquidstar]

your oc designs are so coooool agughgu you wouldn't mind fanart right?

THANK U SO MUCH!!! :0 but of course not!!! i love stuff like that it makes me happy