[twixial]

I really wish more people listened to classical music... Especially people in online fandom spaces. Like, you're telling me you made a Mycroft Holmes character playlist and there is not even one Chopin etude? Come on. That man is a Late Classical - Early Romantic era stan and you know it.

[twixial]

"You say you want a leader, but you can't seem to make up your mind,"

"I only want to see you underneath the purple rain,"

[twixial]

thank god fanfiction exists.

[twixial]

back in my thoschei brainrot era........

[twixial]

why is it that the best fic authors have the weirdest, most freaky bookmarks on ao3... i will have read the most heartwarming, well thought out, intricate political fan fic - and the authors bookmarks are like,,, hurt no comfort underage selfcest or smth 😭😭😭

[twixial]

nothing i love more than the excessive use of 'boffin' by every 00q fic writer ever <3 never stop pls

[twixial]

the names people choose for Q in their 00q fics truly make me giggle because some people choose posho names like Quinlen or Siger... and then others are just like,,, Mike LOLOLOL

[twixial]

feeling the urge to draw some cowboy keith kogane fanart... it's calling me...

[twixial]

I think the fact that the first mystrade fic I ever read was 'Old Fashioned' by green_violin_bow has truly skewed my ability to read other mystrade fics. Like... ITS JUST TOO GOOD OMG. A literal masterpiece. I can't find anything to top this fic no matter how hard I try.

[twixial]

"Someone will love me, the way that I am

The curves of my body, and both calloused hands."

"Someone will choose me as more than a friend"

"It's completely my fault I've been searching this long,

Cause I won't get involved unless it'll last long."

"I'm protecting my heart, but I'm bearing the cost"

"Someone'll hold me, with all that they can

And think that I'm funny, and then make me laugh"

"...I'm not falling behind by waiting for him."

[twixial]

" are you happy?

i guess that's all i'd care to know "

" Getting there. "

[twixial]

[Prayer - Leith Ross] is so Stiles Stilinski coded.

"See, I have to believe there's some kind of deity,

In broken bones, and skin that bleeds,

I can't count upon Heaven or Hell or law,

When I'm scared and lonely,

Amen."

"It's my instinct to believe there is something more than me

But I can't name what I can't see."

[thatisntverycombefair]

psychic: *reads my mind*

my mind: HE KISSED ME THEN HE FIRED ME, THERE'S NO REASON FOR ME TO STAY. WHAT ABOUT LOVE?! I NEVER MENTIONED LOVE THE TIMING'S BAD, I KNOW. BUT PREHAPS IF I MADE IT MORE CLEAR THAT YOU BELONG RIGHT HERE YOU WOULDN'T HAVE TO GO 'CAUSE YOU KNOW THAT IM SO MUCH IN LOVE. BACK TO THE SUN BACK TO THE SHORE BACK TO WHAT I WAS BEFORE! PLEASE WILL YOU OPEN THE DOOR LIE ON THE BEACH DREAM WITHIN REACH DONT STRAY BEYOND!! WE BOTH KNOW YOU'RE WORTH SO MUCH MORE! SOME GIRLS FIGHT HARD SOME FACE THE TRIAL SOME GIRLS WERE JUST MEANT TO SMILE. IF YOU CAN HEAR CAN I JUST SAY HOW MUCH I WANT YOU TO STAY. ITS NOT UP TO BE JUST LET ME BE LEGALLY BLONDE. I NEED YOU TO STAY. ITS NOT UP TO ME JUST LET ME BE LEGALLY BLONDE

psychic: what the fuck😭

[pjofcolour]

Indigenous Literature

below are comprehensive lists of indigenous writing by indigenous authors, chosen by indigenous peoples. enjoy and reblog to spread the word.

indigenous writing by indigenous authors (written by a cherokee woman) <– list includes brief summaries and reviews

From the Hilltop by Toni Jensen

Cheyenne Madonna by Eddie Chuculate

Robopocalypse by Daniel H. Wilson

The Road Back to Sweetgrass by Linda LeGarde Grover

Murder on the Red River by Marcie Rendon

Owls Don’t Have To Mean Death by Chip Livingston

Trail of Lightning by Rebecca Roanhorse

Sacred Smokes by Theodore C. Val Alst Jr.

Cherokee America by Margaret Verble

There There by Tommy Orange

The Only Good Indians by Stephen Graham Jones

Crooked Hallelujah by Kelli Jo Ford

Winter Counts by David Heska Wanbli Weiden

indigenous books chosen by a cherokee man <– the list includes brief summaries/reviews of each title

Where The Dead Sit Talking by Brandon Hobson

House Made of Dawn by N. Scott Momaday

Pushing the Bear by Diane Glancy

Shell Shaker by LeAnne Howe

Tracks by Louise Erdrich

Sundown by John Joseph Matthews

Ceremony by Leslie Marmon Silko

Power by Linda Hogan

The Fast Red Road: A Plainsong by Stephen Graham Jones

Winter in the Blood by James Welch

The Sharpest Sight by Louis Owens

a list of books by indigenous authors (by a cree woman) <– the list includes brief summaries of each title.

Son of a Trickster by Eden Robinson

If I Ever Get Out Of Here by Eric Gansworth

The Marrow Thieves, by Cherie Dimaline

Love: Beyond Body, Space, and Time, edited by Hope Nicholson

A Girl Called Echo (graphic novel series) by Katherena Vermette

if you have other books or authors you would like to recommend, you can come submit them to our blog or our ask box. feel free to add onto this post with more recommendations and ideas as well

[papenathys]

Indian academia

Recently I have seen a lot of excellent posts in the dark academia tags which call out the euro-centrism of this subculture and also give great recommendations for non-white cultural academia. So I decided to put together works of Indian authors that I read growing up in India as a literature student. Please note this list leans heavily towards works centred on Bengal due to my own heritage, and is by no means comprehensive or meant to represent the entire, varied diaspora of India.

Historical/political fiction:

the lives of others by neel mukherjee: chronicling the rise and fall of a bengali family against historical events like the partition, the 1943 famines, the bengal emergency etc. diverse cast of characters retelling history through multiple povs, lyrical prose, incredible research providing an insight into naxalite bengal. talks about how it feels to be a leftist when you are born and brought up in bourgeois privilege.

the lowland by jhumpa lahiri: everything!! written by jhumpa lahiri!! should be savoured!! but this gorgeous book in particular made me UGLY CRY. to summarise without spoilers, it's a story about two brothers, separated by inches and then by miles, a story about student revolutionaries, bengal burning and boston beaches, and it's a story about a beautiful, brilliant, tormented woman who loves and loathes in equal measure.

the shadow lines by amitav ghosh:** intergenerational trauma, dhaka riots and the entwined histories of two families- one in london and the other in calcutta. sharp, bittersweet and sometimes rather scandalous. if you enjoy ggm's works try this.

a flight of pigeons by ruskin bond**: after her father is killed in the 1857 sepoy mutiny, an anglo-indian girl, her mother, and female relatives are given shelter by the muslim family of one of the chief rebels. set in north india near UP, ruskin bond's writing is powerful and explores found families and the price of imperialism and war. chef's kiss.

train to pakistan by khuswant singh: the horrors of post independence sectarian violence as recounted by a fictional village on the indo-pak border with a population largely comprising muslims and sikhs. a harrowing read but evocative and honest.

shalimar the clown by salman rushdie: allegorical story about the kashmir valley unrest, told through the insane, shakespearean revenge tragedy spun out by kashmiri tightrope walker shalimar who falls in love with boonyi, a beautiful pandit girl, a love that dooms him.

a fine balance by rohinton mistry**: four strangers' lives spill into each other as india crumbles under the 1975 emergency. this one has everything political commentary, social satire, depiction of economic hardships and a whole range of characters from diverse backgrounds. side note: it's a pretty heavy and tragic read, please be careful.

Societal stories

the guide by rk narayan: raju, an impoverished, street smart boy in a fictional south indian town takes to conning people as a tour guide but things spiral out of control when he has an affair with a married classical dancer. allegorical writing, funny and eccentric, and there's a LOT of satire about desi stereotypes: fraud religious leaders, scandalous village affairs, neocolonial mindsets and well, dancing. had a great read of this one. don't watch the film, it's inaacurate and the author himself didn't like it :(

malgudi days by rk narayan: set in the same town as the guide, a collection of short stories about the colourful lives of small town dwellers, from astrologers to doctors to postmen. it's funny and poignant in equal measure. there's not a single mediocre story in here, they're all just......charming.

interpreter of maladies by jhumpa lahiri: stories set in boston and bengal about ordinary indian people and ordinary indian lives which are just so, so MASTERFULLY written and in such crystal bright detail it feels all too real. I recommend a temporary matter, when mr pirzada came to dine, sexy, mrs sen and this blessed house.

em and the big hoom by jerry pinto**: a goan family in late 20th century mumbai + their experience when the mother is diagnosed with bpd. I haven't read this book but it was highly recommended by my friends + authors who are greatly esteemed by me

any and every work by ruskin bond because my man literally GREW up around ayahs and tonga drivers and lonely gardeners and sad kite-makers and friends in small places. I recommend road to the bazaar: a collection of short stories about north indian children involving tigers in train tunnels, beetle races, rooftop gardens and the feeling of being home again.

the white tiger by aravind adiga**: epistolary novel that deals mostly with the class struggle in india as told by a village boy, who travels to delhi for work and his slow rise to success through monumental obstacles. a good read to look into the lives and the plight of underprivileged workers and the persisting class disparity in globalised india.

city of djinns by william dalrymple: travelogue/memoir/anecdotes of the author's time in delhi as he researches for the detritus of history in the country capital. non fiction but every bit as riveting as a well spun story.

Retellings/Biographies

rajkahini (transl: stories of kings) by abanindranath tagore: stories about the rajput rulers of western india and their glorious, semi-mythological histories of battles and heartbreaks and visions. the author was often termed a lyrical artist because his descriptive prose is so good it feels like a painting put into words.

empress: the astonishing reign of nur jahan by ruby lal: a feminist biography of my favourite figure from history, nur jahan, and her deliciously satisfying ascent as the sole female sovereign in the line of the great mughals. but wow, what a woman.

the palace of illusions by chitra banerjee divakaruni: retelling of the great epic mahabharata but from draupadi's point of view. poetic and magical, and her descriptions of female rage and the unfairness of society even in mythical canon is SUPERB.

Poetry!

sarojini naidu: patriotism, society, feminism, romance

nissim ezekiel: postcolonial, satire

ak ramanujan: society, classical retellings, folktale inspired poetry

agha shahid ali: socio-political, ghazal inspired poetry

tishani doshi: feminist, contemporary

eunice d'souza: contemporary, gender politics

Pure self indulgent recs

hayavadana by girish karnad: a ridiculous, criminally hilarious play-within-a-play about a love triangle and accidental body/torso swaps and a goddess who couldn't care less and a man with a horse head. yeah.

devdas by sarat chandra chattopadhyay: pls stop shoving the movie down my throat it's the cringiest depiction of bengali culture ever but yeah the novel is 💗💗 and it's about childhood sweethearts dev and paro, the cost of obsessions and lusts and an enigmatic courtesan chandramukhi who keeps loving the wrong things.

any and every work by rabindranath tagore should be considered academia but in particular his short stories, like the kabuliwalah and the postmaster.

the byomkesh bakshi series by sharadindu bandyopadhyay: written in the vein of poirot but in colonial bengal, follows one (1) sleuthy boy and his sidekick as they unravel psychological crimes and murder mysteries. some stories are just genuinely scary and all have eclectic casts. sharadindu said homoerotic/feral women/immoral genius people rights!

Like I said this list is not comprehensive!!! But I tried my best!!! I think we should really try to decolonize our reading tastes. And yes I purposely left out Arundhati Roy (because she is literally the only Indian author ever recommended in lists) Vikram Seth (because I do not like him) and Roshani Chokshi (because any one of the above)

I hope you guys get some good picks from this list :)

[** has heavy trigger warnings]