Music recs: The Veronicas, Vienna Teng, Walk The Moon

The Veronicas: Australian electropop-punk. Lots of powerful, fiercely energized songs about intense yearning in all its phases — for a bad relationship to get better, a bad breakup to be forgiven, a good relationship not to blow up, a hot stranger to, ah, answer their thirst. The singers are identical twin sisters (neither one named Veronica). (The Veronicas playlist.)

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Vienna Teng: Soft indie chamber pop. Her performance range goes from “a-capella singing group” to “clasically-trained pianist.” Unmatched at wistfulness. (Vienna Teng playlist.)

That last one is boundlessly joyful — don’t miss it.

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WALK THE MOON: Ohio new-wave dance-rock. Energetic, offbeat, if neon lights were turned into music this is what they’d sound like. (Walk The Moon playlist.)

Bookshelf giveaway: comics (English & French), comedy nonfiction

One of my bookshelves started, uh, literally bowing down in the middle because of all the weight on it. So I figured I should take a stab at clearing it off.

All of these are free, but please PayPal me the shipping cost if you can. (Probably $3-$5 within the US, unless you want a really heavy stack of books.)

All in good-to-great physical condition unless otherwise noted. First come, first serve!

Comics

Little Orphan Annie, volume 1: Massive hardcover, the complete first 2 years’ worth of daily strips

Garfield: 20 Years & Still Kicking: Slightly less massive hardcover, slightly scuffed, anniversary compilation (now itself 20 years out of date), lots of favorite strips, making-of details, behind-the-scenes sketches, etc

Serenity Rose, book 1: Paperback, the spooky webcomic about a gay socially-anxious witch (I’m only giving this away because I got the 3-book massive hardcover compilation)

Angelarium: Little paperback, mostly-wordless sketchbook of super-weird angel designs

Miles Between Us, #1: Little saddle-stitched issue, odd little self-published fantasy, artist-drawn doodle on the inside front cover

Masquerade, #1-4 (not shown, but it’s this series): Four saddle-stitched issues, the revival edition of 1940’s “no powers, just wits and a snazzy coat” hero Miss Masque

Digger, volumes 1-3: Three paperbacks, the Hugo-winning webcomic about a lost wombat (another series where I’ve supplanted these with the all-in-one compilation)

The Hasty Pastry #1: Paperback, brightly-colored webcomic about retail comedy

The Thrilling Adventure Hour: Hardcover, comic supplement to the podcast, might contradict your appearance headcanons but otherwise charming

Sailor Moon, Volume 1 (first Kodansha translation): Manga, very obscure series about some teenage girl who fights monsters or whatever

Comics & books in French

Bilbo Le Hobbit, volume 1: Hardcover graphic-novel adaptation of The Hobbit, through the arrival at Beorn’s place

Bone, volumes 1-2: Two paperbacks, adventures of the lost Fone Bone and family, through the Great Cow Race

McKay, volumes 1-3 (not shown, but it’s from this title): Tall hardcovers, weird historical RPF about Winsor McKay discovering the fourth dimension, Little Nemo features on the cover but makes very few appearances inside

Les 52 Mercredis de L’A2: Hardcover, lightly scuffed, apparently one French company got ahold of a bunch of disconnected international IPs — including Tom Sawyer, Casper the Friendly Ghost, Candy Candy, and Spectreman — and decided they should all go in the same compilation

Le Petit Prince: Paperback, another totally unknown title but I promise it’s pretty good

Comedy nonfiction

Me of Little Faith: Hardcover, Lewis Black writes funny things

More Information Than You Require: Hardcover, John Hodgman writes funny things

The Kid: Paperback, Dan Savage writes about his experience adopting a kid as a gay couple

Naked Pictures of Famous People: Paperback, lightly scuffed, Jon Stewart’s first attempt at writing funny things

The Daily Show’s 5 Questions: Paperback, lightly scuffed, super-vintage Daily Show questions for late-’90s celebrities

Multifandom recommendations (Red Dwarf, Doctor Who, Star Wars, Quantum Leap, Good Omens, LeGuin)

• Red Dwarf | Rimmer, ensemble | T | Locked Up
  A different take on Rimmer after his isolation in “Rimmerworld.”
  trope:amnesia,trope:trauma,series:red dwarf,genfic,fic:chaptered

• Red Dwarf | Lister/Rimmer, Cat, Kryten | G | Names
  “Guys, you’re missing the point. All we’re doing is trying to figure out what we should be called. You know, theoretically. If we got married. Rimmer thinks one of us needs to change our name, but I don’t want to be a Rimmer and he doesn’t want to be a Lister.”
  series:red dwarf,pairing:rimmer_lister,fic:one-shot

• Red Dwarf | Lister, Rimmer | G | Trouble Sleeping
  On Lister’s first night out of stasis, and Rimmer’s first night as a hologram, both of them have trouble getting off to sleep.
  genfic,series:red dwarf,fic:one-shot

• Red Dwarf | Lister/Rimmer | M | Across the Spectrum
  Rimmer’s curious about all he can feel, now that he’s hard light. All he can feel, pain included. But he’s not great at inflicting pain on himself, so he’s going to need some help.
  series:red dwarf,kink:bdsm,pairing:rimmer_lister,fic:one-shot

• Doctor Who | Five, Holly | G | Undercover Operation
  The Doctor investigates a dodgy restaurant chain and gets both considerably more and less than he bargained for. Holly gets a new crush.
  genfic,fic:one-shot,series:red dwarf,series:doctor who,crossover

• Star Wars, Quantum Leap | Anakin/Padme, Beckett, ensemble | T | The Chosen One
  A Star Wars Quantum Leap xover. The night following Anakin’s meeting with Palpatine at the ballet, Sam jumps into Anakin to save him from turning to the Dark Side.
  series:quantum leap,crossover,series:star wars,pairing:padme_anakin,genfic,fic:chaptered

• Good Omens | Crowley/Aziraphale, ensemble | T | Instructions Not Included
  Archangel Raphael turns up on their doorstep looking for help. Or: Crowley and Aziraphale start a detective agency. Shenanigans ensue.
  series:good omens,fic:chaptered,pairing:crowley_aziraphale

• Good Omens | Aziraphale/Crowley, Newt/Anathema | M | It Always Ends In the Gavotte
  “I’ve sort of stumbled into a job down at the bookshop,” he told Anathema. He was on the landline in the back room—which held, he was thrilled to discover, exclusively paper records of all the shop’s inventory and such.
  series:good omens,pairing:crowley_aziraphale,fic:one-shot,pairing:anathema_newt

• Good Omens | Aziraphale/Crowley | T | To Rest My Weary Soul
  “Since when do I give a toss about moral consequences, angel? No, you’ve got a Hell hangover. Must have hit once the adrenaline wore off,” Crowley answered.

  Aziraphale’s trip down to Hell leaves him worse for wear.
  series:good omens,pairing:crowley_aziraphale,trope:hurt-comfort,fic:one-shot

• Good Omens | Aziraphale, Crowley, angels | G | The Norwegian Civil War
  It had never been Aziraphale’s intention to found a sort of secret society of angry angels. Certainly he’d never imagined he might run a halfway house on Earth for them.
  pairing:crowley_aziraphale,fic:one-shot,series:good omens,trope:hurt-comfort

• Good Omens | Aziraphale/Crowley | G | Long-Term
  Take, for instance, the couple she’s consulting with this afternoon, for their upcoming October ceremony. Seemingly mismatched in every respect.
  pairing:crowley_aziraphale,series:good omens,fic:one-shot,trope:outsider.pov,trope:marriage

• Good Omens | Aziraphale/Crowley | M | Everything Else Is A Substitute For Your Love
  “You can’t have been a demon,” Aziraphale said. “No one used to be a demon. Why would you say that?”
  series:good omens,trope:amnesia,pairing:crowley_aziraphale,fic:one-shot,trope:hurt-comfort

• Good Omens | Crowley/Aziraphale, angels | M | The Strong Tower
  After the failed executions, a vengeful angel takes it upon herself to neutralise the threat presented by Crowley and Aziraphale.
  series:good omens,fic:chaptered,pairing:crowley_aziraphale,trope:hurt-comfort,trope:trauma,amazing

• Good Omens | Aziraphale/Crowley | T | One Golden Glance (it’s a kind of magic)
  “You need actual faith for that to work, kid. It’s all about choices and intent. Chalk and candles will only burn your house down. Draw the circle with your own blood or don’t bother. Hope you have renter’s insurance!”
  series:good omens,pairing:crowley_aziraphale,fic:one-shot,trope:outsider.pov

• The Author of the Acacia Seeds | tardigrades | G | The Quiet Rebellion of Tardigrade Sela Writings
  You are no doubt familiar with the major genres of tardigrade literature.
  metafic,series:author of the acacia seeds,genfic,fic:one-shot

Multifandom works roundup, 9/8

Geez, I’m getting so slow about rounding these up that today’s post covers from “last month’s wallpaper” through “this month’s wallpaper.”

But I’m A Cat Person
In a Sunbeam (wallpaper | Kara Lynn, Poe, Cybele, Reseda, Patrick | worksafe)

Leif & Thorn
Embassy Sapphire Throwback Fusions (art | gem!Thorn, Peach, Moss, Marula | worksafe)
Two Braceleted Hands (art | Kale, Thorn, Leif | worksafe)
My Antisocial Neighbor (textless ver.) (art | Thorn, Kale, Kudzu | worksafe)
Leif :) and Thorn :( (emoticons | Leif, Thorn | worksafe)
Volume 3 cover – Creeping Vines (art | Leif/Thorn | worksafe)

My Hero Academia
Sunset DekuMight (art | Izuki/All Might | worksafe)

The Stoop-Gallants
Now I don’t even know if I want you to (comic | Mica/Alta, Maxwell | worksafe)

General/Miscellaneous
September Wallpaper – Bi Ampersands (wallpaper graphic, worksafe)

This Week in Leif & Thorn:
Embassy security tries (and fails) to get a synopsis of the previous 5 storylines.

Multifandom fic recs (Temeraire, Good Omens, Leverage, Digger, The Office)

• Temeraire | G | Laurence/Tharkay | Sufficient and Condign
  Once, when he had been sitting in the cell on the Goliath for weeks already, almost longing for the noose if only it would put a period to the cloying purgatory, Tharkay had whispered back, “I have never loved anyone as I have loved you.”
  series:temeraire,fic:one-shot,pairing:laurence_tharkay,trope:hurt-comfort

• Temeraire | Laurence’s kids, Temeraire, ensemble | G | Roots and Wings
  1838: William ‘Little Will’ Laurence never wanted to be an aviator, for all the love of dragons. His brother Horatio would be Temeraire’s second captain, and he a naturalist like Sir Edward Howe, no matter his father’s disapproval. But best laid plans go awry when Horatio is demoted following a duel and Ning strikes a disastrous bargain with the East India Company selling opium in China. So Little Will must find his feet in a hundred-day race to China and back, and not lose a wager that could cost his brother’s post, Temeraire’s fortune, and his family’s honour.
  series:temeraire,trope:kidfic,fic:epic,genfic,amazing

• Temeraire | Granby/Laurence/Tharkay | M | Companies and Crowds
  Another day in the life of John Granby, another failed attempt to seduce William Laurence. But when a misunderstanding pairs him off with Tharkay instead, tantalizing new possibilities open up for all three of them.
  series:temeraire,fic:one-shot,trope:polyamory,pairing:laurence_granby_tharkay

• Temeraire | Granby/Little, Iskierka | G | Because I Could Not Stop For Death
  It is well known amongst aviators that John Granby is prone to injuries, and really Granby is glad for it. It would be a lot harder for him to explain that he – literally – cannot be killed.
  series:temeraire,pairing:granby_little,fic:one-shot

• Good Omens, Leverage | Aziraphale, Crowley, Leverage crew | G | The Soho Bookshop Job
  Crowley asks Leverage to stop the shady corporation trying to buy out Aziraphale’s bookshop. He gets rather more than he bargained for.
  series:good omens,series:leverage,genfic,fic:one-shot,crossover,trope:outsider.pov

• Good Omens | customers | G | Adventures In Attempting To Purchase A Book From That Weird Old Soho Bookshop, A. Z. Fell & Co.
  A rare book collector posting on a niche internet forum is dismayed to discover the last missing book is only available at the best worst bookshop in London.
  series:good omens,genfic,trope:outsider.pov,fic:one-shot

• Good Omens | Aziraphale/Crowley, Warlock | T | A Nanny? In MY Summoning Circle?
  Warlock “Lockie” Dowling summons a demon.

  Or, he buys a book off a suspiciously familiar bookseller and is convinced into demon summoning.
  series:good omens,trope:genderplay,pairing:crowley_aziraphale,fic:chaptered,trope:hurt-comfort

• Good Omens | Crowley/Aziraphale, therapist | T | Demonology and the Tri-Phasic Model of Trauma: An Integrative Approach
  What Aubrey Thyme, a professional, thought, upon first seeing her new client was: you’re going to be a fun one, aren’t you?
  series:good omens,trope:trauma,trope:outsider.pov,pairing:crowley_aziraphale,fic:chaptered,trope:hurt-comfort

• Good Omens | Crowley/Aziraphale, angel OC | M | Fraternizing
  Upon his return to Heaven, Anael was received with great fanfare by his friends. “Are they really—” a ginger-haired angel asked eagerly, drawing close. He had a keen and vested interest in this subject, and in Anael’s views on it in particular. Anael didn’t know this yet, but he would, one day. They had time. For now, he sat back on a cloud tinged pink with the sunset, and talked about all that he’d seen while the stars came out overhead.
  series:good omens,pairing:crowley_aziraphale,fic:one-shot,trope:outsider.pov

• Good Omens | Crowley/Aziraphale | G | how big the hourglass, how deep the sand
  “Nothing! Look, my dear fellow, there has been some sort of embarrassing mix-up here, happens to the best of us, I assure you, no one to blame. But as charming as your basement is, I want to go home. Just break the seal and let me go. You can’t just keep me here!”
  series:good omens,pairing:crowley_aziraphale,trope:trauma,trope:hurt-comfort,fic:chaptered

• Good Omens | Aziraphale/Crowley, Bentley | G | my saloon will do quite nicely
  “Look, there’s nothing I can do. He says we go too fast for him—”
  Rrrm.
  “All right! Fine. I go too fast for him. But you’re not helping.”
  series:good omens,fic:one-shot,pairing:crowley_aziraphale

• Good Omens | Crowley/plants | M | Eden 2.0
  Crowley’s houseplants get revenge…of the tentaclefic sort. Aziraphale may or may not come to the rescue.
  series:good omens,fic:one-shot,pairing:crowley_plants,kink:tentacles

• Good Omens | Sister Mary, Antichrist | G | What To Do After Firing
  One switch too many finds Sister Mary Loquacious raising the Adversary, Destroyer of Kings, Angel of the Bottomless Pit, Great Beast that is called Dragon, Prince of This World, Father of Lies, Spawn of Satan, and Lord of Darkness. Or, as she calls him, Jude. She’s always liked The Who.
  genfic,trope:kidfic,series:good omens,fic:one-shot

• Digger | Boneclaw Mother | G | The Whisper of a Brush
  Boneclaw Mother may not see now, but she remembers.
  fic:one-shot,series:digger,genfic

• The Office | G | ensemble | The Quarantine
  The office responds to corporate’s new coronavirus safety guidelines. At first Michael dismisses the concerns, but breaking news causes him to panic and he imposes a quarantine on the office.
  series:the office,genfic,fic:one-shot,trope:quarantine