paula's wishlist nest of baubles

[crowsb4bros]

Happy holidays and may you have a bright solstice, friends!

(pictured above: me singing jingles to you)

Thing's I'd love: 

• You to record podfics for me to post
• You to write a fandom you’ve been thinking about writing but haven’t yet
• Questions for any of my active OFs 
• Aesthetics and picspams
• Reviews for someone who deserves a little extra love 
• Bat, crow, or axolotl gifs (they are all cuties)
• Dessert or spicy food recipes
• Book recs (sci-fi, fantasy, romance are some of my faves)
• Poetry recs
• Playlists for any of my stories/characters
• Anything you can think of that you think I might like (I will)

 

Things I like: 

• cyberpunk aesthetic
• soft, pretty things
• the fae
• goblincore
• elder scrolls
• kiki's delivery service
• six of crows
• anne of green gables
• pride and prejudice
• star wars (reylo, han solo, maz, porgs, sabine wren, bazine netal)
• I forgot Harry Potter but I like jily, next gen/oc, scorose and scorbus, Dorcas, Marlene, professors in general.

 

Info you might want:

My OFs are A Spectral Affair and Unnamed Mage College Story (name ideas welcome).

 

 

A Spectral Affair 

Spoiler

 

(a crowsb4bros graphic exclusive)

pin board with SPOILERS+

65 Beechworth Drive has a sturdy foundation, good bones, and plenty of rotted wood to be gutted. With her student loans freshly paid off, Clare Winfield can finally afford a place to call home. Mysterious scratches, blown light bulbs, and emergency room visits indicate that she's not the only one haunting the halls late at night. With the help of her best friends and the popular internet show, SpookyPasta, can Clare finally find domestic bliss and put her personal specters to rest? 

Meet the Characters: 

• Clare Winfield- being haunted but doesn't believe it, literal ray of sunshine despite past trauma, teaches sociocultural anthropology at Voisin University
• Dezmond Lawson- teaches history at the university with Clare, crazy supportive, doing a ton of emotional labor in all of his relationships, widowed single dad, everyone is at least half in love with him but he's focused on keeping his daughter happy and stable.
• Cam Nguyen- the friend that convinces Clare at last to just let them check things out, law school drop out to focus on art, has many soapboxes, brewer of the tea and coffee, the only one actually funny.
• Dev Mehta- leader of SpookyPasta, definition of an extrovert, resident super dork, extremely shy but enthusiastic love interest of a reluctant Clare.
• Nic Damon- convinced that demonic spirits like him way more than the others, thinks he's way cooler than he is, his job is to give the Office stare at the camera every so often, madly in love with Alden, tends to be a taunter.
• Alden Whitaker- the actual rational one in SpookyPasta (although everyone else thinks it's them), hardcore intellectual type, is a lawyer when they aren't filming, sweater and glasses boy. Mildly modeled after Remus Lupin Fanon.
• Charlie Underwood- fast friends with Clare, aspirations to leave the group and go back to college, doesn't want to disappoint her friends though, excellent baker. Have a little simmering romance for her and Cam as a treat.

Unnamed Mage College Story

Spoiler

It's a smutty grimdark fantasy story about found family. It takes place at the unnamed Mage's College in their first year there. The BBEG is a set of mages who are claiming they've become gods after achieving some great knowledge. Missing villagers, missing rare ingredients, a disturbance in the magical energy, etc are all signs of hinky shit. 

major plot themes:

• partners as both romantic and platonic partnerships
• wrong place wrong time
• ancient magical cults
• dangers of censorship+the fine line of access to information
• some adults really suck and having power doesn't mean that you should auto-respect them

pinboard here+

Meet the Characters:

(he/him) Kol (nether magic): ice cold gazes, a good judge of character, seems like he has his life together he's actually lowkey falling apart, can vibe with anyone, friendly but lonely, seems emotionally unavailable but actually secretly loves a lot of people and is scared of losing them but will never show it, niche humor, anxiety tm. 

(she/her) Maja (aether magic): a beam of bright smiles, secretly competitive, thrives in discipline and structure, obsessive about knowing her worth after a shitty previous relationship, non-judgmental to an extreme, nurturer of others, tea rituals for soothing, positive attitude, learned to be mentally strong, would kill for her friends, intuitive learning instead of studying. 

 

Supporting but key characters:

(they/them) Ebba (scholar, no magic): huge fucking nerd, builds study nests in inappropriate locations, stays up way too late, lives off caffeine, disappears every now and then, adventurous, in love with the idea of people but not so much the people themselves, down-to-earth, wants to overthrow structured classrooms and formal education.

(he/him) Aric (Therianthropy/shapeshifting): nothing fazes him, easily infatuated, impressed easily, daydreaming in class, healthy fresh fruit snacking, confident in everything, passive aggressive, those weird people who exercise for fun, lukewarm for mischief making.

(he/him) Ivar (bard): cautious, likes to plan, nostalgic for the old times, argumentative, loves coming up with new ideas, has an identity crisis on the regular, secretly judgmental, acts open but is secretive, tries to stay authentic, musical nerd with big bard energy, actually the most hardworking one in the team

(she/her) Liv (herbal magic): gorgeous hair, adrenaline junkie, the definition of emotional depth, morning person, terrible at taking advice but constantly giving it, in love with female villains, quick-witted, does things out of spite, in love with animals, will never do her homework, easily excited, rarely in class but somehow still passing.

Ships are Kol/Maja with some background Liv/Maja, Ebba/Liv, Aric/Ivar

Thank you for thinking of me!  

[grumpy cat]

i come bearing poetry recs! (sorry if you've read some of these)

• letters from medea by salma deera (i'm extra grateful you managed to ....procure this for me when i couldn't find it anywhere )
• life of the party by olivia gatwood
• the boys i've loved and the end of the world by catarine hancock
• the witch doesn't burn in this one by amanda lovelace
• literary sexts by amanda oaks and caitlyn siehl
• helium by rudy francisco

annd some questions about your hella cool unnamed mage college story:

• i'm really intrigued with the dangers of censorship you mention - is it just a vague idea at this point or do you have like a whole plot revolving around it? or just ,,,uh,,,whatever you can tell me i'm all ears (eyes?)
• so i see there's different types of magic - did you go all in and develop the magic system indepth and if so howww does it work because i love magic systems
• i assume there will be some fake-gods-overthrowing? orrrr?

edit: i now realise i was probably supposed to post the questions in your wj so...........oops

[800 words of heaven]

Here is a review I left on The Valley of Squibs by @northbound24 which for some reason had no reviews so far?! Travesty rectified!

[ineffable_season]

Hiya Paula! I figured I would start out w/some book recommendations that fall into sci-fi/romance categories and were some of my recent favorites. Sorry if you've read these!

Sci-fi:

• Parable of the Sower by Octavia Butler 
• Parable of the Talents by Octavia Butler

^^these are also dystopian(ish) too

Romance:

• A Long Petal of the Sea by Isabel Allende
• We Set the Dark on Fire by Tehlor Kay Meija->This is also dystopian(ish) and maybe YA? But it has romantic undertones and sets up potential for a great romance in Book Two. 

I hope there's something in this list that sparks your interest!    

 Courtney

[crowsb4bros]

23 hours ago, pirate grumpy cat said:

i come bearing poetry recs! (sorry if you've read some of these)

• letters from medea by salma deera (i'm extra grateful you managed to ....procure this for me when i couldn't find it anywhere )
• life of the party by olivia gatwood
• the boys i've loved and the end of the world by catarine hancock
• the witch doesn't burn in this one by amanda lovelace
• literary sexts by amanda oaks and caitlyn siehl
• helium by rudy francisco

I have a very minimal poetry background so I'm excited for all of these recs!  Thank you! 

1. i'm really intrigued with the dangers of censorship you mention - is it just a vague idea at this point or do you have like a whole plot revolving around it? or just ,,,uh,,,whatever you can tell me i'm all ears (eyes?)

So when our protagonists arrive at the mage college and complete their entrance quests, they'll each receive a Tutor which is meant to be a mentor figure. Each of these Tutors will be very specialized in specific forms of magic and the secrets they teach will be heavily guarded. This lack of free information between disciplines rubs some the wrong way and one of the students (Ebba) will have a dalliance with unsavory characters in the cult who promise them unfiltered knowledge. It'll be a huge plot point, but not necessarily the main plot point. 

2. so i see there's different types of magic - did you go all in and develop the magic system indepth and if so howww does it work because i love magic systems

Yes! The magic comes at random instead of being a lineage thing so anyone can be a mage, but not everyone can be a mage. Some believe it's a gift from the gods, others think it's a curse or some fluke of birth. Each person gifted with magic has a niche, but the size of that niche can vary (some can only do small amounts of very specific magic while others can do all manner of magic within the realm of their gift). My magic system is running off of intentions and internal energy! To cast a spell, you need to have clear intentions on what you want done. Rituals can help focus the mage so that the magic is more powerful/precise. Staffs are used heavily, but only one rune can be carved on the tip and it's a rite of passage at the mage's college. The rune runs as like a background spell that uses very little magic from the individual compared to casting spells outright.

3. i assume there will be some fake-gods-overthrowing? orrrr?

They will rue the day or maybe get a redemption arc or maybe become the dark overlords.  

Thank you for these wonderful questions! Happy holidays!

 

15 hours ago, 800 words of FAIRIES said:

Here is a review I left on The Valley of Squibs by @northbound24 which for some reason had no reviews so far?! Travesty rectified!

Perfect!  Thank you for rectifying it so quickly! Happy holidays!

 

9 hours ago, prideofsnowfairies said:

Hiya Paula! I figured I would start out w/some book recommendations that fall into sci-fi/romance categories and were some of my recent favorites. Sorry if you've read these!

Sci-fi:

• Parable of the Sower by Octavia Butler 
• Parable of the Talents by Octavia Butler

^^these are also dystopian(ish) too

Romance:

• A Long Petal of the Sea by Isabel Allende
• We Set the Dark on Fire by Tehlor Kay Meija->This is also dystopian(ish) and maybe YA? But it has romantic undertones and sets up potential for a great romance in Book Two. 

I hope there's something in this list that sparks your interest!    

 Courtney

I haven't read any of these and I'm going to asap! Thank you for the recs!  Happy holidays! 

[GotNoJamsss]

I saw Pride & Prejudice on your list and felt the call to make a picspam most ardently  My favorite version is the 2005 one so that was my inspo. Hope it brings you holiday cheer  ALSO I found this hysterical Buzzfeed collection of Pride & Prejudice memes that would bring a smile to even Mr. Darcy's face  https://www.buzzfeed.com/tessafahey/pride-and-prejudice-tumblr

[crowsb4bros]

13 hours ago, RogueMidwinter said:

I saw Pride & Prejudice on your list and felt the call to make a picspam most ardently  My favorite version is the 2005 one so that was my inspo. Hope it brings you holiday cheer  ALSO I found this hysterical Buzzfeed collection of Pride & Prejudice memes that would bring a smile to even Mr. Darcy's face  https://www.buzzfeed.com/tessafahey/pride-and-prejudice-tumblr

THIS IS STUNNING! 2005 is my favorite too and I’m dying at these memes! Thank you so much! 

[starlitcastles]

Hi Paula!

Thank you so much for your hardwork and time you put onto this site and it's always great whenever I see you talk about Reylo, Rose Tico, and Star Wars but also just in general!

Also I wanted to drop in with your first gift of the two gifts I have and the first one is picspam of porgs since you mentioned that you like them and also because why not?!

As for the second gift, am still trying to work on it but hoping to come back and drop it off later! Hope that's okay. ;w; 

[crowsb4bros]

14 hours ago, starliticesculptures said:

Hi Paula!

Thank you so much for your hardwork and time you put onto this site and it's always great whenever I see you talk about Reylo, Rose Tico, and Star Wars but also just in general!

Also I wanted to drop in with your first gift of the two gifts I have and the first one is picspam of porgs since you mentioned that you like them and also because why not?!

As for the second gift, am still trying to work on it but hoping to come back and drop it off later! Hope that's okay. ;w; 

PORGS!  THANKK YOU SO MUCH I LOVE IT!  

[Felpata_Lupin]

You said you wanted podfics to post... so I thought i'd record a little thing by you!  

Hope you'll enjoy, Paula, lovely!

Happy holidays!

 

[crowsb4bros]

8 hours ago, Felpata_Blizzard said:

You said you wanted podfics to post... so I thought i'd record a little thing by you!  

Hope you'll enjoy, Paula, lovely!

Happy holidays!

 

EEEE! you are the BEST! Thank you so much!

[crowsb4bros]

On 12/11/2020 at 2:55 AM, victoria_anne said:

Happy holidays, lovely  I hope this isn't a super lame gift but I have a dessert recipe to share  

It's a lemon and coconut slice that's really easy to make and tastes exactly like the big-factory-made ones I used to buy all the time from a cafe. It's here on Pinterest+, and I hope you enjoy! 

YUM! Thank you so much! 

[inmyownlittlecorner]

I've been sending podfics your way  I hope you enjoy them.

[starlitcastles]

On 12/7/2020 at 8:38 AM, crowsb4bros said:

PORGS!  THANKK YOU SO MUCH I LOVE IT!  

I'm really glad that you and you're welcome!

Also here to drop off your second gift and that is questions for your OF which I decided to ask in your Writers Journal and the questions is for the unnamed mage college story as well! Hope you enjoy answering them!  

Lastly, thank you for time, effort, help, and contribution on this site and please just know that it is very much appreciated. Also, I hope that you and your loved ones  have a warm, magical, and lovely holiday season and hope the rest of this year goes wonderfully, and if not, at least okay. 

[Renacerá]

Hi Paula!!

Thank you so much for all you do for the site! Please enjoy these gifs (+ meme)—because I love axolotls too!

Also, I enjoyed several poems in The Princess Saves Herself in This One by Amanda Lovelace and also Poems to Live by in Uncertain Times edited by Joan Murray!

P.S. - I also love Six of Crows if you ever want to talk about how incredible it is!

 

 

[Darling_take_off_the_mask]

Happy holidays, Paula!!

I'm so abysmally behind on wish lists, and my to-read/review list is starting to look like no match for this hellscape of a month, but I can at least start with this: I went and kudos-bombed your fics on AO3 because yay (well-deserved) stats!