Random Books of Known Origin, Ph.D

@randombks.bsky.social

1135 Followers 1531 Following

Books rarely steer you wrong and a little randomness never hurt. She/Her & GenX. Am at the usual places at RandomBks and near Toronto, Canada IRL http://archiveofourown.org/users/Dr_Roslin

A row of vines staked in a vineyard against an overcast sky
Before family and friends can celebrate Luke Skywalker's life, though, there's the matter of the will reading.
Daisy Ridley in a black high neck dress against a light green backdrop, her hair short and slicked back from her face
Album cover for ‘Bad Things’ by Jace Everett
"Trust no one," is the one thing Laertes had drilled into before he'd been ripped from her by half a dozen of his men, the iron lattice of the massive, heavy gate slamming shut between them, cutting off her escape to the sea - even though she could see its blue expanse shining in the distance, sparking under the rays of the spring sun, taste the salt of it on her lips - him already on the other side, the two helpless to be reunited, him unable to stay, her unable to go. He already stayed too long for either of them to be guaranteed safety. "I'll come for you, I swear it, Phee, I swear."
A Reddit AITA style post that reads: Reddit r/AmitheAsshole • 2 hours ago Posted by Shocked and appalled AITA for reacting like a normal human being? I (M, 34) reacted badly when, at the will reading of my late uncle (M, 61), I found out he had a wife (F, 25), and that it's someone I know intimately. AITA?
A red flag flies in the wind against a blue sky. Photo by Carson Masterson on Unsplash
"Your attention please," the family lawyer begins, his tone a touch pedantic as always. "I've brought you all together today as per the strictures of Master Luke- of the late Luke Skywalker's last will, reviewed and witnessed by myself and the appropriate witnesses earlier this year and again shortly before his death." Ben raises an eyebrow at that indication of the will being revised, but only slightly; even as he'd been - for the most part - a recluse these last years, Luke had never been one to let his interests slide.
A little red spider droid toy with a big blue eye
What makes it worse, certainly for Ben, is how they never stop touching each other. If anything, he knows the taste of her - her skin, her mouth, her cunt, the sweat as it pools in hollows of her hip bones and drips down her thighs - better now than he had even during the months that they'd spent into each other's quiet company, the days she'd cornered him so often in the back office of the wine cave, the nights he'd tempted into his quiet bed, the mornings they'd woken each other with hands and mouths and sighs, taking pleasure from the other, giving it in turn, earning bliss from both. What they are doing now can more accurately be described as using one another for sex. Ben had never understood, exactly, what it meant by 'hate fucking' but he's intimately acquainted with the sensation of it by now, experiences the cloying, addictive, destructive nature of it almost daily. He can't keep his hands off Rey; more, she can't keep hers off him.
A couple of cans of Canada Dry Strawberry Lemonade ginger ale
The cover of Marian Engel’s ‘Bear’
'Anxious Moments': A regency couple in a small yellow and brown coach pulled by four horses, one white and three brown and driven by two drivers, race along a country road. The scene is from a reproduction of a postcard attributed to Raphael Tuck & Sons (1911) by Wikipedia Commons, part of the Gretna Green series.
Breaking televisions One bride wore white, tulle emblazoned with the bright colours of an English garden, one wore fiery red. Both stunning and both, apparently, incandescently happy. It's a good memory to revisit. By the time they get to the part of the evening where it's time to watch their wedding video, Rose and Rey are both already giggling.
Shawn Hatosy as Jack Abbot on the roof of the PTMC at dawn, looking out on Pittsburgh
It's hardly surprising she's here, though, since the Board had hired her as the winery's Chief Financial Officer last year - mainly at Luke's suggestion and insistence - she's intimately involved in everything related to the family's business. Even though an outsider, Ben wouldn't be surprised if she's named in Luke's will, likely in a way related to the business, but even perhaps on a personal level; though their history has always been a mystery, and though he's never quite understood why they'd been drawn together, Ben knows they'd been close for years. It's one of the reasons he's always been a bit wary of the way she looks at him when she's thinking. Although only those who are part of the family - by birth or marriage - is allowed to hold stock in the family business according to the trust set down by Ben's grandparents when they'd established the incorporated business that holds the land, the vineyard and the trademarks associated with it, it's not out of the question that Luke had left Rey some small personal legacy to mark their longstanding connection.
A reel of film in cherry red unspools from its holder.
Adam Driver reminding us that you have to feed the rats on schedule
McCain’s frozen Deep’nDelicious marble cake sitting on a shelf over a Maple Leaf sticker
Rey. Even though he knows he shouldn't, even though he knows it was all a lie, even though she likely wouldn't worry for him in turn, still, he wonders where she is, if she's safe; even though he knows he shouldn't, he mourns the life they could have had together, the life he had imagined during those few hours since they had been married. Married.
Though he had barely enough work to feed himself, Clyde was yet the only one willing to give the tall, fierce, skinny girl who called herself 'Rey' a chance after she wandered from place to place looking for work. Five years later, their smithy in the small border town of Gretna Green is the most prosperous of them all. The best of friends, they nevertheless will never be more than that, for while Rey and Clyde both acknowledge shared interests and the attractiveness of each other, neither feels it. Clyde sees Rey as a little sister. Rey sees Clyde as a big, friendly bear. They are friends.
Andrómeda by Juan Antonio de Frías y Escalante (1633–1670), depicting Princess Andromeda of Greek mythology chained to a rock as a sacrifice to the dragon-like sea monster Cetus - description from Wikipedia
A black cat with fearsome eyes sits defiantly on the grey cobblestones of a Lisbon street
Shawn Hatosy as Jack Abbot from The Pitt looks out on the city of Pittsburgh from the rooftop of the fictional PTMC at sunrise
Trembling, scared, lost, cold, the tears she wants so desperately to hold back are apparent in her voice, even to her. She can't help it when her whisper shakes as she confronts the monster she's heard about her entire life, the one that she had so all the time since so desperately hoped not to meet. "What do you m-m-mean?" she manages to get out in shaky terms, more distressed by the moment. “I’m the Tribute.” A pause. "Will I not do?"
Shawn Hatosy as the Elf
Adam Driver shirtless as Kylo Ren
A Pictor of a man with big hands wearing leather leggings and draped in a silky, flowy top. Some of his bare chest is showing
Andrómeda by Juan Antonio de Frías y Escalante (1633–1670), depicting Princess Andromeda of Greek mythology chained to a rock as a sacrifice to the dragon-like sea monster Cetus - description from Wikipedia
Adam Driver as Kylo Ren kneeling on Crait
Moodboard for "The Empress and Her Dragon" by Dr_Roslin (@randombks) Moodboard credit: @reyloycaltrash
Andrómeda by Juan Antonio de Frías y Escalante (1633–1670), depicting Princess Andromeda of Greek mythology chained to a rock as a sacrifice to the dragon-like sea monster Cetus - description from Wikipedia
Kylo Ren kneeling on the Supremacy in ‘The Last Jedi’
Picture book of The Force Awakens
My mom’s collection of potash from her teaching days in the late 60s
Moodboard by @alantie_is (alantieislander) for ‘Compliance’ by Dr_Roslin (RandomBks): In the foreground stands Daisy Ridley, sharply dressed in a long-sleeved dark red dress with a wide cherry red belt. Her hair is parted to the side, dark and styled in sharp, short style to frame her face. In the background is a black-and-white photo of Adam Driver as Ben Solo. He’s bare-chested, pictured in side profile, eyes closed, and it appears he’s just washed. He’s running a comb through his dark hair, and his goatee is neatly trimmed. The contrast between the two characters is vivid and evocative.
A blue-shaded photo of a big, rumpled bed with white sheets, pillows and duvet. It’s set in front of a big window that looks out on a sea. There’s a notebook and two ceramic mugs on the windowsill.
following comment on Chapter 73: A Time of Renewal of Moments of Starlight: yo this update was straight gas for real like the fight scenes are actually insane and i love how you handle the magic system but i gotta be 100 percent honest with u because it is bothering me a lot lately. why is everyone in this fic built like a track star or a runway model though like fr fr it is starting to feel a little bit weird that there isnt a single plus size person in sight. i am begging u to add some body positive characters in the mix because if u dont it is honestly just gonna look like lowkey fatphobia and i know ur better than that based on how u write other stuff. please just give us some variety because the world feels kind of fake when everyone has the exact same body type and i am literally pleading with u to fix this before it ruins the vibe of the story. i really want to keep hyped for the next drop but i need to know that u care about all your readers including the ones who arent thin so please please please put some respect on different body types in the future chapters i am actually begging u bro.
A grey and white kitten is saying “Damn, it hurts right here in my meow meow”.
Close of a set of stainless steel sinks like you might see in an operating room. Photo by Benjamin Lehman on Unsplash
It's a shame he's not awake to witness it, to see and feel the sensation, as he leaves the Vault for the first time in his life. It's a shame he's not able to remember the fateful moment as he breathes air not already breathed by the other hundreds of the member of his little community - recirculated and reoxygenated and breathed in again - as his new wife carries him over her shoulders across the massive door's threshold.
She's no choice, anymore than does the Soldier - she's part of his world, whether she likes it or not. It's a reality imprinted on her one time more as her interrogator punches her again, this time in the stomach, stealing her breath. Time blurs once again.
By now, she's had a thought of two that at least the dragon's breath on her skin will be warm. Still, as the big, heavy blunt head of the beast as it peeks around the corner, its thick body following closely behind as it moves into the tiny meadow, the reality of it steals her breath away - she can feel her heart thudding heavy in her chest. This is it, then. Steadying herself with an effort, she straightens herself against the tree marked will all too many scorch marks left by other times and the loss of other Tributes and tries to be brave. "H-h-hello."
A black and white photo from the front of a 1962 textbook, ‘When You Marry,’ it shows a small hand of a person in what is apparently a wedding dress being supported by a larger hand as another hand places a ring on the third finger. Before them, you can see the hands of what is likely the officiant.
Hotel Punta Tragara in Corfu, Italy
A man in a light blue dress shirt holds a sign that says '0 DAYS SINCE I LAST CRIED OVER BEN SOLO'.
Among an autumn scene of a walk out to a lake from a cottage, there’s a chair by a table. The chair is draped with a blanket ready to be wrapped around its future occupant and on the table is a carafe of coffee, a red mug and a book.
He settles only as she rises with a smile, has him move so she can wash his hair free of the residue of the sickeningly sweet perfume Snoke's hands had left behind. Rather than sitting on the shower bench as she urges, though, he simply kneels, rests his face against her stomach as she takes her time soaping and rinsing, caressing his scalp, scratching it as he nuzzles her belly, his hands rising to wrap around her thighs, resting there while she gently rubs in the conditioner. "Going to take much better care of you, Omega," she reassures him, looking for forgiveness even as he sighs against her skin. She isn't prepared for how he looks up at her with eyes that burn with unshed tears, still on his knees, all but wrapped around her. She can't be prepared as - though he's no need to do so - he asks for grace in turn. "I didn't mean to get lost, Alpha," he whispers as the long column of his throat moves with his swallow. "I didn't mean to lose my collar. I'm sorry."
She's concerned about how quiet he is; he's never been overly vocal outside of the bedroom. He's a soft-spoken man for the most part, but it's worse now; he's said at most a dozen words since she'd found him. The way his voice had broken as she'd knelt to remove the cuffs Snoke had placed there, murmuring soft reassurances and soft apologies - “I'm sorry I took so long to find you, Omega, I'm here now, shush, there's my sweet boy," - as working quickly to free him of the thick, rough leather collar he'd had the effrontery to place around the neck of her Omega, her eyes staying on him all the while, she'd had to strain to hear his whisper. As all the while, his eyes had never left her face. "I'm sorry, Alpha, I didn't mean to ... I didn't want to be here, I didn't mean to wander..." Shushing him - "it's okay, Omega, it's okay, should we get you home?" - pressing kisses on his dirty face, marked with bruises and splattered with Snoke's blood, she'd been more concerned with getting him out of there, his arm heavy around her shoulders as they'd made haste to get home, leaving Rey's guards to clean up the mess. Now, though, she wonders if she should have taken more time to comfort him.
Two thick layered silver chains, one shorter with thicker links, one finer and longer with a long rectangular silver pendant
The entrance to a prep-war building in Toronto
Now, the collar Alpha chose for him is gone, he has no idea what happened to his guards - he worries for them, he does, even if he knows better than to ask - and he's stuck in this room with this man (this alpha who is not his alpha), who has chained him to his side, who had bound him in these heavy gold cuffs and this leather collar. This greedy, gasping, stinking alpha who puts his hands all over him, tainting his skin with the smell that makes Ben want to throw up. Worse, it buries under cinnamon, cloves and mandarin, the fresh, clean, citrus smell of Rey that has lingered persistently on his skin since Rey gave him his Bite. He's tired and cold, the medicine Snoke forces on him has his mind foggy, too foggy to reach out for Alpha along their mating bond, and most of all, he's scared. Snoke keeps haranguing the members of his entourage, most of all, his healers; he thinks they've found a way to reverse the impacts of an Alpha claiming a mating gland so that another can replace it, take its place.
It had taken him a moment to recognize his captor (it's the older alpha who had tried to claim him before Rey had stepped in at the Auction, outbidding him, outflanking him with negligent ease), but as the confusion eased, his anxiety had ratcheted up. He is not safe here, not until Alpha comes to find him. He is not safe here, and he knows from recent experience that this man will not have a care with him; he wishes to possess him, not claim him. There is an obsession in this alpha's eyes that scares him. He does his best, then, not to flinch as Snoke puts his grimy hands on him, runs them through his hair, runs a bony finger down his cheek, knowing as he does that he will be punished if he resists - Alpha will not like to find him damaged more than he already is, and he doesn't like to worry him. Wishing he could raise a hand to rub at the mating gland on his neck, the one marked with Alpha's teeth marks, the one showcasing her Bite, he nevertheless keeps his hands calmly folded in his lap. It will raise Snoke's wrath, and anyway, he can't reach it. Even if his hands weren't bound in the gold cuffs that keep him from reaching up, the gland would be in accessible to his touch. The pretty collar Rey had so sweetly placed around his neck was gone when he awoke, replaced with a wide, leather strap around his neck, locked close and with a gold ring protruding to keep it fastened and allow for the fastening of the gold chain Snoke holds so tight in his greedy fist.
A thick, hammered gold cuff against the backdrop of a stone table in grey and brown
Kylo Ren looking up with his big, brown puppy eyes
A black and white photo of the top of the Golden Gate Bridge peeks up from out of the fog — photo credit to Mark Vihtelhic on Unsplash
Against a background of deep blue with a hint of warm light shining through, a cherry is suspended by its stem, which is held by a finger and thumb which can only be seen. The cherry is bright red, fully ripe and perfectly round, and looks tempting and sweet.
The ending of Mrs Robinson: a woman in a wedding dress and veil sits in the back of a bus next to a man wearing casual clothing