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loxare · 1 year

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On their wedding day, he put his hand to her cheek and called her the most beautiful woman in the world.

He could have been correct, from an objective standpoint. Truly, she was one of the beauties in town. Her curls always in perfect order, her smile plump and joyous, her figure comely, even hidden modestly beneath clothing. From an objective standpoint, he was wrong, as nothing about beauty is objective, but none in the town would have disagreed with his assessment.

They spent several years together, in loving bliss. They built their house together, they planted their garden together, they grew together.

And then came the day that a hole in reality opened beneath him. Without thought, she jumped in after, a bare half second after he vanished.

When she opened her eyes, she was somewhere else. The stars were different, and wrong. There was the wrong number of moons, and the sun was the wrong colour. But the worst, most egregious wrong was that he was not there next to her. This, she could not abide.

She had nothing to her name besides her labour, but that she had in abundance. She travelled, from town to town, trading hours of work for food and board. She taught herself to draw, and she drew her love. Over and over, she drew him. In the dirt, on walls, on her own clothes. Asking, always asking, if any had seen him. Eventually she acquired paper and ink, and drew her husband again. Her inquiries became easier, more frequent, although the answers never changed. For none had seen her love.

She learned many things as she travelled. She learned how to fix a carriage wheel. How to tend to livestock and how to weed a garden far larger than the one she had known. She learned to shape a bowl from clay and to chop timber and to carve wood. She learned to fight off brigands who would take from her her sparse money, her life, or worse.

She learned other things, about this place she was in. It was a place where many came, and few left. A nexus one called it. A refuse heap, another said. But the method of arrival was always the same. One moment in the familiar, the next falling into the strange. But the people were the same, for all that they were often of alien appearance. Some looked down upon her dirt covered hems and worn boots. Some ignored her. Most were willing to at least listen to her question, to look at her picture, so carefully drawn. To keep an eye out, and pass on a message should they find him.

Time passed, and passed, and passed. The world she came from did not have things such as magical crystals or soul mates or wizards, or if it did they had none of the power that those here did. Regardless, one town she stayed in recommended she find the local witch, for they specialized in red strings of fate.

And so she did. The witch gave her a bowl of stew and a comfortable chair, and then listened when she spoke, and looked carefully at the drawing. It was a different one. She had drawn many, over the years, as the old ones wore out, and as her skill increased. And the witch said that they did not know if he was indeed her soul mate, but if he was, then the red string of fate that they revealed would lead her right to him. She need only follow it.

It was not an easy ask. The witch wanted a blanket woven by her own hands in payment. And so she stayed in the town, longer than she had stayed anywhere. She traded her labour and her art for thick wool, and weaving lessons. It was near winter before she had a result she was pleased with, carefully folded in her arms to be presented to the witch. The blanket was unfolded immediately upon delivery, shaken out to its fullest extent. The blanket was scrutinized, for quality of the weave or for something else that she could not fathom. Finally, the witch nodded their head. They turned back to their cottage, moving to close the door. She protested, concerned about her end of the bargain, but needn’t have worried. For around her finger was tied a red string which hadn’t been there before. The end led off, through the woods.

And so she followed it. She followed it through fallen leaves. She followed it across rivers. She followed it through snowbanks and through melt waters and through hot summer sun. Finally, she followed it into a clearing on a mountain. And fell to her knees in despair. For in this clearing was nothing but moss, and the end of the string, fading into nothing.

She did not have long to weep however, as a hole in reality opened above her, and down he fell. Without thought, she moved to catch him.

He was just as he had been on the day she had left him. And as he opened his eyes, she suddenly felt ashamed. For he was here, perfect and whole and young. But it had been years and years for her. Her hair was frizzy and knotted. Her lips were thin, her hands were rough, and her figure both hard and flabby at once.

But he opened his eyes, and he called her name, and she nodded. And he smiled at her, and called her the most beautiful woman in the world.

On a truly objective standpoint, he was incorrect. Both because beauty was not within the realm of objectivity, but also because there were many women who could be called more beautiful, subjectively.

But she also knew that he was speaking nothing but the honest truth. For he loved her. He loved her, he loved her, he loved her. He loved her hair, frizzy as it was. He loved combing it free of knots, and helping her braid it in the mornings, and loved tucking flowers into it, to surprise her when she looked in the mirror. He loved her smile, and loved seeing it, and loved being the cause of it. He loved it when she spoke to him, when she told him of the things she had done, and what she had learned. He loved her art, even as he blushed darkly at being her only subject. She taught him what she knew, and delighted when he found particular pleasure in pottery. They travelled, to find a home that suited both of them. The first time she defended him from brigands had been a terrifying and yet exhilarating experience for them both.

And they built a house. With a room full of paper and clay. And a garden, and a loom. And always, forever, she was the most beautiful woman in the world.

#Loxie's fics #story time #hmmmm thoughts #this might be a folk tale in the book I'm writing #It's like. *related* to a main character's plot arc #but not entirely #but it might also just exist here and in my thoughts #long post #I suppose

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astoundingbeyondbelief · 8 months

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Kaiju Weeks in Review (September 10-30, 2023)

I adore Godzilla Final Wars, but it's a movie with an identity crisis, unsure whether it wants to be headlining a Toho Champion Festival or mesmerizing American teenagers at a mid-aughts multiplex. @spacehunter-m's Final Wars 2004: The Year We Make Corn-Tack gives it a strong tug in the first direction, whittling the runtime down to 77 minutes and replacing most of the music and sound effects. She was inspired by Space Warriors 2000, of all things; as she put it, both films are "largely comprised of nonstop, monotonous action." As in that bizarro Ultraman compilation film, the kaiju trash-talk each other. It makes you wonder why Ryuhei Kitamura didn't at least bring back the speech bubbles from Godzilla vs. Gigan. Kaiju fan edits are rare, and this is in a class all by itself. Download it here.

Shigeru Kayama's novelizations of Godzilla (1954) and Godzilla Raids Again are out—hopefully the first of many to come. My copy only arrived on Saturday, so I haven't had the chance to read the whole thing yet, but I've made it through Godzilla. It's interesting to see Kayama, who wrote the initial treatment, take another swing at the story after the film was finished. He puts back moments like Godzilla eating a cow and attacking a lighthouse, and is also more overt with the wartime allusions. There's an incredible moment where Dr. Yamane muses that studying Godzilla and learning his secrets could be Japan's way of redeeming itself after "caus[ing] a great deal of trouble to people throughout the world." Note that these are novella-length, so much less in-depth than the novelizations of American Godzilla films you might be used to (Godzilla Raids Again is less than 80 pages). The book ends with an afterword by translator Jeffrey Angles contextualizing the tales.

Godzilla: War for Humanity continues to be a standout IDW miniseries. There's a new and very weird monster in the second issue, plus a no-nonsense Mothra (she tries to recruit Godzilla to fight Zoospora by shooting him in the back of the head and dragging him into the ocean in front of Minilla).

I've also got to mention the solicitation for another Godzilla Rivals installment, due December 20. Nola Pfau is writing, Megan Huang is illustrating.

Jen Onça is not excited to start her new, fast-paced fast-food career at Minilla Burger, but she'd much prefer a mundane day to the sudden return of Megalon! The monster brings destruction, trapping Jen in a forgotten lab deep beneath the restaurant with only the half-built form of Jet Jaguar to help her get out! She must repair the robotic defender to save herself and the city, but first she needs to escape the rubble trapping her in this tense adventure!

Yuzo the Biggest Battle in Tokyo, Yoshikazu Ishii's follow-up to Attack of the Giant Teacher, has also been picked up by SRS Cinema. No release details yet. I can't really speak to the film either, since it screened at the same time as Yumiko Shaku's panel at G-Fest, but as you can see from the poster, it's set during the pandemic.

The GAMERA -Rebirth- Gyaos has joined Godzilla Battle Line as an unusual sort of swarm unit. Your first summon of the match calls forth two sub-adults, and by the fifth summon you're sending out two sub-adults and three adults, still for four energy. They're probably the best swarm in the game, though still highly vulnerable to AOE units like Godzilla '01. I'm having fun with them in the Challenge Battles.

Notzilla, one of the sharpest kaiju comedies out there, is unexpectedly getting the graphic novel treatment. Mitch Teemley is adapting his own screenplay, with art by Zumart Putra. The comic is already finished, although I'm not clear on how folks who didn't back the Kickstarter (which wrapped on September 11) will get it. Useless trivia: the terrific cover above (one of four) is by Ben Dunn, who wrote the How to Draw Manga book I poured over in middle school.

After Troll shattered Netflix streaming records (according to Netflix), it's not super surprising that the company wants a sequel. Priority one: coming up with a title that's not Troll 2. Screenwriter Espen Aukan and director Roar Uthaug will both return.

Toy highlights of the past few weeks:

After confusing everyone by teasing its silhouette the day before April Fools', Tamashii has fully unveiled an S.H.Monsterarts Godzilla '72, a rare Showa figure from the line. It comes with two heads, one of them bloodied (see above). Due at the end of February.

After finally running out of ways to repaint their mold of Hedorah's Perfect Stage, Bandai is making a Movie Monster Series figure of the kaiju's Landing Stage. A Godzilla Store exclusive, it'll be released October 25.

After over two years, Funko is releasing a trio of Godzilla Singular Point Pops. Hopefully they go all-out with this show—it's not like there's any other plausible way for a Satomi Kanahara figure to exist.

#godzilla #kaiju week in review #godzilla final wars #troll #notzilla #gyaos #yuzo the biggest battle in tokyo #kaiju

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thatonebirdwrites · 4 months

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I still plan to finish my TLOK: Shared Moments series -- especially Book 3.5 and 4 at least, but I simply cannot do the pace I did last year. I can't. My health is too poor and my heart too broken. So let's talk about it.

For this post in particular, I want to discuss how parts of the Korrasami fandom broke my heart.

I also will talk about how Supercorp fandom is helping me heal. I want to be clear here. This post is not about pitting these fandoms against each other. Both have their flaws, their beauty, their awesome people, and their mean people. I love them both. This is simply my tale of how one broke my heart and how the other helps me heal that.

I also preface that there are wonderfully beautiful people I've met in the Korrasami fandom, some who have become friends over the span of the last year and a half. The kindness and care from @snazzy-korra and the Korrasami friend I talk to on Discord has been life-saving in different ways. I'm forever grateful and highly appreciative of these people's kindness and support and for the kind readers who left kind comments.

I also wish to be clear that I have always been honest in my end-notes about the fact that I have a disability, that my health might slow me down, or I may share an anecdote about my life (my disability impacts my life heavily, but it also is not all I am) to explain why I wrote a scene the way I did. Folks seemed to appreciate learning about the inner workings of the writer's mind and the research I've done. So it's why I tend to have detailed end-notes.

So when readers, who acknowledged these end-notes and commented about my bravery at being a disabled writer, turn around and viciously attack me and pull out every single ableist argument about how the character, who became disabled in my story, is now less than?

That is fucking personal.

That is them directly telling me that they don't see disabled people like myself as their equal in dignity or respect. They don't even respect me as a person worthy of being treated with kindness. Instead, they remind me yet again of how they view disabled people as less than.

Where they wanted the disability written out of the story. They wanted erasure, and thus it felt like a stab in my heart.

Because in the end, such arguments are rooted in a fear of this simple truth:

Anyone can become disabled at any time.

Some people fear that truth. Likely because they would have to face the fact that the horrid ways they treat us disabled people could be how they end up treated if they become disabled.

So instead of fixing society and the systems harming us disabled folks, and creating instead accessible and equitable and kinder systems that help all people thrive -- they instead demand erasure. Demand that people like me cease to exist in their space. That our stories not be visible.

It went beyond a fight in comments to direct messages/asks and at least one tumblr blog directly harassing me (referencing my writing as the reason). It felt like my few places where I felt somewhat safe to share my writing had been broken into and trashed.

It's sad and heartbreaking in so many ways, because these people are refusing to see the absolutely beauty and wonder that is disabled people and our creativity.

[Yes, I know the tools that can help protect me like comment moderation, but again, the point of this post isn't about fixing my behaviors.

Because my behaviors weren't the problem. It's about a very real problem in fandoms, where AUs that involve a beloved character becoming disabled turn into an avenue to cause harm to that author. (Instead, of just not commenting and not reading it.)

If this isn't pointed out or ever talked about, then how do we learn and grow and find ways to repair the fandom to be kinder? To call out hurtful behaviors and support those harmed by it? Why should we let folks suffer in silence, when we can talk about it and better support one another? To build better habits and encourage others to build those kinder habits with us?]

Becoming disabled is not a bad thing. It doesn't have to be. We are still beautiful, wonderfully creative, and awesome people who deserve the same love, respect, care, and dignity as any non-disabled person.

Ignoring or running from the pain doesn't make it go away, as I did that and instead it ended up tainting what had been a deep love.

Acknowledging the pain and/or grief and choosing to heal is what alleviates it. The Korrasami fandom introduced me to fanfiction. I'd never written fanfiction in my life before I decided to write How Was Those Three Years to dig into how those years were like for Asami.

I'd never read so much fanfiction before either. I didn't realize the wealth of creativity and wonder that is hidden in the corridors of AO3. It was a beautiful sight to behold. I discovered this truth through Korrasami.

Writing Korrasami helped me rekindle my writing again. Even with my poor health, even when I struggle to get out of bed, even as I lost my ability to do things I used to love to do, fandom helped me re-establish my writing habits. I was writing again. The one thing I love to do the most.

At least my health hadn't taken away my writing and art. Isn't that a beautiful thing to discover? I found a way to grieve what I lost but still rejoice in what I can still do. But at the same time, I've never been more hurt and shattered by a fandom than I have daring to write an alternate universe story, where I learned that the limit of people's care ends at the moment they perceive your disability.

Where you cease to be a person in their eyes.

Where you become less than.

Thus, I truly struggled on how to move forward for months, where writing became harder and harder to do.

I didn't want to lose the joy I had found, but I didn't know how to safely heal either. And I like sharing my stories. The act of sharing them was part of how I redicovered my joy of writing again.

It was here on tumblr, where I found a niche that helped me heal.

It all started with a continuation to one of @fazedlight's ficlets, which randomly appeared on my 'for you' page.

I hadn't even finished Supergirl yet at that point, but the AU in that ficlet, where Kara decides to trust Lena and reveals she's an alien due to the alien detector? How utterly fascinating way to rewrite that scene.

I'm not even sure why I felt the need to write that continuation, but it's like my fingers had a mind of their own. I felt so inspired, and after a few months of being trapped in that well of feeling utterly broken, it was like glimpsing sunlight for the first time in months.

And I found I couldn't stop. I started to write other little ficlets based on GIFs about Supercorp. I started reading fanfiction about Supercorp. I realized Lena Luthor is really just a morally grey Asami Sato, and Kara Zor-El Danvers is basically Avatar Korra. So of course it was easy to write them. I already had practice with Korrasami.

I then went and watched the last three seasons to finally finish Supergirl, and was horrified by just how bad the writing was in 5 and 6, that now I wanted to write my own fix-it fic.

But I was scared to do it. I'd already had my heart broken by Korrasami. I already had a big project there I need to finish for my own sake, because it's so, so important to my own heart.

But at the same time, should I dare to share my stories again? Put myself out there in a different fandom?

Because I can't stress enough how I had seriously considered deleting my AO3 account due to how hurt I was over Korrasami (my two Korrasami buddies kept me from doing that, and they might not ever realize their influence there. I'd downloaded all the fics I'd written and gave myself a due date to decide.)

I was scared to share my stories, and I needed support to decide if I could do it again. If I dared to do it.

Then I discovered thanks to @luthordamnvers and @snowydragonscave a server for Supercorp shippers, and Holy shit.

It was okay to be disabled there.

People from all sorts of walks of life were there. They were supportive (and such enablers, my heavens).

I wasn't seen as less than.

People treated me like a human being.

It gave me courage to start posting the stories I'd written about Supercorp to AO3, and then holy crap.

The comments from Supercorp readers welcomed me as a new writer. They were encouraging. (Sure, there was mean comments here and there, but they weren't so horrifically personal in their attacks like the few hurtful Korrasami readers.)

I wept over those comments. Those people may never know how healing it was to read kind and encouraging comments. These people welcomed me, a stray writer into their shelter, and gently and tenderly offered support, advice, and constructive criticism in ways that uplifted the author.

Sure, it's possible I'll get viciously attacked for who I am again in the Supercorp fandom, but right now, most folks I talk with in the Supercorp fandom have been kind. Mean comments haven't been so acutely personal in their attacks, and it's a reprieve that allows space to heal.

My first love - Korrasami - will always be my first love in terms of ships. This is a truth. Supercorp is second in line, but I feel, right now, it's a little safer for my heart to write Supercorp.

I do promise to finish Shared Moments, but it will take longer simply because I'm still healing.

Parts of the Korrasami fandom broke my heart, but a good portion of the Supercorp fandom is mending it back together.

That's a beautiful thing too.

The stories I write are imperfect. I know I mess up a lot. But I do hope that people walk away from my stories having learned something. Or at the very least walk away with some semblance of hope.

Because in the end, in a world that seems hellbent on reminding marginalized people of how our lives are disposable, choosing hope becomes a radical act in liberation.

Our stories deserve to be told. Deserve to be cherished.

So in conclusion, never underestimate your kindness toward others. You may touch them in ways you may never fully know.

Thank you for all my readers, who have been supportive and kind. You're helping a broken writer heal. I will forever appreciate and treasure all of you.

Thanks for reading.

#korrasami #supercorp #meta stuff about writing fanfiction #disability #disabled characters #tw ableism #idk why i wrote this #was writing this a mistake #thank you to all the kind readers who leave kind and supportive comments for writers #Never underestimate the power of your kindness and joy at sharing your thoughts with us writers

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archaiclumina · 4 months

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FFXIV Fauxlore Mini Bang - The Final Update!

Hail well, pray tell, and might you know? How so, the woe of a prince from Nagxia was solved by temple cats? Not rats or bats, they hunted ghosts and hosts, who boast of wicked curse, and worse. Dispersed, by cats, now small; back then, they were large as couerl, born all in halls of Nagxian Kings.

— A translation of the opening stanza of the Nagxian folk tale, the Legend of Phra Malee and the Temple Cat, as traditionally sung by Nagxian bards.

Concept sketch by mythiclings

Another little fauxlore update from me as we approach the final date for the release of all the amazing projects by other pairs and solo participants involved in the Fantastic Fauxlore FFXIV Mini Bang!

I am very excited to share the full piece of Fauxlore I've been working on — The Legend of Phra Malee and the Temple Cat, on March 11, alongside the final pieces of wonderful art provided by my artist partner, @mythiclings.

It has been so lovely to work with them, above you can see one of the fantastic concept sketches of the character, Phra Rakana and his two temple cats they kindly let me share with you all!

In the spirit of sharing and talking about the ins and outs of the creative process, and just for those interested, here's a little story about how I decided to write a whole lore bent folk story just from the Nagxian cat minion's description, and the challenges faced during such a random little undertaking, under the cut c:

It all started when I was first drabbling about Ren’s childhood — way back in April of 2023! I wanted a story or a fairy tale which Ren’s father and uncle both read to her when she was very young. At this stage the story itself wasn’t very important, but it needed a title because something important was going to be hidden in that book when Ren’s father disappeared. After settling on a type of folk tale (one with an animal), I decided to make it a cat for fun. Because, I love cats, and my husband’s OC, Cal, has a Nagxian cat minion which he won in a game of Triple Triad. Looking at the Nagxian Cat minion’s description, I decided to give the titular character in the story a Thai name: The legend of Phra Malee and the Temple Cat. (You can read the very first tumblr mention of it here in one of the few drabbles I’ve shared c’: )

Shortly after finishing that drabble, I encountered the fauxlore mini bang project! Once I saw it, I was determined to turn the imaginary book into real-ish book. Or at least a short story c':

Of course, I'm not Thai, although living down under, I am lucky we have a vibrant community of Thai diaspora. So, in my spare time I started researching about Thai folk lore; reading the stories that were easily accessible to me via online and my local library, researching the meter of a Klon, speaking to folks about their experience with Thai culture, and gathering material to hopefully create a folk tale that would echo the themes and spirit of Thailand’s own folk traditions, while also feel distinctly "Hydaelyn" and also borrow from the themes and characters we've all come to love while playing the game.

All this posed a challenge! It's been tough at times. I've had plenty of anxiety about offending folks of Thai heritage. Throughout the story, I've tried my absolute best to be respectful to the history and culture I've learned about over the past six months. I've endeavored to correctly use real Thai words, and also use what I've learned of Thai language to create original Nagxian names that feel like they'd fit in the world the Warrior of Light inhabits.

Although every character in the story is original, their journey's and arcs are also inspired by characters from the MSQ. Keeping them as their own unique characters, and trying to mirror the character arcs we follow through our gameplay was a totally different challenge that taught me a lot about writing the kinds of characters I'm not used to! Malee herself is even based on a character from the MSQ who I myself am not particularly fond of c': but I am happy to admit, telling the story of that character arc in a new way gave me a new found appreciation for them in the WoLs story!

Finally, this story is a folk story. It's written like old folk tales, in a way where it should be easy for someone to speak it aloud. Finding ways to preserve the oral traditions of folk tales meant sometimes that oft mentioned advice "show don't tell" had to go out the window. Reminding myself, regularly, that all advice about writing is contextual, and none of it will ever apply to every situation, is a reminder I think all writers need from time to time c:

It’s been an absolute blast working on this little lore bent project, and I hope these little updates help inspire others to jump into different areas of creative writing, to engage with folk lore from other countries and to keep sharing their own work and experiences too! (Even if like me, you’re not usually brave enough to!)

#ffxiv fauxlore minibang #lorebending #my writing #others art #art by mythiclings

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eerna · 3 months

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Ok Ok so I've been thinking this for. quite a while like even before Stolen Heir was released. it's kind of controversial because I might be making mountain out of a molehill but -

I think Jurdan fans border on being disrespectful to Holly Black at times... the problem isn't what one chooses to focus on even though that annoys me too, like it's not like people can control the fact that they focus more/love a character more than the other. But I'm starting to see this especially on Instagram and Goodreads, and I think I have good reason to believe HB is more active on insta and Goodreads is like, the book reviewing site, if there's any place she may look for comments or critique it's that.

and my problem lies with the language used . HB can announce she's working on something and can give hints about it and I've seen soo many people just outright tell her "I don't care about [x] and [y] just give me JURDAN!!" or anything along that vein , there's also "I'm only reading this for Jurdan lol I kind of couldn't care less about []".

It genuinely annoys me a lot !! And I wish I could say to each their own but ykw? At some point it starts to feel like if these two characters aren't involved people don't even try to make an effort to connect with the other characters, the new protagonist, etc. To be honest your page was a breath of fresh air because I don't even see a lot of folks focus on ANYTHING in TFOTA other than this ship.

There's also the irony that so many people pride themselves on loving Jude, their morally grey female rage character, but refuse to discuss Taryn with nuance. Or Vivi, sometimes. It's weird how so many people love Madoc (justified, I like him too) then refuse to think that hey, maybe Taryn's way of coping with faerie is different than Jude and that affects her actions! something something fandom misogyny

The above unrelated paragraph is just to say that a Nicasia focused book is something many people just absolutely will not be able to handle lmao and I so dearly wish Jude and Cardan's 'screentime' is few and far in between just so that it's less palatable. But oh well.

(And after Prisoner's Throne it worries me because with the implication that the Nicasia focused book might have Jude and Cardan POVs I feel like she's catering more to these people now.

If that's how things turn out that would genuinely make me really sad because I didn't pick up her books after reading TCP, I started with Spiderwick Chronicles, then Modern Faerie Tales, and I love the way she creates atmosphere, her worldbuilding, her depiction of the weird and creepy and magical. I especially think that's her strongest suit, more than characterization, so something like this that hinges more on specific characters genuinely turns me off.)

AGREED SO MUCH WITH ALL OF ITTT I too noticed the really dumb people in her comments crapping on everything that isn't a new Jurdan book... Like, the woman was writing books and enjoyed fame 15 years before Jurdan happened. She obviously has a lot to say about her world. Why the hell would you want her to stop developing it and only focus on 2 characters??? I was a big Spiderwick fan as a kid, and when I read TFOTA I had no idea it was by the same writer but I could TELL the vibes were all there. I too think that is her specialty and I'd rather get 10 stories on different characters than 5 on Jurdan.

I want the Undersea book to be about Nicasia and part of it is because I agree, I think most of the fandom would HATE it and it would fry their brains, and I want to see it. It is dumb and petty of me, but it would be sweet vindication for all the clowns screaming into my ear that Taryn is problematic actually in case I didn't notice. Ultimately I know it is a fruitless endeavor. TFOTA has the misfortune of being too good and complicated for its main audience of tiktok book fans, but also too bad and simplified to spread into more general, unspecified fantasy circles where its themes could catch the attention of people who would know how to appreciate them. That means there is only a small portion of fans who both like the books AND have the critical thinking skills to appreciate all the things they do right outside of romance/basic female wish fulfilment.

In the end, judging by TPT, we are gonna have to take the L and accept we bet on the wrong horse and minority does not make the money. But at least we will be there together to make a mountain out of a molehill!

#eernask #eernanon #eernask talk tfota #like i said. most of this fandom would not make it 5 pages reading about ianthe tridentarius

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not-poignant · 4 months

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January 2024 Writing Round-Up

Here's the monthly round-up of everything written and posted in January 2024! How is the first month of this year nearly over already??? But here's the chapters that were released:

Birthday Spotlight - Dr Gary Konowalous

Birthday Spotlight - Nathaniel (Nate) Prince

Underline the Black 76

Underline the Black 77

Underline the Blue 09

Constellations 02

The Nascent Diplomat 40

The Nascent Diplomat 41 (Augus+Gwyn Tier+)

Underline the Blue 12 (Augus+Gwyn Tier+)

Constellations 05 (Gary+Efnisien Tier+)

Chapter Commentary - Underline the Black 33 (Mosk+Eran Tier+)

Chapter Commentary - Underline the Black 34 (Mosk+Eran Tier+)

Tradewinds (full e-book) (Gary+Efnisien Tier+)

FANFICTION

A Stain that Won't Dissolve 29

A Stain that Won't Dissolve 30

Palmarosa 16

Palmarosa 17

An extremely quiet month, with only 31,000 words written. That's not bad (my minimum is 25k) but I'm sure y'all know I like to aim higher than that most months!

A reminder that enrolment into the Merch Tier to get the May/June rewards is still valid until mid February!

On the writing side, I wrote across multiple stories: Palmarosa, Constellations, The Nascent Diplomat, A Stain that Won't Dissolve, Underline the Black, and Underline the Blue.

We adopted a gorgeous puppy called Tobermory but it's been very overwhelming on a PTSD and autism front (we actually decided to rehome at one point, and then decided to stick it out, but it's been rough). And also just on a 'young puppy life' front lol.

In the months ahead I'll be taking a break in the form of not posting one Underline the Black chapter per month to give me one Sunday-to-Sunday stretch of posting no chapters. I will still be active and around! These aren't holidays from writing or interacting with you all, just from the schedule itself. :D

I also really want to get stuck into editing Game Theory, it feels like a distant dream right now which is more than a little frustrating, just because of time and energy, but please know it's still high up on my list! I'm also going to start designing/planning the next round of merch soon, so stay tuned for that. :D

Tradewinds has LAUNCHED!!! This is a Patreon/Ream exclusive, meaning that - at this stage - it can only be read if you join that tier and download it to read. You're welcome to stay in the tier, drop back down to your regular tier, or even just sign up for one month and leave again. Obviously the latter isn't my preference! But I want folks to enjoy themselves and am sensitive to the fact that not everyone can afford regular subscription, or has to be careful how they subscribe <3

Tradewinds is a completed Fae Tales Verse story with a completely new cast of characters that focuses on merchant fae in the southern hemisphere, and Seelie vs. Unseelie merchant traders.

Remember you can reach out to me privately at any time, at my email [email protected] - if you can't find something, or just want to find out something, let me know. I'll do my best to help :)

I'll see you all in February 2024! We've smashed into a brutal heatwave, with temperatures of 42C, 43C and then 41C coming over the next few days (that's 107F, 109F and 105F for the folks in the USA!) Pray for me, because I am going to have to walk everywhere with a spatula so that I might lever myself off the bitumen (road/asphalt).

#housekeeping #fae tales #fae tales au #the nascent diplomat #constellations #falling falling stars #a stain that won't dissolve #palmarosa #underline the black #underline the blue #this is why when people are like 'where's palmarosa'#i'm just staring at everything else like #'idk i'm doing 400 other things hang on a sec'#and sometimes i'm like #the 400 other things need to wait i'm writing palmarosa

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nicosraf · 10 months

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What advice would you give to an aspiring young writer hoping to become a published author?

This is a tough question since I don't think I'm either accomplished, skilled, or old enough to be giving advice ahahaha but also I'm not really sure what area you'd want guidance in?

As in, do you want to know how to improve your craft? How to navigate publishing?

I guess, if I were talking to my younger self, here's what I would say:

Read the books in the dark part of the library with broken spines and yellowed pages and faded words. The boring books. The books that couldn't be published today. The offensive and forbidden stuff.

You'll learn more about writing from Literature classes than Creative Writing classes.

Ask yourself, "What's the purpose of this line?" for every single line. Sometimes the purpose is simple: "Because I think it's funny/hot." That's okay.

Want to traditionally publish? Invest in your appearance and your social media presence but don't lose your identity trying to people-please. Understand that most people who traditionally publish got there through nepotism. It's a business run by white women. Understand their sensibilities before submitting.

Want to self publish? Get active on social media and befriend other authors. Understand that indie readers like adult content

Don't write a sad moment and then have the characters tell jokes to break the tension. Let the tension hang.

Kill all of your characters, not physically.

Learn from movies. Learn from folk tales. Learn from how your friends tell stories from their life.

Who is the narrator? Why are they telling this story? Why are they telling it like this?

Write a whole draft without going back and re-reading what you wrote. Editing will be tough, but at least you'll have a finished draft.

Writing is 90% editing. Give it 3-5 rounds of edits. Be harsh with yourself. Then kind.

Make note of plot points/objects — give each one an introduction, a mention, and then a Use. For example, a knife is introduced in chapter 3, it's mentioned again in chapter 5, and then someone is killed with it in chapter 8.

If you feel like, "I don't want to write this, I'm not good enough," know that you'll never be good enough. And you're never going to write a perfect book. That doesn't exist. Accept that it'll be flawed and make peace with that.

"But what if I get older and see my current work as juvenile/bad?" It can never be bad. It'll be a portrait of who you were when you wrote it. Your heart and your skills.

My professor once urged me to never, ever use cliches in my prose — as in "heart dropped," or "tongues battling for dominance." I wouldn't go so far as to ban them. But be aware of them, ask yourself if you could come up with something better.

This might be a wacky list but this is basically the rulebook I would give my younger self. If you have any hyper specific writing questions, I can try to help with that too! But, again, I'm not an expert.

Good luck! :') I hope this might help a little at least

#i can go ON and ON #tbh also keep an eye on your word count just to keep yourself steady #mine #ask #writing

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cadmusfly · 5 months

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i may have attempted to lightly research gascony folk tales just so that i can work out what folklore Lannes, Murat and Bessieres would be familiar with and might casually reference

For a more general cultural context there's a lot of Roman referencing going on, and also The Matter of France/Charlemagne's Paladins would be a touchstone, I've referenced Gargantua and Pantagruel in Night at the Marshalate, but since fairytales and folklore is a lifelong interest of mine, I took a uni class or two on them and stuff, and I'm curious about more folkloric word of mouth kind of stories

so far I have come across Leg

the devil getting owned

a series of posts by some french naval officer who is translating gascony fairy tales as penance for plagiarism - the walking ship (1), the two twins (1), i do want to dig into this - the folklore thing not the uh other stuff - seems to be translated from french wikisource

There's some academic stuff going on that I haven't dug into - Women and Text in Gascon Tall Tales, some books which I don't think I'll have time to read

Going to tag some others who write or have written about about Gascon guys - @phatburd, @joachimnapoleon, @josefavomjaaga, @maggiec70 - whether you're interested in folkloric context or if you know anything interesting about the kind of folklore and fairy tales that the marshals might be familiar with! If not, disregard this post, but I'm just curious!

#cadmus rambles #cad talks about dead frenchmen on main #gascony fairy tales

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wordsarefakeokay · 9 months

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What does capitalism taste like

Does it taste like white picket fences and 2.5 kids

What about a dog in the backyard and BBQs on the weekend

Knowing all your neighbors names and having the HOA on speed dial

Does it taste like the life you want to live?

Are the HOA in your contacts because they keep calling you

Or are you calling them

Does that complicated C word taste the homogeneity in your neighborhood

Where the police arrive in 2 seconds flat, with a gate and a patrol to match

Does it taste like "I'll wait here for your manager" and weekends at the golf course

Does it taste like a martini because the trophy spouse has a long day?

Does it taste like security cams and a ranch on the property with the stable boys and the guest house to the side with the cabana ones?

Does it taste like equestrianship is in your blood from birth? What about fencing?

Does it taste like ivy league vines crawling up babies spines from birth?

Does it taste like "Harvard is your dream not mine" and then rebellion

Does rebellion look like a fully funded backpack trip to Europe with your first great love

Or does it look like "I'm going to work for my parents equally rich rival company"

Or does it look like different freedom, independence, simply a different life

Where you can still ask your parents for money because you reached a happy ever after in the movie

What does capitalism taste like

Happily ever after is fake for us real folks so it must hold true for those up top right?

People in gated communities who's stepford mother's figures are earned with the local book club

Who's menopause kicks in at the same pace because we're all just clucking hens bonding together aren't we

Aren't we all just girls looking to connect with other girls in line for the bathroom?

Let's be honest, we all have some kind of mommy issue don't we? #justgirlythings

And what about the men? Is it really just an opportunity to measure up?

Is it a subtle side eye to measure manhood, even tho bro code states "thou must not make eye contact with another bro I'm the bathroom"

Doe you feel like enough when you see a guy like your ex is now dating

Do you feel reassured when you notice your manhood is better?

Why does size matter?

Why am I automatically called "a little lady" by cowboys who are raised to believe "bigger in Texas" really means better

Is this what capitalism does

Does "be a man" follow men into the bathroom like "don't be a pussy" does for women?

Why must public communal bathrooms make us decide a gender right at that moment

Can't we measure a bathroom by the content of their room?

Stalls or urinals? Privacy or not? Right this way fellow citizen

Citizen. Human. Person. Life.

What does capitalism taste like

Does it taste like legislation against the gays?

No cakes no websites no space no homos

No healthcare no rights no sports pro bono

Hare dare anyone use pronouns! Fake news!

Them libs want you to think you can be referred to anything but your name. It's the devil's work

Didnt you hear that song? Call me by your name? He was a devil in the music I daresay! The devil!!

I'd let the devil fuck me

At least he would treat me right and show me a good time

What has capitalism done

This thing we fought for so that all our founders' legacies might have a future

Future away from tyranny and taxation and being slaves to our king

We have no kind any more, no crown jewels to protect, but we act the same

Why is the one who's always on top always the winner who writes the history

The winner who's educated

from a family with money

who were taught good Christian values

with a fencing rapier in hand and

Shakespeare in their veins

Is this what capitalism does

Dilutes us to the elite

Homogeneous suburbia and "all you need is fairy tales and you can be rich too"

Political correctness and "just find a man to solve your problems"

It's not just little girls who get told their not good enough

The gender non conforming community has definitely unlocked a whole cheat code on life

That and the furries who have been the scientific backbone of this country for eons

But why do my apples taste not like what an apple tree looks like in the movies?

The one in the corner of Mamma Mia on the isle in Greece

Where my problems were solved by not getting married but traveling the world as a skinny white woman with her Kenough manly man

Singing voice for character wink

Why don't my apples taste like those on the Grecian island where the stories of the locals are forgotten to the American story, the American dream

I escaped my mom and became one myself

I'm a self made woman now

With a mortgage she can't pay and life problems that were clearly solved by marrying the man who hurt her the most in life

Why doesn't my apple taste like how that apple tree looks?

Why doesn't it taste like the apple from the garden?

Why doesn't it taste like the freedom eve must have felt when she disobeyed

Why is the taste of temptation diluted in my cheap apple from the superstore in the fruit section

Does it taste like pesticide and FDA regulations

Who keeps them in check? The CDC? WHO?

The DOJ or FBI or NAFTA or the Geneva convention

Was it a Geneva suggestion or a line from the treaty of Versailles or did agent orange bring us here

How many babies were born deformed before I ate this apple

And how many nat GMO products have I consumed that my human body has endured?

What does capitalism taste like? Because I swear, remaining tribal lands must not be like this

Forgotten poor African villages eat different

Forgotten poor native south America cultures remain intact on top of mountains that the white or Spanish or French have not yet learned to monetize

And now they will never because the people on the ground know better and are stronger

And capitalism stays the same

Progress is progress no matter how small

But all this progress

Is it good for us

Good for our taste buds

They say to beware vaccines and microchips but aren't we already a cyborg because we carry a favored microchip in our hands?

The ones we avoid calls from home on and instead laugh at cat videos

We share, bare our souls online to strangers but the people in our lives could never break our pokerface

But if we were born this way

Would we ever know what capitalism tastes like

If we don't ask someone else?

Does capitalism taste like the additive sugar in a fun size bar of crunch

Does it taste like the chocolate take over energy found in the Nestle headquarters

Or does it taste like the cocaine they put into coca cola to keep people buying more

I'm not convinced that the girl scouts didn't take that idea for themselves

Does capitalism taste like the working conditions of these massive corporate overlords

Or the factories where they bottle and bag and package comfort for 1.25

Does it taste the endless metallic conveyor belts

Or the chance that peanuts were used in any of those products

Does it taste like our countries trade deal for cheap products made from other companies

Does it taste like the the sweat shops that make your favorite new shirt or those fashionable high tops

Does it take like the abused labor that built this country

Does it taste like all the ghost statues of people who should have been memorialized instead of forgettable white men from history

Does it taste like the rust they should have earned all along

Or does it taste like the pain of forgotten artists

The heart of Harlem the beasts of Boston the cheeps of the Cherokee

Does it sound like the ones who's names we forget

The neglected breaks of the Oregon trail the gentrification of the only pockets of culture in this country

The Japanese internment camps

Border patrol and the place where there was almost a wall

Are the tears of all the family members of witches still a part of Salem

What about the hurt caused by the fights for gender equality that excluded black women

Does capitalism taste like Jim Crow or strange fruit

Just because it's rotting in the back doesn't mean it's in our past

These caged birds still sing can't you hear?

I fear for my brother and my niece and my nephew daily, their lives matter too

Friends neighbors family

They're still part of your labor or did you forget what The 13th taught us

Toni Morrison, Frederick Douglas

Miles Davis, Billie Holliday

MLK and Malcom X

HER and Missy Elliott

They run in our veins

The revolution is not televised

Stonewall certainly can't be told by anyone else

Nor can we forget the power of black trans women in the creation of pride spaces

What about the flyover cities that are meant for rural living with signs screaming "no airport here"

The pain of the indigenous people who's land a mindless mall was built over

Being given back land that belonged to those born here ages past

Ancestral home can be yours with a side of steak knives

And while I'm here can I interest you in the Book of Mormon

What about their tears? Their blood their breaks their pain

Does capitalism taste like that?

The endless lost even now and memorialized in art with a red handprint to their portrait

The lack of water and resources to land promised back

Ancestral home returned but you're on your own. Unless you're ready to hear about our Lord and savior

When will we realize we aren't a savior to begin with

Is this what capitalism tastes like?

Institutions built for white people who forgot that the land isn't theirs and never was

Home of the brave where those with the most force and money can get anywhere

We're the underdogs, the land of opportunity, come on by

You just have to follow these few simple rules

So if you're not perfect or cookie cutter, don't worry we'll just sand around the edges

So you'll fit into these boxes and society can know what to do with you

But if you're too much or not enough be ready to hate the rest of your days here

Welcome to the country of goldilocks and fuck you if you're not "just right"

What does capitalism taste like for you?

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rosesocietyy · 1 year

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Mulling on Lestat the musical again and I think the crux of the problem was it got crushed under the weight of its own ambition. The stories Elton John and Linda Woolverton have worked on before appear epic, but are actually quite contained; the lion king, aida, etc. Lestat's tale is too vast and meandering and trying to fit all that lore in 2 hrs, told almost exclusively through quite generic ballads (I'm guessing as an attempt to invoke the time period) was both too much and somehow painfully dull. Too much was happening too fast for you to care about anything. Les Mis was an anomaly, don't attempt to recreate it.

An effective approach would have been something akin to The Great Comet. Take a snippet out of the whole story, focus on that, and be a little experimental with the music. Or don't, the music can still be conventional, but the scope must be smaller. And don't be scared to go crazy, anne certainly wasn't. The main themes might be a little different when separated from the book series as a whole but that's alright, it still works as an individual piece of art.

They could tell a tragic story of the boy who finally made it out and escaped his father's bruising temper, his mother's passivity, and village's accusing eyes, only to have that life he's painstakingly built for himself stolen from him by a monster. It ignores the aspects of lestat that came with his vampirism but that's a fair trade off. This can end with Nicki killing himself, let that be the harrowing end. They can add their own creative spin to it, change the era, make it a folk opera, or something akin to cabaret, the possibilities aren't endless but they're quite a lot.

Or, they could make a 2hr introspection on the rise and fall of a relationship that starts Louis and lestat meeting and ends with lestat dying. Basically season one. Tackle intersectional issues with vampirism as a backdrop, or as a metaphor, take your pic. They can play with the structure a la The last five years; in fact the interview structure itself is already primed and ready for the stage, there's not much to tweak. Let the music rise and fall with their madness. I want to feel as suffocated as Louis does in small box lestat calls love.

They could go even smaller, make it about Claudia, birth to death. How everyone in her life failed her over and over and over again, the lament of a girl who was never truly seen. The framing device is Louis finding all her diaries and reading it for the first time and having a mental breakdown at the end.

There are so many fascinating segments one can zero in on to extract a gem, and as much as I hate to say it, that's kinda the beauty of anne's narrative clusterfuck. I truly hope one day another write and composer would take another look at her world and give it a genuine shot, there's gold waiting to be mined in there.

#i will say though #the pin drop silence in the theatre when lestat kissed his mom was iconic #and is probably the closest that musical was to reaching its full potential #that and 'I want more'#10/10 no notes #interview with the vampire #iwtv #louis de pointe du lac #lestat de lioncourt #the vampire chronicles #lestat the musical

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sapphicscribbles2222 · 27 days

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Latin significance in THG that nobody asked for

Went to Rome on a school trip and realised exactly how much of THG relates to latin and roman stuff so I decided to make a post so I can rant about some of the instances. Also, please be aware that my knowledge isn't perfect, so there might be some mistakes, but this is just a bit of fun really anyway.

Also spoilers for all of the hunger games books

Panem- probably the one everyone knows about, it's the name of the country, and means "bread" in latin, which I find ridiculous. That's like me calling my country "Victoria Sponge" or something (I'm British :) )

The Capitol- Probably less well known, it's named after the Capitoline Hill, considered one of the most important places in Rome. It was where there was a temple to all their gods (I think). There's a museum there now. So, sort of narcissistic to name your capital city after that? Idk.

Caesar Flickerman- Pretty self explanatory, Roman dictator, got stabbed. This man should under no circumstances do TV appearances on the 15th March

Seneca Crane- Ok, this one's kind of ironic, because in the books, Seneca is head gamemaker and close to Snow, right? But Seneca (roman) was a philosopher who wrote a satire and criticised roman habits (one prescribed source for the course I'm taking is literally him being annoyed at roman gladiator fights), so the character and historical figure are pretty different here

Plutarch Heavensbee- Another head gamemaker, also kind of ironic. And based off another philosopher. Plutarch (roman) wrote a load of letters and things commenting on stuff like who got voted in for things, who did what. He, unlike Seneca, didn't write satire though (to my knowledge). So I guess the whole thing with them is giving the name of the satirist to the law abiding citizen and the average philosopher to the rebel, which I find kind of amusing.

Coriolanus Snow- It fits tbh. Coriolanus (not Snow) might have been a real historical figure, idk enough about it, maybe not. He appears in the works of this guy called Livy, who wrote stories for model romans, but his is more of a cautionary tale. Essentially, Coriolanus was a great roman military general, but then decided to betray Rome and go work with the guys they were fighting, who were called the Etruscans, and now they're sieging the city. The roman woman figure out he's betrayed them, and go beg for help from his wife and mother. They agree to help, and the roman women, Coriolanus's mother, his wife and their two sons go to the Etruscan's camp to try and persuade him to stop sieging the city. They get there, and his mum proceeds to yell at him for betraying her and Rome. Coriolanus hears this, and is like, "ok, I'll stop sieging your city. But you, mother, will never see me again." So he gets the Etruscans to leave, then proceeds to get killed by them for backing out. Honestly? I can see it.

Sejanus Plinth- Don't know of any Sejanus specifically, but it may be a reference to Janus, god of doorways and paths (kind of fits, given that he comes from D2 but lives in the Capitol, so that's sort of like a doorway between livelihoods). That's the best I've got, but I think it fits.

Arachne Crane- This one works as well, in my opinion. Basically, Arachne was a weaver, but she was kind of prideful, so she starts boasting that her work is better than Athena/Minerva's (y'know, the literal goddess of weaving?). Anyway, Athena/Minerva challenges her to a competition, where the loser can't weave on a loom anymore. Athena/Minerva wins (obviously) but she sees how upset Arachne is and takes pity on her, turning her into a spider so she can still weave. Honestly, the whole thing kind of fits, since they both basically have the same fatal flaw of superiority, which leads to Arachne getting killed in tbosas, and Arachne getting turned into a spider in the myth.

That's all I've got for now, folks (also congratulations for reading this far). There's probably way more references to myth and roman society in the series, but these are all I can think of at the moment. Anyways, hope you have a good day, thanks for stopping by :)

#thg #hunger games #caesar flickerman #seneca crane #plutarch heavensbee #coriolanus snow #sejanus plinth #arachne crane #latin #myths

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elliepassmore · 4 months

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The Witchwood Knot review

4/5 stars Recommended if you like: Victorian era, fantasy, witchy reads, mirror worlds, Fae

Big thanks to Netgalley, Starwatch Press, and the author for an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

This book is connected to Atwater's Regency Faerie Tales, but set some time after, once the period becomes the Victorian Era. Characters from the Regency Faerie Tales are mentioned, and Winnie knows some of them quite well, so it's a little spoilery if you haven't read the other series. That being said, this one does stand on its own and you don't need to have read the Regency books to grasp what's going on here and how the magic system works. (I did not read the Regency Faerie Tales series, but now I'm kind of thinking I might).

I have to say, I appreciate Atwater's dedication not only to representing the time period she is writing about but also to the style and theme of writing from that time period. She has a 'review' here on Goodreads that goes over some pretty interesting things and I enjoyed finding hints of that in the book (it is a somewhat spoilery review though, so only read if you've finished or are OK w/ spoilers).

The book opens as all Proper Victorian Books must: with a stormy evening and a governess. You get an immediate sense that something about the manor is strange, first from the fact that the coachman wouldn't go near it and then from the skittish silence of the servants. I definitely liked how it set up a Slightly Off atmosphere, though Winnie's humor and matter-of-factness creates an illusion of calm. The weird goings-on at the manor are the result of Fae, not 'horror' creatures, and so you know the rules going in. That being said, Atwater creates Fae that are cunning and cruel, quick to press advantages and attempt to ruin things before they've begun.

I did think it was easy enough to figure out why the Fae were mad (it takes Winnie longer), but there are some interesting and gruesome twists in there that I wasn't expecting. I was definitely intrigued by the missing town's folk and quite enjoyed how some of Winnie's Fae stories came around in a different way later on in the book.

Winnie is used to Fae, was saved and tutored by one as a child, and so she's able to have a matter-of-factness about her that many of the other characters lack. Even if she doesn't practically know certain things, she knows them theoretically, and that's a leg up compared to people who have little information about them at all aside from their terrorizing of the manor. I enjoyed Winnie's practicality as well as the humor she suffused into many of her Fae interactions. I found her dislike of Robert to be relatable and honestly think she has more patience than I would in that situation. Despite her semi-tough exterior, and her own best attempts, it's clear Winnie cares deeply for people and is willing to go to great lengths to protect them, even if she still doesn't particularly like them.

Quincy is the butler for the Fae side of the manor and plays both harmless and horrifying pranks on the inhabitants. It was hard to get a good read on Quincy because he was clearly not on the side of the humans, but at the same time he seemed to have soft spots for them at times (such as for Cook). I didn't like him for a good portion of the book, but he grew on me in the last 30% or so and by the end I liked him.

There is romance in the story, and while I liked it, I also am not sure how I feel about it. I knew who would be involved and that it was coming, but I feel like we don't really get a solid buildup to it. I knew those things because I read fantasy with romance, and I've read fantasy/romantasy books like this before, but if I was new to the genre and didn't know the pattern and tropes, I would probably be confused as to where the romance was coming from. Now, that's not to say there aren't hints of the romance throughout, but it is to say that I don't feel like the hints really build up properly.

I liked the Fae elements of the book and the topsy-turvey version of the house. The mirror world was an interesting aspect, and I particularly liked how it seemed to grow and become labyrinthine as a way of confounding the humans caught in the mirror world. Quincy is the main Fae we come into contact with, but there are the standard Gentry partying in part of the house, and Lady Mourningwood plays a bit of a role too. As usual, I enjoyed the careful wordplay that the Fae engaged in and that Winnie and the others had to accommodate lest they get trapped. Winnie seemed particularly adept at using faerie rules, which proved a nice challenge for the Fae who weren't expecting her.

Overall I enjoyed this book. I'll probably read Half a Soul at the very least and see if I want to get the full Regency Era story.

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misstooni · 5 months

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I might regret this, but I don't think I have enough people following me for me to fully regret it so I'm just going to ask. I want to try and read more this year, so I'm looking for book recommendations! I have trouble reading so like 400-500~ pages is the longest I can read. I like mysteries and fantasy/supernatural stuff (I'm more into modern-ish fantasy than high fantasy but it matters more if I vibe with the author's writing style than the setting) as well as most kinds of gothic fiction.

Not interested in a list of tropes as a recommendation, I'm also happy to get short story anthologies as recommendations, they tend to be a lot easier for me to read! Authors I like include Neil Gaiman, Seanan McGuire, Charlaine Harris, Jonathan L. Howard, Nisioisin, and uh... that's what I can think of off the top of my head. I also enjoy retellings of fairy tales and folk stories and fiction written in the style of a fairy tale.

Not expecting too much feedback on this but I welcome all suggestions even if they don't end up being something I read!

#in search of book recs #tooni wants to read more

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trashartgalleries · 6 months

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Pulled out my laptop to R A M B L E

Sooooo... I've started planning out a new story (even though I haven't finish planning out MULTIPLE stories that I came up with ideas for) on Hiveworld (an awesome story planning site).

The story's going to be a fantasy tale about humans being created waay after everyone (orcs, elves, dwarves, and lizard folk) were, and how they play catch-up and govern themselves compares to the other kingdoms. I wanted to write/plan it out because a lot of fantasy stories have it setup where the humans have overpowered the other races/species and I wanted to mix things up a little... I guess.

In the story, the elves are all-powerful and will think of the humans as pets or something adorable that they want to own. The dwarves and lizard kingdoms will be pretty chill with humans, and the orcs will be close friends with them (because top!orc x botton!human content is hot... I'm a freak, I know =w=)

I wanna doodle some character design ideas for the story and maybe post them on here for, like opinions or design ideas from mutuals... i might even post a scene or two just to see if it's good or not (my writing's pretty bad compared to other people =w=;)

Anyway, I'm done rambling! Back to planning Homo Sapien (the title for the book. the alt. title is Gen 1 of Humanity)

#just talking #talking #a story i'm planning to write #story ideas #orc on human content is sexy as fuck #I would let an orc dominate my soul #ignore this post if you want #mutuals are welcome to judge me #=w=

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not-poignant · 6 months

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November 2023 Writing Round-Up

Here's the monthly round-up of everything written and posted in November 2023! What a HUGE month it's been!

Underline the Black 68

Underline the Black 69

Underline the Black 70

Underline the Black 71

Underline the Black 72

Underline the Blue 05

Underline the Blue 06

The Nascent Diplomat 38

The Nascent Diplomat 39 (Augus+Gwyn Tier+)

Underline the Blue 09 (Augus+Gwyn Tier+)

Underline the Blue 10 (Augus+Gwyn Tier+)

Constellations 03 (Gary+Efnisien Tier+)

Chapter Commentary - Underline the Black 29 (Mosk+Eran Tier+)

Chapter Commentary - Underline the Black 30 (Mosk+Eran Tier+)

Game Theory Edit - Chapter 3 (Gary+Efnisien Tier+)

Game Theory Edit - Chapter 4 (Gary+Efnisien Tier+)

FANFICTION

A Stain that Won't Dissolve 25 (Alex/Sebastian, Stardew Valley)

A Stain that Won't Dissolve 26

Palmarosa 09 (Astarion/Raphael, Baldur's Gate 3)

Palmarosa 10

Palmarosa 11

Thanks to NaNoWriMo, I wrote 62,000 words this month. It would have been a lot more, but some real world stuff came and rained on the parade a little. The next two months will have a slimmer schedule to conserve energy and health. :)

In November, I realised how powerful my Ream account can be going forward (a mirror subscription of Patreon that cleans up very nicely, with its own in-built e-reader), and that has inspired me to create books or compilations of all of the previous Chapter Commentaries so no one needs to search anymore to find them all. They're (almost) all now in book or compilation form at both Patreon and Ream. I will eventually be doing this for Song Spotlights and more :D

I've activated Collections over at Patreon, so for folks looking to quickly find things who don't want to scroll a lot, they can check the Collections tab!

MERCH TIER RELOADED: I've also revamped the Evan+Vexteria tier, so it's now a merch tier as well. Not only do you get everything in the previous tiers, but you also will get a merch drop every 5-6 months, as long as you've been subscribed in that tier, during that 6 month period, for four consecutive months. The first merch drop went out about a week ago.

On the writing side, I started strong with NaNo, but hit the wall after about 60k. It's been rough. I'll be taking care of my health over the next few months in a more conscious and deliberate way.

Constellations is officially launching on AO3 in December!

For those who remember the Merchantverse novel Tradewinds, this is coming in book / e-book form to Patreon and Ream only in the Gary+Efnisien Tier or higher. It is a completed Fae Tales Verse story, that focuses on merchant fae in the southern hemisphere, and Seelie vs. Unseelie merchant traders. This will come either in December 2023 or January 2024.

Sending out love to all who are enjoying the stories and worlds, and to those who contribute to this writing existing in whatever forms you do. I'm endlessly grateful. If anyone ever has any questions about Patreon / Ream etc. or the Schedule and so on, let me know and I'll help out. :D

I'll see you all in December! Which is now! We've just passed our first heatwave, which saw a fire severe enough and close enough to the suburbs that several members of my family needed to evacuate. They are safe, thankfully. My flowers are doing well, and I've kept everything alive despite the heat, and the stonefruit is officially in season. Cherries, nectarines, peaches, apricots and more? Summer might be oppressively hot, but the fruit is wonderful.

#housekeeping #monthly roundup #monthly round up #schedule coming next!!

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someonelookingpraediti · 1 year

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Yearly Roundup Best Books of 2022

5. Pandora

This is the perfect mix of Greek retelling and modern storytelling. It's based on the Pandora myth, but she's not the original Pandora, she just happens to share the name... and have a cursed jar. The story was beautifully told, and delicately magical.

4. Skyward

This is my favourite Brandon Sanderson series so far! I much prefer his sci-fi to his fantasy. I can't wait until the series is finished, I'm dying to know how it turns out. This is one of the most well thought out sci-fi series I've ever read, and every character is so complex.

3. Cemetery Boys

This might be one of the most satisfying books I've ever read. It was sweet and emotional and fun. I was so gripped, and wanted so much for Yadriel to get his happy ever after. I recommend this book to everyone, and I can't wait to read more by the author.

2. Folk of the Air

I'm also sort of including the Modern Faerie Tales in here too, which are set in the same world, but if I had to choose, it would be Folk of the Air. I wasn't really expecting much from The Cruel Prince when I picked it up, but I'm so glad I did. Every character Holly Black writes is absolutely magnetic. Her faeries are simultaneously horrific and captivating.

1. All for the Game

This series is... mind blowing. I still can't believe how much this has taken over my life. I had no idea what I was getting into, and I could not have prepared myself for this. Don't get me wrong, it was horrifying and terrible and violent, but it was also hopeful. I'm in love with every character, and I'm even more in love with Exy. I can't wait to reread this several times in 2023!

And a shout-out to some of the other five star books that didn't quite make this list: The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue, Regency Faerie Tales, Firstborn, and The House in the Cerulean Sea

And finally, because I'm a petty bitch, these are the worst books I've read this year: The Atlas Six, Gild, Lore, These Violent Delights, and Violet Made of Thorns.

#yearly roundup #roundup #2022 #best of 2022 #all for the game #the foxhole court #folk of the air #holly black #nora sakavic #brandon sanderson #skyward #pandora #cemetery boys #aiden thomas #susan stokes chapman #aftg

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