#Beyond by Mercedes Lackey

[readingbooksinisrael]

#notyourclassics Day 9: The Color Purple

[checkoutmybookshelf]

The First Valdemaran Legend

The more I read of Valdemar and it's expansive universe, the more convinced I am that it's becoming Discworldian in the fact that Mercedes Lackey's flagship universe has multiple entry points. Arrows of the Queen was my entry point (and is the publication order entry point), Magic's Pawn is where a lot of people start, I would argue that you could also start with The Oathbound: Book I: Vows and Honor, and now people have the option to begin with the founding of Valdemar itself. Let's talk Beyond.

This book is objectively not the first time Mercedes Lackey has told Baron Kordas Valdemar's story. The story of Valdemar's founding is given in some form or other in multiple books, including the Arrows of the Queen and Mage Wind trilogies and Exile's Honor. The story is also relayed in "Valdemar," for those of you in the Valdemar music Fandom, and Kordas also is the main speaker in "I Found a Land." So honestly it was only a matter of time before the founding got its own set of books, and Beyond is the first book.

We start in the old empire, which is...just kind of alarming in terms of how fast it's declining and how ugly it gets. Like, Kordas's kids are "officially" his brother's bastards so the emperor won't take them as hostages. It's BAD, y'all. Kordas is known in the imperial court as basically a not-terribly-intelligent fop, but that is entirely a cover for The Plan, which has been in the works for at least three or four generations of Valdemars, and The Plan is to take everyone on the duchy and basically gate as far away from the empire as they can to start over. Every possible industry and resource on the duchy is skimmed to prepare for The Plan, so they're building barges, stockpiling food, medicine, and other stuff, and insofar as Kordas can tell, he is going to be the Valdemar to implement the plan.

And then he's summoned to the imperial court.

I want to more or less leave the plot there to avoid major spoilers, because this book is absolutely worth a read. What is really well done is the simultaneous sense of a long-term, extremely detailed and well thought out plan and last-minute tap-dancing to make sure that things don't all go to hell because plans tend to fall apart the INSTANT you implement them.

The other really interesting thing about this book that I'm not actually sure Mercedes Lackey has done before in Valdemar--or at least not done in this much detail--is explore the long-term ramifications of a family that was composed politically rather than for love. We get a little bit of that in Exile's Honor and Exile's Valor with Selenay and Karathanelan, but Karathanelan is dead by the end of the second book and frankly they were a bad decision from the jump. Kordas and Isla, on the other hand, are fully like a decade and three children into their marriage that was largely of convenience and "the devil you know" and we get to see how they negotiate that. It's a really interesting dynamic and not one I feel like I see very often.

Unfortunately that comes with Isla's sister having a massive unrequited crush on Kordas which never manages not to be just...sheer cringe on the page. I could have done without that.

In general though, the plotting, intrigue, and overall worldbuilding in this book was fun and compelling, and as a plot-based starting point for the Valdemar universe, I honestly think it's a solid start.

[book--brackets]

Valdemar: Heralds of Valdemar by Mercedes Lackey (1987-1988)

Chosen by the Companion Rolan, a mystical horse-like being with powers beyond imagining, Talia, once a runaway, has now become a trainee Herald, destined to become one of the Queen's own elite guard. For Talia has certain awakening talents of the mind that only a Companion like Rolan can truly sense.But as Talia struggles to master her unique abilities, time is running out. For conspiracy is brewing in Valdemar, a deadly treason that could destroy Queen and kingdom. Opposed by unknown enemies capable of both diabolical magic and treacherous assassination, the Queen must turn to Talia and the Heralds for aid in protecting the realm and insuring the future of the Queen's heir, a child already in danger of becoming bespelled by the Queen's own foes.

The Memoirs of Lady Trent by Marie Brennan (2013-2019)

You, dear reader, continue at your own risk. It is not for the faint of heart--no more so than the study of dragons itself. But such study offers rewards beyond compare: to stand in a dragon's presence, even for the briefest of moments--even at the risk of one's life--is a delight that, once experienced, can never be forgotten. . . .

All the world, from Scirland to the farthest reaches of Eriga, know Isabella, Lady Trent, to be the world's preeminent dragon naturalist. She is the remarkable woman who brought the study of dragons out of the misty shadows of myth and misunderstanding into the clear light of modern science. But before she became the illustrious figure we know today, there was a bookish young woman whose passion for learning, natural history, and, yes, dragons defied the stifling conventions of her day.

Here at last, in her own words, is the true story of a pioneering spirit who risked her reputation, her prospects, and her fragile flesh and bone to satisfy her scientific curiosity; of how she sought true love and happiness despite her lamentable eccentricities; and of her thrilling expedition to the perilous mountains of Vystrana, where she made the first of many historic discoveries that would change the world forever.

Entwined by Heather Dixon Wallwork (2011)

Just when Azalea should feel that everything is before her—beautiful gowns, dashing suitors, balls filled with dancing—it's taken away. All of it. And Azalea is trapped. The Keeper understands. He's trapped, too, held for centuries within the walls of the palace. So he extends an invitation.

Every night, Azalea and her eleven sisters may step through the enchanted passage in their room to dance in his silver forest, but there is a cost. The Keeper likes to keep things. Azalea may not realize how tangled she is in his web until it is too late.

Akata Witch by Nnedi Okorafor (2011-2022)

Twelve-year-old Sunny lives in Nigeria, but she was born American. Her features are African, but she's albino. She's a terrific athlete, but can't go out into the sun to play soccer. There seems to be no place where she fits in. And then she discovers something amazing--she is a free agent with latent magical power. Soon she's part of a quartet of magic students, studying the visible and invisible, learning to change reality. But will it be enough to help them when they are asked to catch a career criminal who knows magic too?

Serafina by Robert Beatty (2015-2019)

Serafina has never had a reason to disobey her pa and venture beyond the grounds of the Biltmore estate. There's plenty to explore in her grand home, although she must take care to never be seen. None of the rich folk upstairs know that Serafina exists; she and her pa, the estate's maintenance man, have secretly lived in the basement for as long as Serafina can remember.

But when children at the estate start disappearing, only Serafina knows who the culprit is: a terrifying man in a black cloak who stalks Biltmore's corridors at night. Following her own harrowing escape, Serafina risks everything by joining forces with Braeden Vanderbilt, the young nephew of the Biltmore's owners. Braeden and Serafina must uncover the Man in the Black Cloak's true identity before all of the children vanish one by one.

Serafina's hunt leads her into the very forest that she has been taught to fear. There she discovers a forgotten legacy of magic, one that is bound to her own identity. In order to save the children of Biltmore, Serafina must seek the answers that will unlock the puzzle of her past.

The Children of the Red King by Jenny Nimmo (2002-2009)

The fabulous powers of the Red King were passed down through his descendants, after turning up quite unexpectedly, in someone who had no idea where they came from. This is what happened to Charlie Bone, and to some of the children he met behind the grim, gray walls of Bloor's Academy.

His scheming aunts decide to send him to Bloor Academy, a school for geniuses where he uses his gifts to discover the truth despite all the dangers that lie ahead.

Fairyland by Catherynne M. Valente (2011-2016)

Twelve-year-old September lives in Omaha, and used to have an ordinary life, until her father went to war and her mother went to work. One day, September is met at her kitchen window by a Green Wind (taking the form of a gentleman in a green jacket), who invites her on an adventure, implying that her help is needed in Fairyland. The new Marquess is unpredictable and fickle, and also not much older than September. Only September can retrieve a talisman the Marquess wants from the enchanted woods, and if she doesn't . . . then the Marquess will make life impossible for the inhabitants of Fairyland. September is already making new friends, including a book-loving Wyvern and a mysterious boy named Saturday.

World of the Five Gods by Lois McMaster Bujold (2001-2005)

Lord Cazaril has been in turn courier, courtier, castle-warder, and captain; now he is but a crippled ex-galley slave seeking nothing more than a menial job in the kitchens of the Dowager Provincara, the noble patroness of his youth. But Fortunes wheel continues to turn for Cazaril, and he finds himself promoted immediately to the exalted and dangerous position of secretary-tutor to the Iselle, the beautiful, fiery sister of the heir to Chalion’s throne.

Amidst the decaying splendour and poisonous intrigue of Chalion’s ancient capital, Cardegoss, Cazaril is forced to encounter both old enemies and surprising allies, as he seeks to lift the curse of misfortune that clings to the royal family of Chalion, and to all who come too close to them...

Keys to the Kingdom by Garth Nix (2003-2010)

Arthur Penhaligon's first days at his new school don't go too well, particularly when a fiendish Mister Monday appears, gives Arthur a magical clock hand, and then orders his gang of dog-faced goons to chase Arthur around and get it back. But when the confused and curious boy discovers that a mysterious virus is spreading through town, he decides to enter an otherworldly house to stop it. After meeting Suzy Blue and the first part of "the Will" (a frog-looking entity that knows everything about the House), Arthur learns that he's been selected as Rightful Heir to the House and must get the other part of the clock hand in order to defeat Monday. That means getting past Monday's henchmen and journeying to the Dayroom itself. Thankfully, Arthur is up to the challenge, but as he finds out, his fight seems to be only one-seventh over.

The Riyria Chronicles by Michael J. Sullivan (2013-present)

Hadrian Blackwater, a warrior with nothing to fight for, is paired with Royce Melborn, a thieving assassin with nothing to lose. Hired by an old wizard, they must steal a treasure that no one can reach. The Crown Tower is the impregnable remains of the grandest fortress ever built and home to the realm's most prized possessions. But it isn't gold or jewels that the wizard is after, and if he can just keep them from killing each other, they just might succeed.

[bethanydelleman]

do you have any book recommendations beyond classic lit + Jane Austen? Love your blog by the way!

Thanks! I read/have read a ton of books. My favourite genre as a child was fantasy, but I read almost everything except true crime*, thrillers, murder mysteries, self-help, and biography. But I do sometimes read those, my favourite thriller is Sometimes I Lie by Alice Feeney. I'm going to start with children's books because honestly, I find so much imagination in that genre.

Children's/YA Books: Gail Carson Levine, specifically The Princess Tales 1 & 2, and Ella Enchanted, among others Jean Little/Kit Pearson - these authors have the same vibe to me. Willow and Twig is a favourite from the first one, The Guests of War trilogy and Awake and Dreaming from the other. They both write coming of age novels for girls, both Canadian. Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs - I loved the whole trilogy (haven't watched the movie). The story being based around real antique trick photos is my favourite part The Echorium Sequence by Katherine Roberts - a trilogy of books about magical singers with blue hair and their interactions with half-human magical creatures Margaret Peterson Haddix, specifically Running Out of Time, the Shadow Children series, and Double Identity. Margaret Buffie, who writes stories about teenage girls and ghosts. Also Canadian, which I guess isn't that surprising. The Hunger Games series by Suzanne Collins. Re-read it last summer and it's as good as I remembered. Roald Dahl, I really loved Matilda as a child, it's been fun to read some of these novels with my kids. Sideways Stories from Wayside School by Louis Sachar - and it's sequels. Amazingly quirky and funny stories about a class of students in a weird school

Fantasy: Mercedes Lackey, specifically the Five Hundred Kingdoms series and The Obsidian universe. I also loved the Elvenbane series, but due to the death of Andre Norton it may never be finished. I would advise caution if sexual assault is triggering for you, the ones I like are mostly free of it but that can come up in her other works. Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien - obviously. Also loved The Hobbit, have not read further The Broken Earth trilogy by N.K. Jemisin - the book opens with the triggering of an apocalypse. The world contains people who can control earthquakes A Baroque Fable by Chelsea Quinn Yarbro - this book is so hilarious but I don't know if anyone has heard about it Once Upon a Winter's Night by Dennis L. McKiernan - and it's sequels. This is a romance retold fairy tale series

Science Fiction: Michael Crichton - who spans a bunch of genres but I'll put him here. I've read everything he's written and I recommend most of it. State of Fear has not aged well. His books are very fast-paced and Timeline has one of the best enemies to lovers. Orson Scott Card - I am aware, but Ender's Game is a masterpiece. He also has this single novel called Magic Street that is a sequel to A Midsummer Night's Dream. I also loved Memories of Earth but it's been a while since I read it. I, Robot by Issac Asimov - short stories about artificial intelligence and how it might go weird

Graphic novels: Astro City by Kurt Busiek - superhero, but more focused on how living in that world would affect normal people Y: The Last Man by Brian K. Vaughan and Pia Guerra - every male on earth dies, except for one, and his monkey Fables by Bill Willlingham - after being attacked by an army of wooden soldiers, fairy tale characters and creatures seek refuge in a non-magical world (ours) Nimona by ND Stevenson - a villain gains a shape-shifting sidekick, but she is not what she seems Scurry by Mac Smith - post-apocalyptic earth, the main characters are all surviving mice. Best artwork I've ever seen in a graphic novel American Vampire by Scott Snyder- vampires have different traits depending on their home country, this is about the new, American species. Asterix and Obelix by René Goscinny and Albert Uderzo - a small group of powerful Gauls defend themselves against the Romans using a magical potion

Non Fiction: Stephan Pinker, I've read both of his trilogies on language and the brain. Trying to get through his huge book about violence The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat by Oliver Sacks - writen by a neurologist, fascinating book Doing Harm: The Truth About How Bad Medicine and Lazy Science Leave Women Dismissed, Misdiagnosed, and Sick by Maya Dusenbery - what it says on the tin

Toddler/Young Child Books: The Monster at the End of This Book by Jon Stone - I give you a 100% guarantee that if you read this book aloud, the kids will be fascinated. It is literally always a hit Robert Munsch - most of his books are amazing, but if you don't want to cry, DO NOT read the backstory of Love You Forever. The Paper Bag Princess was one of my favourites as a child. Little Critter - only the older ones, the new ones are religious for some reason. Just for You and I Was So Mad were favourites for my kids. Early lesson in unreliable narrators. Phoebe Gilman - Something From Nothing, the Jillian Jiggs series, The Balloon Tree... so many good ones! Really good illustrations too Little Pea by Amy Krouse Rosenthal - a book about a pea who hates eating candy. This book is fun to read and my kids loved it (I have the box set) The Book with No Pictures by B.J. Novak - kids love when adults have to do weird things I Want My Hat Back by Jon Klassen - perfect opportunity to do a lot of funny voices The Mitten by Jan Brett - a whole bunch of animals squeeze into a mitten. That's the whole thing. It's great. The Very Cranky Bear by Nick Bland - and the rest of the series. These are fun to read because they rhyme. Jonathan Stutzman - my kids LOVE Tiny T. Rex and the Llama series. We haven't read the others An Elephant & Piggie by Mo Willems - we have this entire series, they are a delight. An elephant and pig are very silly friends. Good drawings Dr. Seuss - be careful with him though, his books are quite long and can be hard to read, so I recommend waiting until your kids are a bit older. But The Lorax slaps and my personal favourite as a kid was The 500 Hats of Bartholomew Cubbins

Other: Still Alice by Lisa Genova - or any of her books really. She is a neuroscientist and her books are really interesting explorations of different disorders. Book is better than the movie Warm Bodies by Issac Marion - zombie Romeo and Juliet Sophie's World by Jostein Gaarder - a novel that is also an intro to philosophy course Calvin and Hobbes - I own all of them, so excited for when my kids can understand them. I also love The Far Side, Zits, and the earlier Dilbert comics The Women in Black by Madeleine St. John - this book is absolutely charming. I saw the Netflix movie and then bought it right away.

*I avoid true crime because I have heard that the genre causes harassment to victim's families

General Note: I am aware that some of these authors are now considered controversial, some for more serious reasons than others. Sometimes flawed people make really good art. I mean, flawed people make all art because nobody on earth is perfect.

[ultimate-sword-showdown]

Sword Showdown Rematch: Round 1 Bracket

Round 1 will end on Monday, December 18th at 2:00pm PST.

Dragonslayer (Berserk) vs. Flamberge's Sword (Kirby)

Finn Sword (Adventure Time) vs. Crownsblade (Final Fantasy XIV)

Falchion (Fire Emblem) vs. Wavebreaker (Worlds Beyond Number)

Splatana Stamper (Splatoon 3) vs. Butterfly (Dota)

Monado (Xenoblade Chronicles) vs. Boreal (Sword Dancer)

Kendal (Aurora) vs. Audrey's Sword (Wandersong)

Wado Ichimonji (One Piece) vs. Unbreakable Faith (Omniscient Reader's Viewpoint)

Hand of Malenia (Elden Ring) vs. Goblin Slayer (Goblin Slayer)

Excalibur (Soul Eater) vs. Lilarcor (Baldur's Gate)

Oathkeeper and Oblivion (Kingdom Hearts) vs. Soulsword (X-men)

Magolor's Ultra Sword (Kirby's Return to Dreamland: Deluxe) vs. Azakana Blade (League of Legends)

Rivers of Blood (Elden Ring) vs. Ashbringer (World of Warcraft)

Flaming Poisoning Raging Sword of Doom (The Adventure Zone) vs. Katana of Kant (Dungeons and Daddies)

Life Ender (Hollow Knight) vs. Need (Valdemar by Mercedes Lackey)

Roukanken and Hakurouken (Touhou Project) vs. Jolt Sabre (Super Lesbian Animal RPG)

Masamune (Chrono Trigger) vs. Gram (Fate/Grand Order)

Sword of the Creator (Fire Emblem: Three Houses) vs. Sword of Heroes (Kung Fu Panda)

Thunder Edge (Ōkami) vs. Kusabimaru (Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice)

Strom'kar (World of Warcraft) vs. Buster Sword (Final Fantasy VII)

Biggoron Sword (The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time) vs. Cortana (The Shadowhunter Chronicles)

Thousand Demon Daggers (Scissor Seven) vs. Narsil (Lord of the Rings)

Leo's Katanas/Ōdachi (Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles) vs. Jashin Blade (Ultraman Orb)

Sokka's Sword (Avatar: The Last Airbender) vs. Greenhilt Sword (Order of the Stick)

Myrtenaster (RWBY) vs. Wirikidor (The Misenchanted Sword)

Nightblood (Cosmere/Warbreaker) vs. The Blade in the Dark (Friends at the Table: Seasons of Hieron)

Red Scissor Blade (Kill la Kill) vs. Serenade (Dead Cells)

Mayalaran (The Stormlight Archive) vs. Gloom Sword (The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom)

All-Black (Venom) vs. Musou Isshin (Genshin Impact)

Masamune (Final Fantasy VII) vs. Dark Sister (A Song of Ice and Fire)

Chainsword (Warhammer 40k) vs. Blade (Cave Story)

sord.... (Homestuck) vs. Sohothin (Guild Wars 2)

The Four Sword (The Legend of Zelda) vs. Rapier (Dota)

[penwrythe]

I have thoughts around the discussion of mature writing for adult media.

My project World of Relics is for adults, so it's good to see how this discussion goes since I really don't want to struggle writing WOR as an adult webcomic (Rise of Relics) and anthology (The Mundane Realm) series. I think the reason why Hazbin and TADC feels immature that they have the nostalgia of edgy kids and teens media with occasional mature themes being the inspiration, but not really fully embracing those themes from an adult's point of view. It would explain in part why they feel immature for something that suppose to be for adults.

Note: this is an underdeveloped thought, still processing it so critique is welcomed and good thank you.

This is not to say you cannot take inspiration from kids/teens media, this is more to say how does it effect how you perceive/write/create adult media. Is adult media "shocking fact that the characters are stuck somewhere unusual", "randoms s*e*x joke the 5th time in an episode", and "it's mature because shocking thing you don't see in kids media"?

Or is adult media about recognizing both the mundane and extremes of adulthood, with no escapism from certain extremes, understanding the moments of joy, pain, sorrow, etc has more to them than brief moments but instead history and context behind all of that in an adult's life.

Taking a moment to review what I been viewing and reading so that I can understand how to write World of Relics:

--Animated Series--

JJBA - Stone Ocean*

Arcane*

Primal*

Carol and the End of the World*

Blue Eye Samurai*

Blood of Zeus*

Dungeon Meshi/Delicious in Dungeon*

ONE

--Books (both YA and Adult/New Adult)--

The Rage of Dragons by Evan Winter*

The Fifth Season by N.K. Jemisin*

Children of Blood and Bone by Tomi Adeyemi

Legendborn Series by Tracy Deonn (YA, but still handles mature themes well)

Oathblood by Mercedes Lackey*

The asterisk is for media I'm not just reading for enjoyment but learning how to handle the form of storytelling it presents. Without making this post too long, I feel gravitated to these media not for ~what shocking situation the character is in~ but the familiarity of their experiences to mine or to other people's life experiences they faced. Some more extreme than others (especially Blue Eye Samurai, Blood of Zeus, The Rage of Dragons, and The Fifth Season), the extremes of trauma, strife, hardship, discrimination, and destruction in these stories have an weight to them beyond the shock of violence or death, or the existential crisis. Like, there's no cry laughing, but there is quiet moments of grief and pain, the yearning of better days, desires of vengeance and justice. There's a substance to them that feels more thought out than what I feel from TADC Hazbin.

Note 2: I'm sorry if I'm being harsh, I love TADC. Yes, there's only two episodes out right now, but like I want more than what it presents.

Note 3: Yeah, I'm comparing apples to grand pianos, but I believe there's no harm in asking for more. I believe adult indie animation can do better, for now we have stepping stones that will help build the foundation for the next generation of adult animation. ~looking at Lackadaisy here since I'm a reader of their comic, that will most certainly be the next step if you know how it goes.

In addition to this, I will admit with my project WOR, I have concerns it might not be taken seriously as adult media, not because shocking edginess (there's a sprinkling of that here and there), but ...my characters are mostly talking object people set in a fantasy world. I have decided on certain things about them: despite them having human souls, sexuality is nearly vestigial in their species so all attraction is romantically driven -they are an asexually reproducing species, and almost all cursing/swearing will sound mostly mundane to us humans -no one says M*therf*cker but will using Blazing Hell, Broken Blades, Rusted Hell, Dirty Rags, etc (similar swears to how The Fifth Season does swearing in relation to earth and fire, WOR handles swearing to the material makeup of Objectkind - as well how biases of Hardy objects have of Fragile objects), and other things.

But, I knew, after awhile of reading and watching, what kind of story I wanted and how it appears to other people. If you like, person reading this very long post, I welcome you to read the following:

// Mild Spoilers for Rise of Relics and a little for the Mundane Realm

Note 4: The characters in Rise of Relics were gods turned to their relics after their realm was destroyed by the Inversion Event. So, if you are familiar with my story, its all baleful polymorph, almost everyone gets turned. If you are uncomfortable with that trope (due to certain past depictions in media), I suggest not reading anything World of Relics please. ~also, I'm Black soooooo, its alright! Everyone's dead lol. I equalized it!

Note 5: Also in the old draft of Chp 3 sample (its updated rn, just look at the Worldofrelics tag), Nicodemus is a crystal ball, Nikey is a trident. The flashback was before the Inversion Event. Just want to put this there in case confusion.

Do these examples of my WOR project:

Feel mature?

Feel as though, despite maybe a shocking thing or too, there's more to what's presented?

What of the characters? How do you feel about them in the situation? What about the implications of the situation they are in?

Does the voice (narration of Altostratus or how the characters in RFR Chp 3 speak and behave) feel like they are adult characters, or characters in general regardless of age, exist in a mature adult setting?

How do you empathize with them in their situation? Do you expect them to just react constantly to the events in the story in one type of way? Or do you expect as they develop over time, they adapt, struggle, and grow beyond just where they started?

If you imagine these characters in real life, would they be like what the story presents them as (in both examples, characters are above the age of 18 - from 32 to thousands of years old (read late 60s -early 100s in human years in relation to this question)?

Does it feel like at any point this could appeal to children (not because talking objects, but other reasons)? How do I improve upon that to appeal to Adults (by not adding swearing or se*xual stuff, but mature themes without making light of whatever topic I'm trying to handle)?

Giant Robot Monster Hot or Dear god, this old girl Flammin went through so much I hope they are happy with their trident wife? (they won't be, lol, oh they won't be)

Do you interpret Nikey as an angsty teen/20s or someone in their early 30s just trying to make sense of the world that died around her? (Okay, not obvious in chp 3, but give me your thoughts anyway)

Sexy Tumblr Old Man or This old man was a criminal and may have hurt people deeply and wrestling with that fact, knowing that one day he will face someone who was hurt by his actions? (still writing out Gwenny's lore, just hinting at this point tho)

Okay, I ran my fingers on this too long lmao. But yeag, tell me what you think. May the discourse begin.

[fuck-you-upmusicbracket]

Sun and Shadow (Mercedes Lackey)

Star-eyed maid beyond compare/Mists of twilight in your hair Why must you be so sweet and fair?/How is it that you have bound me/In your eyes your soul lies bare/Hope is mingled with despair/Sunborn lover do I dare /Trust my heart to your keeping?

"It's star-crossed lovers eXtreme edition, one can only come out at day, the other at night, but they love each other! also the minor key lovely harmonic melodies and i just really like shadowdancer's voice"

San Cristóbal (Mal Blum)

I saw my fortune scrawled out/Up against the wall/In a crowded market place/In a town I can't recall/And the teller told me that I would be/Young and I would fall/But I didn't think he meant so soon/Not so soon at all/Back at home, you found religion/In a dirty crystal ball/In the back of a dollar store /In that shopping mall/I found religion/Out in San Cristobal

"Sometimes people change in ways that rub against each other like the rough edges of broken concrete and they never quite fit together again bc they never quite line up"

[catsvrsdogscatswin]

Higurashi Month 2024, Day 30: Optimistic

Higurashi Month prompts archive: AO3 

Young men are always viscerally convinced of their own immortality. –Reserved for the Cat, Mercedes Lackey

The thing about Keiichi and his life is this: he is fourteen years old, and he grew up –inasmuch as he is already grown– in the cold grey box of the city, where everything is regimented and everything follows a schedule.

He is only fourteen years old.

For Keiichi, such a thing as cause and consequence existed only in the thread of a mystery novel, or a math problem, or a logic puzzle. For all of his short life, adults have been telling him what to do and where to go; and when he gets there, everything is exactly as expected. His opportunity for independent action was limited.

So when he gets the airsoft gun, he doesn't think about opportunities beyond the instructions on the box or what he's looked up on the internet. Physical activity releases stress, and he wants that. He wants the numb, mindless satisfaction of shooting pellets into cardboard boxes, inflicting what little violence he can as an outlet for his frustration.

It is fun for a little bit. Then, casually, one day his eye falls on the Do Nots section of the gun's packaging.

Do not shoot at other people.

Something sparks in his dull, leaden soul at that moment. Why shouldn't he? These stupid little pellets aren't even metal; they're just plastic BB rounds. Sometimes they bounce off cardboard.

It's just another stupid rule. Just another stupid restriction laid on his shoulders.

When he sneaks out, later, to aim his gun at the kids walking home, he's planned everything out. He'll shoot the younger girls because they won't fight back, and he'll be careful and clever to make sure no one spots him or connects the shootings to him. He's just blowing off steam; the pellets will sting, briefly, and that's it. It's practically harmless.

The shootings persist despite various precautions, and fear ramps up in his district, and Keiichi carries a warm, smug glow throughout the day.

What he fails to think about –until that girl, that day, that eye– is the obvious fact that manufacturers are legally required to put disclaimers on their products for a reason. That safety warnings on packages aren't put there to stifle him, specifically, but to prevent lawsuits and injuries.

Cause and consequence.

~*~

Keiichi moves to Hinamizawa. It's a fresh start, a clean slate. He's going to become better here, become an upstanding person who would never injure people due to his own selfish frustrations.

He meets some children his age, and makes some friends. Boisterous Mion Sonozaki, cheerful Rena Ryugu, mischievous Satoko Hojo and adorable Rika Furude. They scuffle and play and draw deep breaths of the revitalizing Hinamizawa air as the year winds inexorably towards summer.

He likes these girls. They make him feel welcome, inviting him into their social group even though he's a stranger, even though their village is isolated and somewhat insular.

It's when he's at the dump site with Rena that he finds the old magazines detailing a murder. He's surprised that such a quiet village could engender such a thing –and then, later, when both Mion and Rena sharply cut off his questions with a denial, suspicious.

What are they hiding from him? Why are they hiding it?

Hinamizawa is insular, but it isn't that insular… right?

He meets Takano-san and greets Tomitake-san at the festival. They tell him more –tell him enough to chill his blood. They tell him about the five-year curse, about the murders, about the disappearances; about how everyone in the village knows and fears the consequence of this yearly festival.

The next day, they are both dead.

When the detective appears, Keiichi doesn't hesitate for even a second to ask questions, poke deeper, stir the bushes and poke around under the rock. His friends are hiding something from him, something maybe dangerous, and he will uncover it. That is the way of things.

What he fails to consider, even long after the walls of his bedroom are painted red with blood and his palms are sore from clenching the bat's grip, is that maybe his friends had a reason to hide such gruesome things from him. Maybe, because he was new and because they cared, they avoided the subject to keep from frightening him.

He was too curious to think of the consequences, and too curious to consider a cause, until it was all too late.

~*~

Keiichi moves to Hinamizawa. It's a fresh start, a clean slate. He's going to become better here, become an upstanding person who would never injure people due to his own selfish frustrations.

He meets some children his age, and makes some friends. Boisterous Mion Sonozaki, cheerful Rena Ryugu, mischievous Satoko Hojo and adorable Rika Furude. They scuffle and play and draw deep breaths of the revitalizing Hinamizawa air as the year winds inexorably towards summer.

He likes these girls. Mion, especially, makes him feel a little strange, a little new. When he finds himself competing with her, he seems to second-guess himself constantly unless he thinks strictly in terms of winning the game.

He tries to ignore it. They are friends, good friends for all that they're so new to each other, and he doesn't want to ruin anything by getting stupid ideas. Besides, Mion is a mud-spattered tomboy with an infectious grin and a deviously-scheming mind that will blush at no punishment, no matter how humiliating –hardly the type for crushes.

It is easier to think of her like that; as someone like another boy, rough and ready and perfect for rivalry. Not a girl.

So when he gets the stupid doll after the tournament, he doesn't hesitate in passing it off to Rena. Why should he? Rena goes absolutely gaga for cute things, Satoko would probably dismantle a doll for spare parts, and Rika struck him as the sort to enjoy soft stuffed toys more than hard porcelain. Rena was the obvious choice.

Sure, Mion was the only one who hadn't gotten anything, but the shop owner said it was because he didn't pass off stuff to relatives, and that made sense, right? No point in being greedy.

And Mion wouldn't care about stuff like that, anyway.

He later forgets the doll almost completely in the shock of learning that Mion has a- a secret identity, that she tells him is her twin "Shion," and uses to wait tables at Angel Mort. The alleged Shion has all of the girly personality traits that Mion seems to disdain, and he finds himself helplessly compelled, drawn in closer from sheer curiosity alone.

And then it turns out that yes, Mion does have a twin, and that twin's streak of mischief runs even broader than hers does. That is embarrassing.

But then Shion tugs him aside at the festival, and wants to show him something, and even is Keiichi is annoyed at her for her tricks, he's always been hopelessly curious –especially about forbidden things.

The Saiguden is extremely, extremely forbidden.

But it wouldn't hurt just to take a look, right? It's a glorified toolshed, and it isn't like he plans to go around touching all the old implements. He knows enough about skin oils and long-term historical preservation to know that's a bad idea. All he's going to do is step inside a dusty old building, have a look around, and then leave. Completely harmless.

Okay, sure, there's a lock on the door, but from what he knows of Hinamizawa gossip there hasn't even been a shoplifter in living local memory. The lock is more for symbolism than for security; after all, it's stupidly simple one that even ten-year-old Rika can operate.

And they're just looking around. What could be so bad about that? Takano-san is invested in the local history, which by definition is scholarly and benign, and he and Shion… well, okay, they're just cat-killingly curious, but Rika comes in here all the time, so the shrine's not forbidden forbidden. Just… strongly discouraged.

Sure enough, it's dusty and boring and dark –at least until Takano-san starts telling stories and Shion starts clinging to his arm. Then it's dusty and boring and dark and rude and weird, because Takano-san is badmouthing the village with ghoulish excitement and Shion is clutching onto him in a way that makes him wince –he can't tell if it's excitement or misjudged strength or what, but her nails dig in something awful.

Later, it gets creepy.

Later, Shion's in trouble and Mion isn't Mion, anymore.

He doesn't know what to do when the kitchen knife sinks into his stomach. Mion would never, and for Shion it wasn't even possible –so, so what is this? What is happening?

Where did it all go wrong?

What did he do to spark all this horror?

What could he have done?

The Saiguden wasn't even that important –it was just a dusty toolshed, for crying out loud! For this –for this– he'd lost his best friend? Because of a stupid abandoned building, Rika and Satoko were dead?

He didn't understand what he had done to cause this.

~*~

Keiichi moves to Hinamizawa. It's a fresh start, a clean slate. He's going to become better here, become an upstanding person who would never injure people due to his own selfish frustrations.

He meets some children his age, and makes some friends. Boisterous Mion Sonozaki, cheerful Rena Ryugu, mischievous Satoko Hojo and adorable Rika Furude. They scuffle and play and draw deep breaths of the revitalizing Hinamizawa air as the year winds inexorably towards summer.

He likes these girls. Satoko grated on him at first, until he figured out how to look beneath her rough and cheeky demeanor into the battered girl beneath. Something stirs in him when he sees that, a memory of the stupid airsoft gun in his hand and that soul-freezing shriek as the girl staggered away from him, clutching her eye as blood trickled through her fingers.

He's going to fix himself. He's going to be better than that.

He's not going to let someone trample over Satoko, like he'd trampled over that poor other girl.

For such a firm resolution, it proves surprisingly easy to carry out. All he has to do is watch out for her, and lend a helping hand when necessary –not during club games, of course, because he doesn't want to get clobbered. But other times, he's in Satoko's corner 100%.

And then her uncle comes, and Keiichi has a target for his protective fury.

He asks Irie more and more about Satoko's past, because this is important. He can help, he can prove once and for all that he isn't that kind of cruel and selfish person; and he can help one of his beloved friends, too, save her from a horrible fate. What's wrong with that?

What's wrong with digging up the past?

What's wrong with eliminating someone who's a threat to his friend?

And then the consequences hit in a cascading tidal wave of confusion and horror.

~*~

Keiichi moves to Hinamizawa. It's a fresh start, a clean slate. He's going to become better here, become an upstanding person who would never injure people due to his own selfish frustrations.

He meets some children his age, and makes some friends. Boisterous Mion Sonozaki, cheerful Rena Ryugu, mischievous Satoko Hojo and adorable Rika Furude. They scuffle and play and draw deep breaths of the revitalizing Hinamizawa air as the year winds inexorably towards summer.

He likes these girls. Rena, especially, is both restful and exciting. She makes his blood feel like it fizzes in his veins, and simultaneously quiets him like a peaceful morning shrouded in soft mist. It all depends on her mood, and he can't help but spend as much time with her as possible, trying to bask in whatever emotional high she is currently passing onto him.

When she starts acting depressed, of course he wants to help. She's his friend, his rival, his favorite person in the club. He suggests a treasure hunt at the dump site, and then-

And then.

~*~

The trouble with Keiichi is that he is fourteen years old, and fatally curious. If there is something forbidden, he wants to know; if there is something hidden, he wants to uncover it.

He never thinks of how there might be consequences for doing so.

[keyboardsmashdmhtmdcmdcdm]

Playlist for my character

715-CREEKS-The Nor'Easters

Florence + The Machine-Jenny of Oldstones

Mercedes Lackey-Cost of the Crown

Fever Ray- Keep The Streets Empty For Me

IMAX-Bernadette

2WEI, Edda Hayes-Burn

Miracle of Sound-Moonlight Blue

Miracle of Sound-Fallen Leaves

Florence + The Machine-Cassandra

Sam Smith-Unholy

Billy Talent-Rusted From The Rain

Five Finger Death Punch-Wrong Side Of Heaven

Brandon Boone-The Wild

Brandon Boone-The Thorn

Guitars & Dragons-Ladies of the Woods

Yuka Kitamura-Regal Ancestor Spirit

Bedowin soundclash-When the night Feels my Song

Marin Wave & Dan Wakefield-Blood and Moonlight

Rob Lane-Titles/Call of Destiny

Rob Lane-Merlin Lost

Rose Betts-Irish Eyes

Yu-peng Chen-@HOYO-mix cover-Rapid as Wildfires

NEONI-Darkside

Fever Ray-The Wolf

Hozier-Like Real People do

Borislav Slavov-The Power (Credits)

The Secret Sisters-Water Witch

Hozier-In the Woods Somewhere

All That Remains-Madness (Trigger Warning)

Miracle of Sound- To Be Better

Hazbin Hotel-Respectless

Beyond Boreas-Secret Garden

[imperiuswrecked]

Getting to Know You, tagged by @rraaaarrl @normalhousecat

Three Ships (I'm going with Marvel ships because these 3 (ok 4 I can't choose) are the ones I return to/think of most often.

Namor/Doom & Namor/Jim

Kurt/Ororo/Logan

Pietro/Remy

First Ship

Kurt/Logan

Last Song

Soft Universe by AURORA

Last Movie

Tale of Tales (2015)

Currently Reading

Too many books, comics, and fics in rotation, like no seriously I read a lot and sometimes I put down one thing to continue/finish another thing before picking it up again but currently in the middle of:

A Stitch in Time by Andrew Robinson

Black Sun by Rebecca Roanhorse (also have Fevered Star to read after this)

The Flood Circle by Harry Connolly (I literally have 2 chapters left but can't bring myself to finish it because once I do the series is over)

The Vows and Honor Triology by Mercedes Lackey

His Majesty's Dragon by Naomi Novik (got the whole series to go through)

The Broken Earth Triology by N.K. Jemisin

Prince's Assassin Triology by Ariana Nash

Spider-Man 2099 comic series

Rereading The Defenders (1972) comic series

Currently Watching (once again the rotation thing)

Guillermo Del Toro's Cabinet of Curiosities

Agatha Christie's Poirot

The Cook of Castamar

Shadow and Bone

Star Trek: Lower Decks

(Rewatching) Interview with the Vampire series

Beyond Evil

The Terror (I will finish this series I swear, then I can rewatch Black Sails)

Last Thing I Wrote

A scene in my original mlm fantasy novel between a Elven Healer outcast & a human knight

A scene in my fanfic for the Pietro/Remy Angel/Demon Au

Tagging: @esteicy-blog @teal-bandit @anais-ninja-bitch @firebugged @traincat @soledadmiranda @myxmentrashblog @pointdotiozao @scruffylookingpiratecaptain @heartoferebor @hazardoushyena and whomever else wishes, also no pressure to do this

[bagheerita]

twenty questions for fic writers

tagged by @tiltingheartand thanks!! ❤

how many works do you have on ao3? 93

what's your total ao3 word count? 1,670,696 (I've finished re-posting (almost) all of my old stuff from FFN and AFF)

what fandoms do you write for? At the moment: Stargate Atlantis Before that: MCU/Avengers I have dipped my toes in all over, but by number of fics the next two most prominent past fandoms are: Inuyasha & Mercedes Lackey’s Valdemar

top five fics by kudos: 1. Nemo (SGA) 2. Nyteridalatry (SGA) 3. One and One and One is Three (MCU) 4. Regina Donum (SGA) 5. Your Prison is Walking Through This World All Alone (MCU)

do you respond to comments? Yes, always (unless the person is reading through and commenting on multiple chapters in a fic. Then I usually only reply to the ones where I feel like I have something to say instead of all of them). The depth of my reply depends on my mental energy that day.

what is the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending? Technically Beast of Venery probably wins this (SGA fic where Sheppard has, to put it lightly, a very bad day)

what's the fic you wrote with the happiest ending? Can I go with Harbored (the actual ending of the series that began with Beast of Venery)? In general, I love happy endings, so I write a lot of them. But maybe Harbored feels like a brighter dawn because of the previous darkness.

do you get hate on fics? No, not really. Thankfully! I get weird comment sometimes, like “why is everyone gay?” (which comment ignored the mostly-straight-reading bisexual relationship in that story), and “it’s so lame that you didn’t finish this story” (the story is clearly tagged and noted as abandoned, and I explained that the series it was part of only existed at all because of the comments and interest I’d gotten on the first installment, so when the comments dried up so did the series)

do you write smut? Yes, with varying levels of skill and interest

craziest crossover: Um, of the things that are posted… Conversations Beyond the Edge of the Galaxy, where Shigure Souma, Angel (the vampire), and Rogue (from X-Men) meet at a bar and talk.

have you ever had a fic stolen? Not that I know of

have you ever had a fic translated? No, because that would be too awesome

have you ever co-written a fic before? No, though technically Eos and I are credited as coauthors on Aubade (SGA), because she did the art and I did the writing. (Her cover art is really just fantastically beautiful!)

all time favourite ship? Dude* I vibe with/other dude I vibe with/possibly a third dude I vibe with + story that writes them just right + I was exactly in the mood for this situation today = best ship (*dude is gender neutral)

what's a WIP you want to finish but doubt you ever will? So many…. But there's this one AU I have that I want to finish, it's a multiverse John/Todd/Rodney. Chunks of it are mostly written, but there are these OCs that I was planning to kill off and as I developed the one character I made her black and a lesbian so now I'm like "well crap I can't bury my gays, I want her to be happy with her girlfriend, even though her girlfriend also dying was a huge plot point!" So it's back to the drawing board while I decide if I can get away with inserting a time loop where I kill another character but he's not actually dead (because it's the time-traveled version of him that dies, right? But I can't decide how to make this not a paradox).

what are your writing strengths? I’m good at editing. I love writing absolute shit and then tearing it apart and fixing it. And I think I’m good at blocking? Scenes that don't describe the setting very well confuse me, so I work to make that clear when I'm writing.

what are your writing weaknesses? Describing characters. Since it's a fic I tend to assume that everyone know what everyone looks like, which doesn't fly as well with OCs... 😅

thoughts on dialogue in another language? If it’s dialogue that the reader is supposed to understand it should be written in the same language as the fic. (Or notated in a way that the reader can access a translation. There are cool skins for this on AO3.) If it’s in another language, I had better not need to know what it says, because I do not have time to look it up.

first fandom you wrote in? OT Star Wars

favourite fic you've written? I really don’t think I could pick just one. Mostly I have favorite moments, rather than favorite fics. But some contenders might be: With Autumn Closing In (MCU, frostiron) Ivory Fanged (Kiesha’ra series, Danica/Zane) Oh, Talk Not to Me of a Name Great in Story (SGA, john/todd) Semper ad Meliora (SGA, Rodney & Todd) A Dram of Sweet is Worth a Pound of Sorrow (SGA, Michael/OC)

(I'm not going to link any stories bc it's late, and my AO3 is linked at the top of my tumblr if you're interested)

NPT: @adriankyte-writes @judgeverse @aintgonnatakethis @darklysnarky @anonmadsci @lord-aldhelm @annwayne @anomalousrobot @only-in-december

[miirshroom]

Miquella Thoughts

Seems to have been a lot of Elden Ring discussion lately about Miquella as a Griffith reference from Berserk. I have not read Berserk, and rather than make half-formed guesses about that I'd rather tackle the question of Miquella's motives from other perspectives.

I've been reading one of my old favourite fantasy trilogies recently - the Mage Winds by Mercedes Lackey. It occurred to me that this is probably one of the sources of my strong negative feelings towards blood magic. Blood magic appears in at least 3 other storylines in the same setting, in one way or another. But the villain of this trilogy is a blood-path mage named Mornelithe Falconsbane.

Blood sacrifices, violence, enslavement and compulsion are the typical traits of a blood mage - pain and energy from cutting a life short are what fuel this power. And one of the main interests of this particular blood mage is in experimenting with creating twisted creatures to use as weapons - combining animals in unnatural and tormented ways. Also Falconsbane made cosmetic changes to himself to become a sexy cat man. Like a lynx. After testing them on his unwilling and abused daughter. Unanimous agreement among protagonists that he's a beast with no redeeming qualities. 

A twist is that this villain is also a body snatcher. He set a spell a few thousand years ago powered by the energy of his own death that would let him survive in the void until a blood descendant is born with a sufficient level of mage power. Remember how I mentioned that 3 other storylines involve blood magic? Turns out the same guy is responsible for 2 of them. The spell is keyed to activate the first time the mage attempts a basic fire-lighting spell, which is typically the first spell learned by an untrained person. Blood magic spell activates and he takes possession of the body and destroys the original personality. But in this particular case he slipped up and the original person that he stole his current body from has been a prisoner in his own mind for decades. So the nature of the conflict shifts towards the climax of the trilogy. There is an absolute evil monster to be destroyed, but there's also an innocent person worth saving underneath all that. And the stakes are raised because killing one guy won't solve the problem - they need to break the immortality spell so that this ancient evil will never return.

Back to Elden Ring. In general it seems that Radagon's lineage is cursed in a way that involves blood magic. There's a connection hinted between Radagon and the Leonine Misbegotten - which are twisted and tormented manufactured chimera. There's a connection between Radagon and the Thorn Sorcerers who wear red cloth around their heads mimicking flowing red hair (or Messmer, but it's all the same lineage so I see little difference). There are also the cessblooded Omens, who should of course be counted as well because Radagon is Marika.

And there's Miquella who practices blood magic in watering the Haligtree and is capable of feats of craftsmanship beyond his years, as if perhaps he is working from the memories and abilities of something far older than his physical form suggests. The Bewitching Branch seems to pretty explicitly reference a compulsion spell (as well as using the sacramental bud as a component - more blood magic), which in my experience is never a thing used by protagonists in any story. Unless maybe your protagonist is a vampire. So, never used by protagonists who are good people and don't see human beings as sheep for slaughter. As a side note, I recently watched the 3 hour-long ContaPoints video on Twilight and I am...connecting some dots about the roles of Mohg and Varre in the story (I have also never read Twilight).

I dislike trying to make guesses about whatever exactly Miquella is up to. He's associated with dreams, which do not necessarily need to follow the same metaphysical logic as the rest of the Lands Between. But still, there are these vibes that I keep in mind until further information arises. From one perspective I suspect that Miquella thought to enter the Shadowlands and conquer this Land, so that he could manipulate the Lands Between from the shadows. This is the Jungian perspective of animus, which has recently become my favourite pseudo-psychology to dismantle.

From another perspective, it is possible that the Shadowlands is something like the void in that story I mentioned. There is an immortal lich who was fled to lurk in the shadows and waits for a chance to be reborn, and Miquella has chased him here to stop that from happening. This thought also dovetails with some planting that I've noticed that combines the King in Yellow with Koschei the Deathless. It starts back in Demon's Souls, I think - where the yellow monk cloth takes the shape of a tornado when it possesses a victim (The Koschei travels with tornados).

What's also up to interpretation is how literally or symbolically this is all being handled. Like, Mohg emerging from Miquella's blood is a very literal way to depict cursed blood full of demons. And it seems confirmed as of the DLC trailer that Miquella has deliberately left behind his empyrean flesh (same as Ranni, who also has sleep powers and travels in dreams. Coincidentally.).

It was to this land that Miquella departed. Divesting himself of his flesh, his strength, his lineage. Of all things Golden.

As tempting as it is to speculate further on what exactly Miquella has planned for the DLC, all I'd say now is that I am dubious about his former intentions in the "waking world" of the Lands Between - not just of whether they were good intentions, but of whether they were ever realistic to achieve. But regardless of the past, there remains a possibility that the decision to abandon his metamorphosis plan coincided with a change of heart that resulted from the new perspective offered by the Shadowlands.

[book--brackets]

Young Wizards by Diana Duane (1983-2016)

Nita Callahan is at the end of her rope because of the bullies who've been hounding her at school... until she discovers a mysterious library book that promises her the chance to become a wizard. But she has no idea of the difference that taking the Wizard's Oath is going to make in her life. Shortly, in company with fellow beginner-wizard Kit Rodriguez, Nita's catapulted into what will be the adventure of a lifetime—if she and Kit can both live through it. For every wizard's career starts with an Ordeal in which he or she must challenge the one power in the universe that hates wizardry more than anything else: the Lone Power that invented death and turned it loose in the worlds. Plunged into a dark and deadly alternate New York full of the Lone One's creatures, Kit and Nita must venture into the very heart of darkness to find the stolen, legendary Book of Night with Moon. Only with the dangerous power of the wizardly Book do they have a chance to save not just their own lives, but their world...

Valdemar: The Last Herald-Mage by Mercedes Lackey (1989-1990)

Though Vanyel has been born with near-legendary abilities to work both Herald and Mage magic, he wasn't no part in such things. Nor does he seek a warrior's path, wishing instead to become a Bard.

Yet such talent as his, if left untrained, may prove a menace not only to Vanyel but to others as well. So he is sent to be fostered with his aunt, Savil, one of the fame Herald-Mages of Valdemar.

But, strong-willed and self-centered, Vanyel is a challenge which even Savil cannot master alone. For soon he will become the focus of frightening forces, lending his raw magic to a spell that unleashes terrifying wyr-hunters on the land.

And by the time Savil seeks the assistance of a Shin'a'in Adept, Vanyel's wild talent may have already grown beyond anyone's ability to contain, placing Vanyel, Savil, and Valdemar itself in desperate peril.

The Star-Touched Queen by Roshani Chokshi (2016-2018)

Fate and fortune. Power and passion. What does it take to be the queen of a kingdom when you're only seventeen?

Maya is cursed. With a horoscope that promises a marriage of Death and Destruction, she has earned only the scorn and fear of her father's kingdom. Content to follow more scholarly pursuits, her whole world is torn apart when her father, the Raja, arranges a wedding of political convenience to quell outside rebellions. Soon Maya becomes the queen of Akaran and wife of Amar. Neither roles are what she expected: As Akaran's queen, she finds her voice and power. As Amar's wife, she finds something else entirely: Compassion. Protection. Desire...

But Akaran has its own secrets -- thousands of locked doors, gardens of glass, and a tree that bears memories instead of fruit. Soon, Maya suspects her life is in danger. Yet who, besides her husband, can she trust? With the fate of the human and Otherworldly realms hanging in the balance, Maya must unravel an ancient mystery that spans reincarnated lives to save those she loves the most... including herself.

The Wingfeather Saga by Andrew Peterson (2008-2014)

Janner Igiby, his brother, Tink, and their disabled sister, Leeli, are gifted children as all children are, loved well by a noble mother and ex-pirate grandfather. But they will need all their gifts and all that they love to survive the evil pursuit of the venomous Fangs of Dang, who have crossed the dark sea to rule the land with malice. The Igibys hold the secret to the lost legend and jewels of good King Wingfeather of the Shining Isle of Anniera.

Myth Adventures by Robert Lyn Asprin (1978-2002)

Skeeve was a magician's apprentice--until an assassin struck and his master was killed. Now, with a purple-tongued demon named Aahz as a companion, he's on a quest to get even.

The Land of Elyon by Patrick Carman (2003-2008)

Alexa is curious about what lies beyond the massive ramparts that surround the city and the walled roads that link Bridewell to nearby towns; soon after town leader Thomas Warvold passes away, Alexa finds herself outside the walls, acquires a stone with remarkable powers, and discovers that she's meant to stop a potential war from occurring.

The Worst Witch by Jill Murphy (1974-2018)

Mildred Hubble is a trainee witch at Miss Cackle's Academy, and she's making an awful mess of it. She's always getting her spells wrong and she can't even ride a broomstick without crashing it. Will she ever make a real witch?

The Left-Handed Booksellers of London by Garth Nix (2020-2023)

In a slightly alternate London in 1983, Susan Arkshaw is looking for her father, a man she has never met. Crime boss Frank Thringley might be able to help her, but Susan doesn't get time to ask Frank any questions before he is turned to dust by the prick of a silver hatpin in the hands of the outrageously attractive Merlin.

Merlin is a young left-handed bookseller (one of the fighting ones), who with the right-handed booksellers (the intellectual ones), are an extended family of magical beings who police the mythic and legendary Old World when it intrudes on the modern world, in addition to running several bookshops.

Susan's search for her father begins with her mother's possibly misremembered or misspelt surnames, a reading room ticket, and a silver cigarette case engraved with something that might be a coat of arms.

Merlin has a quest of his own, to find the Old World entity who used ordinary criminals to kill his mother. As he and his sister, the right-handed bookseller Vivien, tread in the path of a botched or covered-up police investigation from years past, they find this quest strangely overlaps with Susan's. Who or what was her father? Susan, Merlin, and Vivien must find out, as the Old World erupts dangerously into the New.

The Lighthouse Witches by C. J. Cooke (2021)

When single mother Liv is commissioned to paint a mural in a 100-year-old lighthouse on a remote Scottish island, it’s an opportunity to start over with her three daughters–Luna, Sapphire, and Clover. When two of her daughters go missing, she’s frantic. She learns that the cave beneath the lighthouse was once a prison for women accused of witchcraft. The locals warn her about wildlings, supernatural beings who mimic human children, created by witches for revenge. Liv is told wildlings are dangerous and must be killed.

Twenty-two years later, Luna has been searching for her missing sisters and mother. When she receives a call about her youngest sister, Clover, she’s initially ecstatic. Clover is the sister she remembers–except she’s still seven years old, the age she was when she vanished. Luna is worried Clover is a wildling. Luna has few memories of her time on the island, but she’ll have to return to find the truth of what happened to her family. But she doesn’t realize just how much the truth will change her.

Reckless by Cornelia Funke (2010-2020)

Jacob has uncovered the doorway to another world, hidden behind a mirror. It is a place of dark magic and enchanted objects, scheming dwarves and fearsome ogres, fairies born from water and men born from stone.Here, he hunts for treasure and seeks adventure in the company of Fox - a beautiful, shape-shifting girl, who guides and guards him.But now Jacob's younger brother has followed him into the mirrored world, and all that was freedom has turned to fear. Because a deadly curse has been spoken; and Jacob must risk his life to reverse it, before his brother is turned to stone forever...

[bookwyrmshoard]

Gryphon in Light, by Mercedes Lackey and Larry Dixon

Mercedes Lackey teams up with her husband and co-writer Larry Dixon to carry the story of Valdemar and its neighboring land beyond the events of the Owl Mage (Darian) trilogy. Gryphon in Light picks up several years after Owlknight. The titular gryphon is Kelvren, an engaging, charismatic, and enthusiastic gryphon who currently serves as the leader of the gryphon guards at the diplomatic enclave of k'Valdemar. The book is entertaining, and I loved seeing Kelvren and several other familiar and beloved characters. If you're new to the series, this is not the place to jump into the Valdemar books, but if you're already a fan, read on!

[pherryt]

I just did a summer book reading challenge from Weekend Writing Marathon. I was hoping to push myself to read some of the Physical books hanging around my apartment. Instead of Fanfic all the time.

the result was, i still read a lot of fanfic (i wasn't ever gonna stop THAT) but that even with the incentives, I barely read any physical books.

However, Audio Books saved me. Results are - counted by reading/listening hours.

Total hours: 133.26

Physical Books: 18.76 Hours

Slayers Collection Volume 1

Ace's Story

One Piece Volumes 102 & 103

And Chapters 1087-1092

Audio Books: 97.9 Hours Including New Books and Rereads

New:

Starless (Jacqueline Carey - 8 hrs of 21 complete)

Beyond (Mercedes Lackey - Complete)

Among the Rereads:

Belgarath the Sorcerer, the Belgariad and the Mallorean

The Martian for the umpteenth time

Hunted by Kevin Hearne

Winds of Change (this one was for fic research)

Sharing Knife Series (again)

I can get a history of how much I've listened to in a single month, but not what I was listening TO, so the reread list is a best guess. I owned all the books in the Reread section as physical books, that i later got as audio books, and some of them *cough*SharingKnife*Cough* I have listened to multiple times.

[recurring-polynya]

Re: Hold On, Hold On outtake. Hrgjgks academy squad depression book club and Momo's Book Opinions. To be fair I too am not immune to battle scenes where insides become outsides, lovingly described. If I can double dip deleted scenes I'm gonna ask about What We Do With Our Hearts.

Thank you!! My husband read a lot of David Eddings in his teen years, and I was a Mercedes Lackey girl, and the Kira-Hinamori literary feud is based very specifically on the way we lovingly rip each other for our respective tastes in trashy late 80s/early 90s fantasy.

Haven't had any Hearts requests yet, so here's a proto-version of Byakuya's childhood memory of his Memorable Outing with Grandfather.

🍃 🍂 ��️

Grandfather smiled back, his mustache curving upward. “Alright, we’re here! Are you ready to answer some questions and show me how hard you have been studying?”

“Yes!” Byakuya grinned. 

“Down at the bottom of the hill we just climbed, did you see the tunnel? Big enough for two carts to go through side-by-side?”

“Yes! There was a cart with vegetables coming through it!”

“Do you know where that tunnel leads?”

“Red Hollow Gate!”

“Exactly right! Now, look out that way, my boy!” Grandfather frowned. “Can you see past the wall?”

The big embankment they were standing on abutted the outer wall of the Seireitei, which protruded about a meter above the earth, presumably to keep people from toppling over the edge. 

“Yes, of course,” Byakuya replied, going up on his tippy toes.

Grandfather raised an eyebrow at his efforts for a moment, before scooping Byakuya up and settling him on his shoulders. “There we go, is that a little better?”

“Yes! Thank you, Grandfather!” 

“Look out. What do you see?”

“South Rukongai!” Byakuya declared, gently holding Grandfather’s soft, beautiful hair. He was extra careful not to pull. 

“How did you know?” Grandfather asked, sounding skeptical, as though Byakuya must have cheated somehow.

“Because it’s the closest gate to our house! We walked away from Soukyoku Hill to get here, and if this were one of the other gates, we would have had to walk around it!”

“Very good,” Grandfather replied softly. “Now here is a hard one. What is that, out at the edges?”

From his lofty vantage point, Soul Society stretched out before Byakuya, painted in brilliant reds and golds, even though the leaves were only beginning to turn inside the city. The further districts dulled into brown, and at the edges of what he could see, a soft, white fog hung in the air, obscuring what lay beyond. Byakuya squinted at the mist, trying to figure out what it might be. “It’s clouds, Grandfather!” he realized. “It’s snowing!”

“That’s right!” Grandfather agreed.

“But it’s not even November!” Byakuya gasped. He couldn’t imagine it snowing so early. 

“Winter starts early in the outer Rukon and moves inward,” Grandfather explained. “It’s very easy to see on a day like today, eh?”

“Will it be over earlier, too?”

“Later, actually. Winter is just longer on the periphery, and summer is as well. Here in the Seireitei, we get a long spring and autumn instead.”

“When will the snow get here?” Byakuya asked. “Tomorrow?” Already, grand visions of sledding and snowmen were filling his mind.

“It will be a few weeks yet,” Grandfather chuckled. 

“They’re lucky,” Byakuya pouted.

Grandfather’s hands patted against his knees. “Rukon winters are long and harsh. They probably think you are very lucky to live here in the city, where the persimmons are still ripening.”

“I don’t like persimmons. They’re too sweet and they feel squishy in my mouth.”

“Ah, that’s right! Well, we have other nice things here. Chestnuts?"

Byakuya continued to gaze outward, imagining what other strange wonders Rukongai might contain. Byakuya himself had never left the protective ring of the city walls. He was still at an age where he occasionally conflated his geography lessons with his storybooks, and to him, the Rukon was the place where samurai traveled out to fight demons and rescue kidnapped princesses. “It’s so big,” he gasped. 

“It is. It is vast,” Grandfather agreed. “It is impossible to protect, Byakuya, but it is our duty to try. It is easy to forget that.”

“Why can’t all the people there just move to the city?” Byakuya asked, wrinkling his nose.

“There are many reasons. The city is not big enough. The journey is dangerous. Most importantly, it is not proper for weak souls to linger in Soul Society. They have new lives awaiting them in the World of the Living. For them, Soul Society is like a road. A place to pass through. In fact, that is the entire purpose of Soul Society. We, those born of this place, are given power so that we can defend and preserve it.”

“Then why don’t we live out there, with them, then?” Byakuya suggested.

“Because there aren’t enough of us. In the city, we learn and train and grow strong, and teach our children how to carry on in our work. We also have many precious things that are kept in the city-- portals to the Living World, and all our knowledge in books and archives, and of course, our friends and families.”

“The people out there don’t have families?”

“They make little temporary families, but remember, they aren’t supposed to stay for long."