#Leave some mystery in my urban fantasy stuff

[dastofu]

Ok big grain of salt on my opinion, since I have not actually played any of the others, and just read parts of their rules and lore, but tbh that is what makes vampire much much more appealing to me than the others? It's self contained enough to not have to care about stuff in the wod I don't find fun, like the wyrm or the technocracy. That kinda stuff is honestly not adding anything for me. The interpersonal drama, the ways those undead freaks are often the cause of their own misery, that's fun and interesting and cool, and the looming apocalypse scenario also being vague and nebulous enough to possibly be nonsense is much more appealing than the simple answer of "everything bad is a manifestation of the wyrm, and also all these different religions, mythologies and creation myths can all be related back to this one true thing that is happening"

it's funny how once you've played enough of the non vampire WoD games, it becomes incredibly apparent that kindred are so self centred they think the whole tellurian revolves around them. Out here acting like their immortal petty fights and politics and street level depression is more important than... Idk.... The potential entire unraveling of the universe? The spiritual destruction of the umbral realms? Humanity slowly degrading into poorer and poorer health due to corruption? Oblivion growing day by day to eventually consume all?

Kindred are so dumb. Put down the politics for two damn minutes and help everyone maybe??

[anim-ttrpgs]

Hey just wanted to say that the work you do is really inspiring. I think the TTRPG community has needed an urban fantasy noir sort of thing for a little while and I really like the direction you're taking it in. Looking forward to stuff in the future!!

Thank you! Basically all our projects come from a place of need, each one being something that we wanted to play ourselves, but either it just didn’t exist, or the people who did do it didn’t do it to our satisfaction.

Since it’s our blog we can toot our own horn a bit, and yeah, the TTRPG community did need Eureka. The whole idea originally came out of our dissatisfaction with investigation and mystery-solving gameplay in most of the other more well-known TTRPGs that attempt to tackle this genre, such as Call of Cthulhu, Delta Green, and Gumshoe. They either make it too easy for bad dice rolls to get the party hopelessly stuck by relying too heavily of the PC’s skills, or make things difficult on the player by not giving the PC’s skills quite enough input, which can make efficient mystery solving very difficult across sessions with a whole week or more of real time in between them. (And it’s barely even worth mentioning that the most popular TTRPGs such as D&D5e and Pathfinder just plain cannot do investigative gameplay to any respectable degree at all.)

Eureka: Investigative Urban Fantasy’s Investigation Point and Eureka! Point system, whereby each skill check to investigate something fills a bar on the character sheet until the investigator gets a “Eureka!”, which can be spent to retroactively gain information from an investigation skill check that they previously failed, as well as many other specific rules that are too nuanced to go into here but that you can read about in the free version of the rulebook, are part of our answer to that. As you are putting the pieces together in your own mind, so is your character, and this system acts as a failsafe, but not a crutch, to prevent a single bad dice roll from leaving the party totally twisting in the wind.

And I personally have always been really autistic about folklore, which is where Eureka’s unique approach to playable monsters comes in. No RPG had ever really done certain monsters to my satisfaction, particularly vampires. Folkloric vampires have a great deal of quirks and weaknesses that usually get cut from any sort of vampire media because they’re too “silly,” but I disagree. I want them all, and so when a monster is playable in Eureka, it’s its own unique experience, unlike playing anything else in any other game or even within Eureka. (I am very, very proud to say that a number of V:TM veterans have said that Eureka does vampires much better than V:TM itself.)

Not every playable monster in Eureka is 100% strictly folkloric, which was a bit of a struggle for me, but ultimately the small exceptions that were made make the RPG better, so I can’t complain, especially because we managed to weave some pretty cool themes into all of them, which I will touch on more when I finally get finished writing that big huge post about, well, Eureka’s themes.

Eureka: Investigative Urban Fantasy is kickstarting from right now until May 10th! Back it while you still can!

If you want to try before you buy, you can download a free demo of the prerelease version from our website or our itch.io page!

If you’re interested in a more updated and improved version of Eureka: Investigative Urban Fantasy than the free demo you got from our website, subscribe to our Patreon where we frequently roll our new updates for the prerelease version!

You can also support us on Ko-fi, or by checking out our merchandise!

Join our TTRPG Book Club At the time of writng this, Eureka: Investigative Urban Fantasy is the current game being played in the book club, and anyone who wants to participate in discussion, but can’t afford to make a contribution, will be given the most updated prerelease version for free! Plus it’s just a great place to discuss and play new TTRPGs you might not be able to otherwise!

We hope to see you there, and that you will help our dreams come true and launch our careers as indie TTRPG developers with a bang by getting us to our base goal and blowing those stretch goals out of the water, and fight back against WotC's monopoly on the entire hobby. Wish us luck.

[xenosaurus]

I have a page for my worldbuilding projects that’s a huge WIP, but in the mean time, here’s a list of the ones I can remember off the top of my head!  I’ve done my best to split these by genre, although some obviously fit in multiple categories. You can also browse through my "original stuff" tag for things that haven't made it as far as a concrete project, if you can tolerate the mess.

UPDATE: Tumblr changed their tag system, so I had to fix the links.  They SHOULD be working, but chronological links don’t cooperate with mobile, so I’ve made them general links.  Please add /chrono to the url if you can, a few of these are very weird out of order (looking at you, Boar’s Blood).

Urban Fantasy

Witchmouth General; comedy about a hospital in a city that is mostly monsters and aliens

Freedom Over Gold; a comedy-drama about a trio of homunculi killing their masters

Immortality and Tax Fraud; a comedy about gods who possess people and the hosts that are still resisting them (slightly NSFW)

Mundane Motherhood; a slice of life/recovery story about a woman who adopts a kid who was being raised to fight demons

The Empty City; a drama about a limbo world entered in dreams by people who compete for “days”, which give them another day of life in the real world

The Mortal Forge; an adventure story about a group of cursed people putting together an expedition to find a legendary cure

Tethered; a slice of life story in a setting where everyone has a familiar, starring two teenagers who are “tethering” their familiars, allowing them to become more physical and sentient

Fallen Angels in YOUR Area!; a comedy about a group of angels who are banished to earth for gaining too much individuality

Arlan Kingslayer; a comedy about classic high fantasy book characters being brought to the real world and not wanting to leave

High Fantasy

Boar’s Blood; an adventure story about a magical society built on the grave of an undead dragon that is rapidly falling apart (NSFW)

The Phoenix Bride; an adventure story/romance about a woman exploring an ever-expanding magical tower to confess her feelings to the woman who created it

God Hunters; technically closer to magical steampunk, an all-women drama about monster hunters (NSFW)

Scales and Bonedust; in a setting where some humans live in dwellings draped over the backs of dragons, a man and a dragonling try to find their way home after their whole community is killed

Rabbitheart; a fairy tale of sorts about a young jester (and would-be sorceress) trying to reclaim her familiar to earn a princess' hand in marriage, with a large section of backstory about the setting's version of Arthurian lore

The Mayfly; a dark fantasy about a mortal half-elf prince learning the truth of elven immortality

Whalefall; merfolk dark fantasy about a "bloodsalt knight" (a soldier who bites themselves to draw attacking predators to the blood and away from their school) who is separated from her people

Mark the End; trope manipulation on 'everyone grows up and has babies' endings where the children are the reborn god-monsters their guardians fought as teenagers. heavy on monster lore and character drama

Vampire Prince Walter; a romantic comedy about childhood sweethearts (who have since become a vampire and a werewolf) being arranged to marry each other... as long as their fathers don't find out they like each other too much to spy on the other.

Science Fiction

New Apocalyptia; a comedy about a world where all movie apocalypses happened at once (slightly NSFW)

Salt Water; an adventure story about a group trying to reach the bottom of their world’s incredibly deadly oceans, also mermaids and surfing as a death sport

Peppermint Circuits; a gay love story set in a world where everyone has a chip in their brain to influence their behavior (slightly NSFW)

Spycaller; a murder mystery about humans who interact with the intergalactic community from within mech suits

Superheroes

Superfish; a traditional coming of age superhero story about an LGBT group for college-aged sidekicks

Isaac is Okay; a very gentle story about a timetraveling superhero that traps himself in the past to raise his younger self away from their abusive father

Villain Risk; a superhero drama about an illegal hero team being arrested, told after the fact by a social worker, a kid in juvenile detention, and a shapeshifter who killed a cop and stole his life

Fate and Switch; a soulmate au fakeout about psychically linked superheroes who have been brainwashed, and their partners’ attempts to find them

Tooth and Nail; a superhero/kaiju mashup about bioengineered superheroes fighting monsters, and the protagonist’s attempts to protect his new apprentice from the horrors of their work

You Can Keep the Mask On; a superhero story intended to be told through sexual encounters between characters, obviously (very NSFW)

Overpowered; a comedy about a city's extremely, well, overpowered supervillains

Abelsons; a superhero story focusing on the "support" members, such as the people who make costumes and the medics

Bonus Individual Posts

that one about the destiny orphanage that one about the silkworm aliens

[hope-hopefully-writes]

Writeblr Re-Reintroduction

To pull off the riff from Spiderverse, alright folks let’s do this one more time.

About Me

I’m Hope! She/They/He, Canadian and in my 20’s

My main is @hopeeternia so I’ll be liking and following from there

I have been writing on and off for over a decade, have I actually finished anything? Next question!

I’ve been loosely active here for about 4 years or so.

I like Magical Girls, JRPG’s, reading (fantasy and urban fantasy and a bit of sci-fi is my comfort zones), listening to art videos and making plenty of playlists only to stop listening to them after a while and never deleting them.

I finished a library technician course! It was a fun course and I’m excited to get into the field… let’s hope the job market and lady luck all works out in my favour.

Don’t ask me about my tbr, I have so much on that list it’s not even funny anymore. I’ll maybe shove a link here to a list I’ll make in the future.

I’m also an artist! I’ll probably present some of my art related to my wips here from time to time.

Genres I write in tend to lean fantasy, be it urban or high or second world, with some sci-fi elements. Supernatural beings are also included and expect the influences of what I like to be present. Queer elements are a feature and will be present in some way.

I'm up for some tag games, just don't expect me to respond to them right away.

I’ll mostly be reblogging stuff here, I do have some wips and will be properly presenting them in the future, here’s some sneak peaks under the cut!

Works In Progress

Departure of Blood

With the passing of her mother, Rosalie Mills travels to Duskbell Port to be with her siblings and drag them back home to properly mourn their parents. But when she arrives, the city is soon engulfed in serial murders and her siblings are too occupied to give her the time of day. To get their attention, she decides to independently solve this mystery, only to gain the attention of other individuals with either similar or much different goals. Be careful where one looks, it might come back to bite you, literally.

Last year, I wrote this drabble about Rosalie leaving her hometown on a train. This year, I'm expanding it to hopefully try to write a novel? I have too many projects but I'm determined to at least write 10000 words of this one in November 2024. Family Drama, Drama in the City, Relationship Drama, Murder Mystery, vaguely turn of the 1900's inspired and Vampires. The tag is #wip: Departure of Blood or #wip: DoB

To Pierce the Sun’s Veil

Junie’s life has changed since her mother went missing, and it’s about to change again. Her search for her mother has gone nowhere and on the day she gets caught up in an incursion from across the Veil, a new path emerges. A deal with a fae called Iris allows her to transform into the Veiled Hero, Violet Sun. The problem? The fae are the ones behind the incursions. Now she has to work with a team while keeping her deal secret as she tries to accomplish both sides of the deal.

This started out as an idea of retelling Rapunzel but as magical girls, it has evolved since then but the initial inspiration is still somewhat there. The name may change at some point though. Name shenanigans are abound, as there are True Names and Public Names, as well as Veiled Names (this last one is specifically for Veiled Heroes). Urban Fantasy that holds inspiration from the magical girl shows I’ve watched growing up, featuring 18 to 20 somethings figuring out adjusting to adulthood on top of the magical fights. This is a story that has the potential to branch off into other stories for sure. It’s tag is #wip: To Pierce the Sun’s Veil or #wip: TPtSV

The World of Astral Rezellia

Adva Helio only wishes to find those she cares about and get away from the conflict that’s slowly enveloping the nations of Astral Rezellia. Yet as she finds one, she loses another and is forced to flee to find new allies and is forced into the very conflict she would rather not get that involved in.

Previous names include, The Nameless Constellation, Academy of Stars and Astral Sanctuary Academy. A fantasy story very much initially started out of spite towards Fate The Winx Saga’s choices and very much transformed into its own thing inspired more by a general love for the kinds of adventures found in JRPG’s. It’s on the back burner though as I go through yet another rework of things. It’s tag is #wip: Astral Rezellia or #wip: TWoAR

I also write fanfics, but I won’t be sharing them all that much except for some pieces of writing that I’m really proud of. They will be tagged #fanfic wip: [title of story] or #fanfic

And any of my older wips that I’m not working on will be tagged in a fashion like #old wip: [title of story] or #old story

[shadowmaat]

Uhh... No?

There are a lot of cozy-type fantasy books out these days. I enjoy low-stakes stuff, and recently I've been indulging in a lot of "murder mystery with magic" stories. There's a bit of a sameness to them, but that's kinda baked into the mystery genre and isn't actually a problem. If anything, it's a comfort because you know how things are going to go. Usually.

I picked up a freebie book for my kobo. This one slotted into the "magic is a secret" vein of urban fantasy, so the witch in question is in the closet, so to speak. It was a mostly standard set-up; the witch's best friend dies in Mysterious Circumstances and the witch is the prime suspect because the sheriff has always been suspicious of her. Naturally the witch is going to work to clear her name and find the real killer.

As bog-standard as that premise is, it still felt a bit... off? Or at least not aligning the way I expected. I figured it was a me-thing and kept reading. If the witch's motives seemed more selfish than altruistic, well, maybe I was just reading it wrong.

One of the powers the witch has it to be able to touch someone and glean some surface impressions. She used that ability on the sheriff to get an idea of what was "wrong" about her friend's death, and she used it again on a reporter to get the name of her friend's former workplace. The first one I could understand since the sheriff is hostile and suspicious, but the second one I wondered why she didn't simply ask. It wasn't as if it was any kind of secret, and it's probably something she could have learned for herself with a bit of digging, but shortcut, I guess.

I was willing to go along with it until the victim's mother showed up, mentioning that an autopsy was going to be performed later that afternoon (this being four days after the actual murder). By this point results had come back on the "health tonic" (potion) that the witch had given her BFF; the one that had been found clutched in her poor, dead hand. The results showed it to be nontoxic and not the cause of death. This means the witch was no longer a suspect. Not that it was going to slow down her investigation. It never does in these kind of mysteries, although usually it's because the protag wants the killer brought to justice.

I guess technically that was the case here as well, but the way the author chose to handle/word things made it feel more... selfish. Sure, the protag wanted to find the killer, but she was also determined to learn all the secrets her friend had been keeping from her. Which, sure, would probably help her find the killer, but it just felt off. I think part of the problem I was having at that point was that most of what I'd seen the protag doing was very... self-serving? In addition to gleaning stuff from unsuspecting people, she'd also given another person a spelled cup of cocoa to make her more willing to discuss things she otherwise might not mention. Which, again, felt like something she could have accomplished just by talking.

The feel of the book was getting weirder. The protag had no qualms about the things she was doing, and maybe if it had stayed at that level of "iffy but not outright objectionable" I could have shrugged it off. Except then it crossed an unforgivable line.

Autopsies are important. They can give us a lot of information about how a person died. They may not be perfect, but they set a good baseline and are important in murder cases. Our protag, unfortunately, decided that an autopsy wasn't good enough and that she needed access to the body herself in order to glean whatever handwavy magic stuff could tell her about how and why her friend had died. And she had to do this before the coroner got a chance to examine the body.

She calls up the receptionist at the coroner's office, uses magic to determine the poor woman's "secret desire," and then uses that to put a whammy on her, giving her the irresistible urge to leave work without notice and rush off to fulfill that urge (in this case it was ice cream from the rival town miles away).

That's when I stopped reading and deleted the book off my kobo. Not just because she hexed an unsuspecting and unwilling innocent, but because that was her default method. She didn't hesitate, didn't question if this was really an ethical use of magic, and didn't try anything more mundane to get past the receptionist. She full-on altered a woman's mind to get the result she wanted. What the everloving fuck were you thinking, author?

So yeah. There aren't many hard and fast rules regarding the use of magic in fiction, but I'm pretty sure "do no harm" is the biggest one. Unless you're the bad guy.

[seeingteacupsindragons]

Lots of projects on my mind or in the works! I made some progress writing my novel and last time your posts about that really helped. :) Currently I'm working on a little series of JR fanart drawings with matching floral backgrounds using flower languages, and I'm close to done. It's been fun sharing fanart with the community! I want to do portraits for Henry and Haruyoshi to finish up the series for now. Loved reading about their friendship in vol 8 so I'd love to give both boys drawings! Not sure what flowers to give them yet, maybe something for wellness or new beginnings for Henry, and creativity for Haruyoshi? Working on that art project has also got me thinking about doing some small, similar series for Yuumori. I could easily get sucked into trying to draw all the characters, but I'd like to start with Sherly and Liam. Open to ideas for their flowers too! :) Besides the art projects, I got inspired to write honestly a very self-indulgent series of short stories about a detective who investigates art related cases (thefts, forgeries, etc.) in an urban fantasy world. Has maybe a little Dresden Files inspiration with the crossover of detective work and magic, but would stay mostly a more episodic detective series, with maybe one personal overarching arc. But I'm not confident in my ability to write a compelling mystery and not give too much away, so this will be a learning experience for sure. I'd also like them to maybe be a little humorous? Maybe first person narration for that?

Apologies I just rambled a lot here, but very excited for all of these!

There's a lot of good stuff with Henry in volume ten that I think would really influence my suggestions for Henry's flowers.

Of course, the main Moriarty characters have flowers from the anime already associated with them.

I often have ideas for mystery/thriller series, but it's just not something I read much so I don't feel capable of writing it that well. I'll leave the mysteries to @quill-of-thoth. There's a lot of fun stuff to do with the genre!

[milaswriting]

Hi Mila!!

Hope all is well! :D I just found Golden the other day, and I am in LOVE with it. It's super well written, and the world is so cool. Plus, I love urban fantasy, mysteries, and slow burn romance, so it has all my weaknesses super well done, lmao. I absolutely love the super slow burn A romance, and I can't wait to see where it goes 🤗

I had a question about Jordan if that's ok?? I played my first route with her as my Ex, and I was curious - in that instance does she still have some feelings for MC? I generally thought not but there were some instances (like when she thinks that you look REALLY good for example) that I thought there might be some undertones. Not a big deal either way but just curious.

Thanks so much for all your hard work and answering all the asks and stuff! 😁

Hello, I hope you're doing well!

I saw that you reblogged my intro post for Golden and your comments (and this ask!) made me smile so much, I'm glad you've enjoyed the game so much—and A, even though they're prickly.

So, that 'you look really good' scene has been edited out since I've been working on the next part of the demo, so when the game is updated that won't be in there. Jordan definitely only sees them and the MC only having something platonic, their romance ship has pretty much sailed haha.

Thanks so much again for reading and taking the time to leave your lovely comments.

[wormdolls]

WIP Masterlist

As a neurodivergent writer I pride myself on having multiple works in progress at once. Here's just a few (for now) (Carrie Timeline excluded)

Bearing His Shadows

Type: Fanfiction, Marble Hornets/Slenderverse. Standalone  Genre: Horror, mystery elements 23 year old Lorelai Harvey used to have it figured out, but months after the death of her ex-fiancé, she’s left spiralling. To make matters worse, she seems to have caught a particularly aggressive illness that leaves her memory in shambles. As her condition worsens, she must reckon with the spectral figure in her window, a mysterious mask in her wardrobe, and the unexpected return of an old acquaintance…

2. Palmer

Type: Original Fiction Genre: Supernatural Horror Summary: Barnersham, a university town in England, is full of mystery and intrigue to 19 year old Palmer, especially when exploring the cycle routes in the woods takes him away from his transphobic parents. Unfortunately, it brings him closer to the towns resident urban legend, the lady from the well who takes a keen interest in the boy and his baby sister. When history begins to really come alive, Palmer must turn to his new friends and break the curse. But time seems to be running out…

3. A Keen Eye

Type: Original Fiction Genre: Romantic Thriller Summary: An online journalist, Corinna Neat is thrilled to be writing an article on up and coming theatre star Orchid Stage, no matter how vain Miss Stage appears to be. But during research, she notices some weird things--like how a figure keeps appearing in the background of Orchid’s photos, or some creepy photos and fantasies on an internet forum. Will she be able to have the stalker brought to justice before it escalates? And is there something more tender behind Orchid’s cold façade?

4. Unnamed Hotel Horror

Type: Original Fiction Genre: Supernatural Horror Summary: After her parents untimely death, drug addict and family pariah, Francesca "Frankie" Blake, is forced to go sober for the duration of the funeral planning. However, when a powerful storm keeps the Blake siblings and their families trapped in their late parents hotel for a week, Frankie will have to reckon with a force more dangerous than just withdrawal, and confront the matter of her own agency and future.

That's pretty much it. I'll post links to some stuff when I can, I might add to the list if more ideas come into my brain. All these things have been started but not to such a degree that I have anything tangible to share about them, unfortunately.

[elletromil]

elle's January 2023 rec list

So I just thought this year I would try to do a little something fun and rec things I enjoyed throughout the month, and by things I mean pretty much anything that come to my mind (so like, books, shows, music, food, etc)

It, of course, won't be an exhaustive list of everything i've consumed, just the things that stood out for a reason or another

Books

The Half Life of Valery K by Natasha Pulley

In 2022, I started reading through Natasha Pulley's books and I really enjoy her writing style. Without going into details, even my least favourite book of hers, it wasn't anything she could have changed because it had to do with me being so picky with time-travelling stuff.

Anyway, The Half Life of Valery K is easily my second favourite. I liked it so much that even though I had borrowed it from my public library in December and really should have finished way before January started, mid-way through I just went "you know what? nah, i'm keeping the second half for later, I don't want to be done with this yet"

I just really love the way she builds up relationships and how diverse her characters are and how everyone had flaws and good sides and it's not just black and white thinking. Also, this one didn't, but the other books usually have a little element of like urban fantasy/sci-fi (i'm saying sci-fi because time travelling) in them, and i seriously love when there are stories that are based on real life but with a little add-on.

August Kitko and the Mechas from Space by Alex White

So, even tho I love sci-fi, I don't actually read all that much of it? I just gravitate towards fantasy more often then not or romantic stuff with a fantastic elements in it.

I sure am glad I decided to check that book out though because damn it's good :D

I really enjoyed the alternating POVs between the two main characters and while I am usually a "no, let the relationship develop slowly" kinda gal, in the context of the plot, even if it was rushed I was left with a "yeah, no that checks out, none of it is happening 'too fast'". Because even tho I do love romance, when it's not fanfiction, I have some difficulties enjoying a book when like within a day of meeting each other for the first they already want to get married. (I am not saying this is what is happening in this book, because it's not)

Also I really love the fact that the people at the center of the book and controlling the mechas were all musicians? And not like soldiers or revolution fighters by trade or something like this. That felt very refreshing! (But then again, like i said, i rarely reads sci-fi, so maybe it's more usual than i think XD)

I really enjoyed reading a book where one of the main character was non-binary. Most of the books I read are queer-flavored in one way or another, but it's one of the first where there was a non-binary main character and it made me want to find more books with characters that are not just gay.

Honorable mention:

In Deeper Waters by F.T Lukens.

It's not the first book by Lukens I read and it won't be the last. Did the book left me raving at everyone that they should read it? No. Was it still very enjoyable? Yes.

I don't think it was doing anything new, but it was still a fun read! And one that was... I want to say "easy"? As in it's for a younger target audience than my 31 yo ass, so I just got through the book in two days no trouble. Which you know, sometimes you just want some quick no-brainer fairy tale romance and this delivered.

And I say no-brainer, but I shouldn't because there was still a bit of intrigue and mystery in it, that even if I had no trouble seeing through didn't leave me going "COME IT'S OBVIOUS" at the characters. And it's not like the intrigue and mystery was the purpose of the book either.

TV Show

The Last of Us

I won't go into details because well, you probably know them already.

I will just say that 75% of the reason I started watching/wanted to watch it was because of Pedro Pascal because I quite like him as an actor. And that 50% of why I am really enjoying the show is because Pedro Pascal is 200% dilf in it. I am not ashamed to say it and it's not like I'm the first one to say it, far from it.

Also so far, besides Pedro Pascal, my favourite things are the opening scenes of each episode. They add some layers to the whole show I feel like.

Music

Running Up That Hill (A Deal with God) by Scott Bradlee's Postmodern Jukebox and Sweet Megg

So like a lot of people, I was done with hearing Running Up That Hill and it's 2 billion covers. But I usually like Scott Bradlee's Postmodern Jukebox covers so I gave it a listen, put it in my winter 2023 playlist and then forgot about it.

Until last week when I ended up on it again and just have been listening to it on repeat since. I just really love the tempo of it, the piano and saxophone.

Dixie by Harmonium

This one is an oldie but oh so fucking good~

So Harmonium is a Québécois band from the 70s with wonderful music (highly recommend the album Les Cinq Saisons, it's on spotify) and Dixie is just so fun to listen to.

I went to see a concert with my parents mid-january where they did orchestral arrangement of the band's music and it was just all so good.

Food

Lemon coco cake

Not the first time I made it and it sure won't be the last :)

I love the texture of the cake and also how easy and quick it is to make

Recipe (i'm translating the original here because I am nice)

Ingredients:

2 eggs

1/2 cup of sugar

1/3 cup of melted butter

1 ¼ cup of self-rising cake flour (i mean, all purposed flour also work because i know i don't always have cake flour on hand)

200 ml of coconut milk

2 lemons

Make sure you have a cake mold of about 24cm/9.5inches diameter too

Pre-heat the oven at 350F In a large bowl, mix the eggs and the sugar. Add the melted butter then the flour and mix well. Once everything is mixed well add the coconut milk and mix again. Then add the zest and juice from the lemons and (guess what) mix again.

Pour into the cake mould and place in the oven for about 25 min.*

*The recipe says 25 minutes, but everywhere i have made this cake it was at least 30-35 minutes. Just (carefully) stick a knife or one of those long wooden stick in it and make sure it's coming out dry.

According to the recipe book, it makes for six portions. According to me it make for 4 to 6 portions depending on how much you end up liking the cake and how much willpower you have that day.

[kvjohansen]

Brenchley's Outremer

I'm thinking what I'll likely end up doing with this mostly is writing posts about books I've liked or am reading at the moment, that sort of thing, but ... I'm determined to get some work done this week and have told myself to stay off social media. So ... not wanting to leave my shiny new account lying fallow, how about something I wrote for my newsletter last spring -- a "go read this series" about Chaz Brenchley's Outremer books.

"I’d decided to start including a paragraph enthusing about a book I’ve loved," I said in that newsletter, and I began with "something from a while back that is being reissued."

The Devil in the Dust is the first in Chaz Brenchley’s Outremer series. If you like my prose style and my fantasy, I think I’m pretty safe in saying you will like Brenchley’s. (He also writes everything from children’s to horror, stopping off at creepy mysteries and urban fantasy along they way.) I love all his stuff because of his way with words and psychologically complex characters, even the horror, which as a genre I generally do not like. Anyway, The Devil in the Dust, newly reborn from the publisher Wizard’s Tower, was originally a fat trilogy of three books from Orbit: Tower of the King’s Daughter, Feast of the King’s Shadow, and Hand of the King’s Evil, back circa 2000, but it came out in the US as six shorter books with different titles, which is how Wizard’s Tower is doing it, and I believe they’re a bit revised, so I may need the new editions.

Anyway ... why I love Brenchley’s Outremer. It’s secondary world fantasy very strongly rooted in the Crusades (not historical fantasy, but not hiding its cultural inspirations). That world -- the magic, the landscape, the cultures in both their similarities to and differences from those of our own past -- is one to immerse yourself in; the characters are complex and intelligent, caring and troubled, passionate and wounded. They’re not people you’ll forget easily. Being Brenchley, there's of course some LGBTQ representation, too. The plots are many-layered, the adventures everything you’d want from a great epic fantasy. Do take advantage of the re-publication of this series. (And while I’m in proselytizing mode, if you like urban fantasy, do yourself a favour and pick up Brenchley’s Dead of Light and Light Errant, too, which I love, love, love, and then there’s the two more urban fantasies ostensibly written by Ben Macallan, the protagonist of those ...) (Brenchley also wrote a sadly underappreciated secondary world trilogy under the name Daniel Fox, as well: Dragon in Chains, Jade Man’s Skin, and Hidden Cities -- a setting and culture inspired by time he spent in Taiwan, and well worth hunting out.)

[deadmomjokes]

My brain’s tendency to go from an initial idea to something totally different and wildly off-the-rails of the initial scope and premise is both baffling and hilarious. And I swear, it happens every time I try to write something, outline or not.

Pulpy noir murder mystery one-shot but make it urban fantasy >>> dramatic irony laced howdunnit about the saving power of love as a deliberate action and breaking the cycle of apathy by choosing to care, ft double romantic subplots, Southern Gothic Horror but make it magical realism, elves as monstrous instead of ethereal, #acab; wait how did YOU become a main character, you little one-off exposition machine with a placeholder name? guess you need your own set of books now and oops I think I just created a Literary Universe

Chilling backstory of ruthless, manipulative villain from the above >>> Big Gay Tragedy, hero’s fall from grace wherein an angry asexual becomes a literal nightmare monster to save his marginalized people and his BonesMcCoy-knockoff boyfriend, functional commentary on how working within existing power structures to affect change frequently leaves the marginalized in a catch-22 of performative worthiness designed to maintain status quo for those benefiting from the current power dynamic; villain has evolved into tragic Anti-villain/Anti-hero, update initial project to reflect shift, GOSH DARN IT that’s another book we have to add at least

Three immortals hanging out in a cabin in the woods accidentally get found out and have to convince their discoverer not to turn them in to the government >>> depressed and compassion-fatigued immortal wakes up in the middle of his own autopsy, has to convince his coroner and himself both that life might be okay actually, complicated by the fact that he’s accidentally party to kidnapping said coroner, who is definitely having the Worst Day of Her Life but handling it surprisingly well for someone running on caffeine, spite, and the Hippocratic oath

Steampunk Sherlock Holmes but make it a magical realism fantasy roadtrip >>> ... actually that one is basically still the same nvm

Cars, but make it people >>> Oh hey turns out that’s a thing already and Cars is based on a 90s movie that’s based on an obscure book; who knew! anyway >>> anti-imperialist ecopunk Weird West middle-fantasy, once again about the choice to care for others over the convenience of neutrality and safety of apathy (not that I have some strongly held thematic opinions or anything)

Short story written to-market for a SFF magazine competition, maybe drop some allusions/analogs to current world events to make it *~Timely and Relatable~* (I really want to win this thing, I need money, I’m a shameless sellout) >>> Does the end really justify the means, or do the means determine the end? If saving one person means killing five more, is it worth it? If that one person could save ten more, would your answer change? Does that change who you thought you were? Is there ever a right answer to the question of who deserves to live? Is true pacifism even an option in a world where violence is also an option? Oh yeah and some contemporary fantasy I guess, just slap some pointy ears on those dudes or something

Basically what I’m saying is that sometimes your heart knows better than your brain, and you should never be afraid to play around and just Go For It because some of your best ideas may come from asking “What if” about 37 times in the course of a single outline point, and so what if it ends up totally different than your initial starting point, the joy is in the journey, right?

Also you never come up with a plot resolution as perfect as “dying girl tries to stab a demigod with a borrowed demon sword on behalf of an undead terrorist, demigod proceeds to pat her on the head, give her a shiny new powerup that may or may not be cursed, and scoop everyone up in a cup & dump them outside like an unwelcome but ultimately harmless spider”* on purpose, that stuff either comes to you in dreams or at 11pm on a weeknight while attempting a sleep-deprived writing challenge that forcibly shuts off your inhibitions.

Aka, let yourself be weird, it works out way better than you think.

*Yes that is a legitimate plot point I am using in one of my novels. I had agonized over how to solve the corner I’d written myself into for months before the “screw it, idc anymore” kicked in, whereupon this brilliant solution immediately asserted itself like I hadn’t brought myself to tears trying to work it out logically.

[kellshaw]

Thoughts on writing a puzzle mystery novel

I love puzzle mystery stories. Some examples: Agatha Christie's 'And Then There Were None' (the original SAW movie!), and a lot of Japanese mystery fiction such as The Tokyo Zodiac Murders by Soji Shimada, The Decagon House Murders by Yukito Ayatsuji. And a lot of visual novels like Dangan Ronpa, Zero Escape and Somnium Files.

(Let me know if you have any good recs.)

Anyway, my second novel is out for beta reading. It's like waiting for a friend to recover from their coma.

Rather than twiddling my thumbs, I'm working on my third book, and while the first two I'd call urban fantasy thrillers, the third is going to be a puzzle mystery. My approach to this after the cut:

My first two books were written by writing something, revising it, revising it again until I gradually moulded in the story into a shape like clay. I didn't plan or outline to start with. I had a vague idea of the themes, an understanding of the characters and a bunch of stuff about the world. It was like a textual Pinterest board of stuff.

My goal for book three is to dig into Lukie and Tamlyn's friendship. Once high school friends; now there's a twenty-year age gap between them since Lukie returned from the dead as an undead, soul-eating revenant. Tamlyn's been forced into the role of Lukie's guardian—she can only feed at his command. And Tamlyn's got lots of personal issues to deal with that haven't surfaced yet in the previous two books. His best friends were murdered in high school, and during his police career, he's repressed a lot of his emotions and personal stuff. So it's about applying pressure on the pair and see how their friendship endures and survives (or will it? Books can change dramatically through the writing process).

And this will be done through the backdrop of a complex mystery, with the pair staying at a haunted hotel. So the theme of friendship, ex-friendships and how much can a friendship bear will be featured heavily.

How do I plan to do this?

Everyone at the hotel is in a pair. Friends or married couples, of different ages and orientations. These relationships are pressured in someway when the plot event starts.

I will separate Lukie and Tamlyn. There's a time facture at the hotel. Tamlyn's stuck at one end, and Lukie's in the other. The two timelines are connected like in Looper—a change in the past end will influence the future end. Tamlyn's solving a murder mystery in the past, while Lukie is dealing with a ghost haunting the hotel in the future and the two time lines are connected.

How will I organise these not one, but two interconnected mysteries?

I realised early on (after writing 30k words) that I will need to, gasp, write an outline.

I'm currently working on Tamlyn's end of the story. He's stuck in the past, and stuck with five couples in the hotel, which they can't leave. There's a murderer on the loose. Each couple has a series of secrets.

This is where years of running mystery tabletop roleplaying games helps. Following on from the Alexandrian's articles on 'Revelation Lists', I've worked out a series of secrets for each couple. Then I made a list of steps for how the detective character will uncover the clue.

Overly dramatic example for a demonstration: (not actually from the book!)

Robert and Martha Smith, a mysterious married couple.

Dramatic Secrets: Robert and Martha pretend outwardly to be a happily married couple. The truth is more sinister. The couple have murdered the real Martha, and the 'new Martha' is Robert's girlfriend, and is using Martha's identity. ['new Martha' needs to use old Martha's identity papers as she's a foreign spy on the run, in trouble.]

The Detective notices at breakfast in the hotel that Martha doesn't know a simple fact about the jam Robert likes, which implies their relationship is new (and yet their paperwork/documentation says they've been married for twenty years).

Martha also is missing some cultural information that her persona should know. (I read somewhere about Russian infiltrators into the US in the 1960s may have had perfect English, but didn't know pop culture stuff like Mickey Mouse.) Perhaps another guest at the hotel is obsessed by a TV show that someone of Martha's age should know about, and yet she's a bit vague when pressed. The other guest is puzzled that she doesn't know these pop culture facts.

Some shocking event causes Martha to act like an intelligence professional (perhaps the sound of a gunshot makes her duck and roll?) rather than a scared businesswoman.

The Detective pulls on the circumstantial information about Martha together and realizes she's the foreign spy that another character spoke about.

The details will get fleshed out with further outlining/writing. Anyway, once I get a list of five revelation lists for each core clue in the book, then I order them like so

Chapter 3

Couple A, Revelation 1, Clue 1

Couple B, Revelation 2, Clue 2

Then I structure the chapters around that, adding pacing and characterisation as we go through. One problem I have with large-cast mystery novels is I often lose track of the characters if they're not distinct enough, so I'm trying to each character a name that sounds different and a quirk so the reader won't go "Quinn? Who's Quinn again?"

And that's my current approach for writing a mystery. I will let you know how it progresses.

Let me know if you have any good tips.

[wardenred]

Flash Fic Masterpost

All the original flash fic and snippets ever posted on this blog,to be updated sporadically.

Post-Final Girls 'Verse

In a dystopian world of cyberpunk and superpowers, three women keep coming together and apart. Snippets in chronological order:

Back in High School (Flo and Mel snip at each other about Jules)

Back in High School-2 (Flo and Jules talk about robots and kindness)

As an Experiment (Jules gets Flo to try living together)

Like Gravity (a typical instance of Flo and Mel running into each other)

Kitchen Talk (Jules & Flo, ethical disagreements in some unidentified probably peaceful time)

Pillow Talk (another moral conundrum convo)

"But what does it do?" (Flo gets a regular piercing that isn't a cyberpunk device; Jules is suspicious)

Anniversary (Flo takes Jules out on anniversary date and possibly does some crime on the side)

To Make Amends (an AU version of Flo and Mel being led to reconnect and start working together, based on an early iteration of the outline)

Language of the Revolution (based on an actual scene from the draft)

"I thought you were dead" (an AU where Mel gets captured by the Big Damn Villain; in the actual draft, it's Flo who draws this short stick)

The Morning After (the immediate aftermath of book one)

A Hologram (Jules & Flo beyond the city limits)

Plastic and Chrome (Mel: meanwhile in X-City...)

Hypervigilance (Flo tries to be introspective about her feelings for Mel; takes part after Flo and Jules leave the city, technically, but is really an extended flashback)

Neon and Moonlight (Flo, Jules, a brief trip back to the civilization)

Letters (Jules starts writing to Mel)

Numbers and Pixels, Smoke and Mirrors (on the verge of a reunion in VR)

Extra: a trilogy of whumptember snippets set in the same universe, probably in a different city, with charaters I know little about other than that they want me to know more and write a book about them:

[1], [2], [3] (captivity, brainwashing)

Tales from the Witch House 'Verse

In a kitchen sink urban fantasy world, a bunch of young supernaturals are squatting in a derelict house under the protection of a mysterious witch who claims to have their best interests at heart.

Tim and Leo Angst

Tim and Leo Fluff

"I hate this song" (takes place soon after the one linked above)

Xan and Gella Fluff

Flame & Moth 'Verse

Based on a RP my friend and I have had going on for year. A potentially evil superhero agency, an amnesiac pyrokinetic searching for the truth of his past, a villain who keeps showing up to save him and make his life harder. You know, the fun stuff. Snippets in roughly chronological order:

Out of the Rubble (one of the many instances of the villain coming to the rescue; written for whumptember)

"Is that blood?" (sometimes, Flame can rescue himself! with a little help from his Agency partner Batshit)

Searching for memories in a house on fire (Flame, mortal peril, Moth shows up right on time; written for whumptember)

"There's nothing I can do" (Flame looses a trainee)

Oops, the Agency isn't happy (look, Flame's suffering again; written for whumptember)

Flame is getting rescued from the above predicament (or is he?)

"You said I'd be safe here" (right, apparently he did get rescued)

You Can Doom Everyone (maybe it's a nightmare sequence, maybe it's not)

Bonus: same universe, different hero and villain Bonus-2: not sure this takes place in the same universe... but hero and villain, too

More Than We'll Never Know 'Verse

Snippets related to an ongoing WIP set in a D&D-esque world of adventurers, living legends, and evil capitalism. Mostly focused on a single messy adventuring found family of six.

A version of Vezee and Dagatha's first meeting

A random corn maze adventure

Bariq Being Bariq

Ice by the Fire (Sufjen and Vel getting to know each other)

Trinket (Sufjen and Vel late-book fluff)

Tired of Fighting (Bariq being a shitty friend to Vel)

"Your Magic Is Awesome" (Rinouk being a good friend to Vel)

The perils of getting too close to the villain, might be where the plot is headed, might be an AU/theoretical snippet

Not Mad, Just Disappointed (Dagatha reconnects with her mentor, sort of)

"It's a trial, not a party" (fluffy Dagatha/Vezee sequel to the above)

Vezee and Dagatha's Happy Ending (possible version)

Unwanted Rescue (it is possible Bariq will continue being himself even after the end of the story... or maybe I'll figure out how to give him a better arc after all)

And maybe sometime after the ending Vel and Sufjen will adopt a baby dragon: [1] [2]

Champagne Problems 'Verse

Snippets related to an ongoing WIP set in a city full of corrupt nobles, eldritch cults, angsty magic Academy students, portals that might connect all that to our world, and lying liars who lie.

Secret Meeting (prior to the book's events Elair meets with his evil employer)

Not At All Serious (pre-book Elair, the perils of falling in love under a fake identity)

Rainy Day (pre-book Elair and Miq fluff)

Sweet Tooth (more pre-book Elair and Miq fluff)

Outdoor Event (even more pre-book Elair and Miq fluff)

Practice at the City Hall (pre-book Elair and Miq again, poor Miq is clearly planning the proposal at the end there...)

"I've Got You" (Elair and Miq fluff, just might be a rough draft for late in the book)

Cults and Blood Sacrifices (absolutely unrelated to the book's events, I don't know these characters; absolutely takes place in Mramorsten, though; written for whumptember)

Kingdom in Peril Plot Bunny Exploration

Just a bunch of characters and a slowly forming setting existing rent-free in my mind. No idea where I'm going with all of this, but the journey will involve court intrigue, royals behaving badly, randomly appearing gothic vibes, mysterious dark threats, and possibly soulmates.

Surprise Visitor on a Rainy Evening

No One's Happy about Going to the Royal Court

Oh, Look, the King Has a Brother (He's My Favorite)

Royal Siblings Flashback

Alita Alone in the Garden

Royal Chessboard

Random Randomness

Consider this a catch-all category that I may eventually reorganize by genre.

Dead Gurdian's Dolmen (fantasy, worldbuilding-focused)

The Frozen Giant (sci-fantasy, worldbuilding-focused)

Dragons are fairly splenetic creatures (cozy fantasy, predictably turned into a trilogy of novels with one drafted already :D)

Bucolic Living (cozy lovecraftian post-apocalypse)

Sapphic September: Portal Fantasy (YA, parallel worlds)

"Our job isn't to too god, it is to make right" (fantasy, gods and heroes that fight them, evil mentor, written for whumptember)

An unplanned sequel to the above (in which things get darker)

"Let me do this for you" (fantasy, some kind of secret agents, self-sacrifice, written for whumptember)

Sapphic September: 3 AM (some kind of post-break-up drama?)

"Don't come home" (dark fairytale with a soul-eating dragon)

Around the Oak (a weird sapphic time warp flash fic)

"This was always going to happen" (fantasy, character death, guard captain x spy)

"If that's what it takes" (fantasy, an adventurer attempts to rescue her brother from an evil wizard; written for whumptember)

Mother's Matchmaking (space opera/melodrama of manners, enemies-to-lovers, will be a book someday)

The summer weeks by the sea are long (a sapphic vacation with revelations)

Life on Mars (sometimes, people just keep coming back and you can never let them go)

Dystopia Tropes (random modern-day slice-of-life romance)

Waiting for a Call (angsty sapphic magical girls)

Always Sunny (a monster hunter comes back to her hometown to reconnect with her ex-girlfriend, definitely will be a book someday)

Home (mad science and eldritch tentacles, written for whumptember)

Gears (a steampunk tinkerer and a rogue, for Sapphic September)

The Better Bad Idea (something something sapphic Regency-inspired fantasy, for Sapphic September)

"There are no aliens on the abandoned atomic station" (something something scientist and journalist, for Sapphic September)

Fool's Gold (a dark fantasy snippet, friends to enemies)

When you're escaping confinement, why not take your captor with you, right (written for whumptember, hero and villain)

Dreamscape Navigation (pretty much a novelization of a stray magic system... or a flashficization, rather)

On the Porch (a half-baked tropey idea about sisters reconnecting because of a condition in their grandmother's will)

What You Swore to Destroy (angsty YA horror with a touch of eldritch past lives)

Lessons in Failure (not all heroes get good mentors)

Picking Cherries (something very random; kids and cherries sometimes make things better)

A Maybe, a What If, an Almost (stream of consciousness friends-to-enemies flash fic)

Won't Forget (tiny 100-words drabble about memory spells)

Also, a whumptember two-parter with potential for more parts about a sassy imprisoned prince:

[1] [2] (warnings: imprisonment, sensory deprivation, torture)

And another whumptember two-parter: in part one, someone just tries to survive in a city his twin has ruined; in part two, the twin is in an even worse pickle.

#iHunt Rpg Fanfic (based loosely on a campaign I was in, you don't need to know anything about the game, it's just a small wrong number flash fic)

My tag for all the flash fiction and snippets: #warden's random scribbles.

[ordinarytalk]

Do you happen to have any fic recs for the Danny Phantom content you loved?

Oh man, I have gone through so many fics it's kind of hard to pick and choose. The Phandom is wildly creative, and it is really hard to narrow things down.

I can give a few, at least? I'll try to do sort of a tasting menu of different genres. This is nowhere near a full list of my favorites, I'm just trying to show examples of what sorts of stories are out there.

Something's Wrong With Danny Fenton - This is a horror interpretation of the concept, where the ghosts are a lot more ghostly. Starts with Sam and Tucker not knowing Danny or that he is Phantom, and there's (spoilers?) some very sweet scenes when the two learn his secret and accept him as he is. A+ eerie ghost stuff.

Tucker Foley and the Long Arc of the Paranormal Universe - An AU where Tucker is a psychic, Sam is a witch, Danny is a ghost portal, and there's a serial killer stalking Amity Park. The central mystery plot is the driving force of the story here, and it's one of those fanfics that honestly could be a standalone urban fantasy/mystery/horror novel if you filed the DP serial numbers off. Tucker-centric, which I love, and there's some pretty interesting reinterpretations of canon characters. The main trio have an interesting rock-scissors-paper power dynamic that lets each of them cover the weaknesses the others have to various supernatural powers in this universe.

Product Reviews - Danny reviews his parents' inventions on Not-Amazon. Amazing, perfect, hilarious, Wes Weston makes a cameo, I love it.

Improbable, Not Impossible - College-age Danny is caught by his parents, and the only one who could help in time is Vlad. This is a good example of two of my favorite tropes: 1) a villain reluctantly coming to the rescue (while still being kind of evil) and 2) a short story pared down to the bone, presenting an interesting concept and then leaving you to imagine how it plays out. The final line in this story had me actively yelling in my room.

But First, A Word Of Instruction - Danny's having trouble with anxiety, and Clockwork gives him an old book that may have some useful advice. Danny Phantom is famously queer-coded despite...*waves vaguely at the entirety of Butch Hartman*. This story, specifically the passage from the book that Danny was given, made me, a trans person, feel so many Trans Emotions that I actually started crying and had to walk away from my computer for a bit.

Mortified - The Legend Itself. A story that actively tries to hit virtually every popular DP trope at least once. Massive, popular, compelling, directly inspired multiple new fandom tropes. I may be slightly biased towards Mortified.

[pens-swords-stuff]

ABOUT ME

➸ Name // Undine ➸ Age // 25 ➸ Pronouns // She/her (They/them is also acceptable!) ➸ Writeblr // @pens-swords-stuff ➸ Background // Japanese-American, queer, hobby writer ➸ Enjoys // Video games, playing music, binging anime and TV shows, compiling data for fanfiction/WIPs, bullet journaling, spending too much time on Tumblr Hey everyone! I'm not a new writeblr; I've been around for nearly 3 years now. I haven't been very active in the past year, so I'm reintroducing myself to the community as I dip my toes back in the water! I'm looking for new writeblrs to follow, so please reblog and I'll come check you out. I'd love it if you could introduce yourself to me in the reblogs because I'm always looking for new friends/mutuals to support. Friends and mutuals, I would love and appreciate a boost, as well as an update on how you're doing! I follow from my main blog @undinology. Contact me through my writeblr @pens-swords-stuff and not my main blog, please and thank you!

MY BLOG

I'm primarily known for my writeblr advice. I write guides designed to help people navigate the community as well as tips and tricks for those who want some extra guidance. Sometimes I post writeblr opinion pieces about current events/trends sometimes if I have something to say. If you've been around, chances are you've seen some of them floating around! I also give standard writing advice on occasion as well. Feel free to ask me anything, just check out my ask guidelines first! ➸ My advice masterlist ➸ Ask guidelines I also run a lot of community events! Keep your eyes peeled for any future events; I run them all on this blog! Here are the events that I've created/hosted so far: ➸ Writeblr Secret Admirer (Annual) ➸ Writeblr Positivity Week (Annual) ➸ WIP Blind Date (Intermittent) Besides all of that, I create writing memes, do a lot of writing positivity posts, and occasionally post my own writing! Supporting other writers is incredibly important to me, so I do my best to leave comments and reblogs as much as I can. I love talking with and supporting people, so please feel free to reach out!

Writing info and WIPs under the cut!

MY WRITING

➸ Writing masterlist* ➸ Primary genres // Romance, period, urban fantasy, mysteries, fanfiction *There are several WIPs on my writing masterlist that are on hiatus, and will likely not be discussed on my blog anymore! 98% of my writing is co-written with my best friend and writing partner @decantae. We've been writing together for nearly 6 years, and we primarily focus on writing bisexual romances in a variety of genres that spiral into massive plots. Our most recent focus has been writing period romances. Our current passion project and the WIP that I write for the most is a fanfiction period romance that features a huge polyamorous relationship, and it's nearly at 600k words written over a year and a half thus far. (No, it's not a novel, and it's written just for our own enjoyment, not necessarily meant to be read by others, so that massive word count is okay!) The other 2% of my writing are my solo projects. I'm a much better co-writer than I am a solo writer, and they are worked on much more sporadically, but I love them all the same. I have many ideas and I've dropped them just as quickly as I've discussed them! I'm a rather flighty solo-writer who is constantly juggling several ideas both novels and fanfictions. There are two WIPs in particular that have stuck around however, and that I talk about the most on my blog.

ALWAYS THE BRIDESMAID

➸ Genre // Murder mystery, romance ➸ Tropes // Fake relationship/wedding/marriage, bisexual rivalmance/minor enemies-to-lovers, detectives ➸ WIP Introduction ➸ Character Introductions ➸ WIP Tag // #atb ↳ All posts about ATB, including musings, memes, jokes ➸ WIP Tag // #always the bridesmaid ↳ Only official posts such as snippets, intros, lore, etc. ➸ Synopsis There’s been a string of murders. While tragic, murders are commonplace enough in [Fictional City] that no one blinks an eye when they are reported on the six o’clock news. The victims had nothing in common, so it was largely believed to be the work of separate killers, unrelated and commonplace. Except for one tiny detail: Every single victim had been a part of a wedding party the month prior to their death. Two private detectives were hired to investigate separate incidents, two different murders. When it becomes apparent that this trail of wedding murders has one culprit, it was only natural for them to team up and work together, because two heads are better than one. The only problem: They are rival detectives with differing styles that clash and find each other insufferable. When clue after clue lead them to dead-ends and false information, they are forced to confront the reality that they need to do something drastic to pin down the culprit. Pretending to be engaged and planning a fake wedding to lure out the killer seems extremely out there, but if they can survive a fake relationship, perhaps they can bring down the killer once and for all. It’s a crazy plan, but it just might work. Because if there is one thing for certain… The victim is always the bridesmaid, and never the bride.

PROJECT VESTIGE

➸ Genre // Coming-of-age, magical realism, mystery ➸ Themes // Connections between the past and the present, nature is alive, nothing is truly gone, remembrance and memory, found family, history repeats itself, it's never too late, magical phenomenon being 'normal' ➸ WIP Introduction ➸ Character Introductions ➸ WIP Tag // #project vestige ➸ Synopsis When Brooke started hearing voices, she thought that she was going insane. There was laughter when she was all alone, she overheard arguments in empty spaces… She’s not losing her grip on reality however. The earth remembers. It remembers the conversations, the laughter, sobs, and the shouts. It’s called place memory, and the places whisper and repeat them out loud so that nothing is ever truly forgotten. Anyone can hear it — all you have to do is listen and pay attention. Most people can’t hear place memory or ignore it because they’re too distracted with their own lives, but Brooke is listening now, and she’s paying attention to every murmur. People are disappearing in Antium. At first it seems like no big deal — just a college student skipping town — but one by one, more people go missing.  It’s the Bay Witch, the locals say, the Bay Witch is snatching people away just like she did in the past; it’s happened before. Could it really be a local legend that’s responsible for these disappearances, or is there something far more sinister happening in Antium? Using her newfound discovery of place memory, Brooke and her friends start unraveling the truth behind the Bay Witch and missing people from over a hundred years ago. Little do they know, learning what truly happened back then may pave the way to them finding the missing people in the present.

If you made it to the very end of this long intro, thank you so much! Please feel free to ask about my WIPs or come hang out with me in my asks. I'm really looking forward to reconnecting with old friends, finding new writers to follow, and re-immersing myself into this lovely community!

[absolutebl]

Top 10 BLs Out of China 

(best BLs from China in no particular order, and all containing problematic tropes or serious censorship or both - triggers all ‘round) 

Addicted Heroin (2016) Viki - Censored mid series but high heat classic BL prior to that, weird ending, still my favorite. Unfinished due to censorship but still very good, well acted and shot, high school set, rich kid falls madly for the genius poor kid in his class, starts an aggressive pursuit, includes kidnapping for love, obsession, stepbrother trope, plus some cheating. 

Word of Honor (2021) Viki & YouTube - Censored wuxia bromance, amorphous ending. Two murder-gay assassins (pining sunshine/tsundere) who manage to be insanely gay for two boys who will never be allowed to kiss. Tropes include: wuxia, soulmates, paranormal, historical, and fantasy elements.

The Untamed Special Edition BL Cut (2020) YouTube - Censored wuxia bromance, amorphous ending. Probubly the best known BL of its kind out of China and responsible for bring many fans to the BL side. 

Guardian (2018) grey - Censored bromance, episodic urban fantasy police procedural, one of the most epic long term pinings in the history of long term pinings. 

Advance Bravely (2017) grey - Bodyguard romance censored mid series, weird ending. I actually kinda like this but it is very much censored has themes of revenge, salvation, infiltration, and domesticity. Hard to find and the rip is terrible. 

My Esports Genius Brother (2021) GaGa - A strangely cute somewhat incomprehensible censored magical realism BL micro series about fated mates who balance each other out and must find the courage to stay together. More here. 

Like Love: I Love You As a Man 1 & 2 (2014-2105) YouTube grey - Pre-censorship with an HEA, also explicit, yeah China once did that. Classic early yaoi style BL college romance for a rich popular jock type and a super nerd. 

Mr. CEO is Falling in Love with Him (2017) grey - Heavily censored bromance that says what it does on the tin, but they basically end up living together. 

S.C.I. AKA SCI Mysteries (2018) YouTube - Out of Hong Kong but they tend to act similar to Mainland China around censorship, this is a police procedural with a censored bromance main couple of police investigators who live together basically as husbands, it’s just not talked about. This is one of the first BLs I ever saw (I found their relationship very confusing). 

Irresistible Love: Secret of the Valet 1 & 2 AKA Uncontrolled Love (2016) YouTube grey - Censored obsession romance but there’s an alt happy ending for the series on part 2, quite violent, lots of tiggers, whipping boy chassis.  

Vids tagged “grey” may no longer have functioning links. Check MDL comment threads to track down. Or leave a comment I may have an updated link. 

Mainland China & BL in Brief 

China’s History with BL is complicated by serious homophobia and censorship, which I’ve posted about before so I’m not going to go into it again in depth. 

Like Japan, most of China’s early stuff is depressing in that they like to kill their queers either with the seme character becoming so obsessed to the point of kidnapping, rape, and murder (the murder-gay trope). Otherwise they end their stuff with separation by accidental death, noble self sacrifice, or some other misery (kill your gays trope). 

China entered the market in a big way with over a dozen movies 2014-2016 featuring either adult or university aged characters, often explicit relations, always obsessive love, and ultimate unhappiness. 

In 2016 Addicted: Heroin released which looked to be an actual BL romance with a high school setting, high heat, and HEA and the censors lost their shizz and shut it down. (There are lots of rumors about what "playing gay” did to the careers of the respective actors, especially the one playing the uke role.) 

Clearly production had already begun on a few 2017 series like Advance Bravely and Beloved Enemy, which then got killed or censored beyond all recognition, and there’s a drop off in movies with any kind of queer content after that.

This in turn resulted in the suppressed bromance long running series of 2018-2019 (SCI, Guardian). The ultimate result of which was wuxia adaptation, The Untamed in 2019. Word of Honor pushed back on the gay, again, but was still censored and not allowed to end (exactly) HEA (by romance standards). (And the uke actor was punished, again, this time ostensibly for other reasons.) 

As China currently stands, BL is either heavily censored into little to no physical contact and couple references or the gay character(s) must die or end up de-facto apart. Basically China’s messaging is:

Stay in the closet or be unhappy and die.

This is why I tend to not be a big fan of Chinese BL.

I know, call me crazy.

If you want more about profound damage done by suppressing gay physical affection on screen and why it’s cruel and unforgivable I go on a serious rant here. 

A list of bromances, sans my negtive thoughts and feels is here. 

This is part of a series on top 10 BLs from each country coupled with a history of BL.

Japanese BL

Chinese BL

Taiwanese BL

Korean BL

Thai BL

Chinese masculinity and the ban on effeminate men 

Where to watch it? Most Chinese BL eventually shows up on YouTube. 

ALL BLS OUT OF CHINA

That I have watched and rated, by date & then rating out of 10 as of June 2022.

2014 Like Love 1: I Love You As A Man: Part 1 - 5 2015 Falling in Love with a Rival: Counterattack - 3 2015 Mr. X and I: Us Against the World - 3 2015 Like Love 2: Nobody Knows But Me - 2 2016 Addicted Heroin - 8 2016 Irresistible Love: Secret of the Valet - 5 2016 Irresistible Love 2: Uncontrolled Love - 6 2016 Fanatic Love - 5 2016 Queer Beauty: Oppressive Love - 3 2016 Ghost Boyfriend 1 - 2 2016 The Male Queen: Han Zi Gao - 1 2016 Lost Love - 1 2016 A Round Trip to Love - 1 2017 Customized Companion - dnf 2017 Glass Heart - dnf 2017 Legend of Long Yang: Rebirth 6 2017 Mr. CEO is Falling in Love with Him - 5 2017 Till Death Tear Us Apart: In This Case A Pleasant Lifetime Alone: Love is in a Blaze - 5 2017 His Cat: His Cat Boyfriend - 5 2017 Advance Bravely - 5 2017 The Fairy Fox - 3 2017 Beloved Enemy - 3 2017 Ghost Boyfriend 2 - 2 2017 Love is Not Easy to Have: Rare Love - 2 2017 Swinging Blossom - 2 2017 Find You In The Crowd compilation - 1 2018 River Knows Fish Heart - 6 2018 Guardian - 6 2018 Past Youth - 2 2018 Ghost Boyfriend 3 - 2 2019 Mermaid's Jade - 4 2019 Broken Youth - 4 2020 The Untamed - 6 2020 Precise Shot - 4 2020 Capture Lover - 4 2020 Youth in the Breeze: People of the Skyy compilation - 3 2021 Word of Honor - 8 2021 My Esports Genius Brother - 7 2021 Every Moment that I Think of You - 5 2022 In Your Heart - 2 

(This post as of mid 2022.)