#Original Novel

[r-f-m-writes]

A Lark In a Hollow Chapter One

Really, she doesn't have a choice.

Lark barely remembers the huge shadow of a man sitting beside her in the dead heat of Mrs. Poppy's office at the children's home. He is silent, stoic, and completely terrifying.

Christopher Hollow.

Muscled.

Six foot five.

Storm blue eyes.

Dog tags outlined under the straining stretch of his black tee-shirt.

"Lark," Mrs. Poppy says, gently, "you're happy with this arrangement? You want to go with your Godfather?"

There's no money left for her to live off until she finds a job - if she finds a job.

Her Dad is dead.

Lark doesn't have a choice.

Lark Douglas didn’t know who Christopher Hollow was when Mrs. Poppy brought his name up to her on a hot Saturday afternoon in her office. The additional details that he had served with her Dad in Afghanistan and was her appointed legal guardian and Godfather did nothing to help jog Lark’s memory.

      In fact, it was a full week after Mrs. Poppy informed Lark of Christopher Hollow’s existence that the girl finally managed to scrounge up a single, short, fuzzy memory of the man.

         She was home.

         The door to their flat was open, the old ceiling fan had been turning in slow circles over her head. It did nothing to fight against the mid July heat that was so stifling and muggy it made her skin stick to the linoleum floors. She had sat on the couch playing with Labrador, her stuffed toy dog, when Mom walked in with someone.

        Lark was five, she thinks, and she hadn’t paid attention to anything that was being said, or looked at who had stepped the room after her mother. She only glanced up from where she was making her stuffed dog do backflips off the worn-down couch cushions when big, black boots stepped into her vision off the edge of the sofa.

       The man who stood in front of her was tall, wearing camo pants and a fitted grey tee-shirt. His face was hard to remember, but Lark thought he had sandy brown hair and the start of a thick brown beard. He had crouched down, setting aside a battered black duffle bag, looking at her like he expected something.

     Lark had only stared at him.

      Mom’s voice had a strain in it when she spoke.

     “Say hi to Chris, baby. He’s come all the way from the airport just to see you.”

     The man spoke before Lark had the chance. He had a deep, rough rumbly voice.

     “Don’t worry her about it, Lori. Been two years. I’d be surprised if Pet remembered me at all.”

      Pet.

      That was the only memory Lark had of Christopher.

      She wasn’t even sure it was real and not just something she had made up in the recesses of her mind as an unconscious effort to help herself fill in the gaps and feel less uncertain.

     She had lots of memories like that.

      Memories no one else could verify. Memories she wasn’t sure happened, but couldn’t shake as being real.

      This was what led Lark to where she stood at the top of the worn flight of wooden stairs.  Seventeen years old, dressed in clothes that didn’t belong to her, feeling entirely unsure of what the future would hold.

      Seventeen, and only three weeks and four days shy of her eighteenth birthday.

     It was ridiculous.

     Stupid, even.

     Why couldn’t she just wait it out at the girl’s home?

     Why was Mrs. Poppy was obligated, by law, to reach out to relatives Lark had never even heard of and negotiate with them down the phone, asking and then, after the eighth rejection, pleading with each of them to come and pick her up?

      “Just a month - no, no, you wouldn’t have to commit to adoption, Mrs. Tanner - not at all. I am only reaching out because Lark is your niece, and I am sure you want the best for her -”

     The list thinned, name by name. Lark saw them each time Mrs. Poppy opened the manilla envelope with her initials on it, glancing over the struck off phone numbers and feeling nothing.

    The rejections didn’t surprise her.

    She knew from lived experience how reluctant people were to help a stranger.

     It took less than half a week for them to reach the last one.

     His name.

     Christopher Hollow.

     He was who Lark was waiting for as she hung onto the banister, her dark eyes fixed on the panes of frosted glass in the door, anticipating seeing a shadow blot across the panels when he stepped onto the porch and rang the buzzer.

     Floorboards creaked.

     Lark moved too late when Mrs. Poppy stepped out of her office that stood at the side of the stairs. The stacked blonde beehive of her hair bobbing into the girl’s view as Lark tried to scurry back out of her sight.

    Too little, too late.

    The kind wrinkles around Mrs. Poppy’s eyes doubled and deepened as the sound made her look upward and spot Lark.

     “Lark, there you are! I was just about to come and find you, dear. Nip down into my office for a moment, I’ve got some things I want to discuss with you before Mr. Hollow arrives.”

    The old stairs squeaked loudly as the girl walked sheepishly down the grossly worn-out blue carpet runner, rounding the curved banister at the bottom to follow Mrs. Poppy into her office.

    It was sun warm inside, light spilling over the faded hardwood floor and shiny varnish of the big, brown desk, highlighting the dozens of ring-marks stained into its top by mugs of coffee past. Mrs. Poppy rounded the desk, having to skirt sideways between the edge of it and the rows of heavy metal file drawers that flanked the room on all sides.

   Taking her perch in a black wheely chair, the woman gestured for Lark to sit in one of the two big, green, retro velvet sofas that faced her desk.

      Sinking down into her seat, Lark folded her hands in her lap and looked at the woman, waiting to be spoken to. She had been thoroughly taught from a young age that she was to be seen and not heard. There had also been plenty of occasions when Lark wasn’t to be seen or heard. Those were moments when her half empty pink, princess wardrobe came in handy.

        Mrs. Poppy placed a pair of up-swept cat eye spectacles on the tip of her tall, gently crooked nose, and took out a notepad. It was one of dozens she had, this particular piece of stationary sported Lark’s name on its front, written in black pen and then broadly underlined in purple marker.

       “Miss Douglas today is a big one for you. How are you feeling, hon? Excited? Nervous?”

        The soft slip of her southern accent calmed Lark some as she fought against the urge to fidget, keeping her fingers still in her lap.

        “Excited, Ma’am. Dad didn’t like to travel much, so seeing the Appalachians sounds like a real adventure.”

        Lark stuck a quick smile onto the end of her lie. She had rehearsed it in her head a hundred times since she was told the good news a week before.

        Christopher Hollow wanted her.

        He was driving the whole way down the coast from his home in the Appalachian Mountains to come and collect her. Lark couldn’t even comprehend where the Appalachian Mountains stood, just that they were stupendously far away.

        Mrs. Poppy grinned at Lark, genuine and radiant, as she wrote something in fast scratching cursive over and empty line of the notepad.

       “Always such an optimist, Lark. I’m sure Mr. Hollow will be delighted by you.”

        Lark’s left thumb twitched. When she smiled, it felt tight in the corners, “I certainly hope so, Ma’am.”

        And she truly did. Lark knew the way men behaved when they weren’t delighted by her.

~R.F.M~

         A fist gripped long, brown hair tightly enough to tear dozens of strands out of Lark’s scalp as she was dragged down the hallway by her head, the girl’s frame stooped almost to the floor as she clawed at the hands restraining her.

       “Fucking little bitch coming to steal from me? Think you’re slick, huh?”

         In honesty, Lark did.

        She had stolen from the man before on countless occasions, rummaging through the contents of his worn leather wallet, fishing out loose coins and dollar notes that wouldn’t be missed. Before, he was always too out of his mind to realize, so Lark had gotten greedy.

        Twenty dollars was a lot of money to people like them. She was foolish for thinking she could snatch it away without his notice.

       Lark didn’t know his name, or his age, or anything about him other than the fact he bought pot on Thursday afternoons and left the door to his apartment wide open with 90’s music playing full volume while he sat out on his balcony in a beat-up pink recliner, back to the living room, smoking.

         By all accounts, the man wasn’t very smart. But he was still a man, a man much stronger than Lark.

[gaslightgallows]

Hey Writeblr, show us your original project's AO3 tags.* So far for mine, I've got:

Terrible Decisions, PTSD, Bad at Relationships, Seances, Ghosts, Historical Romance, Psychological Horror, Haunted Houses, Artists Behaving Badly

*like if you were going to post your original whatever how would you tag it to let people know what to expect

[blradley]

A powerpoint introduction to Liesmyth!

(I swear the next one will actually be in Comic Sans... shout out to @incandescent-creativity for popularizing this medium!)

Anyway...

Do you wanna read a dark, Norse-inspired Adult Fantasy?

Do you wanna read about queer gods causing mayhem?

(literally every single character is queer lmaooooo)

Do you wanna support a queer, multiply disabled author?

Look no further than Liesmyth! We're out on subs at the moment - so, pretty-please reblog this powerpoint if you like the concept! Let's prove to all those prospective publishers that there's an audience for my book!

Image IDs:

All eleven images are power point slides.

Image 1: Title card reading 'Liesmyth: or, how Sigyn ruined everything, by B. L. Radley'. The words are displayed over a person in (...vaguely) Viking-era garb, against a green background. Only a slice of their torso is visible.

Image 2: A picture of an ash tree against a green, cool, mountainous scene. In a yellow text box, words read: Welcome to a world inspired by Norse mythology, where witches can climb through the cosmos using the boughs of an ancient ash tree, and any magic is possible, so long as it is cast with a suitable sacrifice. Yes, it’s basically a Viking Isekai. Shoot me. Then, a quote in italics: I know an ash tree named Yggdrasil, Nine realms cradled in its loamy arms… Prophecy of the Voluspa, verse 19

Image 3: Meet the characters! An image shows a white woman in Viking-era dress, leaning against a fence, looking pensieve. She is introduced as Sigyn Narisdottir. Her quote is: “It’s a God-eat-God world out there…” Below this, there is a description of Sigyn, reading: Just a nice, normal Christian woman from a nice, normal Christian village. (Totally not a gay witch, haha no, why would you suggest such a thing.) After her father is killed by his own God, Þórr, Sigyn has only one chance to free his trapped ghost from eternal torment. She must confront Þórr and slay him in combat. But how can a mortal defeat a God? Traits are bullet pointed at the bottom of the page. Hers are: Ruthless, ambitious, cunning, and desperate.

Image 4: The next character description is of Loki. His quote is “Monsters lost their menace when they huddled crying in the corner. And when you might use them for your own ends.” His image shows a clean-shaven half-naked man sat against a scandinavian-esque backdrop of rugged rocks and dried grass. He is white, with curly red hair, and is looking curiously off to one side. His description reads: The savior of the Gods, or their bane? A framed innocent, or a prophesized murderer? A victim, or a monster? Loki is a man of juxtaposed polarities, not least of which being that he isn’t a man at all. At least, not when it doesn’t suit him. Sigyn knows he’s dangerous. But in the viper nest of Ásgarð’s royal court, he might be her only ally… or her downfall. His traits are: Sly, wily, and 'not to be trusted'.

Image 5: The two characters introduced on this slide are Freyja and Thor. Freyja's image is of an Arab woman staring directly at the camera, expression serene, curly hair falling around her face. Her quote is: “Goddess of beauty. Goddess of desire. All who saw Freyja fell a little in love—but though silken longing stirred in my belly, I wrung it dead, reminding myself that Freyja was a goddess of bloodshed, too.” Her description reads: Queen of the Vanir, Freyja is an ancient and powerful goddess who takes Sigyn as her indentured servant. Her traits are: Proud, cold, and vicious. On the opposite side of the page, Thor's image shows a white, bearded man in an iron helmet glaring into the camera, viking sigils scrawled across his face in charcoal. He is shadowy and menacing. His quote is: “I saw a rainbow flash over a church. I saw a broken sky. I saw the end of everything.” His description is: Eldest prince of the Æsir. Murderer of Sigyn’s father, and countless more beside. The living embodiment of berserker rage, he is the strongest god around – and next to inherit Ásgarð’s throne. Unless Sigyn can stop him. His traits are: Violent, mighty, and 'a storm made flesh'

Image 6: introduces Angrboda and Baldr. Angrboda's image shows a white woman with blonde braids, wearing chain mail and warpaint (black streaks over her face), with a huge axe over one shoulder. Her quote is: “ ‘Sigyn, meet Angrboða: witch of the Ironwoods, god of a lost nation, relic of an elder age, master of magics that not even my darling brother dares dabble in, cosmopolitan worldwalker, mother and father of my children, and—if I might say so—a practitioner of truly superlative strap-game.’ ” Baldr's image is of Assad Zaman, looking wistfully, beautifully, into the camera. His quote is: “Out strode the most beautiful man in all the Nine Worlds. His gentle smile, his topaz eyes, his black curls, the fawn velvet of his cheeks… Oh, warmth radiated from him. I looked at him and felt, for the first time in oh-so-very-long, safe.”

Image 7: introduces Saga and Menglod. Saga's image shows a Black woman in darkness, with facial tattoos and a nose ring. She raises her eyes to the camera, pulling back a dark hood, her expression difficult to read. Her quote is: “In another version of this tale, I stayed with Sága. We travelled to Ljósálfheim every winter—one for every six of Vanaheim’s years—and raised foundlings as our own (for ever were the elvish freer with their loves than those of my world). But in this tale, we reached Freyja’s palace, and I had a dream.” Her description is: Prophet, witch, worldwalker. The woman Sigyn left behind. Menglod's image shows a Black woman smiling slightly, slyly, as she looks back over her shoulder, her natural hair framing her face. Her quote is: “If I tended the hearth in Freyja’s chamber, I left ash on her floors. If I swept the ash, I left streaks invisible to any eyes but Menglǫð’s. If I breathed, I did so far too loudly and regularly, and if I were a considerate soul, I would stop.” Her description is: Freyja’s attendant, and Sigyn’s main rival for her favor.

Image 8: So, like, wtf happens? Set against a background of dramatic red-on-black fire is a description of the book's plot, as follows: Crumbling kingdoms. Hungering Gods. One woman who will end the worlds. Loki, Norse god of fire and mischief, will be tortured until the end of time. And he shall deserve every minute. At least, that’s how the story goes. Behind every great man is a great woman, and behind every genderfluid trickster-god is a spouse who darns his socks, plots his victories and keeps his secrets, as well as her own. After a thousand years of agony, Loki looks to the woman who kneels by his side – his jailer, his torturer, his wife – and asks for a different story. Hers.

Image 9: a continuation of the plot from the previous slide, this time with a cool blue lake as the background, with a viking-style ship floating atop its surface. The image feels less calming, more unnerving in its stillness and the lack of human life. The description reads as follows: Down with the gods. So swore Sigyn, a young mortal woman, after watching her father die at godly hands. One millennium later, she has joined the same pantheon she once despised. Now, as Ragnarǫk approaches – the end of all Nine Worlds – Sigyn narrates the tale of the Norse Gods’ fall, and her own.

Image 10: Themes. A picture of two crossed axes accompanies a list of themes, which are: 1) Revenge. What is a life worth? And what would you give up, to avenge the life of someone you love? 2) Corruption. Can you ever fix a broken system from the inside? Or will it, inevitably, consume you? and 3) Divinity. What does it mean, to become a god? What might you lose along the way?

Image 11: A picture of Loki as a woman, with red hair, dressed in a Viking-style dress and sat on the edge of a Scandinavian dock, accompanies text that reads: This book is for you if you like... Queer-led, queer-written fantasy, with main wlw and nonbinary characters! Court drama and political intrigue, mixed with a sizzling dash of mythology! A prophecy that cannot be averted; a tragedy that cannot be outrun…

[sterekshipper-writer]

I'm writing an original YA novel on a young girl who learns she is asexual. I wanted to ask for opinions from others who are asexual and are comfortable answering.

[shepherds-of-haven]

Sighting in the wild! Purchased from the Strand :)

AHHHH this is so cool! 🥲 I love seeing the book out in the wild, it never gets old! Thank you so much for your buying a copy and for your support, I hope you enjoy! 🥹💖 And thank you for sending this in, it made my day!!

[blkdaddie]

Introducing Pregnant In Pearls, available on inkitt

Preston Campbell’s world is a carefully constructed dance of power, desire, and ambition. As the young spouse of billionaire magnate Malcom Delacroix, he navigates the complexities of their high-stakes relationship, balancing public expectations and the private reality of their intense dynamic. Pregnant and determined to secure his place in both Malcom’s world and heart, Preston plays a dangerous game of seduction, control, and submission. But in this glamorous world where love and power intersect, will he get what he truly desires, or will the weight of it all pull him under?

If you enjoyed Malcolm's perspective in Coming Home, read their love story from Preston's POV.

[ekholocationn]

I WROTE A BOOK!!!

Today an announcement dropped on my Youtube channel about my upcoming original novel, Cthalia! You may have heard it mentioned on this account (I can't shut up about it lol). Here's a link to the announcement:

Multiple things got revealed in this video, one of which being the official Tumblr for the story, @cthaliaofficial !! Feel free to follow this account for updates, art posts, sneak peeks, and more!! The pinned post will also give more info about the story, and a link to the Discord if that interests you!

I'm VERY VERY VERY excited to be making big announcements like this again for Cthalia!! Thank you to everyone who has supported me through this, I can't wait to finally start releasing this thing soon >w<

[katy-l-wood]

Hello! May I interest you in some potential new blorbos?

Three halves of a whole idiot and the little sister they like varying amounts from "would die for" to "would leave out in the desert to die."

I'm so sorry tumblr is eating the image quality.

You may acquire more information about said blorbos on the Kickstarter, which launches March 1st, and you can get notified about the launch here.

[luciiferous]

Before him sat the Scholars on two benches facing the inner aisle; on the left were the Humans, Marciano and Magnolia, and Emil, the sole Yaksha among them. (...) On the other side were the Aos Sí twins, Alphonse and Medb. Their identical blue-hued faces would be impossible for a layperson to differentiate; both twins had worn their long, white hair tied back to keep the flyaways from their eyes, and sported matching bluish robes that dusted the floor of the caravan.

[oc]

Here's the chapter 1 splash art page for The Corpse Swallower!

[stardust-falling]

GHOSTS OF THE HEART

NOVEL INFORMATION MASTERPOST

……

Support me on Patreon! ~ Tip me on Ko-Fi!

About the Story:

After five hundred years of peace under the guidance of the five great clans, the cultivation world was devastated by a sudden, terrible war. Song Mingzhen, the son of one of the cultivation world’s leaders, sacrificed himself to bring the war to an end— becoming gravely injured and losing his memories in the process. Five years later, having finally recovered and rejoined society, he hopes to find a new purpose in helping common people and cultivators alike recover from the war— and to move beyond it himself.

Unfortunately, things bound by fate are not so easily disentangled.

Not long after Song Mingzhen’s re-emergence, one of the great clans’ leaders is found murdered, an ancient demonic tool goes missing, and one of the perpetrators of the war, who had been held in custody, has escaped.

Song Mingzhen must now join forces with Ning Feiyun, a young prodigy with a cold temperament and a complicated past, in order to unravel the series of events and track down the fugitive— before it’s too late.

About the Novel:

《Ghosts of the Heart》 is my debut original novel. It is a xuanhuan/xianxia novel, set in a semi-historical Chinese fantasy setting. The genre is mystery, drama, and romance, with a MLM main couple. I began publishing it on patreon in February, 2024, and since then I have been publishing one new chapter every few weeks, though I hope to publish more frequently as I gain support. The entire novel is expected to be quite long, with three main parts currently planned, each part estimated to last a few dozen chapters.

Publishing Details:

The novel will be entirely self-published and released in serialization. Once completed, it will be edited and released as a full digital novel on various self-publishing platforms.

All chapters of the first major story arc (equivalent to a first book or volume) will be released free for all readers after a short paid early-access period. The latter two story arcs are planned to be patrons-only, as of now, so that I can make a living off of my writing as a disabled person.

This work is published under my own Storyteller's Policy(link tba), which allows for-profit derivatives within certain limits. Please contact me directly for further details if you wish to make or publish for-profit derivative works, including fan-sequels or merchandise.

Please support me by becoming a patron if you wish to read my novel and are able to do so! I also have no issue with those who have paid sharing my novel chapters with friends who cannot, as I am very sympathetic to not being able to afford things. I just hope that those who can support me will do so. Thank you!

Where to Read:

Full Novel on Patreon

Free Chapters on AO3

Free Chapters on Royal Road

Other Links:

Ghosts Tag

Ghosts Fanart Tag

Tip me on Ko-Fi

[joannekwan]

BOOK COVER REVEAL

ARC applications are technically open on my site, but I’ll make a formal post soon for this Achillean werewolf romance!

This story can be a stepping stone to my longer works and a baby step for anyone curious to dive into monster romance! This is the first time I’m starting to promo within the bookish bookstagram community before the official publication, so I hope it will get more traction than my earlier works from the get-go.

[r-f-m-writes]

Pretty, Dead Animals Chapter Four

Linette runs on Mondays.

It's ritual. A routine she had been honoring since she was fifteen and still in foster homes, trapped in the city. 

It felt safer out on the flats of the desert, nowhere for predators to hide, no unexpected turns in the roads, just clear, calm sand stretching further than she could see. 

Linette would have liked to listen to music while she ran, but the cost of headphones and a smartphone were luxuries that she couldn’t even dream of. The steady pound of sand under her shoes and even rushing of her breath was good enough as Linette sped across the ground, a pleasant sting in her legs and stain in her lungs as she moved.

It was mid morning. The sun sat high. She felt good, oddly optimistic for the week ahead as if there were a little spout of hope sprung up from the rubble of her heart. 

Something good was coming Linette’s way. She could feel it.

~R.F.M~

Logan tugged at the length of chain to test its bearing again, watching the silver links go taught, pinching one after the other, all the way along to the stud tightened securely in the wall. 

It didn’t budge. 

Dropping the metal tether to the floor with a clatter, he stepped around the careful arrangement of scented markers and mindful coloring books to the mattress. Twin sized, brand new, made with top quality memory foam. It was pushed flush with the wall, right under the thick metal stud. 

He hadn't bothered with a bedframe. Too much potential for her to hurt herself if she pitched a fit when she was brought home. 

The sheets were white and pink, an organic blend with eight hundred thread count. Two pillows, just the same as what she had in her apartment and a light duvet with a single, beige fleece blanket folded into a square at the foot of the bed. 

Other than the sleeping area, her room was sparse. No pictures hung from the walls, no clutter on the floor, nothing that she could make into a weapon or use to hurt herself. It was perfect.

Logan would buy her things, of course. If she was good, his girl could have whatever she wanted. Books. Movies. A full screen TV. Clothes and makeup.

New, pretty toys to play with that were more fun than the single raggedy old bunny she doted over.

Linette could have whatever she wanted if she was good. 

But if she was bad?

Logan lifted a hand to rub along the hinge of his jaw while he stared at the length of chain.

If she was bad, then it would be Logan who got whatever he wanted.

[paigia4]

New Oldworldtale Chapter 3

"I don't give a fuck!! Even if the pain crawls all over my body, I will continue to persevere!!" ——Kare

"Who am I..." I slowly opened my eyes, and everything around me was blank... Just like a newborn baby, everything around me was blurry...

"Great! It turns out that inspiration is most suitable for the role!" Suddenly I heard a voice coming, and this voice was very sacred... I slowly raised my head and saw a woman's face appear in the blank above... She gave me a very kind feeling, as if she was my mother. I slowly tilted my head and expressed my doubts. My throat couldn't make a sound, so I could only express my doubts in this way.

"What's a good name~" The woman touched her chin and closed her eyes as if she was thinking about something of great significance. "My...name...?" I was still unable to speak as usual, but I was extremely excited when I heard that a name was given to me. My heart couldn't express my excitement at this time. Although my face was still expressionless, I was actually very happy.

"Let's name you... Jiuyuer!" The woman snapped her fingers and quickly took out her pen. She began to write and draw on my body, and slowly colors and clothes appeared on my body. I began to feel a constant flow of emotions pouring into my soul, and my soul was no longer blank... At this time, I really had emotions. "You can start trying to put him into the AU!" The woman said in her voice, and I listened to her voice and began to wonder... "Why did she... put me in the so-called AU?" My heart was full of doubts, until I stood still, and a huge amount of colors suddenly appeared around me! Slowly, these colors began to spread towards my feet.....

"Is this... AU?" When I said this sentence inadvertently, I suddenly found that I could speak! ! I no longer only have my voice! ! I looked at my whole body excitedly, I looked at every corner of my body, and my whole body was full of colors. At this moment, I suddenly found that there were snakes around my head, but I didn't have any emotional fluctuations... They didn't attack me... Instead, I felt that they were more like a part of my body. I kept listening to the sound of them spitting out their tongues, and I touched their heads with my fingers. I stood there, not knowing what to do next. I kept looking around... Suddenly I found a place with smoke in the distance.

"Where... what place?" My curiosity was instantly aroused, and curiosity drove me to walk towards the smoking place. The road under my feet was originally muddy, but as I walked towards the smoking place, the road began to become flat, and walking was no longer difficult. Along the way, I saw many kinds of indigenous people... Some of them had horns, and some had special looks. They kept talking and laughing, as if they were living a happy life. I began to wonder why they were so happy, so I walked up to two of the residents.

"Hello? Where is this place? This is my first time here and I don't know much about it." I looked at them with a fake smile and asked them with a somewhat puzzled tone. "Here? This is one of the villages in Puzzletale called Selwind! Are you from outside?! Outsiders are not common here! Welcome!" One of the residents walked up to me enthusiastically and answered my question. His expression seemed to welcome my presence. I was a little scared by his enthusiasm. I nodded to his question about whether I was from outside.

"Welcome!! You will like it here!" After seeing my answer, he shook my hand enthusiastically and shook it violently, while the residents next to him just watched silently and smiled at me. When my hand was shaken violently, I quickly pulled it out. To be honest, I was really scared by the other party's enthusiasm...

I looked at the two of them and asked, "Where is Selwind?" When I asked this question, the very enthusiastic resident pointed to a village in the distance. After hurriedly thanking them, I walked towards the village. Along the way, there were many aboriginals walking, some were taking their children out to play, and some were going out to do business. I suddenly began to look forward to the surprises that this village would bring me. I came to this village, and the village that caught my eye was holding a busy market, which was particularly lively. There were constant hawking in the busy market, and some of the residents who were hawking were selling some vegetables, and some were selling some small jewelry, etc.

My eyes were fixed on the entire village, as if I wanted to take in everything I could see, and the corners of my mouth rose unconsciously. I began to stroll around the busy market, and I saw that every resident was talking and laughing about daily meals and family matters. I walked and walked and came to a store, which sold all kinds of things. My curiosity was aroused again, and I was driven to walk into the store. In an instant, my eyes were attracted by the dazzling array of goods and I couldn't leave my sight. I felt novel, and suddenly I was attracted by a fragrance. I turned around and saw the shop owner frying something. I walked forward to see what the shop owner was frying.

I walked forward and took a closer look. I saw the boss frying tofu. The aroma of fried tofu was like a beautiful woman seducing me, refreshing. My saliva flowed down the corners of my mouth unconsciously, and my stomach started to growl. The boss heard a voice behind him and immediately turned his head. "Oh? Are you hungry? Do you want some?" After saying this, the boss looked at my face. I began to nod quickly. After the boss saw me nod, he began to pick up the fried tofu and put it into the paper bag. I kept drooling as I watched the boss pack the fried tofu, my eyes fixed on the fried tofu, as if I was going to bite the boss's hand holding the fried tofu in the next second.

"Okay! Your fried tofu!" The boss handed me the fried tofu, and I took it immediately. I picked up a bamboo stick and inserted it into the fried tofu that was cut into small pieces. The fried tofu was still steaming. I took the bamboo stick with the fried tofu and put it into my mouth. Instantly, the soup wrapped by the fried tofu gushed out of my mouth. The taste was the best thing I have ever eaten in my life. I dare to guarantee that I will love this delicacy all my life! When I was enjoying the food, I suddenly heard the boss say, "Sir, you haven't paid yet?" The boss looked at me who was enjoying the food with a happy face a little embarrassed. He really couldn't bear it and reminded me to pay... But I just came here, and my pocket was empty... I silently turned out my pocket, and there was no money in it... The boss laughed when he saw it.

"I think you are from another place?! I will put this order in the account first, and remember to pay me back when you have money!" The boss looked at me with a smile, and he generously gave me credit. I walked out of the store with fried tofu in my hand, smiling. I continued to stroll with satisfaction. Suddenly, a dog ran over from beside me and followed me. I turned to look at the dog. The dog wagged its tail and kept looking at the fried tofu in my hand. Its pitiful eyes seemed to want to melt my heart. I looked at the dog and held the fried tofu tightly in my arms. When the dog saw that I was not going to fry tofu for it, it immediately changed its face. It stood up on all fours and started barking at me. I was about to leave quickly, but suddenly I felt a sharp pain. I turned around and found that the dog was biting my calf tightly and refused to let go.

"Quick! Let go!" I kept shaking my feet, and suddenly I lost my balance and fell down, and the fried tofu in my hand also fell directly to the ground because of my unstable center of gravity, and the fried tofu in the bag fell to the ground. After seeing this, the dog picked up a piece of fried tofu and ran quickly towards the one in the distance. I stood up and looked at the fried tofu on the ground with a distressed face. "It's all dirty..." I looked at the fried tofu on the ground and had to turn around and leave. I was too embarrassed to ask the boss for a new one. I walked and walked and came to a big mountain, and suddenly a familiar voice came.

"We have to give him an identity... Then he should be the mountain god! Protect this village!" I looked up at the sky, and it was still the familiar woman. She said... She wanted to give me an identity? Or the mountain god? What a special identity... Suddenly a bright light shone on me, and I immediately felt a strong force rushing into my body, and I slowly closed my eyes. After an unknown amount of time... The light disappeared... I slowly opened my eyes, but suddenly found that the residents around me would all look at me, saying "This is a miracle! He has been canonized as the mountain god! Kneel down and worship him!" Almost all the residents in the downtown area knelt down and kept kneeling down to worship me.

I suddenly realized... this feeling was wonderful... I seemed to start to feel that this situation was also quite good... During the few days when I became the mountain god, the villagers began to build a temple for me on the mountain and offered all kinds of offerings. They kept begging me to bless them... I agreed to all their requests... Just like that... I lived like this for a full hundred years...

One hundred years later... I started to get tired of being a mountain god... because I wanted to leave the village and go somewhere else... but I found that I couldn't leave the village... I had to satisfy the residents' demands all day, and I started to get tired... One day, I suddenly had an idea... I could leave as long as I destroyed the village, right? Thinking of this, I didn't realize the seriousness of the matter, I just naively went to complete my idea immediately. I flew over the village, and all the residents looked at me... I felt very... selfish at this moment... I felt that I had helped these residents so many times, and it shouldn't matter if they helped me once... Thinking of this, the snake next to my head began to condense light balls from its mouth. "Fire..." I gave an order... The light balls condensed in the mouths of all the snakes above my head turned into shock waves and bombed the entire village indiscriminately.

Suddenly, the whole village was ablaze, and the whole village was in ruins! ! The flames almost illuminated the village at night... I had a satisfied smile on my face, and I thought I could leave here... right... but no... A familiar face suddenly appeared in the sky, it was my "mother"!! She looked at me with anger and said, "You actually did this!! You are too selfish and you don't deserve to stay in this AU anymore!! Get out of here!" After she said this, a portal suddenly appeared under my feet, and I fell into this portal... The moment I fell in, I found that there was a blank void here.

Only then did I realize the seriousness of the matter! Because of my impulse, I was driven out... I don't know how long I stayed in this void... During this period, I kept begging my "mother"... I begged her to let me go back to Au... but she was indifferent. Just when I felt desperate... suddenly I felt a hand patting my shoulder, I turned around and thought it was my "mother"... but what appeared in front of me was a skeleton with some cracks on his face... Just when I was wondering where the other party came from... he spoke!

"I know what happened to you... do you want to make a deal with me... don't refuse yet, I can help you return to your AU" The skeleton said with a cigarette in his mouth and a warm tone that made me feel warm, this warmth is like my "mother". When he said this, my eyes lit up, and when I was about to ask him what the content of the deal was, he said one step faster than me, "The content of the deal is that a skeleton will appear later, and you have to help him complete his things. As long as you help him complete his wish, you can return to your AU! How about it, it's very tempting, isn't it?" The tall skeleton said, his deal really tempted me, so I nodded frantically and agreed to the deal. Just after I nodded, the skeleton in front of me disappeared...

Thinking back to this, I was suddenly interrupted! "Jiuyuer, why do you want to be my friend, and why do you want to help me?" Kare walked in front of me and asked in a puzzled tone.

"Who knows~ It's a secret~" I said in a nonchalant tone, and slapped Kare's butt hard. "Can you not be so perverted!!" Kare's face turned red instantly after being hit on the butt! "No~" I said in a teasing tone~

(Thanks to my friend for helping me draw)

[yukiwhitetm]

I wrote! I wrote! I actually wrote!

After a long time not writing much due to my grieving the loss of three of my friends, I have finally gotten back into writing. Edited a part in chapter five that I was unhappy with and started chapter eight of TLB.

Yay!

[shepherds-of-haven]

I'm trying to get back into reading and and so I was wondering if you had any recommendations? I was hoping it would have romance in it as well if thats alright. Also, for your published book is there a preferred site to order from?

Hi there, thanks for your ask! I have a bunch of recommendations in my #recommendations tag, but here are some of the more useful ones for your purposes. You should definitely check my "favorites" post, since that one has a lot of books I obviously highly recommend!

My favorite books (organized by category)

My top 5 fantasy recommendations (same answers here)

Some book recommendations from 2021 (I particularly stand by The City of Brass, but I'd have to give the Wolf of Oren-Yaro and Serpent and Dove a re-read to know if my feelings have been tempered by time)

Here are some other recent reads I've enjoyed, or which helped me get over a reading slump, that also include some romance!

The Undertaking of Hart and Mercy by Megan Bannen - cute "enemies to lovers/unknowing penpals" romance that takes place in a weird, magical version of the Wild West between a marshal who hunts the undead and a mortician who's trying to keep her family business afloat!

The Bear and the Nightingale by Katherine Arden - a medieval Russian fairytale that has some of the most gorgeous, lush prose I've read in recent years, though be warned that it's a fittingly brutal look at peasant life in a rural village during that time period. It has only the faintest smidgen of romance in the first book, but I'm guessing the romance expands in the sequels!

Swordheart by T. Kingfisher - a fluffy, cozy, low-stakes, humorous Dianna Wynne Jones-esque fantasy romance featuring a rather silly, sheltered widow who inherits a sword that happens to have the spirit of a warrior trapped inside it. Very comedic and heart-warming, and it takes place in a larger world that has several books set in it (Paladin's Grace and its sequels are closely related to Swordheart, but they feature different characters)

Emily Wilde's Encyclopedia of Faeries by Heather Fawcett - another cozy fantasy romance that reminds me heavily of Howl's Moving Castle, featuring an extremely serious, socially-awkward university researcher and her extremely vain, good-looking, ridiculous academic rival as she tries to complete her dissertation and secure tenure. Takes place in an alternative history of Europe that features all kinds of faeries, myths, and folklore!

Hope that's helpful! Oh, and thank you so much for thinking of my book, We Have Always Been Here! 🥹 The publisher's website is the best place for all the purchase links, but whichever site you'd like to use or is most convenient for you is best: the only thing that changes on my end of things is the format of the book (hardcover or paperback, etc.), not where you buy it from, so feel free to use whichever site you like! Supporting indie booksellers like Bookshop.org (which donates a portion of its proceeds to local bookshops), Books A Million, Powell's (still family-owned and everything!) and Hudson Booksellers is always great; if you live internationally, Penguin Random House direct or Barnes and Noble should get that to you, too! A review on Amazon is always nice, but going an indie route is always great if it's possible for you! :) Thank you so much for asking!