#VERY GOOD LIONBOY

[skullssy]

[mbrainspaz]

Came across your Harry Potter alternative for adults. Do you you have any recommendations for kids?

The Bartimaeus sequence would be ok for older kids. There isn't much with the same potential for fandom. A lot of YA series are shorter and less well developed because publishers just wanted to blast them onto the market and get some of that sweet JKR money. That's why you get so many crappy cash grabs that devolve into brain melting nonsense after 2-3 books like the Michael Vey series, Gone, Maze Runner, and Lorien Legacies.

Here are some short series that aren't much like Harry Potter but that I liked as a kid around the same time I liked Harry Potter:

Percy Jackson (obviously. If any YA series could take on Harry Potter in terms of scope and fandom it's probably this one. Kid with ADHD discovers he's actually a demi-god and has to go on adventures and battle monsters. The series racks up a hugely diverse cast over time.)

Airborn (alternate history with airships and lots of steampunk adventuring, made me more interested in engineering and zoology, and the series has a satisfying ending.) Airman (just a single book sadly, which I liked even after I'd outgrown the Artemis Fowl books and gotten annoyed by them. Young kids might prefer Artemis Fowl.)

LionBoy (All I remember is t's about a kid who has asthma and can talk to lions, but I liked it a lot in middle school.)

Leviathan by Scott Westerfeld (similar vibes to Airborn but it's set in an alternate history of WW1, the books also have some truly awesome illustrations)

The Demon King by Cinda Williams Chima (high fantasy so it's no Harry Potter, but the main character is an urchin who becomes a wizard, so...) Her urban fantasy series The Warrior Heir is also good but pretty much revolves around human trafficking and an ancient blood feud.

Pendragon (eh... this one is borderline cash grab while still being fun. It's a good series overall but the conclusion is a little eh. Local high school boy discovers he can travel to alternate realities and is destined to fight a very evil villain who I always thought was cooler than Voldemort)

Inkheart (a personal fave I first read at 12 and still like to re-read at 30. Magic system is a little whack but the story does a great job of presenting truly evil villains through a lens of childhood.) Funke also has the new ongoing series, Mirrorworld, about a guy who travels through mirrors into a fairytale world, but that one's a little more mature.

The Knife of Never Letting Go (sci-fi, kind of like a cooler Avatar. Don't watch the movie. Very creatively written book with serious themes of imperialism, fascism, and misogyny—but in a way that kids can enjoy.)

Ranger's Apprentice (another kind of eh one in retrospect. Good for younger kids. Has some great characters but does devolve into a bit of a cash grab in later books. Harshest criticism is that the characters drink an unreasonable amount of coffee.)

I'll end on

City of Masks by Mary Hoffman (this one is a hidden gem. Urban fantasy but it's weirdly obsessed with Italian City-States. Long-ish series with a diverse cast and great recurring characters. It favors political intrigue over the magic system. Book 1 has themes of struggling with terminal illness and loss, but each book in the series introduces a new main character with a new personal struggle to overcome.)

[thecottageinthedark]

I feel like 'the adults are putting the kids in danger' can be a genuinely good premise for a kids' story, but-this is key!-the narrative needs to recognise that this is a terrible, unfair situation.

dahl's books and a series of unfortunate events openly acknowledge that the fact that the adults are choosing not to help the kids is fucked up, which is a huge part of why they are so enduringly popular.

i am also gonna add; adults are not a monolith in real life and do not have to be a monolith in kids' fiction. so you could also have a narrative where the parents/teachers/etc have a variety of reasons/motivations for not protecting the kids (at least, not successfully). some can be uncaring jerks or manipulative chessmasters; others can be well-meaning and trying their best but limited in what they can actually do.

(also while we are talking kids' fiction where 'where are the parents' is addresssed, i am gonna mention the Lionboy series by Zizou Corder, because the first two books have a very fun take on it; the protagonist's parents get kidnapped at the beginning of the first book, which is what gets the protagonist started on his adventures trying to find and rescue them. we also get little bits of their POV scattered throughout the story, between the main narrative of the protagonist's own adventures, as they try to figure out what is going on and escape their kidnappers!)

I've seen plenty of folks express the opinion that it doesn't matter where the adults are in stories written for young audiences, because the point of the story is to give children an escapist fantasy.

But to be honest, both as a child and as an adult, I've always preferred it when family/youth media answers the question of, "no seriously, where are the parents?" because it adds so much to the story even if the parents aren't fully fleshed-out characters. The parents don't have to be present, or good, or helpful, but it always feels like a richer narrative when the question, "where are the adults?" is actually addressed.

Answer the question of "where are the adults," but more importantly, give the younger characters opinions about those adults and why they aren't present (if they aren't present).

In Gregor the Overlander, the answer to "where are these kids' parents?" is answered by having Gregor's mother Grace be an overworked single mom who has to delegate household labor to her eldest kid, and having Gregor's father be mysteriously missing as part of the story. Gregor's grandmother has dementia and the family has to worry about her care while also living in poverty. Gregor's mom being frequently absent because they're desperate and she has to struggle to feed the kids adds so much depth to Gregor's characterization, and explains why he's so hyper-independent, protective of his sisters, and determined to find their dad. Gregor's mom doesn't go on his adventures with him, but we know exactly where she is, how Gregor feels about leaving her behind, and what their relationship is like.

In The Owl House, the answer to "where are the adults?" is answered by having the adults be important parts of the narrative even when they're not on-screen. Luz's mom Camilla is deeply relevant to the narrative even though we don't see her much until season 3, and we know where she is and why she's there even while Luz is off adventuring without her. The story of Luz's dad Manny is slowly revealed through the show and casts an entirely different light on everything as we learn about him. Luz's relationship with Camilla is a core part of Luz's personality and story, even when Camilla isn't present. The other adult characters have their own narratives, too, that add to the core story in some really fun ways.

I've never liked stories where the adults are just Mysteriously Absent and it never gets addressed. How does it affect these kids to be Kids Against The World? That feels like a big form of characterization that just gets completely ignored most of the time! Even if the adults aren't around, we should at least know how the kids feel about that absence.

A kid who's happy to be free of the adults is a different character entirely from the kid who's scared and wants to go back to their mom, you know?

[exceptone]

@savanaclawed : hey pietro and pryor how do you feel about lionboy fucking your sister     /     talk to pryor and pietro cowards.

It’s Pryor that bursts into hysterical laughter — he bends at the waist and has to grab onto a chair’s back to keep from keeling over entirely as he immediately loses his goddamn mind.  Through his raucous laughter, it’s hard to hear Pietro mutter something about the rumor mill and showing Piper some respect, but it’s easy to make out the pinched annoyance on his face; that it’s exactly the kind of language Piper has used to describe the new relationship doesn’t help.  The familiarity just has him groaning, actually, head tilting back and fingers pinching the bridge of his nose as Pryor slowly gets his shit together.

“God, it’s the greatest thing in the world, obviously,” Pryor chokes out through his laughs.  “It couldn’t possibly be better.  Our parents are shit to Piper for years because she won’t just shut up and turn into a doll so she can turn into some rich man’s wife, and it’s her actual personality, sharp edges and all, that nets her a prince?”  He barks out another laugh.  “It’s dramatic irony in the best way!  And theres no way she’s letting either of them actually capitalize like they’d wannna, so they get shit on, too.  It’s hysterical!”

Pietro’s come back to himself, and his hand falls and his head tilts back down.  His answer is more complex, but — “I’m happy for her, of course.”

“She’s told us how good the sex is, of course we’re happy.”

“Pryor!”  Pietro shoots his brother a glare that’s met with another airy laugh.  “We’re happy for her because she’s happy, and she’s so rarely happy.”  Pryor’s laughter softens and then fades entirely, replaced with a quiet expression.  His brother is right.  Piper is so sad, so often, consumed most days with dull malaise and that’s broken more often with the kind violence that eats her alive than anything happier.  It breaks their hearts.  But Piper smiles now when they video call, laughs.  Rolls around on her bed and blushes and giggles when they tease her.  Describes the man she supposedly has a purely sexual relationship in ways that make her eyes lighten and banish hurt.  SHE’S HAPPY.  They haven’t seen her happy that way since Jean left her.

And yet.  Pietro continues, “we’ve heard — from Piper and others — that he hasn’t been the most...ah.”  There’s not an entirely polite way to word this.

“We know he’s a fuck - up.”  Pryor finishes for him, and Pietro pulls a face and doesn’t argue.  They’d both done their own research, of course, and Piper never lies to them; she’d been forthcoming about the murder attempts and everything else.

“I don’t care if he’s repeated years; as long as he’s good to her, then that doesn’t matter.  The concern is that she won’t hold him to it if he isn’t good to her.”

“She doesn’t know she deserves to be treated well,” Pryor hums.  But just as quickly, the smile’s back.  “But from what she’s told us, we don’t have to worry.  They bicker, but the murder attempt over his weird sexual tension with her dorm head aside, she’s never described anything worse than bickering.  And...”  His shoulders shrug.  “She chose him.  We don’t get to have a problem with her choices.”

Pietro looks over to him; the gaze they exchange is meaningful, and his lips thin.  This is something they’ve discussed, that both have struggled with.  TO HATE WHAT WOULD HAVE HARMED HER / TO LOVE WHAT BRINGS HER JOY.  What if those things are the same?  “We don’t.  And I’m not comfortable with how easily she’s forgiven what could have ended her life.  But...it’s her choice.  And it makes her happy and doesn’t hurt her.  Very few things or people do both.  For that...”

“There’s a lot I’m willing to forgive,” Pryor says.  Pietro nods.

[lionblazelover]

Y'all wanna hear about my Villian!Lionblaze AU?

Of course you do! Who doesn't want to talk about the Lionboy?

Basically, this is an AU I made because Lionblaze is a character filled with potential that was just completely shoved aside for no reason, and I wanted to make use of that potential in a fun way. So. I made him evil.

Most things happen in the story as it should up until Eclipse. Here are a few key differences that set Lion to the path of villainy:

Lionpaw kept his relationship with Heatherpaw for a little bit longer. They becomes best friends, but don't fall deeply in love. Instead of breaking off his relationship with her in Dark River, it would happen in Eclispe, after he had almost killed Crowfeather, except-

In this AU, Lionblaze WOULD have actually killed Crowfeather. Heathertail is furious and horrified, and screams at him for being a monster, telling him that she will never speak to him again.

This is kind of the catalyst where things change for Lionblaze. Just like in canon, poor Lionboy starts having twisted nightmares. It starts off with Heathertail. Repeatedly killing her over and over again while Tigerstar whispers in his ears about the violence and suffering he has caused. The worst part of these nightmares for Lionblaze is that the brutality in these dreams slowly but surely stop bothering him

After this it kind of becomes fuzzy, because I haven't fully decided what I want to happen yet. Something I DO want is for Lionblaze to slowly become isolated from everyone but Tigerstar and Hawkfrost. The fire scene still happens, and Lionblaze learns that he had killed his father. I want that to be significant somehow. I'm struggling on whether I want Lionblaze to be the one who kills Ashfur or if it'll still be Hollyleaf. I still want Hollyleaf to have her mental breakdown, spill the truth, leave, all that. Lionblaze will lose a big pillar of his support system this way, by both Hollyleaf herself leaving and the distrust brought from his Clanmates (y'know the rumors and stuff that happen as a consequence of everyone learning the truth.) I can't remember much abt it, but I know there's a scene where Lionblaze attacks Tigerstar and pins him down, not killing him only because he's already dead, and Lion stops doing Dark Forest training. In this AU, what will happen is that Lion attacks Tiger, Tiger wins, and somehow convinces Lion to stay with him.

With Tigerstar being the only person Lionblaze trusts, Lionblaze starts seeing his Clanmates and the Clans in general as his enemy. Lionblaze is the example of how the Dark Forest training can work in destroying the Clans. And, with the Dark Forest holding one of the cats with the power of the stars in his paws, it only seems that much more likely to them that they can succeed in getting their revenge on the Clans. Lionblaze will do some very bad things in Omen of the Stars, from right under ThunderClan's noses. Only Jayfeather, and later Dovewing (and even later on Ivypool) will know it's happening.

I couldn't find a good place to put this, but in this AU, Lion's powers work slightly differently. He is invincible from his enemies. From his enemies. So his invincibility doesn't apply to people he trusts. So he will get hurt fighting his Clanmates. And, eventually, his powers no longer work against Tigerstar and Hawkfrost (yeah he didn't get hurt to them at all in training up until then. It surprises Lionblaze, Hawkfrost, and Tigerstar. This will be when Tigerstar begins truly plotting his Omen of the Stars plan.)

The Dark Forest and the Dark Forest Trainees will get more attention here. I want to show how the hierarchy of power works, the significance of becoming a Dark Forest warrior, the bonds the trainees would have gotten with each other and the residents of the Place of No Stars. Plus maybe even some StarClan development? I want to know more about the afterlife in this world and gosh darn it I will make my own rules myself if I have to.

In the end of this AU, though, I want Lionblaze to be redeemed. I'm not sure how. Something with secret agent Ivypool? Bring Heathertail back? Cinderheart? Then, the Breezepelt vs Lionblaze fight in the Dark Forest battle will hold more weight, as Breezepelt had trusted Lion and Lion legitimately liked Breezepelt and the time spent together in the Place of No Stars.

Or, maybe not.

There will be three, kin of your kin, who hold the power of the stars in their paws.

The sharp eyes of the jay bring knowledge, the roars of the lion bring fear, and the gentle wings of the dove will bring peace.

The end of the stars draw near. Broken and separated, the fourth must reunite the three enable to battle the darkness that will last forever.

[melekseev]

so i FINALLY bring you my esc19 toplist, all under the cut, with short comments.

also be aware i literally... enjoy my top 31. so twenty something places might sound bad.. BUT THEYRE REALLY NOT, I JUST LOVE A LOT. i went into this year thinking it was weak, and then after i had this playlist on so much, hello, i love a ton. nevertheless, just my taste and opinions and good luck to all of them~

1. France ABSOLUTE KIN G stuck in first place because this is undoubtedly my most listened song this year, and i'm absolutely hooked on it. i am somewhat worried about that coming revamp, but. but i fcking love this song, and he improved those vocals like d amn 2. Russia i.... am in love. every time i hear this song it gets me into that sort of dramatic ecstasy and it's so big and beautiful that it just... it kills me. i die. thats it 3. Italy soldi is still my jam, and i adore it to bits 4. Slovenia this masterpiece is one i just want to protect. so soothing, i LOVE listening to it, it's just ethereal 5. Netherlands this song, at one point, was almost at every possible spot on my list from middle to top 15, but then it stuck with me and now it's utter love 6. Hungary i adore his voice, no bias. his whole vibe, his unique delivery and technique, that folky sound, like... yes please 7. Switzerland i am not ashamed to say i am utter trash for this song. every single part i love about this. like holy shit, this time switzerland better make it thEY EARNED IT 8. Australia she is QUEEN, i considered dropping it from my top 10 when trying to readjust ONE TIME and upon relistening i instantly was like "okay no way it's going anywhere", i just unironically love it a LOT 9. Norway actual legends... this song just cheers me up to SUCH an extent! love the joiking... i love eveything, bless you norway 10. Belgium at first, i had issues with it, because i wanted a bigger drop near the end, but now i'm just absolutely... in love... it convinced me. the instrumental, the building up, the dark undertone, just. i adore this 11. Poland oH I LOVE THEM SO MU CH. li s t en. i can't explain it, but they give me like a lowkey vibe of soft punk-rock theme but also like...?? japanese pop?? but no, it's polish and slavic and traditional and i'm really really vibing with it, because some of it is familiar from my own culture, and these girls S LAY 12. Albania albania always delivering those vocals.. i love the mystical vibe with the ethnic sound, it's simply gorgeous 13. San Marino can you believe i unironically HONESTLY thoroughly enjoy this song?? serhat is an icon, but his voice actually really fits with this song and i always get super into it. i'm so happy this exists lmao 14. Azerbaijan i'm very very much into this song, and i'm EXTREMELY curious to see how he pulls this off live as it seems to be such a radio song, but i have hopes. i just dig it, like... like a LOT 15. Czech Republic this is the most chill song this year, and despite the silly, easygoing lyrics it's just... extremely fun, and it's been my jam since it came out 16. Croatia listen. l i sten. i love... theatrical. i love big strong voice explosions. this CHILD is talented as fuck. i know many people hate this, but the song actually grew on me, and then today i just honestly love it. i wish the whole song was in croatian, but even with the not so great lyrics, i'm eating it up and singing along. i know he won't make it, but oh well. it's okay Roko, i love your voice and song 17. Armenia i really love this one, too. she convinced me further in amsterdam bc she absolutely killed it (although i feel like she had a nervous slip in the very beginning) but then after that.. holyshit. such a tiny girl with such a huge voice 18. Spain honestly, if you tell me earlier it would end up this high at one point i wouldn't believe you.. i never /hated/ it per se, but i also wasn't really impressed or as into it as most people were. i think the revamp was the one that convinced me in the end, because it forced me to face the fact that i do honestly enjoy this more than i want to. also now im nostalgic towards anything spanish, even if its different, bye 19. Finland yes, this might be nothing special, but i just... enjoy it. i genuinely do, and there are certain parts i especially love, and so therefore. like. yes. 20. Estonia as much as i didn't want to like this originally, i do. like, i really do. it just happened, and i'm not mad about it 21. Romania this song is a big grower for me, and to this day the more i hear it the more i get into it still 22. UK Michael's live delivery elevates this otherwise not so amazing song like... so much. i feel like the UK does tend to send songs with this particular theme, but i actually enjoy it quite a lot when he's doing it live. his voice is impressive, and so... here he. 23. Sweden these two ^ i always moved around together for some reason, as if they were linked, which might be because John wrote both songs, although i learned that later(??? but in the end, i feel like i prefer UK a bit more. this is also really good though, it works, and it has a great vibe for esc 24. Portugal so this one slipped quite far off, as with time i sort of lost the enthusiasm for it. i still find it unique and enjoy it nevertheless though, so it could definitely be worse 25. Greece i'm in quite a pickle because after not necessarily being super into this song, i started to really like it (VOICE, BRUH) but then the amsterdam concert happened. I KNOW she was sick, though, so i sort of have this on hold. if she delivers later, which i'm sure she will, she stays, but if not, this might drop a few slots 26. Lithuania this is another song that just makes me happy and makes me smile, and i can't explain it. i love lionboy. i'm just here for it 27. Serbia her voice is quite literally pristine, i love that she's singing in serbian, and i do appreciate her a lot as i honestly enjoy this song when it's on. it tends to slip my mind, though, which i hate it does, because it's beautiful and i'm rooting for her 28. Cyprus super unpopular opinion, but i actually like this a lot more than Fuego, and don't necessarily compare the two. HOWEVER i do kinda feel like i'm seeing the same thing from the same country, like, immediately after, which makes me a little less excited about it, oof 29. North Macedonia see, the message is very nice. the song actually grew on me a bit compared to the first time i heard it, but i still just... wish it was better. i like it overall, but it's just about pushing it 30. Israel he's actually very talented and on point vocally. the only reason it's not higher is simply because it's just not really my style, but it's one i still appreciate on stage 31. Georgia there is something about this that i like. i respect him, and when near the end there's sooo much power, then especially i really dig it 32. Montenegro the revamp did help them quite a lot, but overall it still kinda feels like a high school chorus, and i'm just not really for it 33. Moldova her voice is really nice, and despite how i found it just... done several times and kind of boring (oops), her live made me appreciate this just a bit more 34. Ireland i feel like this song is just kind of... there, for the sake of being there. it's not even bad, it's just... meh? 35. Malta that chorus is a major turn off for me, and it's neeeearing that point where a song just starts to annoy me... which i feel like is worse than simply not liking something, so it's on thin ice 36. Austria first of all i think her voice is very lovely. BUT... after about the 4th yo-o-o-ouh it does tip and starts to annoy me, which i wish it didn't, but... but it does 37. Belarus i wanna talk about how they had a huge shot with Michael Soul, but i will not go down that road and focus on Zena. this song just feels like a mess to me. like... a young britney spears song, but bad. i really don't get the appeal, at all 38. Latvia hhhhhhh. this one annoys me so much, i just can't begin to explain. it's flat, repetitive, and the chorus (??) fries my nerves in a matter of seconds, IM SORRY 39. Denmark oof... o o of. i don't want to be rude but basically this feels exactly like what you'd expect a junior eurovision song to be like.... except those are actually better. it's just... no. no. way too much sugar. it’s all just... no 40. Germany speaking of songs that annoy me? i feel like this is definitely the one i can't stand the most. *screeches* SISTAH x4 41. Iceland listen i'm not going to talk about this for long but basically i really heavily dislike this for a few reasons and can never listen all the way through without like.. suffering. the funniest thing is that i love the beat. but then.. the singing (NOT even the style) it just. it makes me angry, cuz this could be good. but it's not. also i don't like the pretend-gay stuff. but that's just me

[thewollfgang]

Can you recommend me some good books to read?

*tries frantically to remember the last time I read a real actual book*

Um. Hmm. Honestly I read a lot of boring classics, nonnie. Pride and Prejudice, Tarzan, Jurrasic Park, Call of the Wild. I reread my favorite Shakespeare plays a lot.

The last book I finished was Watership Down.

I like the Virals Series, though I haven't finished it yet. (kids get infected with a virus that gives them wolf like abilities?? Count me in)

Lionboy is in a similar genre and very lovely (he can talk to cats!!)

I love the Alex Rider series (reluctant boy spy and the books seemed to mature nicely with the reading audience)

Temeraire is incredible (Dragons? Historical Fiction? Napoleon?? DRAGONS????)

I really liked Unwind. (I liked it so much I refused to read the sequel, lest it ruin my experience)

I read Star Girl in school and enjoyed it. (and maybe saw myself in the titular character a bit)

Birdwing is one of those books that stayed with me (a lovely twist on some great fairytales)

King of Shadows, too. (Shakespeare +Time Travel and h/c)

So there's a few books for ya! I'm not sure what you like to read, but maybe you'll find a gem somewhere in there :)

[draconicwrites]

name/alias, age, current pronouns: alexandra!! 20, she/her/hers

timezone: est sometimes but also pst sometimes ¯\_(ツ)_/¯  

hogwarts house: i’m a hufflepuff which is surprising to literally no one who knows me

myers-briggs type: isfj (again, this is not shocking to anyone)

what parts of seven spirits are you most excited about?: everything????? is that answer cheating????? 

What are some of your favorite books written by POC?: i just read “Colorless Tsukuru Tazaki and His Years of Pilgrimage” by Murakami which was.... a wild ride but a very good read. “Things Fall Apart” by Chinua Achebe is a lot but so, so good. when i was younger I adored (and still do a lot) the Lionboy series, which is written by a (white) mother and (black) daughter pair, and is this vaguely science fiction ish journey throughout the world, ft lots of cats, so. i read “The Painted Drum” by Louise Erdrich, and it made me cry, so it also goes on the list! & i’ve also definitely read some more scholastic/non-fiction stuff, but i can’t come up with any?? on the poetry side, i’ve read but don’t own a v good chapbook by seattle poet ben yisrael.

if you were a stinky smell, what smell would you be?: blue cheese bc i love it EDIT: also garlic because i love it

which seven spirits character do you identify with most?: lapse, maybe??? maybe?? it’s hard to tell from the teasers

what seven spirits character(s) are you most interested in so far (if any)?: i love combust but i also love cascade and harvest and gleam!!!

how do you feel about durians?: i've def seen them in the story but i’ve never had one! they’re always wrapped in plastic and i’ve heard Stories about the smell but if wikipedia is correct it tastes like nuts and/or custard which is good for the people who can get past the smell (i wouldn’t be able to :( )

[kratosaurioned]

rethi’s big books+manga rec post

so these are some things i Like A Lot. i was planning to do like videogames and music and stuff but this is already long enough

books

fire bringer by david clement-davies. i don’t really know how to describe this but basically, it’s a magical adventure + romance just with deer

the sight + fell by david clement-davies. i haven’t read these for a Very Very long time but again, magical adventure just with wolves. you will cry for these wolves, you will love these wolves

abhorsen series by garth nix. if you like necromancy you will love this. there is also a magic cat, and a magic dog

the wind of fire trilogy by william nicholson. i don’t even know where to begin. part dystopia, part magical adventure, the morrigan is there, and extremely wholesome and good family relationships

les miserables by victor hugo. i won’t promise you’ll like this if you like the musical but listen, it’s a good book. marius spends 2 hours crying against a tree, a scene that was cut from the musical

the folk keeper by franny billingsley. this is one of the books that extremely influenced my childhood, i remember reading it over and over again. basically, faeries. also good magic dogs

the graveyard book by neil gaiman. i’m gonna confess here, i don’t actually like most of gaiman’s books (his style is just not for me), but the graveyard book is great! do you like not-so-spooky ghosts raising a baby? yes? then this is the book for you

lionboy trilogy by zizou corder. set in a nebulous future where boats seem to be the primary form of transport, a kid who can talk to cats has to run away and join the circus so he can rescue his parents from an evil pharmaceutical comany. and then he befriends the circus lions and basically steals them (or is stolen by them i guess)

pure dead series by debi gliori. ok so picture this: mary poppins except the house is a castle in scotland, the entire family is scottish-italian with connections to the mafia, their mother is taking a course on magic with some success, and the family pets consist of a gender confused dragon, a yeti, a griffin, an abnormally intelligent rat and a frighteningly intelligent tarantula. also their greatx6 grandmother is cryogenically frozen in their cellar freezer

discworld series by terry pratchett. i’ve probably been the most vocal about this but discworld is Phenomenal. the earliest books in the series are rough but as it goes on discworld covers global politics, evolving technology, various different types of discrimination, the genders, war, So Many Murders, personal growth, Death, religion and so much more

manga

fruits basket by natsuki takaya. furuba was huge when i was just starting to get into manga, and with good reason imo. a touching, funny, and romantic story about tohru’s involvement with a family cursed to transform turn into the animals from the chinese zodiac

pretty much all clamp manga. some of their earlier work gets Kinda Weird at times but by and large it’s good. although there is definitely a clamp style, it varies from series to series both in terms of tone and artwork

jojo’s bizarre adventure by hirohiko araki. there is A Lot of jojo. it is at times very violent, and there is body horror in every single part. all the parts have distinct stories (as well as merits/flaws) but basically: the joestar family down the generations vs dio brando

blade of the immortal by hiroaki samura. a young girl, rin, hires the immortal samurai manji in order to take her revenge upon the people who mudered her parents. this is an EXTREMELY violent and gory series and please look up content warnings before reading it. despite that it is also an incredibly moving story that covers revenge, love, family, So Much Betrayal, some more love, life’s worth and meaning and the measure of a person’s humanity

houseki no kuni by haruko ichikawa. hnk is fairly well known these days but yeah! a bunch of genderless sentient gemstones are being attacked by people from the moon. watch as the youngest, softest gem, phosphophyllite tries to find out why. again, please be aware for a LOT of body horror and...... hnk is not very happy

immortal rain by kaori ozaki. begins as the story of an immortal man and one of the many assassins hired to kill him and recover his body, becomes an exploration of love, death, grief, betrayal and revenge, and how immortality Really Sucks

[insinirate]

Is lionboy a good boy Or A GREAT boy

a very good boy

[zevet-xiv]

LF RP connections!

[header art by @yoiku​]

Hi folks! I’ve never done one of these before, so I apologize if I leave anything important out or if it’s a bit of a long-winded mess.

Because I’ve decided not to pursue any more large-scale, heavy RP FC’s and remain in my current one, I’m looking to establish some (preferably) long-term or short-term RP connections for my soft lionboy, Zevet Jharaji! However, there are a few things I want to mention first to sort of get out of the way so I’ll put everything behind a read more because I TYPED TOO MANY WORDS.

I’m really, really not interested in RP situations that are going to be highly centric on another character constantly antagonizing, bullying, and/or threatening mine. I’m fine with tension and I’m fine with reasonable amounts of animosity, and I have no problem with brash characters! Really! Drama is great! … But I’ve been experiencing a particularly discouraging trend lately where many of my IC interactions have essentially been nothing more than a constant slew of antagonistic behavior toward my character because he’s gentle and an ‘easy’ target. I totally understand that some people prefer highly antagonistic RP, and that the world is not rainbows and kittens—but it’s not very fun for me, personally, to spend most of my time writing my character being antagonized needlessly! If your character isn’t going to mesh well at all with someone who is ‘soft,’ then we’re likely not going to get anywhere :(. Zevet isn’t a pushover and will simply leave people and situations that put him off, rather than sticking it out. Additionally, I am not interested in ERP (I smut with only one person for my own comfort), nor am I particularly fond of combat RP. While capable of defending himself, my character is NOT a fighter and I do not have any desire to seek out situations that are going to force frequent combat on his behalf. However, if it’s few and far between and logical for an encounter/plot point, that’s perfectly fine! Zevet can throw a pretty nasty punch, or an even nastier vial from his potion belt.

Sooo… what am I looking for? What does Zevet offer? First and foremost; he’s a healer. A sensitive witch boy who uses alchemy and herbalism (and sometimes charms) blended with ‘modern’ medical practices to treat illnesses and tend wounds—he’s only just recently started to experiment with aetherical healing, but he has a very long way to go in that regard and prefers to rely on traditional methods in its stead. He’s capable of producing an impressive array of medicines, tonics, salves, and herbal teas to fit the needs of his patients or anyone who stops by his apothecary-slash-clinic in The Mist! … He’s also capable of producing some particularly nasty poisons and toxins for those who may have heard rumor from just the right source. Oh, and criminals? He honestly doesn’t care too much about what you’ve done or where your past lies—just treat him with respect and don’t… overshare the details.

Additionally, he’s an incredibly sweet, generous, out-going person who is very easy to approach, and equally likely to approach anyone who appears sad or in distress of some sort. He’s absolutely a motherhen-type, and if you’ve ever been looking for a ‘mom friend’ for any of your characters, it’s quite possible Zevet could fill that role. He tends to take people who have lived hard lives under his care, constantly providing them with delicious homecooked meals and treats, offering them a shoulder to cry on and an ear eager to listen, treating their illnesses and wounds, and giving out the occasional tough-love talking to (he can be very confrontational, especially when people are stubborn!).

When it comes to RP connections, I’m mostly just looking for anyone who is down for inviting a soft boy into their character’s life, either as a mom-friend or just a friend, or for the sake of having a healer on retainer. Hell, even if it’s just for friend-dates and talking fashion or gossip, Zevet is down for it! I prefer paragraph RP to one-liners, and I’m patient with people who post relatively slow—I’d prefer to the same courtesy being returned in kind, as English isn’t my first language and sometimes I take a while to formulate a post. As for topics… relatively dark themes (basically just… no rape plots/extremely heavy gore), drama, comedy, fluff, medical RP, culinary RP, deep-plots, or casual plots are all things I’m totally onboard for! Zevet is a lot more than just some… timid, highly-sexualized ‘good boy,’ he has plenty of gray areas hidden behind all that silk and charm, so please don’t dismiss him!

If you’re interested at all in RP with me, please send me a private message through tumblr (ask/IM) or contact me ingame! (I’d prefer to keep my discord semi-private, for the time being). Additionally, more information can be found on my character wiki!