#also dex from keepers of the lost cities i love

[rat-with-coffee]

Sasha Waybright (Amphibia)

Bronwyn (Adventure Time)

Ryan (Infinity Train)

Beatrice (Over the Garden Wall)

Charlie Dalton (Dead Poets Society)

@ anyone !

five comfort characters, five tags

(had to start a new thread, got too long) thanks for tagging me @loulooser ooh i like this okay - nick nelson (osemanverse) - aled last (osemanverse) - peeta mellark (hunger games) - linh song (keeper of the lost cities) - xavier hawthorne (the inheritance games)

tagging @lyssified @mister3127 @raeny-nights-and-faery-lights @weirdo09 @charliethinks

[when-wax-wings-melt]

Keeper of the Lost Cities: A Love-Hate-Love Relationship, And What It Can Do To Your Psyche 

This is the essay you guys wanted to see after this presentation dropped; to be clear, this is the final draft. The presentation was made from the rough draft, so it's rather different.

Also, the essay prompt was to make it personal. So the italicized bits are where I was trying to do that, and they are both separate and a part of the essay. They break up the flow, but are also a response to the normal bits of the essay. You get it. Here we go.

In total, the Keeper of The Lost Cities (KOTLC) series by Shannon Messenger has over 7000 pages, split between nine and a half books (Book 8.5 was, uselessly, a novella) with a planned tenth coming in late 2024. It’s the kind of series that hooks you the same way a fisherman hooks a fish: with a promise of a treat that goes very, very unfulfilled. This is to say: KOTLC is a good series, at least at first. It’s certainly been my core obsession for a good (or bad) five years. It’s a hook because you can’t escape once you’ve begun. It’s my own personal brand of heroine, as Edward Cullen might say if Bella were a too-long book series that doesn’t resolve any plotlines or character arcs and instead piles more information on top of worldbuilding until contradictions are more plentiful than the packed main cast.

KOTLC is a good series, but the idea of recommending it feels like I’d be violating several articles of the Geneva Convention. I wouldn’t wish it on anyone, and yet the thought of it ending is an impossibility on the scale of the apocalypse and I hope (I’d rather) the world ends before this series does. KOTLC is a minefield of sloppy worldbuilding, deeply compelling characters, and---where am i without it?---bits of myself woven into the many, many words, sinking under my skin and revealing what I think I have to offer. 

Sophie Foster is the protagonist of the series, trudging the long, never-ending path to what hopefully will be a happy ending. Like the author, Sophie has blonde hair and brown eyes, making her unique among her fellow elves, who all have blue eyes, including the rare-among-the-main-cast people of color.

There are so many things that make Sophie weird, strange, unique, attractive to every boy who sees her, and otherwise out of the ordinary: for example, she has five special abilities that allow her to teleport, read minds, inflict pain, speak any language, and enhance the abilities of others---i cannot do what she can, but she breathes and i do too---There are certain things she has very much in common with her fellow elves, such as her slender build and flawless skin, but much more makes her, as her childhood bullies would say, “A Special Sophie-Flake.”

Sophie was raised by humans, which not only means that the steadily growing pile of unique traits is now tottering dangerously above my head, but also that she’s clumsy and wildly insecure. This insecurity has a purpose and a source, making it one of the most annoyingly (and terrifyingly) accurate depictions of teenage anxiety in middle-grade media (if I were a vampire pulled from normal vampire lore rather than Twilight and I looked at her, I’d be invisible)---so do you get it? do i? 

which one of us is me---Sophie has intense imposter syndrome, never believing she’s worthy of the overwhelming support, approval, and desire heaped upon her throughout her years in the Lost Cities. In Book One, four teenage boys were no less than obsessed with her, possibly because she, presumably, talked to them sometimes. Valin, a “drooly boy” (named due to his constant drooling, as one might expect), is forced to ballroom dance with Sophie in detention, and later gives her a card and a bracelet professing his admiration. Dex Dizznee manages to sustain his crush until he finally makes his move in Book Six, and is rejected in humiliation after she kisses him to make him realize his feelings aren’t actually real---when I know that he was lying to himself, is lying to himself. truth is a phase and it ends once you hit age eight---After Book Six, only two remain: Fitz and Keefe, each of whom has made their crushes very, desperately, embarrassingly clear to someone who very clearly returns both sets of feelings.

“Sooner or later you're going to have to solve the triangle. Or should we get real and call it a square?” (Messenger Neverseen), notes Keefe, with his usual subtle confession of his feelings---only leaving me with questions: did he want her to know at all? is he chasing the person or the change? the girl or the excitement? the wanting or the wanted?---The love polygon of however many vertices is both acknowledged and not by Sophie— she’s aware of her feelings for Fitz from chapter two of Book One, becomes aware of her feelings for Keefe in Book Nine, and mentally friend-zones Dex every other sentence, even when it’s not really relevant to the rest of her inner monologue. Her inability to believe with confidence that she might be worthy of a crush (or any sort of positive acknowledgment) is layered beneath every thought where she considers the possibility of being liked, and then promptly dismisses it.

---she knows that admitting it means being wrong. i will be wrong, unless i guess right and am big-headed, full of myself. who am i---

Sophie’s oblivious nature stems from her human upbringing, directly resulting from the trauma of developing the ability to read minds at age five. She hears her parents wishing she were normal or better at making friends and fitting in, her sister complaining about her presence, and her classmates at school judging everything she does.

She sticks out like a sore thumb in the human world, only to come to the elven world and be called a freak, malfunctioning, a genetic experiment, and a failure, just when she thought she might fit in---when i am a puzzle piece, a corner without the connection---Her alienation in the human world (referred to as the Forbidden Cities in the series) comes from her level of success, skipping five grades due to her elven intelligence and photographic memory, and getting into Harvard at age twelve.

While she hates the combination of jealousy and admiration she’s constantly showered with there---who hates it and loves it at the same time? isolation and contradiction---in the elven world, she’s hated for other reasons: accidentally breaking laws, making mistakes, or simply being a blip on the seemingly perfect streak the elven world has for peace and security. Is there any mystery as to why she would never believe that people actually, genuinely care for her? She’s formed her protective coating of denial that lasts her through every time Fitz gives her a gift and she convinces herself it means nothing, or every time Dex shows his jealousy, or every time Keefe goes to her before anyone else.

Even when she kisses Dex, after he tells her in anything but words that he likes her, she doubts herself—are two sides of the same coin, where heads is insecurity and tails is egotism. question: who is she?---She doesn’t think he actually likes her, appreciates her, admires her. This doubt works its way into everything she does, every relationship she has, platonic, romantic, or otherwise. Yet again, she shows her status as a reflection---answer: she’s a mirror. i know who i am because she exists---reading into everything and still not believing or trusting that it truly exists outside of her imagination.

Any time Sophie sees a girl she perceives as prettier, more elegant, or smarter than she is, she instantly develops a jealousy complex—relating either to how Fitz acts around them, or how they project the confidence and normalcy she wishes she can achieve---to tell me whether or not i am alone---She surrounds herself with people who are described as incredibly stunning even in a world where every elf naturally matches the ideal Western beauty standard.

Yet she refuses to believe that she, too, might be beautiful, and instead considers herself dull and boring next to Biana, Linh, Marella, and Maruca---(and ten books later, i still do not have an answer)---Even Stina, who has committed the number one crime (it’s a federal offense) of having “a mass of frizzy curls” (KOTLC 164), is considered beautiful when her hair is “tamed” and slicked back. This framing of beauty applies to the boys, too, but none of Sophie’s descriptions are quite as detailed, quite as admiring, or quite as wistful as when she’s describing Biana Vacker’s heart-shaped, perfectly glossed lips---so, yes, i look at her and see myself. is that what i’m trying to say? is that what i am?---

But the queer-coding doesn’t stop (or begin, really) with Sophie’s dedicated denial of both her worth as a human being and her desire to kiss her pretty girl friends. A connection called a “Cognate Bond” is often referred to in the text as the closest two elves can become, emotionally and mentally.

Cognates exist when two Telepaths (such as Sophie) have such a deep and unbreakable trust bond that they become more skilled together than they were apart. In creating and maintaining this bond, they have to complete trust exercises and not hold back secrets keeping them from total confidentiality---she thrives on secrets---Sophie’s cognate is her friend (and love interest, and, debatably, ex-boyfriend) Fitz, whose romantic relationship was in a large part focused on their cognate one. Their trust exercises involve staring into each other’s eyes, holding hands, having matching rings, and Fitz telling Sophie that she’s the only person he can truly trust.

Fitz also asks his father at one point if cognates are allowed to date each other— his father affirms the statement. Notably, Alden has the authority to do so since he himself was a cognate, only undergoing a nasty breakup— sorry, only losing the bond, after his cognate, Quinlin, kept too many secrets. It’s implied that two other characters were once almost Cognates, only to grow too far apart when one of them, Prentice, had his sanity forcibly shattered and was locked in prison, leaving his (gay lover) best friend, Tiergan, to raise his son---while cognatedom thrives on truth, and also regret, and also the denial of both---The choice to parallel Fitz/Sophie, Alden/Quinlin, and Tiergan/Prentice was possibly not a conscious one but it still resonates with hundreds of queer teen readers who look at the portrayal of utter devotion and trust between two men and think, Wow. This is what I see in myself---but without the denial, without the regret, what are we left with? what do we see?

we see the truth.

We see ourselves.

There are so, so many other issues that I could easily delve into in this series (such as the strangely Western portrayal of gender roles, the racism concerning the Song family, irresponsible adults and the ethics of genetic experimentation, the girlboss and cardboardification of quite literally every woman, etc) and just as many things that make Keeper of the Lost Cities worth it (Fitz’s anger, the development of villains, Sophie’s trans-coding, Keefe’s trauma, physical ramifications of guilt, Marella and Fintans’ pyrokinesis/queer-coding, whatever Dimitar has going on, etc).

The series tends to skew to the “not good” side, although on occasion it will topple abruptly into the “incredible work of art and exploration of wildly interesting character dynamics” before rising like an angel back to heaven into its original position as “questionable in terms of taste.” Mostly, what defines KOTLC is how it’s interpreted rather than the content itself. Someone far different (and with far worse taste) than I might see Fitz’s quest for vengeance and call him a red flag in elven form, while I call it a ridiculously interesting exploration of what grief, near idol worship, toxic standards, and guilt can do to a teenage boy past his limit.

But I am not the voice of the fandom (even though I definitely should be). I look at Sophie Foster and see myself, but that does not make her me. These characters always feel so painfully real, desperately relatable, as if Messenger cobbled together a main cast from bits of my life, but they are not. In the end, they are just characters. In the end, it’s just a series made for middle schoolers, in the same way the sun is just the sun, and the stars are just there to twinkle merrily and not to be explored.

(where am i without it? I cannot do what she can, but she breathes and I do too so do you get it? do i?  which one of us is me when I know that he was lying to himself, is lying to himself. truth is a phase and it ends once you hit age eight only leaving me with questions: did he want her to know at all? is he chasing the person or the change? the girl or the excitement? the wanting or the wanted? she knows that admitting it means being wrong. i will be wrong, unless i guess right and am big-headed, full of myself. who am i when i am a puzzle piece, a corner without the connection who hates it and loves it at the same time? isolation and contradiction aretwo sides of the same coin, where heads is insecurity and tails is egotism. question: who is she? answer: she’s a mirror. i know who i am because she exists to tell me whether or not i am alone (and ten books later, i still do not have an answer) so, yes, i look at her and see myself. is that what i’m trying to say? is that what i am? she thrives on secrets while cognatedom thrives on truth, and also regret, and also the denial of both but without the denial, without the regret, what are we left with? what do we see? we see the truth. We see ourselves.

[aspenaspenaspenaspenaspen]

Ok so I read Unraveled yesterday and.......

I didn't like it😬

I started Unraveled with pretty high hopes, against the advice of many, but I just HATE being nonchalant about anything, so yeah I was excited! I like Keefe, I was gonna miss Sophie a bit sure, but I was excited to see him in Humanland!!! But....I think I'm a bit disappointed.

Lets start with some pros: For one, I missed Shannon's writing!!! I genuinely love the Keeper books, I always have fun reading them, and Unraveled is not the exception because I genuinely had fun reading it! I also loved the queer rep, I know its gonna make some people mad but I was so happy to see it!! I liked Alvar and Keefe's dynamic, I thought it was funny that because Keefe was all down and angsty in Unraveled Shannon gave him a replacement Keefe😂

As for the things I didn't like...the ending. Ofc, I knew how it was gonna end, I read Stellarlune, but I thought Unraveled was building up for something. I thought the revelation would be bigger and more dramatic, and I know that the Eleanor reveal was cool, but it didn’t really have anything to do with Elysian like I was hoping it would. I was also annoyed that Alvar and Keefe parting happened so…randomly. It wasn’t dramatic enough for me, it felt like the book was pretending they had come to an understanding that they hadn’t actually. I wish Keefe had brought Alvar back to “his city” like he promised he would, that maybe he had found something out and wanted to return to the Lost Cities soon so he and Alvar went their separate ways, and after Keefe was already planning on returning THAT’S when Sophie, Tam and Dex showed up. Idk tldr it just wasn’t dramatic enough for me, everything worked out too easily. Another thing I didn’t like was the Fitz bashing. Fair enough when it comes from Alvar, but honestly no wonder the kids reading kotlc hate Fitz, it seems like the narrative hates him too. I know that Keefe’s relationship with Fitz isn’t good and sure it makes sense for his character to be bitter towards him, but him thinking that Fitz was wrong to try and kill Alvar, and then the story not even acknowledging that?? Insane. I’m a bit worried that Shannon hates Fitz too because he was just receiving strays this ENTIRE BOOK. And when Alvar insults Fitz and Keefe doesn’t even consider defending him, I would believe it if someone told me Keefe was just trying not to disagree with the terrorist but I wish we had gotten to see any of Keefe’s thoughts on this instead of it just being insignificant dialogue.

[ramiethewizard]

I have many critiques on Keeper of the Lost Cities. Don’t get me wrong, I love it as a series. But like any series, there are both obvious and unobvious flaws. Since I finally have a place online to talk about them I thought I’d share my thoughts! (Disclaimer: this is not bashing on Shannon Messenger or the series in any way!)

1. Too many protagonists

The series was fairly okay with the original gang in the earlier books. That group being Sophie, Keefe, Fitz, Biana, and Dex. There was a chance to connect with all of the characters and grow on each of them. I know I know, characters like Biana and Dex were still pushed aside a bit but they had a better chance at being involved again. But then only more and more protagonists joined. Adding Tam and Linh was iffy, but fine. Then you add Marella, Maruca, Wylie, Stina, all those people. We don’t have a chance to connect with the characters.

2. Obvious favoritism

A few people have pointed this out already, and I thought I’d do the same. Shannon has very clear favorites of the series - which is fine, don’t get me wrong. But sometimes it’s used a little too much. Keefe is a very obvious favorite. We constantly focus on him and his story. At this point, Sophie AND Keefe are the protagonists. I love Keefe, but I want to learn about the injustices and discrimination of Bad Matches from Dex. I want to learn about the expectations of being a Vacker from Fitz and Biana. See what I’m saying?

3. Little plots abandoned

I feel like there have been so many times where Shannon starts this little idea and then throws it away. If you reread the books, you seem to find so many instances where there’s something, and then it’s just abandoned. For example, Magnate Leto (Forkle) says in I think Exile how he doesn’t have a wife and he seems quite sad about it. Or the time in…Flashback I believe where we meet Tinker. Tinker is such an interesting character. She freaks out when Forkle talks about explosives and he said that he wouldn’t make her build them - ‘not again’. HUH? And we’ve gotten no more out of it.

4. Overly focused on romance

Probably my biggest pet peeve with the series is that it is so so focused on romance. Having romance in the series is fine but there’s so much. I feel like Sophie barely even has any character left. You can tell that Shannon was just really excited to write the romantic relationships because even in the first book (WHEN SHES TWELVE) there are already intense moments. And the biggest thing is that characters like Keefe and Fitz (the love interests) are so much more important than characters like Biana and Dex (the friends). It’s a weird thing because Sophie should be apart of both groups but there’s just a weird focus on the guys that she’s into.

5. Lack of diversity

This is something that I think should just be improved in general. Most of the protagonists are very stereotypical and don’t have any diversity. Most of the main characters are white - which is fine but when it gets to be that ALL of the protagonists are, it just gets a little…you know? I mean, Tam, Linh, and Wylie are not white but they’re also not focused on at all in the series. It’s one of the reasons why people headcanon the Vackers to be POC so much. There’s also no LGBTQ+ characters - which again, fine for the most part but also…people of the queer community are incredibly common and the KOTLC characters seem so…not straight. So the fact that it’s been like ten books and there hasn’t been anything is just a little eh. Same with mental health, or physical abilities. Just a lack of diversity.

I love this series a lot, but like anything, it can always improve. Thanks for coming to my Ted Talk.

[skulls-and-wishbones]

Hiiii so I recently came across your Lost Girl AU and I don’t have the time to scroll through everything to find all the info on the AU right now would you be able to just go over the basic info/lore of this AU? Sorry if this comes across as a bit snobby I can’t think of words right now. Love what little bits I have seen of the AU tho BYEEEEEE

oh dear, I hope you don't mind me dumping everything into your ask, I think this would probably be a valuable thing to have on my page!

The Lost Girl AU is a kotlc au that takes the original storyline and puts a more adult/young adult spin on it. I am also (along with my team) focusing on filling in the plot holes that come up with someone writes such a long series and (let's be honest) doesn't know what the ending is going to look like when they start.

there are two major changes i've made

Plot

The AU is fit into 3/4 'arcs' which will eventually be found on my Ao3.

arc 1, which is already started is called The Girl from Across the Waves and will follow Sophie through a modified events of the first three books.

(arc 2 will be books 4-6 and so on)

Sophie is 13 when she is kidnapped by a 'black swan' (neverseen) and in the panic, awakens her dormient telepathic abilities, calling out to Fitz, a strange boy she has befriended.

Fitz and Keefe had a falling out pre-fic. While Fitz is the golden child of the purest blood, Keefe is more guarded; scorned by adults, sharp as a thorn brush. he is as close to a faery as one might get, in this new world.

Linh and Tam were banished to a human realm (exillium does not exist in this AU).

Foxfire is a school for the nobility, it is much less like a traditional school, it is preparing the students for school for life as keepers, councilors, and regents. Each year there is a tournament and final exams - the bottom 10% are expelled from the school.

Sofitz does happen, however, the endgame ships in this AU are fedex, sokeefe, and marelinh.

Lore

the changes in KOTLC lore are the most important part. some of you might've guessed this from the designs i've shared, but elves have a very different history in The Lost Girl AU. I'm a big Celtic and Germanic mythology nerd and the elves in this au are the ultra eugenized versions of fae from the legends of long past.

once upon a time they were one with the natural world - their shapes fluid, their minds wicked. they were beings that resided entirely off magic. some of the ancients still bare remains of this time (Fintan's goat horns and cloven hooves). There are stories, passed down carefully between families, the Dinzee's used to be sly foxes, the Heks were once borne of unicorns, but the power they once had has dissipated.

The Council, in an attempt to maintain order and control, has placed each species, each ability user, into ranks and levels when once all lived together. Keeping ones bloodline pure is held in the highest regard. Marella suffers from this, as a elf/pixie hybrid, she struggles with discrimination everywhere she goes, Dex as well, but too a lesser extend (Kesler is probably a hyrbid, I'm not sure what from yet, thinking ogre?). Sophie is called a changling, in truth, she is something far grander.

the other species are going to be more mythological as well, gnomes are pretty much a slave race after the elves killed their ruling class. goblins are tricky little beasts, etc. I care about preserving the mischief of fae.

This is where Sophie comes in, the Black Swan created someone who is quite like the elves of old - she has no limits on her powers, and as she grows, she becomes more and more connects to the land of the Lost Cities. She learns to draw her power from it.

[ohmygoly]

ITS STINITZ DAY. MY FAVORITE SHIP. MY ABSOLUTE FAVORITE SHIP.

I was channeling my inner Fitz and was in the kitchen all day. (I made cinnamon rolls and peanut butter cookies that both turned out pretty good!) Due to this I don't have much to offer in terms of Stina and Fitz. I love them though, I'll say that much. I remember in seventh grade I was laughing with my friend in the library because we wanted Fitz to date Stina because no one else loved him and because we thought it was a fitting punishment. Then we wanted them to die.

Seven years later and Stina and Fitz are in my top three favorite characters (I love the characters who are accidentally the most complex and morally grey lol, or misunderstood.) They are also my favorite ship in all of Keeper of the Lost Cities, if for no other reason, than because I love both of them individually so I love their ship the best (Tiana comes next for me lol.) Stina is a nerd at heart, she cares about how society views her, she is accepting of those who are cast out by society while simultaneously pushing away the one who maybe resembles her the most (Dex) because she knows that its too close for comfort. Because she's always been insecure in her status. For the record, I do prefer Stinitz over Stinex simply because I like the way their characters are built together more and because I think Dex does a better job as her plot foil without romance involved.

I think Stina must have initially loved Fitz for all the reasons everyone else did. He was perfect. He had a movie star smile. The closest thing to elven royalty, as Sophie noted. Stina, who cared so much what the others thought of her, who pushed most people away who could've cared for her because she knew that, like Dex, they could also shun her. She would shun them out first. This Stina loved the idea that Fitz' status would prevent her from any social judgment. This Stina loved that winning grin, the boyish naivety, and the shiny exterior he presented to the world. Fitz didn't like Stina at all. If nothing else, he thought her gripe against Biana (as I headcanon) as well as potentially Deck (her known rival) was unnecessary, but he also thought her attitude towards the rest of the school was abhorrent and rude.

The only relatively "flawed" side of Fitz Stina got to see would've been in splotching matches. If there was one area Stina was the most relaxed and yet still the most competitive, it was when she got to exercise the skills her father taught her and show everybody else that she was better than them. Fitz would always equal her in competitive rage, so there was never a boring match between the two consistent finalists. The only thing Stina didn't like about Fitz might have been that he always beat her, though she figured she'd try to accept it if they ever really married (fat chance of that).

Even though she wanted him to like her more than others at the school, she couldn't help telling him when he was wrong. He was ignorant, he was dense, "there is no way he actually thinks thats a good idea" -circa around the time of Oblivimyre. In his bias against her, he found this mostly unattractive.

I imagine Stina growing up. We see that she does soften towards Sophie in the later books. I still believe she was friends with her henchmen and some others in a whole other circle of elves, but she didn't have them follow her around as a defensive mechanism and to gang up on Sophie and her friends. All of this allows me to believe that she would also mature in her view of Fitz, in her ability to connect to people, in the way she presents herself. No longer is she as bratty and standoffish. Sure, she's got her rough edges, but she helped birth the alicorns, she cares for animals, she works hard for the Black Swan and demands what she deems right (like Maruca seeing Wylie). In this maturity she sees Fitz as something different. He's not perfect. He's beautiful but not perfect. Everything around him is falling apart, as the girl he liked goes for his best friend, his best friend runs away and makes questionable decisions, and his family is part of a legacy he doesn't want to be a part of. Stina sees that rage and sadness that surrounds him now, as he wants to fight but he's angry at everyone he cares about. Stina understands that. She not only understands all the ways she turned to anger in her dark days, but all the ways Marella was and is turning to bitterness as she deals with her mom, pyrokinesis, and loneliness. The ways Maruca started out colder and bitter, ready to betray a friend, in desperation and insecurity as well. The ways Linh wasn't completely sweet from the start, but the ways she turned sharper as she battled with her brother, partner, and protector leaving to the Neverseen just for her. Because she knows how easy it is to feel ostracized from the world and turn to anger, bitterness, and defensive tactics to cope with it, she can do nothing but see Fitz in a new relatable light. One where he isn't on a pedestal. She approaches him finally, in a way where she doesnt expect him to be perfect.

How refreshing for him. His dad still expects the best, Biana looks up to him, the Lost Cities still wants the elven prince, Sophie wants a supportive friend and wanted the perfect boyfriend, and everyone else just sees "Golden Boy" Fitz as well. Even Keefe might have been so wrapped up in how much better the Vackers were than his own family that he missed a lot of the pressure Fitz was under and was never able to help him ease it as much as he needed. So when Stina comes up to him one day, when they're hosting a Team Valiant meeting at Everglen, to see if he's okay, he lets a little bit of the pressure off. She listens to the tidbits he's willing to give her and tells him that there's no reason why he should think he needs to be perfect in the middle of a war. If Sophie can blow up a Neverseen hideout, then Fitz can even just walk into the meetings a little rougher for wear somedays, if not more. (Maybe use that cane he's been avoiding but definitely needs.)

From here they start talking a bit more as friends. Stina sees his human collection, and being a bit fascinated in humans herself, and having a few friends very interested in the species, she enjoys this very much. He gets to help her take care of the unicorns some afternoons and he realizes how refreshing a workout it is. He also gets to see just how useful she was during the alicorn birth, even though everyone said she did basically nothing. Maybe some days he brings specially baked treats for them, and other days he gets to ride with Stina and family/friends across the Norwegian landscapes on their backs. And he even has his own unicorn at their house now. And Stina has her own mini shelf of books on whatever information she's researching at Everglen, though only most of it is for Team Valiant meetings. He even gets invited to some of the hangouts with the girls, and they all laugh and tease each other and he feels a weight off his shoulders for the first time, that he's starting to feel very determined to keep. Stina is more than just a bully to him. She's a hardworker, a fighter, a lover, a nerd, and insecure in ways he didn't even think about. They both have a lot to learn about not letting others dictate their anger, and not letting society expect perfection out of them, but I think they can get through that together.

Also, maybe they advance from splotching to real goblin training and their kiss moment is Stina finally beating Fitz in a match and everything he came to respect about Stina just collapsed together as she won and her competitive side matched with his and he realized he loved seeing her beat him at something. That she was really cute when she was actually proud of herself. And it was so pure at that moment, unlike most other moments of Stina's life, that Fitz just couldn't get enough, so he kisses her. Fitz loves smart, adventurous women, and didn't he find one in Stina Heks.

I think I might do another post lol, after I'vecleaned up my kitchen. Cause I've saved some aesthetic photos for them on my pinterest board and I might have stinitz excerpts scattered across my KotLC notes app. @doodle-do-wop

Also, like, give me criticism please. Not like just on my writing but on my character analysis and ship pairing. I want to see how wrong I am lol.

[winterfireice]

Chapter 3!

taglist: @tiana4evahh @doodle-do-wop @amandayetagain

Full chapter under cut

“There is no reason that you should have more cologne than I do perfume,” Biana says to her brother Fitz,  

“It’s not my fault I like to smell nice,” he responds,

Sophie and the rest of her friends were hanging out at Havenfield after a particularly long day at school. Keefe and Fitz had gotten to hear about the lecture regarding safety precautions in case of a Neverseen attack on the school even though, one, the majority of the Neverseen were in a top security prison, two, all of them had more than enough experience dealing with and attacks and of course three, Fitz and Keefe had already graduated. That hadn't stopped their friends from talking about it for over half an hour though,

“How did we get to this topic again?” Marella asks, 

“I don’t know, we went from school, to dessert, to their cosmetics apparently,” Sophie responds,

“That cake in the cafeteria today was delicious though, I hope they have it tomorrow,” Dex mentions,

“When has our school ever had two edible sides in a row?” Stina asks from next to Dex, lying on one of the colorful blankets Sophie had found inside the house,

“Good point, we're never seeing that cake again until the rest of us graduate,” Dex sighs dramatically and falls to the ground, but when he does he brushes against Stina, his cheeks bursting with red hues.

Sophie also noticed the way Stina brushed her hair in front of her face but left the hand that was resting against Dex’s leg, 

“Do you see what I see?” Sophie transmits to Keefe,

“I do! It is taking everything in me not to start screaming,” Keefe’s mind squeals after he lightly nods to Sophie so she can enter his mind, “They are so adorable, they need to confess already,” 

“Is it possible we are too excited about their so far non-existent relationship?” Sophie asks hesitantly,

Keefe’s mind hesitated for a moment, “Maybe, but do we have to deal with that?” 

“Not yet, this is way too much fun. It’s like watching a TV show,” 

“So are we all going to ignore the Sokeefest happening right now?” Marella asks while twirling Linh’s silver hair around her fingers, “they both are staring off into the distance like none of us are here and I have known you telepaths long enough to know that means they are having a conversion none of us can hear,”

“Plus Keefe is starting to look like a tomato and only looks that way when he’s trying to keep something a secret,” Biana adds,

“Nope, nuh-uh. No secrets here just good old friend time,” Keefe says super unconvincingly as he swings an arm around Sophie and rests his head against her shoulder,

“Yeah, that was super believable bud,” Fitz laughs, “And that looks super comfortable, not like your straining your neck at all,” 

“Yup, really comfy. Fos-Boss isn't too close to the ground or anything,” Keefe mumbles,

 Sophie laughs at the feeling of his breath blowing against her skin “You’re tickling me! And you’re going to be in pain later, we should switch,” she gently pushes him off of her side and rests against him. She brings her hand up to his stomach and tickles him in return, making his body thrash,

“You two were made for each other,” Stina says in a tone Sophie can't tell is complimentary or not,

“Thank you?” She responds, “At least I think,” 

“Hey sometimes two people just work well together and there is nothing you can do about it,” Keefe grins in Stina and Dex’s direction, causing Dex to blush even more,

“I want that one day,” Dex almost whispers, 

“I have to say something, I can’t hide how amazing they would be together,” Keefe’s mind almost shouts,

“Don’t you dare,” Sophie tells him, “This is way too important and if we push them they will never admit it, especially Stina we need to let them figure it out on their own. Remember how long it took us to get together? Every time someone teased us about our possible feelings it pushed me farther and farther away from accepting it,” 

“You’re right, I know. But they better figure out their feelings soon because I need to be able to obsess over them because they are perfect for each other,” 

“If you keep it together for a couple of more hours I’ll ask my mom to bake something,” Sophie bribes,

“I know what you’re doing and it’s working,” Keefe playfully sighs,

“Hello, earth to either of you,” manicured hands wave in front of their faces, “What are you guys thinking about?” Biana says,

“Dessert,” Both Keefe and Sophie say at the same time, causing the rest of their friends to laugh,

~~~

“Edaline is the best,” Keefe says while stuffing Custerbursts into his mouth,

Sophie had kept her word and after everyone had gone home she asked her mom to make Custerbursts. Edaline quickly agreed and the three of them started trying to bake them, it mostly went well except for Sophie spilling hot water over her arm and Keefe spilling a bag of flour,

Now they were lying on her bed eating and discussing what Elvin foods tasted like human ones, 

“The purple root thing tastes just like cheeseburgers, ugh I miss cheeseburgers I know we stuff that tastes the same but I miss the textures the Forbbiden cities have,” Sophie says,

“Makes sense, I had the opposite feeling when I lived there, it must be nostalgia or something,” Keefe says as lushberry juice drips down his chin, 

 Sophie nods,  “You need a napkin love, you are going to get juice everywhere,”  

“Better?” Keefe asks after he wipes his mouth,

“You still have some on your nose Love,” Sophie tells him, grabbing a napkin and wiping it off herself,

Keefe takes advantage of Sophie leaning towards him and surprises her by wrapping his arms around her and tickling her until she is laughing so much she falls back onto her pillows,

“Ok stop, stop!” Sophie giggles, 

“That is payback for earlier by the way,” Keefe laughs and he lays beside her, 

“That was overkill Keefe,” Sophie says, “I think you just wanted an excuse to lay down,”

“How could you accuse me of such crimes?” Keefe says sarcastically,

“Because,” the rest of Sophie’s sentence gets interrupted by her imparter ringing suddenly next to her,

“Je crois que je meurs” Stina’s voice comes through the screen,

“You're not dying, breathe and then talk. What's going on?” Sophie responds, staying in French,

“Are you sure that you're not going to use this against me in the future,” Stina asks skeptically,

“I will not use it against you maliciously but one day if this conversation becomes funny I will jokingly make fun of you like friends do, is that ok?” 

“Fine, I guess you’re my best option right now,” Stina sighs, “After we all started to leave your place almost everyone had leaped away but Dex and I, and the wind was blowing my hair everywhere so I was complaining and you want to know what he said?” Stina says like she’s mad at him, “He said, he thought it looked really nice like that,”

“And were angry about that?” Sophie asks, causing Keefe to chuckle,

“Yeah isn't that a compliment?” Keefe asks also in French,

“Wait, he can understand me?” Stina asks confused,

“You didn't know he was here? Sorry, I thought you could see him,” Sophie apologizes,

“No I could see him but he speaks French?”

“Of course I do,” He shifts a little so he is more in the frame of the imparters camera

“What do you mean by of course?” 

“Stina,” Sophie says confused, “You know he’s a polyglot too right?” 

Sophie watches realization dawn on her face, “I need to stop forgetting polygots exist,” 

“Yeah, why does this keep happening to you?” Sophie asks her, “This is the second time,”

“I don’t know! Maybe because me and my family learn languages like normal people instead of just knowing everything,” 

“Wait until you find out we both have photographic memories too,” Keefe teases,

“Shut up, this isn't why I called. You two really double how annoying you are when you guys are together,” 

Sophie cuts Stina off, “Ok go back to what you were talking about, if you want I can kick Keefe out but go back to Dex,” 

“No I guess it’s fine he already knows at this point,” Stina grumbles, “The hair thing was mostly it, I just want to know what he meant by it. You people are all so sickeningly positive all the time even when you’re in the middle of dying that I don’t know if he meant it in a friendly or… in a not just friendly way,” 

“It's impressive how you can insult and compliment us in the same sentence,” Sophie starts, “Do you want what Dex said to be in a friendly way?

“I don't know! Clearly I am out of my depth here Sophie. He probably meant nothing by it and I should ignore it and bury myself under one of the stables until everyone forgets about it,” Stina seems to throw her head into a pillow next to her and Sophie tries to muffle a laugh which only makes it come out as a loud snort,

“Reminder that we can’t forget, with our whole photographic memories,” Keefe mentions,

“Ok, I’m reconsidering your offer to kick him out,” Stina says deadpanned, “Better yet, I’m going to go,”

“You sure? I feel like I didn't help much,” Sophie responds,

“I don’t need advice or anything I think at this point I’m too stubborn for that but thanks for listening,” Stina tells her, “You should go back to your annoying boyfriend,” 

“Aww thanks, Hexie, since you are already impressed by my stunning personality I should tell you I’m on team ‘tell him you're falling for him’,” Keefe peeps up,

Stina makes a face at his comment like she’s disgusted by the implication, “I don’t fall, good night you two,” with that she clicks away leaving Sophie and Keefe alone in her room again,

“I don’t care what she says, she’s falling,” Keefe says switching back to the enlighted language, his arms still lying over Sophie, he snuggles closer moving his face to the crook of his neck,

A buzzing comes from Kefes pocket and he groans in annoyance, 

“Doesn't everyone know it’s snuggle and sleep time?” Keefe mumbles, as he does the bare minimum of moving to answer his imparter,

“Oh it’s Dex,” Keefe seems to perk up only slightly,

“Hi, are you with Sophie?” Dex asks,

“No I just have a really realistic life-sized pillow of her,” Keefe says,

“Don’t mind him, he gets cranky when he’s sleepy,” Sophie laughs, “What’s up?” 

“Well… did Keefe already tell you what I was talking to him about earlier?” 

“Kind of,” Sophie pauses, “I more guessed,” 

“How did you possibly do that?” Dex questions,

“It doesn't matter, I’m assuming you're calling about Stina,” 

“Yeah I am, something happened today when we were leaving your place,”

“Oh really?” Keefe says, his tone slightly elevated for a reason only Sophie knows,

“I told her that her hair was pretty, I’m freaking out because she got really quiet and then made some excuse to go home,” Dex sighs, “I feel like I’m messing it all up, I just want her to like me,” he wines, causing Keefe to laugh and disguise it as a cough, 

“I’m sure it will be fine Mickey Mouse,” Keefe says including the nickname that hasn't gone away since Sophie told him what human Disney was,

“But what if I ruin our friendship and then she never wants to see me again?” Dex continues, “That would be awful,” Dex is looking past the camera lost in thought,

“You should talk to her Dex,” Sophie hints, “It may turn out better than you expect,” 

“She’s right, I mean she usually is but yeah you should tell her,” Keefe mumbles,

“Wow he really is tired,” Dex says as Keefe yawns,

“Yeah, I should probably let you go before he starts snoring,” Sophie only half-jokes,

“Good plan, I’ll see you tomorrow at the team meeting,” 

“Good night, oh, and Dex? You really should talk to Stina,” at Sophie’s comment Dex only shakes his head before hanging up,

“They’re oblivious,” Keefe says with his eyes closed,

“So were we and look at us now,” Sophie whispers, to the blonde boy in her arms,

“Fair point,” Keefe whispers back, “Can we sleep now? You’re too comfy not to fall asleep on,” 

“Of course love,” Sophie reaches to turn off the light and settles into bed falling asleep next to the oblivious idiot that stole her heart,

[yourloveisacurse]

☆ intro post. ☆

instagram, ao3, pinterest

— my name is jules, and i like a lot of things, but mostly keeper of the lost cities. which is what i post about. i also like chrissy chlapecka, jake and johnnie, and stardew valley. super normal about the midland throne right now.

— my awesome new side blog is @childofthespore

— my reblogs don’t usually have comments. this is because i’m awkward and scared of social interaction. sorry about that.

— my favorite kotlc characters are dex and tam (followed by tiergan, elwin, and keefe. in that order.)

— i love LOOOOOVE being sent fanfiction of my favorite ships (kamex and any pairing that comes from that).

— i have three pet rats and they are my best friends.

— all art is tagged with #my art

divider credit

[wondereads]

June Reading Wrap-Up

Reviews and thoughts under the cut

Into the Wild by Erin Hunter (7/10)

I am rereading the Warriors series with some of my friends, so this is the beginning of a hefty endeavor, especially considering how much more has been published since I last read it. While I remember some crazy stuff from this series, the first book is pretty standard. Honestly, you could probably transplant this plot into a high fantasy and nothing would be amiss. I do appreciate that even with a name like ShadowClan and their constant antagonism towards ThunderClan, the Erins did not decide to just straight make an entire Clan evil and instead create a corrupt ruler instead. As someone who has read the books before and is now like twice the target age, everything's very predictable, but I can definitely see some twists taking a fourth grader by surprise. After dwelling on it for a little while though, and putting nostalgia aside, I decided to drop all my Warriors scores by one; the writing is just mediocre.

Keeper of the Lost Cities by Shannon Messenger (9/10)

Another reread, I find the plot to this book super engaging, especially for middle grade, and it does a great job setting up a conflict that will last for over nine installments. The pacing is great, keeping the major reveals for later without stalling in the middle, and there's a ton of fun worldbuilding. Sophie is, obviously, ridiculously overpowered, but that presents a ton of obstacles by itself, and I find it incredibly interesting that she has to deal with her own existence not fully being her own, a complex concept for middle grade. I will say that, while not unexpected, the weird focus on romance was a little grating at times. Connected to that, I'm sorry, but I just don't like Dex. I can tolerate him, but I think the breaking point is when Sophie tells him some really devastating news for her and he just focuses on what it means for him.

The Spirit Bares Its Teeth by Andrew Joseph White (9/10)

This book was amazing. There are very few bad things I could say about it, and most of those are personal preference. Now, it isn't for everyone, as it's basically gothic horror to the extreme with some very sensitive topics. However, as long as you can stomach this sort of thing, I highly recommend this book. It's dark, tense, and not without some hope. My one technical gripe is how perfect Daphne seems, but that can be easily brushed past. I really liked the writing, especially with how the author played with the style and actual look of it.

Fire and Ice by Erin Hunter (6/10)

This book is probably my least favorite of the first series of Warriors. I feel like there are a lot of easily avoidable conflicts and some very bad decision making by Fireheart, Graystripe, and a bunch of other characters. Also, there isn't much progress towards the overarching plot of the series. A lot of stuff is set up, but, particularly when it comes to Fireheart's suspicions of Tigerclaw, we're mostly just back where we started. I will say that I really like the introduction of a lot of characters, namely the WindClan cats, Silverstream, Cinderpaw, and Cloudkit. Also, Sandstorm gets a lot of character development in this book, and I really like how she is gradually warming up to Fireheart. On the other hand, Graystripe is definitely on the outs with me. I always remember that Fireheart was basically Brackenpaw's mentor.

Lioness Rampant by Tamora Pierce (9/10)

This concludes my reread of Song of the Lioness! I'll be continuing with The Immortals Quartet soon, but for now, I really like the ending to this series. This is likely the saddest book in the series with two major deaths, and no, Liam is not included in that, good riddance. Honestly, my retching whenever he started talking is what brought this down from a 10 for me. Alanna has grown so much since the beginning of the series, coming to a place where she can accept love and femininity without letting it affect her own goals. One thing I really like is how close she, Jon, and George are despite their complicated romantic pasts with each other. The fact that their friendship takes precedence over anything else means so much to me.

The Raven King by Nora Sakavic (8/10)

There truly must be something wrong with me to willingly continue the All for the Game series. I am being so deadly serious when I say these books are horrendously written. It's based on a sport that's basically fancy lacrosse that is given the bare minimum explanation, the pacing is all over the place, and the plot is poorly connected if not outright nonsensical. And yet here I am. I think this series, thanks to strangely evocative characters and its absurdist plotlines, evokes the same feelings as fanfiction. As an actual published novel, this is a garbage fire. As something fun and quick to read, it hits every button. The absolute misery Neil goes through only to be put back together by his team and his not-boyfriend just works. I immensely enjoyed myself, but also 0/10 never read these books.

The King's Men by Nora Sakavic (7/10)

This book being the longest of the series makes sense, but I still don't think it was enough. Everything I said about The Raven King applies to this book, and I'm incredibly feral about Neil and Andrew. However, the ending is rushed to the extreme. The resolution is pretty unsatisfying, and I feel like there's still a lot of character stuff to be sorted out, particularly concerning Andrew. The ending was just way too abrupt, and I wish the epilogue had been a proper chapter with a different epilogue set in the weeks/months after the finals. Well, that's what fanfiction is for, and it will probably be better written than these books.

Exile by Shannon Messenger (8/10)

Another second in series, and another with some dubious character decisions. While I really like this series and think the plot progresses significantly in this book, the way Sophie is treated just makes my blood boil. You're telling me that you brought a thirteen-year-old to one of the most dangerous places in your world to help with an incredibly delicate process and then got mad when she messed up?? Are you kidding me? Alden's insane for having her do it, the Council is irresponsible for approving it and then getting on her back, and Fitz in particular really needs to shut his mouth. I did like that we got to see the real beginnings of Sophie and Keefe's relationship, one of my favorites in the series, and I love how complicated yet genuine Grady and Edaline are.

The Cruel Prince by Holly Black (9/10)

Guys, I don't think you understand how much of a chokehold this series has on me. I have a whole plan for how my summer reading's gonna go, and I throw it all out the window because I can't stay away from Folk of the Air for so long. Jude has to be one of my favorite protagonists ever; I love how ruthless and dedicated she is, and I love her and Cardan's relationship. It's super toxic and unhealthy, but it works for them. I love dark faerie lore, and the way Black uses it to trick the reader and make engaging intrigue is just so good.

Forest of Secrets by Erin Hunter (7/10)

After the lull that was Fire and Ice, this book picks up quite a bit, especially at the end. It still is so funny to me that this plot could be transplanted into a high fantasy novel and nothing would be out of place. There's forbidden romance, a major natural disaster, a tragic miscarriage, and a betrayal in pursuit of power. Not to mention the secret (aha get it because of the title) Fireheart discovers about Bluestar and some RiverClan cats. This book is a major turning point for the series as one major character will no longer be around as often and Tigerclaw has now officially made his move. Very fun, but also just not well-written enough for me to bump this past a 7.

Twisted Love by Ana Huang (DNF @ 60%, 3/10)

I just really couldn’t make myself continue this book, but I did make it past my threshold to rate a book (halfway). Contemporary romances are really hit or miss for me, and this was a definite miss. It was boring, unreasonable in a way that defies even romance logic, and the toxic masculinity from the male lead was horrendous. The main character had no discernable personality traits other than sweeter than sugar, and the whole plot was disjointed and forced. I did bump this from a 2 to a 3 simply because I can see how this appeals to some people, and my genre bias is probably coming into play.

Everblaze by Shannon Messenger (9/10)

I think Everblaze marks a significant turning point in the Keeper books. This is the first time we start really interacting with species outside elves, specifically politically, and it's the first time doubt in the council comes front and center. The books are starting to explore what the worldbuilding actually means, and it means a lot of dubious things when it comes to control and privacy. The development at the very end (and I mean very, literally last page) disrupts the pattern that has been set in these books so far, and it definitely makes you want to keep reading. Fitz and Biana sufficiently redeem themselves in this one, but Dex is going to have to step it the fuck up before I even consider giving him another chance, especially since I already don't like his pushy romantic feelings for Sophie. As always, my favorite relationships lie in Sophie and Keefe and Sophie and Grady and Edaline, the latter of which really stood out this book.

The Wicked King by Holly Black (10/10)

The Wicked King is absolutely my favorite book of Folk of the Air. I just love magical politicking, and Jude does it so well. This sounds weird, but her time in the Undersea is a part that has always stuck with me. She's obviously miserable, but I think it's when I realized just how far Jude would go for her ambitions (and just how far Cardan would go for her) and I love it. Speaking of Cardan, the build in their relationship is so well done; a true enemies-to-lovers arc if there ever was one. As much as I know what's really going on with the twist at the end, it still hurt to read. I enjoyed this reread so much that I ended up changing my rating from a 9 to a 10 because I really can't think of anything to criticize about this book.

Bonded By Thorns by Elizabeth Helen (9/10)

I have officially gotten Kindle Unlimited, and I picked this book up on a whim. I've seen some stuff about it on social media, and it was just so much fun. It is very much a fantasy romance with far more focus on the relationships than the plot or worldbuilding, but they definitely weren't lacking. It's clearly a Beauty and the Beast retelling (specifically the Disney version), but the addition of some magical shenanigans and an extra villain really freshen it up. Despite not being a very plot-heavy book, it's a great length that never really drags. A lot of fantasy romances tend to move very slowly, but this one didn't, and I really like it. Also, the love interests are distinct and quite complex. My one dislike lies in the main character, who is very much a typical protagonist for this genre. Easy to read through the eyes of but not exactly super compelling.

Woven By Gold by Elizabeth Helen (8/10)

I immediately picked up the sequel to Bonded By Thorns since it was such a fun read. As with the first one, the romance is very strong and probably my favorite part of the book. Also, we get to know more about the princes (including the evil one) and their complicated pasts with their actions and one another. I felt like Rosalina was adapting a little quickly, but then I remember that she's spent months in the fae world at this point and it seems less unrealistic. As fantasy romances are wont to do, the plot is a little thin and drawn out, but I really only have two major gripes. One, the problem introduced at the end of book one is resolved almost immediately, which was a little unsatisfying, but it did introduce some characters and plot points. Two, the 'big mystery' concerning specifically Rosalina and her family is so obvious. Like, I get that they are not aware of the tropes of the genre they're in, but come on. Surely someone can at least suspect it?

The Queen of Nothing by Holly Black (9/10)

There are 308 pages in this book. I highlighted something 228 times. I remember when I read this book the first time I was a little disappointed that there wasn't much of the intense scheming that came with The Wicked King, and I take that back. Maybe Jude's plans are a little more straightforward this time around, but even knowing what was going to happen there was still an insane amount of suspense. The relationships in this book are so strong, and not just romantically. Jude and Madoc's fraught parent-child relationship in particular has me riveted; it's incredibly complicated and so good. But also romantically, Jude and Cardan are at the top of their game this book, and it's amazing to see Cardan so unashamedly in love. They deserve their happy ending and to take off their armor, one piece at a time.

[electricalcheese]

Who is this silly goober?

→　Heyo, I’m Electricalcheese. I go by Electrical, Cheese, or somethin similar to that.

→　he/him she/her they/them pronouns for me!! i don't really care which set of pronouns you use

→　The main fandoms I am in are Keeper of the Lost Cities and the Riordanverse.

→　In general, my blog is mainly about art (with me complaining blabbering and ranting about nothing along with it). Sometimes I post my thoughts I get randomly. I also reblog things i like!!!!!

→　Generally, I post about what I'm addicted to most, which alternates a lot. Currently it's KOTLC.

→　Current profile picture credit: My art, Mr. Sunshine from Block Tales

→　Feel free to tag me in any posts!! (can you tell i dont have friends) (PLEASE I NEED FRIENDS I SWEAR I'M NOT DESPERATE THO!!)

→　I’m open to any art suggestions, just keep it within the fandoms I’m in. (I love doing art requests though please do so!!!!!)

→　Please note that It may take a while for me to get to art requests! Sometimes I get drained after doing a few, please don't mind that!

→　Tags (i might not tag some posts correctly so some things might not appear)

!cheese arts - my art

!cheese reblogs - reblogged posts (note that i don't use this tag often anymore!)

!cheese stuffs - random stuff (alt: shat post 😹)

!cheese answers - answered questions from my asks

!cheese ocs - my ocs (mainly rbs from my oc sideblog or my main persona)

→　Oh yeah my carrd and strawpage!! these links have my general informations, such as miscellaneous stuff about me.

→　My cool side blogs: @khaoticpurity @kotlc-preface-daily

I'm gonna yap a lot under here, so beware!

→　Favorite characters: i enjoy dex dizznee, fitz vacker [<- kotlc], magnus chase, apollo [<- rrverse], and skateboard [<- phighting]

(Thank you Kaiju for Skatebald image)

→　When I started my fixations if you wanna know!!!!! (is it fixation idk bro i've just been obsessed with them)

PJO - Late April 2022

PHIGHTING! - Late May 2023

KOTLC - Early September 2023

→　Other stuff I like:

solitaire (the card game) (i played it so much to the point i envisioned it when i closed my eyes)

astronomy 😈😈

weezer 🎉🎉

femtanyl (not the dwuggy wuggies i promise) (unless..)

→　Also I get free palenstine asks a lot, just a heads up, I CANNOT DONATE MONEY!!! I'm a minor!!!!

Thanks for reading, G’bye.

→　Secret instagram (not really but it used to be private)

[ritunn]

Free RPG Day: Exploring 9th Level Games Level 1 Anthology 2024

This weekend was Free RPG Day! Although a big TTRPG aficionado, my city sadly doesn't do it very due to it being an American thing primarily, but this year we did have a shop participating!

My family and I picked some stuff up and I went through all of it as of today. The new Starfinder and Pathfinder stuff is as great as always, I especially love the Squox animal companion, a perfect pal for any character interested in a Dex Animal Companion that can Disarm (using Acrobatics) and make enemies Off-Guard. While the Story Engine deck is a tried and true handy tool for any GM (and I am quite in love with my mini one).

What I'm interested in talking about is some of the TTRPGs in 9th Level's Level 1 Anthology for 2024 though. I wasn't super familiar with this company outside of Kobolds Ate My Baby (but I did buy Business Wizards from them during Free RPG Day as well to support my LGS), so I wasn't aware of this anthology. Reading through all the tech inspired games this year was a treat though. So, here's some of my faves!

• Metavault Heist (By Null Set Tabletop): a TTRPG about a group of people getting together and raiding a metavault in VR. The main gimmick being that you can make up your own set up of user permissions your character has access to that give you abilities you define.

I primarily enjoy the fun narrative elements one can use in a VR setting, but also it's super easy to start running. These combined with the aforementioned power system create a really neat little game overall!

• New God (By Carlos Hernandez): a journaling TTRPG where you play as a new deity in an age of your choice. You start out small, such as the god of fishhooks, but the goal is to expand your domains and gain influence. You do this via the monolith, a stack of 10 d6 which you can add to or take away each day to gain worshippers and add more points to domains. Knock it down and your followers falter, however, and you may even die.

I'm a sucker for any TTRPG about faith involving strange and esoteric deities and this one puts you into the role of one! The monolith mechanic is something incredibly inspired that makes me wonder what style of game I could make with a similar idea. The game also makes me want to go to the game store and buy two dozen d6 immediately.

• Your Dungeon, Room By Room (By Calvin Johns): a solo TTRPG where you take the role of a wizard building their dungeon. It's actually just a really good dungeon building tool for other games too that let's you make a dungeon with history and a random, although controlled, layout.

As mentioned above, this is primarily a dungeon building tool with TTRPG elements. If you're a GM like me, designing interesting dungeons isn't exactly easy and the random tables in the back of books aren't always satisfying. This scratches my itch for Dungeon Keeper style games on a simpler level and gives me a good excuse to open up Dungeon Draft and have a good time. All I could ask for really.

• Offline-41 (By Michael Cremisus Gibson): a strange solo TTRPG where you're the admin of a dead Discord server. It has you create a Discord server and RP its history through messages to other people (who aren't really there) and voice chatting with yourself in it. Exploring how bonds fail and the ephemeral nature of the online forum service.

I've been a Discord admin in a large server since 2019 and have been using the service for nearly a decade now. I've seen servers die in real time, and have lost contact with people on the service I used to talk with everyday simply due to life. It's sad and this game really explores well how sad it can be. I appreciate the themes and how it executes them, and I imagine it's a game that will speak to a lot of people my age because of it.

Conclusion

Overall, a great anthology with other quality experiences and TTRPGs beyond the 4/14 listed here. If you want to check them all out yourself, they'll be on 9th Level's Itch page later this year with the rest of their anthologies. In the meantime, check those out and the other stuff the writers presented here have put together! I know I will.

[purplesoup-lad-le]

for the favourite characters prompt, i gathered up all my doodles of the characters I don't draw enough that were hidden throughout my notebook.

[when-wax-wings-melt]

Roisin’s Reading Rumble: ROUND THREE @camelspit​ @arson-anarchy-death​

SO sorry for the big paragraphs my adhd brain can’t read them either. I also barely proofread and wrote this thing in two sittings. So. My bad if it sucks and also my bad if u can’t tell bc you can’t read it. I bolded to help but if it makes it worse. oops.

Final wordcount: 1612

Preview: Misattributing Dex’s drive to make a name for himself and prove people wrong to pure selflessness takes away these parts of his character that show the elves still have the “human” need to be wanted. It’s thematically important for the characterization of elves as “more” or “greater” than humans, but it’s also essential to Dex as an individual.

Without further ado:

DEXTER ALVIN DIZZNEE

From Dex’s introduction, where we learn he’s a prankster and the child of a bad match, to his most recent scene learning about Rex’s talentless status, he has been shown to have the flaws and complexities that fandoms love to skip over. The most populated form of content for Dex remains the “cinnamon roll” or “the boy who deserves a cover and more page time” rather than focusing on when he does appear—and most appearances add more evidence against the former portrayal. He lives as a living manifestation of the inequality and prejudice the Lost Cities hold beneath their polished veneer—the rest of the main cast serve to highlight this in different ways, but Dex was the first to rip the blindfold from Sophie’s awed eyes. Traits such as social awareness, intense jealousy, desperate ambition, and sullen anger make up Dex’s character right alongside all the sweet selflessness the fandom prefers, and erasing them is a huge discredit to his complex and hard-earned development as the series progresses.

The KOTLC wiki in particular tends to place Dex on a pedestal that little canon evidence backs. Even the description of his character, which supposedly is unbiased and moderated, reads “Dex Dizznee (Dex Diz-nee) is a deuteragonist in the Keeper of the Lost Cities series and a amazing, strong and intelligent friend to Sophie and the team always doing his best to help out.” While none of this description is inaccurate—Dex is, after all, very intelligent and strong in resolve and courage, consistently working behind the scenes to help his friends—it leaves out several key aspects of his character. Portraying Dex as simply a great helper and a wonderful friend erases his narrative importance and drops him into the role of one of the gnomes at Alluveterre—no less important to the battle, but far less important to the plot and themes of the work as a whole. Another description from the wiki reads: “He is considered a kind, intelligent ‘cinnamon roll’ by the fandom and is always trying to prove himself when it is unnecessary by pushing himself to create gadgets using his talent because of his selfless nature.” Once again, the description moves from complimentary to completely erasing key motivations and desires that highlight the importance of his character in the narrative as a whole. The fandom considering him a cinnamon roll motivated entirely by his selfless nature wipes away the combination of pride, ambition, and need for attention and acclaim that drives Dex to accept tasks and jobs from the Council he hates, form vendettas against the Vackers, and constantly succumb to an often selfish competitive streak.

Dex becomes Sophie’s friend because he’s a loner like she is, and to showcase the darker elements of the Lost Cities such as matchmaking and multiple birth prejudice. In his very first appearance in the series, Stina and Vika Heks accuse him of using a balding serum on Stina, claiming that “‘‘[they] won’t need to [prove anything]. They’d expect nothing less from a bad match!’” (KOTLC). Sophie goes from new caretakers on a fantastical animal sanctuary, new magic school, and crystal palaces straight to some of the worst the Lost Cities has to offer— and Dex carries this responsibility with him for the next few books. As Sophie makes friends with the Vackers and Keefe, the elves with seemingly perfect lives, Dex remains there as a glaring reminder of the ugliness of her new world. By erasing that, a fundamental part of his character that influences every single relationship he has is destroyed. Dex finds it hard to befriend Fitz, Biana, and Keefe not because he’s socially awkward (as other parts of the fandom suggest) but because they represent the success he craves, which his family has been systematically denied.

Another essential Dex Dizznee trademark that fanon interpretations constantly forget is his selfishness, his ambition, and his consequential jealousy. Fanon portrayals of Dex as selfless and endlessly kind erase his true need to be the best at everything, even though he doesn’t seem to have the natural talent that Fitz and Keefe have. In Everblaze, he drops his morals and overlooks his hatred of the Council in order to work for them making ability restrictors, a job that places him in a place of honor and prestige. The idea of being recognized for his natural talent blinds him to the true target of the restrictor: Sophie. “‘They wouldn’t be controlling everyone,’ Dex argued. ‘Just the people who need it.’ / ‘And who decides that?’ Fitz asked. / ‘The Council, obviously. What?’ Dex asked when Fitz cringed. ‘I thought your family was like, the Council’s number one fan club.’ (Everblaze). The Council’s praise for his abilities inflates both his ego and his inherent need for recognition or success. The concept that his motivation for endless creation and gadgets comes from his selflessness or self sacrifice isn’t true because his motivation is to gain acclaim, fame, and apologies for thinking less of him. He wants fame and acclaim that his family has been denied. He wants to prove the Hekses and everyone like them wrong.

Later, when he becomes one of the youngest Regents on Team Valiant, Dex accuses Stina of wanting to be a part of the team only for a title, and she throws the same accusation back. “Dex didn’t deny it. And the intensity in his eyes made Sophie realize how much this opportunity had to mean to him.” (Legacy). What Stina and Dex have in common in this moment is the need to prove that their talentless fathers, bad-match parents (since Vika and Timkin should have been a Bad Match) don’t define them, and more importantly were judged incorrectly and with prejudice. Dex’s understanding of inequality ties into his motivations for wanting success—both a positive, when he wants to prove his parents’ marriage didn’t harm anything, and a negative, when he overlooks that same inequality in order to prove the haters wrong.

This ambition moves into jealousy when someone achieves something he failed at— for example, when he meets Tinker for the first time. Tinker is an adult and far more experienced at the type of invention he wants to succeed in, but after so long of being told he’s a true prodigy of technopathy and being useful to Sophie and the team, it hits a sore spot. “‘Is this a better solution than what you were planning?’ Tinker asked Dex, with no bravado in her tone. Only curiosity. / But Dex still wouldn’t look at her as he nodded. And his sigh was somewhere between a grumble and a harrumph. / ‘You have a competitive streak, don’t you?’ Tinker noted. / Sophie and Mr. Forkle both said ‘yes’ while Dex said ‘no.’ / ‘I’m not being competitive,’ he argued. ‘I’m allowed to be annoyed that I got replaced’ (Flashback). Effortless success rubs him the wrong way because he has had to work so hard to overcome stigma, discrimination, and his own doubt to succeed, while people like Tinker appear to have to have the same natural talent that bothered him about the Vackers. Misattributing his drive to make a name for himself and prove people wrong to pure selflessness takes away these parts of his character that show the elves still have the “human” need to be wanted. It’s thematically important for the characterization of elves as “more” or “greater” than humans, but it’s also essential to Dex as an individual. Why does he want this? Because he wants to help Sophie, or because he wants to prove to the world and himself that he can have this?

While all these flaws (jealousy, selfishness, sullen competetiveness) make Dex who he is, they don’t make him a mean person, and certainly not a bad character. He was the first friend Sophie ever had (Fitz truly does not count) and also the one to help her acclimate. He grew from his jealousy, selflessly staying behind the scenes to develop new gadgets to help his friends in their battles. He took steps back and learned how to place blame: not on Keefe for sensing Rex would be talentless, but on society for the way his brother would be treated. But viewing these positive things as the whole of his personality and ignoring any flaws he might have is a huge disservice—these flaws are what makes him interesting, a developed character. There is no such thing as a “sweet cinnamon roll” character in KOTLC, because making a character only good and never flawed is objectively bad writing, and makes for uninteresting dynamics.

Readers wouldn’t be interested in Dex if he never lashed out, never reacted negatively to Sophie, never had his own wants and desires that didn’t always correspond to what the narrative needs. He’s self punishing constantly over his mistakes, not forgiving himself for Fitz’s stabbing in Neverseen or for the ability restrictor. He’s jealous over Fitz, Biana, Keefe, Stina, Tinker, and Sophie’s success and power. He wants to succeed and is (or used to be) willing to place that need above the needs of his family and friends. And he also learns that Fitz and Biana are not their legacy. He cries over his brother’s future, and assures Keefe he would never blame him. He works with Stina and explores new methods of technopathy with Tinker and encourages Sophie to step into an official leadership role. Erasing any of these traits or experiences steals part of who he is and where he fits into, an unfair and inaccurate reading of the series as a whole.

In conclusion: The Dex wiki page is an atrocity, and someone who isn’t me (because I don’t have the energy 💖) needs to fix it.

Bonus:

[id: a post by A Fandom User on 7/2/2021 reading “Whoa. Whoa whoa whoa whoa whoa. I come on to check my cinnamon rolls age, and I see this TREASON. Who - who called him a pussy? How is he always constipated? Someone, someone who truly DEEPLY loves this cinnamon rolls need to revise this. I would, except 1) I don't know how and 2) I wouldn't do it properly. Please fix this. Please. ~Humble Follower of The Cinnamon Roll King“.

 A reply by SaladmanOfSokeefe5 on 8/8/2021 reads “I have fixed this mistake -Humble Follower of The Cinnamon Roll King“ /end id]

[mimi-croissant]

Sharing a drink it’s like an indirect kiss!!

[bookwyrminspiration]

Dex, Biana, and Tam are dating now. No this isn’t based off anything that happens in canon, I just like the dynamic.

That is a very fair reason and I support you 100%. Sometimes the vibes are just there and you don't need to think about it further than that. I say don't need, however i very much am going to think about it further than that. it's like...the entire purpose of my blog and also probably why people send me asks.

I think their characters could bond well over the expectations made of them as children, the judgement they all faced or that was ingrained in their minds. Not all expectations are good, and there is definitely plenty of scorn in the Lost Cities.

Dex faced judgment from being the son of a bad match and everyone assumed he'd be talentless, Tam faced judgement for being a twin and also a shade, and Biana was judged (silently) for being the third child in a world where anything beyond one is unusual. Biana may not have faced a lot of the public situations the way the other two did, which is why I clarified things being "ingrained in their minds" as she would still know how people felt about younger children and be able to apply those judgments to themselves.

You know they kind of each embodiment a perspective/experience of the elven world now that I think about it. There's Biana, the most "normal" meaning she fits in where she can while standing out, enjoying the dresses and looking nice and the parties and all that. Then there's Dex, who enjoys the weird parts of their world, distorting the normal and turning it into something fun, seeing things a different way. And then there's Tam who is the most removed, the most cynical, not changing things but observing it all with a wary criticism. it's always interesting to have those sorts of dynamics in a group.

They're a good group, balancing each other out while still having common ground to connect and bond over.

there's the surface level observations about how they an relate to each other like they each have at least one sibling, Biana and Tam have abilities that help them disappear, Biana and Dex both have a lot of confidence in themselves, Tam and Dex both grew up outside the social spheres and experienced the underside of this "perfect" world. But then there's a lot of the deeper stuff too like how Tam has never had people in his life who truly care for him aside from his sister and how Dex didn't have friends until Sophie came along. And how all three of them have always gotten both more attention than they're comfortable with and yet no one understands them or sees them more than they are on the surface.

There's so much potential with these three characters given their backgrounds! And also they just have a nice dynamic like you said, so either way it's interesting to think through. There's a lot that can be done with the different experiences they've had and how they all led them to where they are, the same place, the same conclusions, the same reservations about their world presented in different ways.

[im-keefe-now]

Keeper characters as my teachers but I give you really bad descriptions and don’t tell you what they taught!

Sophie: Really sweet, tries hard to be hip with the kids but is too exhausted to really reach her goal.

Biana: Also very sweet. That one girl that everyone sees as a mother figure. Would totally make you cookies but would also yell at you when you’re not behaving.

Linh:Too nice for her own good. Looks like a cinnamon roll but could kill you. Would probably give you the last slice of pizza.

Marella: Everyone thinks she’s crazy (she probably is) but she’s actually really nice and funny. Also talks to inanimate objects. Doesn’t catch on fast but always very accepting.

Dex: Nice guy, would probably laugh at you when you fall but would still help you up. Funny. Everyone loves him. You could probably forget about him for a while but once you remember, he’s there...

Keefe: Makes really bad dad jokes that end up being funny because of how bad they are. A favorite of many. Refers to people by their last name a lot.

Fitz: Can be a bit boring at times but definitely has some random story to spice things up. Could probably talk about himself and his childhood for an hour. Definitely would check homework daily.

Tam: Tries to seem inconspicuous but at the end of the day, they’re the one person in the group that has a completely different aesthetic from everyone else that draws attention to them. Probably won’t assign you homework for weeks at a time.

Bonus!

Alden: Honestly kind of sketchy. Says a lot of stuff that he shouldn’t say because he’s an adult talking to teenagers? Everyone really liked him in the beginning but now he’s said some sketchy stuff and is far less popular. Not great at teaching to kids.

Bronte: Always seems really grumpy and angry. Everyone probably thinks he hates them but it’s just his face. Occasionally smiles and eventually seems nicer (years after first meeting him of course).