#as for other titles. sci-fi is pretty great too

[desolatehands]

ok but serious question for the dash. what books were you fond of when you were younger? I've always been a pretty avid reader myself, but I love hearing about peoples tastes.

[sanjoongie]

Library of Illusions~ Fantasy Section

Horns

📚Part Two for the Library Of Illusions Event

📚Pairing: Dragon! Yeosang x Knight! Reader (f)

📚Genre: Fantasy au, dragon au, strangers to lovers

📚Warnings: oral ( f receiving and giving), dick-drunk reader, special dragon dick! yeosang, special cunt! Reader, degradation kink, knotting, cuts from talons

📚Word Count: 4,261

📚Rating: 18+ MDNI, smut

📚Summary: in the fantasy section, you become a lady knight, here to conquer a dragon. Only the fight has less to do with swords and fangs, and more to do with who can make the other cum first. 

📚Dedication: @mejuii & @downtoamagicalland the best beta readers a writer could bribe have

↫The Horror Section ↭ MasterList ↭ The Sci-fi Section↬

You rubbed your hands together, practically vibrating with excitement. What was this section going to throw at you? Perhaps you would get to be a knight in shining armor, out to slay a horrid beast? You were far too deep in your head for the dangers that could betray you in the library. As a result, you tripped over something and landed flat on your face. You cursed your clumsiness and looked behind you to see what was the cause of your trip. On the floor was a dark red book, the title Horns and Swords golden on the spine. 

You opened it, prepared this time for the book to fly out of your hands, land upright, with its pages flipping open, until it halted and grew to the size of a door once again. The center for the book was transparent, and within you could see a gently rolling hill and a large stone structure on the top. Before entering, you turned your head, still unable to shake that feeling from within the Horror section that you were being watched.

“Whoever you are, I hope you get off on spying,” You muttered under your breath and then walked into the book. 

You're dressed in armor but it is not the kind you imagined knights wore, covered head to toe in chainmail and plated armor. No, this was the kind that let your boobs bounce and showed off your legs and ass. This kind of armor was meant to seduce and captivate the eyes. What the hell kind of fantasy novel were you in?

You heard a twinkling noise and quickly realized that it was coming from a book that was attached to your belt. You pulled it out and opened it to the first page. Inside was your handwriting, detailed descriptions of monsters you had pursued and how you had defeated them. What you hadn't expected while skimming the notes was the descriptions.

Orcs: big balls, stroke to entice early ejaculation

Centaurs: DO NOT OFFER MISSIONARY! HOOVES!

Mermen: find a rock to seduce him on. Sand is a bitch to get out of your boots

The list went on and on and you quickly realized you weren’t a whore, per say, but a type of knight that ‘conquered’ monsters by bringing them pleasure. Well, at least the book got the knight part right that you wanted.

In the book, your notes stopped and a new page began. The inscription spoke of this part of your book being connected to the great book back at the Citadel, in which the clerical knights wrote the bounties one could take on. You flipped through the small book until you come across a particularly interesting entry:

Time Dragon: Kang Yeosang is wanted for manipulating time in order to increase his hoard. Capture if necessary, otherwise, sufficient proof of conquest is a piece of his horn.

You looked up at the large building that was on top of the gently inclining hill. Clearly you had been deposited right where you needed to be. But what kind of dragon lived in a limestone building? Didn’t they prefer mountains or caves? Perhaps Time Dragons were a different breed. You shook your head. Whatever the case, you had another key to earn. 

You underestimated the climb, making your thighs burn with the effort to climb the hill. Hill was a bad word for it. Huge earth mound that took forever to climb was much better. Thoughts of getting a horse when turned in the dragon’s horn floated through your head. A pretty horse, female and even tempered. One of those white and black horses, what were they called again? Ah yes, Appaloosa! Yes, you would reward yourself with a pretty horse when you completed this bounty.

The limestone building at the top of the hill was much bigger than you had estimated when you were at the bottom. The ceilings had to be five times your height. Your footsteps echoed as you entered the large room. Inside was completely empty. There were only two items: a large stone slab in the middle of the room and a statue at the back. 

There, carved in perfect similarity, was the humanoid form of a dragon. You moved closer to inspect it. The creature was clearly much bigger than a human, and his features were gorgeous. His nose appeared perfect to grind your lower half against--you shook your head again. Curse your thirst for these monsters, your character was pulling you into the story, much like you had been with the horror section. You had to keep it together!

“Why do you enter my mausoleum, Lady Knight?” A rumbling, deep voice scared the living shit out of you.

You raised your chin, challenging the statue that had spoken. “I am here for Kang Yeosang. He has been a bad dragon as of late.”

The corners of the statue’s lips quirked upwards but only in minute detail.  The statue began to move and you were starting to realize he wasn’t a statue. As he moved, color seemed to breathe into his form. Gone was the stark white stone that matched that of the structure and to replace it was bronze skin and dark, flowing hair. That was where the resemblance to a human stopped. He had red eyes with a pupil that was a slit. He had large black horns that grew out of the crown of his head. He also sported wicked looking talons. You were sad to see no tail but the rest of his body was covered in scales, the only exception being his face and neck.

“But I was simply increasing my hoard, Lady Knight,” The dragon continued to speak to you. He stepped down from his throne and walked towards you.

You shook your finger at the approaching figure. “You know as well as I that the Citadel does not approve of time changes, Yeosang. And several at that! You restarted a timeline so many times, the poor villagers couldn't even remember who they were. That cannot stand.”

Yeosang chuckled. “Then we are to fight?”

The sentence made goosebumps cover your body. It seemed your body knew what was to come. You jerked your head towards the stone slab in the middle of the room. “That will be adequate as a place to copulate.” You adjusted your armor, pushing your breasts up and your skirt down.

Yeosang ducked his head in agreement. “As you wish.”

You hopped onto the slab and lied down. It wasn’t exactly comfortable but it would be tolerable. It’s not like you would be on it for long anyways. You were quite confident in your skills as a lady knight. Yeosang would be knotted inside of you quite soon, you estimated.

“These offend me,” Yeosang announced suddenly. Those razor sharp talons began to slice through the leather straps that held your chest piece and skirt together. They clanged loudly as they hit the marble slab. Now your breasts and cunt were available to those red eyes of Yeosang’s.

His taloned hand next encircled your ankle carefully, raising your leg upwards so he could spread your legs. His forked tongue came out to taste the air and he smirked, making his face look somehow sweet at this moment. "You're wet, Lady Knight."

"Of course I am," You agreed, biting down on your lip, "I've had dragon dick before. It'll be a pleasure to take it again." Yeosang grunted, unimpressed that he wasn't your first. You laughed. "I didn't properly introduce myself, did I?"

Yeosang's tongue tickled and caressed your calf and he moved down your leg, to the inside of your thighs. "Would you consider a different race?"

You raised an eyebrow at the dragon. "You want some of my sweet nectar? You don't want to fuck me?"

Yeosang's eyes meet your gaze. "I'll fuck you in victory, I'm sure my dragon dick is much better than what you had before."

"If you win, you can take me however you'd prefer," You agreed wholeheartedly because you knew you were going to win. There hasn't been a dragon that you had not conquered yet.

Yeosang grinned, sharp teeth making you shiver with the slight threat they offered. "Oh Lady Knight, you are quite confident with your skills." 

Yeosang moved to the side of the raised marble slate and leaned over you. You pushed your body so that your head could hang off the slab and give Yeosang's cock a direct path to fuck your throat. The slit that contained his cock hovered over your head and you licked your lips in anticipation. You raised your hand and ran two fingers along the scaled lips of the slit. Yeosang shivered above you. "Have some patience, you cock hungry knight," Yeosang scolded you. 

You shook your head. "There's a reason I'm a lady knight, Yeosang. In fact, I am famously known as Topaz the Temptation."

Yeosang's tongue fluttered above your cunt, almost ready to taste you before he halted. "One of the Jewel Knights? The legendary Monster Ruiners?"

"Give me your dick, Yeosang," You purred, "I'm ready."

Yeosang swallowed audibly. "Open your mouth," He commanded. 

You watched with anticipation as his slit opened and his cock pushed past the barrier. All dragon dicks were self lubricating so the lewd noise it made as it extended all seven inches of perfection were enough to make your cunt even more wet. The arrow head was perfect to part pussy lips, it was curved AND thick, and you could see a bulge at the base.

"You're a mating Dragon!" You cried out in excitement.

Yeosang slid his tongue from your clit to your hole. Your legs clamped down against his head but he easily pushed your thighs apart, hands remaining on your thighs to keep you spread for him. "You've never had one, have you?"

"I haven't!--" Whatever you were going to say next became muffled as Yeosang entered your mouth. His thickness almost stretched your lips and you rolled your eyes in ecstasy. This was heaven, being stuffed this way. 

Yeosang thrusted experimentally and was pushing into the back of your throat easily. "Oh fuck," He cursed.

Your hands braced on his hips, pulling him forward, and encouraging him to fuck your throat. You swallowed when you felt him down your throat and his hips stuttered. "You really weren't kidding about your skills," He mused to himself before he plunged his face and tongue into your cunt.

With Yeosang's cock steadily fucking your throat, and his tongue fucking your pussy, your mind was all white noise. You only had focus for your breathing, the wonderful way Yeosang's cock pressed your tongue flat, and the way his tongue curled inside of your cunt. 

"Fuck, you take my cock well, Lady Knight," Yeosang growled, his voice deep and raw. "I've had many knights think they could take me and whine when I'm too big for them, but not you, hmmmm?"

Yeosang was in complete control at this very moment and he had to be conscious of just how much he fucked your sweet mouth. He pulled out, which did make you able to think more clearly but unfortunately let out a lot of his lubricant and your saliva mixture down your cheeks. It was messy and he had not even released his cum yet. 

Yeosang's tongue was writhing inside of you, almost with a will of its own. He had found the special spot inside of you that made you whimper and buck your hips and was caressing that spot with his forked tip. No dragon had ever been dedicated or delicate enough to make you come with their skilled and forked tongue. You began to worry. 

You reached out and wrapped your hand around Yeosang's wet cock. You moved up and down the shaft, sucking hard on the tip that still rested inside of your mouth. Your tongue circled the tip as you sucked and Yeosang cried out instead this time.

"Stars!" He cried out, "You really want that reward, Lady Knight, your mouth is sinful. Still," Yeosang continued to muse out loud, "I think I want to fuck this cunt instead."

His tongue went to work, moving along your clit at such a pace that you simply had no chance. Your hips thrusted upwards into his face, thighs trembling as an orgasm ripped through you. You let out a sigh of frustration and tears pricked the corner of your eyes. You had failed. For the first time, you had not been able to take the monster down. Might as well say bye bye to that beautiful Appaloosa Mare you planned on making your own. But wait, wasn't there something else you were working towards?

Yeosang receded from your body and you whimpered at the loss of his cock in your mouth and his tongue from your cunt. Yeosang had introduced you to a new version of being double stuffed and you weren't sure you could do without it now. 

"Ruined already for me, Lady Knight?" Yeosang teased you. 

You sat upwards, carefully cleaning your face with the side of your hand. "My pussy is ready for you, sir." With eyes cast downwards in the image of maidenly shyness, you turned on the slab so that your legs were hanging off it now. Your legs were spread, pussy wet and shiny and inviting just for Yeosang. 

Yeosang's red eyes were blown so that his eyes didn't even appear as slits anymore. His body slotted between your legs and his fore talon curled under your chin. "I do look forward to fucking you full of my seed and knotting tight inside of your sweet cunt, lovely."

"Promise?" You whispered, eyes getting heavy lidded at the thought of being stuffed by his self-lubricating cock. 

Yeosang shook his head at you. "Still so cock hungry," He tsked at you mockingly, "Are you ever satisfied?"

You shook your head, "Hardly ever."

Yeosang snorted at your blunt truth. "Then by all means, let me have an attempt at it."

You watched with bated breath as Yeosang's talons curled around your hips and he snaked his cock inside of your cunt. He stretched you wonderfully with his tongue but his cock was what you were truly meant to experience. It filled you in such a way, snug in your wet puss, the base only slightly bulged but already feeling wonderful inside of you. 

"So full," You whimpered.

"Look at how well your cunt takes my cock, lovely?" Yeosang praised you, "You almost suck me in, such a good lady knight, you didn't even protest as I stretched you fully."

You raised your arms around Yeosang's neck and curled your legs around his hips. His scales would have slid against the inside of your thighs and against the sensitive skin of your arms but luckily your armor that hadn't been stripped off by Yeosang was still there; all the better to fuck a dragon, scales and all. 

"That's why I'm such a temptation, Yeosang," You purred, "My cunt is my weapon."

Yeosang thrusted shallowly, barely pulling out before pushing back in. His eyes were closed and his hair was casting a shadow over his face. "Such a sweet cunt," Yeosang murmured to himself. 

“Is it sweet to you?” You cooed, “Is it warm and wet and velvety for you, Drachen?”

Yeosang’s eyebrows lifted into his fringe. “You know the old tongue?”

“I know--” You gasped as Yeosang began to increase the length of his thrusts, giving you more of his cock, “--a lot of things.”

Yeosang’s eyebrows began to furrow as he fucked you. He wasn’t used to a knight taking the entirety of his length. In fact, he barely experienced an orgasm from just the tip being introduced to an orifice. And also… 

“--what was that?” Yeosang demanded, feeling a sensation around his cock that was not something he had ever felt before.

You laid back against the slab, your back arching as Yeosang paused fucking your tiny yet accommodating hole. “When one becomes a Lady Knight, particularly one of a special pedigree, there is a spell cast upon you. It gives you a special power in order to conquer the monsters of this world. My special power is called Dickstrom. So what you’re feeling is my pussy revolving around your dick, forever sucking you in.” 

Yeosang continued to fuck your cunt and groaned loudly. “I’ve never…” He began to pant between his words, “...a rainbow knight! Ah--” 

“Seems like I’m not the only one getting something new this evening,” You preened at your success.

Your pussy continued to swirl around the humanoid dragon’s cock, allowing you to take him deeper and deeper inside of you. Yeosang’s thrusts began to get sloppy and his grip tightened on your hips, enough that he cut the skin there. You didn’t even feel it, however, so deep into your pleasure. 

Once Yeosang came, your pussy would suck in all his seed and you would become even more powerful as a Jewel Knight. You were quite sure that once he knotted inside of you, as you had studied when you were a squire, you would orgasm.

“Fuck me with your knotting dick, Yeosang, fuck me full of your cum and then knot inside of me. I want it, I want it so badly, please let me have it!” You moaned.

"You're lovely in your insatiable thirst for me," Yeosang growled and then came with a desperate cry. His back arched and he threw his head back. He was the picture of perfect male perfection above you: dick deep inside of you, chest heaving in heavy breaths, neck pulsating with working veins and his sharp jaw to finish the picture off.

Then your breath was caught in your throat as Yeosang's knot pushed outwards and gave you the final stimulation against your g-spot to come. It ran through your nerves making your toes curl and you moan Yeosang's name. The feeling of remaining full making you feel content because Yeosang had to remain inside of you until you fully absorbed his cum and that would be hours entangled face to face.

Slowly Yeosang lowered himself until his upper body was braced over yours, forearms bracing on the cold marble. He was letting out a noise that was a mix of a growl and a purr. You could feel your walls were still pulsating around him.

The two of you remained locked together, and yet somehow, Yeosang was tender with you. He ran the back of his talon along your cheek. “You could have won, Lady Knight, had I fucked you. Why did you agree to let me tongue fuck your cunt instead?” Yeosang wondered.

You shrugged. “Perhaps this time I didn’t want to win. Perhaps--” You moaned wantonly as Yeosang adjusted, giving you the overstimulation against your pussy walls that you both adored and hated. 

Yeosang cocked his head. "Did you not want to win?"

Anxiety coursed through you but you didn't know why. Why did it matter so much that you needed to win? The thought was pulling at your mind but you simply could not recall. All you knew is that your fingers were itching to make new notes about a mating dragon and to sketch Yeosang's gorgeous face as well in some nice charcoal.

Yeosang smiled, a genuine one and almost broke your mind with how much sunshine it contained. "You did realize I could rewind time at any moment and reset the timeline so that I could try to win, right?"

You smiled lazily, completely content to be stuffed by Yeosang like this. You would rather the previous double stuffed but this wasn't so bad either. "Then I would experience sex with you multiple times. I don't see the loss here."

Yeosang chuckled, sounding manly and cocky. "Oh, I like you."

The dragon then reached above his head promptly and broke off one of his horns. Your jaw dropped in surprise. "Yeosang!"

Yeosang seemed soft, vulnerable and not like the haughty dragon you had met earlier. "You are the only knight to have taken me completely and also gave me a climax that I haven't experienced in a very long time. Take this and let the entire realm know that I am taken. I am a conquered monster."

"The other knights will also leave you alone if they consider you conquered," You peeked up at him through your eyelashes, "Are you sure?"

"Only if you'll retire with me," Yeosang offered.

You felt a soft smile extend on your face as well. You had never thought to retire, but with Yeosang, perhaps--

Your real consciousness smashed into you with a determined scream. You couldn't settle into this world! "I have more monsters to conquer, Yeosang," You reminded him, not exactly how much you could do while a huge monster was pinning you against a marble slab with his knotted dick stuck inside of you.

Yeosang had the grace to look slightly bashful. "Very well, lovely."

The air tensed, warping and stretching and suddenly it snapped and you were back in the Fantasy Section. Yeosang's arms were wrapped around you but a normal sized man now. He sported a leather double vest, gloves and black slacks. 

It took a moment for your mind to adjust and then everything that happened just hit you like a ten ton truck. “Dickstrom?!” You demanded, “Really?”

Yeosang had a look of mischief gleaming from his eyes, the corners of his lips quirking upwards but he fought it. “The sensation was worth it.”

You hung your head low. “I suppose I should go tell Seonghwa that my time here has come to an end.”

Yeosang lifted an eyebrow at your statement. "What makes you say that?"

Your chest tingled with excitement. "I didn't fail?"

Yeosang shook his head. "Most humans look to conquer in my section. But you were simply seeking pleasure. It was a breath of fresh air, to put it simply."

The demon released you and squatted before a bookshelf full of pastel colored spines and pulled out Horns and Swords. When he opened it, inside was a mini version of the horn his dragonself had gifted your lady knight. Upon prying it out, he offered it to you. "A reward well earned, Lady Knight." Yeosang smiled but he had an air of sadness about him. 

You just took it just like Wooyoung's regret that you couldn't play with him anymore. "Thank you, Yeosang."

Yeosang shook his head. "Don't rub it in too roughly that you got this key as well. Seonghwa has his pride too, you know."

You rolled your eyes. "Oh please, he's probably napping. If anything, I'll get to hear him call me 'human' lovingly again," You scoffed.

Yeosang laughed, a laugh that was both deep and musical at the same time. "Good-bye, lovely."

This time as you approached the desk, Seonghwa had his tongue between his lips in concentration, staring intensely at a board of 3D chess. "You know the way out," He waved you away with a flick of his hand, not even bothering to look at you.

"Oh, don't let me interrupt you, Keeper," You said sarcastically, "Just tell me where you keep my keys and I'll add this one."

"The display case behind me--WAIT A MINUTE!" Seonghwa shouted in disbelief, "You received another one? Who?"

You opened your palm to show the horn. Seonghwa looked simply gobsmacked. "Yeosang?" Seonghwa looked around wildly. "Kang Yeosang, reveal yourself!"

You circumvented the desk and stood before the display case. Inside was black and gold sand, and there was your mask you had received from Wooyoung. You were about to lift the latch when Seonghwa's hand came down on yours in an almost crushing grip. "Do not," He said in a low tone that set a shiver down your spine.

You flicked your eyes upward to meet the demons. "Are you going to add my key or are you going to nag Yeosang's ear off?"

Seonghwa began to grumble and released your hand. "I am the Keeper of the Keys, remember--"

"If you call me human one more time, I will grab a handful of that sand and stuff it down your throat--" You threatened.

Seonghwa snapped his mouth shut and you swore you could see a faint blush across his cheeks. But surely you were wrong. "--that," he finished lamely.

You rolled your eyes. You slapped the dragon's horn onto Seonghwa's waiting palm. "Great, you have a good discussion with Yeosang, I'm going to get another key," You announced as you walked away from Seonghwa who was back to cursing Yeosang--and you--under his breath.

You were genuinely worried about your state of mind. Was it because you adored fantasy so much that the enticement of remaining there was strong. Or was it because with each key you acquired, the game became harder? There had to be something you could do to keep yourself grounded!

All thoughts swirled out of your head when you came across a section that could not be ignored. Bright, neon lights blinked for the Science Fiction Section. You could hear the rumbling of a hover vehicle and the blasting of laser guns. Science fiction was also close to your heart but difficult to navigate due to the terms and the aliens and--you gulped. Surely you wouldn't have to conquer an alien. You blanked your mind, determined to not make the same mistake you had in the Fantasy Section, and walked into the new section.

Tag list: @yoonguurt  @hijirikaww  @flowerboykun  @starillusion13  @flurrys-creativity  @kitten4sannie  @a-soft-hornytiny @mingiblr

Library staff: @kwanisms  @thelargefrye  @anyamaris  @stardragongalaxy  @kpop-stories-21

↫The Horror Section ↭ MasterList ↭ The Sci-fi Section↬

[theinstagrahame]

It's been a wild few months here at theInstaGrahame HQ, but what never fails to make me happy is the rad games I get from the mail. I'm getting over a cold, so I'mma work on this instead of anything productive I could be doing!

Here's my month of RPG mail calls, and why I'm hyped!

Coriolis: The Last Cyclade: I've been curious about Coriolis' Middle Eastern-themed sci-fi vibes for a while, so I put this on a Secret Santa wishlist; and this is what I got! Excited to dive in.

Curios: Albrecht Manor and Jasper Park: Good Luck Press is one of those game design teams I'll try anything from, and the pitch for this is really unique. It's not an RPG per se, as much as a collection of books, papers, maps, and other materials that point toward a mystery you get to figure out. Playing it is just... looking through stuff.

Salvage Union: I am a big fan of post-apocalyptic media, and a fan of the mecha genre. So, yeah, this was an easy sell. It's built on the Quest system, which I've been meaning to get more into anyway, and it looks like a mech repair manual!

The Zone (which I apparently thought people would just recognize): This game is available for free online, but the box set is gorgeous, and features some designers I love. Trying to set up an online session soon, but I do really want to play it in person.

Deimos Academy: Honestly, I picked it up because of the creative team, but also the pitch is great. I skipped my high school reunion, but if there was a chance to go back and face a monster? I might've thought about going.

Brindlewood Bay + Nephews in Peril: I was originally just going to get the super popular Elderly Detectives Solve Eldritch Crimes RPG, but the title of the expansion/mystery book was just too perfect.

Rebels f the Outlaw Wastes: I've already mentioned I like post-apocalyptica? Well, this took a neat approach to achievements/leveling that I was super intrigued by, and I just dig the fun vibe. The reason I like post-apocalyptic media is that it's hopeful, and this feels moreso than a lot of other stuff.

Skyrealms Almanac and Creatures and Folks: I've been into setting guides this past year. And like, this one is also a coloring book? Hell yeah.

Stoneburner: I've been following the creator on Twitter and elsewhere for a while, so I was curious about this title. But definitely sold when they talked about some of the inspiration being the original Starcraft games.

Forgery: Again, picked it up because I really like Banana Chan's work, but this is a paint-by-numbers solo RPG about forging a demonic painting. So like, yeah. That's rad.

Vast Grimm: Space Cruisers: Vast Grimm is Mork Borg in Space, but I'm also a big fan of ship catalogs, so I really wanted to check this one out.

.Dungeon: Everything Snow makes is beautiful, queer, and nostalgic, so when they mentioned a re-release of .Dungeon was coming, I really wanted to check it out. I have a lot of nostalgia for the

Cloud Empress (everything, including a patch!): I mean, you say Nausicaa and I'm listening. This has some roots in that world, but also does some really interesting things with the Mothership game engine. I'm especially intrigued by the notion of replacing racial traits with age traits, and having a series of pretty mundane jobs as the classes.

Layers of Unreality: The first of this month's Zine Club deliveries! I keep hearing about Liminal Horror, and this particular module I've heard nothing but incredible things about. So I'm really hyped to check out what happens in these backrooms.

Fear the Taste of Blood: My second Zine Club book this month! Kayla Dice is one of those really rad creators who I think deserves more attention than she gets, so I'm really hyped to dive into this take on classic movie monsters.

I also got this from my partner's family's Secret Santa.

Okami is one of those games that sticks with me, and has ever since I first saw images from it, and played it. It's a genuinely beautiful experience, and while it's maybe not a game everyone will like, it's one that I really enjoy, and the art is a big part of that.

It stands out as an example of what you can do with a video game that's nearly impossible with most other art forms, and also a reason that I don't think the Arms Race for More Photorealistic Graphics in video game consoles is worth the effort.

[galactic-glamour-girl-posts]

Here are my favourite pieces of official Rosalina artwork, and why!

This will include stuff like renders, GIFs, concept art, etc.

This won't include screenshots of in-game/cinematic cutscenes or gameplay.

And lastly, this is in no particular order other than the last one, which is firmly in first place. Let's go!

First we have:

As of right now I believe this is her newest render. It's one of the only ones where she can be seen floating, so that's cool. What I really like is the presence of her storybook, they rarely acknowledge that thing nowadays. Which is fine, it shouldn't be her crutch, but it is nice to see it given its story is a big reason as to why she's one of the franchise's best characters.

Best Mario Kart 8 Deluxe title screen, hands down.

Why yes, I am biased!

I mean it's in space, which not only is automatically cool but also fits Rosalina's character. She leaning against a pretty sick looking bike (or at least it looks sick from this angle), and her pose is pretty badass to match! She's in her biker outfit, which only adds to the vibe, and the Earth makes for beautiful yet badass background prop. Between all that the title screen taking place on the Luna Colony, it looks like she's about to partake is in a futuristic action-packed cosmic race, like something you'd see in a sci-fi action film. She just looks so cool here, I don't know what else to say.

Man I wished they used this in Odyssey. Oh well, maybe next game.

Not much to say here. The emo look fits her, she is the Sad Girl (that's a neat little soundtrack reference right there) after all. I mean have you seen her hair?

I like the casualness, specifically when compared to the other character's matching emotes, which are a lot more panicked. Really emphasises her calm nature. I like any artwork of her that makes her look either sad or nonchalant. It's what makes her special (and if you think that's a messed up thing to say...no it's not, shut up! 😖) You can also see a bit of her right eye, which is neat. There's just something inherently funny about the protector of the cosmos, a woman who usually speaks so formerly, a mysterious and powerful figure who some consider a goddess, doing such a casual shrug. I even made a post about this one years ago.

These are just cute, probably her cutest artwork without being too cutesy. That's about it really.

I love the way Rosalina's hair flows in this picture. I love how the Star Bits glow, how they shine colourful light rays through the net, and how their colour contrasts against the dark void of space. It makes for such a memorable, striking, beautiful image. I also love the fantastical concept of catching sweet rainbow space water crystals with a butterfly net, seems right out of a fairy tale.

Even without the text from the storybook you can just feel the emotion pour from the screen, you can feel the warmth of their hug. The warm yellow glow of (most of) the lumas, like the Star Bits of the precious artwork, contrast against the cold, dark isolation of space. However, they also contrast against Rosalina's cold white colouring (although not as much, indicating that they still belong together) and expressionless face, indicating she hasn't felt this warm/loved in a long time. The fact that you can't see her eyes in this picture suggests she's concealing her face, trying to take it all in without letting it all out. It's just...so good.

Just love how cool, calm, and collected she looks. She even looks a bit sassy and snobby here, but I like it. I imagine this is how she appears to people before they get to know her.

Love the smirk she gives only after dodging the green shell. It's a great show of her skill and character. Alert enough to sense the shell coming (makes sense for a magical protector), skilled enough to expertly dodge the shell, humble enough not to brag, but just proud enough to do a silent "Nice try". Love the personality shown here.

My all-time favourite (for now).

The use of watercolours really adds to the feel of remembering the past and hazy memories. Love the melancholic smile on adult Rosalina's face. Through her facial expression and body language you can tell she sympathises with her younger self, wants to comfort her, wants to let he know that everything will be OK, even after all she's lost. That she'll find family and be happy in the future, and as she holds her hand she'll guide her to it.

What a simple, beautiful image.

[kebriones]

I am here once again hello

I am so terribly hyperficated in Alcibiades I have not stopped thinking about him

I just really don't know how/what I can read or consume that in some way involves him and you're my best bet, please enlighten me on your knowledge you seem to possess

HELLO HELLO

alright well, I will include some reading links, as many as I can, even the basic ones, since I don't know what you've already read or not:

The symposium (alcibiades arrives at page 28/35 of the pdf) sorry for the bad quality, if you have trouble reading it I can send a different one, this is simply a translation I personally rather like

his biography by plutarch mega important reading

(not linked but if you're feeling really hungry, get a copy of thucydides and go looking for all the alcibiades mentions in there. best of luck. Thucydides is probably the single most accurate account we have of alcibiades)

The first Alcibiades (it's a proper platonic dialogue between socrates and alcibiades.)

This whole book about him which I believe you know about because i see you have liked my previous post about it but I am linking it just in case.

The speech of Alcibiades by martha nussbaum, I personally find this extremely enjoyable to read, i recommend having read his bit from the symposium to understand what's going on.

okay from here on out these are just from my bookmarks and I don't remember which are good and which are not, feel free to dig through them as you please (the jstor stuff require you to make a free acount to read them) (I also recommend having read the symposium and plutarch at least to understand most of what these are talking about) apologies in advance for any that may not actually be available without uni access.

Article on JSTOR about his relationship to some ancient plays

This article it starts talking about alcibiades on page 6/13 of the pdf

this short text which i thought had some interesting ideas (but the website is bright yellow so maybe you can use some settings to turn it to balck and white because at least to me this feels horrible on the eyes)

pretty big article about eros and tyranny which discusses alcibiades and plato, i don't remember much of it

short text about his military/political career

jstor thingy about him and socrates in the symposium

yet another pdf about alcibiades and socrates

alcibiades and the failure of socratic rationalism or smth i don't remember again

this isn't a text, it's pictures of his daughter's grave. thought i'd include it

french film of the first alcibiades doesn't have subtitles and it's wierdly shot but hey if you're deep in obsession maybe it doesn't matter

more about erotic tyranny and alcibiades uwu

yet another jstor article about him I don't remember

alcibiades and aristophanes' birds if the other article about him being related to plays wasn't unhinged enough for you

a study in violets cool title, it's about alcibiades

the loves of alcibiades, one more jstor article

other random article about alcibiades

the socratic turn to alcibiades I believe you need an academia.edu account (free i think) to read this

then there's two novels which I think aren't too bad to read, "the last of the wine" which isn't focused on alcibiades but has a few scenes with him and is overall very well written and features a really good set of protagonists imo

the second novel is "the flowers of adonis" and while it's not as great overall as a book as the last of the wine is, this one is actually focused on alcibiades. Only problem is that he isn't as bisexual as he should be in this but you can treat it as fanfiction and somewhat ignore that maybe? idk, it has some nice bits in my opinion.

speaking fo fanfiction there's a couple very good ones on ao3 (not talking about my own, there's one in particular that's a single chapter about him and aristophanes that is just UGH SO GOOD)

there's also this short sci-fi-esque story about alcibiades which is quite nice: https://web.archive.org/web/20141225183208/http://www.asimovs.com/Nebulas03/gods.shtml

and last but not least if you've made it this far, I have the only podcast thingy that I remember not having as huge inaccuracies and BS as most other ones i've heard. I still recommend having already read plutarch's life of alcibiades beforehand but if anyone reading this post doesn't wanna do reading and prefers to listen to something for starters, this is a good start, as far as I remember. you can listen to it HERE I will also give it a listen as i'm working and will edit this post if I find any issues with it.

HAVE FUN :D

[champion-of-aurene]

1, 4, 9 and 24 for Akko @ the asura ask game!!

Thank you so much for the character ask!! Sorry for getting to this late, took me some time on a couple of the questions and this last week has been rough for me 😅

1. Do they fit well into asuran society or are they more at home with other races? How do they feel about fellow asura? Is it because of their personality or something else? Is there any deal maker or breaker?

She fits somewhat well into asuran society in that she loves inventing and experimenting and asura tech/magic in general, but she doesn't entirely fit because she mainly does so for the joys of learning and inventing themselves, she doesn't care about impressing/one-upping other krewes or trying to get some special awards or recognition. She feels mostly positive about other asura, but is disappointed by how many have different priorities on these topics, and she hates that some asura and the Arcane Council don't do more against the Inquest. While she does get along very well with asura that share her views, she would otherwise best get along with sylvari overall.

4. How is their social life? Are they generally well liked or despised? Are they involved in any drama? Do they make more enemies or friends? Do they have any meaningful friendship or bond?

Her social life is pretty great! She has some very close friends who she loves and trusts, and despite her personality being very bold and not for everyone, she definitely makes a lot more friends than enemies. She's overall fairly well liked, but some find her frustrating or annoying due to her impulsiveness and stubbornness; these things cause drama sometimes but generally nothing too big or long-lasting.

9. What are their hobbies and pastimes? Do they have any natural talent or particularly strong interest that's not tied to their job? If nothing in particular, what do they do with their free time?

Akko, given her title, has a very strong interest in alchemy, which she is luckily quite talented with! She absolutely loves making potions and experimenting to see what new effects she can create; she will make anything from things that bolster her and her allies defenses or offensive capabilities, to just silly things like temporary transformations. She also loves astronomy, though she doesn't do a lot more with that interest than star gazing, learning about the universe, and talking with Tavii about it all. It's definitely her and Tavii's greatest mutual interest (for obvious reasons). Otherwise, she also enjoys reading sci-fi and fantasy books and collecting polymock figures!

24. Do they have any particular opinion on the Peacemakers and the Arcane Council (and Eye)? Do they have any direct experience with them?

She would be a bit anti-establishment but at the same time has wide-eyed idealism and tries to improve the Arcane Council. She has direct experience with them because of the messes she makes sometimes and the occasions when her experiments get her in trouble (not for ethical reasons but because of disruption or accidental destruction). She wants to move asuran society away from clamouring for credit and more towards the joy of discovery, magic, and invention. She also tries to put pressure where she can on the Arcane Council to do more against the Inquest.

[coquelicoq]

First I'd like to say, it's a pretty impressive list of french books to have read in only 12 months! (even for a french speaker ngl).

I'm not super well versed in classic literature, novel wise (tho I liked "le dernier jour d'un condamné" by Hugo, "la promesse de l'aube" by Romain Gary, and as cliché as it may be I adore "le petit prince") but if you like theater ! In classics I’d recommend "Phèdre" and "Iphigénie" by Racine, Molière ("le malade imaginaire" and "les fourberies de scapin" are personal favorites),"Hernani" by Hugo again (♡♡), and for more modern stuff "Rhinocéros" and "la cantatrice chauve" by Ionesco. Oh, and "Huis Clos" by Sartre!

In poetry, first of all I think Villon is a great, and brave choice especially if you have it in old french (one of my all time favorite poem is his, "la ballade des pendus"). Otherwise, Baudelaire, Rimbaud, Verlaine and Apollinaire !

In a bit more modern things, if you liked Queneau I’d say give "Zazie dans le métro" a try – tho the way he plays with vocabulary and spelling in this one can be challenging (but it is very fun). Then "Au bonheur des ogres" and "La fée carabine" by Daniel Pennac (I assume the rest of "La saga malaussène" is good too but I have only read those two so far), "escalier C" by Elvire Murail (this one is a big big big fave of mine ♡♡♡), "mercure"by Amélie Nothomb (she’s super prolific but this is the one I remember really enjoying).

For sci-fi, I realize I am not very up to date with what french literature proposes. It’s been quite some time but I remember enjoying “le cycle des fourmis” and “les thanatonautes” + “l’empire des anges” by Bernard Werber. Also “les lutteurs immobiles” by Serge Brussolo. My mother is a harcore fan of Pierre Bordage, so I will slip his name here too. Then I don’t know if you enjoy reading short stories, but in between some scifi/fantasy/fantastique I can rec “la vieille anglaise et le continent – et autres récits” by Jeanne-A Débats, “notre dame aux écailles” and “le jardin des silences” by Mélanie Fazi, Oh and in … I guess technically fantasy? But bordering historical fiction bc of the realism, “chien du heaume” and the next one “mordre le bouclier” by Justine Niogret are two very good short novels.

I am probably missing a ton of great titles, but my brain is failing me and I have very few books in french here (*꒦ິ꒳꒦ີ) (most of them stayed, well. In France). But this makes me think I really need to get back into actually reading in french – so I am adding Valérie Perrin to my lists for sure!

omg thank you for these recs!! this is so detailed and specific, i love it. you're reminding me i've read several of these before, like i had forgotten about rhinocéros but we read it in high school and i really loved it! i should reread that and/or read some other ionesco for sure. speaking of absurdist plays, have you read en attendant godot? i've read it in english but i know it was in french originally so i've been thinking about trying that. big fan of french absurdism.

i also read a lot of molière in high school french classes (i remember giving an extremely boring and long-winded presentation (for everyone else; i was super into it) on his plays to my english class for some reason??), which is how i first learned what a cuckold is lol. and of course we read some baudelaire but i really want to revisit him! also omg apollinaire is the calligramme guy, right? those rewired my brain. i will check out more of his stuff for sure. and it's good to have the names of some other heavy hitters so i can expand out to cover more than was included in my formal education obvi. (like i have read zero racine? which seems like an oversight in curriculum, but what do i know.)

i do have villon in old french 😩 or i guess technically middle french is what he was writing in. the reason i've been putting it off is that right after the preface there's a four-page section on "graphie et prononciation" and i was just like hmmmm is this really something i need to be introducing into my life at this formative time. like i'm still sort of coming to terms with modern french spelling and pronunciation and this seems like it might just confuse me. so i might not be quite ready, but it's here for me when i've leveled up lol.

i loved the one book by queneau i've read so far, so i super appreciate getting recs for other works by him. and i read one amélie nothomb a few years ago, but when i went to look at what else i could read by her i got so overwhelmed by the sheer number that i couldn't pick! so it's good to have your suggestion for a particular title 😊 i've not heard of the other people you mentioned but will look into them!

thank you so much for pointing me in some scifi/fantasy directions 👀📝 i will take a look at these authors and titles...

yeah i super recommend changer l'eau des fleurs, and i know valérie perrin has written at least two other novels, so i'm gonna try to get my hands on those! the challenge now is that whenever i try to buy books from overseas my credit card company marks it as fraud and cancels the transaction lol. my grandmother found this us-based company that imports books from france and really wants to get me some more french-language books for christmas, but their selection isn't huge. this gives me lots of ideas though and i'm sure they will have at least some of the books you mentioned! thank you again, you really came through 🥰🥰

[alexzalben]

Loki Season 2 (based on the first 4 episodes) is a return to form for one of, if not the best Marvel series.

Here's the bad stuff first:

The direction is not quite as strong as Season 1 w/o Kate Herron at the helm, though there are occasional flashes of fun staging.

The first episode back is too focused on the plot and loses sight of the characters in a bunch of Star Trek-style sci-fi gobbledygook.

Sylvie doesn't get nearly enough to do, to the point that in the first four, she feels wasted.

I also hate that they set things in an actual McDonald's, instead of a McRoxxon's or something. It's really distracting and weird!

There's not nearly enough focus on Loki. The first season did such a great job focusing every episode on the title character; here, this is TVA: The Series, Featuring Loki.

Given all the real-world stuff going on, Jonathan Majors is hard to watch.

Here's the good:

Despite all that, this is still eons beyond pretty much every other Marvel show on Disney+. After the fun but not up-to-standards first episode, Episode 2 is back in business, a blast that focuses on Loki and Mobius, has time travel wonkiness, and feels like an episode right out of Season 1.

Tom Hiddleston, as always, is great. Owen Wilson, as always, is great. But the best part of the season is Ke Huy Quan, who steals every scene and is a fabulous addition to the ensemble.

I will also say, without getting into spoilers, that the okay-but-not-greatness of the first episode starts to make a little more sense if they go where I think they're going to go after Episode 4. Again, no spoilers, but this season is less episodic and more serialized, and it seems like they might draw everything together nicely at the end.

Overall, this show is great. I don't know how it will end, but so far despite the loss of focus on Loki, it makes a compelling argument for this to be an ongoing series with multiple seasons. And it also makes an argument for allowing these shows to act like TV shows: there's a comfort in returning to these characters, and settings again.

Anyway! Great show. Excited to see how it ends. Happy to chat more specifics once the episode(s) air, but no spoilers until then.

[is-jan-jan-is]

Best comics by publisher:

I am bored and autistic and gay and so I've compiled an objectively subjective list of the 'best' books from each publisher. You're welcome, America.

IDW-honestly the current Star Trek run is phenomenal and we all love TMNT but I gotta give it to Atomic Robo.

Scout-Metal Shark Bro is so good that it honestly skewed my expectations for the entire publisher. They truthfully have two solid lines and the rest is an odd marketing campaign. The Black Caravan stuff was fun, though.

Boom!-SIKTC is undeniably amazing and 'We Only Find Them When They're Dead' is objectively top tier but for me, it's all about Coda. The art, the writing, the straight dude getting dunked on by his orc paladin wife-perfection. The first issue of the continuation just dropped and reading it was like returning home.

Ahoy!-Penultiman is pretty good but I think 'The Wrong Earth' is clearly their best title.

Valiant-hear me out, hear me out. I've collected ALL of Valiant's reboot, 2012-present. Unfortunately I must report that peak Valiant is X-O Manowar: Retribution. 1993 was a good year for whacky sci-fi comics. There is a scene wherein Aric of Darcia proclaims:"he must be like those men who prefer other men. I do not understand these men; but damn, do they make the best wizards!" That's peak fiction.

Dark Horse-look Hellboy is great. It's so good that I almost gave it to Mike Mignolia just on merit and industry influence alone. Unfortunately, Jeff Lemire exists. Black Hammer is perfect in every way. MIND MGMT was a strong second.

Image-Astro City. The characters are deep, emotional beings. Their stories breathe in the most human way. Most other titles conflate grit with maturity while AC makes you feel without several arcs of trauma porn. Also, im happy to see creators who remember that comic books are the home of wackiness. Its a slice of life hero series-10/10. Also Alex Ross. This (image) was annoying to choose because-despite suffering the unforgivable scourge of Robert Kirkman- Image has so many other good titles. Bitch Planet, Savage Dragon and Spawn (obligatory, obvi), Rumble, Chew, Outer Darkness, Descender/Ascender, etc .. not to mention Radiant Black. I still want to give it to Saga. Due to all the confusion with inage/wildstorm/dc having some claim to Astro City I almost skipped it entirely which is a shame but, yeah-Astro City.

TKO Studios-honestly, I'm not sure that this company is still kickin'. They were a fun little experiment though, with several enjoyable titles. I can't say any of them really blew me away. But, if I had to pick a 'best' I'd give it to 'Sentient'. Jeff Lemire can do no wrong.

AWA-they're too new for a selection to have any real meaning but 'The Resistance' is pretty good. It's been a couple years and I hope they produce something else that's quality because E-Ratic was a pretty big let down.

D.C.-Crisis on Infinite Earths. It's a given. There is something to be said about the cultural impact of Crisis. Originally, 'crisis' stories were crossovers of varying stakes. The comic gods(Perez and Wolfman) changed the game with this one. Also,every Crisis story which follows was similarly silly and serious. The pseudo science wackiness and over the top theatrics gets me every time. No other comic company gets it right. D.C. has been getting progressively better and better these last couple years, especially now with the phenomenal 'Dawn of D.C.' stuff. But if I was stranded on an island and could only bring one D.C. title it would be Crisis. ('83 New Teen Titans is of course a strong second)

Oni Press- their Rick and Morty stuff was a guilty pleasure (because it's really quite good but that means I have to spend money on Rick and Morty) and 'The Sixth Gun' was well made. Regardless, their best title was clearly 'Pink Lemonade'. Its chaotic indie fun that doesn't make sense and doesn't have too.

Massive/Whatnot Inc: these guys are really new, started 2022 I think. Not really sold on them yet but one of their first titles, quested, was lots of fun. Pretty small selection so far but what they do have is quality. 'Best book' goes to Plot Holes. Not only did Sean Murphy give us the most tolerable Bruce Wayne, he also gave us this creative joyride. It's equal parts wacky and sincere and best of all, it's in the Murphy style. Even though its early on in the run it's one of those titles you look forward to. throughout the month.

Marvel-Marvel peaked in 1999 with Earth X. Don't get me wrong, I love a great deal of Marvel books. Al Ewing's Ultimates (NOT Bendis) was great. Personally, my favorite Avengers story was the Celestial Madonna saga of the sixties, but Waid's run was great(obvi) and Hickman's was too. Hickman's Xmen stuff...also happened. Cates and Jason aaron had good Thor runs. The first and last of Aaron's avenger arcs were great. Peter David's many 'Spider' runs were fun and Dan Slott sure does exist. The Sam Wilson cap runs were all phenomenal, especially the Symbol of Truth run-and Kelly Thompson's run on Carol was one of the best ever. Good Marvel books have been dwindling lately but Jed McKay's 'Avengers' is honestly one of the best books out there. Unfortunately, none of that good stuff comes close to Earth X. The prose, the thorough examination of human nature, the Alex Ross of it all. Earth X was an ode to Marvel lore which read better than most of Marvel history. 'Nuff said.

[thechaoscryptid]

🌿 ⇢ give some advice on writer's block and low creativity

(ask me writer questions!)

I love this question! I have many thoughts on this and I'll try to make them coherent lmao. I'm pulling out my writing books for this too because in Gentle Writing Advice (pg. 199), Chuck Wendig pretty well summarizes my thoughts:

And therein lies the secret: Writer's block isn't all that bad. Because, if you really think about it, writer's block is sometimes like a warning light letting you know something is off. It is a tremor in the spider's web, or an ill wind blowing. It's doing us a service, as bad as it might feel. Think of writer's block as the voice of your intestinal flora, the choir of hypersentient bacteria in your gut that provides the insight of instinct. You can ignore them and push on - that's okay, too, as long as you fix in edit - and there's also nothing to say our instincts are uinversally correct. [...] My process in this regard needn't be your process: certainly there's value to mashing the accelerator and driving that machine as fast as you can till the thing either gets you over the finish line or explodes in a fiery ball before tumbling down a plot hole big enough to swallow Central Park. You can always fix it in subsequent drafts. The point stands, though, that writer's block isn't necessarily all bad. There's gold in them thar hills. The question is whether or not you can dig for it.

I think writer's block is unfairly maligned. That's my hot take on it. We should spend less time boohooing the fact we're blocked and more time figuring out why it's happening.

Throughout the above book, Wendig talks a lot about the writing process and how your life outside of writing relates to it, and there's also a great section that basically boils down to "block or breakdown," in which he posits that some of what writers consider "creative block" is actually something more serious (mental or physical illness, weird/wrong environment, etc).

Writer's block is my sign to check in with myself on both a writing and personal level to ask what's gone sideways. Sometimes I can push through it with an extra coffee and a little effort. More often, it's my sign to rest, chill out, cool my jets. Take a break for once.

In the same vein, low creativity!

AWFUL thing to experience. Terrible! The worst! There are fewer things I hate more than the times my creative well has turned to sludge and writing is a fucking slog.

And, like writer's block, realizing my well is running dry is a signal for me to stop, step back, and reassess.

I've actually been struggling really hard with both block and being creatively dry for like, four months now. I've been writing fuck all except 100 words of BG3 fic at a time on work breaks, and it's been rough.

What I have been doing?

Reading. A lot of reading, and analyzing style/structure/characterization to figure out what new elements I might be able to incorporate to a new creative project. I've been reading fantasy, sci-fi, classics, writing books, other nonfiction, books on myths - I'm really chewing through titles 😅

Resting. Not forcing myself to sit down and work on projects. I've actually avoided working on writing projects even on days I feel like I can or want to write.

Other creatively involved work. I've been cooking and baking more, as well as doing a lot of zine admin work. Shit that involves creative projects but doesn't necessarily involve creativity. I looooove creative-adjacent work for low creativity times!

Redoing old work. I'm talking like, rewriting and editing 5+ year old work from the ground up. You already have the raw material, and this is an easy, low-pressure way to get back in the saddle OR just keep those writing muscles limber (but also, you canNOT beat yourself up about "oh I was so bad how did anyone ever like this" that's not allowed).

Not putting pressure on myself to perform. This is a huge cause of creativity issues for me, ngl. But over the past two years or so, I've really been working hard at just allowing myself to create at my own pace. I feel, especially in fandom, people feel obligated to churn out content as quick as they can lest they get ignored and forgotten; learning to break out of that "gotta go fast" mentality has done WONDERS for not draining me as quickly, even if it still feels shitty to see more popular writers dropping a new 15k fic every week.

Slowly but surely, my creative well is refilling. My blocks are becoming fewer and farther between and when they do hit, I'm better prepared to know if it's something I can push through and fix later OR if it's something I really do need to sit back and consider.

So yeah!

I guess TL;DR my advice is basically (though easier said than done, I will admit):

Know thyself and thy limits

Step back, get your head clear, and assess

Do non-writing creative work that sparks joy

Remove yourself from the comparison game

[theredpharaoah]

Season 2 was both the best and worst season. It’s the season where we see all the characters come into their own, but it’s also the season that sets up the downfall of the show. It’s the Jahaerys Targaryen of The 100 seasons - Good on its own, but bad for the rest. As with the first season: there’s a very obvious graveyard of plot lines(Clarke being groomed as Lexa’s heir one of the most obvious). But Jason’s biggest mistake was what he did at the end. Lexa’s betrayal makes no sense politically or culturally. Grounder culture would’ve seen it as honorable for their ppl to die fighting an enemy that had terrorized them for so long. They also would’ve considered Lexa’s betrayal of Skaikru to be dishonorable. Especially after Ton DC, where members of Skaikru had fought and died beside the Grounders. When people like Octavia, Clarke, and Abby(as a healer) had earned the Grounder’s respect. The whole first half of the season was establishing how Skaikru and The Grounders had more in common than they realized. That while Skaikru might idolize past human life - which the mountain men imitated - they were in reality more like The Grounders. Skaikru may not have been raised as “warriors” from birth, but they were raised as survivors. They were used to going days without food and water, rationing, clothing that had been mended over a hundred times, people being killed for stealing food or the “crime” of having a second child.

The first half of season 2 showed Skaikru what they thought they wanted vs. who they really were. And after they thought about it, they found themselves identifying more with the Grounders than with the Mountain Men. Lexa committed political and social suicide at the mountain. And considering how politically savvy she was shown to be in the first half of the season, that switch made no sense. One might argue she did it to try and let go of her love for Clarke which she considered “weak”….but the previous 2 episodes were literally meant to show Lexa that love wasn’t weakness. Then they Mary Sue’d Clarke. Clarke could’ve already had the Wanheda title from what she did at the Drop ship, she didn’t need to be the one to do that at Mt. Weather. The logistics of the entirety of the Mt. Weather plot we will not be discussing. I’ve already talked about how the whole thing doesn’t make sense many times. Anyways, they should’ve let Jasper kill Cage. That would’ve been great growth for his character. Or even having Bellamy irradiate Mt. Weather to put him at an equal level to Clarke could’ve been good. Clarke and Octavia are my faves but they put so much into them that they robbed nearly every other character of growth. Raven and Sinclair’s father-daughter relationship should’ve been explored way more. As soon as they got close they killed him off. Jason kept on doing that. Killing off too many characters is as bad as killing off too little. The issue is that the odds were always in the realm of sci-fi realistic UNTIL it came to The 100. Any time they would’ve benefited, some unrealistic obstacle shows up and it’s just ridiculous.

The other issue with Season 2 is that Jason seemed to have written himself into a corner. This is why they had to go the Allie route and eventually Praimfaya and all that other stuff. Now I liked Allie and The Primes, but I really don’t think leaving the Earth was a good idea. Something vital to the spirit of the show was lost when they did that. Transcendence was horrible too. It wasn’t really any different than the City of Light, and I feel like it undermined the whole point of the show - there are no Good or Bad guys, just survival. Praimfaya really didn’t make any sense. I’m not extremely well read on the physics of nuclear reactors breaking down, but I’m pretty sure those would’ve exploded when the bombs went off too. Jason didn’t have a real villain after the Mountain Men were killed. He could’ve did something more with the 12 clans, but he killed Lexa off and he didn’t let Luna or Clarke become commander. That would’ve been interesting - maybe the lack of Nightbloods, Clarke’s closeness to Lexa, and her being Wanheda, would’ve allowed them to accept Clarke being an artificial nightblood. Her and Luna competing for the Throne of The Commanders could’ve been really fun and interesting. The Coalition breaking, and Skaikru having to carve a real name and identity out for themselves could’ve been cool too. Unknown Clans from the West or Overseas, Flamekeepers attempting to take over, a conglomerate of Mountain Men, the Primes being a mistake Becca made and trapped in Bunkers on the Earth, idk - there were so many different ways he could’ve taken it. And the biggest crime of the show was the lack of payoff: No Bellarke, no meeting loved ones again, no real closure.

[prancingnougat]

(Cheery) Games for Combating the Post Final Fantasy XVI Blues

After beating FFXVI, I got super down - not because I disliked the game, quite the opposite. I loved it so much that now the experience was over, I felt that all-too-familiar void, and I suspect that I'm not alone in that.

So I went back to play some of the more recently released games that I bought (from the past 5 years or so), a few of which I never beat. As much as I loved and appreciate 16 for everything it is, I really wanted something lighter in terms of themes. I figure this could be a decent list for people who might want another RPG-like experience. These are very different, however - I'm focusing on games that are available for purchase right now, and games that are a little on the brighter side, thematically. Your mileage will totally vary, but some of these are fun games that appealed to me and they might appeal to you too!

Bravely Default 2

Play me if you like: job systems, rewarding level grinding, sidequests galore

The original Bravely Default 1+2 are Nintendo 3DS classics that absolutely stand the test of time, but can be a little expensive/hard to find. BD2, on the other hand, is available on the Nintendo eShop and for PC. It is great if you're looking to get back to basics in regard to story and RPG mechanics - but that's not to say the gameplay is lacking. Far from it, BD2 has one of the most fun job systems I've ever encountered. The cast of characters is charming, the graphics are lovely, and I've found it relaxing after the intensity of FFXVI. Plus, all the job outfits are outright adorable (especially Beastmaster, my beloved)

Harvestella

Play me if you like: unexpectedly good stories, loads of character depth, farming simulation, light-but-fun action RPGs

If you liked FFXVI for its story, I think you might appreciate Harvestella's strange but wonderful sci-fi fantasy narrative/world. While it's much lighter on the action, and its job system isn't quite as involved as the Bravely Default series, it's still a completely unique experience that blends light farming sim elements with classic RPG fun. It's similarly relaxing as BD2 in the sense that you're encouraged to take it at your own pace and focus on your own favored play style. It completely took me by surprise with it's story, and I tend to be pretty picky about that sort of thing. It's also available on Switch and PC!

Sakuna: Of Rice and Ruin

Play me if you like: action sidescrollers, more in-depth farming elements, mythological settings

This is definitely one of the most unique games I've ever played, and while it's completely different from FFXVI, it can potentially serve as something of a palate cleanser after going through such a dark story. Sakuna has one of the most complex farming systems, one that is impacted by your exploration. It also helps determine your character's stats. You explore the wilderness as a little goddess who lives away from her celestial home, opting for the life of a common rice farmer. While the focus is on rice farming as opposed to many crops like other farming sims, it's a fun way of centering yourself in between your more wilder adventures. It's on Switch, PS4, and PC!

Rune Factory 4 Special

Play me if you like: much lighter humor, light crafting systems, loooong stories, farming and marriage mechanics

You can probably tell that I have a thing for action games with farming elements. RF4 is my favorite in the Rune Factory series, and though there's a newer title with RF5, I found myself consistently enjoying this one a lot more. It's a humorous story that knows when it hit the right beats with it's sincerity, all while being just the right amount of challenging in regards to the action, with its pacing also controlled by your own gameplay style. It's wildly different from FFXVI, but it's one of my go-to games for cheering myself up after something heavy. And now that it's available on multiple platforms, more people can enjoy it too!

Final Fantasy XII: The Zodiac Age

Play me if you like: strong ensemble casts, FFXVI's hunts, flexible job systems, MMO-style combat, challenging sidequests and superbosses

While this is easily the "darkest" game on this list, I still find its story very hopeful while balancing more serious themes. It is the culmination of everything good about Final Fantasy from the PS2 era; a long and interesting story that remains engaging throughout, phenomenal monster hunts that will push you to really engage with the job system, and satisfying sidequests with lots of loot. Plus, it's another Final Fantasy! I could suggest just about any game in the series, but since this one is a redone version that is now available on a ton of platforms, it's easily my biggest recommendation for anyone who wants a longer game in a similar vein as FFXVI.

Those are just a few games out there that might help itch some very specific scratches you've still got after playing 16. While I absolutely LOVE FFXVI's story - heaviness and all - I know I needed a big break before going and replaying it. Hopefully they bring someone as much cheer as they've brought me!

[maaruin]

There is a story idea I have been thinking about for some time and unlike many others of my story ideas it is one I would feel capable of writing with my current skill level.

But I am afraid that this story will be too weird to be accepted and will brand me as weird. Because the story would handle a pretty thorny theme without treating it in the way that is socially accepted. More about that under the cut.

The story would be loosely inspired by the myth of Hades and Perspehone - but I'm not sure if it has more similarities to that myth than to other bride kidnapping stories; CN for forced marriage/bride kidnapping and threat of rape.

Summary

Soft Sci-Fi setting. A Skilled Warrior wins a great victory for his empire. Is rewarded by the emperor with gifts, but he would prefer to be given the Emperor's Daughter in marriage. Emperor rejects this because social norms have changed in favor of free marriage choice, Emperor's Daughter rejects this because she isn't interested. Skilled Warrior kidnaps her with the intention of forcing her into marriage and brings her to a location beyond the reach of the emperor. The Emperor's Daughter has a limited time window to convince the Skilled Warrior to change his mind.

Much of the first half of the book would be taken up by the debate between the two. And here is the problem: To have this be a debate, rape cannot be treated as axiomatically wrong. Instead, a potential rape victim would need to convince a potential rapists that it isn't in his best interest to rape her. This is far from how the issue is normally discussed in the present, where some crimes (rape among them) are treated as so evil as to be beyond discussion.

She then succeeds in convincing him to release her, by arguing convincingly that the joys of a consensual marriage are greater than the joys of a forced marriage and that a consensual marriage is more conductive to achieving his religious and societal goals. Which is different to how "redemption" is normally handled in media - there is no emotional "oh no, what have I done!"-moment, instead the "redemption" goes like "I see now that my actions were based on faulty reasoning, so now that I know this I will change my actions".

And then, some time after the Emperor's Daughter is released, she would contact the Skilled Warrior with the offer: "Visit me and present your argument why I should marry you." The second half of the book would largely be that debate, in which he ultimately convinces her of marrying him. There are two aspects of this that people might consider problematic: that she ends up marrying her attempted rapist, and that this is explicitly framed as a rational argument instead of, for lack of a better word, vibes-based (as love generally is in modern stories).

The point (or at least a point) of the story would be to analyze how the selfish aspects and the selfless aspects of love relate to each other. A possible title I came up with would be "A Dispute of Desire and Affection".

My worries about the story

I get the feeling that the story would feel pretty weird to many people and if it ever gets some amount of prominance would get much criticism. Presenting immorality as understandable, only misguided and open to logical argument is quite different from the more vibes based morality that I get the impression is common; but that is something I think public discourse is on the wrong path. I think loosing the ability to rationally argue against evils like rape, slavery, and genocide is actually quite dangerous. So writing a story like that should be good, shouldn't it?

But what I fear most is people using the story to psychoanalyze me...

(I have wondered if I could tell the story more explicitly as a retelling of the myth of Hades and Persphone, that way I could just say "all the problematic elements are from the original text, I am just engaging with them". However, I don't think it would work because a) there is not really place for Demeter in this story idea while in the original it is her action that gets Persephone back, and b) rape is probably too normalized in Greek mythology for the way it is treated in this story. So I am doubtful this could work. - But maybe I should take a closer look on what changes would be required and what advantages and disadvantages would come with that.)

I wonder if my worries on this are rational, or if the perspective of public rejection just scares me on an emotional level.

[queer-and-dear-books]

Title: Into The Light

Author: Mark Oshiro

Genre: Sci-fi? | Friendship | Romance | LGBTQ+

Content Warnings: Homophobia | Conversion Therapy | Abuse | Sexual Assault | Grooming

Overall Rating: 8.6/10

Personal Opinion: As always with Mark Oshiro, you can expect grim reality mixing with the most powerful kindness you’ve ever read about. This time, we venture into the world of a corrupt foster care system and grooming by religious zealots. It’s scary but absolutely worth reading about. Manny has been through hell. He lost his sister, he was abandoned, he’s been preyed on, but still he found some light in the form of a kind family, the Varelas. This journey that he takes us on is emotional and raw and it deserves to be brought into the light.

Do I Own This Book? Nope.

Spoilers Below For My Likes & Dislikes:

Likes:

- If nothing else, I found this very entertaining. The twist that Manny and Eli were once one and the same was pretty obvious but it was set up so well. Eli’s chapters were few and far in between at the start. He said he resembles Elena in his first chapter. And the big clue was when Carlos saw Eli in one of Deacon’s videos and thought it was Manny and yet Manny could not remember being in it. It’s wild. It’s crazy. Am I not entertained? I am. I thought it was some sort of repression or amnesia though, I was not anticipating Manny to have somehow split into two. That is so disturbing. I am so perturbed. It’s great.

- The kindness of the Varelas made me emotional at times. I mean, they were already living out of a van, driving around to find kids that were ejected from their church and providing all of them with means of living and I love that. But then they went out of their way to protect Manny, a stranger, from Stan, an old pervert. And then they proceeded to continue helping him for a whole month. I just love Monica and Ricardo so damn much. They protected Carlos too and I have so much respect for them. Even if they made their mistakes, they’re out here atoning in the best way possible.

- Manny’s reluctance to trust even the Varelas was totally reasonable. After everything he went through and after what he did to them (stealing their money and their son’s iPad), I get why he felt like he couldn’t stay with them. I’m glad that he changed and realized his sister was right about one thing. He does choose to be miserable. Not anymore. The ending, where he chose to be happy and chose Carlos’s family was just so sweet.

- Oh also, the other twist with Rakeem showing up in the end. Oh my god, for a second, I thought Rakeem was the dead body. I truly thought Eli was alive. It was written so well to make you think it was Rakeem because at this point, we had no idea Eli “came out” of Manny. We didn't know that supernatural shit was going on! So that twist was a gut punch and a great one.

- Manny having a crush on both Carlos and Ricardo is so hilarious and also so me-coded. I too would have a crush on my love interest and his dad. But the budding romance between Manny and Carlos was so sweet. I could feel the way they cared about each other in those little touches and night time conversations. And the way they could both relate to that feeling of abandonment but wanting to be close to each other anyway is so good. I love when touch-starved individuals find each other.

- It’s implied that Elena burns Reconciliation down to the ground and honestly? Good. I hope it never rises from the ashes again. I also hope that Deacon and the Sullivans had burned with it. God, they were so fucking creepy.

Dislikes:

- I’m going to be honest, I’m not sure how I feel about the supernatural aspect of this story. I mean, it’s cool and unexpected, don’t get me wrong, but it also felt wildly out of place. It reads like a CreepyPasta. And it’s also sort of glossed over? No one really questions it. I mean, the proof is right there I guess but like still, it’s a wild supernatural occurrence in a non-supernatural setting.

- Fuck Deacon and Lester and Stan and anyone else who preys on the most vulnerable. Children. It was disgusting to read about but unfortunately very real. 

- I’m also so disturbed by Diana and Elena. Diana for basically being a bystander and giving kids away to Deacon’s families with no proper background checks. And Elena for falling for all of Deacon’s bullshit so easily. Yes, she is a victim in this too, but my god, the way she did everything the Thompsons asked of her without question was just bad.

- These are all necessary evils for the story to take place so I can give them all a pass. 

- I’m going to be honest (again), I expected so much worse from the conversion camp. Not that it wasn’t awful. Mrs. Thompson backhanding Rakeem in the face and Deacon reading their darkest secrets out loud was fucked up. But I think I was expecting things closer to torture because of the way Manny dodged so many of the Varelas’ questions and the way Carlos said, “They never should’ve done that to you. They never should’ve done that to me either.” I don’t know, I was just holding my breath for something horrendous and then when we saw what happened, it just… wasn’t so bad to me? Or wasn’t as bad as it could’ve been. Again, it is very bad. I was just bracing myself for the worst.

- Oh god, is Simone okay? I just realized she’s still with the man that raped her and forced her to get an abortion. Somebody save her because oh my god, I legit gagged at that. Well… at least Maddie and a few others are okay.

[translightyagami]

is it too late for writer asks? if not, 98, 70, 65, 44, 41, 13 :d if yar feelin it ..

Not me answering all these shit at like 11:45 at night lol

what don’t you like about your writing style?

i think it's pretty pedestrian. at worst, i'd call my style "lazy" because in lieu of doing research, or laboring to create an actual narrative, i often rely solely on my inherent talent with words and so i don't know. my writing always reads a little bit hollow to me.

are you very critical of your own writing? how much do you find yourself editing (either during the writing or after the fact)?

ha. i mean, look at the answer above. i don't dislike my writing, and i don't think i'm the WORST or anything. i just think there's many places for improvement. i also think that other people do what my writing does, only much better and with much more humility, so why on Earth would anyone read my work?

I always edit at least once before posting. My first drafts are usually passion dumps that need refinement. after i post tho, i never make big changes.

what is your favourite title for a fic you’ve written?

I really like the title of an old Quantum Leap fic I wrote where Al is a ghost who lives in the boiler room and Sam has to get him out of the building before its demolished. thought it's a riff on a Flannery O'Conner title, so credit really should go to her: "the afterlife you save may be your own"

any writing advice you want to share?

just do it. its crazy easy to write. just sit down and like throw out a sentence. whatever sentence. maybe you're scared it'll be a bad one, but great news! you can just delete it. one less bad sentence in your head, which means the good sentences can move forward in line.

what is the weirdest story idea you’ve ever had.

really, really, really am haunted by this sci-fi fic idea where L is an engineer who used to work for Light's dad's robot company where Soichiro had him build an android that looks just like Light to serve as their debut model meanwhile L and Light are secretly fucking but then Light dumps L because he can't be seen as gay when he's about to take over the robot company. to escape his broken heart, L accepts a job on a fact-finding mission Watari is running on a ship that's so advanced it comes with the highest tech android on the market. OF COURSE L is now stuck in space with a highly intelligent bot who looks exactly and talks exactly like his ex-boyfriend and who is maybe developing an unhealthy obsession with the sad man who repairs his parts when he breaks.

talk about a writing experience that has pleasantly surprised you.

i've been pleasantly surprised that writing kinktober fics this year has gone okay. its just fun.

[lucky-clover-gazette]

Top 5 novels(or series)? 👀

i miss being a bookseller and talking about books irl so this ask makes me super happy! also this is going to be long and i apologize in advance

beauty queens by libba bray

my favorite book of all time. i read it WAY too young, like in 2011 at age 12, and it massively influenced my awareness of the world, personal philosophy, sense of humor, and creative identity. beauty queens is an ahead-of-its-time ya satire novel about teenage girls getting stuck on a deserted island and going feral (positive connotation).

it features a well-balanced main cast of about a dozen diverse young women, including the first trans character i ever encountered (because i read the book pretty young, it's actually how i found people can be trans at all). while this character's execution does include a few now-questionable tropes, she's written in incredibly good faith and i am so grateful for her being in this book. beauty queens also introduced me to perspectives from women of color, disabled women, and women from religious communities that i hadn't really gotten the chance to encounter in my bubble of a hometown. while the author is admittedly a cis white straight woman, she pours so much empathy and love and nuance into each individual beauty queen, and especially for 2011 i think she did a really good job.

in addition to All That Deep Meaningful Stuff, the book is like a james bond parody with a villain clearly meant to be sarah palin set in a hyper-capitalist satirization of america, characterized by super weird and out-of-the-box "commercial breaks." i describe it in my review as "weird, campy, tropey, and over-the-top," and warn that, "if you take everything very seriously, you will have trouble with this book."

my general creative philosophy is that art is at its best and most meaningful when you have no doubt anyone else could have made it. libba bray knows exactly what she wants to write, and she fucking does that, even if some people won't understand or enjoy it. the world is a better place because this book exists, which is true of everything on this list--but this deeply weird novel, seemingly lost to time, is my all-time favorite for a reason.

sharp objects by gillian flynn

gillian flynn is my favorite AUTHOR of all time. she wrote gone girl, sharp objects, and another lesser-known novel called dark places. sharp objects is a hard one to gush about without spoilers and/or triggers, but oh my god it is a masterpiece. its final line is my favorite final line in any media, ever. i am a huge lover of the domestic thriller genre, and while gone girl is more domestic thriller than sharp objects, i think this one is the better BOOK. huge trigger warning for self-harm if the title and cover aren't enough of a hint, but hoooo boy this book is the best kind of brutal

the illuminae files trilogy by jay kristoff & amie kaufman

these sci-fi ya thrillers are told entirely through transcripts, message logs, and other "found evidence" in a dossier meant to expose an evil corporation. the characters are clever and interesting, the conflict is layered, and there's some awesome space-horror a la alien movie. there's a love story and philosophical musings and wise-cracking idiot teenagers who i adore. there's a deranged ai and beautiful page layouts and the quote, "you have me. until the last star in the galaxy dies, you have me." these are great books for people who can't stand large chunks of prose, appreciators of comics and mixed-media storytelling, and the AUDIOBOOKS are like full-on radioplays with voice actors and sfx. all three novel hold their own while still feeling cohesive when read sequentially. so unique and so freaking cool

no exit by taylor adams

idiot college art student gets snowed in at a rest stop, realizes that someone is in the middle of trafficking a child and has to a) figure out who it is and b) stop them. this thriller is gory and fast-paced and darkly comedic and does the whole cat-and-mouse hero and villain thing that always lives in my head rent-free. it's gleefully violent and reminds me of films like kill bill and american psycho. i can't and won't spoil more but this book is so fun to read, especially if you enjoy media that doesn't take itself too seriously. the movie adaptation sucks and i'll be mad about it forever, especially because taylor adams comes from a screenwriting background and i doubt they let him touch the script. there's a thematically-relevant garfield clock and nail gun used several times as a murder weapon. in my storygraph review of this book, i summed up my love for it pretty well: "Sometimes a book just speaks to you. Probably not great that this one does it for me, but at least I had so much fun."

the stepford wives by ira levin

people discuss the stepford wives as a Cultural Concept, but i wish more people actually read the novella. it's really freaking good as a work of horror and satire. it's short, too. i've been dreaming up a stage adaptation for years.

other honorable mentions: the hunger games trilogy you know who wrote it, solutions and other problems by allie brosh, anya's ghost by vera brosgol, all of mary oliver's poetry, never saw me coming by vera kurian, in a dark dark wood by ruth ware, dead to her by sarah pinborough, annie on my mind by nancy garden