#black trans fairy tales series

[fairytale-poll]

ROUND 4B, MATCH 2 OUT OF 2!

Propaganda Under the Cut:

Ella:

Listen, is the book good? No. Does the idea of a trans Cinderella slap? Yes.

Danielle:

This is, imo, the single best retelling of Cinderella out there. She has a great character, her relationship with the prince grows organically rather than happening in a single night, and the scene with the bandits is top tier

The story is told as a historical romance instead of anything supernatural happening. Drew Barrymore is a cute Cinderella, Anjelica Houston is an incredible stepmother, and she's also really nasty to one of the stepsisters too, who ends up taking Danielle (Cinderella)'s side. Also Leonardo da Vinci is hanging around painting a portrait of Danielle at one point.

The Drew Barrymore Cinderella is fantastic. It’s got real history mixed with beautiful whimsy! I absolutely love the butterfly wings and how she spoke up for her step mother and sister at the end (and that they were still punished). I feel like I need to go watch it now.

she’s funny and smart and she’s resourceful (also her outfits are historically accurate!)

I was named after a character in Ever After (her). Vote for my mothers good taste!

[oldtvandcomics]

Listen, guys. I enjoy a good fairy tale retelling as much as the next nerd, but I REALLY would appreciate it if it wasn't always the same, like, five stories that are being retold.

[oldtvandcomics]

Reblogging mostly to have these recommendations somewhere I can find them, but if I'm already at it:

Mostly horror, but works just as well as alternate history: The two Dread Nation books by Justina Ireland. Civil War era zombies, but the real evil is racism. They were SO GOOD!! They did get some fame, too, as far as I know (I got there years late, as usual), but they could get even more popularity?

Also horror, Consecrated Ground by Virginia Black. Vampires are besieging a town, a witch needs to fight them before the protective magic runs out. It's the first in a series, but can be left as stand-alone, if you so desire. Not one of the best books that I have read, but it was a really solid read, especially since the author is self-published. (And OMG, I'm just seeing that she has a space opera book out?? I will need to get to that at some point!!) You absolutely could do worse than this book.

And look, I know that it is old enough to count as a classic by now, but OMG, people, read Imaro!!! The author is Charles R. Saunders and it was first published in 1981. It is sword and sorcery, the main character is wandering through a fantasy Africa being very cool and heroic. The worldbuilding is AMAZING, and it's honestly sad that nobody ever seems to remember that these books exist.

PLEASE for the love of the universe read anti-colonial science fiction and fantasy written from marginalized perspectives. Y’all (you know who you are) are killing me. To see people praise books about empire written exclusively by white women and then turn around and say you don’t know who Octavia Butler is or that you haven’t read any NK Jemisin or that Babel was too heavy-handed just kills me! I’m not saying you HAVE to enjoy specific books but there is such an obvious pattern here

Some of y’all love marginalized stories but you don’t give a fuck about marginalized creators and characters, and it shows. Like damn

[usertiff]

a list of FREE sapphic books on KINDLE — TONIGHT ONLY

keep in mind some of these books contain steamy romance. however, i personally went through and omitted books that were triggering or contained taboo topics. the books that aren't the first in the series CAN be read as stand-alone books, and the ones that cannot, i listed their other books as well.

some of these books contain plus size, disabled, poc, and trans representation as well as lesbian/sapphic! take a look!

Mer Made (A Black Trans Fairy Tale Book #2)

Sign of Seduction: Arrogant Intent

Waiting For Her

Infiltrated (Concealed in Shadows)

Target: A Snowverse Novel

Colour Her (Flowers and Keyboards): A Geeky Romance Novel

Royalty & Romance (book 2 is free)

Her Unforgotten Bear Mate: A Crescent Lake Bears Story (x)

Value in Visions: A Godstouched Sapphic Romance

Oh Mycelium (The Shifting Shapes Gathering)

Midsummer: A Kinky Lesbian Bear-Shifter Romance

Lesbian Lumberjack: A Forced Proximity Sapphic Romance

Betting on the House: Fixer Upper

The Geek Girl Squad: Mia

A Taste of Sin (How Sweet it Is)

Just Like Heaven (The Apartment Complex Book 1)

The Blackburn's-Zara: OTT Dark Mafia Lesbian Instalove Short Romance

Tentacles and Teeth: A Consorting with Monsters Novella

The Witch and the Werewolf (Betwixt Realms book 1)

Eternally Bound (A Paranormal Vampire Romance)

On Stolen Tides

Where Shadows Lie

Kissed by Her

[girlfriendsofthegalaxy]

tuesday again 10/24/2023

this post and this series not sponsored by hellofresh

listening

caravan palace's new single MAD. genuinely the song i've had on loop while working but i had a very strong "ugh can't use that one it's cringe" reaction while drafting this entry and am trying to sort of sit with myself for a bit and go okay WHY is it cringe? how can we talk about it being cringe other than the fact that steampunk and electroswing are no longer fashionable? some weeks the policy of No Such Thing As A Guilty Pleasure is easier than others

i would not classify this song as electro or swing, and it's considerably jazzier than their more recent dancey pop stuff. more of a languid stroll with enough brass to keep my brain interested while i peer at spreadsheets? spotify

-

reading

Alexis Hall's A Lady for a Duke. i liked this quite a bit but i have some longer form thoughts percolating that require a reread. it was a tense but fun read, i do not know that mr hall achieved the goal he set forth below. in a broad initial stroke, there is certainly a great deal of internal conflict not helped by our trans lead’s difficulty seeing her trans self in a loving relationship.

how this conflict resolves did genuinely keep me on the edge of my seat bc i could not fucking figure out how she was going to do it

-

watching

Pandora and the Flying Dutchman (1951, dir Lewin). this is a movie where (in the immortal words of the switchblade sisters podcast) it’s not what happens, but how it happens. the movie opens with fishermen dredging up two star-crossed lovers. i will not be particularly concerned with spoilers here or in my letterboxd review.

age and a deft scorsese-backed restoration have been very kind to this sea-mist movie. cinnamon fucking topography, technicolor at some of its prettiest and best used. jack cardiff (also did Black Narcissius, The Red Shoes, The African Queen) you've fucking done it again. the restored version is on american tubi and it's so so lush and dreamy. the very first handful of scenes contains a church bell ringing wildly, giving you glimpses of commotion on the beach, and it just keeps getting better from there. the beach party, full of dutch angles and toppled statuary and debauchery and no one dancing the same, is exactly the same as every beach party i have ever been to.

james mason is at his hottest, wettest, and most brooding. not all of our main characters are as openly debauched as pandora, but all of them are just as selfish. i have a lot of fucking beef with some of the letterboxd reviewers, who are simply wrong. pandora is not supposed to be a likeable or redeemable character. i think one of the questions for YOU to answer is whether or not a flighty, homewrecking, irresponsible woman like pandora is redeemed through her willingness to die for true love-- this is generally an admirable quality in myths and fairy tales, but is it cancelled out as just another flight of her fancies that ultimately kills her?

also the people who don't "get" what the film's about and complain it's too slow. it's about insanity and the sea what's not to get!!!

thank u @dying-suffering-french-stalkers

-

playing

so we are mostly through the genshin 4.1 part 2 events. i am so tired of the past few battle events cycling through the same arenas; however, this is the first event where i read the directions and was like "augh that's too complicated we'll do that later" and did all my weekly bounties instead. speaking of bounties, i finally did enough to unlock the treasure chest locator and confirmed my suspicions that i have in fact picked over the region pretty well in the last ~two months. the liffey and research institute were at 85% and 95% respectively before i unlocked this thing, but i did almost immediately find two remarkable chests in the far south by the port. augh. would have bit me if they had teeth etc. i would prefer if the regions showed 100% when i have actually 100%ed them instead of whatever margin they have going now, but i recognize that i have brain problems.

-

making

im MAD bc i was given a singular hellofresh dinner by a friend going on vacation and it was fairly easy to make and tasted good and everything WORKED. and it was like a fun little after work project!!! and the directions said “here’s what to do to the peppers if you don’t want it super spicy” and it most importantly it all WORKED. this is a very expensive thing to have a sudden interest in. i feel like i fuck up most of the food i make and i know that's part of the learning curve but it's SO fucking expensive to fuck up food and i have such a limited amount of energy :<

[wormwoodandhoney]

mid-year book freakout tag

I’ve read 81 books so far this year! I like to look back on my last half of the year and see what kind of books have stuck with me! I stole these questions from YouTube. Here are my answers from last year.

best book you’ve read so far in 2023? I'm going with the Goblin Emperor by Katherine Addison (graphic here!) & It's OK That You're Not OK by Megan Devine, Goblin Emperor is about a young goblin who unexpectedly becomes emperor after his estranged father dies. It's about fantasy politics and learning court intrigue, but it's also about kindness. It's OK is about grief and I felt very seen.

best sequel you’ve read so far in 2023? Don't Fear the Reaper by Stephen Graham Jones (graphic here). This series is about Jade Daniels, an outcast Indigenous teen who is obsessed with slasher movies. She begins to recognize the signs of an impending slasher coming to her town, and she attempts to stop it.

new release you haven’t read yet, but want to: Painted Devils by Margaret Owen is the sequel to one of my very favorite fairy tale retellings. To Shape a Dragon's Breath by Monquill Blackgoose is a about a young Indigenous woman who enters a dragon academy. I'm waiting for both of these to come into my library!

most anticipated release for the second half of the year: My two most anticipated books are Family Lore by Elizabeth Acevedo, the adult debut of one of my all time favorite YA authors; The Reformatory by Tananarive Due, an absolute staple author of horror. I read a nonfiction book based on a similar real-life event and I know Due is going to bring such depth to the idea.

biggest surprise: The Bandit Queens by Parini Shroff was a book I picked up on a whim and ended up being one of my favorites of the year!

favorite new author (debut or new to you): Either Tre'vell Anderson for their nonfiction book We See Each Other about trans representation in media, or Jumata Emill's the Black Queen.

newest favorite character: Oh definitely my sweet Maia from the Goblin Emperor.

book that made you cry: Hide and Seeker by Daka Harmon is a delightful middle grade horror, in which the main character is dealing with a monster as well as the death of his mother, and some of the grief stuff made me cry.

book that made you happy: The Witchlings series makes me so happy!

most beautiful book you’ve bought so far this year (or received): Probably a special edition of The Song of Achilles.

what books do you need to read by the end of the year? Waiting at the library for me right now are Hamra and the Jungle of Memories and Empire of Exiles!

[summeryewberry]

Queer Book List

I've just updated my complete list of LGBT+ novels ever read (as far as I can remember). Not including short story collections, comics, non-fiction, or things I've completely forgotten.

I'm not including books where a main character's sexuality was only implied (it's got to be clear on the page), and this list contains queer main and secondary characters only, not background characters that play little part in the story.

I don't read a lot of Young Adult, so assume these are all adult-oriented unless otherwise stated.

I'm not judging nor rating nor recommending any of these; it's purely a list of books I've finished.

True Colors #1: Conventionally Yours, by Annabeth Albert gay male main characters, romance, happy ending

The Geek Who Saved Christmas, by Annabeth Albert gay male main characters, romance, happy ending

Perfect Harmony #2: Love Me Tenor, by Annabeth Albert gay male main character, gay male side characters, romance, happy ending

Knit, Purl, a Baby and a Girl, by Hettie Bell bisexual female main character, lesbian main character, romance, happy ending

Master of One, by Dani Bennett and Jaida Jones gay male main characters, trans woman side character, high fantasy, unfinished series

Cesare Aldo #1: City of Vengeance, by D. V. Bishop Cesare Aldo #2: The Darkest Sin, by D. V. Bishop gay male main character, gay male side characters, mystery, historical, unfinished series

The Crow: The Lazarus Heart, by Poppy Z. Brite gay male main character, trans woman main character, horror, unhappy ending - it's The Crow

Exquisite Corpse, by Poppy Z. Brite gay male main characters, horror, unhappy ending

Lost Souls, by Poppy Z. Brite gay male main characters, horror, I don't remember the ending

The Black Magician #2: The Novice, by Trudi Canavan The Black Magician #3: The High Lord, by Trudi Canavan gay male side characters, high fantasy, happy ending for the gay characters

The Hours, by Michael Cunningham lesbian main characters, bisexual female main characters, general fiction, I don't remember the ending

Stars in My Pocket Like Grains of Sand, by Samuel R. Delany gay male main characters, science fiction, unfinished series

The High King's Golden Tongue, by Megan Derr gay male main characters, romance, high fantasy, happy ending

Nightrunner Books #1: Luck in the Shadows, by Lynn Flewelling Nightrunner Books #2: Stalking Darkness, by Lynn Flewelling Nightrunner Books #3: Traitor's Moon, by Lynn Flewelling gay male main characters, high fantasy, everyone is alive and well as of book 3, I haven't read the rest of the series

Reforged, by Seth Haddon gay male main characters, high fantasy, happy ending

The Well of Loneliness, by Radclyffe Hall lesbian main character, historical classic, unhappy ending

Princesses #1: The Stepsister Scheme, by Jim C. Hines Princesses #2: The Mermaid's Madness, by Jim C. Hines Princesses #3: Red Hood's Revenge, by Jim C. Hines lesbian main character, fantasy, fairy tale, everyone is alive and well as of book 3, I haven't read book 4 yet

Blood & Smoke #1 - Blood Books #1: Blood Price, by Tanya Huff Blood & Smoke #2 - Blood Books #2: Blood Trail, by Tanya Huff Blood & Smoke #3 - Blood Books #3: Blood Lines, by Tanya Huff Blood & Smoke #4 - Blood Books #4: Blood Pact, by Tanya Huff Blood & Smoke #5 - Blood Books #5: Blood Debt, by Tanya Huff Blood & Smoke #6 - Smoke Series #1: Smoke and Shadows, by Tanya Huff Blood & Smoke #7 - Smoke Series #2: Smoke and Mirrors, by Tanya Huff Blood & Smoke #8 - Smoke Series #3: Smoke and Ashes, by Tanya Huff bisexual male main character, gay male side character (main in the Smoke Books), low fantasy, humour, mostly happy ending

Torin Kerr #1: Confederation #1: Valor's Choice, by Tanya Huff Torin Kerr #2: Confederation #2: The Better Part of Valor, by Tanya Huff Torin Kerr #3: Confederation #3: The Heart of Valor, by Tanya Huff Torin Kerr #4: Confederation #4: Valor's Trial, by Tanya Huff Torin Kerr #5: Confederation #5: The Truth of Valor, by Tanya Huff Torin Kerr #6: Peacekeeper #1: An Ancient Peace, by Tanya Huff Torin Kerr #7: Peacekeeper #2: A Peace Divided, by Tanya Huff Torin Kerr #8: Peacekeeper #3: The Privilege of Peace, by Tanya Huff bisexual main characters, bisexual side characters, military space opera, humour, some queer characters survive, others do not - it's set during a war

Gale Girls #1: The Enchantment Emporium, by Tanya Huff Gale Girls #2: The Wild Ways, by Tanya Huff Gale Girls #3: The Future Falls, by Tanya Huff bisexual main characters, bisexual side characters, low fantasy, humour, happy ending

Keeper's Chronicles #1: Summon the Keeper, by Tanya Huff Keeper's Chronicles #2: The Second Summoning, by Tanya Huff Keeper's Chronicles #3: Long Hot Summoning, by Tanya Huff lesbian background character in books 1 & 2 becomes main in book 3, low fantasy, humour, happy ending

Quarters #1: Sing The Four Quarters, by Tanya Huff Quarters #2: Fifth Quarter, by Tanya Huff Quarters #3: No Quarter, by Tanya Huff Quarters #4: The Quartered Sea, by Tanya Huff bisexual main characters, bisexual side characters, high fantasy, humour, happy endings

The Fire's Stone, by Tanya Huff gay male main character, bisexual male main character, asexual female main character, poly relationship, high fantasy, happy ending

The Silvered, by Tanya Huff I don't remember, but considering it's Tanya Huff, probably everyone's bisexual, high fantasy, happy ending

Into the Broken Lands, by Tanya Huff gay male main character, bisexual side characters, high fantasy, horror elements, mostly happy ending

The House in the Cerulean Sea, by T. J. Klune gay male main characters, fairy tale, fantasy, happy ending

Angels in America, by Tony Kushner (play) gay male main characters, play, drama, happy ending

The Last Herald-Mage #1: Magic's Pawn, by Mercedes Lackey The Last Herald-Mage #2: Magic's Promise, by Mercedes Lackey The Last Herald-Mage #3: Magic's Price, by Mercedes Lackey gay male main characters, high fantasy, unhappy ending?

Bergman Brothers #5: Everything For You, by Chloe Liese gay male main characters, sports romance, happy ending

Ash, by Malinda Lo lesbian main character, fairy tale, young adult, I don't remember the ending

So This is Ever After, by F.T. Lukens gay male main characters, young adult, romance, high fantasy, happy ending

Winter's Orbit, by Everina Maxwell gay male main characters, science fiction, unfinished series

Lindsay Gordon Crime Series #6: Hostage to Murder, by V. L. McDermid (Val McDermid) lesbian main character, mystery, happy ending, I haven't read the rest of the series

Trick of the Dark, by Val McDermid lesbian main characters, lesbian side characters, mystery, I don't remember the ending

Iron Council, by China Miéville gay male side character, dystopian fantasy, I don't remember the ending

Hero, by Perry Moore gay male main characters, superheroes, young adult, happy ending

A Land Fit for Heroes #1: The Steel Remains, Richard K. Morgan gay male main character, lesbian main character, high fantasy, I don't remember the ending and I haven't read the sequel

Love & Luck #5: Two Men and a Baby, by Isla Olsen gay male main characters, gale male side characters, romance, happy ending

Captive Prince Series #1: Captive Prince, by C. S. Pacat Captive Prince Series #2: Prince's Gambit, by C. S. Pacat Captive Prince Series #3: Kings Rising, by C. S. Pacat bisexual male main character, gay male main character, bisexual side characters, high fantasy/romance, happy ending

The Monkey's Mask, by Dorothy Porter lesbian main character, bisexual female side character, poetry, mystery, complicated but satisfying ending

Wild Surmise, by Dorothy Porter bisexual female main character, poetry, general fiction, I don't remember the ending

She Drives Me Crazy, by Kelly Quindlen lesbian main characters, lesbian side characters, romance, young adult, happy ending

Cry to Heaven, by Anne Rice bisexual male main character, historical, revenge story, happy ending

The Wolf Gift, by Anne Rice gay male side character, low fantasy, happy ending

The Love Study #2: The Hate Project, by Kris Ripper gay male main characters, gay male side character, genderqueer side character, romance, happy ending

Carry On Series #1: Carry On, by Rainbow Rowell Carry On Series #2: Wayward Son, by Rainbow Rowell bisexual male main character, gay male main character, low fantasy, young adult, everyone is alive and well as of book 2, I haven't read book 3 yet

Get Over It!, by Phillip Scott gay male main characters, mystery, humour, I don't remember the ending

Christopher Marlowe Spy Thriller #1: The Queen's Gold, by Steven Veerapen gay male main character, mystery, spy thriller, historical, unfinished series

Fingersmith, by Sarah Waters lesbian main characters, historical, heist story, happy ending

Tipping the Velvet, by Sarah Waters lesbian main characters, historical, happy ending

Running With Lions, by Julian Winters gay male main characters, gay male side characters, young adult, sports romance, happy ending

The Stone Gods, by Jeanette Winterson lesbian main characters, gay male main characters, ostensibly general fiction but actually more like speculative fiction, implied happy ending

Orlando, by Virginia Woolf bisexual genderqueer main character, historical, I don't remember the ending

[redgoldsparks]

May Reading and Reviews by Maia Kobabe

I post my reviews throughout the month on Storygraph and Goodreads, and do roundups here and on patreon.

Boys Run The Riot vol 2 by Keito Gaku

I really wanted to like this series, but unfortunately, I don't. The pacing feels rushed, the characters aren't very realistic and burst out into outsized emotional reactions that don't feel earned, and at the end of this volume the trans character is outed against his will on a youtube channel with a million followers. I'm going to have to give up on this story. 

Unmasking Autism by Devon Price

This book is short, accessible and very informative! Price is trans and autistic, and was only diagnosed later in life. He blends narrative of his own lived experience with many interviews and thorough research. This book encourages compassion, self-knowledge, community building, and unmasking- the process of shedding the habits many autistic people employ to hide or mask their autistic traits. As a queer person pondering my own potential place on the autism spectrum, this book was an excellent introduction and gave me a lot of food for thought!

Thick as Thieves by Megan Whelan Turner read by Steve West

These books continue to delight! This deep into the series, I don't want to summarize the plot, as one of the pleasures of this series is how each book has built on the previous ones. The volatile political machinations between the the three peninsula countries of Eddis, Attolia, Sounis and the Mede Empire grow increasingly complex. Eugenides continues to make moves that appear petty and childish, whose deeper purpose is only revealed much later. I continue to be amazed at the character arcs, both of new characters and returning favorites. Read these books! I can't recommend them highly enough!

White Cat, Black Dog by Kelly Link

Another magical short story collection from Kelly Link! These stories are more directly inspired by existing fairy tales than Link's other work, but each one has been moved into the modern day, and generally changed so much as to be only loosely recognizable. A Game of Smash and Recovery, inspired by Hansel and Gretel, does feature a brother and sister; but they have been stranded on a foreign moon by their space-traveling parents, and live by scavenging supplies from vast warehouses left behind by previous inhabitants, while evading the vampires which flutter around the edges of their downed spacecraft. As the younger sister gets older, she comes closer and closer to a realization that neither she nor her brother nor their parents are who she thinks they are. The Lady and the Fox, based on Tamlin, does involve a young woman clutching her beloved to her chest through a series of painful magical transformations, but the woman is a charity case goddaughter of a rich actress who's family hosts ridiculously elaborate Christmas parties in their family mansion. Skinder's Veil, loosely Snow-White and Rose Red, does contain two nearly identical sisters, but the main character is a grad student struggling to finish his thesis who takes on a house-sitting job in a cabin in Vermont that might be visited by immortals. And so on and so on, Link weaves her threads. This one didn't unseat Get in Trouble as my favorite Link collection, but I enjoyed it very much. 

Return of The Thief by Megan Whelan Turner read by Steve West

Once again, Turner introduces a new POV character, and once again she knocks a complicated, emotional, satisfying tale of historical fantasy out of the park! I can't get over the fact that this six book series book the author over 20 years to write, and yet is so internally consistent, it feels as if she knew from the very beginning exactly how to she wanted everything to go. This series is technically YA, but the majority of the characters are adults; it was started in the era before YA existed as the genre we know it now. If you are a fan of any Tamora Pierce books, or Steven Brust's Jhereg series, or Katherine Addison's The Goblin Emperor, I think you'd like these too. 

Different for Boys by Patrick Ness illustrated by Tea Bendix

This illustrated book tells an impressively nuanced story in a very short space. The narrator, Ant, ponders the meaning of virginity as a high school boy questioning his own sexuality. Ant and his best friend from childhood, Charlie, regularly mess around with each other, performing sexual acts which are blacked out in the text. The characters themselves are aware of this textual censorship and comment on it, adding a level of meta to this already nonlinear and nontraditional narrative. Charlie is sweet in private but vocally homophobic in school, hurling insults at another mutual friend, Jack, who isn't publicly out but is read as queer by his peers. Ant struggles with how much, or when, to step in and defend Jack without outing his and Charlie's secret relationship. The story has an open but hopeful ending, and its questions and unresolved aspects feel deeply true. 

Several People Are Typing by Calvin Kasulke

Told entirely in slack messages, this nontraditional novel unfolds the minor and major dramas of a public relations firm with a speculative twist. The main character, Gerald, has accidentally uploaded his consciousness into the slack app and is unsure what is happening to the body he left behind. The slackbot is becoming increasingly sentient as he sends it help query after help query. His co-workers think this is an elaborate ruse to take advantage of their company's lax work from home policies during a particularly snowy New York winter. Meanwhile, his coworker Lydia is being haunted by spectral howling, Tripp is regularly the only man in the on-site office and keeps leaving the heating on overnight, Deepu is feeling left out of office in jokes and Doug, their boss, is convinced that someone is sabotaging his office furniture. This story is snappy, queer, and never gets bogged down by what could have been a gimmicky premise. It took me one Saturday afternoon to read! 

The Thief by Megan Whelan Turner read by Steve West

After finishing this whole 6 book series I went back to re-read book one and it is DELICIOUS to catch all of the hints and foreshadowing once you know how the story ends. Here’s the review I wrote after my first read in 2018:

This book was DELIGHTFUL. Set in a fantasy Mediterranean Renaissance world, the prose is simple and the initial plot set up is uncomplicated. Gen is a master level thief who made a mistake and ended up in the King's prison in Sounis. After months of imprisonment he is summoned by the Magnus, the King's most trusted adviser, who threatens Gen into joining a covert mission. A small party (the magus, the thief, one soldier and two of the magus' students) will sneak into the neighboring country of Attolia, in search of a powerful and ancient artifact. But every member of the party is intentionally or unintentionally carrying secrets, and in the end few of them are who they appear to be. I already feel like I've said too much. Go and read this book to find out the rest!

Hungry Ghost by Victoria Ying

I'm refraining from giving this book a star rating because I feel genuinely unqualified to rate its effectiveness. This story deals with two very heavy topics- a character struggling with an eating disorder and grief after the death of a parent- which I have no experience with. The book portrays the main character binging and purging, which could potentially be very triggering for some readers in ED recovery, but could also be extremely cathartic to those who haven't seen their experiences reflected before. That's really going to depend on the reader. What I can say is that the art is very beautiful, I enjoyed the limited color palette, and I hope this book finds the readers who need it.

Freestyle by Gale Galligan

Eighth grader Cory is part of a tight friend group of dancers who practice every weekend. It's their last year of middle school and they want to make the most of this year- and hopefully win the annual winter Bronx Dance Battle! Unfortunately, Cory's parents aren't thrilled with his grades, and they hire a tutor three afternoons a week after school, cutting into his free time with his friend crew. Worse yet, his tutor turns out to be the best student in his grade, a girl named Sunna who he immediately clashes with. But then Cory realizes that Sunna also as a secret talent: she can throw a yo-yo like no one he's ever seen. The art in this book is fantastic, colorful and energetic, with beautiful panels capturing the movement of dance, running, yo-yo tricks, and physical humor. I had to set aside a little bit of disbelief that any eighth graders might be this motivated and organized; I've also seen a couple minor critics of the way Sunna, a hijab wearing Muslim character, was portrayed as attending a school dance and spending time tutoring Cory in his bedroom with the door closed. However, the overall tone of this book is so joyful, positive, warmhearted, and well-intentioned that I'd still absolutely recommend it. 

Deaf Republic by Ilya Kaminsky

I am not a very active reader of poetry, but this collection contains one of the poems I think about possibly more than any other: "We Lived Happily during the War." I first read it in the New Yorker magazine sometime before 2017, though I don't remember exactly when. I saw the poem circulating the internet again when Russian began to invade Ukraine. Kaminsky was born in the former Soviet Union, and the majority of the poems in this collection unfold a story of an Eastern European town occupied by enemy soldiers. Reoccurring characters tell of the violence and tragedy of this occupation: a newly married couple expecting a child, the owner of a puppetry theater, a young deaf child killed by soldiers, neighbors who defend and betray each other. Read it almost like a poetic play in two acts, relevant to our times. 

[ariel-seagull-wings]

@faintingheroine

@themousefromfantasyland @princesssarisa @the-blue-fairie @tamisdava2 @softlytowardthesun @grimoireoffolkloreandfairytales

@angelixgutz

@adarkrainbow

""Grandma, who invented people’s color?"

I asked this because I had learned that some are yellow, others white and others red. She said:

"I'll only answer if you tell me who invented the names of people's colors.""

(Histórias da Preta, Heloisa Pires Lima, 1998)

So, I read your text saying that casting a brown skinned latina diaspora actress to play a character named Snow White can be a shot on the foot because it can bring colorist implications, and I get the well meaning intention, but I will say that actually the question of naming someone after colors and racialization is way more complex outside of places like France and the US, to the point that this question of the Snow White name and casting becomes really not a big deal.

Here is turkish actress Zeynep Değirmencioğlu playing Snow White in a 1970 unauthorized turkish TV movie adaptation of the 1937 Disney Movie. Bear in mind that in Turkey, ethnic conflicts and discrimination manifest due to nationality/ethnic ancestry, but skin colour is not really a big deal in that problem.

Here is a character from a 1990 brazilian telenovela called Vamp, who was named Branca, played by black brazilian actress Aída Leiner

Two black Biancas from a 1990 and 1995 production of Othello, played by Marsha Hunt and Indra Ové

An episode of the 1995 HBO animated anthology series Happily Ever After: Fairy Tales For Every Child, about retelling european tales set in non european culture, where the Grimm's Snow White was retold with native american characters from the Southwest of the US, naming the main heroine White Snow and taking inspiration from some native systems that call the child after the first thing the parents sees in nature when they are born.

The voice actors were also Native American actors.

The main female character from a 2000s brazilian TV Show called Pedro e Bianca, about two teenager twin siblings called Pedro, who was white, and Bianca (played by Heslaine Vieira), who was black.

The FX TV Series Pose, from 2020, set between in the 80s and 90s ballroom culture of the trans comunity, where a group of trans woman of collor presented the Once Upon a Time Category, and a brown dominican character was named Blanca (played by M J Rodriguez) and was who walked the ballroom as Snow White.

You can see that people in latin american cultures have been naming brown and black women with Bianca, Branca or Blanca (all meaning white) as no big deal.

And Shakespeare plays have started a long tradition of color blind casting that have been critically aclaimed.

And when it comes to variants of the tale and how they treat beauty patterns regarding racialization... the Grimm's Snow White is surprisingly one of the least racialized variants there is. The main princess is only named Snow White, and praised as beautiful, but there is no dark skinned character to be mocked as ugly in contrast to her, or mentions of an ethnic minority that is put down as uglier while Snow White can be presented as "an example of anglo saxon, aryan beauty."

If you mean to specifically search for Brothers Grimm where race is a deal, The Jew Among Thorns is right there for your suffering read.

In case of other fairy tales that talk about "white skin = good and beauty, while dark/black/brown skin = evil", you can choose several variants of The Love of Three Oranges.

As for specificaly variants of Snow White with the weight of racial prejudices included in their narrative, you can read Marigo and the 40 Dragons, The World's Beautiful Woman, Romana, The Little Sister of the Giants, The Maiden with a Rose in her Forehead and Udea and Her Seven Brothers.

So the Disney Company is least likely to get in controversy over colorism for casting a mixed latina diaspora actress into the role of a princess named Snow White who is considered the fairest of them all.

They can get in controvery over other things (mainly bad marketing choices), but not over this.

Resuming:

Sometimes colors are just the name we give to them;

Not every racial conflict in the world emphasizes skin colour discrimination, in fact this can be considered a recent adition to pre existing problems of racism in certain countries, specially in the west;

Culturally, black and brown women received names like Blanca, Branca and Bianca as a common name in Latin American cultures;

There are other international variants of Snow White where racialized beauty standards play an important role, but the Grimm's fairy tale is not really one of them;

Disney can get trouble for their Snow White remake being a cash grab with bad marketing, but casting a latina actress for a character named Snow White will not really be a big deal for panic over colorism.

In fact, HBO's Happily Ever After: Fairy Tales for Every Child experimented in 1995 with keeping the name while portraying the character as a brown native american woman, and it worked with great aclaim that makes the series a cult classic to this day.

[haveyoureadthistransbook]

Hi! Great initiative for a blog! Here are some more books. I think they're all indie, but it's all on Amazon.

No Man of Woman Born by Ana Mardoll (https://www.amazon.com/Man-Woman-Born-Rewoven-Tales-ebook/dp/B07C86CX8G)

The Margin Street Zeroes series by Robin Banks (https://www.amazon.com/Margin-Street-Zeros-5-book-series/dp/B09DBW5NLF)

Transistor by Molly J. Bragg (https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0B4T7WHGR) (second part of a series, but also works as stand-alone)

Black Trans Fairy Tales Series by S.T. Lynn (https://www.amazon.com/Black-Trans-Fairy-Tales/dp/B0B2ZLP13J)

Baker Thief by Claudie Arsenault (https://www.amazon.com/Baker-Thief-Claudie-Arseneault-ebook/dp/B07CPRM533)

Hi thank you for the submissions, I added them to the list :)

[fairytale-poll]

ROUND 1B, ROUND 9 OUT OF 16!

Propaganda Under the Cut:

Ella:

Listen, is the book good? No. Does the idea of a trans Cinderella slap? Yes.

Cyn:

Give this butch firefighter a chance ✊😔

[oldtvandcomics]

Happy Queer Media Monday!

Today: Black Trans Fairy Tales Series by S.T. Lynn

I swear I didn’t even realize that it’s trans awareness week when I picked this, I’d just read them recently and they’re AWESOME.

(The three books in order, as seen in my Kindle, after I read them.)

The Black Trans Fairy Tale series consists out of three fairy tale retellings, roughly eighty pages each, based specifically on the Disney version of these stories: Cinder Ella (Cinderella), Mer Made (The Little Mermaid), and Beauty’s Beast (Beauty and the Beast). While they all start out in a familiar way, the stories then quickly take their own path and go off in new and unexpected directions. 

They are written by “S.T. Lynn”, which is a pseudonym for author Tami Veldura.

At the time of writing, these books unfortunately only exist in ebook format, through Veldura’s website does list physical copies, both separately for each and for the three as an omnibus.

Aside of their website, Tami Veldura can be found in places like Instagram, and of course here on Tumblr as @tamiveldura.

Queer Media Monday is an action I started to talk about some important and/or interesting parts of our queer heritage, that people, especially young people who are only just beginning to discover the wealth of stories out there, should be aware of. Please feel free to join in on the fun and make your own posts about things you personally find important!

[tamiveldura]

Friday Update!

Brief! Because I am Le Tired.

For the Anthology Workshop, I have skipped assignment #1 last week so that I could finish writing Vampire Mated, the novella I also happened to start just last week. I wrote 23k in six days and it's 50% kinky sex and it's also the fastest thing I've ever written and I LOVE it.

It's due to the editor first week of July and I need to do some formatting for that.

Hold on to that, more of Mated to come.

This week the Anthology Workshop assignment #2 (of six) was a cozy mystery set at a beach. On my YA/fantasy penname S.T. Lynn (long time fans will recognize the Cinder Ella trilogy, now in paper and hardback https://www.tamiveldura.com/product/black-trans-fairy-tales-omnibus/) I have a short story series called the Mischief Mysteries. They're a set of cozies from the point of view of a pet rats (based on my own rats years ago).

None of the Mischief Mysteries are available anywhere. I'm holding them for now until I have enough for a substantial collection OR I can find a good trade/small press market for them.

All that to say I wrote a Mischief Mystery for the cozy assignment and turned it in today. I think it's a strong story and I have all my fingers crossed that the editor buys it (but I won't know until the workshop in August!)

Sorry to leave you in suspense 😂

The third assignment next week is MilScifi, which I love, with two incredible, intimidating editors. I have a MilScifi short story series (check out the Boundary Shock Quarterly magazine, I'm in every issue starting at 14: https://www.boundaryshockquarterly.com/), but I'm not dedicated to using that world if the call for subs doesn't fit. I'll know on Monday!

I'm going to take a break this weekend and play the crap out of APICO. Save the bees.

[redheadgleek]

Books read (July-September)

July: Struck By Lightning: The Carson Phillips Journal. My last of Chris Colfer’s audiobooks and his first book. Not sure that a journal really was the best format, but I’m going to miss his voice. The Secret of Life: Rosalind Franklin, James Watson, Francis Crick, and the Discovery of DNA’s Double Helix. In honor of the 70 year anniversary coming up, I’ve been reading a lot of books on the discovery of DNA. There was some uncomfortable fixation of Rosalind’s sexuality (much like Brenda Maddox books but she came to a completely different conclusion), and I truly loath James Watson now. Nettle & Bone by T. Kingfisher. Oooh. A short, dark fairy tale. Highly recommend. Rule of Wolves by Leigh Bardugo. The last book published (so far) of the Gishaverse. Definitely not a stand alone novel, but overall, a satisfying end to the series and leaving room for more books. On Rotation by Shirlene Obuobi. There really aren’t that many good fictional books about being a doctor, much less about going through medical school. This really captured the stress and drama of med school. The Once and Future Witches by Alix Harrows. Reimagined history, some strong characters (although maybe a wee bit too much of leaning into the maiden, mother, crone archetypes), beautiful story telling. Of Sound Mind: How Our Brain Constructs a Meaningful Sonic World by Nina Kraus. Audiobook. Fascinating insights into how our ears and brain receive and perceive sound, and how it influences our language and cognitive development, if a bit redundant at times. Orphan Black: The Next Chapter. Maybe a little bit of a cheat, since it’s a  episodic podcast, but it was on goodreads. I rewatched Orphan Black this spring and was eager to listen. Tatiana’s voices were amazing and I loved the new characters (her male voices were the weakest. 

August: Heat Wave (The Extraordinaries, #3) by TJ Klune. An excellent conclusion to the trilogy and so much familial love. What Moves the Dead by T. Kingfisher. I’m not a big horror person, but I adore T’s writing. A retelling of the Fall of the House of Usher, with some cool biological explanations. A Middle-Earth Traveller: Sketches from Bag End to Mordor  by John Howe. I loved his work for the Lord of the Rings movies, so I thought this would be a good introduction to my next audio project. Lovely sketches, some lovely behind the scenes insights. Orphan Black: The Next Chapter (Season 2). This time, Jordan, Kristian, and Evelyn returned to voice their roles. I hope there’s another. A Lady for a Duke by Alexis Hall. A fun little regency romp involving a trans heroine. Lots of feelings. Rosaline Palmer Takes the Cake by Alexis Hall. The story opens with one of my least favorite tropes: lying outrageously and then getting caught and I almost didn’t finish it, but I’m glad I stuck with it, because it really had all of the charm of the Great British Bake Off in a novel. Husband Material by Alexis Hall. (All of my library books became available at the same time, so I read three of Alexis’s books in a week period). I had been charmed by Boyfriend Material; it wasn’t the best fake dating book that I’ve ever read, but I was invested enough that I looked for the sequel and I liked it even better than the first one. Laugh out loud hysterical, following the plot of Four Weddings and Funeral while still giving it at twist. Looking forward to Father Material. The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien, read by Andy Serkis. This will be my listening project for the next year probably. Andy Serkis’s voice is amazing – deep and rich in timbre. I haven’t reread this one since early in college, it was much darker than what I remembered. You’ll Never Believe What Happened to Lacey: Crazy Stories about Racism by Amber Ruffin and Lacey Lamar. Terrible stories, presented in a light-hearted, easy to approach manner. I’m planning on introducing it to my family and friends because it’s a really great way to highlight the pervasiveness of racism.

September The Queen of Hearts by Kimmery Martin. I really wanted to like this book as it was written by an emergency medicine doctor about a group of medical school friends. And I didn’t. There were parts that truly resonated, such as when one of the main characters loses a patient, but the drama was so over the top. Ramón and Julieta by Alana Albertson. Just a sweet little Romeo and Juliet retelling. A fluffy, easy to read romance which was just want I was craving. The Antidote for Everything by Kimmery Martin. I checked out all three of her books at the same time, so I was really hopeful that this one would be better. And it was, but it still felt lacking. It also felt like the author was trying too hard to emphasize that “not all Christians” are homophobic, but there was still homophobic and transphobic views (one character was the definition of sassy gay friend) that belied that conclusion. East by Edith Pattou. A reread because I found out that a sequel had been written and it had been literal years. Almost as good as I remembered, an excellent retelling of the fairy tale “East of the Sun West of the Moon. West by Edith Pattou. I’m not sure that East really needed a sequel, but this one was well done and it completed the story. Felix Silver, Teaspoons & Witches by Harry Cook. My god, did this book need better editors. So many sloppy mistakes. So You Want to Talk about Race by Ijeoma Oluo. I started reading this 2 years ago and got distracted. A practical book, with some great real-time examples, but I’m not sure that it really made it easier to talk about race with some of my white relatives for example. Doctors and Friends by Kimmery Martin. I almost didn’t read this because I had been so disappointed by her previous books, but I’m so glad that I did because it was the best of the 3. She started writing this book back in 2019, about a pandemic that affected the world, and it was a much deeper, emotional story than the other two (although many of the same characters were in it). George (Melissa’s Story) by Alex Gore. Picked it up as part of Banned Books Week and you guys, I’m just tired of fake outrage. It was cute. The Theft of Sunlight by Intisar Khanani. Sequel to Thorn, which I read earlier this year. Thorn was good, but this really developed the world. I’m excited for the 3rd book. I may make it to a 100 books this year. *crosses fingers*

[artistic-endchamber]

˚₊· ͟͟͞͞➳❥ "Emotion Magic...

Shockwaves of Love and positivity!!"

https://en.pronouns.page/@Aarii

┊ ˚➶ ｡˚ 𝔹𝕠𝕠𝕜𝕤 / 𝔽𝕚𝕔𝕤

╰┈➤ Untitled Ship Files - [ Different Oneshots -> Different ships!]

001 [GiaYuno] , 002 [MereRayi]

╰┈➤ "The Horizon" [GiaYuno] Wattpad Ao3

┊ ˚➶ ｡˚ 𝕋𝕒𝕘𝕤

╰┈➤ Aarii Needs to Shut up -- Any and every post where I talk or say something in the tags will be on this tag!

╰┈➤ Endchamber Reblogs -- Self-explanatory, Anything I reblog! ╰┈➤ Lovely Moots 💕 -- Anything where I mention a Mutual or want a mutual to see a post!

╰┈➤ Arts asks - My Ask tag!!!!!

╰┈➤ Aariis art tag - I sometimes forget to tag my art with this tag.... but most of the time it will be there!!!!

** Every Mutual has their own tag with their nickname when I become close with them!!!!! A key example is when I tag Kcuf-ad in a post by saying "Frannn <33"

┊ ˚➶ ｡˚ 𝔹𝕝𝕠𝕘𝕤

[ If I followed you and you’re a rp style blog, it’s probably an interaction from one of my side blogs!!

╰┈➤ @the-giananator - Black Clover OC

╰┈➤ @singing-dueling - Yu-Gi-Oh! DMs OC

╰┈➤ @ripoffhermione-bnha - BNHA OC

╰┈➤ @snowwyqueen - General OC !!]

┊ ˚➶ ｡˚ 𝕆ℂ ℙ𝕣𝕠𝕗𝕚𝕝𝕖𝕤

╰┈➤ A3!

╰┈➤ AoT

╰┈➤ Assasination Classroom

╰┈➤ Ajin: Demi-Human

╰┈➤ Black Clover

˚₊· ͟͟͞͞➳❥ Giana Silverstone

˚₊· ͟͟͞͞➳❥ Mai Silverstone

˚₊· ͟͟͞͞➳❥ Mary Silverstone

╰┈➤ BNHA

╰┈➤ Bungo Stray Dogs

╰┈➤ Chainsaw Man

╰┈➤ Death Note

╰┈➤ Dr. Stone

╰┈➤ Dandadan

╰┈➤ Fruits Basket

╰┈➤ Fairy Tale

╰┈➤ Fire Force

╰┈➤ Haikyuu!!

╰┈➤ Hell's Paradise

╰┈➤ Hunter x Hunter

╰┈➤ HoriMiya

╰┈➤ InuYasha

╰┈➤ JJK

╰┈➤ KnY

╰┈➤ Kamisama Hajimemashita

╰┈➤ Kakegurui

╰┈➤ Koroko no Basektball

╰┈➤ Lookism

╰┈➤ Little Witch Academia

╰┈➤Naruto

˚₊· ͟͟͞͞➳❥ Momoko Rurizawa

╰┈➤ Nisekoi: False Love

╰┈➤One Piece

╰┈➤ One Punch Man

╰┈➤ Oshi no Ko

╰┈➤ Spy x Family

╰┈➤ Sk8 the Infinity

╰┈➤ "Sailor Moon"

╰┈➤ TBHK

╰┈➤Yu-Gi-Oh!

╰┈➤ Yokai Watch

╰┈➤ Yuri! On Ice

┊ ˚➶ ｡˚ 𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐝 𝐁𝐞𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐑𝐞𝐪𝐮𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠

˚₊· ͟͟͞͞➳❥ Under the cut !

˚₊· ͟͟͞͞➳❥ [NOTE: I'M TRYING SOMETHING OUT!! IF YOU WOULD LIKE A PERSONAL OC SHIPPED WITH A CHARACTER FOR A REQUEST, PLEASE LET ME KNOW IN THE ASK SECTION, OR DMS!! HOPE YOU ENJOY!]

♥ Fandoms:

BNHA

Yu-Gi-Oh!

Haikyuu!

Assassination Classroom

Kakegurui

Black Clover

Ninjago

A3! [Newly Added!-]

And more-!!! [Not sure? Ask-!]

------

♥ Kinds of fics:

One-shots

Drabbles

Chapter books

Series' Books

etc {Not sure? Ask!]

------

♥ I will write:

Headcannons

Smut

Fluff

Suggestive content

Angst [No sad endings please-!!]

-------

♥ I will Not write

Vouyerism

Vore

Incest (Any kind.)

Rape/ non-con (It's a little Different if it's a CNC kink or such.. Or if it's a mention relating to someone's trauma.)

Cheating

Omega-verse

Vomit

Bathroom-related kinks (No specifics, you know what I'm going for.)

------

♥ Kinds of readers allowed:

Sibling

Trans! reader (Uhm, I'm not very comfortable with a Trans! Reader that didnt get surgery for smut stories soooo-)

Male! Reader

Female! reader

Gn! Reader

Genderfluid! reader

[Any kind of gender reader really.]

--IF YOU DO NOT SPECIFY GENDER, IT WILL IMMEDIATELY GO UNDER THE GN! CATEGORY. THEREFORE, IF GENDER NOT SPECIFIED, SMUTSHOTS WILL NOT BE WRITTEN UNTIL IT IS.--

-----

♥ Extra info:

Yes, I will allow A sibling reader pairing, but there will be no romantic relationship established.

-----

"Thats a wrap!"

[oldtvandcomics]

Hi! So. I'm not a self-published author, but I do know some people who are in the indie queer scifi scene. Here is a list of things you might want to check out:

Queer SciFi. True treasure trove for indie queer scifi books. You can even get free ebooks each month! Here is their website, and here the place where they do book reviews in particular. (You can also get them to review your books, by the way. Or sign up for that thing where they give away ebooks for free, in exchange of people signing up for your newsletter.)

#Queer Media Monday is my own writing on here, where I do a recommendation of a piece of queer media every Monday. I'm trying to keep it at least somewhat diverse, but self-published books HAVE happened in the past, and definitely will keep happening in the future, too. The ones I have:

Black Trans Fairy Tales Series by S.T. Lynn

Queer SciFi’s Annual Flashfiction Contest

Consecrated Ground by Virginia Black

Ein Meer aus Feuer by Evelyne Aschwanden (This one is in German)

Hearts of Heroes series by Molly J. Bragg

By Your Side: The First 100 Years of Yuri Anime and Manga by Erica Friedman (This one is nonfiction)

The Margin Street Zeroes series by Robin Banks

Asexual Fairy Tales by Elisabeth Hopkinson

No Man of Woman Born by Ana Mardoll

Heartless (webcomic, so probably not what you are looking for)

While so far, I am the only one to post in Queer Media Monday, it was originally supposed to be a collective effort to promote queer things and get a database where people can find out what exists. You seem to be a writer and a lover of independently published stories. So if you ever want to jump in with a book or two, feel free to do so! I've made the choice to always write small essays, but you can do whatever.

Self published authors, this one’s for you!

So, I’m looking for some more books to add to my shelf and want to support self published authors at the same time!

I enjoy most genres, tbh, although I do prefer LGBTQ stories! So promo yourself to me and show me your books! ❤️

I’m also looking for more mutuals so I’ll be following all of you back if you choose to follow!