#every heart a doorway

[queereads-bracket]

Queer Fiction Free-for-All Book Bracket Tournament: Round 3

Book summaries and submitted endorsements below:

Moby-Dick or, The Whale by Herman Melville

Endorsement from submitter:

Ishmael & Quee(r)queg do it better than your OTP ever could. "[W]hat's all this fuss I have been making about, thought I to myself—the man's a human being just as I am: he has just as much reason to fear me as I have to be afraid of him. Better sleep with a sober cannibal than a drunken Christian" “ How it is I know not; but there is no place like a bed for confidential disclosures between friends. Man and wife, they say, there open the very bottom of their souls to each other; and some old couples often lie and chat over old times till nearly morning. Thus, then, in our hearts’ honeymoon, lay I and Queequeg—a cosy, loving pair.” “ At length, by dint of much wriggling, and loud and incessant expostulations upon the unbecomingness of his hugging a fellow male in that matrimonial sort of style, I succeeded in extracting a grunt; and presently, he drew back his arm, shook himself all over like a Newfoundland dog just from the water, and sat up in bed, stiff as a pike-staff, looking at me, and rubbing his eyes as if he did not altogether remember how I came to be there, though a dim consciousness of knowing something about me seemed slowly dawning over him. Meanwhile, I lay quietly eyeing him, having no serious misgivings now, and bent upon narrowly observing so curious a creature.” “ I drew my bench near him, and made some friendly signs and hints, doing my best to talk with him meanwhile. At first he little noticed these advances; but presently, upon my referring to his last night’s hospitalities, he made out to ask me whether we were again to be bedfellows. I told him yes; whereat I thought he looked pleased, perhaps a little complimented.” Plus, the entirety of “A Squeeze of the Hand” Insane work.

"It is the horrible texture of a fabric that should be woven of ships' cables and hawsers. A Polar wind blows through it, and birds of prey hover over it."

So Melville wrote of his masterpiece, one of the greatest works of imagination in literary history. In part, Moby-Dick is the story of an eerily compelling madman pursuing an unholy war against a creature as vast and dangerous and unknowable as the sea itself. But more than just a novel of adventure, more than an encyclopaedia of whaling lore and legend, the book can be seen as part of its author's lifelong meditation on America. Written with wonderfully redemptive humour, Moby-Dick is also a profound inquiry into character, faith, and the nature of perception.

Classics, American literature, nautical fiction, adult

Wayward Children series (Every Heart a Doorway, Down Among the Sticks and Bones, Beneath the Sugar Sky, In an Absent Dream, Come Tumbling Down, Across the Green Grass Fields, Where the Drowned Girls Go, Lost in the Moment and Found, Mislaid in Parts Half-Known, Adrift in Currents Clean and Clear, and other stories) by Seanan McGuire

Eleanor West’s Home for Wayward Children No Solicitations No Visitors No Guests

Children have always disappeared under the right conditions; slipping through the shadows under a bed or at the back of a wardrobe, tumbling down rabbit holes and into old wells, and emerging somewhere... else.

But magical lands have little need for used-up miracle children.

Nancy tumbled once, but now she’s back. The things she’s experienced... they change a person. The children under Miss West’s care understand all too well. And each of them is seeking a way back to their own fantasy world.

But Nancy’s arrival marks a change at the Home. There’s a darkness just around each corner, and when tragedy strikes, it’s up to Nancy and her new-found schoolmates to get to the heart of the matter.

No matter the cost.

Fantasy, portal fantasy, mystery, magical realism, boarding school, novella, series, adult

[yeehawpim]

[mostlyghostie]

Close-ups of recent commissions

Shop

[dyinggirldied]

I need these guys' vibe

Also, there's this website where this archetype can be summarised up as "Girl Underground" and lists out a long list of examples . Have a check out (https://girls-underground.com/the-archetype/)

[haveyoureadthisqueerbook]

[lottiesoka]

“I think the rules were different there. It was all about science, but the science was magical. It didn’t care about whether something could be done. It was about whether it should be done, and the answer was always, always yes.”

[aroaessidhe]

aro & ace books: with internal illustrations!

Don’t Let The Forest In - YA horror - ace MC - internal/cover art by Jana Heidersdorf

The Wolf Among The Wild Hunt - NA dark fantasy - aroace MC/SC - internal art by Andrew Garin

In The Jaws of an Oak - adult horror/erotica novella - internal/cover art by author

Elatsoe - YA paranormal - aro coded ace MC - internal/cover art by Rovina Cai

Little Thieves - YA fantasy - demi MC/LI - internal art by author

Every Heart A Doorway - NA fantasy novella - ace MC - internal art by Rovina Cai

Fallen Thorns - NA urban fantasy - aroace MC (& SC) - internal/cover art by author

#aspec books / aspec database / tumblr masterpost

info included here is brief! please see my database for full details of the books

[optimysticals]

"There was peace in stillness, a serenity that couldn’t be found anywhere else in this hot, fast, often terrible world."

-Seanan McGuire, Every Heart A Doorway

A small and still Nancy.

[zadrinz]

Nancy Whitman Fanart

from Wayward Children

[smalldeerofmine]

Nancy from Every Heart a Doorway because I reread it recently

[ace-of-garlic-breads]

I made a drawing based of @seananmcguire 's Wayward Children series, I really enjoy these books, and they are the PERFECT for OC making, (since there are so many possibilities on the worlds you can go to.) anyways its a 10/10 book series and I really recommend :)

[queereads-bracket]

Queer Adult SFF Books Bracket: Round 1

Book summaries below:

Every Heart a Doorway by Seanan McGuire (Wayward Children series)

Eleanor West’s Home for Wayward Children No Solicitations No Visitors No Guests

Children have always disappeared under the right conditions; slipping through the shadows under a bed or at the back of a wardrobe, tumbling down rabbit holes and into old wells, and emerging somewhere... else.

But magical lands have little need for used-up miracle children.

Nancy tumbled once, but now she’s back. The things she’s experienced... they change a person. The children under Miss West’s care understand all too well. And each of them is seeking a way back to their own fantasy world.

But Nancy’s arrival marks a change at the Home. There’s a darkness just around each corner, and when tragedy strikes, it’s up to Nancy and her new-found schoolmates to get to the heart of the matter.

No matter the cost.

Fantasy, portal fantasy, mystery, magical realism, boarding school, novella, series, adult

Paladin's Hope by T. Kingfisher (The Saint of Steel series)

Piper is a lich-doctor, a physician who works among the dead, determining causes of death for the city guard's investigations. It's a peaceful, if solitary profession…until the day when he's called to the river to examine the latest in a series of mysterious bodies, mangled by some unknown force.

Galen is a paladin of a dead god, lost to holiness and no longer entirely sane. He has long since given up on any hope of love. But when the two men and a brave gnole constable are drawn into the web of the mysterious killer, it's Galen's job to protect Piper from the traps that await them.

He's just not sure if he can protect Piper from the most dangerous threat of all…

Fantasy, romance, mystery, secondary world, standalone-ish within series, adult

[wondereads]

Aro/Ace Book Recs for Pride 2024

Every Heart a Doorway by Seanan McGuire (ace)

New Adult, low fantasy, 3.89 star average (my rating: 5 stars)

Beyond the Black Door by A. M. Strickland (demirom ace)

Young Adult, high fantasy, 3.73 star average (my rating: 3.75 stars)

Queen of Coin and Whispers by Helen Corcoran (demi)

Young Adult, high fantasy, 3.6 star average

Daughter of the Burning City by Amanda Foody (demirom ace)

Young Adult, high fantasy, 3.68 star average

The City of Dusk by Tara Sim (ace)

Adult, high fantasy, 3.72 star average

All Systems Red by Martha Wells (aroace)

Adult, hard sci-fi, 4.12 star average (my rating: 3.5 stars)

Not Even Bones by Rebecca Schaeffer (aro/ace)

Young Adult, horror fantasy, 4.05 star average

Seven Devils by L. R. Lam and Elizabeth May (ace)

Adult, space opera, 4.03 star average

[styrofauxm]

I want to do this anyway, and getting the aromantic tag trending is a good excuse, so here's my masterlist of aspec headcanons and canon characters (that I know of)!

Always Human (Webtoon):

Rae (aromantic and asexual) - canon, discussed in the media itself (link)

And Another Lovely Day (Webtoon):

Nora Chestnut (aroace) - canon, main character, discussed in the media itself

Elliot Lam (aroace) - canon, main character, discussed in media itself

AstralSounds (Webtoon, Website):

Resilient (aromantic) - canon, main character, confirmed in a bonus episode (link)

Yunni (asexual) - canon, main character, confirmed in a bonus episode (link)

Avatar: The Last Airbender/Legend of Korra:

Toph Beifong (aromantic and acespec) - I really see her as thinking she has a crush on Sokka because she's never really been allowed to explore that before. But those thoughts die as quickly as they came. Later in life, she wants kids, but she really does not want a husband or long-term sexual relationship. She finds some people who are cool with that, and then raises her kids alone!

Deadloch:

Eddie Redcliffe (aroallo, romance favorable) - She just has aro vibes, okay? She does. I talked through it a bit in the comments on this post.

Dungeon Meshi (Manga Series, Anime Series):

Laios (non-sam aromantic) - I don't think he's even ever considered romance as a thing he would be interested in. Dating someone has simply never occurred to him. If someone asked him out it would certainly lead to a lot of thoughts.

Mithrun (loveless aromantic, romance indifferent) - I'm right and I know it. This unfortunately means I'm the only person who truly understands Kabru/Mithrun (/lh).

Every Heart a Doorway (Book):

Nancy (asexual) - canon, main character, discussed in the media itself

Fablehaven (Book Series):

Kendra Sorenson (asexual) - She makes one comment about "never going to the playground" in book one and I took that and ran with it

Seth Sorenson (aromantic) - I honestly just think it's fun to make one sibling aromantic and the other asexual

Gravity Falls (Cartoon Series):

Mabel Pines (aromantic) - I view Mabel's obsession with boys as playing into her own internalized amatonormativity and comphet. She'll be much happier once she realizes she doesn't actually want to date anybody (I also love the cupio and lesbian hcs, this is just my interpretation)

Dipper Pines (asexual) - once again, very fun to make one sibling aro and the other ace

Stanley Pines (aroallo) - vibes

Stanford Pines (aroace, non-partnering) - I mean the Book of Bill all but confirms this, right?

Hazbin Hotel/Helluva Boss (Cartoon Series):

Alastor (aromantic and asexual) - canon, main character, hinted at in canon, confirmed outside the source material (too complicated to link)

Angel Dust (asexual, sex favorable) - read a fic with this (no, I don't remember which one unfortunately) and it's compelled me ever since

Octavia (asexual) - canon, major character, confirmed outside the source material (link)

Mammon (asexual) - canon, confirmed outside the source material (link)

Marvel Comics/MCU (Comic Series, Movie Series, TV Series):

Daisy Johnson, Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. show (aromantic, acespec) - vibes, but also I just don't see any chemistry between her and the people she dates on the show T-T

Ruby Hale, Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. show (asexual) - canon, major character, confirmed outside the source materal (link)

Nadia Van Dyne/The Wasp, comics (aroace) - canon, confirmed outside the source material (link)

Yelena Belova, Black Widow movie, Hawkeye show, comics (aroace) - canon, confirmed in the source material (link)

Gwendolyn Poole/Gwenpool, comics (aroace) - canon, confirmed the source material (link)

Muted (Webtoon):

Silvia Severin (aroace) - canon, major character, confirmed in the source material (link)

Market Of Monsters (Book Series)/Not Even Bones (Webtoon):

Nita Sánchez (arospec and acespec) - Canon, main character, confirmed in the source material

Kovit Sangwaraporn (arospec and acespec) - Canon, main character, confirmed in the source material

Adair (aromantic) - Just how he talks about romance

Diana (aromantic) - Again, how she talks about romance

Protector of the Small (Book Series):

Keladry of Mindelan (aroace) - canon, main character, confirmed outside the source material (link)

Roar Howl Run (Website):

Ata (aroace) - canon, main character, confirmed in the source material

Seven Days in Silverglen (Webtoon):

Mira (arospec) - canon, main character, hinted at in the source material, confirmed outside the source material (link)

She-Ra and the Princesses of Power (Cartoon Series):

Mermista (fluxromantic) - mostly vibes but also it just makes sense to me

Seahawk (fluxromantic) - same as with Mermista

Glimmer (aspec) - idk what she is but it is not alloallo

Bow (arospec and acespec) - I think it's fun for the arrow-ace characters to be aroaces

Entrapta (cupiorose) - I relate to her character a lot and as such I can stretch canon to make her aroace too

Steven Universe (Cartoon Series):

Peridot (aroace) - canon, hinted at in the source material, confirmed outside the source material

Amethyst (arospec, acespec) - saw someone say this once and I liked it

The Dragon Prince (Cartoon Series):

Rayla (aspec) - Once again, vibes. I saw both her and Callum this way all the way back in S1 and it hasn't died for me.

Callum (aspec) - Vibes, read above.

The Good Place (TV Series):

Eleanor Shellstrop (demiromantic) - she doesn't fall in love easily, because she doesn't connect with people easily. Her falling in love with Chidi multiple times is a huge deal for her.

Chidi Anagonye (demisexual) - I think it would be fun if he was demisexual and Eleanor was demiromantic

Tahani Al-Jamil (aroallo) - She really just seems unbothered by the romantic parts of her relationships in the show, and her arc ends up with her staying single.

Michael (aroace) - I know this because he told me personally

The Owl House (Cartoon Series):

Luz Noceda (asexual) - If you flip her outfit upside down it makes the asexual flag

Lilith Clawthorne (aroace) - canon, major character, confirmed outside the source material (link - I could not find the original)

Vespertine (Book):

Artemisia (aroace) - canon, main character, confirmed outside the source material (link)

[haveyoureadthisbook-poll]