#fractured magic

[emrowene]

Free to read now: FRACTURED MAGIC

A penny dreadful for the modern reader! A thrilling tale for the masses! Read all about a corrupted hero's hunt for redemption and an elven lordlings' quest to rescue his kidnapped King. The two estranged best friends are racing against time -- and long-lost gods -- to achieve their goals. Will they make up and work together before it's too late?

Fractured Magic is a queer fantasy webserial. New chapters are published on substack and at emrowene.com every monday.

[emrowene]

my main story is fractured magic, a gothic fantasy webserial! the official blurb:

To Leandros Nochdvor, Egil was the greatest hero the world had ever known. It had nothing to do with the man's accomplishments, numerous though they were. It had nothing to do with the past Egil overcame or even the lives he saved. It was simply this: he taught Leandros how to live. And then he taught Leandros how to love. And then Leandros lost him. Years later, when Leandros' uncle is kidnapped by a strange woman with stranger powers, Leandros must confront his grief and ask himself: what would Egil do? So Leandros gathers allies, each with their own pasts and secrets, and sets off to save his uncle the kind. On the journey, he faces old gods, forgotten magics, and bitter betrayals, but the foe he crosses at the end of it all makes the rest seem small: Egil, back from the dead. How could Leandros hope to win, facing the famous Egil? How could he want to, facing the man he once loved? And if this righteous hero saw the need to bar Leandros' way, then which of them is right

Let’s get to know your main story! Tell us a little bit about it!

[heartsswirls]

it all started w oreos 💕

[fanofspooky]

Scream King - Anthony Hopkins

[mtg-cards-hourly]

Fracture

"Your defiance is amusing, little mage. It's time you learn how fragile you really are." —Extus Narr

Artist: Miranda Meeks TCG Player Link Scryfall Link EDHREC Link

[baba-yada]

oh my GOD why did I get excited at Aabria giving Evan an Iliac Crest injury

I fractured mine a few years ago during a dance competition, and that shit HURTS. weirdly niche and specific injury mentioned ‼️‼️‼️

[cloaksandcapes]

This is a great item to use as a GM\DM for a new plot arc, or add a bit of chaos into a game where players are feel comfortable.

Have a beloved NPC pick this up and split into a Chaotic Good and Lawful Evil versions of themselves. The Chaotic Good NPC is the one causing the MOST trouble and needs to be tracked down. The Lawful Evil NPC actually wants to work with and help the group...but their methods are questionable.

They should also be planning ways to get rid of their good counterpart at the height of the arc as they don't want to be joined back together. Either way have fun and let me know if you use it an how it goes! :)

Anima Fracture

Wondrous Item, legendary

“A  black large shard of unknown origins. When you stare into the glossy surface, the reflection staring back at you seems to be of a different mind. It’s believed to come from a larger source of the same material.”

When a creature makes physical contact with this magic item, they must make a DC 20 Charisma or Wisdom saving throw (whichever is lower). On a successful save, nothing happens and they are immune to the effects of the item for 24 hours. On a failed saving throw the being is magically split into two identical beings with the same memories and magic items. Neither is a clone or a copy, they are both the same creature with one distinct difference. One of them has an alignment of Lawful or Chaotic Good and the other the opposite alignment.

The two still share the same goals and motivations they had before the split, but those same tenants may now be warped by the shift in alignment. If both halves make physical contact with this magic item at the same time, they must make a DC 20 Charisma or Wisdom saving throw  (whichever is lower) at disadvantage, if both fail they are rejoined into one being, and retain memories from both. If one or both succeed, nothing happens.

Join us on Twitch every Mon\Wed\Fri to create new Homebrews and check out our Patreon for 482+ magic items, tokens, maps, and more.

[ryanwinsatlife]

Reread Ásgarðrian Galdr by Valerie_Vancollie on Ao3 again and finally got around to making fanart of Loki's poor core!

(Thor caught a faint smudge of green and knew his brother had not fully lost consciousness, but an odd, garbled humming was the only response Loki made, lying limp and far too still where Thor had placed him. He was about to repeat his question when his mother's eyes flew open with a gasp, horror and panic clear in their depths.

"Norns, Óðinn, quick!" she cried out frantically, making Thor jump.

"Mother?" he questioned, panic flaring within him.

She was not one to frighten easily.

"Frigga?" Father asked.

"His core, 'tis almost completely shredded!" Mother replied.)

[cherryiious]

what if I just dropped sailor toolshed without any context- ( @thegiftedau )

[imtrashraccoon]

Fractured souls? 👀

This is one of my favourite wips I've ever written! I've teased it a few times on my blog but I want to finish another fic before I post it. I got 13 chapters pretty much done!

It's an Underfell fic that takes place in the early 2000's post-Pacifist route where most monsters are way taller than humans. There's political unrest and government corruption aplenty but the focus of the story is on Found Family and overcoming trauma.

There's gonna be a love triangle and soul shenanigans like rescuing a certain character stuck in the void. Also, a new magic system that I haven't used before. Yeah, all very exciting!

[emrowene]

Queer fantasy you can read on your phone! Experts agree this is the best way to avoid your family over the holidays! (It's me, I'm experts)

Fractured Magic is a gothic fantasy webserial. It's for lovers of old school fantasy, victorian gothics, and traumatized men who act like they went through the world's messiest divorce (despite never actually having dated).

Blurb:

To Leandros Nochdvor, Egil was the greatest hero the world had ever seen. It had nothing to do with the man's accomplishments, numerous though they were. It had nothing to do with the past Egil overcame or even the lives he saved. It was simply this: Egil taught Leandros how to live. And then he taught Leandros how to love. And then Leandros lost him. Years later, when Leandros' uncle the king is abducted by a strange woman with stranger powers, Leandros must confront his grief and ask: what would Egil do? So Leandros gathers allies, each with their own pasts and secrets, and sets off to save his king. On the journey, he faces old gods, forgotten magics, and bitter betrayals, but the foe waiting at the end makes the rest seem small: Egil, back from the dead. How could Leandros hope to win, facing the famous hero? How could he want to, facing the man he once loved? And if this righteous hero is barring Leandros' way, then which of them is right?

Interested to know more? You can read it for free at queerenigma.com.

[nellasbookplanet]

Book recs: many worlds, alternate timelines edition

I've previously written a rec post on the portal fantasy genre, so let's now take a look at a very similar trope: that of parallel universes and alternate timelines!

Unlike portal fantasies, these books are usually scifi, relying on the theory of the multiverse, however there are exceptions (a common one being that of a 'sliding scale', where worlds move from scifi to fantasy the further you go).

Also, surprisingly many of these books have queer themes and characters!

Previous book rec posts:

Really cool fantasy worldbuilding, really cool sci-fi worldbuilding, dark sapphic romances, mermaid books, vampire books, portal fantasies, robots and artificial intelligences, post- and transhumanism

For more details on the books, continue under the readmore. Titles marked with an * are my personal favorites. And as always, feel free to share your own recs in the notes!

Sci-fi in the multiverse

Fractured Infinity by Nathan Tavares

Hayes Figueiredo is a struggling film-maker who wants to finish his documentary, who's life gets turned upside down when he meets the handsome physicist Yusuf Hassan enters his life, claiming an alternate version of him is a great inventor who's sent a mysterious device to their universe. As Hayes gets drawn deeper into the conspiracy - and his feelings for Yusuf intensify - he has to decide just how far he's prepared to go to win the life and the love he wants. Featuring a very gay and very morally dubious lead, this is a creative and strange read.

The Space Between Worlds (The Space Between Worlds series) by Micaiah Johnson

Multiverse travel is finally possible, but there’s just one catch: No one can visit a world where their counterpart is still alive. Enter Cara, whose parallel selves happen to be exceptionally good at dying. As such she has a very special job in traveling to these worlds, hoping to keep her position long enough to gain citizenship in the walled off Wiley City, away from the wastes where she grew up. But her job is dangerous, especially when she gets on the tracks of a secret that threatens the entire multiverse. Really cool worldbuilding and characters, also featuring a sapphic lead!

Ascension by Jacqueline Koyanagi

More of a space opera than a typical multiverse story, Ascension follows Alana Quick, an expert Sky Surgeon who stows away on a spaceship in hopes of landing herself a job. But the ship and its crew are in deeper waters than she expected, facing threats emerging from a whole other universe, all of them searching for the same person: Alana's spiritually enlightened sister. Undeniably a bit of an odd read, Ascension is also very creative and features polyamorous lesbian relationship.

Finna (LitenVerse series) by Nino Cipri

Novella. Working as a minimum wage employee at a big box furniture store already sucks, but it gets exponentially worse for Ava when a customer gets sucked into a wormhole and she gets sent to retrieve her from the mazes of the multiverse. To make matters worse? She has to work with her ex. A fun, quick and creative read as well as a scathing critique of capitalism, also featuring a major nonbinary character in Ava's ex and colleague.

The Kaiju Preservation Society by John Scalzi

In an example of extremely differing timelines, The Kajiu Preservation Society features an alternate Earth that's home to giant kajius who feed on radiation. During the height of the pandemic, Jamie is suddenly in the need of a new job. Rescue comes in the form of an old acquaintance who works for a secretive animal rights organisation and invites Jamie along. This one is lighthearted and a bit gimmicky, but also a fun and quick read.

The Doors of Eden by Adrian Tchaikovsky*

In yet another example of very different timelines, The Doors of Eden is something of an experiment in speculative biology, featuring versions of Earth in which various different species were the one to rise to sentience, from dinosaurs to neanderthals. Now, something is threatening the existence of all timelines, dragging multiple different people into the struggle, among those a pair of cryptid hunting girlfriends and a transgender scientist.

The Long Earth (The Long Earth series) by Terry Pratchett & Stephen Baxter

When a device consisting simply of some wiring, a three-way switch and a potato makes it possible for anyone who wants to travel the multiverse, humanity is changed forever. But despite their great similarities, these worlds also have great differences from our Earth - such as a strange lack of humans. Joshua, one of few people able to cross the multiverse without the help of the potato-device, sets out to explore these seemingly endless worlds.

Hominids (Neanderthal Parallax trilogy) by Robert J. Sawyer

On a parallel Earth, neanderthals have developed a radically different society from ours. Ponter, one of these neanderthals and a physicist, gets accidentally transported to a research facility in our world, where he's faced with the great cultural differences between human and neanderthal society. Meanwhile, back in his home world, his housemate Adikor is charged with his murder.

Meet Me in Another Life by Catriona Silvey*

Thora and Santi are strangers, brought together by a coincidence and torn apart just as abruptly when tragedy strikes. But this is neither the first nor the last time they meet - again and again they encounter each other, as friends, lovers, enemies, family, every time recognizing in each other a familiarity no one else carries. But with every new life, a mysterious danger grows ever closer, forcing them to find out the truth of their connection. Calling this a multiverse story isn't entirely correct, but it also isn't entirely incorrect, and saying more would be an immediate spoiler. It's a puzzle-box of a story that goes some entirely unexpected places in a very wild ride, featuring a bisexual co-lead.

Magic in the multiverse

The Invisible Library (The Invisible Library series) by Genevieve Cogman

Irene works as a spy for the mysterious Library, which collects fiction from different realities. She's sent to an alternate London rife with magic and chaos to retrieve a dangerous book, but by the time she arrives it has already been stolen. Alongside her assistant Kai, she races to find the book before it's too late.

Jane, Unlimited by Kristin Cashore*

Young Adult. Jane is invited by an old acquaintance to an extravagant gala in an island mansion, stranding her among the rich and glamorous. But being surrounded by rich people is the least of Jane's problems: the mansion is housing secrets, some of them tied to Jane's own family. The mansion offers her five choices, all of them leading her down different paths and different answers. Jane, Unlimited is a choose-your-own adventure story of sorts, featuring five different endings in five different genres, each more off the wall bonkers than the next. It also features a bisexual main character!

A Darker Shade of Magic (Shades of Magic trilogy) by V.E. Schwab

Kell is an antari - one of the only people able to travel between parallel Londons; Red, Grey, White, and, once upon a time, Black. Kell's London is a place of magic, where he works as an ambassador traveling between the worlds. He's also a smuggler, secretly and illegally bringing objects between the worlds. His hobby brings him into hot water when an exchange goes wrong, and lands him face to face with the cut-purse Delilah, who's prepared to do just about anything to step from her Grey London to one of magic and adventure.

Fucked up parent-child relationships in the multiverse

The Possibilities by Yael Goldstein-Love

Ever since her son Jack nearly died at birth eight months ago, Hannah has had the niggling feeling that something is wrong. When Jack is mysteriously snatched away, Hannah's fears are proven true; now she must employ a strange and newly awakened ability to cross between parallel worlds to save him. On the lighter end of the scifi spectrum, The Possibilities explores the fears and anxieties of motherhood through the spectrum of the multiverse.

Midnight Robber by Nalo Hopkinson*

Utterly unique in worldbuilding, story, and prose, Midnight Robber follows young Tan-Tan and her father, inhabitants of the Carribean-colonized planet of Toussaint. When her father commits a terrible crime, he's exiled to a parallel version of the same planet, home to strange aliens and other human exiles. Tan-Tan, not wanting to lose her father, follows with him. Trapped on this new planet, he becomes her worst nightmare. Enter this book with caution, as it contains graphic child sexual abuse.

Bridge by Lauren Beukes

When she was little, Bridge and her mother Jo used to play a game - one where they traveled to other worlds, inhabiting the bodies of their other selves. Now Jo is dead, and as Bridge is cleaning out her apartment she finds a strange device: a dreamworm, the very thing that supposedly makes inter-dimensional travel possible. Suddenly faced with the possibility that multiverse travel is real, Bridge is struck by a different question: could her mother still be alive? Scifi spiced with a healthy dose of body horror and some absolutely wild twists, Bridge also features a bisexual lead (however this is a blink and you'll miss it moment) and a nonbinary co-narrator.

Bonus AKA I haven't read these yet but they seem really cool

Infinity Gate by M.R. Carey

An AI threatens millions of alternate versions of Earth, and a political and trading alliance binding them all together is prepared to stop it no matter the cost to human life.

Ida by Alison Evans

Young Adult. Ida struggles more than most young girls with finding her path, as she has the ability to shift between parallel worlds, allowing her to see many different possibilities

The Art of Saving the World by Corinne Duyvis

Young Adult. A dimensional rift has opened in Hazel's backyard, and is strangely tied to her presence, growing volatile if she travels too far away and forcing her to stay in her home town. That is, until not one but three other Hazels falls through the rift into her world.

Honorary mentions AKA these didn't really work for me but maybe you guys will like them: Dark Matter by Blake Crouch, A Thousand Pieces of You by Claudia Gray, Interworld by Neil Gaiman & Michael Reaves, The Midnight Library by Matt Haig

[jetwhenitsmidnight]

FAVOURITE BOOKS OF 2024

Top 15 (in order of reading)

Someone You Can Build a Nest In

He Who Drowned the World

The West Passage

A Darker Shade of Magic

Piranesi

Compound Fracture

Babel

This Fatal Kiss

The Black Hunger

Model Home

The Atlas Six

Sorcery and Small Magics

Extremophile

Record of a Spaceborn Few

The Maid and the Crocodile

HONOURABLE MENTIONS

YA FANTASY

Sheine Lende

Dark Heir

The Worst Perfect Moment

Redemptor

Gwen & Art are Not in Love

The Legend of the White Snake

ADULT FANTASY

A Power Unbound

Saint Death's Daughter

The Sins on Their Bones

The Seven Moons of Maali Almeida

The Saint of Bright Doors

The City in Glass

YA CONTEMPORARY/ROMANCE

Skater Boy

Twelfth Knight

I Wish You All the Best

Felix Ever After

Fake Dates and Mooncakes

SCIENCE FICTION

Network Effect

A Closed and Common Orbit

A Beautifully Foolish Endeavor

Key Lime Sky

HORROR

Take All of Us

Summer Sons

The Eyes are the Best Part

These Fleeting Shadows

NOVELLAS

The Black God's Drums

Thornhedge

Time's Agent

GRAPHIC NOVELS

The Prince and the Dressmaker

Superman Smashes the Klan

The Princess and the Grilled Cheese Sandwich

The Tea Dragon Society + The Tea Dragon Festival

[introvertgoat]

hc that throughout the years, jude takes leaves of absences form being high queen to go spend a couple months w vivi heather n oak !!! madoc too ig while he’s still exiled lol. ( vehemently ignoring the stolen heir’s canon sorry not sorry.) family bonding time, far away from the hubbub n chaos of the folk, n also the realization that jude doesn’t mind the mortal world all that much. yes it’s not faerieland, but it’s smth alright n she finds it soothing at times. she’s less unhinged n paranoid compared to when she was younger n the ptsd from her past has decreased in its intensity thanks to heather-mandated therapy ( heather only had to hear a couple times abt the duarte sisters’ fucked up childhood for her to plead jude to go to therapy—vivi alrdy has— n jude relented after 5 yrs of honest-to-god begging. big slay heather our mental health queen 🫂) and so that’s why she can even leave faerieland in someone else’s hands. these visits aren’t too frequent but they r long in their duration. 3-4 months tops. sometimes cardan comes along bcs the bed feels empty w/o jude n— Okay he’s js lonely w/o his wife. sue him. some poor hapless councilor advisor is forced to be in charge in their place (they send letters weekly. ‘please your majesties, when will you be returning home ?’ #urgent LOL) one day jude (age:37) notices grey hairs appearing on her head n she sort of freaks out. not in an entirely vain way either. more like:. oh fuck aren’t i supposed to not age as long as im in faeirieland ?? 3 long discussions later w cardan n the royal folk-human specialist, the conclusion that is reached is that bcs of jude’s visits to the mortal word, as infrequent as they r, theyve seemed to affect the way her body ages. or more aptly put, doesn’t age lol. jude gets some grey hair n lines on her face while still technically NOT aging. n she feels less panicky abt it bcs hey she’s not aging. sort of. meanwhile, cardan finds himself deeply enamored w jude’s grey hair n the subtle creases on her face that multiply slowly. he tells jude js so n she’s like i am not susceptible to flattery cardan greenbriar. hes Serious abt it tho n tells her that he isn’t saying that bcs it’ll make her feel better or wtv but bcs her aging evidently is actually beautiful to him. cue jude sour pursed lips for a bit as she gets these days when it comes to cardan being unbearably earnest towards her but she feels less weird abt the hair n lines so :)

anyways this was a long-winded niche asf hc that appeals to exactly only 2 ppl on this site n im not even confident in THAT estimate lol

[hi-kyle]

Its been like several months but i have more drawings

A lot of these r from au roleplays and just my own au designs n shit

They'll be labeled each in image descriptions btw

[kuchipark]

MY FRIEND JUST GAVE ME €3 SO I CAN BUY THE FROM DUSK TILL CASA BONITA DLC!!!!!!! LIFE IS GOOD!!!!!