#monster blood tattoo

[strawby]

[ars-a-tergum]

Since the books have been republished and there's a 4th on the way I've been ITCHING

[quantomeno]

I was running low on books and I keep forgetting to go to the library or can't be bothered buying more so I decided to reread a book series I read when I was 12. Back then I just ploughed through without properly reading. (it got a bit tiresome to read for whatever reason but I didn't want to not read it.

I really did not read it properly. I just finished book two and I remembered like, the first chapter and pretty much nothing else. Book 1 I had a lot more distinct memories of though and I remember a few things from book 3.

Anyway, the series is Monster Blood Tattoo by D M Cornish.

It's a decent set of books, but part of the reason I persisted with them as a kid was because the art is just so gorgeous.

I may or may not have a crush on Europe (yes her name is the same as the continent, but there's no Europe (the continent) in the story and it's not even close to being the weirdest name in the book). Whenever she appears in the story I am happier.

I can see why I found it a slog as a child though. The fantasy world Cornish has made up is a little needlessly elaborate (why must he have five synonyms for everything plus contractions and slang words). Though, I can't deny that it does feel alive and real due to this complexity. You are left wanting to know more about the rest of the world.

Story-wise though, it can also be rather dull. It's like, there's nothing really causing any major, overarching tension to propel the plot. On the other hand, Cornish does a good job of keeping you interested by putting the characters into a lot of immediately dangerous situations. Book 2 fixes this a bit, but even when there's a lurking threat in the background, it sort of just gets put into the 'we can't do anything about it now' basket and ignored for a while.

Actually, there sort of is an overarching tension, but it's only subtly hinted to early on. It's the focus of a major reveal at the end of book 2 and while I'd forgotten it when I started my re-read I instantly remembered it at the first hint of it in book 1, and it's hinted to quite nicely throughout.

The book depends a bit on you liking Rossamund enough to keep with it, and while I won't say I was bored on this read, I do have to say he's not the most engaging of protagonists.

I don't quite know if I would recommend it, but I also wouldn't discourage reading it. It's a very well-thought out fantasy world with a number of fun characters. Honestly I would read it just because of Europe.

[tallymarksystem]

Did I just impulsively make another discord server? Yeah maybe.

I've made a book club server! I've started re-reading a list of books I've loved in the past and I want to talk to people about them, so if you've read any of the following books, are interested in them, or want to hear me talk about them, here's my current list: Deltora Quest, The Magic Thief, Ranger's Apprentice, The Paladin Prophecy, and Foundling. The list will absolutely expand, and feel free to recommend books :]

[pleas3pretendimnothere]

Here's what I read in February! Unlike in January, we read a lot of good stuff this month!

Renegades

By Marissa Meyer - I am a sucker for bad YA novels, and this book had all the makings of one. However, much to my surprise, this book was a delight! I'd previously read Cinder by Meyer many years ago, and I remembered a whole lot of nothing about it--it was incredibly dull and forgettable, the epitome of middle-of-the-road YA fiction. Luckily, Renegades is a fantastic departure from that! Superheroes, adventure, likeable characters, and great pacing galore! It felt like I'd fallen from the typical YA romance story I'd expected and into an adventurous, delightful Rick Riordan novel. While the story is predictable and unremarkable, I was too busy having so much fun in this YA Boys world, that I didn't care one bit!

Will be picking up the sequel! Incredibly fun and digestible read, especially if you enjoy superhero stories. However, it's no great feat, so I'd recommend you RENT IT!

To Kill a Mockingbird

By Harper Lee - I am always reading classics, because I typically end up loving them. This read will not be amongst my favorites, but I am glad that I finally got to it. Mockingbird is an incredibly important read, I think, and anyone who hasn't picked it up should.

It's worth noting the book's popularity isn't necessarily related to its quality, but instead to the matter of its initial printing. Mockingbird is one of the first affordable "higher-quality" paperbacks available to the larger public, and its publishing was intended to bring broader audiences into the market of cheap paperbacks. Sales revolutionized the market. Today in America, the majority of children are required to read this book at some point during their education. For good and for bad, that's what made this book worth the read. The history of this story and its influence on American culture is stark and vivid.

Though schools may tout Mockingbird as an important piece discussing America's racist past, I think the book is worth a read in today's modern context for much different reasons. This here is the father of the "white savior" trope, and it's incredibly enlightening to learn about this book's history in the lord's year of 2024. Definitely RENT IT!

The Night Circus

By Erin Morgenstern - So this book has been sitting on my shelf for over ten years. FINALLY I read it, and unfortunately, I will not be keeping it. I LOVE romance, but this one was not for me.

I don't have a lot to say about Circus, except that it just wasn't my cup of tea. The point of view frequently jumps between characters and points of time, making a comprehensive story feel sort of jarring and lacking. The characters themselves also felt incomplete for that reason. The world was fun and whimsical, but the story was small and haphazard. And for me, I dislike romances where I cannot explain why the characters are in love. And truly, I cannot.

If you like more traditional, slow romance stories, this might be worth a RENT IT, but otherwise, SKIP IT! Read Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell instead!

Lamplighter

By D.M. Cornish - This is the second installment in a trilogy. The first book was fantastic, and this sequel, though lesser than its predecessor, is more of the same. I call this series "Bloodborne for kids!"

The world Cornish has built is staggering. Each book begins with an expansive map. The novel itself is peppered with charming illustrations by Cornish, and at the hardcover's back is over a hundred pages of reference and glossary. This sequel is more difficult to read than Monster Blood Tattoo: Foundling, as essentially every sentence has some concept or idea that is novel to this world, and the reader is expected to remember it all. The pacing suffers because of that, and Cornish's commitment to realism often comes at the price of brevity. That would be my one and only issue with the work, because the story itself remains horrifying and delightful.

There is mystery everywhere. There is fun and also terror and intrigue. The world is beautiful and horrible, and even though the work is intended for children, I'm often disgusted by Cornish's often gory descriptors. It paints a harsh, unfriendly world, where our young protagonist stands no chance of surviving. And yet, he is just so adorable, you can't stop rooting for him!

If you enjoy dark fantasy (like Bloodborne), this series is a must-have. If you don't, this series is still worth hours of your time, just for the experience of the sheer scale of this fantasy world. Absolutely BUY IT!

Another four books down! Excited for next month, where plan to read the Southern Reach books and, somehow, the behemoth The Way of Kings. Pray for me!

[amanitaknowsbest]

Wait, D.M. Cornish! He wrote the Monster Blood Tattoo series, he's great! Does his own illustrations!

Do you have a favorite Australian author? (Other than yourself of course)

To be honest, I don't pay all that much attention to where authors come from, so I have no idea.

[3cosmicfrogs]

look who i spotted at the pride parade!

[compassmili]

PJM literally looked at Gregor and was like just how anti-Semitic can we be

[thornescalling]

shaking Captain like the wet pile of rags he is

[raiiny-bay]

they're just lil guys

full image:

[fruitybugboyart]

“Will asked you to do this?”

Flash piece inspired by Hannibal NBC Season 2 Mukouzuke

Can be purchase as stickers prints and more on my redbubble (also hi i changed my blog name from xlemonprince to fruitybugboyart)

Process video below the break

[ent-is-indecisive]

Reflecting on my renewed interests in lil guys whove always been somewhat weird and then discover odd things. That i personnally theorize to be part monsters.

[ars-a-tergum]

Thing I made for fun using audio from the OG owlhouse pilot that was circulating everywhere 😆

Bet my sis likes this.

(characters are Rossamünd, Gosling, Snarl, and Thenody from MBT)

[borom1r]

finally knocked The Monster Project off my watchlist and that was… disappointing?

[sunniestshark-ocs]

Under the cut are some old designs of Jo's bc I just did whatever the fuck with Bleach back then. They don't (probably) happen anymore but I still like them!

They're various stages of her fully merging with her zanpakuto spirit, which wasn't really a zanpakuto in the first place but that's a story for another time

The last one fucks severely tho

[yeyinde]

preacher's daughter (Ethel Cain inspired) and biker Ghost would go so hard. all that corruption, religious trauma/catholic guilt, and small town gothic misery, you know?

sheltered daughter meets violence personified. the devil and the sacrificial lamb. you meet him when you wander up to the motorcycle club on the outskirts of town with a pamphlet about salvation clutched in your trembling hands. he leans his big, intimidating frame against the door jamb, and with his arms crossed over his broad chest, says must be good on your knees, aren't you, birdie?

(you answer with an earnest yes, sir, i worship on my knees everyday and pretend the heat that flares in your belly when he groans is from the too-hot sun; the first of many sins.)

later that evening, your daddy tells you that he's an honest and good man, but sometimes he prays that God strikes that vile place right down. you bite your tongue and nod, but sneak out at night and meet him there where you slip into silk lingerie and dance on stage just for him. he tells every man there that if he catches them staring at you, he'll stab them in the eyes, and you think it's the most romantic thing you'd ever heard.

it's love letters carved into the sunbleached bones of a half-submerged deer left to rot in the stagnant bog just outside of the abandoned white chapel. something watches you from the dark stained glass windows as he runs his tattooed fingers over your skin, leaving smears of gunpowder and soot.

(someone set the old man's car on fire—the who leered at you while you stood in the choir, wearing your lily white dress and sang glory be while you tried to forget what those tattooed hands felt like when they slipped under your skirt and between your thighs.

the old man was still inside—)

they call him a ghost. a demon. you call him Simon and daydream during bible study that you'll run away together. hop on the back of his old Harley and forget this place ever existed.

a daydream that quickly turns into a nightmare when your sordid relationship comes to light, and your daddy threatens to have him locked away for good. there's a gun in the safe upstairs. you think about the time Simon dragged you into the woods to shoot at cans and lose your faith under the sweltering sun when you pull the trigger.

"for us," you tell him, breathing in the dank church air ripe with sin and the stench of blood. "i did it for us."

it's leaning on the back of his Harley with your fingers threaded around his thick waist as the town grows smaller and smaller in the distance. staring up at the endless blue sky and grinning wide because you finally got your monster of a man wrapped around your finger.

(and all it took was a little deal made with the thing that lives in the abandoned church.)