#sorry to anyone who is a fan of anne rice and her works and stories who will stumble upon this

[dracimexidae]

I'm fucking free, I finally finished that forsaken book, and I never want to touch another Anne Rice's work ever again!!! 🙌

[all-good-things-dot-dot-dot]

All Good Things… I’m A Weirdo, And That’s Okay. (Part One, Possibly…)

3rd June 2020

Hello Chaps and Chapettes.

I am what is known affectionately and sometimes ridiculed, as a furry. To those who don’t know what that is, it means that I am part of a community that roleplays online, and often offline, as an animal. This can come in many forms, from your average animals that walk on two legs, to more commonly known furries who walk around on two legs with forms not too dissimilar from what you see in Disney films like Robin Hood and more recently, Zootopia. 

(Photo: Walt Disney Studios)

Some people, including a few I know and call friends, dress up as their fursona - that means, the persona they take on when they are being a furry. Most that I know personally, like myself, keep it to a past-time that they spend online. They’ll chat normally about a vast range of things, from what is going on in the real world, films, music, life, ETC. However, they’ll do this behind a pseudonym, the name or character they go by in the community, and everyone (who has the desire to roleplay with them) will refer to them by that character’s name and species. 

Here’s my example - I’ve been known in certain communities as Dusk, a black panther. I have had numerous backstories for my character, but lately, I stick with a basic ‘he’s a panther and is from England,’ and riff on whatever else anyone wants to know about him. This is probably because I have grown as close to Dusk as I have to my own life, to the point where there’s no difference between him and me, apart from he has a pretty sweet tail and is a hell of a lot cuter. 

This is one example I can give of how weird a person I really am. Some, even the friend or relatives of mine that others would consider weird enough, don’t know this story about me unless they’re reading it now. If they are - hello! Love you lots, thanks for reading this confession, please don’t send me to the funny farm. I’d prefer a funny zoo…

So, why? Why do I have this segment of my life that is important to me? Why, now I’m an adult, have I not stopped enjoying logging onto a chatroom and having people call me Dusk, or lately Scaramouche? And why have I invented these personas for myself? 

I’ll start with those first two questions and answer them together, if I may. This isn’t something that started overnight. When I first began to join online communities at around fifteen or sixteen, it was to help aid two things. The first was my writing. I’d heard that people would create text-based roleplays which was essentially like writing an ongoing story where you tell the story from a personal character. I thought this would help improve my book writing abilities immensely. 

(Photo: Underworld (2003) Lakeshore Entertainment )

The second reason was that a girl I really, really, really fancied at the time told me about it, and invited me to do it with her (the roleplaying online, nothing else… ). So I went along to do that thing boys do - try and impress the person they fancy. The roleplay was about vampires and lycans (werewolves) because that was a big interest for this girl and myself (Anne Rice & ‘Underworld’ was preferred rather than Stephenie Meyer - Sorry Edward/ Jacob fans). I created a character called Dusk’eth, who was a werewolf, a total ‘Mary-Sue’ (a generic character who is perfect at everything) who tried to woo this girl on my behalf while she played as a vampire.

This worked about as well as you can expect, by which I mean, it didn’t. After a few roleplays, ‘Dusk’eth’ seemed to wander off to find other things on the internet, sort of like Wreck-It Ralph, and discovered a place that when by the name of ‘Gaia Online’ which was a community with cutesy little avatars and a lot more people to chat to. 

At the same time that I became more involved in this community, I went on a trip to Tenerife, where I visited the Loro Parque zoo. There, I became fascinated by a Black Panther who seemed to watch me and only me the entire time that I walked by its pen. It was more than likely wishing I was in its pen so that it could have me for lunch and I wish this story was about a free animal, not one in a cage, but nonetheless it has an impact on me. This was where Dusk’eth started to change from a werewolf to a guy who could become a cat. 

It was after this that I met other people who discussed with me what furries were and introduced me to the places on the internet where they would meet. When friends and this girl I had liked at school moved on, these people stayed and remembered my name, what was going on in my life, and held an interest that didn’t invade or ruin how I wanted to live. Eventually, Dusk settled on being a panther full time and still has many of the friends he met in those early days as close to him as they are to me, no matter where in the world they are. 

(Artwork ‘Dusk’ by Nateday, https://www.furaffinity.net/user/nateday )

And that goes some way to answering those first two questions - I still do it, because the people I befriended behind the animals they pretend to be remain good friends. They’ve been there for me in the highs, they’ve helped me through the lows, they’ve cried and cheered with me and I with them. It seems strange to those outside the furry universe, but that’s okay because to us, it makes sense. 

So, that last question, why do I still identify as Dusk, and why did I create Scaramouche too? Well, Dusk went through that part of my life with me and as I say, I put so much of me in him that he really hasn’t felt like a non-existent creature. You may have heard other writers say that about their characters. 

Scaramouche, on the other hand, is me. However, that is just a name. Not a character, just a persona to give me an extra boost of confidence when I do anything, like this right now. I can best describe it as a uniform, I know I can be a certain way when I’m Scaramouche that I cannot be when I’m Matt. I guess that’s why Elton John and Lady Gaga must feel when they step into their names too. 

There are so many more things that make me completely bizarre, like the fact I’m a Brony (a guy who likes My Little Pony) or that I believe I see dead people… sort of. But for now, I will close by explaining why it is okay, for me at least. 

Everybody has a quirk. You may not think it, but you do. It might be something disgusting, something embarrassing, something sexual, something strange, or something most in your country think is acceptable but other people from other countries would consider it strange. Everyone is a little odd and it is fine so long as it isn’t hurting anybody. You can think I’m a weirdo and that’s not a problem either. 

I know I am and I’m happy with it.

All good things, 

Love, Scaramouche. 

X

P.S. In the end we all do weird things, and if you don’t think you do, ask yourselves if you can remember which part of the chicken that egg you ate came from. Yeah?

[itsclydebitches]

Oh god another ask by me lol. The reason I asked is because a podcast I listen to had a discussion on all this. One of the people is a small unknown artist and she was very against the idea of anyone using her characters in anything usually, especially not without asking permission. She appreciates fan art (drawn some herself), but her OC's are her OC's. They're precious to her and doesn't want people to just use them on their terms. Is she wrong to think that or to take action if she ever did?

(lol it’s all good!!) 

But no yeah that second ask is precisely where I stand and it’s what we see occurring here, in fan communities. I wrote a Good Omens fic. People (astoundingly) liked it. Now a couple of them want to write their own, similar fics, or draw art, or use a quote, etc. Despite answering numerous asks with a “Hell yeah! Do whatever you want,” despite having a note on my blog saying all derivative works of my stuff are welcome, despite the fact that none of this is illegal under fair use, despite the fact that we’re already all making derivative works of canons… 99% of people still ask me permission. Why? Because it’s just polite and the implication is that if I said, “No sorry. I really don’t want you using my fic in this way” then the person would respond with something along the lines of, “Oh. That’s disappointing, but I understand. I won’t make the thing.” The difference between a mainstream author and a fan author is that we paid the mainstream author and a lot comes down to what you consider you’ve “bought.” Some people believe they’ve only bought the physical thing. I’ve paid for this book and now I can do whatever I like with the book as an object: loan it, write in it, maaaaaybe tear it up and use it for new art—but that’s where things get tricky. Other people (like me) believe that I’ve bought both the physical thing and the right to interact with the contents however I please. You, the author, put your work into the world for money. I gave you that money. Now you don’t get to dictate when and why and how I interact with the story I’ve purchased. Fans do almost everything for free—they gave me this thing as a gift—so I’m much more open to considering how they’d like me to use that gift. If I buy a table I’ll do whatever the hell I want with it. If a friend gives me a table and asks that I not paint it because they’re already happy with the color, I respect that. 

Personally I’ve never subscribed to the “These characters are my babies and I don’t want anyone else to ever touch them” mindset. More important than my personal views, I’m honestly skeptical of people who claim they don’t want fans using their characters in any way, because more often than not that’s just not true. When they do discover something—a podcast that praises them and also happens to discuss headcanons, a gorgeous piece of art posted to twitter, a story that’s drummed up more attention for their work than they’ve managed in months—they’re happy about it. They’re happy to get the attention and the feedback and the money up UNTIL the podcast turns critical, the art features a gay couple, the story gets just a little too popular. They want transformative works and all the benefits they bring up until they see something they personally don’t like, and you can’t police creativity like that. (Outside of, again, a few truly heinous things that we as a species recognize as being too dangerous to blindly promote. All of those stories need to be considered as individual pieces.) We’ve seen it time and time again from Anne Rice to George Lucas to Marion Bradley to JKR (with Gaiman being one of the few authors I’ve EVER seen who truly says, “Just go for it. You have my blessing.”) Yes, maybe this Mage is an outlier. Someone who well and truly doesn’t want ANY derivative works of her stuff, in which case many people will decide that honoring her wishes is more important to them than engaging with her work in this particular way. But that hasn’t been my experience. Authors are usually quite pleased to receive praise through fanworks, earn more money thanks to fanworks, start conversations about big issues through fanworks, they’ll happily embrace the community up until they see something they don’t like. And there’s not as much “Don’t like, don’t read” there. Instead of shrugging and going, “I don’t approve of this particular fic, but I still love fic in general” they suddenly want to shut the whole thing down. 

So yeah, for me it’s the hypocrisy. You can’t have your cake and eat it too. If authors truly want no transformative works of their stuff then I think it’s worth thinking about respecting that (though good luck enforcing it). Most authors aren’t like that though. Especially in this digital age.

[tamilundauthor]

According to Wikapedia, “A vampire is a being from folklore that subsists by feeding on the vital force of the living.” Also according to Wikapedia, they weren’t particularly attractive in the beginning: “they wore shrouds and were often described as bloated and of ruddy…countenance…”

My how things have changed.

Today, vampires are sexy. Thank God they’ve moved beyond “bloated,” because nobody wants a gassy hero.

Wikapedia also says this, in case you were looking for early (sexy) vampire reads:

“The charismatic and sophisticated vampire of modern fiction was born in 1819 with the publication of “The Vampyre” by John Polidori; the story was highly successful and arguably the most influential vampire work of the early 19th century.[4] Bram Stoker‘s 1897 novel Dracula is remembered as the quintessential vampire novel and provided the basis of the modern vampire legend, even though it was published after Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu‘s 1872 novel Carmilla.”

But enough about Wikapedia’s interpretation of vampires. Let’s talk about mine.

The first vampire movie I recall watching was Interview with the Vampire with Tom Cruise and Brad Pitt. And thus a giant crush as only schoolgirls can accomplish was born. I loved them equally, although between this movie, Legends of the Fall, and Thelma and Louise, Brad most certainly and quite quickly became a frontrunner. Sorry, Tom.

Anyway, back to vampires. I also read Anne Rice’s book, of course, although I can’t remember which went first—book or movie. Probably book because I remember watching the movie on television, not in the theatre, and back then, I tended to pick up the book first whenever a movie was made from it. (Which, by the way, often led to disappointment, because it’s all too common for the book to be so much better than the movie. In the case of Interview with the Vampire, there was no disappointment because refer to beautiful men above and yes, I am shallow like that.)

Throughout my rather lengthy reading career, I’ve read plenty of vampire books, including the Sookie Stackhouse series (which admittedly I started reading because they were based near Shreveport, Louisiana, a place I called home for a decade). I also adore Katie McAlister’s Dark Ones, which I picked up because after devouring all of her dragon books I obsessively needed more and so became one of those fans who stalks an author’s backlist and snags everything she can get her hands on. And then there were the Queen Betsy books, and now, as I read back through this list, I realize there is a definite trend in my vampire reading material.

I like humorous vampire stories.

Of course, I like sexy ones too, but hey, it’s pretty clear we can have both, right?

Buffy the Vampire Slayer, anyone?

I suppose this reading and watching material explains why the vampires I write tend to be both sexy and funny. (Although, to be fair, all of my books tend to have humor woven throughout.)

Now that I’ve snagged your interest with those sexy and funny memes, here’s the plug: I’ve written two vampire novellas. They are a pair; you should read Resist first, then Eternity. And Resist is currently discounted to 99c for only a few more days, making it terribly easy and tempting to get started on these two books.

Here’s the quickie 411:

Resist – our heroine hates vampires, with good reason. Our hero is a vampire who happens to save her life – which was threatened by a couple of punk humans, by the way. Oh yeah, our hero is also starving, but refuses to feed from her in an effort to prove not all vamps are bad guys. Also, there’s lots of sexual tension, which makes not feeding even more of a challenge. Oh, and humor. Cam’s a pretty funny vampire, if I do say so myself.

Eternity – our hero (vampire) and heroine (human) fell in love during Resist, and at the end of that book, our hero cuts all ties and sends our heroine back to her human life because he wants her to be happy and live out her full human life, something he missed out on and has always regretted. She’s pissed because he’s making this decision against her will, so she takes off to go lick her wounds and try to forget…and ends up in some seriously hot water. Our hero needs to rescue her, which is a challenge because she’s trapped on a Caribbean island, which, you know, tends to be a bright, sunny place on the regular, with little options for places to avoid the sun’s burning rays. And yeah, there’s plenty of funny, as well as some seriously sexy moments in this book.

A little about the author: Tami Lund likes to write funny, sexy vampires, as we’ve already established above. She also writes about dragons and witches and the mafia and sexy neighbors and the list goes on and on. This is where you can see the full library: https://tamilund.com/. Happy reading! 

Let’s Talk Vampires According to Wikapedia, “A vampire is a being from folklore that subsists by feeding on the vital force of the living.” Also according to Wikapedia, they weren’t particularly attractive in the beginning: “they wore  804 more words

[brightbeautifulthings]

Interview with the Vampire by Anne Rice

"'Don't you see? I'm not the spirit of any age. I'm at odds with everything and always have been! I have never belonged anywhere with anyone at any time!' 'But Louis,' he said softly. 'This is the very spirit of your age. Don't you see that? Everyone else feels as you feel. Your fall from grace and faith has been the fall of a century.'"

Year Read: 2018

Rating: 3/5

Context: I vaguely remember trying to read this once when I was younger and giving up on it for the slow pace and dense descriptions. I've seen the movie many times, and despite my general dislike of Tom Cruise, I think it's a great adaptation (and possibly one of the best performances of his career). This Halloween-month, I resolved to get through it once and for all, since The Vampire Chronicles have long been some of my dad's favorite books. This year, he finally gave in and read the first Anita Blake: Vampire Hunter novel after years of listening to my mom and me rave about them, so it only seems fair that I read one of his favorites. (Spoiler alert: I'm still Team Anita.) Actual spoilers will be clearly marked. Trigger warnings: blood, death, and endless brooding from the world's most reluctant vampire.

About: After more than two centuries of living (such as it is) as a vampire, Louis has consented to tell the story of his long life. At first disbelieving and then enraptured, the boy recording it listens to the gruesome tale with shock and fear. The story chronicles Louis's brief human life in the 1700's in New Orleans to his descent into immortality at the hands of the violent and erratic vampire, Lestat. Their relationship far from easy, however, Lestat soon makes a third vampire, Claudia, forever trapping her in a child's body. The three live as an uneasy but happy family for decades, but Lestat's villainy and Claudia's rage at being forever helpless constantly threaten their peace. Before long, Louis and Claudia flee to Europe in search of other vampires, but their quest may lead them into more danger than they've ever faced.

Thoughts: I empathize with my younger self, since this is not an easy novel to get through. Even before I consciously acknowledged things like "pace", I could tell that it moved at the speed of a glacier. It wallows in Louis's life before vampirism and those early days with Lestat for entirely too long, and Louis isn't the most exciting of narrators. He spends most of his time staring at things with his cool vampire eyes and hating himself for being a killer. In hindsight, maybe this is what the world of vampire fiction needed to spur it on its way to Twilight, TrueBlood, and The Vampire Diaries. Interview is the mother of all of them, and it's perhaps the first time we're given the opportunity to understand them, to see the story from their perspective. However, there's no mistaking the fact that Rice's vampires are still monsters who kill innocents every night. A vampire narrator who regrets the blood he spills might be the necessary middle-ground between remorseless monster Dracula and vampire love interest Stefan Salvatore. The story doesn't really pick up until Claudia joins them, and her love for Louis is matched only by her hatred of Lestat. Unlike the directionless Louis, Claudia has agency, and her ruthless efforts to achieve her goals (kill Lestat, find other vampires) prompt the story forward.

I like the characters more in theory than on the page. It's difficult to see how Lestat turns out to be the main character for much of the series, since he's painted mostly as a villain in this story. He's a trashcan fire with a gleeful disregard for human life, but he's not without depth or regret when it comes to his family. Claudia's situation is fascinating as she struggles to come to terms with the fact that she'll never age, and her bitterness makes her even colder and more ruthless than Lestat. Louis is more difficult. His whining, brooding, and pointless spirals of introspection (that far too frequently disrupt the narrative for no apparent reason) are difficult to get past. (Sorry, Lestat momentarily took over my keyboard?) His devotion to Claudia is probably the most interesting thing about him. I'm about 90% sure that none of the vampires in this book are sexual, otherwise it would lead to some seriously questionable moments between Louis and Claudia, as well as a young human boy later on. He keeps using the word "lover" to refer to her, and I'm like... not literally, right? ...Right? On the other hand, two gay vampire dads raising their vampire daughter is probably the cutest image in the book. I can see why LGBTQ fans latched onto the series, but Lestat and Louis's relationship is one aspect I wish we'd seen more developed. If it's there, it's almost all subtext.

While the title states plainly that there's an interview, I was expecting it as a framing story, perhaps in the first and last chapters where we see Louis with the unnamed listener. To my dismay, the entirety of the novel is the interview, with frequent interruptions from the boy and side commentary by Louis. Literally all the narrative is dialogue of him speaking. These asides add nothing to the story and contribute to its already slow pace. The world-building could also use some work, but that's in part due to Lestat's insistence on secrecy. We know very little about vampires--what can kill them, what powers they might have--because Lestat won't tell Louis or Claudia anything. Whatever we learn about them, we learn by seeing it happen rather than having it explained, and it's frustrating. I have so much sympathy for Claudia when she dumps that diva bitch into a swamp.

The last fifth of the novel gets extremely tense, and if I hadn't already seen the movie, I think I would have been more furious about the outcome. Like the boy recording the story, I can't help feeling that it doesn't/can't end like that. Louis is finally moved to action for the first time in the novel, but I have misgivings about his motivation for that. On a character level, it's utterly justified and even kind of satisfying, but I'll go into that more after the spoilers. While the ending provides closure on Louis's story, it's somewhat open-ended for the rest of the cast. I didn't totally enjoy this book (and, indeed, in the middle I despaired of getting through it), but I'm planning to read at least one or two more in the series before I make up my mind whether to finish it.

SPOILERS SPOILERS SPOILERS. TURN BACK BEFORE IT'S TOO LATE.

I suspect I would have been bawling at Claudia's death if I hadn't been expecting it. Like everything else, it's more immediate and suspenseful in the film than the novel, since Louis isn't actually there for it. I dislike the fact that Louis's character development is motivated by the death of the only female character in the novel though. Women have been dying in fiction to motivate men's personal growth for centuries, and I was expecting better for Claudia, who's such a powerhouse otherwise. The idea that Armand thought Louis could eventually forgive him for her death is laughable; he clearly doesn't know his vampire companion very well or seriously underestimated the bond they had. I’m looking forward to Armand having his own book about as much as I’m looking forward to re-reading the dreaded Memnoch the Devil, assuming I get that far.

[ceoofghosts]

okay bet, i’m stalling so here u go also i tag @icrnwitcher :)

edit: of fuck i just realized this was an ask game not a tag game and i’m stupid 🤦🏼‍♀️ sorry guys

my bed or this little creek behind my house

escaping from the real world

fucking smut scenes, i love reading them but they’re so hard to write man

i write on paper first then transfer, i always write in pen and in cursive and i listen to music while i write

probably every book i’ve ever read honestly, i take a little bit from them all

hm probably the one in the witcher fanfic i’m writing right now (first chapter is up if you wanna read it :)

lauren oliver

enemies to lovers who are still enemies

i don’t really have one

hmm i would love to write a super weird ghost story with ann rice

well i start with whatever random idea pops into my head then i write (or at least figure out) what the end will be and then i plan out what will happen in each chapter till the end and then i start writing

i let my friends read it to see if it’s just my dumb brain

i drink 🤭

um well i mostly write fics so it’s really stuff i already know about but i for the fic i’m currently writing i’ve had to do a bit of research on the monsters

absolutely everywhere, i a could see an apple and be like ‘you know what would be really cool? a fic where Geralt is put in charge of a bird’

uh people? myself? no idea

ha.. it’s more like i write for three days nonstop and then i stop for a good week and that’s why nothing gets done

i just reread my work over and over then send it to a few friends

“ Leaves and twigs crunch under Solana’s boots as she makes her way through the woods.”

“Jaskier, it’s a deer” Geralt sighs. ( that’s not much of a snippet but uh whatever)

And then she sees his face, Geralts face.

about 3

multi ofc, it’s just so much better to know what both people are thinking

prose, poetry just isn’t my thing

linear, i just like it better

series, i just can fit everything into one

yes, my peoples help my finish it

uh my friend alex and my tumblr friends

all of the fans of whatever show i’m writing for

fuck uhh i have no idea

fuckin geralt, i can’t get him to say anything ever

any of my ocs because they’re whatever i want them to be

yes

handwritten

okay well my oc solana is a female witcher and she’s the only one out of her group of 30 girls that survived. um she has, had two siblings but it’s been like 70 years so she thinks they’re dead. there’s more but it’s in the story ;)

oop someone dies

“fuck bitches get money”

yes i’ve shared it with multiple people they liked it

yeah i do, my oc solana is lowkey based of me and i have a few other characters based off my friends

both, i love them both

way more than i should

i do a few character sheets and i usually base them off someone

yes

um a lot of indecipherable gibberish

none? like 4 people have read my story :(

it would look a lot like the witcher show (also i don’t have a title for my fic yet so if anyone wants to help that would be lovely)

plot, then i design characters to fit it

romance, fantasy

the beginning is always so hard

uh the bird thing

dark, black, white, witcher, blood

i don’t know if it really has

i love to do it but it’s just something o do for fun

write your ending first then work towards it

i hope you enjoy that also please go read my witcher fic 🥺

New ask game for writers

1. Favorite place to write. 2. Favorite part of writing. 3. Least favorite part of writing. 4. Do you have writing habits or rituals? 5. Books or authors that influenced your style the most. 6. Favorite character you ever created. 7. Favorite author. 8. Favorite trope to write. 9. Least favorite trope to write. 10. Pick a writer to co-write a book with and tell us what you’d write about. 11. Describe your writing process from scratch to finish. 12. How do you deal with self-doubts? 13. How do you deal with writers block? 14. What’s the most research you ever put into a book? 15. Where does your inspiration come from? 16. Where do you take your motivation from? 17. On avarage, how much writing do you get done in a day? 18. What’s your revision or rewriting process like? 19. First line of a WIP you’re working on. 20. Post a snippet of a WIP you’re working on. 21. Post the last sentence you wrote in one of your WIP’s. 22. How many drafts do you need until you’re satisfied and a project is ultimately done for you? 23. Single or multi POV, and why? 24. Poetry or prose, and why? 25. Linear or non-linear, and why? 26. Standalone or series, and why? 27. Do you share rough drafts or do you wait until it’s all polished? 28. And who do you share them with? 29. Who do you write for? 30. Favorite line you’ve ever written. 31. Hardest character to write. 32. Easiest character to write. 33. Do you listen to music when you’re writing? 34. Handwritten notes or typed notes? 35. Tell some backstory details about one of your characters in your story ________. 36. A spoiler for story _________. 37. Most inspirational quote you’ve ever read or heard that’s still important to you. 38. Have you shared your outline of your story ________ with someone? If so, what did they think of it? 39. Do you base your characters of real people or not? If so, tell us about one. 40. Original Fiction or Fanfiction, and why? 41. How many stories do you work on at one time? 42. How do you figure out your characters looks, personality, etc. 43. Are you an avid reader? 44. Best piece of feedback you’ve ever gotten. 45. Worst piece of feedback you’ve ever gotten. 46. What would your story _______ look like as a tv show or movie? 47. Do you start with characters or plot when working on a new story? 48. Favorite genre to write in. 49. What do you find the hardest to write in a story, the beginning, the middle or the end? 50. Weirdest story idea you’ve ever had. 51. Describe the aesthetic of your story _______ in 5 sentences or words. 52. How did writing change you? 53. What does writing mean to you? 54. Any writing advice you want to share?

[misty720]

https://www.syfy.com/syfywire/the-ultimate-primer-on-the-works-of-anne-rice?amp

Ok, this isn't something I normally do, but this popped up on my Google News feed and I can't ignore it. I also don't know how to make it clickable, sorry.

First off, let me start by saying I've been a Rice fan since finally being old enough to watch Interview With The Vampire on regular tv like USA, TNT, FOX, whatever during its airing. About age 13, 18 years ago. I've read most of The Vampire Chronicles save for Blood Canticle and the newest adventures of Lestat. I've read Pandora, Armand, and part of Vittorio. I couldn't finish Vittorio but his story isn't important in TVC timeline. Technically, all of them are stand alone stories but it helps with immersion and attachment to know what's already happened.

Anyway, I digress. The purpose of this post is to state my disagreement with the author of this article on where to start in Anne Rice's world of enchanting, elegant, and often star crossed vampires. She starts with the first three: Interview With The Vampire, The Vampire Lestat, and The Queen of the Damned which I agree however this is where my opinion begins to differ. The author further suggests The Mummy, Or Ramses the Damned which, to my knowledge, has nothing to do with her vampire tales. I haven't read it, but I know it has to do with an immortal mummy.

Now, opinion wise there's nothing wrong with the suggestion except this article is supposed to be advice from the author on where to begin for anyone who's interested in the upcoming AMC series that will follow the adventures of the Brat Prince Lestat de Lioncourt and his many companions. Going from 3 very intricately worked stories to The Mummy will help in no way and only serve to confuse newcomers who have little to know prior knowledge of TVC or its vast array of characters in my opinion. Especially when the next chronological book is Tale of the Body Thief which doesn't appear on the list until suggestion 5. The author even made 4 The Witching Hour which does tie into the vampire tales but maybe not enough to call for starting the Mayfair Witchs' stories just yet unless the author knows something we don't like a storyline divergence from the original books which I don't see happening too terribly much since both Mrs. Rice and her son, Chris, are adamant that the story and characters remain true to the books this time and are personally overseeing everything.

The next thing that had me scratching my head was suggestions of The Wolf Gift and Servant of Bones which I also haven't read since neither have anything to do with TVC.

I'm sorry, I'm not trying to drag the author of this relatively informative article of Anne Rice's various and diverse works, but I can't say this is a well advised piece either.

My personal opinion, not that anyone asked, is to read The Vampire Chronicles in chronological order starting with Interview With The Vampire and ending with her latest - Blood Communion. In between certain books, read Pandora and Armand (even Vittorio if you want). Squeeze in the Mayfair witchs' stories starting with The Witching Hour. I haven't read them yet, I'm a slow and procrastinating reader. But I look forward to reading them.

Anyway, I'm not any authority on this nor am I telling you what to do or what to enjoy and neither is the author. However, if you want to start the upcoming series with an idea of what's going on and what to expect, this is just some friendly advice and a personal critique of the article in the link. Or don't read any of them and just the show. There's nothing wrong with that either.

[purpleswans1]

My Favorite Hidden Anime Gems

I’ve been watching Anime for several years now, and I’ve watched a lot of really good series (and a couple of bad ones). Among them are some series that are a lot of great series that I believe don’t get the attention and following they deserve. Some of them may be more popular than I realize, or they were popular a while ago and just faded over time. But all of them are, in my personal opinion, definitely worth a watch.

Quick note: I tried to put down why I believe some of these shows aren’t as popular. More than one of them is because the original material comes form Light Novels, which aren’t a readily available to the western fans as manga and anime, which alienates those fans since they believe they are missing some of the story.

Now, on with the list:

1. Kemono no Souja Erin (Beast Player Erin)

I can’t express to you how much I love this show. The best way I can summarize it without giving to many spoilers is that it’s a coming of age story about a girl who wants to be a beast-veterinarian like her mother, and follows her as she grows up That doesn’t really go into the juicy bits though. It has strong women in positions of power and male-dominated fields, brilliant world building, and the main focus is on the relationship between mothers and their children. It’s very refreshing, and I think tumblr would love this.

Now this one actually has a lot of reasons why it is less known. First of all, the original source is a light novel. In addition, the anime’s art style is much more simplistic than most anime a fans are used to. Finally, although the plot is entertaining for all ages, the show is actually geared towards kids. As anyone who’s watched Gravity Falls or Steven Universe will tell you, this doesn’t make it any less enjoyable. This does mean though, that the audience that it’s intended for doesn’t have easy access to it. That being said, I definitely suggest that people watch this.

2. Saiunkoku Monogatari (The Story of Saiunkoku)

This one is a court romance, and a really great one at that. The story begins about a sensible girl who is asked to turn the king of her country into a decent ruler by becoming his wife, but the story grows into something greater, focusing on politics, the magic of the kingdom’s origin, and the girl’s dream of becoming a court official. There are several well-done female characters, some who take on traditional feminine roles and some who want to be in male-dominated fields. There’s a little bit of a reverse harem situation going on, but the main character is well-rounded and most of the boys are just supporting from a distance. the main focus ends up being on the political drama rather than just the romance.

The animation is a little old, and the original story is from a light novel. In addition, I suspect that the second season ends before the ending of the light novels so we still have some unresolved business that we’d have to track down the light novels to find out. One of these days I’m going to find and read them. Still, this is definitely worth it!

3. Zetsuen no Tempest (The Civilization Blaster, Blast of Tempest)

Okay, I’ll admit that this one is a little weird, and completely shifts narratives halfway through (which, now that I think about it, happens in several anime I know) but is still worth the watch. I swear the two main guys are kind of psychopaths, but they’re also very real and their relationship is a very interesting take on friendship and complex relationships. The story is set in a world where everything in civilization starts being devoured and people are dying, but these two guys get roped into helping a witch trapped on an island save the world because she promised to help them get revenge for the one guy’s sister. It’s also full of dialogue and plot references to William Shakespeare’s works (especially “Hamlet” and “The Tempest”) and who doesn’t love a good reference to the bard?

I… really don’t know why this anime isn’t that popular. Other than the narrative being a little confusing at times and some of the characterizations being incredibly unique (i.e. not cliches) It’s a really good anime, and you guys should check it out.

4. Guilty Crown

Okay guys, I’ll be honest with you: the first time I discovered this anime (back when my experience consisted mostly of Inuyasha and Code Geass) I described it as a Code Geass fanfic with a slightly altered preface. Which… really isn’t what it is at all. There are still some similarities though. The actual story is about a world where japan was decimated by an Apocalypse virus and has become entirely dependent on foreign aid, making it into a kind of military state. People are oppressed, so a terrorist group forms and a certain socially awkward boy gets a special power that was intended for the terrorist, and he gets roped into joining them. It has a lot of interesting characters and characterization, since part of the boy’s power is to reveal people’s hearts in physical form.

I’m not sure why this one isn’t very popular, other than having several troupes that are in other shows. If I had to guess, it might be related to how he narrative changes halfway, and how I swear the thing must have been funded by the band Egoist considering how much they are referenced in the show.

5. Seirei no Moribito

Oh man, this one… *deep breath* The main character is a spear wielding woman bodyguard in her 30s. She is tasked with protecting an adolescent prince, who after being infected with a magic egg (more significant than it sounds) is being attacked by his own country. They end up forming a mother/son bond over the course of the story and that is the main relationship focus. Oh, and the woman has a love interest who’s basically a healer with some mystic abilities, and they are so not subtle about the reversed gender roles.

The story is based on a light novel series by the same author as Kemono no Souja Erin. However, it only tells the story of the first book, so we end up with a well put-together story and maybe potential for season 2? someday? *goes and cries in a corner because that would be amazing*

6. Shiki

Kudos to @quasiplatonickarinhina for introducing me to this.

Okay, so you know how Twilight spurred a rise in popularity for vampire stories? Only, instead of being the Anne Rice and Bram Stoker bloodsucking-monster variety, they became excessively romantic good guys? Yeah, this isn’t like those neo-vampire stories.

By any chance, does anyone remember the first season of Supernatural? You know, back before it became a cult-followed soap-opera, and instead was basically a series of rural American horror stories crammed into an hour a week? THAT is what this story is like.

The preface is that a mysterious family moved into a small rural town, and gradually people start dropping dead mysteriously. Things gradually escalate, and the story dives into a lot of heavy psychology with some statements on humanity in desperate situations thrown in. If you like Tokyo Ghoul for the psychological horror, you’ll love this.

The series has a very slow build-up before the climax, so that might be the main reason why it isn’t very popular.

7. Shounen Omnyouji

You know that Abe no Seimei guys that will pop up occasionally in exorcist or historical anime? Well, this is about his grandson, who has resolved to surpass his grandfather as an Omnyouji and finally get out of his shadow.

I should also note that this is probably one of the only shounen protagonists I know of that actually shows respect to his elders and superiors (which probably says a lot more for the general trend of shounen protagonists than anything else, but it’s still refreshing.) Seriously, one of the biggest running gags is that he’s in his room yelling about his grandfather expecting him to do the impossible or having to big of shoes to fill, but he’s still very respectful when he’s actually around the guy.

Also, his love interest is… not annoying? Sorry she’s not really that awesome of a character, but she manages to be a traditional princess and not painful to watch. Which is unusual.

Oh, and there are all these super-powered Shikigami who gradually develop respect for the MC and have their own issues with one another. That’s always cool.

This series was originally a light novel series, and to be honest even I wouldn’t know about it if I hadn’t been looking for a different Omnyouji series. I should warn you though, this one has a kind-of-cliffhanger ending, and I don’t see much indication of a season 2. You can always hunt down the light novels though.

8. Arslan Senki

Not sure whether this anime is unknown enough to be here… No, it does. It hasn’t gotten the following it deserves. The light novel series has been going on for decades and that might part of the reason why the fandom has faded, but the most recent manga adaptation is by the Mangaka behind FMA, and apparently she’s done some changes to the original story. Which is cool.

Also, the whole thing clearly has some thematic and stylistic roots in the Crusades, and that’s got to appeal to western audiences right?

9. Tokyo Ravens

You remember those exorcist anime I mentioned a while ago? Well this is one of them. The short explanation of this series that that it’s about a bunch of high school students studying to be Omnyouji. Which makes it sound a lot like a Japanese Harry Potter, which admittedly it kinda is. Only not. There’s a lot of plot derived from the reincarnation thing and some family politics crossing actual politics.

This is another one where the original source material is a light novel series. It also ends in a sorta-cliffhanger, but I have a bit more hope for a season 2 for this one.

10. Rurouni Kenshin

Okay, this one probably doesn’t need to be on this list since it is still popular, just really OLD so the hype has simmered down, but It needs to come back because WE HAVE A NEW MANGA ARC!!!!! (Can you tell how happy I am?)

Now I could go on and on about how much significance this series has for me personally (I literally discovered online scanlations and the dark web for this series guys) but I’ll spare you the hour-long monologue. Elevator pitch: This is a historical fighting manga with a lot of interesting characters and themes and quite honestly a classic. I’ll admit that there are some issues with the story that weren’t as troubling to high-school-aged me, but overall it’s still a wonderful tale. I mean, the manga inspired a long anime series and 3 live action movies, so that should say something (I feel no urge to watch the OVAs, so let’s not mention them)

11. Silver Spoon (Gin no Saji)

Okay, I’ll be the first to admit that i usually am not attracted to slice of life stories. But a friend recommended this series to me and mentioned it was one of Arakawa’s mangas, so I decided to check it out. A decision I do not regret. The basic plot has to do with a city boy who decided to go to an agriculture high school. Its chock full of culture shock, interesting characters, and a realistic take on the agricultural industry. I identify with this story on a personal level, both because i grew up in a rural area and know how some of the agriculture stuff works and also because the MC is searching for a direction after loosing his “dream.”

Like I said, this series is a slice of life, which generally doesn’t get as much attention as the action-adventure stories.

Got any other animes you think deserve a larger following than they currently have? Feel free to recommend them to me!

[theeroticbookreview]

October Author of the Month: Willa Edwards

My Author of the Month for October is new to me. She loves writing romantic tales and has several 4 Star Reads to choose from. My curiosity was piqued as I read her bio and some snippets from her latest release. Here’s an introduction to Author Willa Edwards.

The Interview

What was it like when you hit submit for the first time? The first time I hit submit (which was actually so long ago you had to mail in your work, not email it) I don’t remember being that nervous. I was in high school and convinced I would eventually be published, so I didn’t worry too much about the response. Ah, the ignorance of youth. And I did get rejected then. The next time I submitted a work it was during the erotic romance boom, and it was more nerve wracking. I must have revised that work a hundred times before I sent it in, convinced I’d somehow find some magic formula the ninety ninth time. Again, that was rejected, but I did eventually find a home for that story. It wasn’t until my next work that I received my first acceptance, which was one of the most exciting moments of my life. What most amazes me about being publishing, is that certain parts never get easier. You never lose that nervous feeling when you submit a novel, even if you know for sure the publisher will take it. And you never lose that self-doubt that your work isn’t as good as it should be. Or at least than you want it to be. That’s just part of the process. Unfortunately. What do you like to do when you’re not writing? When I’m not writing I spend a lot of time reading, binge watching tv and hanging out with friends, family and my cat. She is the center of my world (I know, I’m a crazy cat mom, but I’m sorry, she’s the best cat ever. No one will convince me otherwise). You can often see her shenanigans featured on my Instagram page. Are you currently working on a project? When can we expect your next release? Currently I am working on the last two books of my bound by fairytale series. This series of historical erotic romances are based on fairytales and all include some element of bondage in them. The first book, Wandering Off the Path, centered around the story of Red Riding Hood, and it was the first erotic romance I ever wrote. As a result this series is very important to me. I’m hoping to have my Three Little Bears and Princess and the Pea interpretations out next year. Wine and cheese or Beer and wings? Since I’m a vegetarian, I guess I’ll go with wine and cheese. But beer and cheese fries are pretty good too. Where do you draw inspiration from for your characters? With my characters I often start with an architype, the ditzy blond, the controlling bitch, the rich ice queen. Then I put them in situations and see how they react differently than I expect. I’m an intuitive writer, so I discover who my characters are as I’m writing the book. Once I figure out why they are controlling, cold, ditzy, etc… my next goal is to put them in the exact situation where they have to break through their normal behavior and take different actions. Sometimes it can take writing the whole book before I really find out who the character is, but that’s okay. That’s what revisions are for. Who are some of your favorite Authors? I have a million authors I love. Tessa Dare and Courtney Milan for historical romance, Mari Carr, Kelly Jamieson, Kit Rocha, Joey W. Hill, Lexi Blake, Maya Banks, Jodi Redford and Joely Sue Burkhart for erotic romance. But I’m also a huge Stephen King fan. I love Anne Rice, Phillipa Gregory, Anne Easter Smith, Dan Brown and Neil Gaiman. In other words, I’m all over the place. What is your dream vacation and why? I’m not a tropical vacation person. I like to go to cooler locations and especially places where I can learn something and be immersed in a different culture. I absolutely adored Ireland when I went there a few years ago. I’d love to go back, as well as explore more of Europe, especially Scotland, France and Italy, and maybe Prague. Are there other genres that you want to write? Absolutely. I’ve been playing around with some fantasy and paranormal ideas for a while, and I’m hoping I’ll get the time to finish them up soon. I’m also delving more into my first love, historical romance, though of course still with a sexy twist. How do you handle negative reviews? I don’t think that anyone likes negative reviews, but I’ve never been really affected by them. No author is for everyone. I’m just happy the someone was willing to read my book at all. I especially appreciate negative reviews that explain why they didn’t like the book. What makes a book a one star for some people, might be a five star for others. Also that allows me to grow, and get better at my craft, by knowing what areas to work on. Which is more important, character development or plot? For me the most important part in the story is the conflict, which is kind of both. Once I know what the issues the characters will deal with, it feels like both the character and the plot grow organically from there. As a reader, I find a character I like and can relate to very important to keep my interest, but I’m also a sucker for great world building. How long does it take you to complete a novel from start to finish? It really depends on the story. Some come to me very fast and hard, and I finish them quickly. But others take a long time. I just finished the first draft of a story idea I’ve had for five years and had been in some state of completion for most of that time. Sometimes you need to grow as a writer before you’re ready to accurately tell the story in your head. But if all the timing works out perfectly, I can usually finish a story in 3 to 4 months. Finally, what message do you have for your readers? I just want to thank all the readers who have stuck with me for the last eight years. The publishing world has been a crazy ride, and probably will continue to be. I’m so thankful for all the readers that have sat along with me through all the ups and downs. I hope to be here for a lot more. Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Bookbub | Website Read the full article