#that panel has been haunting my dreams since 2020

[drunkonimagination]

sometimes i ask myself what it would be like to love so selflessly and intensely to the point that you can't help finding peace and solace at the simple thought of the happiness of the one you love even when that happiness doesn't include you and represents the most intimate reason of your own unhappiness and then i remember this panel from blue flag:

[harrysweasleys]

a lil 2021 love

now that the entire world has entered 2021, i want to wish you all a very, very happy new year!! i don’t think i need to express how shitty 2020 was as a whole, so i won’t be going into detail. but, i do have to count my blessings.

this year brought me to tumblr, and in doing that, brought me close to a group of people i never expected to meet. people that i am utterly thrilled to call my friends, and people who have been there for me through thick and thin. i know y’all are probably sick of long posts, but here we go again!

HAPPY NEW YEAR TO EVERYONE!!!! 🥰✨

—🤍

✨ @ickle-ronniekins erica. i honestly can’t even begin to express what our friendship, and what you, mean to me. you were one of the first weasley twin blogs that i found back in march/april ish and i honestly have been so inspired by your work ever since. whether it be who you are as a person, or the way that you write, i’m constantly learning from you and i couldn’t ask for more in a friendship. we’ve learnt so much about each other (like how we both cry at everything and love reading sappy books) and it’s been truly an honour getting to know you. your messages never fail to crack me up and i’m so glad our friendship has extended its boundaries so we can continue to blossom as two dorks. 🤍

✨ @theweasleysredhair oh, my goodness. chloe. where do i even start. firstly, thank you for being such an amazing person. you radiate such positive vibes and i’m eternally grateful for your sunshine presence. you crack me up to no ends (“he was right up my arse in the foeh” is a personal fave) and i cherish every conversation we share. i have adored being an fbi bitch with you and fighting crime like the badass bitches that we are. never a dull moment with you, my friend. love u so very very very much & can’t wait to continue being geeks together.

✨ @wand3ringr0s3 haaaaaaley. my dude. my gamer. you are just an incredible soul. whether it be your fic ideas, or the way that you always have an answer for something, you really are a complete joy of a human being and i have adored getting to know you over the course of these last 10 months (omg??? 10months???) you’re never short on pictures and press panels, and you’ve always got the deets. plus, your writing is absolutely impeccable and i can’t begin to express how much i absolutely adore your fics. plus, your disney series just tugs at my heart bc i love that idea so much. love you so much, my friend, and can’t wait to make more memories in 2021!

✨ @diary-of-an-onliner theaaaaa. my wife. my bb. i just really love you. i never know what you’re going to say, or send (like some very cursed pics) but i honestly adore every single interaction we’ve shared. you’re an amazing person and an equally amazing friend. your positivity is insane and the way your support just flows out — we all just really adore you. i have also enjoyed being in the fbi force with you (for legal reasons, that’s a yoke🍳) and laughing at the smallest things together. please keep being you because i have never met anyone like you and i treasure you more than you know.

✨@harrypotter-and-the-onering YOU. you are just. you are amazing. a ray of sunshine. a positive little beam of energy and i love it. i also love all of your dog pics that you send. but more seriously, i love you. you are an incredible friend. like, you’re the dream friend everyone wants. and after your message that made me cry this morning, i mean that more than ever. you’re always bringing positivity and adore hearing your life stories. you’re so fascinating and i’m glad that we get to ring in the new year as friends! you mean so much to me (you and your thorin posters) and i’m beyond blessed that i get to call you a close friend.

✨@theweirdsideofstuff martyyyyynnnaaaaa you are just a wonderful soul. you always send the sweetest things and i love how we can always talk about anything and everything. plus, you have the cutest cats and i love your taste in tv shows (finally someone i know who watches money heist lmaoooo) so just keep being you and i promise, we’ll all continue to love you. wishing you the best in 2021!

✨@pit-and-the-pen ok, firstly. you’re one of the most talented people i know. your singing? perfection. plus, i just adore how you’re always there for people. i cherish all of our chats, and will continue to cherish the chats to come. plus, you’ve also got the coolest hair. you’re just so cool. if i were to think of one person who fits the word “dope” it would be you. love u so very very much and i can’t wait to continue being friends!

✨@thoseofgreatambition leeann!!! i just love you. you are just a fun, bubbly presence and i adore your spirit. you’re impossibly sweet and loving and i love all the stories you share. except last night. i didn’t enjoy our peppa convo. that will haunt me for the rest of my life. but im sending you oodles of love and am thrilled to know that we’ll continue to chat and dork out together into the next year!!

✨@elf-punk AHHH okay, firstly, you little genius you — this year you gave us all the greatest gift by bringing us together. when you created this group, i never expected to ever be where we are now. from our thirsting, to our conversations about spn, i’m so glad to have found a friend like you. you’re so intelligent and fun and i adore you in every sense of the word. love u so much.

✨@thatfuckingliardavidtennant ahhhh you beautiful, beautiful person, you. firstly, i’m jealous of everything about you, really. from how gorgeous you are inside and out, to the fact that you’ve met pretty much all of my celeb crushes. you never fail to bring a smile to my face (again, except last night when you brought forth the most cursed knowledge known to mankind) and i love your energy so much. so here’s to 2021 where i hope we can continue to be close friends!!!!

and to a few others. my thumbs are getting sore from typing this so i’m going to try my best and remember (as well as cherish) all of you who have been there through this crappy year and brought a smile to my face. love you all more than words can say and hope that we can create more whack ass memories in the next year! 🥰🤍

✨@vogueweasley @starlightweasley @feetoffthetablee @valwritesx @breadqueen95 @darthwheezely @whiz-bangs78 @gcdric @loony-loopy-lupinn @lumosandnoxwriting @slytherinsunrise @cappsikle @thisismynerdyself AND LOADS OF OTHERS THAT IM FORGETTING IM SORRY ILY ALL

and of course, to a few people who i don’t interact with much but have always been a wonderful presence:

✨@deanfanatic @kpopgirlbtssvt @thisismysketchbook @pigwidgexn @phuvioqhile you guys are so, so supportive and lovely and i cherish all of you to no ends. your comments and replies/likes make my day! love you all and hope you all stay safe and happy. 🤍

[natrogersfics]

PREVIEW: All I Ask - Chapter 2

NEW CHAPTER: JUNE 20, 2020 

There’s a crackle as Steve’s body collides with the ground, but whether it’s from the gravel he’s landed on or his bones cracking from the force, he’s uncertain. Between the pain radiating from the gash on his leg and the deafening ring in his ears, he’s unable to focus on anything other than how heavy his body feels. The desire to stay down and succumb to the darkness that’s lurking in his periphery washes over him suddenly, becoming far too tempting as he struggles for breath, and as his eyes begin to fall shut, it’s almost irresistible.    

But staying down isn’t an option. He knows it’s not, even when it feels like he has nothing left to give. It takes a Herculean effort, so much so that he can’t stop the wince from breaking out across his face, but he wills himself to roll ungracefully to his side.

“In all my years of conquest… violence… slaughter,” he hears Thanos say from yards away. “It was never personal.” The Titan takes a pause, and when Steve looks up, the smile on the monster’s face is nearly audible as he continues, “But I’ll tell you now… what I’m about to do to your stubborn, annoying little planet… I’m gonna enjoy it very, very much.”

The ground rumbles with the force of thousands of footsteps approaching, of ships landing, and weapons being drawn. His gaze sweeps across Thanos’ army filling the other side of the terrain, and he swallows hard at the sight. On his flanks, Tony and Thor are still out cold, and he can’t bring himself to think about what else has happened to everyone else. Whoever else they’ve lost.

He lets out a groan, loud and guttural, as he forces himself to his feet. He huffs out a breath, gritting his teeth as he fastens the strap on what’s left of his shield and begins to limp towards the fight. He’s all alone, all that’s left. One man with nothing more than half his weapon and his will to fight.

And it’s going to have to be enough.  

“Steve,” he hears a voice whisper, soft and saccharine. “Can you hear me?”

He pauses, letting out a tired chuckle. The metallic taste of blood in his mouth must only be the tip of the iceberg as far as his injuries go. His mind must have gone long before, because there it goes, the one voice he wants to hear, drowning out the ruckus of the battalion before him. Perhaps this is a kindness - a gift from the world he had given his life to save once before, and, as it stands, again in this moment. If its demise is here, then so be it. But at least let this voice be the last sound he hears before he perishes along with it.

“Steve, it’s me. Can you hear me?”

A smile grazes his lips. You’re all I hear.

“Turn around, Steve.”

A spark cuts through the gloom of the battlefield when he looks back, growing bigger and glowing brighter by the second as he stares in astonishment. A figure emerges from the light, slowly and torturously so, and vaguely, he’s aware that the portals have multiplied, lighting up the field as if the sun has shone over them. But as he focuses on the shadow coming towards him, his heart stammers in his chest. Neither pain nor delirium could keep him from recognizing the poise and confidence in its gait. And as it moves forward, revealing itself, he’s filled with something he thought he’d never feel again – relief.

In the midst of the ruins of what was once their home, Natasha’s onyx suit gleams, and the light of her batons is as fiery as the one illuminating her emerald eyes. She turns to him, her smile as sweet and mesmerizing as the one she had sent his way before this nightmare had begun. “Hey, soldier.”

Steve bolts up in bed, his chest heaving as cold sweat drips down his temple. He feels around him, and when his hands land on nothing but the softness of the sheets, he inhales deeply in an attempt to get his breathing in order. It was just a dream. He repeats the words in his head, mouthing them silently. It was just a dream.

When his breathing slows, he takes in his surroundings. Even in the dark, he makes out the fading yellow of the walls, and the pictures in the frames littering the shelves before him with the faces of three young children remind him that he isn’t on the battlefield, but in the guest bedroom of Clint’s home. With a sigh, he rises to look out the window. The light of dawn lingers low in the Missouri sky, painting the landscape of the Barton family farm in tones of rich purples and oranges. But in spite of the impending sign of a new day, he feels his hands clench into fists at his sides, and before he can let his emotions get the better of him, he finds himself dressing and swiftly making his way out the back door.

The barn is empty, and he searches frantically for something – anything – to do, as if what’s left of his sanity might just slip if he keeps still, and he doesn’t even think twice when he sees the axe on the workstation. He picks it up, heading towards the pile of firewood on the side of the room, and as he strikes the blade against the wood, he can no longer keep his thoughts from running amuck. Now more than ever, he feels like there is a heartless irony to his existence. When they’ve come as close as they have to not witnessing another day, the opportunity to live a new one shouldn’t bother him and make his heart feel like a weight in his chest, but they do. And it’s without a scintilla of a doubt that he knows that it’s all to do with the costly price they’ve had to pay to forge this reality.

The end was supposed to justify their means. And in many ways, it does. Families are reunited. The Earth remains in orbit. Half of the galaxy’s life has been restored. But even so, their losses haven’t felt minimized to any degree. The world could sympathize with the fact that Tony would never see Morgan grow up or that Natasha would never get to live the life she fought arduously to deserve, but they won’t hear Pepper’s sobs at night. They won’t hear the anguish in Clint’s voice when he reminisces with Nathaniel about his namesake. And they most definitely won’t hear his screams when he dreams of the life he and Natasha could have had, only to have it ripped away time and again by morning.

The last thought causes him to grip the axe more tightly. It’s been days since their time heist and since they’d defeated Thanos and his army for good, and though sleep has been difficult to find, on the off chance that he did, he’s been haunted by this recurring dream and the subsequent affliction of waking up to find that it was indeed just that. The sacrifice hadn’t been undone. Natasha hadn’t come back to them, to him. And in a world where stealing time has become a possibility, it’s a cruel, twisted joke that just having another minute with her, is not.

Tell me after. When we get our family and friends back. When we’ve restored half the universe. When we’ve won.

Her words from that night echo in his mind, her voice as sweet as it is in his dreams. But it only fortifies the bitterness coursing through his veins, intensifying the effort he exerts as he brings the axe to the wood over and over again. They were foolish to think they could leave the words they wanted to tell each other for a better time – as if they knew for certain that they had more than what they had at that very moment. And now here he was, back in his own fresh hell, alive if only to relive the vicious cycle of losing the person he loves. Though this time, he’d lost much more than the promise of one dance.  

A pained groan slips from his lips as his restraint crumbles, and he sends the axe flying towards the wall, the blade embedding into the wooden panel. He brings a hand up to his face, pinching the bridge of his nose. “Fuck.”

“Might just be me,” he hears someone say, “but that’s looking a little too fine for the fireplace now.”

He looks down at his feet, and he has to blink away the tears he hadn’t realized had filled his eyes to see that he had turned the log into mulch. With the back of his hand, he wipes his tears away before turning to find Clint lingering by the work bench, his sweat-drenched shirt a reassurance that he’s not the only one that sleep has alluded. He sighs. “You can’t sleep,” he says, watching as Clint stares at him for a second, unsure if he should be surprised or impressed that his words had come out as a statement of fact instead of a trite question, but he only shrugs. Preamble meant little to him now.

“Every time I close my eyes…” Clint says, “I see her falling.”

He looks back down at the ground. He knows better than anyone what that’s like, to have a horror movie play in your head repeatedly without the power to shut it off. The image of Bucky falling from the train haunted him for years, and some nights, even when he knew his best friend had survived, it still did. But he doesn’t dare offer Clint any advice - damn if he knew how to make it stop.

“I think I’d be better off with nightmares,” he says, his voice steady even when his gut feels anything but. “Because at least they wouldn't be a lie. But all I keep getting are dreams that she’s not really gone.” He does not even look up to see Clint’s reaction as he adds, “I can deal with the pain of reality. I think it’s all I’ve ever really known since I came out of the ice. But this… hope? This feeling like there’s got to be some way to bring her back and I’m just missing it?” He shakes his head. “It’s a demon I don’t know how to slay.”  

“It can’t be undone,” Clint says softly. “You know it can’t, Steve.”

“Do I?” he says heatedly. “God, what do I know? What do any of us really know? Every goddamn thing we thought was impossible turned out to be possible!” He steps forward. “So, tell me, Clint, after everything we’ve been through, everything that’s happened, what do we really know anymore?”

“I know she’s not here,” Clint says, throwing his hands up in frustration. “My best friend isn't here!” He scoffs. “She didn't choose to become what they made her, didn't get a say in any of it… But she atoned for those sins all the same.” His voice falls to a tormented whisper. “She deserved this win more than anyone I know."

His expression softens at the agony that pains Clint's face. "She fought to own her choices,” he says. “You couldn't have stopped her. Even I know that."

"Yeah, she fought for it,” Clint says, his chuckle devoid of any humor as he looks back at him. “You're right, maybe we don't know a fucking thing anymore, but what I do know is that she is not here."

“It had to be her.”

His head whips in the direction of the barn’s door, as does Clint’s, and they both share a look when they find Stephen Strange leaning against the frame.

“But I have reason to believe there is more to her sacrifice than previously thought,” Strange says.

Click here to read Chapter 1 on AO3. 

[made-me-deep-blue]

kamilah x mc - dear my dear.

prologue; the eternal queen.

-

“When the sap of the tree rests in the blessed chalice, 

The skies shall turn red, the earth shall be torn asunder,

And the First shall walk again.”

A curse that would repeatedly haunt a queen who would continue to live after the Battle of New York in 2020.

Manhattan, New York, 28 January 2120

Exactly a hundred years after the Battle of New York, a young and promising woman by the name of Camila Sayed walked through the lobby of Ahmanet Financial, silently buzzing with excitement for her interview as the CEO’s executive assistant. 

There were both men and women walking around alike, either preoccupied with speaking to colleagues and clients, or talking away to their phones, typing busily on their laptops. The clicks of heeled shoes were familiar sounds to Camila, having been an intern in a major bank office building in the heart of Singapore.

Camila made her way towards the woman who matched the description that she had scrawled out loosely on a piece of sticky note from the email she had received prior. She was none other than the VP of the company, Liliane Spencer, who was dressed in a cream-white blouse and a monotone checkered pencil skirt.

The vice president looked up from her clipboard and eyed the taller woman in front of her. “Are you Camila Sayed?”

“Yes, Miss Spencer,” Camila reeled her enthusiasm in to sound professional.

“Good, you’re on time,” Liliane sighed, turning on her heels and strutted for the elevators. “Lemme tell you, Ames won’t like it if you’re late. You have no idea how many interviewees she had turned down because of their tardiness.”

Sounds like she is the CEO’s best friend, calling her like that, Camila thought to herself. She was immediately reminded of her days in UConn fangirling over the number of financial businesses she could get into, but in the end, she only had eyes for the one and only Ahmanet Financial. It was said that after the Battle of New York, the former CEO’s wife had taken her spot and inherited her wealth as well after her passing.

Camila’s heart throbbed against her chest even harder, with every step that took her closer to the CEO’s door. 

“Mrs Ashryver-Sayeed will see you now.”

-

Camila was more or less expecting the office to be bright with the sunlight streaming in. However, it was instead just the office’s lights above her head, with streaks of sunlight peeking through the folds of the blinds. It was illuminated in a way because she was standing right in front of her idol.

“Yo, Ames,” Liliane said casually to the CEO. “Next interviewee, all the best.”

From where Camila was standing, an arm drifted to the side, with a glass of amber liquid swirling in it. 

“Thank you, Lily,” the cool, soothing and ethereal voice sounded across the room, which made the young woman concurrently shiver with anticipation and sensitivity. “I appreciate it.”

“Nothing big, best friend,” Liliane, or Lily, gave her superior a mock salute before winking at Camila and mouthing ‘good luck’, closing the door behind her.

When the bi-racial mortal turned around, she met the calm, collective and yet piercing gaze of Amy Ashryver-Sayeed. Camila bit her lower lip to hold back the small squeak that was going to slip out of her mouth. 

Right there and then, when their eyes met, it was as if she was transported to the Bahamas, the gentle waves lapping at the shores and the sun’s reflection on the world’s clearest waters. There was no difference between dreams and reality because both her eyes and the seas had calming effects on Camila.

When she closed her eyes and took a deep breath in, exhaling, she was back in Amy’s office again. The older woman still had her eyes on Camila, silent, but calculative. Every inch of her just radiated wisdom and elegance.

“Are you feeling better?” Amy asked.

“Y-Yes, Mrs Sayeed,” Camila said sheepishly.

Amy leaned against her chair and crossed her legs under her table. She began flipping through Camila's particulars, running her finger down the boxes of information filled until she stopped right at the very top, where her name would be.

The younger woman saw Amy evidently swallowing hard and her jaw tightened.

"W-Would you mind...running by me your name again?" The sentence was like spoken through gritted teeth. She had forced herself to sound not as harsh as it sounded, but Camila had already felt uneasiness brewing in the pit of her stomach.

Even she wavered slightly as Amy did. "M-My name is Camila Sayed."

When their eyes met again this time, Amy had actually taken notice of Camila for the first time. 

It all came rushing over her mind like a broken dam, she couldn't even gather and process what she saw within that time.

The air was charged with energy as the world around them shifted. There it was, Manhattan, exactly a century ago in its glory. A significantly taller woman that looked eerily similar to Camila was holding hands with whom she presumed to be as Amy, wine glasses in hand, gazing at the nightlife inside of the office.

The scene shifted again, as the bright, glaring signs of Tokyo now shone from behind the glass panels of the windows of the bedroom below a club. The same woman and Amy shared a passionate kiss, with a sombre environment, to find comfort and solace in each other.

The last scene, however, left an everlasting impact on Camila. Amy ran her calloused hands through the fluttering, pale grey ash left on the opera theatre's grand stage. The movement was frantic, one that showed disbelief and utter devastation as realisation dawned on her. Darkness swirled around Amy, the aura so overwhelming that Camila had to take a step back herself.

Amy’s painful and raging bellow pulled Camila back to reality. 

The CEO herself was panting slightly, cold sweat licking at her forehead and on her neck. Camila could not believe what she had just witnessed.

That woman who looked just like her, from a century ago...it couldn't be a coincidence, right?

Amy was shaking, not violently, but trembling. She clenched and unclenched her fists on the wooden table, shaking her head in denial. Then, Camila heard it.

“No, that can’t be her. She died, she died right in front of me. Why did it take so long for the heavens to send a reincarnation of her? Why now, when I’m not ready?”

She...died?

“S-Sorry,” Camila started to freak out. “I...I didn’t mean to-”

“No,” Amy shook her head and let out a shaky breath. “I...I’ll have Liliane reschedule your interview for another day, I apologise.”

“No, it’s fine. Have a good day, Mrs Sayeed.”

-

When Camila finally reached her apartment, she dropped her bag beside her couch and immediately flopped onto the cushions, propping her head behind her arm.

She didn’t want to assume thing straight away, but she couldn’t get the thoughts out of her head ever since she stepped out of Amy’s office. Camila heard it, she wasn’t wrong. She had heard Amy’s voice inside her head, as if their minds were connected with a bond, like those that she had read about in fantasy books about mating bonds.

Camila had dreamt to have someone who was the Rowan to her Aelin from the ‘Throne of Glass’ series. But not in this way; she was brought up where humans lived happily together...the Battle of New York was just a myth. Her ancestors might’ve lived through and fought for their freedom and reclaimed this city, but it was just a myth.

She wanted to shake off the eerie fact that she heard her idol’s voice in her head, but it wasn’t those times where she had mental breakdowns and she imagined Amy comforting her and bringing her back up on her feet.

She remembered the recognition that flickered in Amy’s eyes when their eyes met. As if they had known each other forever.

Sadness that lingered behind the cerulean waves, wisdom exuding in waves off her body. She looked wise and mature for someone her age. Amy was only two years older than Camila, but the calluses and worn out fingers spoke much about her past and the work that she has done for the city. 

Was Amy Ashryver-Sayeed the woman she idolised ever since she entered college? Or was there more than what met her eyes?

-

tag list; @wildsayeed @sayeedbound @mrskamilxh @witchesplayatnight @kamilahsayeed-owns-me @voltos9 @justahumblepie @lightning-fury @iddevouryou @samgtt700 @h-doodles (let me know if you want to be in my tag list!)

[comicteaparty]

June 8th-June 14th, 2020 CTP Archive

The archive for the Comic Tea Party week long chat that occurred from June 8th, 2020 to June 14th, 2020.  The chat focused on Devil Tongue by Samuel Soto-Saines and Lucas Soto.

Featured Comment:

Chat:

Comic Tea Party

BOOK CLUB START!

Hello and welcome everyone to Comic Tea Party’s Book Club~! This week we’ll be focusing on Devil Tongue by Samuel Soto-Saines and Lucas Soto~! (https://deviltonguecomic.com/)

You are free to read and comment about the comic all week at your own pace until June 14th, so stop on by whenever it suits your schedule! Discussions are freeform, but we do offer discussion prompts in the pins for those who’d like to have them. Additionally, remember that while constructive criticism is allowed, our focus is to have fun and appreciate the comic! Whether you finish the comic or can only read a few pages, everyone is welcome to join and chat with us!

DISCUSSION PROMPTS – PART 1

1. What did you like about the beginning of the comic?

2. What has been your favorite moment in the comic (so far)?

3. Who is your favorite character?

4. Which characters do like seeing interact the most?

5. What is something you like about the art? If you have a favorite illustration, please share it!

6. What is a theme you like that the comic explores?

7. What do you like about the comic’s story or overall related content?

8. Overall, what do you think the comic’s strengths are?

Don’t feel inspired by the prompts? Feel free to discuss anything else that interested you!

mariah (rainy day dreams)

1. I really appreciated how this comic felt really authentically shonen manga right off the bat without feeling tropey or overwrought. 2. I liked when the protagonists confront the ghost in the theater. I just really enjoyed the ghosts dialogue and dramatic jestures. 3. Moira is my fav so far. She's got a sword and seems capable, though is also still an apprentice so I'm looking forward to seeing how she grows.

boogeymadam

1, ALL THE CATS!! :D but more seriously, the way the characters are introduced through their job, and yet their personalities still shine through~ 2, i liked the scene when they're leaving the Lemaire house and walking on a dark misty neighborhood street at night. It's so atmospheric and perfect for their discussion on what kind of ghost their target might be, as well as what kinda threats it may pose :0 3, I can't decide, they're all interesting. Leera was introduced last but I like her enthusiasm! 2, Moira and Leera during the scene where Moira is explaining tinctures to Leera. Moira's so goal oriented and focused while messing with some apprently-very-dangerous stuff and Leera's just trying to avoid boredom. Moira seemed patient of Leera (for the most part) and willing to explain stuff, which was cool. It made me smile. 5, Oh Man, a lot!! The lines are so very clean and precise, every characters' silhouttes is distinct. It's hard to pick which page is my favorite, but I'd have to say https://deviltonguecomic.com/comic/chapter-01-page-32/ because of all the dynamic angles and expressions on the characters. 6, Pupils taking over from the mentor. I like how Emery is allowing his pupil, Moira, to prove herself, and she seems extremely eager to do so and also: good at it! I can only imagine what Emery is like at this job :0 8, A fun and classic premise of paranormal investigators, of a sort, but with magic of their own, making it even more interesting. It's easy to root for the protagonists and feel curious about what got them into this business, or what they were like before they reached this level of fame and skill. And also, there are talking cats!! Huge draw!

mariah (rainy day dreams)

I agree with your #6 Boogey. I do really like how Emery is like "I'm just here to mentor, this is Moira's job." I like seeing the apprentice really get to take point on the mission. I did see though on the cast page that Emery's magic type is just "?????" which definitely makes me what to see him throw down some magic now XD very curious what it is

boogeymadam

OHHH i hadn't spotted that! a secret, how exciting :0c

copperine (Lady Changeling)

I'm not familiar with this one, but I'm intrigued now (and should stop reading this channel till I've read the comic...)

I'll read in the morning and try to give some thoughts

RebelVampire

What I like about the beginning is the character development. Cause we get a lot of it and find out things like Emery being an ex-magician, his relationship with Moira, etc. Yet, at the same time, the plot is not sacrificed and the story is still moved along smoothly, which is a great balancing act. My favorite moment in the comic so far is actually all the times Emery feigns that he doesn't care but then we get those shots of him peeking and spying. I find those adorable but just also really nice character moments. My favorite character at the moment is Emery. I like aloof characters and he fits that bill. I also like his general cynicism about life. Emery is the sort of character who I'd have as a friend in real life. XD As for characters interacting the most, probably Leera and a combo of Emery and Moira. Leera has pretty different motivations for being there, is somewhat opposite in personality from the main pair, and just all around adds an interesting dynamic too the group that kind of makes certain elements of the story seem more grounded. I really just in general love the comic's linework. Not only is everything super clean (making the action easy to follow), but it really knows how to bulk up the shadows to create specific atmospheres that really work for each panel and add so much to each scene.

In terms of themes, I like that the comic somewhat explores with Emery the concept of what to do with your life after your previous life fails. I think we all kind of like to believe we'll do X forever and X comes to define us in a lot of ways. But then suddenly X might not be there and it's like, what is life now? How do I deal with life? And with Emery, I do think we get to kind of experience one path that kind of takes. What I like about the comic's overall content is the...strange mix of fantasy and realism. I can't really put it into words. Like this is definitely a fantasy story, yet there's elements of realism thrown in I wouldn't expect. Like things are almost scarily normal in some respects like the houses or journalism, etc. So everything about the world really intrigues me since it feels super unique in tone. Finally, for strengths, I'm referring back to the art here. I think the atmosphere the art adds to each scene really helps give the comic that extra oomph.

Erin Ptah (BICP | Leif & Thorn)

Everyone's covered all the stuff I like about the characters, so let me just throw in some extra praise for the backgrounds. Those elaborate buildings! That towering opera-house interior! That one sequence with light streaming through elegantly-patterned windows!

Comic Tea Party

DISCUSSION PROMPTS – PART 2

9. What do you think Emery did that caused him to be exiled by the Magician Order? How does this factor into his general cynicism and bitterness? Also, do you think Emery will ever be a magician again?

10. How do you think Moira became Emery’s apprentice despite Emery being an ex-magician? Similarly, why do you think Moira hasn’t joined up with the Magician Order? As the story develops, how do you think Moira will grow and change as a magician?

11. Besides following Emery and Moira around, what role do you think Leera will have in the story? How might Leera’s presence hurt or help the duo on each case? Also, how will Leera change as she experiences things firsthand?

12. How do you think Moira and Emery will resolve the haunted opera house situation? Can the kidnapped girl be saved, or is she truly gone forever? Additionally, what other sorts of cases do you expect to see after this one?

Don’t feel inspired by the prompts? Feel free to discuss anything else that interested you!

RebelVampire

Honestly, I get the impression that Emery was good but also just a rebellious rule breaker type. So he probably got exiled for just not fitting in with the club regardless of anything else he might have done. Which to me would explain the cynicism cause it would show him how much of life is just a popularity contest. As for being a magician again, maybe, but the bigger question is would he want to? My current theory for Moira was that she's just ill-suited to the order. I'm sure she's heard awful things about it from Emery, so why join team lame when you can join Emery and be on team winner. As for how Moira will grow, I think she'll just learn to take things a bit more seriously and mature (though probably still pretty happy and excited). I've talked about Leera a bit already, but I think her major role in the story is the grounding element and reader's eyes. Cause someone needs to ask questions for the readers, and I think that will be Leera. But in terms of plot, I also think Leera will just help them get more work by spreading their name to lands far and wide. I think in terms of how Leera will change, I think mostly she'll maybe find better things to publish about and the power she wields with words. I think the kidnapped girl can be saved, but that it needs to be done quickly. As for how this will ultimately resolve, I assume epic battle followed by emotional ghost revelations. As for other sorts of cases, I actually am expecting lots of drama ones with heavy emotional reveals from side characters. I could be wrong, but that feels like the route the comic is going. O_O

Comic Tea Party

DISCUSSION PROMPTS – PART 3

13. What are you most looking forward to seeing in regards to the comic?

14. Any final words of encouragement for the comic?

Don’t feel inspired by the prompts? Feel free to discuss anything else that interested you!

Ryccomics

1. What did you like about the beginning of the comic? Very good dynamic introduction between Moira and Emery. Very quickly and effectively I understood Emery is an older cynic, and Moira is the energetic and out to prove herself. 2. What has been your favorite moment in the comic (so far)? The magic reveal of what the potions/chemicals do is fun. I do not really understand how they work at this time, and I don’t really need to. 3. Who is your favorite character? Mauretta, she’s a lot of fun in design, and she gets to talk more than usual character type. I’m not sure what this character type would be called, but I’m going with person who starts the Scooby Doo mystery. 4. Which characters do like seeing interact the most? Moira and Emery have good chemistry. Having the young rookie be more powerful than the experienced partners adds to the dynamic. 5. What is something you like about the art? If you have a favorite illustration, please share it!

So much going on in this panel. All 5 characters are doing something. 6. What is a theme you like that the comic explores? I don’t have an answer yet, because how this encounter goes will shape the narrative, everyone could die. It could be resolved peacefully, it could wrap like a monster of the week story, or lead to bigger things. 7. What do you like about the comic’s story or overall related content? I like the map in FAQ area of site is cool. Gives information for those who want it, but can be safely ignored by those that don’t. 8. Overall, what do you think the comic’s strengths are? I like your line art, a lot. The silhouettes read really well. And when working in black and white having distinct shapes is so important, you’ve color code your characters. 9. What do you think Emery did that caused him to be exiled by the Magician Order? How does this factor into his general cynicism and bitterness? Also, do you think Emery will ever be a magician again? I know from the Cast FAQ, he broke their laws, in what contest will tell a lot about Emery and the Order. I am a little unclear what the Magicians are at this points, how powerful they are in this society. Are the Magicians outside of the Magician’s order?

10. How do you think Moira became Emery’s apprentice despite Emery being an ex-magician? Similarly, why do you think Moira hasn’t joined up with the Magician Order? As the story develops, how do you think Moira will grow and change as a magician? I think Moira will have to confront what caused Emery’s cynicism. I expect she will get more powerful as the story begins. 11. Besides following Emery and Moira around, what role do you think Leera will have in the story? How might Leera’s presence hurt or help the duo on each case? Also, how will Leera change as she experiences things firsthand? I Leera’s role will be mainly to ensure the characters get back onto the plot. Most stories have some form of this function, whether it is the Greek gods, a ticking clock to motivate the characters to act right now Given she works for a newspaper, she can prod the characters to do news worthy things. 12. How do you think Moira and Emery will resolve the haunted opera house situation? Can the kidnapped girl be saved, or is she truly gone forever? Additionally, what other sorts of cases do you expect to see after this one? I feel it will have a happy ending, monster defeated girl saved. This is because the character dynamics would change really drastically if Moira had to confront extreme darkness so early, she would get cynical. 13. What are you most looking forward to seeing in regards to the comic? Will be interesting to see how the combat functions with regard to group dynamics, are the other characters going to plan a part in the combat, or are they on the sidelines. 14. Any final words of encouragement for the comic? I was sad when it ended.

RebelVampire

I am looking forward to finding out more about Emery and what Emery is capable of despite the circumstances. As for final words, this is just a lovely comic with tons of unique aspects about it that I really like.

Comic Tea Party

BOOK CLUB END!

Thank you everyone so much for reading and chatting about Devil Tongue this week! Please also give a special thank you to Samuel Soto-Saines and Lucas Soto for volunteering the comic and creating it! If you liked Devil Tongue, make sure to continue to support it via some of the links below!

Read and Comment: https://deviltonguecomic.com/

Devil Tongue’s Story: https://deviltonguecomic.com/store/

Samuel’s Twitter: https://twitter.com/sainezart

Lucas’ Twitter: https://twitter.com/lucaswordcraft

[theonyxpath]

LESS THAN THREE DAYS LEFT FOR THE V5 CULTS OF THE BLOOD GODS KICKSTARTER!

It is, in fact, doing fantastic, with over 2200 backers so far. The comments section, knock wood, has been overwhelmingly positive and energized – which really encourages our team to pop in and answer questions and chat a bit.

So, come over and check it out and as a backer you can check out the text that we’ve released to backers so far. Which is most of it. If you disagree with those 2200 other backers and dislike it, you can bail out before the KS is over. No harm, no foul.

We want our backers to be into the project, and totally understand when some folks don’t dig it. Not every project appeals to every potential backer. It’s why we set up our KSs this way, now. https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/200664283/cults-of-the-blood-gods-for-vampire-the-masquerade-5th-ed

Most of last week was spent at Mid Winter Convention in a gathering of almost the entire Monday Meeting crew plus dozens of freelancers. And a wonderful group of friends and fans, too. We started with:

THE SUMMIT

This was a day long – well half a day, it took us 12 hours – meeting where we took a look back at 2019, and then mostly looked at our plans for ongoing projects and how we could evolve our processes.

Then we spent the second half of the day looking at how we wanted Onyx Path to grow throughout 2020. What works for us and so should be nurtured and fed with love and effort and money.

If we felt something was no longer working, we didn’t just trash it, we looked at ways to change it or replace it so that our original goal for it was more likely to be met.

It was loud and long and lively, and ultimately we filled three walls with Post-Its filled with our ideas. We’re already working on some of the changes, with more to come of our efforts all through 2020 (and beyond).

Then it was time for dinner, and normally in Milwaukee we’d go to the traditional German restaurant Maders (a tradition going all the way back to when White Wolf ate there during Gen-Con), but then this happened:

I cry at the door to Maders: temporarily closed for renovation.

So we all ate at a different restaurant, which was perfectly nice, but not steeped in tradition. Sob! Later that night, I joined with our amazing Onyx Pathcast hosts (Dixie, Matthew, and Eddy) for a very silly Pathcast recording that went live last Friday. You can find that on Podbean, or on your favorite podcast venue.

Matthew, Eddy, and Dixie “enjoying” their favorite Mario pastime!

From there on in, we were attending the convention. So:

THE MID WINTER CONVENTION

Here is a run-down with a whole lot of pics taken throughout, as were the earlier ones, by the multi-talented Meredith Gerber.

Eddy’s Developer Bootcamp.

Thursday was set-up for the booth and some professional seminars and panels designed to help freelancers and aspiring creators with tips on such things as running a Kickstarter (Mighty Matt McElroy, Meredith, and I were that panel), to networking, to Eddy’s Developer Bootcamp where he divides attendees into teams, has them come up with a game concept, and walks them through each stage of creation.

My favorite idea was a game where a cyber-pug is created in parts, with each cyber-part containing one bit of what I believe was an exploded pug’s body. I heard about it second-hand, so I might not be grasping the full nuanced concept.

Friday, for us, was important. This was the day of our Onyx Path Q&A Social, which is a small gathering in a boardroom at the hotel, with snacks and drinks. We’ve found that this works better for us than the traditional panel at this convention.

Onyx Path Q&A Social 2020

I explain some minor, inconsequential, point while the gang wait to announce new releases.

Matt reminds us to announce Trinity Continuum: Adventure!, TC: Assassins, They Came From Beyond the Grave!, and The Hedge for CtL2e.

Naeall Raemonn Pricae makes a point – potentially about Scion, Exalted Essence, or Trinity Continuum: Assassins. Or something that applies to all three at once.

Eddy also makes a point – in an elegant and thought-provoking manner.

That was our big group event, but individually everybody still had events they were a part of. In fact, right after the Q&A, Matthew demo’d They Came From Beneath the Sea!. Which I didn’t know about until I heard gales of laughter from the demo area and popped my head in to see what the jocularity was all about.

It turns out the group was menaced by Commie Seaweed!

But with a clever use of improvised Quip and Cinematics cards…

…the day is saved by, well, getting the sinister seaweed stoned!

Besides They Came From Beneath the Sea!, we had other games of ours being demoed throughout the convention, including Eddy playing Pugmire (big surprise, I know), and at least one more panel – which was for V5 Chicago By Night.

Incidentally, mentioning V5 reminds me that not only do we have the Cults KS finishing up, but our friends over at Modiphius still have the pre-order open for Fall of London for Vampire: The Masquerade 5th Edition! You can do that whole pre-order thing for the physical book over there on their website, and get a link for the PDF right away!

But, besides helping out our fellow V5 content creators with a plug, here are some pics of Eddy playing Pugmire, and then the V5 Chicago By Night creators at their panel:

Eddy demos Pugmire, the very best doggy game in the world!

The V5 Chicago By Night creators no doubt revealing some scary and mysterious bit of lore from the book!

The Chicago panelists and creators: Crystal Mazur, Matthew “The Gentleman Tongue” Dawkins, Mike Tomasek, and Eddy Webb.

And so, to end our little visual tour of our adventures at Mid Winter in Milwaukee, here is a gorgeous picture taken once again by Meredith Gerber, of Matthew and I in a moment of downtime in our habitual haunt, the Monarch Lounge in the hotel:

Lords of the Night, indeed!

Check us out next week, after we’ve fully recovered – we hope! We’ll have lots more talk about our:

Many Worlds, One Path!

BLURBS!

Kickstarter!

V5 Cults of the Blood Gods is in its last few days! Thanks to all of you, the kickstarter has passed $131,000 and 2240 backers, and has trumpeted forward passing through Stretch Goal after Stretch Goal right into the new year!

Next on Kickstarter, we are looking at Hunter: The Vigil 2nd Edition for Chronicles of Darkness!

Onyx Path Media!

This Friday’s Onyx Pathcast is an in-depth roundtable on the Trinity Continuum with Danielle Lauzon and Ian Watson from the MidWinter Convention in Milwaukee! Check it out direct on Podbean, or your favorite podcast venue! https://onyxpathcast.podbean.com/

An abbreviated profile of media this week, as Matthew has only just got back from the States and is a little tired.

We’ve a busy week ahead of us on Twitch with Vampire: The Masquerade, Chronicles of Darkness, Pugmire, Aberrant, Changeling: The Lost, Hunter: The Vigil, Changeling: The Dreaming, Scarred Lands and Blood City’s Chicago by Night!

As ever, tune in to twitch.tv/theonyxpath to watch these shows live and subscribe to the channel!

Our YouTube channel will start boosting its content again this week, with more Scion, Pugmire, Scarred Lands, Aberrant, Vampire and more!

Find our YouTube channel on youtube.com/user/theonyxpath and as with Twitch, click subscribe! An Onyx Path News is coming this week!

Here’s Occultists Anonymous‘ latest fantastic Mage: The Awakening shows:

Episode 72: From The Ashes Before heading to the Yucatan, Atratus visits the soul fragment of a mage in an Atlantean soul stone. The cabal then heads down to Mexico and begins to investigate the ancient pyramid.https://youtu.be/NylE4FsuYfs

Episode 73: This Isn’t Kansas The cabal investigates the portal atop the Pyramid of the Magician, for beyond it lies another world, and perhaps a clue to the grimoire they are searching for. Wyrd has spotted what seems to be a living Mayan civilization beyond the portal, but what really is out there?https://youtu.be/CETbEGEbrUU

The Story Told Podcast have recently interviewed Onyx Path mainstay Vera Vartanian on the subject of Exalted right here: http://thestorytold.libsyn.com/episode-44-exalted-dragon-blooded-great-houses-part-1-with-vera-vartanian

Red Moon Roleplaying have posted the final episode of The Sacrifice for V5 Chicago by Night, run by the excellent Klara Herbol, but as well, they’re still posting episodes of V5 Cults of the Blood Gods and Changeling: The Lost! Find their content on YouTube, Spotify, or redmoonroleplaying.com

Drop Matthew a message via the contact button on matthewdawkins.com if you have actual plays, reviews, or game overviews you want us to profile on the blog!

Please check any of these out and let us know if you find or produce any actual plays of our games!

Electronic Gaming!

As we find ways to enable our community to more easily play our games, the Onyx Dice Rolling App is live! Our dev team has been doing updates since we launched based on the excellent use-case comments by our community, and this thing is awesome! (Seriously, you need to roll 100 dice for Exalted? This app has you covered.)

On Amazon and Barnes & Noble!

You can now read our fiction from the comfort and convenience of your Kindle (from Amazon) and Nook (from Barnes & Noble).

If you enjoy these or any other of our books, please help us by writing reviews on the site of the sales venue from which you bought it. Reviews really, really help us get folks interested in our amazing fiction!

Our selection includes these latest fiction books:

Our Sales Partners!

We’re working with Studio2 to get Pugmire and Monarchies of Mau out into stores, as well as to individuals through their online store. You can pick up the traditionally printed main book, the screen, and the official Pugmire dice through our friends there! https://studio2publishing.com/search?q=pugmire

We’ve added Prince’s Gambit to our Studio2 catalog: https://studio2publishing.com/products/prince-s-gambit-card-game

Now, we’ve added Changeling: The Lost 2nd Edition products to Studio2‘s store! See them here: https://studio2publishing.com/collections/all-products/changeling-the-lost

Scarred Lands (Pathfinder) books are also on sale at Studio2, and they have the 5e version, supplements, and dice as well!: https://studio2publishing.com/collections/scarred-lands

Scion 2e books and other products are available now at Studio2: https://studio2publishing.com/blogs/new-releases/scion-second-edition-book-one-origin-now-available-at-your-local-retailer-or-online

Looking for our Deluxe or Prestige Edition books? Try this link! http://www.indiepressrevolution.com/xcart/Onyx-Path-Publishing/

And you can order Pugmire, Monarchies of Mau, Cavaliers of Mars, and Changeling: The Lost 2e at the same link! And NOW Scion Origin and Scion Hero are available to order!

One more week: DTRPG and its affiliated Community Content sites are running the New Year, New Game sale! A huge number of our PDFs are on sale from all of our game worlds, as well as a Big Scion 2e Bundle with 4 PDFs being offered for $13! https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/299474/NYNG-Scion-2E-BUNDLE

As always, you can find Onyx Path’s titles at DriveThruRPG.com!

On Sale This Week!

This Wednesday, we will be releasing the PDF and physical book PoD versions of M20 Book of the Fallen on DTRPG!

This book deals with extremely disturbing and mature topics as it examines evil within the World of Darkness, and in Mage: The Ascension, in particular. Please be aware of this before making your order.

Conventions!

More conventions will be listed for 2020 in the weeks to come-

And now, the new project status updates!

DEVELOPMENT STATUS FROM EDDY WEBB (projects in bold have changed status since last week):

First Draft (The first phase of a project that is about the work being done by writers, not dev prep)

Exalted Essay Collection (Exalted)

N!ternational Wrestling Entertainment (Trinity Continuum: Aberrant)

Contagion Chronicle Ready-Made Characters (Chronicles of Darkness)

Trinity Continuum: Adventure! core (Trinity Continuum: Adventure!)

Duke Rollo fiction (Trinity Continuum: Aberrant)

TC: Aberrant Jumpstart (Trinity Continuum: Aberrant)

RUST (Working Title) (Scarred Lands)

Under Alien Suns (Trinity Continuum: Aeon)

Mission Statements (Trinity Continuum: Aeon)

Redlines

Kith and Kin (Changeling: The Lost 2e)

Dragon-Blooded Novella #2 (Exalted 3rd Edition)

Many-Faced Strangers – Lunars Companion (Exalted 3rd Edition)

Second Draft

M20 Victorian Mage (Mage: the Ascension 20th Anniversary Edition)

Exigents (Exalted 3rd Edition)

Crucible of Legends (Exalted 3rd Edition)

Development

Heirs to the Shogunate (Exalted 3rd Edition)

TC: Aberrant Reference Screen (Trinity Continuum: Aberrant)

Monsters of the Deep (They Came From Beneath the Sea!)

Scion: Demigod (Scion 2nd Edition)

Tales of Aquatic Terror (They Came From Beneath the Sea!)

Across the Eight Directions (Exalted 3rd Edition)

Contagion Chronicle: Global Outbreaks (Chronicles of Darkness)

Contagion Chronicle Jumpstart (Chronicles of Darkness)

Manuscript Approval

Scion: Dragon (Scion 2nd Edition)

Masks of the Mythos (Scion 2nd Edition)

Trinity Continuum Jumpstart (Trinity Continuum Core)

Player’s Guide to the Contagion Chronicle (Chronicles of Darkness)

Post-Approval Development

Scion LARP Rules (Scion)

Mummy: The Curse 2nd Edition core rulebook (Mummy: The Curse 2nd Edition)

Titanomachy (Scion 2nd Edition)

One Foot in the Grave Jumpstart (Geist: The Sin-Eaters 2e)

Editing

Lunars: Fangs at the Gate (Exalted 3rd Edition)

Geist 2e Fiction Anthology (Geist: The Sin-Eaters 2nd Edition)

Dragon-Blooded Novella #1 (Exalted 3rd Edition)

Legendlore core book (Legendlore)

WoD Ghost Hunters (World of Darkness)

Mythical Denizens (Creatures of the World Bestiary) (Scion 2nd Edition)

Pirates of Pugmire KS-Added Adventure (Realms of Pugmire)

Yugman’s Guide to Ghelspad (Scarred Lands)

Trinity Continuum: Aberrant core (Trinity Continuum: Aberrant)

Terra Firma (Trinity Continuum: Aeon)

Deviant: The Renegades (Deviant: The Renegades)

Lunars Novella (Rosenberg) (Exalted 3rd Edition)

Buried Bones: Creating in the Realms of Pugmire (Realms of Pugmire)

Post-Editing Development

TC: Aeon Ready-Made Characters (Trinity Continuum: Aeon)

Night Horrors: Nameless and Accursed (Mage: the Awakening Second Edition)

City of the Towered Tombs (Cavaliers of Mars)

W20 Shattered Dreams Gift Cards (Werewolf: The Apocalypse 20th)

TC: Aeon Jumpstart (Trinity Continuum: Aeon)

Vigil Watch (Scarred Lands)

Scion Companion: Mysteries of the World (Scion 2nd Edition)

Cults of the Blood Gods (Vampire: The Masquerade 5th Edition)

Wraith20 Fiction Anthology (Wraith: The Oblivion 20th Anniversary Edition)

Hunter: The Vigil 2e core (Hunter: The Vigil 2nd Edition)

Let the Streets Run Red (Vampire: The Masquerade 5th Edition)

M20 The Technocracy Reloaded (Mage: the Ascension 20th Anniversary Edition)

Indexing

ART DIRECTION FROM MIKE CHANEY!

In Art Direction

Contagion Chronicle – Last of finals coming in.

Trinity Continuum: Aberrant

Hunter: The Vigil 2e

Ex3 Lunars – Art is in.

TCfBtS!: Heroic Land Dwellers – LeBlanc working on finals.

Night Horrors: Nameless and Accursed – Finals starting to come in this week.

Cults of the Blood God (KS)

Mummy 2

City of the Towered Tombs

Let the Streets Run Red – Art notes and contracts finishing going out this week.

CtL Oak Ash and Thorn – Figuring out art notes.

Scion Mythical Denizens – Need sketches for fulls.

Deviant

Yugman’s Guide to Ghelspad – Finals all coming in.

Vigil Watch – Need one more artist.

Legendlore (KS) – Starting to gather art needs for KS.

Technocracy Reloaded (KS) – Artwork for KS in progress.

Scion Companion – Working on art notes for that.

TC: Aeon Terra Firma

In Layout

Trinity Continuum Aeon: Distant Worlds

Pirates of Pugmire – With Aileen.

Wraith20 Anthology – First Proof.

Proofing

Dark Eras 2 – Backer PDF going out to backers this week.

Trinity Continuum Aeon Jumpstart

They Came from Beneath the Sea! – Backer PDF almost ready to send to backers.

VtR Spilled Blood – 2nd proof with dev.

Chicago Folio – First proof.

At Press

V5: Chicago – Shipping labels for backers being created, should start shipping rewards soon.

Geist 2e (Geist: The Sin-Eaters 2nd Edition) – Shipping to fulfillment shippers.

Geist 2e Screen – Being printed.

DR:E – Shipping to fulfillment shippers.

DRE Screen – Being printed.

DR:E Threat Guide – Helnau’s Guide to Wasteland Beasties

Memento Mori – Awaiting errata for input.

M20 Book of the Fallen – PDF and PoD version go live on Wednesday on DTRPG!

Today’s Reason to Celebrate!

Almost our entire Monday Meeting crew made it to Milwaukee and back safely, and had a great and productive time at our Summit and the convention. I got stuck for a while in Milwaukee’s airport with a delayed plane, and Ian had a bunch of flights cancelled out from under him, but we’re all home now. Which is, for us, a pretty great trip!

[illbefinealonereads]

Blog tour day! I offer you info and an excerpt from Where Dreams Descend by Janella Angeles.

Early Praise: "Janella Angeles steals the 2020 show with her fiercely imagined debut starring larger than life characters, a dangerous world alive with magic, and a dizzying dose of grab-a-fainting-couch-and-swoon-away romance!" - Roshani Chokshi, New York Times bestselling author of The Gilded Wolves "Where Dreams Descend is a glamorous dark gem of a tale, sparkling with romance, magic, and intrigue. Readers will be captivated by prima donna Kallia as the mystery is slowly unmasked. Bravissima!" - Julie C. Dao, author of Forest of a Thousand Lanterns “Lavish and opulent in a way that feels warmly familiar yet demands your attention. There are secrets upon secrets, a girl who’s boldly ambitious, and truly riveting stage magic. I didn’t want the show to stop.” - Emily A. Duncan, New York Times bestselling author of Wicked Saints "Vibrant imagery, jaw-dropping set pieces, sizzling romantic tension, and unstoppable heroine Kallia bring this ambitious debut novel to spectacular life. Fans of Caraval and The Night Circus will be delighted!" - Claire Legrand, New York Times bestselling author of Furyborn   "[A] spellbinding melody of a book, and the true magic is how Angeles puts all the best parts of an enrapturing theatrical performance onto paper and ink. From the gripping twists in the first pages all the way to the final, heartbreaking crescendo, Where Dreams Descend will surge you to your feet in a standing ovation.” – Sara Raasch, New York Times bestselling author of the Snow Like Ashes trilogy

In a city covered in ice and ruin, a group of magicians face off in a daring game of magical feats to find the next headliner of the Conquering Circus, only to find themselves under the threat of an unseen danger striking behind the scenes.

As each act becomes more and more risky and the number of missing magicians piles up, three are forced to reckon with their secrets before the darkness comes for them next.

The Star: Kallia, a powerful showgirl out to prove she’s the best no matter the cost

The Master: Jack, the enigmatic keeper of the club, and more than one lie told

The Magician: Demarco, the brooding judge with a dark past he can no longer hide

Where Dreams Descend is the startling and romantic first book in Janella Angeles’ debut Kingdom of Cards fantasy duology where magic is both celebrated and feared, and no heart is left unscathed.

Buy Link: https://read.macmillan.com/lp/where-dreams-descend/

JANELLA ANGELES is a Filipino-American author who got her start in writing through consuming glorious amounts of fanfiction at a young age—which eventually led to penning a few of her own, and later on, creating original stories from her imagination. A lifelong lover of books, she's lucky enough to be working in the business of publishing them on top of writing them. She currently resides in Massachusetts, where she's most likely to be found listening to musicals on repeat and daydreaming too much for her own good. Where Dreams Descend is her first book. 

Social Links:  Twitter: @Janella_Angeles // Instagram: @Janella_Angeles

Excerpt:

Never come to Hellfire House without wearing a mask.

It was one of the rare rules in a joint without any. The only rule the master of the club did not mind following. He blended in with the sea of suits and white masks that arrived every other night, switching appearances from crowd to crowd. A bartender one moment, a dealer at the card tables the next.

Only his face remained the same, half-masked and haunting. Like a prince who relished the bloody crown on his head, and the ghosts that came with it. A face almost hardened by beauty, though glints of youth ran deep beneath soft black eyes. It always shocked new guests, to see him. The master of the House was rumored to be a dragon of a man. A monster. A magician who had no mercy for fools.

Only those who dared slur the word boy in his face understood how true those rumors were.

To the rest, he played the devil on all shoulders, leading patrons to his bar and game tables, guiding them toward his enchanted smoke lounge to drown in curated memories. The warmth of first love, the heady rush of triumph, the immense joy of dreams come true. The master kept a selection of sensations, and one hit of the pipes delivered magic the people came crawling to his house to taste.

They had no idea the show that was in store for them.

The master of the House sipped his short glass of scarlet whiskey in peace, tapping along the wide black strip over his brass knuckles. He’d long since manipulated his attire, sitting casually at a card table and savoring the mayhem. Raucous cheers erupted from the next table as dice rolled out across the surface. Smiling Hellfire girls in black blazers and masks of lace denied patrons begging for a dance. Loudest of all, the dealer’s crisp shuffling of the black cards with teeth-white numbers before she doled out hands to players at the table.

“No, no more,” one moaned. “I can’t.”

“Sure you can, chap.” A young man in a white thorn-edged mask cheerfully pressed him back in his seat. “We can’t leave. Haven’t even finished your drink, yet.”

His drunken friend’s mouth puckered under another gulp. “Think it’s true, the drink? Magician’s Blood, the menu said.”

“Think you have power, now?” Thorn Mask laughed, leaning back to appraise the club. “Here, you take your magic where you can get it. You wear a mask. You flip a card, smoke a memory. Or you look up . . . at her.”

The master’s fingers tightened around his glass, just as the lights dimmed. Dancers cleared the floor under the hush of music, shifting from smooth, steady beats to a racing rhythm loud as thunderous applause.

Right on cue.

The band’s worth of instruments he’d charmed for the night started up a wild entry tune of drums, the thick trill of trumpets. Chatter ceased and backs straightened as a beam of light speared toward the ceiling. A panel slid open over the dance floor.

And the chandelier descended.

Strings of crystals dangled along tiered rims of rose gold, cutting sharply into a jewel-set swing where a masked showgirl sat. A throne of glittering jewels, casting luminous lace across the walls and the ground and the audience taking her in. Her brown skin glowed against her corset, red as her gem-studded mask. Arms stretched out, she crossed and extended her legs in smooth lines all the way down, until her heels touched the lacquered black dancefloor. With the hint of a smile, she rose from her throne and stalked forward, thrusting a hand up with a snap.

Darkness engulfed the room.

Hoots and hollers rang at the drop of the beat, before a glimmer of her form reappeared in the shadows. The room pulsed at her command, matching the spike of heartbeats the master sensed throughout the club.

The smirk on his lips matched the girl’s as she arched her back to the raw stretch of the melody. She thrived under the attention, like a wildflower under the sun. A star finding the night.

His star.

“I’ll be damned.” The drunk at the card table breathed in awe, as the girl’s palms began brightening with a molten glow. “Nothing like an academy girl.”

“Worth the trip, right?” His friend clapped a hand on his shoulder.

“I didn’t know they could be magicians like . . . this.”

The master smothered a dark scoff under a sip of whiskey. The girl showed off good tricks—improvised and bettered from his basic crowd-pleasers. Treating the ceiling like a sky and showering comets from it, casting an elaborate shadow show of dancing shades over the floor, shifting every candlelight in the room to different colors to the beat of the music.

But always the performer, she preferred to be front and center. Teasing her power just enough to make the audience want more of her magic, more of her.

He wet his lips as flames shot from her hands, arcing over her head and around her body. The fire’s melody bent to her every movement, and she gave everything to it. If she wasn’t careful, she’d overexert herself like she did most nights, never knowing when to stop. How to pull back.

Careful never was her strongest suit.

Sparks fell before her, sizzling on the ground. Unafraid, she sauntered down her stage of flames with slow swaying hips and a firelit smile.

“Magicians like this are best kept a secret,” Thorn Mask went on. “And besides, the work is far too scandalous for a lady. Only clubs will take them.”

“What a shame. Imagine going up against the likes of her at the competition.”

The master paused, drawing his gaze back to his glass.

“Not this again. That flyer was nothing but a joke.” Thorn Mask slapped the table with a groaning laugh. “A prank.”

The drunk sloppily patted around his coat, pulling from his breast pocket a dirty, scrunched ball of paper. “It’s real. They’re all over the academies, in Deque and New Crown and—”

“A prank,” repeated Thorn Mask, unfolding the flyer anyway. “It has to be. No one’s been to that city in ages, it would never open itself to such games.”

“That makes it all the more interesting, don’t you think?” As another roar of cheers erupted around them, the friend sipped his drink smugly. “Imagine if she entered, the city might implode.”

“Right. As if that would ever happen.” Thorn Mask leered. “Competition would eat a creature like her alive.”

“Because she’s . . . ?”

With an impish lift of his brow, the man in the thorny mask flicked the flyer off the table and returned to his forgotten spread of cards. “Let’s get on with the game, shall we?”

Before he could gesture at the dealer, the master suddenly appeared at their table, snatching the young man’s wrist in a biting grip. The man yelped as the force knocked over his drink, and sent a stream of hidden cards spilling out from his sleeves.

“What’s this?” The master bent toward the ground and picked up a couple, entirely too calm. “Cheating in my house?”

The man froze, recognition dawning at the brass knuckles alone. “Where did you—I-I mean,” he sputtered, patting frantically at his sleeve. “That’s impossible. Those aren’t mine, I swear.”

“Then where did they come from?”

Sweat dripped from his temple, his face paler than the white of his mask. “I emptied my pockets at the door. Honest.”

Honest. That was the best he could do? The master almost laughed.

“You want to know the price cheaters pay in my joint?” His question offered no mercy. Only deliverance, served on ice. “Memories.”

“No, please!” The man’s lip trembled. “I didn’t, I-I’ll do whatever you want!”

“This is what I want.” The master rose from the table with the jerk of his wrist. The cheat flew to the ground in a gasp as he gripped at the invisible chain-like weight around his neck. Sharp, staccato breaths followed the master as he dragged his prisoner toward the smoke dens.

The man screamed, but no one heard him. No one saw, no one cared. All eyes fell on the star of the show as she searched for a dance partner to join her. The drunken friend, noticing nothing amiss, raised his half-full glass of Magician’s Blood to his lips before waving his hand high like the others. The man thrashed harder, only to feel his cries smothered and deeper in his throat. His form, invisible at the sweep of the master’s hand.

With a disdainful glance, the master chuckled. “You’re only making this more difficult for yourself. One memory won’t kill you.”

At once, he paused. The lights blinked around them, the air grown still. Dim and hazy, as though locked in a dream.

He thought nothing of it until he caught the movements of the patrons—their arms raised and waving slowly, increment by increment. Their cheers dulled and stretched into low, gravelly roars, as if the sound were wading through heavier air. Against time itself.

“Where do you think you’re going?”

The sound of her voice slithered around him, stopping the master in his tracks. The man quieted. Sweat soaked his pale face, his chest heaving. The showgirl stood in their path, every stare in the room still locked on the spotlit floor where she’d been. As though she’d never left.

Impressive.

Her red corset glinted as she cocked her hip and pointed at the man on the floor. “I choose him.”

She could never let things be easy.

“Kallia,” he growled, warning.

She smiled. “Jack.”

“Pick another. He’s a cheater.”

Her lips pursed into a dubious line. “Then let me teach him a lesson. He’ll no doubt prefer it more.” She swung a leg over the man’s prone form so she stood directly above him. Invitation dripped from the crook of her fingers. “The music calls, darling. Let’s have ourselves a grand time.”

The man’s terror turned swiftly into awe, and he looked at her as if ready to kiss the ground she walked on. As soon as he took her beckoning hand, the room resumed its lively rhythm—a song snapped back in full swing. The cheers and hollers returned to their normal speed, exploding in delight as patrons found their lovely entertainer in their midst, her chosen dance partner in tow.

She bypassed the master, pressing a casual hand on his chest to move him. It lingered, he noticed. Unafraid, unlike most. Their gazes locked for a moment, their masked faces inches apart.

No one ever dared to get this close. To him, to her.

Only each other.

At the next round of cheers and whistles, she pushed him away, smug as a cat. Tugging the man close behind her, she sent fires onto the ground that illuminated her path and warded others from trying to follow them to the stage. Never once looking back at the master, even as he watched on after her.

His fist tightened, full of the cards from his earlier trick. They disappeared into mist, having served their purpose. Along with the flyer he managed to grab.

He didn’t even bother giving it a read. It died in the fire caged by his palm. Tendrils of smoke rose between his brass knuckles, and when he opened his fingers, nothing but ash fell to the ground.

[taylorfennersbookishworld]

Hey Bookdragons! Today I'm part of Wednesday Books's Where Dreams Descend Blog Tour. Where Dreams Descend was one of my most anticipated releases of 2020 but more on that later. First, a little bit about the book...In a city covered in ice and ruin, a group of magicians face off in a daring game of magical feats to find the next headliner of the Conquering Circus, only to find themselves under the threat of an unseen danger striking behind the scenes. As each act becomes more and more risky and the number of missing magicians piles up, three are forced to reckon with their secrets before the darkness comes for them next. The Star: Kallia, a powerful showgirl out to prove she’s the best no matter the cost The Master: Jack, the enigmatic keeper of the club, and more than one lie told The Magician: Demarco, the brooding judge with a dark past he can no longer hide Where Dreams Descend is the startling and romantic first book in Janella Angeles’ debut Kingdom of Cards fantasy duology where magic is both celebrated and feared, and no heart is left unscathed.Buy Your CopyEarly Praise"Janella Angeles steals the 2020 show with her fiercely imagined debut starring larger than life characters, a dangerous world alive with magic, and a dizzying dose of grab-a-fainting-couch-and-swoon-away romance!" - Roshani Chokshi, New York Times bestselling author of The Gilded Wolves "Where Dreams Descend is a glamorous dark gem of a tale, sparkling with romance, magic, and intrigue. Readers will be captivated by prima donna Kallia as the mystery is slowly unmasked. Bravissima!" - Julie C. Dao, author of Forest of a Thousand Lanterns “Lavish and opulent in a way that feels warmly familiar yet demands your attention. There are secrets upon secrets, a girl who’s boldly ambitious, and truly riveting stage magic. I didn’t want the show to stop.” - Emily A. Duncan, New York Times bestselling author of Wicked Saints "Vibrant imagery, jaw-dropping set pieces, sizzling romantic tension, and unstoppable heroine Kallia bring this ambitious debut novel to spectacular life. Fans of Caraval and The Night Circus will be delighted!" - Claire Legrand, New York Times bestselling author of Furyborn  "[A] spellbinding melody of a book, and the true magic is how Angeles puts all the best parts of an enrapturing theatrical performance onto paper and ink. From the gripping twists in the first pages all the way to the final, heartbreaking crescendo, Where Dreams Descend will surge you to your feet in a standing ovation.” – Sara Raasch, New York Times bestselling author of the Snow Like Ashes trilogyEXCERPT:Never come to Hellfire House without wearing a mask. It was one of the rare rules in a joint without any. The only rule the master of the club did not mind following. He blended in with the sea of suits and white masks that arrived every other night, switching appearances from crowd to crowd. A bartender one moment, a dealer at the card tables the next. Only his face remained the same, half-masked and haunting. Like a prince who relished the bloody crown on his head, and the ghosts that came with it. A face almost hardened by beauty, though glints of youth ran deep beneath soft black eyes. It always shocked new guests, to see him. The master of the House was rumored to be a dragon of a man. A monster. A magician who had no mercy for fools. Only those who dared slur the word boy in his face understood how true those rumors were. To the rest, he played the devil on all shoulders, leading patrons to his bar and game tables, guiding them toward his enchanted smoke lounge to drown in curated memories. The warmth of first love, the heady rush of triumph, the immense joy of dreams come true. The master kept a selection of sensations, and one hit of the pipes delivered magic the people came crawling to his house to taste. They had no idea the show that was in store for them. The master of the House sipped his short glass of scarlet whiskey in peace, tapping along the wide black strip over his brass knuckles. He’d long since manipulated his attire, sitting casually at a card table and savoring the mayhem. Raucous cheers erupted from the next table as dice rolled out across the surface. Smiling Hellfire girls in black blazers and masks of lace denied patrons begging for a dance. Loudest of all, the dealer’s crisp shuffling of the black cards with teeth-white numbers before she doled out hands to players at the table. “No, no more,” one moaned. “I can’t.” “Sure you can, chap.” A young man in a white thorn-edged mask cheerfully pressed him back in his seat. “We can’t leave. Haven’t even finished your drink, yet.” His drunken friend’s mouth puckered under another gulp. “Think it’s true, the drink? Magician’s Blood, the menu said.” “Think you have power, now?” Thorn Mask laughed, leaning back to appraise the club. “Here, you take your magic where you can get it. You wear a mask. You flip a card, smoke a memory. Or you look up . . . at her.” The master’s fingers tightened around his glass, just as the lights dimmed. Dancers cleared the floor under the hush of music, shifting from smooth, steady beats to a racing rhythm loud as thunderous applause. Right on cue. The band’s worth of instruments he’d charmed for the night started up a wild entry tune of drums, the thick trill of trumpets. Chatter ceased and backs straightened as a beam of light speared toward the ceiling. A panel slid open over the dance floor. And the chandelier descended. Strings of crystals dangled along tiered rims of rose gold, cutting sharply into a jewel-set swing where a masked showgirl sat. A throne of glittering jewels, casting luminous lace across the walls and the ground and the audience taking her in. Her brown skin glowed against her corset, red as her gem-studded mask. Arms stretched out, she crossed and extended her legs in smooth lines all the way down, until her heels touched the lacquered black dancefloor. With the hint of a smile, she rose from her throne and stalked forward, thrusting a hand up with a snap. Darkness engulfed the room. Hoots and hollers rang at the drop of the beat, before a glimmer of her form reappeared in the shadows. The room pulsed at her command, matching the spike of heartbeats the master sensed throughout the club. The smirk on his lips matched the girl’s as she arched her back to the raw stretch of the melody. She thrived under the attention, like a wildflower under the sun. A star finding the night. His star. “I’ll be damned.” The drunk at the card table breathed in awe, as the girl’s palms began brightening with a molten glow. “Nothing like an academy girl.” “Worth the trip, right?” His friend clapped a hand on his shoulder. “I didn’t know they could be magicians like . . . this.” The master smothered a dark scoff under a sip of whiskey. The girl showed off good tricks—improvised and bettered from his basic crowd-pleasers. Treating the ceiling like a sky and showering comets from it, casting an elaborate shadow show of dancing shades over the floor, shifting every candlelight in the room to different colors to the beat of the music. But always the performer, she preferred to be front and center. Teasing her power just enough to make the audience want more of her magic, more of her. He wet his lips as flames shot from her hands, arcing over her head and around her body. The fire’s melody bent to her every movement, and she gave everything to it. If she wasn’t careful, she’d overexert herself like she did most nights, never knowing when to stop. How to pull back. Careful never was her strongest suit. Sparks fell before her, sizzling on the ground. Unafraid, she sauntered down her stage of flames with slow swaying hips and a firelit smile. “Magicians like this are best kept a secret,” Thorn Mask went on. “And besides, the work is far too scandalous for a lady. Only clubs will take them.” “What a shame. Imagine going up against the likes of her at the competition.” The master paused, drawing his gaze back to his glass. “Not this again. That flyer was nothing but a joke.” Thorn Mask slapped the table with a groaning laugh. “A prank.” The drunk sloppily patted around his coat, pulling from his breast pocket a dirty, scrunched ball of paper. “It’s real. They’re all over the academies, in Deque and New Crown and—” “A prank,” repeated Thorn Mask, unfolding the flyer anyway. “It has to be. No one’s been to that city in ages, it would never open itself to such games.” “That makes it all the more interesting, don’t you think?” As another roar of cheers erupted around them, the friend sipped his drink smugly. “Imagine if she entered, the city might implode.” “Right. As if that would ever happen.” Thorn Mask leered. “Competition would eat a creature like her alive.” “Because she’s . . . ?” With an impish lift of his brow, the man in the thorny mask flicked the flyer off the table and returned to his forgotten spread of cards. “Let’s get on with the game, shall we?” Before he could gesture at the dealer, the master suddenly appeared at their table, snatching the young man’s wrist in a biting grip. The man yelped as the force knocked over his drink, and sent a stream of hidden cards spilling out from his sleeves. “What’s this?” The master bent toward the ground and picked up a couple, entirely too calm. “Cheating in my house?” The man froze, recognition dawning at the brass knuckles alone. “Where did you—I-I mean,” he sputtered, patting frantically at his sleeve. “That’s impossible. Those aren’t mine, I swear.” “Then where did they come from?” Sweat dripped from his temple, his face paler than the white of his mask. “I emptied my pockets at the door. Honest.” Honest. That was the best he could do? The master almost laughed. “You want to know the price cheaters pay in my joint?” His question offered no mercy. Only deliverance, served on ice. “Memories.” “No, please!” The man’s lip trembled. “I didn’t, I-I’ll do whatever you want!” “This is what I want.” The master rose from the table with the jerk of his wrist. The cheat flew to the ground in a gasp as he gripped at the invisible chain-like weight around his neck. Sharp, staccato breaths followed the master as he dragged his prisoner toward the smoke dens. The man screamed, but no one heard him. No one saw, no one cared. All eyes fell on the star of the show as she searched for a dance partner to join her. The drunken friend, noticing nothing amiss, raised his half-full glass of Magician’s Blood to his lips before waving his hand high like the others. The man thrashed harder, only to feel his cries smothered and deeper in his throat. His form, invisible at the sweep of the master’s hand. With a disdainful glance, the master chuckled. “You’re only making this more difficult for yourself. One memory won’t kill you.” At once, he paused. The lights blinked around them, the air grown still. Dim and hazy, as though locked in a dream. He thought nothing of it until he caught the movements of the patrons—their arms raised and waving slowly, increment by increment. Their cheers dulled and stretched into low, gravelly roars, as if the sound were wading through heavier air. Against time itself. “Where do you think you’re going?” The sound of her voice slithered around him, stopping the master in his tracks. The man quieted. Sweat soaked his pale face, his chest heaving. The showgirl stood in their path, every stare in the room still locked on the spotlit floor where she’d been. As though she’d never left. Impressive. Her red corset glinted as she cocked her hip and pointed at the man on the floor. “I choose him.” She could never let things be easy. “Kallia,” he growled, warning. She smiled. “Jack.” “Pick another. He’s a cheater.” Her lips pursed into a dubious line. “Then let me teach him a lesson. He’ll no doubt prefer it more.” She swung a leg over the man’s prone form so she stood directly above him. Invitation dripped from the crook of her fingers. “The music calls, darling. Let’s have ourselves a grand time.” The man’s terror turned swiftly into awe, and he looked at her as if ready to kiss the ground she walked on. As soon as he took her beckoning hand, the room resumed its lively rhythm—a song snapped back in full swing. The cheers and hollers returned to their normal speed, exploding in delight as patrons found their lovely entertainer in their midst, her chosen dance partner in tow. She bypassed the master, pressing a casual hand on his chest to move him. It lingered, he noticed. Unafraid, unlike most. Their gazes locked for a moment, their masked faces inches apart. No one ever dared to get this close. To him, to her. Only each other. At the next round of cheers and whistles, she pushed him away, smug as a cat. Tugging the man close behind her, she sent fires onto the ground that illuminated her path and warded others from trying to follow them to the stage. Never once looking back at the master, even as he watched on after her. His fist tightened, full of the cards from his earlier trick. They disappeared into mist, having served their purpose. Along with the flyer he managed to grab. He didn’t even bother giving it a read. It died in the fire caged by his palm. Tendrils of smoke rose between his brass knuckles, and when he opened his fingers, nothing but ash fell to the ground.My Review:The thing I liked most about this book was the world-building. The atmosphere of Hellfire House intrigues the reader right away, unfolding in the mind and tempting you to explore further.That being said, this book dragged for me. I actually tried three times to get into it unsuccessfully over a period of months that I've had this book sitting on my shelf. As I mentioned above, this was one of my most anticipated releases of 2020 and the intro to the book did grab me but after that? I just couldn't keep my attention on the page. So I did what any frustrated reader would do - I read ahead. And it does pick up. At the end. It's like all the exciting stuff is jammed in at the last 1/3 of the book. When the description of this book was put on Goodreads calling it "Moulin Rouge meets Phantom of the Opera and The Night Circus" I was so ready for this book. But I didn't get that at all reading it other than maybe Kallia was supposed to be like Nicole Kidman's character in Moulin Rouge? I don't know, maybe I didn't give this book enough of a chance --- but I mean, three attempts? --- and maybe someone will enjoy it more than I did. I honestly think I've been reading too much fantasy and it could be burnout. Overall, it was okay in spots but not enough to encourage me to pick up the next book.My Rating:🌟🌟2 of 5 stars!About the Author:JANELLA ANGELES is a Filipino-American author who got her start in writing through consuming glorious amounts of fanfiction at a young age—which eventually led to penning a few of her own, and later on, creating original stories from her imagination. A lifelong lover of books, she's lucky enough to be working in the business of publishing them on top of writing them. She currently resides in Massachusetts, where she's most likely to be found listening to musicals on repeat and daydreaming too much for her own good. Where Dreams Descend is her first book.Twitter | Instagram

http://taylorfenner.blogspot.com/2020/08/blog-tour-where-dreams-descend-by.html

[newyorktheater]

See August 1

See August 5

See August 7

See August 8

See Aug 10

See Aug 16

See Aug 18

See Aug 23

See Aug 26

Below is the day-by-day calendar of “theater openings”* in August, 2020, a month of abundance: Two theatrical celebrations of the 100th anniversary of women’s suffrage (Aug 16 & 18), two ways to re-experience Amiri Baraka’s landmark play “The Dutchman” (Aug 8 & 20), at least two annual summer theater festivals re-imagined, and three “reunion readings” of plays with their original starry casts.

  And that’s just what we know about as the month begins. Since physical theaters were shut down in March, many  shows are put together at the last minute, sometimes not even announced until the very day of their launch. (And there have also been last-minute cancellations.) That’s why  I will be updating this preview guide every day, and highlighting the offerings each new day with a new link up top. This calendar as of this moment offers a glimpse of what’s in store. Come back day by day for a better look. (Some of the plays listed do require advance reservation.)

Several ongoing series have been consistent in quality and output, many of them new or even ad-hoc.

Four offer live performances (usually referred to as readings), often of original plays:

The Homebound Project (See Aug 5) Livelabs: One Acts from MCC Play-PerView (See Aug 1, 8 and 15th) Viral Monologues from 24 Hour Plays (some 10 short new monologues almost every Tuesday) This month, the similar 48Hours in…Harlem celebrates its 10th anniversary, by going online. (See August 20.)

There is also Stars in the House, a twice-daily variety and talk show that, twice a week — on Wednesday and Saturday afternoons — presents Plays in the House,  Zoom readings of well-known plays, often classics…and a Sunday matinee for teenagers.

*My definition of theater for the purposes of this calendar generally does not extend to variety shows, cast reunions, galas, panel discussions, documentaries, classes, interviews — of which there are plenty, many worth checking out. My focus here is on creative storytelling in performance. (I make an occasional exception for a high-profile Netathon,involving many theater artists, such as Broadway Bares on Aug 1.)

A reminder that this calendar lists when the shows “open.” Some are live and available only for that one performance. Other shows are available for four days, or a week, or longer.

August 1

playwright Lydia Diamond

Crystal Monee Hall

Jelani Aladdin

Stick Fly Plays in the House 2 p.m. Available until August 5 The Zoom reading of Lydia Diamond’s play (which ran on Broadway in 2011)  is the latest matinee  in the twice-weekly spinoff series of Stars in the House. The affluent, African-American LeVay family is gathering at their Martha’s Vineyard home for the weekend, and brothers Kent and Flip have each brought their respective ladies home to meet the parents for the first time. The cast features Jelani Alladin, Crystal Monee Hall, Caroline Innerbichler, Keith Randolph Smith, Tiffany Rachelle Stewart, Daniel J. Watts and Renika Williams. New original music by Crystal Monee Hall

RoosevElvis Play-PerView Launches at 5 p.m. $5-$50 A reunion reading of The TEAM’s 2013 comedy, directed by Rachel Chavkin (Hadestown, Great Comet): On a hallucinatory road trip from the Badlands to Graceland, the spirits of Elvis Presley and Theodore Roosevelt battle over the soul of Ann, a painfully shy meat-processing plant worker, and what kind of man or woman Ann should become.

Verdi’s Ernani Metropolitan Opera 7:30 p.m. available for 23 hours A complicated story based on a Victor Hugo play about a young woman and the three men vying for her affection

Murder in Montgomery Manor Broadway Whodunit $21.30 8 p.m. The first in a series of virtual unscripted murder mysteries created by Andrew Barth Feldman (Dear Evan Hansen), where we play detective after one Broadway star is murdered to figure out which Broadway star was the killer. The eight-member cast this time features Feldman as host Laurence Montgomery VI, Alex Boniello as Giuseppe Romano, The Lawyer (I’ll bet he winds up the killer), Will Roland and Shereen Pimentel.

Broadway Bares 9:30 p.m. The annual strip show for Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS has gone online this year, featuring (clothed) appearances by Nick Adams, Charles Busch, Lea DeLaria, J. Harrison Ghee, Jane Krakowski, Nathan Lane, Beth Leavel, Judith Light, Andrew Lippa, Lesli Margherita, Angie Schworer, Marc Shaiman, Miriam Shor, Christopher Sieber, Wesley Taylor

August 2

Martin Luther On Trial Fellowship for the Performing Arts 4 p.m. A courtroom drama featuring Hitler, Freud, MLK Jr and Pope Francis as witnesses in a reenactment of Satan’s rebellion and his failed attempt to enlist Michael the Archangel!

Today I Saw A Bird…and Waze Playdate Theatre Two 15-minute plays on day two of this new theater company’s festival. In Ben Kaye’s “Today I Saw A Bird and Watched You Fly Away With It,” Sean (Owen Thiele) logs on for a work call with Roxie (Wonza Johnson), but discovers he’s in for something else entirely. In Lizz Bogaard’s “Waze,” Casey’s desire to get a job at Waze is thwarted when his grandmother causes a ruckus during his interview.

Frankie Faison

Happy by Alan Zweibel Playing on Air

In Alan Zweibel’s audio play, starring Frankie Faison and Scott Adsit, directed by Fred Berner, a baseball fan shows up at the home of his childhood hero, George “Happy” Halliday. Has the stranger come to pay his respects or to throw a curveball?

Wagner’s Die Walküre Metropolitan Opera 7:20 p.m. available for 23 hours The second installment of Wagner’s four-part Ring cycle, the most popular and most self-contained episode. It combines the mythical machinations of gods and demigods with the love story of the brave hero Siegmund and the dignified Sieglinde, whose passion is undiminished even when they discover that they are long-lost brother and sister,

August 3

The Olympians Theater Breaking Through Barriers 7:30 p.m. The first of eight new plays from the festival entitled Voices from the Great Experiment, which will be presented on TBTBTheater’s YouTube channel every night at 7:30 through August 10.

August 4

Who’s There New Ohio Theater Available through August 8 Cross-cultural encounter involving artists based in Singapore, Malaysia, and the United States: Accusations, feuds, and revelation. Created by The Transit Ensemble, co-directed by Sim Yan Ying “YY” and Alvin Tan.

August 5

  Homebound Project # 5 7 p.m. Available through August 9 The fifth anthology of short new plays (and planned as the last), this time with a cast featuring Laurie Metcalf, Kelli O’Hara, Brian Cox, Austin Pendleton, Daniel K. Isaac, performing in works by playwrights Craig Lucas, Lena Dunham, Sylvia Khoury, Stephen Karam, Donnetta Lavinia Grays.

Black Trans Women at the Center Long Wharf Theater 8 p.m. A free Zoom reading of three short plays: Dezi Bing’s “Things Unknown,” CeCe Suazo’s “You Will Nevaaa …” and Douglas Lyons’s “Sunshine.”

August 6

The Bathroom Plays Eden Theater Company 8 p.m. All three plays take place in a bathroom, and will be streamed on Eden’s YouTube channel In Amy Berryman’s “Pidgeons,” a woman confesses to a priest via Zoom, as she “lurks the bowels of the Internet” after her husband’s death. In E.E. Adams’s “Mary,” a young woman who is sheltering in place alone attempts to befriend the ghost haunting her bathroom. In Brennan Vickery’s “Monogamous Animals,” the characters would’ve never thought being so close could make them feel so lonely. A cigarette, a bathtub and a one-night getaway from quarantine might just break them.

August 7

Lin-Manuel Miranda as Usnavi

In the Heights: Chasing Broadway Dreams PBS Great Performances A documentary of Lin-Manuel Miranda’s first Broadway musical, as part of the program’s new “Broadway at Home” series. A cool follow-up to Hamilton on Disney+ (still available to subscribers) and the Freestyle Love Supreme documentary on Hulu (ditto.)

The Understudy Play Reading Fridays 7 p.m. Theresa Rebeck’s comedy focuses on Roxanne, who is charged with running the understudy rehearsal for the Broadway premiere of a heretofore undiscovered masterpiece by Franz Kafka. She is rattled when she discovers it’s her ex-fiance who is understudy for Jake, a mid-tier action star yearning for legitimacy.

August 8

WeSongCycle Tokyo Performing Arts 8:45 a.m. The season finale of an online documentary-style series, centered on several cultures’ definition of “Heroism.” The 16-member cast hails from the U.S., the U.K., Australia and Japan.

Dutchman Play-PerView 7 p.m. A read of Amiri Baraka’s 1964 play that’s a stark, allegorical confrontation between Lula, a white woman, and Clay, a black man, on the subway in New York, featuring the cast of the 2007 Cherry Lane production — Dulé Hill, Jennifer Mudge, and Christopher Meyer.

August 9

Anniversary Playing on Air Sarah Sokolovic, Michael Esper, Sue Jean Kim, and Steven Boyer star in this play by Rachel Bonds in which a grieving New Yorker finds herself drawn to a quirky, flirtatious friend-of-a-friend.

  August 10

Songs from an Unmade Bed 8 p.m. B.D. Wong and videographer videographer Richert Schnorr create a series of music videos out of this song cycle by librettist Mark Campbell and 18 composers about the inner musings and romantic life of a gay man living in New York.

Corkscrew 4.0 Available through August 23. What was going to be the fourth annual  Corkscrew Festival has been delayed until August 2021. HOWEVER, in the meantime, “the creative teams behind the five world premiere productions have adapted, reimagined, and exploded their plays, ending up with five unique interactive web experiences.” So, for example: “In Yankees, it’s Study Abroad Florence 2015! Introduce yourself to the Facebook group, check out the program website, and get ready to become a citizen of the WORLD…’

August 13

A Burning Church New Ohio Theater Available for two days Staged as a religious service as part of the Ice Factory Festival, this new musical traces the lives of church leaders and congregants amid protest movements, tragedies, and spiritual rebirth.

August 14

Danielle Brooks and Grantham Coleman

Much Ado About Nothing PBS Great Performances A recording of the 2019 Shakespeare in the Park production starring Danielle Brooks as Beatrice. (My review at the Delacorte)

August 15

The Elaborate Entrance of Chad Deity Play-PerView The tenth annual reunion reading of this play written and directed by Kristoffer Diaz. Macedonio “The Mace” Guerra is a middle rank wrestler who may have discovered his ticket to the big time: a charismatic, trash-talking Indian kid from Brooklyn whom he recruits as the perfect foil to the all-American champion, Chad Deity. But when their rivalry is used to exploit racial stereotypes in the name of ratings, all three men find themselves fighting for much more than the championship title.  (My review of the play Off-Broadway in 2010.)

August 16

Cell Playing on Air Tonya Pinkins, Condola Rashad, and Melanie Nicholls-King star in this audio play by Cassandra Medley:When a jaded guard at an immigrant detention center finds jobs for her sister and niece, family tensions erupt into a battle over home and homeland security.

August 18

Finish the Fight New York Times 7 p.m. The play by Ming Peiffer (“Usual Girls”) was commissioned by the Time to mark the 100th anniversary of the ratification of the 19th Amendment, giving women the right to vote The performance is available for free to viewers who R.S.V.P. in advance.

August 19

The Hombres Two River Theater 7 p.m. $25 A look at the complexity and intimacy of male friendship. Set somewhere off the New Jersey Transit line, the play follows Julián, a Latino yoga teacher, as he clashes with the Latino construction workers outside his studio—particularly the older head of the crew, Héctor, who seeks from Julián something he never expected.

  August 20

The six producers of Harlem9 (three dropped out over the years) Back row: Jonathan McCrory, Garlia Cornelia Jones, Sandra A. Daley-Sharif and Spencer Scott Barros. Bottom row: Bryan E. Glover and Eric Lockley.

48Hours in…Harlem Harlem9 7 p.m. Available for four days The 10th anniversary edition of the annual theatre festival begins August 20. The new plays were written in 48 hours July 17–19, then rehearsed and recorded during an additional 48-hour period July 24–25. For this year’s festival, playwrights were inspired by the same six Black plays from 48 Hours in..’s. inaugural year: Zooman and the Sign, The Colored Museum, Day of Absence, Funnyhouse of a Negro, Dutchman, and Black Terror. The festival brings together six playwrights, six directors, and 18 actors, including A Strange Loop star Larry Owens and its choreographer Raja Feather Kelly. Penning the pieces are playwrights  Keith Josef Adkins, Brittany K. Allen, Tracey Conyer Lee, Nadine Mozon, Jeremy O’brian, and L. Trey Wilson. (My article on the ninth annual 48 Hours in Harlem)

August 21

The King and I PBS Great Performances

August 23

Julie Halston,

Lois Smith

playwright David Ives

St. Francis Preaches to the Birds Playing on Air An audio play by David Ives sarring Carson Elrod, Julie Halston, and Matthew Saldivar with cameos by Lois Smith and Ives In the middle of the desert, two vultures find their lunch interrupted by a man of faith. Now, they have a bone to pick with Saint Francis of Assisi.

August 24

August 26

Talking Statues Monumental Women This nine-minute “dialogue” (or 11 minutes in Spanish) will accompany “Monumental Women,” a 14 foot tall statue being unveiled in Central Park that depicts three pioneers in women’s rights, Sojourner Truth. Susan B. Anthony and Cady Stanton, in celebration of the 100th anniversary of the women’s right to vote. The cast: Jane Alexander, Viola Davis, America Ferera, Rita Moreno, Zoe Saldana and Meryl Streep! There will be an app, and also a Qcode at the site of the monument. Will there also be a website? Stay tuned.

Sunken Cathedral Here Arts 7 p.m.

August 27

Real-life married couple Ed Harris and Amy Madigan as unhinged, unhappily married couple in Beth Henley’s The Jacksonian in 2013.

The Jacksonian The New Group $10-$25 7 p.m Continuing with the company’s reunion reading series, a starry cast (Ed Harris, Jane Krakowski , Amy Madigan, Juliet Brett,Bill Pullman) star in Beth Henley’s play set in Jackson, Mississippi, in 1964 – a town poisoned by racism – as a dentist Bill Perch (Harris), kicked out by his wife, commences a downward spiral at the Jacksonian Motel. (My 2013 Off-Broadway review)

  August 2020 Online Theater Openings: What’s streaming day by day Below is the day-by-day calendar of “theater openings”* in August, 2020, a month of abundance: Two…

[comicteaparty]

May 13th-May 19th, 2020 Reader Favorites Archive

The archive for the Reader Favorites chat that occurred from May 13th, 2020 to May 19th, 2020.  The chat focused on the following  question:

Which comic has your all-time favorite artwork, and why do you like it?

carcarchu

Oh yes i can say this with certainty but the webcomic with my all-time favourite artwork by far is 榴花不及春 https://www.manmanapp.com/comic-1404769.html. it's not just that the art is beautiful but the way the artists create mood and tone is just jaw-dropping. I actually got chills a few times while reading it from the art alone and that's not something that i can recall happening when reading a lot of webcomics, or actually any fiction in general. there's such a elegance to the line weight and movement of the art that brings life to the characters. the artists' use of lighting adds such depth to the scenes, sometimes creating a warm and inviting atmosphere and other times a haunting and foreboding chill. the time i've spent with this comic is not something i'll soon forget(edited)

Cronaj (Whispers of the Past)

This is such a difficult question for me. Gahhh, so many pretty comics out there.... I guess, in regards to artwork alone, my favorite is the 2015 version of Countdown to Countdown by Vel. (https://tapas.io/series/Countdown) Just... such beautiful work. I'm a sucker for detailed painterly styles I will admit, but also the color and lighting is phenomenal. The way Vel sets up the mood with color and movement is amazing. The textures and brush strokes are simply gorgeous! Unfortunately, Vel rebooted the comic to a new style last year, and while it is still really gorgeous, I must admit, I don't like it nearly as much as the original. (What can I say? I have a bias for painterly styles.) Still highly recommend it! (https://tapas.io/series/CTC) I do want to point out some honorable mentions for me: * Ghostblade by WLOP (https://tapas.io/series/GhostBlade) - another painterly comic * The Sixth Dalai Lama by Ze Zhao (https://tapas.io/series/thesixthdalailama) - discontinued as far as I'm aware, but painted traditionally with watercolor! * Wind Rose by Sfera (https://www.webtoons.com/en/challenge/wind-rose/list?title_no=54306) - Painterly again (later on as the artist improved) but also great expressions I will say, I also love deliciously detailed lineart, but I don't see it a lot (especially in webcomics), and I cannot think of one right now :/(edited)

carcarchu

ahh ghost blade is a great choice @Cronaj (Whispers of the Past) and while i agree that countdown to countdown's new art isn't as sumptuous as it used to be for a comic it works better and the simpler art style allows vel to release at a more consistent rate without injuring herself so i really respect the change(edited)

Cronaj (Whispers of the Past)

Yeah, definitely understand why they changed styles, because oml can a painterly style be taxing

DanitheCarutor

I can't pick just one! But to start off I love the art of Lost Honey (https://www.losthoney.com/), everything about it is so soft, the linework, the colors the character designs, the panelling, it all has such a nice feel to it. The creator's use of color is sooo easy on the eyes, it fits so well with the comic. The linework has such a nice flow and movement, there is never a feeling of stiffness, it almost reminds me of water. Also I'm a complete sucker for traditionally drawn comics. Even though it's discontinued as far as I know, Thicker Than Blood also has really nice aesthetics! (https://tapas.io/series/Thicker-Than-Blood-), it has such a unique style almost like classical art mixed with glass. The designs are detailed yet highly stylized. The quality varied from time to time, given the amount of work that goes into them, but overall I really liked the look of this comic. Carciphona is another one I like aesthetically. (https://tapas.io/series/carciphona) The art of this one has improved immensely since it started, and while I'm not a fan of the look of the earlier pages, I'm loving how their work has evolved. The style is very Japanese inspired, there is a lot going on sometimes, but has its own unique look and is very well crafted. Also I love the action scenes, how they're handled makes the scenes look intense, sometimes grandiose.(edited)

shadowhood (SunnyxRain)

Oh my god I love carciphona’s art! I always get shilin’s art whenever she sells at Anime North I’ve been meaning to read carciphona for a while so thanks for reminding me!

FeatherNotes(Krispy)

Hands down it is Black Out Cityhttp://blackoutcity.ca/lvl10.php Jay does these amazing illustrative panels when they introduce a new chapter and it has me hooked on each update! The way that the title is incorporated within the panel is beautifully done, and their attention to detail and effective use of contrast is breath taking. Definitely a huge inspiration of mine! I also want to shout out to O'Sarilho by @Capitania do Azar . The palettes she uses are unique and dynamic, and the layouts read like the comic is animated (there's even animated parts in it!) the way she draws action and portrays horrific parts is phenomenal!https://sarilho.net/en/

(also i love this prompt but i could def go on forever with it hehe)

Deo101 [Millennium]

I wholeheartedly second O'sarilho ^^ it's a comic I regularly reccomend and I probably won't ever get over how lovely it looks! (I'll have to look for more comics who's art I love later)(edited)

LadyLazuli (Phantomarine)

I'll throw in Heart of Gold https://heartofgoldcomic.com/. The ethereal palette, the clean and crisp architecture, the panels that work perfectly with the church imagery, and the energy of the lines and brush strokes. SO GOOD.

Tuyetnhi (Only In Your Dreams!)

I agreEE

shadowhood (SunnyxRain)

Okay for me it's two webcomics One of them is Tracy JB's Lackadaisy https://www.webtoons.com/en/challenge/lackadaisy/list?title_no=39790&page=1 https://www.lackadaisycats.com/ Everything she does is wonderful; colour, expression, character, plot.....her art inspired me to embark on expression work. I remember being younger and being so inspired by her webcomic. Hands down can't find a flaw. The other one is Muted by anidoodles https://www.webtoons.com/en/supernatural/muted/list?title_no=1566 I was introduced to her from her Heather animatics on youtube. I love how her inking and cell shading is simple but VERY effective; the use of bold bright colours and watercolours was amazing. My art style is heavily inspired by hers and overall, I love how she captures people's attention with it.(edited)

Miranda

Oh I love Muted!

shadowhood (SunnyxRain)

looks at your profile pic heheh

Miranda

I mean, I'd have to say I love "Nothing Special" by Katie Cook. Her art style and color scheme is just easy on the eyes and I love her intricate filled backgrounds. https://www.webtoons.com/en/fantasy/nothing-special/list?title_no=1188&page=1 Phantomarine is another favorite. I absolutely love the painted look and it's been inspiring my newer pages. Every page is just a work of art and I love the color choices and just everything about it. http://www.phantomarine.com/

shadowhood (SunnyxRain)

PHANTOMARIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIINE

sssfrs (JOE IS DEAD)

I’m also going to say Phantomarine

Theres also one I found recently called Bybloemen that has a really cool art style

FeatherNotes(Krispy)

ohhh Bybloemen is gorgeous and is so up your alley Sssfrs!

sssfrs (JOE IS DEAD)

Its so good

LadyLazuli (Phantomarine)

Woah, it's like woodcuts!! I like it!

Joichi [Hybrid Dolls]

Ooh this is a hard choice since I see beautiful webcomic art alot. Recently my favorite art and coloring style I've been inspired by are: - The Glass Scientists https://www.theglassscientists.com/ Some of the pages are well executed, I like the character designs, fantasy with alchemists, werewolves and more. Ghost Teller https://www.webtoons.com/en/horror/ghost-teller/list?title_no=1307 I enjoy QTT use of gradient coloring and spooky atmosphere, it looks like alot of time were used to make each strip. I like how the characters are linked to each story, it's not as spooky as more dramatic. They are all short stories Gourmet Hound: https://www.webtoons.com/en/drama/gourmet-hound/list?title_no=1245 When I think of slice of life with a soft pleasant color palette, this story comes in mind. I like to refer to her work as well as other SoL comics for inspiration on coloring.(edited)

Joichi [Hybrid Dolls]

@carcarchu ooh I love the different comics you recommend. It's always unique and pretty. I hope there's a tranlation strip for '榴花不及春'(edited)

shadowhood (SunnyxRain)

GOURMET HOUND

IM SO HAPPY ITS HERE

chalcara [Nyx+Nyssa]

Funnily, the webcomic with my all-time favourite art is Order of the Stick. Love how much expression and narrative work this simple style does.

RebelVampire

Definitely Rising Sand https://risingsand.glass/. The art is immensely detailed in ways that are relevant to the world and story, has beautiful color choices, beautiful compositions, amazing light effects, great backgrounds, and so on. And just overall the skill level is so high I'd need another 20 years experience with art to even be able to begin to point out a single flaw.

LadyLazuli (Phantomarine)

^Ooh yes! I don’t know how Rising Sand keeps that quality so high. From their posts, it seems like a bit of a nightmare sometimes But the end product is like its own animated film!

Joichi [Hybrid Dolls]

Omg I'm often in awe with those artists making high quality art that looks like it belongs in graphic novels or film. I can imagine those big details will take alot of time to put together. (edited)

I once happen to meet the creators for Rising Sand. Very passionate writer and artist team who have quite some experiences and strong teamwork. (Life goals!)

Eightfish (Puppeteer)

so many comics to check out :0

Deo101 [Millennium]

wow rising sand is really gorgeous

shadowhood (SunnyxRain)

Whoa rising sand is really good

actually reminds me of Tigress Queen by Allidraws https://www.tigressqueen.com/comic/page-0001(edited)

especially the parts where she draws glass and architecture it's very vibrant and full of life

Joichi [Hybrid Dolls]

Gosh I realized I have a trend of loving slice of life stories, so I might end up recommending that genre afew times!

keii’ii (Heart of Keol)

(don't forget webcomic_recs for recommending good comics in general outside of the weekly topic!)

Unfortunately Korean-only at this time, but I am in awe of the art in this comic. It's not very polished, but you can tell the artist really knows what he's doing in terms of anatomy, perspective and composition. https://comic.naver.com/webtoon/list.nhn?titleId=701535&weekday=wed

Joichi [Hybrid Dolls]

oops I remembered that, I'll go repost there instead. Thanks Keii. Wow that comic(edited)

Joichi [Hybrid Dolls]

I really want to read more Korean and Chinese webcomics, they have a different vibe and story atmosphere. I enjoy looking into them as inspiration on how to stage my webtoon scenes.(edited)

keii’ii (Heart of Keol)

Hmmmm, I wouldn't recommend the one above for how to make vertical scroll comics. That one was originally made for print and then adapted afterward, and it shows.

Still absolutely amazing action art, though!

Holmeaa - working on WAYFINDERS

@LadyLazuli (Phantomarine) Heart of Gold is SO beautiful! I agree with you 100 procent!

I will add The Ocean Soul. Holey damn this comic is SO gorgeous!!!! https://tapas.io/series/The-Ocean-Soul

Javi

Gonna add this before this prompt changes. I think Oren's Forge has the best artwork I've ever seen done in a webcomic. Every panel has a setting that's so bold and pristine in color, layout, and background that it begs to be animated. Every color used paints a different mood to show character development and the style of the characters is so stylized and interesting to look at. Even the story is interesting enough that it gets you hooked and wondering what will happen next. Also talking animals, what more can I say? :) There's more discussion in FurAffinity than there is on Tapas so I'm putting two links https://m.tapas.io/series/OrensForge https://www.furaffinity.net/full/18260576/