#the killing thought

[kanerallels]

Got bored, made a bunch of memes about one of my favorite characters from @dragonanne 's book The Killing Thought. Enjoy!

[blade-liger-4ever]

Review: Jade Torch: The Killing Thought, by Anne Marie Wells, otherwise known as @dragonanne!

First of all, let me just praise Miss Wells' artstyle. It's beautiful, and captures the reader's attention, instantly giving them a greater scope of the characters and their world.

As for the story, Jade Torch presents itself as a medieval fantasy world, and as a huge dragon nerd and admirer of the High Middle Ages, I can tell you that The Killing Thought does not disappoint in it's setting! You have dragons and their riders protecting their large kingdom, a neighboring monarchy with a tainted history, a bloodthirsty nation in the north, and unknown islands far away from the continent, all of which take place while the author plants the seeds for a deeper, magic-filled history that feels organic and richer than the Lonely Mountain of Erebor (Tolkien fans, I apologize for any misspells/offense.)

The plot is superbly written, with the unsavory medieval politics and conniving aristocrats presented within the world in such a way that it instantly feels like cracking open a door to look into the distant past of Western Europe. The characters have various personalities that don't overlap with each other, with the possible exception of two (and given that both these characters took on paternal roles to young future rulers, it's a given that they'd have similar approaches to life. Not to worry, they still retain their unique individuality!) They are also all written competently: the men are allowed to be manly defenders/protectors/rulers, and the women are allowed to kick butt without dragging down their male counterparts, something that greatly pleased me.

The heroes are heroes and the villains are villains, an old style of writing I have dearly missed in modern media. Furthermore, there is only one - ONE - character death on the heroes' side, and while it did break my heart, I instantly realized it was a necessary decision and felt that it was not out of place. And while said character's murderer was not killed, another, equally despicable villain was permanently dispatched, something that literally had me cheering in my seat as I read, so enraptured was I by the story unfolding in my hands. I tell you, that is an uncommon occurrence in my reading experience!

And the ending presents a perfect opening for a second installment, with it's ominous atmosphere and the fragile peace left in the plot's wake gripping the reader's attention with a degree of fear for the heroes. I must say, I simply itch to see what happens next, and the path that awaits the protagonists!

I would be remiss, however, if I did not voice one, albeit small, complaint. The naming conventions in the story, while enjoyable, were a bit odd when it came to a select few others. For example, you have the crown princess, whose name is Lunerata Bridth, and yet her father's given name is Kent. There is only one other "ordinary" name such as Kent in the novel, and while it did not take away my love of the story, it did strike me as odd quite a few times. Regardless, I still reveled in reading the book, and happily give it eleven out of ten stars.

Now enough of my rambling! I gave a simple, relatively spoiler free review of this novel. Now, I task all who read through this post: go out and buy a copy of Jade Torch: The Killing Thought. It's a fun read, and will captivate your mind and imagination for a long time!

Fly high, my fellow readers and dragon riders!

[dragonanne]

Book sale happening on Etsy from now until January 2nd!!🎉✨️📚

[accidental-spice]

🎄 + Gabryl Rinnock my beloved boy

Here you go!!

Thanks for the ask, and Merry Christmas!!

[aceofstars16]

1, 3-5, 8-12, & 16-20 for Jade Torch, please?

Finally getting around to answering another one! 😂

1. what got you into this story?

Haha, well I’ve been friends with @dragonanne for…almost 10 years I think??? So I’ve know a little about it/seen art of the characters for a *while* and even read some of the webcomic she started before deciding that a book would work better. So…yeah…and like I mean, dragons, why wouldn’t I want to read about dragons???

3. quickly list 3 things you like about the story!

Interesting and fun characters, beautiful illustrations, a very intriguing plot and world that is so thought out I LOVE IT

4. assign this story a hyper-specific genre name, e.g. "inspirational religious semi-horror sci-fi western"

Uhhhhh…I’m so bad at these…political intrigue/adventure/fantasy with Christian undertones/ DRAGONS

5. do you have a favorite character? who?

Oh man….this is so hard! Ughhh how do I pick?!? It’s hard not to love Gabryl, but I LOVE Lune too, and Kenneth…and so many others pfft 😂 (also this insanely minor character that hasn’t even shown up yet, but I got to help name him so I love him lol)

8. what questions are or were you most excited to learn the answers to while experiencing the story for the first time?

Well…it’s still ongoing so uh…there are a lot of things I still don’t know haha, I genuinely think I just…am curious about the…gosh what are the called, like the forgotten lands? (I’m too lazy to grab my book 😅), I don’t know if they will come up later but they intrigue me 😂 (and just like….how everything ends up too lol)

9. give the most UNHELPFUL and/or SILLY summary possible.

For the first book: A princess goes on a mission and ends up severely traumatized (sorry, not sorry 😂)

10. if you made an amv about this, what song would you set it to?

I was literally blanking but uh….then I remembered “Unpack Your Heart” and yes, it’s a Henry/Jo song for me but I actually love the idea of it for Lune (maybe with a specific person *cough* Kenneth *cough* but….it really could work with a lot of her friends cause they all care for her a lot 😭)

11. if you were put in the main character's position, how well would that go for you on a scale of 1-5?

Nooooo! Please no! 1 maybe, I already have enough trauma…though having a dragon bond would be cool…so that part would be fun at least 😂

12. assuming your loved ones would be there, would you want to live in the world of the story?

Hmmm…if it was post war era then yeah, I want a dragon 😂

16. do you think this story has broad appeal, or is it meant for a very specific audience? if it's more "niche", what kind of person would most enjoy this story?

I mean, I feel like anyone can enjoy it? It’s fantasy but with some political elements and Christian themes, which I feel like isn’t really niche?

17. compare this story to your usual tastes. how does it differ from what you've already enjoyed?

I think the only thing is the politics. Normally I’m not big on those in stories, but they play into the story and it’s not like, as confusing to me as other stories so I don’t mind it and genuinely do enjoy how they add to the plot

18. compare this story to your usual tastes. what parts of it are exactly the kind of thing you've always loved?

Close friendship! Dragons! Adventures! Just the love the characters have for each other makes me 🥹

19. pitch an idea for a sequel or spinoff novel for this story!

Oooo, honestly a prequel about Noein and how the whole Eliesic Corps was founded could be really cool!

20. what's the WORST thing about this story, in your opinion? (feel free to be positive, e.g. "it's not longer", if you want!)

I mean…I just want to read more of it but also like, I knowing writing takes time so, I will wait 😂

[blade-liger-4ever]

Y'all would love @dragonanne's Jade Torch: The Killing Thought.

Things to bring back in books:

Chapter titles

Actually having a synopsis on the back instead of reviews no one will read

[badolmen]

People against piracy fail to realize that no, I can’t just ‘buy it.’ They stopped making DVDs and Blu-Rays. They’re barely offering digital copies for download. I am not spending money I could use for food or bills to pay for a subscription service just so I can always have access to a beloved piece of media. Especially not when the service will remove media on a whim without concern for how the loss of access to that piece will make its artistic conservation nigh impossible.

For example, I recently learned that Disney+ had an original film called Crater. It’s scifi, family friendly, and seems cool - I would love to buy it as a holiday gift for my little brother! But: it’s exclusive to D+ and THEY REMOVED IT LITERALLY MONTHS AFTER ITS RELEASE.

The ONLY way I can directly access this film is through piracy. The ONLY available ‘copies’ of this film are hosted on piracy websites. Disney will NEVER release it in theaters, or as something to buy, and it may NEVER return to the streaming service. It will be LOST because we aren’t allowed to purchase it for personal viewing. If I can’t pay to own it, I won’t pay for the privilege of losing it when corporate decides to put it in a vault.

So yes, I’m going to pirate and support piracy.

Edit: if you are able, use $5 you would otherwise use for a streaming subscription to donate to a GazaFunds campaign.

[hinamie]

to moving forward

[problemnyatic]

"I think this Category of human being is disposable" okay that not only sucks and is fascist but also makes getting you to deem someone to be disposable a simple matter of convincing you they're in The Category regardless of the truth. Also The Category is often misapplied to a vulnerable minority because it makes people like you agree they're disposable.

"Anyone who disagrees with me about The Category of people being disposable is a Category apologist or probably also in The Category themselves" Oh so you're just totally unconcerned with truth or justice or ethics or human rights and just are feeding your bloodlust for the sake of revenge fantasies. got it 👍

[fairsweetlonging]

truth serum / system reveal au where shen qingqiu gets hit with an uncloaking spell that reveals the system in the reflection of his eyes every time it pops up.

during one of his missions, in the treasure hoard of some dragon-like creature, he finds a golden, oval shaped hand mirror, its gaudy style more victorian based than anything (airplane you hack!), that doesn't seem to do anything when he looks into it. but when he does, it reveals the system's screen in his eyes.

he doesn't notice this, of course, because he can't see it, and the system, surprisingly, stays quiet.

the peak lords think he's cursed.

maybe mu qingfang is the first to notice, during the mandatory post mission check-up, when shen qingqiu is scrolling through his most recently accumulated points and mu qingfang can see the strange vividly-blue lines reflected in his pupils. it's gone when shen qingqiu blinks, like it was nothing but a trick of the light.

it comes out when yue qingyuan is visiting and, just as he's done laying out the plans for a new mission, shen qingqiu's eyes glaze over and a bright blue box takes over the whole of his iris. shen qingqiu goes quiet; the thing in his eyes moves, shifts, pulses for a second, like static worms crawling all over his pupils. then he blinks, and it's gone, and shen qingqiu accepts the mission that yue qingyuan was almost sure he would decline.

maybe there is an intervention, when the peak lords corner shen qingqiu at qian cao peak and try to figure out what's wrong, subjecting him to all kinds of treatments and curse-finding spells that turn up empty, they can't find anything.

of course, the silencing threat is still very much up and running. at first shen qingqiu was kind of confused by the whole ordeal, but when the peak lords start describing a "strange blue box", he realizes, with sickening suddenty, that they're describing the system. and he can't say anything.

this only makes everything worse, because their fellow peak lord now keeps evading every question and acts like he doesn't understand. liu qingge points right at his face and asks, "that blue box, what is it?" and shen qingqiu laughs nervously and starts talking about how bright the weather is and surely it's the sky and nothing to worry about!

even worse, during the intervention the system thought it was a good idea to start talking to him, so now even the peak lords who hadn't seen it and who might have been persuaded by light tricks and reflections, get a first row view that no, that definitely isn't a trick of the light.

they try to do the whole thing of "are you in danger, blink twice" but shen qingqiu can't even do that because it's still a direct admittance!

maybe eventually he starts saying vague confirmations that don't actually confirm anything, like "this master hears what you're saying", or maybe he goes with a classic "this master can neither confirm nor deny that." but the system starts warning him for that too and eventually he stops saying anything, which worries the others more.

luckily mu qingfang catches on that every time they ask a direct question about the box or shen qingqiu says anything vaguely confirming, it appears. it doesn't appear when they ask about curses or demons, so it must not see that as a threat.

for a little extra angst: maybe the peak lords keep pressuring him for answers, and at some point shen qingqiu gets fed up and snaps out something like, "why don't you understand that i'm not allowed to answer that!" the system counts this as a direct admittance, threatening it's existence. so it punishes. shen qingqiu has a qi deviation so bad it lasts two weeks and takes two people every day to cleanse his meridians. the system doesn't appear in that time. it doesn't appear for a long while after that, either. the peak lords stop asking, mainly because shen qingqiu will instantly leave the room if they do. they don't stop searching for a cure, though.

shang qinghua returns from a business trip and catches on the second someone mentions a blue box and forced silencing.

[suntails]

growing up!

[kanerallels]

Me sitting and waiting for the next Jade Torch book so I can read more about Cool Guy Jones

[blade-liger-4ever]

Memes for @dragonanne's Jade Torch: The Killing Thought!

(Warning: This post contains spoilers, so beware to those who have not read this wondrous novel.)

Poor Gabryl, most of these memes are him just trying to survive his circumstances 😆

[dragonanne]

The thing is. If Zezri's dad hadn't been a jerk with serious favoritism issues who nourished that girl's sadistic streak instead of curbing it, Zezri and Lune could have been besties.

I can easily see Zezri and Soaron hanging out with Lune, Kenneth, Soni, and Darat. I mean, that gang would have been an absolute Menace to society—but they would have had fun.

[notebooks-and-laptops]

People saying that Davrin and Lucianis hate one another and are mean in banter and people saying Neve is too mean to you if you chose Treviso Wouldnt last an hour in the asylum where they raised me:

[july-19th-club]

seriously have been thinking about this all night long. call me autistic but the fact that 90% of workplaces the point is not to get your work done and then be done doing it but to instead perform an elaborate social dance in which you find something to do even when you're done doing everything you need to do in order to show your fellow workers that you, too, are Working . because you are at Work . disgusting why cant we all agree that if there is no work immediately to be done. we just dont do anything