#the prose is so fluid and lovely

[wiltkingart]

LOVED mtmtm and the way you write. are there any writers, artists, or anthologies you would recommend that exist in that same trans/horror/erotica/fantasy crossroads?

a few! not many that hit all points at once, but here's some reads you might enjoy:

Bound in Flesh: An Anthology of Trans Body Horror - exactly as it says, this is a collection of 13 stories by trans and nonbinary writers. i liked it a lot, thought it had a lot of great stories, and it made me feel really excited about the future (and present) of trans horror.

Body after Body by Briar Ripley Page - "Sex, drugs, violence, cannibalism, psychic powers, a catgirl (sort of)", body after body is a novella that describes itself as a "lurid, dreamlike, amoral queer/trans sci-fi trash literature at least four or five people have been waiting for". i can confirm everyone i know who has read it has loved it, myself included.

Eyetooth by Mars Adler - trans horror erotica novelette with medkink + wound fingering (one of my absolute favorite things!) between an art student and a mysterious androgynous doctor. LOVED the surgery scene.

The Scales of Seduction by Rien Gray - not horror. This one's an f/f trans erotic romance novella between the last living Basilisk and Medusa, but i have to mention it because its a strong contender for my book of the year. Loved loved loved the writing. Poetic prose that had me highlighting lines on every page. Just astoundingly wonderful.

Kissing Carrion by Gemma Files - a collection of short horror stories "where obsession is stronger than death... body, soul, time and space itself, are all fluid and treacherous... vampires ache for more than simply blood... where the only escape from the darkness within is to embrace it". none of these stories are trans, but it has some queer horror elements that have left a heavy mark on my brain. gemma files has been a big influence on my writing in so many ways and reading this collection last year was one of the big things that pushed me to take the leap to write something like MtMtM!

that's all for now. i have a ton of weird trans indie sex books on itch.io bookmarked i still need to check out, but people are free to leave their own recs in the replies. and i talk a lot more about books over on my personal blog (@wiltking).

[kenzieluvsnanami]

❝ 𝐈'𝐦 𝐧𝐞𝐫𝐯𝐨𝐮𝐬, 𝐨𝐡 𝐬𝐨 𝐧𝐞𝐫𝐯𝐨𝐮𝐬 ❞ - flo, bending my rules *:･ﾟ✧。.: kenzieluvsnanami :: a nanami first date drabble

// cw slightly suggestive, reader is insecure and a lil damaged, a bit angst ig (like no happy ending.. yet), lowercase intended, v casual short prose // 0.7k words

thinking about going on a first date with my fave, the feeling of not just anticipation about what it'd be like moving your relationship into this new romantic space but also a distinct sense of... nervousness?

it wasn't like you had never been on a date, your experience of men being not incredibly extensive but enough to know how a first date should go: murmured compliments under the low light of an intimate restaurant as you got to know each other further. maybe even getting to know one another in a more physical sense, your entangled bodies getting impossibly closer in the early hours of the morning as you caressed crevices with a light touch as he methodically pushed into you, bodily fluids exchanging in an act which you would think make you even closer. it was like a ritual at this point, meeting someone, going on a few dates and then eventually the spark would fizzle out - not really due to anyones demerit but more just general incompatibility.

it was a cycle that you had seemed doomed to repeat... but somehow this date felt different? even the way it was arranged, nanami had clearly gone through a lot of effort to make the evening perfect for the two of you; you both communicating about what activities you preferred and also touching on what you didn’t as much (your mutual dislike for coffee dates was comforting).

most dates hadn't really bothered to ask some of the things that nanami had, assuming rather that you would like them to take charge and almost escort you to whatever place they deemed you to be worthy of. honestly, it was refreshing to be able to express your wants without feeling like you were being too confrontational or “bossy”.

the two of you had decided to visit the nearby beach that friday, the forecast predicting a beautifully clear day with an enjoyable light breeze. fate seemed to have lined up with both of you having a free spot in your schedules to meet up that evening and soak up the sunset at a nearby seafood restaurant.

now what may have been making you so nervous about this date is the fact that it was all so… new. most of your dates never seemed to want to make an attempt to be unique when it came to date ideas, trying too hard to play it safe (or cheap, depending on your viewpoint).

you were genuinely excited to go on this date as it was an actual outing - breaking away from the familiar inner city and travelling out to the rural coast. you loved the seaside; the fresh, salty air in your lungs alongside the silky sand beneath your feet seemed like exactly the relaxation you both needed after a long, stressful week.

thinking about how perfect this date would be is helping you to calm down slightly but another thought almost completely deflates you; what do you wear?

now the two of you had discussed going for a brief dip in the ocean so you should bring a swimsuit to change into. but then which one to bring? you didn’t want to cover up completely in a one piece but then you also didn’t want to be as bare as the typical triangle bikini left you.

it felt almost… shameful to be that “naked” infront of nanami. you didn’t want to come off as being “easy” or feel like your being judged. you knew nanami wasn’t really the type to infer or assume anything based purely of something so superficial like what bathing suit you wore but you just really wanted him to… like you. you didn’t want him to reject you in the same way that other men have. you really wanted this to work.

thursday evening left you tossing and turning in bed, sleep seeming like a fantasy at this point - your nerves turning into stomach churning anxiety. what if he didn’t like your hair? your body? your smile? or just you in total. maybe you were better off as acquaintances, his mellow and calm demeanour clashing with your more uninhibited, affable disposition.

i guess you’d only find out tomorrow.

a/n : i love this song sm like i must have listened to it at least 100x. i do want to write abt the actual date but itll take me a hot minute.

credits to @/cafekitsune for the dividers!!!!!!

likes and reblogs make me squirt!

[phantomarine]

Hey what were you trying to say in your “it gets good at page 1001” post

Was it more of a comment directed at yourself ( self degradation), is it satire about perfectionism,

Is it supposed to be inspirational for Beginners webcomic creators, or we’re you just in a bad mood?

More of a warning against self-sabotage, because I see it so much. Sometimes it's tied to perfectionism, sometimes it's the opposite - people surrendering to imperfection when they don't really have to.

Creator chat incoming. I'll put it under the deelybob for anyone who wants to read it 👇

I've been in the webcomic sphere for several years now and I've seen so many people introduce their comic with 'I know it's very long and not easy to read, and I won't be going back and changing anything about what I've already made - but please critique it so I can make the rest of the pages better and attract a bigger audience from now on.'

And that's a hard thing to respond to. If a reader can't get through all those existing pages without being confused or bored, then how can they get to the good stuff that lies past them?

So much of gaining an audience is about actively making it easy to 'fall into' a work. Without that easy entry point, it's always going to be an uphill battle to build an audience, no matter how good the later chapters get. There are outliers, but most webcomics won't be those outliers, especially with thousands of them available nowadays. Some people love the grind, but most people will jump to a new tab and try to find something less frustrating.

And webcomic creation is particularly cursed by its very nature. Creators are hesitant to go back and edit pages, even once they've figured out more details about their craft or story structure. It's mostly because of the seeming permanence of it all - the art takes ages and the words feel unchangeable if even one other person has read them. To go back and edit is to publicly admit your failings, right? That's how it feels. What do you MEAN you didn't get it right the first time? You were supposed to do it live, and do it PERFECTLY!

But ideally it shouldn't be any different than prose writing, which is ALL ABOUT finding the story in those edits. And because your story is digital, you can go back and change things whenever you feel like it. A webcomic is fluid.

And if you're thinking 'I should just redraw my whole first chapter' - NO! Hell no, old art can be a part of the appeal! It's far more about finding little tricks to convey your story/characters more clearly. I have read some first chapters with janky art that made me fall completely in love with the story and cast. It's not about the art - as with all things comic-related, it's about conveyance.

Examples I've seen and some I've used myself: A single extra page with a meaningful interaction can solidify the theme of a character's arc. One additional 5-to-10-page scene can help add visual context for an offscreen event where there was none before. Adding a map can tell people where the characters currently are. Changing a character design can help if they get often confused with another character. Redoing your lettering to make it more legible is a huge one too.

In the end, I just don't want people to be afraid of small edits. When I got feedback about the bad clarity of my own work, I knew it would take some time to fix those problems. It wasn't fun to think about or to do, but I'm glad I did it in the end - because it would have limited my audience tremendously. With just a bit of extra effort, I opened a door that wasn't there before, and it now leads more people even more easily to 'the good stuff.'

tl;dr You started your webcomic for a reason, and you're learning more things about its characters, story, and craft every day. Don't be afraid to go back to old pages and inject some of that wisdom through editing. Even a little can go a long way.

***Caveat: If your goal is to just create chaotically, with no goal of gaining an audience, you are a wild and free little thing, and I am in awe of you. This whole rant doesn't apply to you, and you are stronger than me.

[transgaledekarios]

Lies of P Fic rec

Howdy everyone!

I have been contemplating making a fic rec for a long time, and feel that now is the time to do it as we wait for the DLC. This is by no means an exhaustive list, and I may make more later. I just wanted to share some of the fic I have enjoyed. They're not in any particular order. If you have stories you want to rec, feel free to leave them in the comments/replies! Let's hype each other up in anticipation of the DLC for this game we all love <3

One-shots

Past Loves, Present Punishments by chiwakiiroi (Ao3). Gen. Rated: G. 3.5k words.

Summary: "Some time after the crisis, P is affected by an unknown condition that causes ergo to solidify inside his chest. Him and his friends race against his worsening condition in the search for answers."

My thoughts: This is like if puppets could get Hanahaki disease. P inherits Carlo's pain though not his identity. Heartbreaking and clever way of tying ergo (and it's connection to memory and identity) with the way love changes a person. Everyone we meet changes our lives, and those we love do so even more. We change and grow, too. Really lovely.

Condemned Dreams by Vendilay (Ao3) Gen. (Venigni/P if you squint). Rated: T. 1.6k words.

Summary: "P rots from the inside. 'Loneliness permeates from within his chest and he wonders, if he were to squeeze his mechanical heart, would it whisper words from the beyond for his plight?'"

My thoughts: Vendilay has a lovely prose that feels very poetic. I'm a big fan of stories that explore the unique trauma P experiences as he wakes up to this brand new world. The magical realism in this is achingly beautiful. This is part of a series (which I also recommend), but you don't need to have read the first to enjoy this gem.

There Is Beauty in the Way of Things by CorrineCassia (Ao3). Antonia/Polendina. Rated: G. 628 words

Summary: "6 small gestures of love; 6 100-word stories in one. Part of Two Slightly Lonely Souls Series."

My thoughts: Corrine has written other fantastic fic for this ship, but I'm recommending this one, because it's such a great introduction to the ship and to Corrine's style. If you enjoyed this fic, you will likely also enjoy her other Antonia/Polendina fic. I adore the way she paces her stories. The flow of ideas from one to the next is so fluid and convincing that, yes, this is what is meant to happen next. Lovely read.

Gods Don't Kneel by EK_Liadon (Ao3). Giangio|Paracelsus/Simon. Rated: M. 406 words.

Summary: "Simon wanted to be a God, to create a world without lies, but as he submitted easily to Paracelsus' touch...a voice would remind him: 'Gods don't kneel.'"

My thoughts: I had never ever considered this ship until I read this story. We get into Simon's head, which is a nice contrast to him always knowing what's in other people's heads. His conflict as he both desires and despises Giangio|Paracelsus is SO juicy. It tracks that he would have a complicated relationship to sex, power, and control.

if i should leave your garden by Plexus(toitsu) (Ao3). Gen. Rated: G. 1k words.

Summary: "my precious son, father says, and holds him."

My thoughts: This is a haunting continuation of the Happily-Ever-After ending with not!Carlo. This captures the horror of the "came back wrong" trope. HEA!Carlo feels the void and wrongness in his current existence. Stunning.

Anamnesis by Lady_of_Cinder (Ao3). Gen. (past Carlo/Romeo implied). Rated: G. 2.5k words.

Summary: "He heard something then. His thoughts broke off with a clean snap, and his eyes, which had been focused on Father's face, trying to engrave it in his mind, rolled in their sockets, locking a short distance away, through the curtain of dust that rippled shakily in the opaline light of the sunrise. The Nameless Puppet was moving."

My thoughts: The tragedy of what happened to Carlo before canon is so compelling, and the headcanon that the Nameless Puppet is made of Carlo's corpse (and/or contains some of his ergo) is one I really love seeing.

il ramo by skysedge (Ao3). Gen. Rated: T. 271 words.

Summary: "Nostalgic. That's how the branch growing from the portrait makes him feel."

My thoughts: It's short but haunting, and I adore when people can make game-jank diagetic. The Golden Lie weapon is a mystery, and an interesting one to contemplate, especially since it comes from Carlo's portrait.

Multi-Chaptered

Powder Keg by casophon (Ao3) Venigni/P. Rated: Explicit. 16.7k words.

Summary: "'Now he can’t help but feel as if a timer is ticking down in his heart, one that he’s helpless to stop or even slow down.' Post-Frenzy, Venigni is determined to do whatever it takes to rebuild Krat... except maybe confront the confusing feelings he's developed for a particular puppet."

My thoughts: This is a delightful Venigni-centric exploration on how a relationship with a healing P could progress. The pining is SO strong, and I also adore their interpretation of Gemini. This fic has so much: pining, protective best friends, wire play, and emotional depth.

the story of the happy couple by underconcretestars (Ao3) Julian/Melody. Rated: M. 9.1k words

Summary: "A young gentleman of Krat's burgeoning upper-crust is given some advice. Through that advice, he meets a woman; but, of course, the woman is merely a machine. Here is a hilarious macchietta show, with a foregone conclusion. Laughter is encouraged; for in laughing at another, we prove ourselves human."

My thoughts: This fic is a beautiful and tragic exploration into Julian "the eccentric" who fell in love with the puppet Melody. We get glimpses into how sad their story is in game, and this fic takes those little pieces and expands upon them in such a gorgeous and thoughtful way. Chapter 5, in particular, made my stomach drop with the dread Julian feels as his wedding is crashed.

[darklitost]

welcome to my little corner of filth and depravity. yes, you read that right; l&ds is sorely lacking in darker content on the other side of the web (ao3), so i decided to open up requests here and write for the l&ds girlies who prefer darker content! i will write for every male lead (and some side characters as well), however i do have my preferences. keep reading below if you want to make a request! i'm a caleb girl, soooo, send me your super secret, dark! caleb ideas. please. i beg. check out my ao3 account for examples of my writing.

⌦ ONE. CHARACTERS + PREFERENCE. i am sorely, sorely lacking in writing experience with Zayne. he is far too similar to myself, which makes me dislike him as love interest-and therefore i don't really consume any content with him in it, cards included. however! if you can forgive my mischaracterization from time to time, then i will be happy to write him for you. ⌦ TWO. DEAD DOVE: DO NOT EAT, SQUICK, ETC.

if you've browsed my account and taken a peek at my pinned post, then you'll know that i have some pretty dark/unsavory/morally black ideas for l&ds stories, plots, and headcanons. i can't write fluff to save my life. do i like writing it? yes, but it isn't my niche, so to speak. obviously, if you're a minor, you do not belong here. at all. skedaddle, ye little children! you'll be blocked on-site. the same goes for those who can't seem to control themselves and read things they know they get triggered by (a.k.a caleb's psuedo-incest trope) and fly off the handle. be an adult, or at least act like the age you are, and just exit out of the post if you don't like it. i won't hold your hand and baby you through the dead dove scenes. ⌦ THREE. LENGTH & PROSE.

i have a very flowery, elaborate way of writing. unlike this post, i don't write in all lowercase unless it's for a) headcanons or b) food for thought. my fics can span anywhere from 1k words to 30k words. i have a caleb fic i'm working on that is going to be around 200k words when i'm finished with it, so, take that as you will. you can request a certain length, but generally it depends on how creative i am at the time and/or my mood. ⌦ FOUR. DO NOT REQUEST...

♡. kinks regarding certain (some) bodily fluids (depends on the kink/context) or biological human waste. ♡. vague requests regarding a specific plot. don't be vague, fill up my inbox! gush about what you want! ♡. furries. sorry, local tumblr furries, but i just can't do it. ♡. and expect a certain time for me to post. i'm slow, you all. like... i agonize over perfection.

and that's that! you can shoot a request into my inbox (labeled 'make a request') and i'll get back to you, usually with the request in question. <3

[bellatrixobsessed1]

WIP Tag Game

Tagged by @blueleopard555 for what I think is probably a WIP game given the context clues lol.

My words are: Flirting, Kindness, and Debate

Tagging: @seyaryminamoto @magixfairyix @elsa-fogen & @yellowumbrella134

My words for you guys are: hurt, healing, & fear

Directions: You match a snippet of a WIP for a fic (or art) to each word. It can be any ship, canon, AU, or series!

*Cries in in just put out the last chapter of my latest long fic and have no WIPs other than bullet points* *Doesn't even have any working titles panic*

So this is going to be really interesting.

For debate: the closet thing that I have is this super messy, unpolished snippet with no prose whatsoever. Completely un-formatted too. It's from a fic that I may or may not even get to but have a concept for; Azula basically shuts down completely and enters this semi-catatonic unfeeling state.

“It’s fine zuko. I’m not sad.” “You lost everything you should feel upset!” “I used to. I felt a lot of things, betrayal, hurt, anger, shame… But one day it just stopped hurting. This is better. I don’t want to feel.” .oOo. "you always had ursa and iroh. I was always alone." “you had mai and tylee.” "they didn't really like me. They were only there because they were afraid of what would have happened if they weren’t" “That’s not true.” “It is.” “Azula.” “You said that I’m a liar but I���ve only ever told you the truth exactly as it was. Father did want to kill you, he doesn’t love you and he never will. He’ll always think that you have no honor. And mother doesn’t love me. She will always hate and fear me. That’s just how it is.”

For Flirting: Unnamed Sokkla fic that will double as both last weeks & this weeks entry for Earth & Mars

Hunger. Love. In a way they are the same emotion. She has never felt things in the ways that people tell her she should.  Slash! Blast! The fire reflects on his blade before it deflects. He charges at her as she charges at him. Resentment. Desire. These can also sometimes become one and the same. 

Sometimes she doesn’t know where one ends and the other begins.

For Kindness: Untitled fic concept where Icy is hit with the kindness spell in (4kids) season 2 and it doesn't wear off.

It floods in like jingling sleigh bells, like laughter and the fluid song of the ice. Like peppermint kisses on rosy cheeks and hands stuffed into mittens. And it is overwhelming, physically nauseating as claws of light magic slice her darkness to ribbons. She tries to conjure up her favorite images but she finds that her focus lasping…redirecting. Mental images of faeries pinned by the wings to the floor are spliced with faeries skipping and laughing. A wanna be witch sobbing over books that Stormy had swatted out of her arms is interrupted by a hand, that Icy only faintly recognizes as her own, helping her up. The entirety of Magix blanketed in an eternal snow is overtaken by a cozy winter in the city with open fires and sticks heavy with marshmallows. Icy grits her teeth. The spell is seeping its way in, snuffing the malice and plucking evil inclinations right out of her as she tries fruitlessly to snatch them back.

[good--merits-accumulated]

🌵🕯️🥤🔪 for the writer ask game!!

Thanks for the ask!!! (Finally getting around to this T_T)

🌵 ⇢ share the link to a playlist you love

I can't actually do this because I don't use any music apps, I just go onto youtube and play songs on loop 😅Also tbf I don't really listen to anything on a playlist unless I'm working, in which case I'll slightly modify the prompt and link to this oddly specific playlist which got me through approx 200 flashcards and a very confusing tmj anatomy session on tuesday

🕯️ ⇢ on a scale from 1 to 10, how much do you enjoy editing? why is that?

I like editing well enough! It doesn't have the unfiltered thrill of actually writing, but then again it doesn't have the struggle either. So it's good and bad in its own way. But editing something just before publishing it is its own kind of happiness, so exciting :]

🥤 ⇢ recommend an author or fanfic you love (I will do four. I can't choose!)

You will not be surprised to hear that these are (almost) all historical AUs of some kind, and the one that isn't fucks with form. Firstly, the one that doesn't:

Written by the Victors, by Speranza

OK, so I know that WBTV is *THE* McShep fic and also one of *THE* Stargate Atlantis fics but hhhhhhhholy shit. It deserves all its flowers and then some (and I haven't even finished it properly yet!). Written by the Victors has a) A BIBLIOGRAPHY AND INDEX, b) some really meatily written and densely interesting academic excerpts:

And c) some really good prose. A seminal fandom work and also insanely compelling in the way it plays with format and perspectives.

2. All Lost to the Ceremony of Progress by fluorescentgrey

So I used to read a lot of Wolfstar fic and although it's been years and years since I last looked at anything HP, some fics by fluorescentgrey (and also the next author on this list, zambla) have stuck with me extremely for their very niche and fascinating subjects (Dust Bowl AU, anyone? Vietnam-War-draft-dodgers-being-smuggled-over-the-border? Professional bullriding?) and also their fluid, dynamic, incredible prose. All of their fics are incredible but this fic in particular is set in the aftermath of Los Alamos and it is dark and foreboding and intensely, sinisterly rich in vocabulary and language and atmosphere and good lord, I wish I could write like this.

3. EXILE/RETURN by zambla

fluorescentgrey and zambla are somewhat similar to me in that they both write these wonderfully evocative fics which are often but not always historical AUs, and while fluorescentgrey's work often picks apart, examines and demands the concept of America, zambla is similarly preoccupied with the UK. EXILE/RETURN is about the AIDS epidemic and national identity and death and queerness and is partially modelled off of Derek Jarman's diaries, and it is terribly, wonderfully sad, beautiful, envious, by turns.

(^^ fic that got me preoccupied with the concept of interregna, a fascination which has lasted to this day.)

4. Presence by kakikaeru

Presence is not the most technically impressive fic on this list nor is it what I would consider the most well-written, and yet it is my personal fic Of All Time, which has affected me the most. If I say it's a Yuri!!! On Ice fic which is an alternate 20th century history AU involving Yuri as a "living God" and Shinto priest exiled during WWII and Viktor as a reporter living in exile post-WWI in New York, it makes the actual text seem different to how it actually is. What Presence actually is is a meditation on decade-spanning love and affection, holiness, religion, tranquility, the goodness of people, and. Well. Presence. I do have the world's biggest soft spot for this fic, but you should read it nevertheless.

(It also indirectly changed the way I think about my own religion a couple of years ago - but that's a much more complicated story!)

🔪 ⇢ what's the weirdest topic you researched for a writing project?

Hm. I don't think I've ever actually researched anything quote unquote weird (I will of course remember something which fits this bill exactly the second I post this), but probably one of the more ridiculous things is that time I spent the better part of a week researching early 20th century American textile mills and jacquard fabrics and acceptable Edwardian dinner jackets for the first part of A Gleam of Light, an unfinished WIP where Todd spends about five seconds actually IN an Edwardian setting and then disappears into a pseudo-medieval faerie world for the entire rest of the fic. ...It did lend its hand to some fun description, though.

(^^ Still one of my favourite fic openings I've ever written!)

[scarlet--wiccan]

Are there any magic system ideas from other stories you have read that you would like to see implemented in Marvel's magic system?

Not necessarily. For one thing, I actually think it's important that magic remain somewhat fluid. The function of magic, specifically spellcasting, is to meet the needs of the story. So, it kind of has to be adaptable. Besides, one of the things I like about Marvel is that is there are so many different kinds of magic, and I think that imposing a universal system would kind of detract from that.

There are already some universal underpinnings in the Marvel world that I like, such as the breakdown of eco-, exo-, and ego-centric power sources. Fine-tuning that concept and using it more consistently would help magic feel more coherent and grounded across the board, but still leave room for each character or realm to feel unique.

Having said that, I think my favorite magic system, ever, is the one from the Young Wizards series by Diane Duane. It revolves primarily around a universal language, called the Speech, that can be used to name or describe pretty much anything in reality. Spells, therefore, take the form of complex sentences, equations, sometimes songs or poems, which describe, in detail, everything involved and what it needs to do, how it needs to change, etc. But beyond having the power command or transform reality, the Speech allows wizards to communicate and form relationships with almost any kind of life, any kind of matter, any kind of energy. It's incredibly versatile, and I really love that while it can be very exacting and clinical, it requires an empathetic, relational approach with a real human core.

Part of what I like about this system is that it bridges the gap between magic and science. It often requires wizards to have a detailed knowledge of whatever they're working with, and it provides opportunities to demonstrate that knowledge to the reader, which is an important part of how you make magic feel earned. That's something that's missing in a lot of modern comics-- we don't get to see the thought process or the effort that goes into spell casting. And because the system is simultaneously complex and intuitive-- it's just language, after all-- once your reader is reasonably familiar, you can actually get away with glossing over the details when you need to keep a scene moving. The reader will infer the detail on their own because you've taught them how the system works. It's just... brilliant. Duane is a genius to me, and I love these books so much.

Using universal language or code as magic works really well for characters like Doctor Strange-- I think they tried to do something similar in the movies, only far less artful-- and the correlation of practical knowledge to magical efficacy is perfect for something like Wanda's hex power. Importing the Young Wizards system into Marvel comics wholesale probably wouldn't work out-- it kind of relies on prose-- but there are a lot of great lessons and helpful ways of thinking about magic to be gained from Duane's writing.

[unfamiliaris]

Okay soooo Terzo hcs when, nsfw solo but also just like random thoughts you have on him

HIII HI OKAY I HAVE A MILLION ..... nsfw in the down there part bc I'm embarrassed ⤵️ but I'll do general stuff up here:

worlds most transgender man. To me. post top surgery but has no plans on bottom surgery

he's canonically short and I think he prefers his partners like, absurdly taller than him. like. have to tilt your head up to look them in the eye absurd.

despite having a lot of partners, I think he's mostly aromantic, with omega being his one exception. other than him, I don't think he sees himself as wanting to be With anyone, and even with omega they're not like fully and wholly exclusive. romantically they don't really see a need to involve other people but they definitely both sleep around and neither of them care

I think he has a really big sweet tooth, pastries are his go-to but he also loves dark chocolate paired with anything.

on the topic of food - he's SUCHHH a wine snob it's a little excessive. will ask for the year of every wine at every establishment he ever dines out at, WILL swirl the glass and tell you about the "notes" and such. omega finds it endearing but his brothers find it annoying

again on the topic of food, I think he can cook very well, but he can't bake. (which sucks for him considering how much he loves sweets 😭) cooking is far more loose and fluid than baking, and while I think he appreciates getting down to detail he just doesn't have the patience baking can require of someone and it makes him mess things up.

I think he's a dog person... I feel like he gives cat person vibes to most people but. idk. maybe it's just cause I've interacted w so many different dog owners that I'm more inclined to think of ppl as dog ppl but. that's what I get off of him

I think he's a very talented writer, even outside of music. I'd imagine he has a nice prose

ok time for horny stuff. hiii freaks and weirdos

a switch, but a full time bottom. he might on very rare occasions whip out the strap but it is not with any regularity

size queen . glances at omega. need I say more

LOUD. it's hard for them to fuck in secret because terzo is a goddamn screamer

big time oral fixation. loves to be kissing, licking, or sucking something. but also wouldn't say no to being on the receiving end of any one of those things

SUPER sensitive, REALLY easy to get him riled up at a moment's notice. especially his neck and thighs..

barely has any limits at all. it kind of scares omega sometimes with how far he'll ask him to go, even knowing how hurt he could get (but he always gets what he wants anyway...)

[lonely-darksun]

Hi

:･ﾟ✧:･.☽˚｡･ﾟ✧:･.:⋆˖⁺‧₊☽◯☾₊‧⁺˖⋆:･ﾟ✧:･.☽˚｡･ﾟ✧:･.:

✦ Hey there. call me alexx (damian, alistar, felix, az/azrael, and darksun all also work)

⋆˖⁺‧₊☽◯☾₊‧⁺˖⋆

heres a little get to know me:

☾ pronouns: he/they/fae/it (most basic pronouns)

☾ most preffered neopronouns: void/rot/sin/that/fall/hollow/hallow/ abyss/abyssal

☾ gender: trans masc, neoboy, xenogender

☾ sexuality: i'm bi/uranic, diamoric, ambiamorous, and ace/aro but technically i'm cupio/quoi

☾ kin types: black Alexander archipelago wolf, spotted hyena, crow, raven, vampire, fae, demon, void, night, moon, space, storm (specifically lightning/thunder and rain), dragon, angel/divine/god???, and possibly some kind of nature kin, nightmare kin, and even something that's boney and dirty but in a eldritch way.

⋆˖⁺‧₊☽◯☾₊‧⁺˖⋆

fun facts about me:

☾ im a pagan witch (specifically Im a Norse/Hellenic polytheist mainly, and a ecclectic witch), im alternative mostly emo leaning, my favorite animal is wolves, I use tone tags sometimes, and im in love with rainy/cold weather.

☾ hobbies include: dancing, writing (both prose and poetry), singing, acting, drawing, reading, and being chronically online.

⋆˖⁺‧₊☽◯☾₊‧⁺˖⋆

☾ Warning: i am an extremely chaotic person and some things that may be posted could be...intreseting.

☾ Also, I probably have autism and or ADHD, so that too.

⋆☀︎. Link to my pronouns page:

⋆☀︎. Link to my Wattpad:

Link to my Pronouns.cc:

:･ﾟ✧:･.☽˚｡･ﾟ✧:･.:⋆˖⁺‧₊☽◯☾₊‧⁺˖⋆:･ﾟ✧:･.☽˚｡･ﾟ✧:･.:

☾ DNI: Basic criteria, homophobic, transphobic, racist, antisemitic, ableist, z00philes, against therians, anti- neo-pronoun users, anti- xeno-gender users, radqueers, proship, etc. etc.(General DNI applies) (edited it because I realized that it may be unclear lmao)

:･ﾟ✧:･.☽˚｡･ﾟ✧:･.:⋆˖⁺‧₊☽◯☾₊‧⁺˖⋆:･ﾟ✧:･.☽˚｡･ﾟ✧:･.:

☾ Tags!

darksuns reblogs- self explainitory. things I'm rebloging

darksuns sins- poetry/writing things

darksuns stars- alterhuman/otherkin/nonhuman/therian

darksuns sparks- is something a post I made that's not about the above

:･ﾟ✧:･.☽˚｡･ﾟ✧:･.:⋆˖⁺‧₊☽◯☾₊‧⁺˖⋆:･ﾟ✧:･.☽˚｡･ﾟ✧:･.:

[thevioletdaffodil]

be my tangerine (wlw prose-poetry)

cup after cup after cup my body overflows with you, did i drink too much of you? (i'm sorry, i love you. i'm sorry i love you) this is how i imagine amniotic fluid must be, this orange glow, am i made of you now, or did i make you, and how much of you am i and how much of me are you? (remember when i ate a whole box of tangerines?)

how do we calculate, how do we count, when you're so fluid in your movements and you work with my breath like threadwork, you embroider me wholly, your sharp needles weaving in and out of my being, but decorating me by the end of it. everywhere i go, i see you, and when i see you, i see the world looking back at me and everything i know, i want to tell you and everything you tell me, i want to ingrain in my brain like my first language, i want to know you by instinct, more than a choice, and i want to love you on purpose.

i want to thank you for ruining my life (i love you) i want to tell you that if you think you're a weapon, a knife, something that pierces through, i'll be damned if i don't kiss all naked blades with your name on them, bleed my tongue and my teeth. i won't need

red lipsticks anymore.

you see, what i'm saying is, i want to carry your pretty ass home, and when you're not with me, i want to kiss the screen goodnight if it symbolises kissing your head, what i'm saying, my love, is that if you like orange flavoured candies, i'll make myself bite-sized and sugary-sweet, so you can consume me bit by bit, nibbling, giggling, lying next to me, breast to breast, bosom to bosom, your curves melting into mine, and i'll be damned if i don't combust into bright orange flames when you pass orange flavoured kisses into my mouth. fire, sweet sweet fire.

what i'm saying is, is that i want to absorb you completely, and never run out of you, write greasy cheesy love songs for you, inhale your scent (you're my tangerine), bruise my knuckles to fight for you, believe in a god just to keep repeating your name in every prayer i whisper,

and make it all religious,

your love of the starfish and the sea,

and the oranges, and maybe,

just maybe,

possibly me?

what i'm saying is, your love has the consistency of a lotion and the intensity of light,

my skin is starved of you,

will you colour my breath bright

orange

every other night?

/will you be my tangerine?/

(i'm not sorry anymore, i'm proud of loving you.)

[cryinthevortex]

Favorite Sentence Wednesday Saturday Thursday Today

Lovely @pixiedurango tagged me to this game.

What's this? Another questionnaire. I want to do this before Rook gets home.

"Yes! Let's!"

In the Shadow of Demon's Wings

"Despite all this privilege, he was currently on his proverbial knees, feeling helpless, trying to be worthy not of a title, but of a woman instead"

Not my finest moment.

"Do you have many of. those?"

The Birds with Black Feathers

We were climbing the Treviso bell tower.

"There was a moment of peace; the world was quiet, warm and nothing momentarily troubled him as the darkness enveloped them, pierced only by a shimmer of the white, hopeful moon."

"So pretentious, Lucanis."

Do you really wish to play this, Spite?

"Not if you choose things. like this."

You know I will keep selecting these types of sentences just to see you go away. You're giving me a headache.

From the First time to Forever

Rook got us a lubricant from Emmrich.

“From Emmrich actually,” Rook replied. “Probably not embalming fluid, then again, I couldn’t get any stiffer than this.” 

"Now, See Lucanis. This is funny. Rook is funny."

Seven Days of Satinalia. Chapter 1.

This one? I was made a Town Fool by Caterina and crowned Antiva's ruler for the day.

“I promise to dishonor Antiva’s customs and laws with my very presence and make a mockery of everything the kingship stands for.“ 

Spite. Stop laughing.

"It was funny."

Only afterwards.

"Also during. Just ask Rook."

He laughs at most things.

Two Knives and The Darkness of the Night

“Lucanis got to play with his two favourite things in the world: her and his knives."

"Lucanis?"

We...had ... fun with knives.

Excuse me.

"You come back?"

There. Onwards.

The First Talon

"Coranto is a friendly dance- unless the duplicitous love of your life dances with your traitorous brother."

A lovers' spat.

"You were tied up. that evening. with stockings."

It was a fine ending to a mostly disastrous event.

The Autumn Roses of Villa Dellamorte

And Lucanis—one more victim in a long line of them—taking the blows, yielding, accepting them, until he too would become the one holding the cane

"Lucanis is gone. I continue."

Illario's Gambit

"He hardly knew how to be an adult, considering that he had the concentration, temperament, and emotional self-regulation abilities of a very nasty toddler. "

"That is why he is funny. Makes it sound. like a bad thing."

A Warden and A Crow Walk into a Memory Wipe

"Lucanis was dosed with. Sex-Pollen. Rook smelled aroused, but panicking."

"Lucanis may have inhaled it—or lobotomized himself by losing every single inhibition— and I think he had more of those than a fucking Chantry Sister to begin with!"

Ok, Spite. Well, not a bad choice. A mildly embarrassing moment, but not entirely unfunny.

Not a fucking Chance you Sleep there

Rook may have been under the impression, that I disliked him.

"Would he go for a thought-free, I know you dislike me, but stop thinking about that and just fuck me, okay? -kind of thing? "

He concluded correctly.

Stop Playing with your Food, Rook

“Such a romantic,” Rook coos. “Particularly with that romantic Fereldan accent that makes you insert expletives in the middle of your prose.”

I used an expletive when I was in Rook's body—as a part of a magical body-swap spell gone awry.

"Nothing new. You also use expletives. when in his body. No magic needed"

Spite. Come on.

High Culture, Low Expectations.

Caterina opened the door to the Villa. I was surprised.

 For someone who prepared for most eventualities while shaping his beard in the morning, it was almost unpleasant to have missed this possibility.

"Boring! More Rook. Less you."

Go play with the cat.

"No."

In the absence of Rook

"It was a bittersweet consolation, having lost someone to complete your contract; it had removed the enemy Queen from the chessboard, but he had lost a Rook in exchange. 

A prosaic moment. Hard times.

Shut up, Spite.

You're So Fucking Unprofessional, Lucanis

“I’ve never received a love confession in the heat of the moment from a man on the brink of madness, meant for a man.”

Rook professed his love for me, to a prostitute. I received this knowledge eventually, so it worked out fine.

Mierda. Rook is home. Perhaps its good, so many to choose from.

"Can I send this?"

Go ahead, Spite.

"Do I want to know what you're doing?"

[notlongtolove]

also i finished breasts & eggs today and i just

i’ve been reading it on my phone and honestly when i saw the 500+ page count i thought it was going to take me awhile to get through it but i literally blew through the last 300 pages in like 2 days bc of how fluid the writing was. i haven’t read for pleasure (outside of the books im obligated to read for school) in years and this book literally felt like coming home. idk if that makes sense. like i devoured every last word.

i read some reviews online that said a lot of the prose was unnecessary but i didn’t feel that way at all. every sentence (especially the way the author jumps back and forth between the past and present without necessarily using explicit flashbacks) just continued to build upon the other and create such a cohesive image of her past but by bit. like genuinely at the end i really felt like i was in osaka too lol like damnnnn okkk iw to eat at this udon shop too.

also i think i just loved how she wrote about weather changing and time passing specifically. like it’s so mundane but every sentence around it was always worded so artistically and yet so efficiently (?) idk why but i just really appreciated that in particular lol

i loved the splicing of the journal entries throughout part 1 and the dichotomy of the mother daughter relationship sm. part 2 felt so different but it made more sense after i realised it was published as 2 separate pieces before being released as 1 later on.

really enjoyed the personal exploration of female bodily autonomy and the vast presentations of all the female characters bc they each shed light on the different lines of discussions within the book —etc motherhood, marriage, what it means to be a woman, and in that, is being a woman ever synonymous with being a mother?—without it ever being too in your face. the characters genuinely feel like real people with real thoughts that are derived from their own experience with these topics, all of which the main character herself lacks.

(spoiler)

can’t say i was a huge fan of the plot point towards the end w that guy tho bc it just kind of came out of nowhere and felt a lil romance novelly but i guess i appreciated her decision to continue with the pregnancy alone. ((i LOVED the bit where she was building up after her day with him at the cafe and only revealed in the last sentence of the chapter so casually that he was already in a relationship)) like wow she caught me lacking she kNEWWWW that small part of me was hoping smth romantic to spark there and then. and then when it did it just felt so UGH okay so NOWWWW you want her

anyways some of my favourite excerpts from the book:

[soopiroth]

behold... the classic @mybabybearcub question list...

i'm gonna list off my entire list in one day to make up for all the times i saw this and went "uhhh, i'll do this another day"

it's under the cut!

favorite movie? hard pick... i like studio ghibli films a lot, and i watched them a ton growing up, but i also like bugsy malone a lot, such a whimsical movie... and of course ffvii advent children has a place in my heart... um, um, i dunno! i swear i have some more grownup movies I like but to be honest I don't indulge myself in film enough...

favorite toon? ummm lessee... thomas the tank engine doesnt count because it's the model series I like... i like homestar runner a lot! web cartoons count right? ummm i also started watching dungeon meshi and i'm fond of it... ermmmm i dunno.

yeah, i sleep with stuffies, even when not regressed. my mainstay is my sephiroth plush which is kind of a comfort object for me atp... but i've also got a nicely sized tentomon plush I snuggle a lot!!

ummm this is hard too... jerboas... bugs but especially stag beetles n rolypolies... water bear... any weird little guys tbh!

GREEN! purple as a distant second

i have friends who get up to flippyfloppy mutual babysitting antics with me?

...too many, next question.

um... nnneither. i only draw when not regressed and sometimes i even struggle to focus on coloring when regressed. so um... scribbling!

sephiroth plushie... but shoutouts to my toy i had since i was two, a handcrafted stuffie made from a sock. his name is baby but i also call him Boy and soon he will be Man

uhmmm... playdoh is more nostalgic but i do like to mess with slime ig... i don't mess with either much though.

i don't really have little gear! i have a chew stim stick tho that semi counts

um um! i like final fantasy! vii and ix! but i also like bomb rush cyberfunk! and disco elysium! and pokemon and zelda and mario and and and yeah!!!

meeting my online friend that ive wanted to meet up with for ages and we. play toys idk

does the disney store still exist? i liked it when i was real little but i dont care for disney much anymore... so bab. But they're expensive too... hrmmm

what's it to you...? (...i dont like astrology because it encourages an uncontrollable determinism and making assumptions about others instead of getting to know them!)

halloween good. i like the timing of thanksgiving (not the holiday itself, i have a deepseated hatred of colonialism) because it usually means i'll have time near my birthday off from school and work. but i like excuses to cosplay.

i usually just yap! yap yap yap! dm my buddies! yap yap yap!

showers more often but bath as a rare treat to indulge myself

whatever's easiest to eat for me or yummiest. what's "easy" food for me varies from day to day.

fall... good temps, allergies aren't bad, my birthday, crispy weather bringing in the cold after ages of hot... i can still wear shorts but i can also wear jackets

i dunno... i refuse to label it. it's too fluid and bouncy and vague. i just call myself small.

im like a chronic sibby collector, in and out of regression. i have chronic big brother syndrome. i keep becoming people's big brother figure. help. though i specifically have one friend among my bests whom of which we have dubbed each other mirror twins! like rin and len...

yes... why not both? shoutout to corn cho, a snackoo i really like... it's like the baby corn puffs almost but with a layer of chocolate ganache! yummy yummy

one of the things i take most pride in is my writing, both prose and poetry, fiction and nonfiction! but to compliment both body and mind, i like to think i'm pretty cute, i daresay

mulan. i liked belle as a kid a lot too but i also liked mulan bc i pointed and went FELLOW ASIAN and then later ended up trans so. dang i guess they did make a man outta me.

nope! not really! i put stickers on stuff but i don't seek them out actively. but i do collect pins! and i collect merch of my favorite lovely wife kuja ffix

uhmmm despite having dogs i don't see myself as a dog person and i've never really had cats. i'd prefer something less mammalian. more reptillian or an invert of some sort... BUUUUT i like rodents too. but if i had to *compare* myself to an animal... um idk what lol

i am a fellow of great range and nuance! Gimme it all!!!

iiiii love love love writing :) and video game! :)

i like listening to ff tracks that feel evocative of agere for me... but i also like whatever i like when big (which also includes ff music...). so usually for me that's some 2 mello, sea power, billy joel... lots! it all depends

[autolenaphilia]

Fluids by May Leitz

Fluids by the truly multi-talented May Leitz, musician, youtube video essayist, and author, is the goriest book I have ever read. It’s also about queer love, identity, and being transfem. This is a truly fucked-up sapphic love story. It’s the opposite of tenderqueer.

My recommendation is that if a story about sapphic love and trans identity that is also an incredibly gory and disturbing horror book appeals to you, go read it. The prose is beautiful and disturbing, a nightmare about queer identity and abusive love. It’s available in print or audiobook format from Leitz’s bandcamp, and in e-book form via her patreon. Pay attention to the trigger warnings.

I’m going to put the rest of this book beneath a read-more, because to talk cogently about the novel I had to spoil it. And it’s quite an experience, so if you care about spoilers, read it first if you can stomach it.

It’s about Lauren, a cis lesbian woman who meets Dahlia, a young trans woman via the internet. Lauren is a deeply fucked-up individual, who hates herself, is deeply selfish, who lacks meaning in her life and takes it out violently on others, dragging others into her self-destruction spiral. Lauren is truly in love with Dahlia, but uses Dahlia to find meaning in life for herself.

And Dahlia is also fucked-up and violent. She grew up with abusive and transmisogynistic parents, and like many abused children, had her parents conception of the person she should be forced upon her, making it difficult to form her own independent identity. So Lauren steps in and becomes a second mother to Dahlia, assigning her various identities to perform, complete with alternative names. And Dahlia is so unsure of her own identity, as an abused child, as someone who has recently realized she are a trans woman, that she accepts this. Her most violent act is trying to kill Lauren shortly after they meet in person in order to steal her identity and life. Yet she is less fucked-up than Lauren wants her to be, as she wants Dahlia to be a reflection of herself. Lauren herself feels like a void, and uses and abuses Dahlia to find identity herself.

The resulting relationship is of course incredibly toxic. It is sado-masochistic way, way beyond any conception of safe, sane and consensual. It’s co-dependent, as both depend on the other for their own sense of self. Yet Lauren is the dominant partner. Lauren hurts Dahlia, and tells her “I can teach you how to like it.”

And Lauren drags Dahlia into an orgy of violence and murder at a combined casino/hotel. It’s a book full of detailed descriptions of violence and gore. There is plenty of the eponymous fluids in this book, mostly blood and vomit. There is a point to all the violence, the themes of identity and a well-developed characterization that I already described. Yet it doesn’t make the violence any less disturbing.

The plot and violence is phantasmagorical and surreal, it feels like an intense nightmare and runs on that logic. The violence is so extreme, with people staying alive and conscious when they really shouldn’t, that it in itself becomes dreamlike despite the detailed descriptions. A major part of the plot is literally that Lauren is able to commit violence with impunity as the casino/hotel as this ruthless capitalist entity cleans up after her crimes to avoid dealing with the police. She becomes a serial killer out of a nightmare, no one hearing the screams coming from the hotel rooms. There is nothing outright supernatural, but realism doesn’t matter here.

Lauren is a self-described monster, but most of the book is from her POV, and she feels like a complex character. She has flaws that are relatable, she just takes it into horror novel extremes. Same thing with Dahlia, who is more sympathetic.

And the book does speak to the side of us that has violent murder fantasies. That’s what makes good horror violence not merely disgusting but actually disturbing. It is because for many of us the violent acts in this book is something we would never do in real life, but may fantasize about. If you are abused or oppressed, you often will fantasize to strike back in ways that are entirely disproportionate. A fantasy of gaining absolute power, of life and death over those who have power over you. The violent fantasy is an outlet for the resentment that builds up.

Such fantasies are rooted in emotions of fears and anger, and like most private fantasies entirely self-indulgent. It’s not pretty, and such violence is usually something people don’t actually want to do, because they recognize it’s wrong, but still find appealing as fantasy. The book’s initial act of violence is Dahlia pouring gasoline on her boy clothes and then light it and the house on fire as she escape her abusive transmisogynistic parents. And then as Lauren takes the lead, the violence only grows more extreme, selfish and disproportionate. It becomes about torturing and kill the rich dude who treats you like a sex object and wants to buy your body with his money. And then torture and mutilate his privileged cishet wife to death. It’s dark, it’s disturbing, but I get it.

And yet, despite all the violence and darkness, the book is not entirely nihilistic. It ends on a relatively hopeful note of transfem resillence, despite everything. Dahlia realizes that she can survive on her own, that she can form her own identity, she can be independent, she doesn’t need Lauren’s destructive and abusive love. Dahlia walks away to be her own person. The fact she has endured and done so much makes it even more resonant. She has the trauma of being abused and raped, and even lost her right hand, yet she survives and will try to live. It’s a beautiful ending, for a disturbing, but beautiful book.

[diyasgarden]

OOOOUU THOSE SEEM LIKE INTERESTING BOOKS (immediately adding them to goodreads bc whatever diya reads is five stars already) and tell me about them!!

and i’ve been doing good, thank you! just about to go to sleep

HAHAH. I LOVE YOU!!

So "My Husband" by Maud Ventura follows a woman who is very infatuated with the concept of love and her husband over the course of a week. Genuinely so captivating, I did not want to put it down! The main character is so intense and there is a sense of uneasiness that there is something more than what you can see. I think the ending of the book ties everything together perfectly, and shows how a simple concept can be very powerful in writing.

I'm still reading "The Woman Destroyed" but it's a small anthology of three short stories focused on the lives of different woman in mid-20th century Paris. Simone De Beauvoir was also a philosopher and social theorist, and her beliefs and ideology on womanhood, relationship, motherhood, and sex really shine through even in the literary format. I also think her style of prose is beautiful and fluid, so you're easily transported into the minds of the characters. It's an experience for your mind and senses!

Ah I'm glad!! Sleep well love <33