#the tropic of serpents

[thebloggingfox]

The Memoirs of Lady Trent are an incredible book series that are criminally underrated.

Dragon/period drama but set in a fantasy world with a lot of science and architecture alongside some incredible variety of dragons. Also pirates, politics and a surprising amount of lgbt shit for a period esq style.

I need more people to know about them.

[elliepassmore]

In the Labyrinth of Drakes review

5/5 stars Recommended if you like: epistolary narrative, light academia, dragons, adventure

A Natural History of Dragons review

The Tropic of Serpents review

Voyage of the Basilisk review

I think this book and Voyage are my two favorites in the series. There's so much about dragons in these two books and we get such varied locations. I also like the characters we meet in these two, though I have to say, I miss having Natalie around.

This book opens with a bit of a surprise: Tom and Isabella are hired by the Scirling Army to do some naturalist work for them. Specifically, they want the two to breed dragons in Akhia. While that's clearly written in the synopsis, it's still a bit of a surprise that Isabella agreed to it since she hasn't had the best experience with the Scirling Army in the past, but while that tension is still there a little, she'll do anything to study dragons.

Akhia is a fantasy version of some Middle Eastern country, I'm not sure which, but the language used is definitely Arabic. Like in Bayembe, Akhia is a very hot and dry country, though Isabella describes it as much hotter and much drier than the former. As such, there's a lot of accommodations made for the heat both in architecture and in travel accommodations and schedules. The 'Labyrinth of Drakes' actually poses a risk because the oases within can be difficult to locate and during the wet season it sometimes flash floods.

The religion in Akhia is distinctly Muslim, and Tom and Isabella largely have to follow those rules. It's astonishing how far Isabella has come since A Natural History (or even Tropic). While she still chafes at some of the rules, and finds workarounds for others, by and large she follows the religious customs well and even remarks on some of their importance to the religion's followers. One thing she seems to particularly appreciate is the way religious customs make room for things like female physicians.

As usual, there's some political mischief going on and Isabella ends up smack in the center of it. One aspect of politics comes up fairly quickly when it's made obvious the sheikh does not like Isabella...but it turns out not to be for the usual reasons. I actually found the animosity to be kind of humorous. But Isabella and Tom also face much more serious peril, and things actually end up getting pretty dangerous for Isabella in particular, and I think this is the most risk (from humans) that she's been in yet.

I really liked getting to focus more on the dragons and their behaviors. Since the army hired Isabella and Tom for a breeding program, that's the focus of much of this book, but I still found the scientific details interesting. Isabella also raises questions of how desert drakes behave in the wild, and a need for replicating those situations as much as possible in order to ensure survival of the dragons as well as successful mating. Along with observing the dragons, we also get to see some smaller experiments that Isabella runs to test the possible environmental ranges for successful breeding. She utilizes a smaller, dragon-adjacent species (sort of like Sparklings), but the experiment ends up having a huge impact, and I really liked seeing the various aspects of it.

As mentioned, Isabella has grown a lot from book 1, and I found it interesting to compare her behavior in this book to that one. Her passion for dragons remains, and I liked seeing how she's continued to bring in more interdisciplinary work into her naturalism. I also liked seeing her scheme with Tom about how to do best by the dragons (and science) while still meeting the requirements put to them by the Scirling Army.

Tom is a nice addition, as always, and provides a more level, but still passionate, head to Isabella's sometimes more reckless nature. That being said, he's just as incensed by the army's treatment of the dragons as Isabella is, and he's actually the one who comes up with a way to continue their research even when it becomes clear the army has no desire to. I enjoyed seeing the two of them come together once more and really enjoy their friendship and working relationship.

Suhail is back in this one as well! We parted with him prior to the ending of the previous book as his father died and he was called home by his family. Well, now we get to see him conducting his familial duty. There's some tension because he considers Isabella and Tom his friends and so he wants to interact with them and talk, but his duty won't allow him to...but no one here really follows the rules all the way, so we get some good interactions with them, especially toward the end of the book after Isabella and him come up with a certain 'work around' (I definitely saw this coming in Voyage and was pleased with how it played out). He hasn't been able to do much archaeology work, but Isabella was able to get a drawing of the inscription from Mouleen for him, and that lights his passion on fire again.

Actually, one of the big discoveries in this book is related to archaeology. Isabella may not have any big passion for Draconean culture, but she does have a knack for stumbling upon their ruins. The three of them + Isabella's brother, Andrew, stumble on a massive discovery that helps propel Suhail to fame and, to a lesser extent, Isabella and Tom as well. Like in Voyage, I enjoyed Suhail's translation and archaeological work.

Andrew is also back in this book, and for a much longer time. He's a soldier now and got himself stationed in Akhia when he learned his sister would be going there. He provides some good comedic relief while also adding a less-enthusiastic head to some of Isabella and Tom's plans. That being said, while Andrew might not be as passionate about dragons nor as academic, he is still more than eager to tag along on their adventures, and is equally as giddy about the big discovery at the end of the book as Suhail, Isabella, and Tom.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book and think this one and Voyage tie as my favorite. I liked getting to see Akhia and digging deeper into the scientific details of dragons. I also appreciated getting to learn more about Draconean archaeology and linguistics.

[derangedpracticality]

That little note Isabella writes in her 2nd memoir shortly after they arrive in Eriga, about how she had thought that her stay in the region wasn't political, and that the reader may continue reading once they finished laughing is SO MUCH FUNNIER if you know the plot of that book.

On my re-read of the series I often find myself assuming the perspective of a potential reader from her times, and how it must look like to them. Very good re-read value.

[ardent-reflections]

There is no faster way to harden my determination than to assume I will fail at something.

Marie Brennan, The Tropic of Serpents.

[shsenhaji]

📚 April and May Reading Round-Up 📚

I wasn’t able to post my April round-up, so have both April and May together! I am glad that I was able to read more books for both of these months than in March.

I started a few new series (Tiffany Aching, Maisie Dobbs, the Craft Sequence), and continued a few other series (the Memoirs of Lady Trent, October Daye).

In April, I read:

- The Tropic of Serpents by Marie Brennan (very good, enjoyable and compelling, liked it even better than the second book, great relationships and character growth, liked the way motherhood and grief were tackled, touched on themes such as colonialism and research ethics)

- How Not to Marry a Prince by Megan Derr (cute, fun, somewhat heart-wrenching but with a lovely ending, liked the themes surrounding class and privilege)

- Maisie Dobbs by Jacqueline Winspear (good, interesting, liked how it tackled healing and war and trauma, definitely cried at the end)

- Derring-Do for Beginners by Victoria Goddard (read it in one sitting, very relatable protagonists, loved the worldbuilding and the themes, happy to see younger versions of favourite characters, much growth and introspection, some of the emotional fulfillment will have to wait for the next book)

- I’m Glad My Mom Died by Jennette McCurdy (listened to the audiobook read by the author, compelling, kind of horrifying and depressing, very funny, great prose, banger chapter endings)

In May, I read:

- Half a King by Joe Abercrombie (read it in one sitting, bittersweet, good, interesting worldbuilding and politics, great character relationships and interesting character growth)

- Birds of a Feather by Jacqueline Winspear (good, enjoyed it more than the first book, engaging, bittersweet ending, liked the themes)

- A Local Habitation by Seanan McGuire (very good, read it in one sitting, a bit less depressing than the first one, sad but with a hopeful ending, good character growth)

- Clary Sage by Victoria Goddard (amazing!!! delightful read, loved all of the characters, so very heartwarming, Hal my beloved)

- Three Parts Dead by Max Gladstone (read it in one sitting, loved the MC’s motivations and character growth, interesting magic system, loved the themes at the heart of the book, commentary on justice and policing and belief, taking on the patriarchy)

- Le Comte de Monte-Cristo, Vol. 1 by Alexandre Dumas (good, very political, very grounded in the societal issues and references of the time, thoughts on morality and justice and the prison system, poor Dantes, liked the different perspectives)

- The Wee Free Men by Terry Pratchett (amazing, read it in one sitting, loved the themes and Tiffany’s entire character and character growth, felt very much like the books I used to read as a child in the best sort of way, the frying pan!)

- Pardonable Lies by Jacqueline Winspear (highly enjoyable, compelling from the very beginning, better than the two previous books, much character growth and nuance)

[uncharismatic-fauna]

Brace Yourself for the Brahminy Blind Snake

Also known as the flowerpot snake, the Kurudi snake, or the Sirupaambu snake, the Brahminy blind snake (Indotyphlops braminus) is a species of snake common throughout Africa and southern Asia, and introduced in southern Europe, southern North America and Central America, and parts of Oceania including mainland Australia.

The Brahminy blind snake is a fossorial species, spending most of its time underground or in piles of dense leaf litter in forests and agricultural areas. During the winter in colder regions, they burrow deep beneath the earth and enter a state of hibernation. They are not aggressive or venomous, and feed mainly on eggs and insects, especially ants and termites. As a result they are often found near anthills or termite mounds. The kurudi snake can be predated upon by larger snakes, amphibians, birds, and some carnivorous insects.

I. braminus is the smallest recognized snake, ranging only 5–10 cm (2-4 in) in length and weighing between 0.74-1.87 g (0.02-0.06 oz). Due to their burrowing nature, they are also quite slender, and their head is as narrow as the rest of their body. The tail is distinguishable only by a small, sharp spur. The eyes are extremely small and can only register light. Adults are typically dark gray or brown, although they can become beige or purple while molting.

The flowerpot snake reproduces entirely via parthenogenisis, a mechanism in which the mother's eggs duplicate via mitosis. The result of this method of reproduction is that offspring are all clones of their mother. In the spring Females may either lay eggs or give birth to live offspring, up to eight at a time. Young emerge shortly before monsoon season and are are capable of fending for themselves immediately after being born.

Conservation status: the IUCN has ranked the Brahminy blind snake as Least Concern due to its wide distribution. Although it has been introduced to many areas outside its native range, it is not considered ecologically damaging.

Photos

Gulab Khedkar et al.

Vijay Anand Ismavel

Thai National Parks

[sesamenom]

Pre-corruption Gothmog & Thuringwethil (plus a balrog-gothmog with his original color scheme), based on these designs

[logictoinsanity]

Isabella Camherst is the most autistic, aro ace bitch I've ever heard of, and while I will not be accepting questions at this time, I am only on the second book, so im open to growth and fluidity. she's 100% autistic and queer though, I'll fight u on that

[ancientgoddessofegypt]

ALGOL - Divine Femininity and the Power of Creation

Algol sits at the 26 degrees in taurus.

Algol is known as the "demon star" and is connected to the head of medusa but she is so much more than a castrophic star that brings hell to the planet.

'Algol' is a star of the most divine feminine energy on the entire sphere. It rejoices in the cosmic universe and creates from its darkness. Like the womb in the belly of women, we create from here and eventually we birth it into our reality.

What makes Algol a star of divine feminine energy?

She is connected to the Mother. Serpent/Dragon energy. Creatrix and is connected to art and beauty.

Most who fear this star never travel deep into the unknown, however this star teaches you is that the unknown is like getting to the garden of eden and finding the apple that gives you life.

Fixed Star Algol is a major point in the sky, its 'demon' traits are chaotic/yin energy and nothing to be afraid of. When Mother (Earth) is tired of our shit what is she going to do? bring chaos. which is what this star represents in a number of ways.

This chaos can come through art because it is very yin, and the language that it speaks is far bigger than what the 'name' of this star.

ALGOL - AL-KU-HOL - SPIRITS

I noticed with this fixed star that drugs, wine and alcohol play a big part here. im speaking of people who have this placement strongly. Any planet. Not just your big three.

This fix star is heavily connected the spiritual realm and the psychical realm gets a taste of this vibrant energy each time the sun passes through here.

The energy/frequency I would like to dip into with this star is Adam/Eve Tree of Knowledge/Life Serpent/Transformation Phoenix/Dragon Medusa and Lilith energy here. Yeah that was a lot. bare with me.

You travel through depths to get to where you are with this star conjunct your sun, moon, rising and venus. Lilith energy literally rises within you. It connects you the the tree of knowledge. In the Bible these are all metaphors, so metaphorically speaking, you carry the knowledge in the womb and are a creator who connects to the source of the universe. All that you are is mother in the flesh, but more in the mind and spirit. You are bound to go through the waters of the serpents and transform with each valley that you cross.

You are not scared to go deep into your shadow, in fact when you get use to it you may succumb to it more. THIS is where your power comes from. Your fears are transmuted into POWER. Your pain turns into POWER. You are what? POWER. And you are a walking force who connects to the energy of the Mother!

You are deeply connected to the roots of this soil and also cosmic and can see into the ethereal realms. You know the underworld because you been there, you know the higher realms because you've traveled there, and you come back to us in this earthly realm and show it to us be it expression, art, soul, style, music, dance, emotions etc. your rage is your truth and you can wear it as you like.

all your powerful emotions can be used in the form of creating something new. it is castrophic but also beautiful. your energy is feared by many but we see how powerful your aura is.

If you have this fix star connected to your sun, moon or rising. You are literally that energy walking among us everyday. every. damn. day.

now I WILL say this with fix stars is that you can tap into them at any time, Algol seems to show up and come through you at the right time if you have this placement. You tend to have an aura that scares people but are fascinated with you at the same time. Who is like this... Lilith :)

The energy is very dark. do not take this as bad or evil because it is not. Dark energy is also yin, yin is feminine. They go hand in hand.

I want to touch on Medusa but I will save it for another time. What I can say is (or may I will argue that) Medusa is another form of Lilith. She was casted aside and was lied on because her power was too much for some, so she became a 'monster' who could turn you into stone.

This is how people with this fix star walk among us. Your energy is that powerful, that mesmerizing you literally have people at their knees im not playing.

[snototter]

A tropical flat snake (Siphlophis compressus) in French Guiana, South America

by Bernard Dupont

[rcreveal]

Shipwrecked with no memory of who we were before Chapter 3

Summary: In this story, Aziraphale and Crowley have woken up on a tropical island with no memory of who they were before. In Chapter 1 they took the names Asclepius(Aziraphale) and Caduceus (Crowley) when they figured out that they had the ability to heal and Crowley could turn into a giant winged serpent. In Chapter 2 they start falling for each other, again, because romance without roadblocks is why I wrote this fic!

In Chapter 3 Asclepius and Caduceus wake up after their joint healing and find that a great deal has changed. More mystery while they are falling fast for each other. Chapter 3 does end with a NSFW non-explicit, very mature, spicy scene only in Ao3. It ends with a kiss here in Tumblr.

Sendarya's Discord Prompt a week 2024 challenge Prompts: 1) Eden 2)fanart (a beautiful, tender, non-explicit, start of a kiss between Aziraphale and Crowley and inspiration for their first kiss here) https://www.tumblr.com/selene-yoshi-chan/190056389466/cobragardens-selene-yoshi-chan-ineffable-mess?source=share

Work text:

Asclepius and Caduceus lay facing each other, foreheads nearly touching, hands clasped, eyes closed within a glow of almost preternatural health.  Their heads rest on something golden while little plants have grown all around them like a green carpet. Black lava beneath Caduceus peeks through the dense growth, creating the look of large black wings while white flowers trail away from Asclepius like bright feathers.    

Waking at almost the same time, Asclepius and Caduceus smile at each other. 

Asclepius tries to blink the glow from his vision, so relieved to see the golden-orange eyes flutter open, see the healthy color on Caduceus’ cheeks and the muscle filled out on his chest again, says, “You look so well! I feel so well.  Did our healing work all the way this time?” 

“Seems like it to me, for both of us,” Caduceus admires the extra flush in Asclepius’ cheeks that was missing before, then looks perplexed, “I smell sheep.  Do you smell sheep?”

“Sheep?” Asclepius replies, “Well, yes, now that you mention it.”

They sit up in the new greensward of tiny flowers and sweet-scented grass suddenly growing all around them, looking at what they were resting on. 

Caduceus points, “Where’d this sheepskin come from?  And what happened to the beach we lay down on?”  They are laying not on white sands but golden wool.

“My goodness! That’s a golden fleece!  Where did that come from?” Asclepius exclaims.

“‘S pretty soft, for gold,” Caduceus pats the fleece, “Aren’t golden fleece thingummies supposed to possess all kinds of health and vitality and share it with all those in the local place, kindof thing?” asks Caduceus speculatively. 

Asclepius replies, “Yes, all that and I’m quite certain we would have noticed if we had one before!” he looks down and around, while Caduceus looks up.

Wheeling flocks of birds, brightly colored and raucous are flying over a dense forest that wasn’t there before.  High, eroded, green cloaked cliffs with the occasional sparkling waterfall now rise out of the water far down the beach.  Dolphins play just off the reef.

“The island got taller,” remarks Caduceus dryly, looking further up what may be a dormant volcano, or, possibly not...dormant that is.

“Ah, and the wildlife got more…wild.” Asclepius states, standing now to look around.

Several turkey-sized gray birds waddle into the undergrowth, Caduceus points at them, "Those are extinct,” he states flatly.

Asclepius watches as the last dodo steps behind a fern, “Not those ones, apparently,” Caduceus huffs, “But yes, they were too delicious for their own good, as I recall.”

They continue to study their new surroundings, noticing the shelter and their supplies are still nearby, unchanged.

In a taking-stock sort of voice, Caduceus inquires, “O-kay… Asclepius, what were you thinking about for our healing, just now?  Just out of curiosity, you know?”

Asclepius looking up the mountain replies,  “I was trying to bring back our natural healthy state, make us strong enough to heal and weather any more storms that might be on the way in future.  What about you?”  Asclepius asks conversationally, as rainbows shimmer between the distant waterfalls.

Caduceus shrugs, “I mean, same as before, really.  I wanted to fight the wound that was hurting you, get rid of it completely.  Destroy that parasite thing on me.  It really hacks me off to see wonderful things maimed and destroyed… again!  Senseless and wasteful, that!  Like destroying a beautiful painting or killing off some incredible species!” his voice is winding up for a lengthy rant.

Asclepius smiles and blushes, “You think I’m wonderful?”

Caduceus stops mid-rant, then turns to Asclepius, and the tight-wound fighter energy, the glib replies, the veneer of confidence all melt away.  Vulnerable and open, Caduceus gently touches Asclepius’ hair, brushes his cheek, places his palm over Asclepius’ heart before stepping back, arms and hands loose at his sides.  A deep loneliness surfaces in Caduceus’ gaze, his shoulders rounding as he says, “Look at you, you’re gorgeous!” a catch in his voice like part of him doesn’t believe that Asclepius could possibly return his feelings.

Asclepius’ prim formality evaporates along with lingering echoes of harsh ‘standards’ of how one should comport oneself that were just protection from some deep-seated but now untethered fears of being judged and persecuted for acknowledging or expressing his feelings.  The constant self-scrutiny burns away like heavy fog as the doors of his heart burst open.  Then his brow furrows, Caduceus doesn’t know, doesn’t realize? Is gazing at him as though the only thing he expects is a blow to fall? 

“Oh! You glorious creature!  You take my breath away!” eyes sparkling with unshed tears, Asclepius shines as Caduceus’ face transforms in unexpected wonder.

Utterly defenseless to one another, they reach out at the same time, drifting forward, eyes closing, their lips meet, an almost chaste brush of lips.  ‘How soft, how incredibly soft ,’ Asclepius thinks, partaking of the gentlest of kisses. ‘ How warm, how welcoming, ’ Caduceus sighs. They share featherlight kisses over and over again.   Holding each other delicately, tenderly as unexpected tears pour out like gentle rain.   Having such deep wells of emotion open up without context disorients them.  They cling to one another as their only stable anchor in this ever changing landscape, somehow recognizing that this has been the case for most of their existence.  Kissing away each other’s loneliness as haunting wisps of half-remembered pain surface before melting away, they tremble and shake. Finally, they stand in each other’s arms, just resting against one another, feeling a security that wasn’t there before. 

Slowly becoming aware of the sea breeze, the sound of waves and the almost tangible growth of the island around them, Caduceus sighs into Asclepius' hair, “That felt like we’d been holding our feelings back for a long, long time.”

“Oh, yes, for ages and ages,” Asclepius replies, resting his head in the curve of Caduceus' shoulder,  hand on his own his chest, “I feel so much better now, but so…tender! And you, dear, dear Caduceus?” moving his palm over to Caduceus' chest.

“You have my happiness and my heart in your hands, Asclepius.  I love you,” Caduceus says simply as they stand together.

“I love you, too, Caduceus.” Asclepius says, looking into Caduceus’ eyes and then resting their foreheads together gently.

***

After awhile, Caduceus says reluctantly, “I would rather stay here holding you, but I think we should probably figure out if we’re still on the same island,”

 Asclepius smiles at him, indicates the island, “Indeed. Well, the mountain and those cliffs are in the same place as ours were, just significantly bigger .  Do you think we did this?”

Caduceus looks surprised. “Us? Did we grow the island and all these creatures?  That’s rather a leap from collapsing on each other with our healing attempts, don’t you think?”

Asclepius tilts his head, and asks candidly, “Did you keep your promise?”

Caduceus looks confused, “What? Me? Yeah!  I was only ‘moderately trying’ to heal us.  Everything just fizzed up and kept rolling out from my first try.” 

Asclepius looks thoughtful, “Mmm, yes.  I was only giving it a moderate effort.  I felt it rather run away from me like a horse with the bit between its teeth, so to speak.  This is awfully…exuberant.”

Caduceus suggests, “We could test that theory, you know.”

“The island building? How?” asks Asclepius, puzzled.

“We can both make light.  We could do that separately and then together.  See what the difference is,” suggests Caduceus and putting word to action says, “Let there be light!” producing the same friendly bright orb.

“Oh, I see!  And however much the light is increased when we do it together, that’s how much our working together boosts the uh, ‘power’ so to speak? Light please,” Asclepius produces his own little orb, “That felt the same as last night!”

“Right and now together!” Caduceus says, then hesitates before grabbing Asclepius’ hand again, looks up at the, ri-ight, that’s an active volcano, “Maybe we should try producing an amount of light that’s easy to figure out how much more power we make together,” Caduceus suggests.

“Oh, good idea…What’s the least amount of light it’s possible for us to measure, do you think?” Asclepius asks politely.

“One photon.  Like this,” Caduceus demonstrates.

“Wonderful! Here’s mine,” Asclepius makes his one photon light (human observers would not have detected anything).

Molten lava flow glows off the back of the island.  Caduceus says thoughtfully, “And I can make that little light, say, a kilometer off the island.  For a second?” and demonstrates this, too.

“Lovely! “ Asclepius gives Caduceus a mildly quizzical look, “We’re just being overly circumspect and making it easy on ourselves to measure, correct?  Only, I have this little niggle…”

“Ye-ah.  I see your point.  Better make it five kilometers,” Caduceus holds out his hand and grins at Asclepius, “Can’t be too cautious, right?”

***

“I like your hair like this,” remarks Asclepius, lightly, looking at the lightened red-orange highlights in Caduceus’ hair and beard.

“You say that because sitting on the golden fleece healed our sunburn immediately,”  Caduceus says dryly. 

“Mmm, yes, but at least we know,” replies Asclepius.

“Know what!? That even you won’t sunburn if you lay out on the golden fleece? Oh, and us making one photon each of light together made a flash like a fission reaction go off!!!”  Caduceus chokes a bit on his frayed calm..

“Know that we did restore the island and all these creatures when we worked together,” Asclepius explains patiently, leaning over and nudging Caduceus’ shoulder.

Caduceus grimaces, “Handy for getting out of a bind.  But, we need some serious practice if we don’t want to overshoot so much in future.”

Caduceus claps his hands against his thighs, standing up off the fleece, offers Asclepius a hand up, “Come on, let's check if we created any rampaging herds of swine or prehistoric beasts that will tread through our camp whilst we sleep.  Want to see if I can fly us both around the island?” 

Asclepius stands, as well, “Oh, can you!? I'd love to be able to fly.”  

Transforming into a winged serpent, Caduceus gently encircles Asclepius.  His great dark wings swirling the golden motes that still sparkle in the air, easily carry them both aloft.  “You’re light as a feather, Asclepius!” cries Caduceus as they rise above the treetops.

“This is marvelous!” Asclepius calls back over the wingbeats.  The great snake’s skin is warm in the sunlight, his scales smooth and polished like obsidian, red jasper, and amber. The strong coils adjust in their flight so Asclepius has no fear of falling. Together, they fly up the shoulders of the volcano, lush and verdant on their side over the lagoon, and rugged and austere with blown out pumice and smooth lava flows on the other side.  Bright lava is flowing into the sea, building the island even more while offshore steam rises from an underwater seamount. On the other end of the island, the high cliffs are from a dormant caldera with a broad breach in the rim in which a beautiful valley lies protected on three sides.  Streams sparkle within it.  Off shore on their side, the lagoon and surrounding reef is larger, brighter.  

“It looks like we made the island younger and more diverse!” calls Asclepius.  

Cadeus points his head at the protected valley, “That and the stronger reef would make weathering a big storm safer.  We’d be out of luck if the volcano exploded, but right now it just seems to be busy building more island.”

“Can you see any more islands or ships?” asks Asclepius.

But even from this height, as far as they can see, they are alone, no ships or islands on the horizon.  Nothing flies in the air but seabirds and land birds, and Caduceus, of course.

While scanning the seas, they see a new pod of dolphins enter the lagoon with several showing signs of injury.  “Those newcomers look hurt! Shall we see if we can help them out?” Asclepius points.  

“I’ll land on the little spit of sand on the reef there.  We can enter the water human shaped,” replies Caduceus heading over toward the dolphins.  He touches down and returns to human form.  It’s an odd but not unpleasant sensation, as Asclepius feels the embrace change from strong coils to strong arms. Turning, he kisses Caduceus’ snake tattoo, sending a shiver down Caduceus’ form and whispering, “You are remarkable,” before turning to the dolphins.  Some of the pod has been watching the strange arrival, and further developments.  From the little spit of sand on the reef, Asclepius and Caduceus dive in and swim over to the sea mammals who are supporting their most grievously injured member.  

“I say! Can we be of assistance? Caduceus and myself, Asclepius, have some healing skills,” calls Asclepius in fluent dolphin.

Caduceus in human mode treads water next to him as he feels the pod look them over with sonar.

“Humans don’t usually speak dolphin, but then, you aren’t humans exactly, are you?” a mature female calls back.  “ If you can help, we’d appreciate it.  Stanley* can’t go on much longer, even in this lagoon.”

Stanley is easy to identify, with his podmates helping him keep his blowhole above water and with an all too familiar wound in his side.

“We should just do this one together.  We already know how bloody difficult it’ll be, otherwise,” suggests Caduceus.  

“But just a teeny, tiny joint healing,” Asclepius warns. 

“ We can heal every sick or injured dolphin in your group.  We just need to all be touching at the time,” calls Caduceus.  The female leader and a grizzled old fellow, the least injured, ferry them over to Stanley when she offers, “We’ll keep you above water.  You probably can’t heal and try to swim at the same time."  

Grasping hands over the backs of their supporting dolphins, Ascelpius and Caduceus touch Stanley and through him, every dolphin in the pod.  All are weary or injured in some way, but Stanley is close to death.  

“ On the count of three.  One, two, three!” This time their healing seems to stay within the pod.

Several male dolphins excitedly caress the healed Stanley* all speaking so quickly that neither Asclepius nor Caduceus can understand them.

(*Of course “Stanley” is just a human version of his name, as Stanley’s name was a series of sounds that humans are incapable of making nor do we have any way of writing them down.  Stanley just thought “Stanley” sounded cool.)

 “ Our thanks, Healers,” says the female leader.

“You're ever so welcome!  We're just delighted to be able to help!” Asclepius replies.

Caduceus asks, “ How were you hurt?  Even humans generally revere your kind,” anger sparkling in his words.

“ We do not know.  We remember a terrible storm, then we found ourselves in calm seas.  We sought this refuge to heal our wounded.  What say you?” replies the female leader.

“ Same as you.  Storm, injury, memory gaps.  Stay as long as you like.  Seems like we’ve got plenty of fish to go around,” offers Caduceus.

Asclepius gushes, “ Oh please stay!  I didn’t know I could talk to you before today!” The female tenderly brushes her pectoral fin against Asclepius. “ We shall be friends, then. And friends don’t let friends bleed on the reef and attract sharks, so we’re taking you to shore.  So say I, Shayla*, leader of this pod.”

( *When told that her chosen human name evokes a warrior queen, Shayla replies, ‘ Of course ’)

Waving at the dolphins, they stand shoulder to shoulder, then their hands find one another and they look out at the lagoon, fingers entwined, gently twisting and touching. Smiling at each other again, they walk up the beach to their shelter.  Looking hopefully into the pot, Asclepius’ stomach growls.   But they ate everything last night.  

“Look!” Asclepius spies a new mango tree with ripe fruit and makes directly for it, hungry and thirsty from their busy morning.  Caduceus grabs a basin and a knife and follows after.  The tree is covered in luscious smelling fruits from hard green to softly blushing red over rich orange-yellows. 

Asclepius has already started picking ripe fruits and looks up happily when Caduceus offers the basin.  Filling it with mangos, they take it with them over to the stream to splash their faces and drink the cool, clear water.

Asclepius prepares a mango, cutting out the large oval seed and cross-hatching the remaining halves.  Folding the skin inside out pops chunks of mango into a sudden bouquet of edible bites. It looks like a magic trick.

“ Voilà ,” Asclepius hands a mango half over to Caduceus, who takes a bite of the exquisite fruit.  The rich scent and flavor burst in his mouth but the juices surprise him, spilling over his lips.  He finds himself slurping up the mango pieces off the skin, so as not to miss a drop, not quite realizing all the happy noises he’s making, so intent is he on getting every last piece.

“Aaaa, that was good! How was yours?”  Looking up, Caduceus sees Asclepius hasn’t started his mango, but sits staring at him a little flushed, even in the shade.

“Are you alright?  If you don’t want your mango, I’ll have yours. They’re delicious! Only the juice gets all over, ya know?” Caduceus is licking his fingers now.

Still gazing at Caduceus, Asclepius brings the mango to his mouth. His first bite closes his eyes ecstatically as the juices run into his beard. Slurping the next piece, and the next, he moans at the delightful flavors.  By the time Asclepius finishes his half of the mango, Caduceus has figured out what had been troubling his love before, because he thinks he has the same affliction.  Bodies, who knew?

Asclepius opens his eyes, flustered to see Caduceus staring back at him, “You were right, that was a really excellent mango!  Would you fancy another one?” he turns to select another mango as good as that first one, not quite sure what to do with his strange new feelings.

When Asclepius turns back, hands empty, Caduceus captures his face and kisses him fiercely.  Asclepius tastes like the exquisite mango with a wild undertone.

Asclepius wraps his arms around Caduceus’ back, slips his tongue past Caduceus’ lips eliciting a moan which tastes sweet in Asclepius' mouth, resonates in his chest and reverberates further down....

The rest of the chapter is too spicy for Tumblr, but can be found on Ao3

-Thanks for reading! Your kudos and comments make my day! If you'd like to read more of my Good Omens fanfic, check out this Master List

[checkoutmybookshelf]

You Have My Attention: The Lady Trent Memoir First Lines

New Bookshelf to check out, and trying to do something a little artsy with this picture! The adorable little dragon figure in front was hand painted for me by my partner, and he was inspired by General Chu from the Temeraire books. But what we're focusing on now is how Marie Brennan catches her readers. For these books, because the prefaces are just that good and kind of meta, I will give you the first lines of the prefaces and the first chapters. If you want to know more about the series than first lines, I talk about the series in this post.

"Not a day goes by that the post does not bring me at least one letter from a young person (or sometimes one not so young) who wishes to follow in my footsteps as a dragon naturalist."

-- "Preface," A Natural History of Dragons

"When I was seven, I found a sparkling lying dead on a bench at the edge of the woods which formed the back boundary of our garden, that the groundskeeper had not yet cleared away."

-- "One," A Natural History of Dragons

"Public opinion is a fickle thing. Nowadays I am hailed from one end of Scirland to the other as a testament to the intelligence and derring-do of our race; indeed, if I am not the most famous Scirling woman in the world, I daresay I give Her Majesty the Queen a good fight."

-- "Preface," The Tropic of Serpents

"Not long before I embarked on my journey to Eriga, I girded my loins and set out for a destination I conisdered much more dangerous: Falchester."

-- "One," The Tropic of Serpents

"Depending upon yout temperament, you may be either pleased or puzzled to see that I have chosen to include my time upon the Basilisk in my memoirs."

-- "Preface," Voyage of the Basilisk

"At no point did I form the conscious intention of founding an ad hoc univeristy in my sitting room."

-- "One," Voyage of the Basilisk

"I suspect a percentage of my readership will see the title of this volume and experct the entireity of what is contined herein to be devoted to a certain discovery that took place in the Labyrinth of Drakes."

-- "Preface," In the Labyrinth of Drakes

"There is very little pleasure in being snubbed over a task for which one is well qualified. There is, however, quite a bit of pleasure in watching the ones who did the snubbing later eat their own words."

-- "One," In the Labyrinth of Drakes

"Writing the final volume of one's memoirs is a very peculiar experience."

-- "Preface," Within the Sanctuary of Wings

"Members of the peerage, I need hardly tell you, are not always well behaved."

-- "One," Within the Sanctuary of Wings

[elliepassmore]

Within the Sanctuary of Wings review

5/5 stars Recommended if you like: adventure, light academia, dragons, epistolary narrative

A Natural History of Dragons review

The Tropic of Serpents review

Voyage of the Basilisk review

In the Labyrinth of Drakes review

So...I still enjoyed this book, but I'm not totally sure how I feel about the big discovery made in this one. I do think it's a little odd and abrupt, but I can also see how the groundwork was laid in prior books.

This book opens 6 years (I think) after Labyrinth with Suhail giving a talk on Draconean linguistics and translation. The 'Cataract Stone' Isabella found in Mouleen provided a bilingual transcription that Suhail and other linguists were able to use to begin cracking the code of the Draconean language. Since the discovery of the stone and the bigger discovery of the mostly intact ruins in the Labyrinth of Drakes, there has been a huge boom of all things Draconean in Scirling society. For those familiar with the Victorian era, this tracks very closely with the Egyptian boom that occurred and, obviously, the Cataract Stone here is analogous to the Rosetta Stone in our world--Draconean art has always been described in a way analogous to Egyptian art, so I thought this was very nice continuity.

Toward the end of the first chapter, a Yelangese rebel and mountain climber, Mr. Thu, approaches Isabella to tell her about a dead dragon he found in the Mrtyahaima mountain range (i.e., Himalayas). Due to her past with Yelang, she's obviously wary, but it involves dragons, so obviously she, Tom, Suhail, and Andrew take off for Mrtyahaima. Caeligers are much more prominent now and there's even an event called the Aerial War that's occurring concurrently in the world. Thus, traveling to a remote and treacherous mountain range is a bit easier than when Isabella and Tom did it in book 1. Of course, getting to the mountain range is one thing, getting around once there is another.

Suhail's archaeological and linguistic work plays an important role in this book, but Isabella's theory of reproductive lability comes back in a big way as well. I liked seeing the convergence of some of these ideas, and I did appreciate that language was a bigger aspect in this one than in some of the other books (while I did study anthropology and find it fascinating, linguistics is my passion).

It's hard to talk too much about this book without giving away some very big spoilers that have been building for the entire series. I will say though that Isabella spends much of this book separated from her loved ones, and that a lot of her scientific work is done via observation. While this is true of most of the series, we were treated to some of her hands-on work in Labyrinth, so really this is just her going back to her usual style of fieldwork. The discovery and actions she takes in this book are the reason she goes from Dame Trent to Lady Trent, and is essentially a household name in Scirling forevermore.

I will say, for all her grumbling about not being good at politics, Isabella is actually very smooth when it comes to political maneuvering in this book. First she has to convince the Scirling government to let her go to Vidwatha (India) and Tser-nga (I am guessing Nepal) on the word of a Mr. Thu who, in exchange, wants her to pledge support to the revolutionary movement in Yelang. Then she runs into political problems later on with another group she runs across, and then she finds a surprising, but completely Isabella, way of following through on her promise of supporting the Yelangese revolution.

When the whole group is together, I enjoy their interactions and the way they're all familiar enough with one another to essentially read each other's minds. As usual, Suhail and Tom both have academic interest in the same/similar things as Isabella, and so the three of them are excited at the prospect of new discoveries. I like that Andrew has essentially become a member of their little group despite not being an academic. He's able to provide support in interesting ways.

Overall, a good and surprising ending to the series that combines the work Isabella and Tom have been doing for 5 books with Suhail's work. I'm definitely excited to read the spinoff/sequel/companion and see how the discoveries here have impacted things down the line.

[asanee44]

Ophiuchus: The Hidden Serpent-Bearer in the Western Zodiac

The stars tell stories, and few tales are as captivating as that of Ophiuchus, the so-called “13th sign”. This constellation has sparked interest, debate, and even confusion among astrology enthusiasts. Yet, despite its allure and fascinating backstory, Ophiuchus has not taken a formal place in the zodiac lineup.  But why is that? Let’s explore the constellation cluster referred to as Ophiuchus…

[saturninemysticthreads]

Tell us your first impression!

[bookwyrminspiration]

Last Song: Symphony by Livingston

Favorite Color: Green! Big fan of the green/pink combo

Currently Watching: nothing atm

Last Movie: the Borderlands movie. not good </3 (video game adaptation full of quirky one liners and such)

Sweet/Spicy/Savory: Spice!! love spicy foods <3

Relationship Status: have been in a qpr with my partner for over 5 years

Current Obsessions: getting into death note rn! also recently legendborn cycle and epic: the musical!

Last Thing You Googled: Legendborn's summary, to compare the official one with the pitch I was writing :)

tagging: whoever wants to participate!!

nine people I want to get to know better 💌

ty 4 the tag @coldfruitwater unsure if it's actually possible for you to get to know me better but ily anyways

LAST SONG? light on maggie rogers ✴️

FAVORITE COLOR? greeeeen i surround myself with more blue though

CURRENTLY WATCHING? dimension 20 fantasy high junior year always & forever the best background for sewing

LAST MOVIE? my dad and i saw sing sing @ our local arthouse theater at like 10 pm this monday so i would stop panicking over school starting we were the only ones there it was so ridiculously beautiful

SWEET/SPICY/SAVORY? sweet!! (leaving in the copypasted audrey answer we are the same person after all)

RELATIONSHIP STATUS? girl i deconstructed amatonormativity at like 12 i'm so done w that. relationships sure i have them.

CURRENT OBSESSIONS? john hollander, my new fountain pen, staggeringly infinite potential futures, obsession itself

LAST THING YOU GOOGLED? the genius lyrics for a poem on the underground wall by simon & garfunkel

hi hello @little-orphan-ant @theiloveyousong @wheresurboytonighthelookslikeenj @granma-sweetie @resident-dumb-fuck @ethernitty @interview-with-the-vlfote @catboymoses no pressure ofc!!