#there are so many things in that series that i just KNOW the kotlc fandom would have a blast with if you all knew this series existed

[the-way-astray]

i feel like a lot of keepblrers would enjoy the hollow star saga (a dark and hollow star, a cruel and fated light, a grim and sunken vow). it's basically kotlc if kotlc was canonically gay. (warning: long rant ahead, if you're interested. this is going to seem very negative, but i promise i'll talk about the positives, too.)

there are four main characters, arlo, nausicaa, aurelian, and vehan.

arlo is basically sophie when it comes to personality. like. she's kinda the most generic female ya protagonist that's sort of shy and gets pushed around a lot except for when the author decides 'hey, she needs to stand up for herself' at random points. then she'll randomly snark for two lines and go back to being the protagonist that kinda lowkey has no distinctive personality traits. she's also clearly the author's bias. you will see what i mean if you look through the chapters. just like sophie, she spends most of the first book being scared of the council.

nausicaa is basically keefe if keefe was a lesbian. she has that snarky, bad-girl vibe and is kind of a loose canon and doesn't care about anything except her love interest (arlo). this of course means she's the fan favorite (i really don't like her, but i don't tend to like characters like keefe so i'm biased as hell don't listen to me). when i tell you she's exactly like keefe (in terms of personality). like. i want you to know that she's exactly like keefe. their senses of humor are comically similar.

aurelian gives off tam vibes, if tam was more central to the story (and white). looking in from the outside you'd be like 'omg what a broody man. what emo thoughts are going through his head. why is he looking at me like that. i'm going to sink into the ground, he clearly hates me. i probably shouldn't piss him off, he'd probably kill me.' and then you see his thoughts and he's just the most average guy out there. like. he's just a normal guy but everyone (including the author) sees him as this emo and broody guy that just glares constantly and is really standoff-ish.

another thing about nausicaa and aurelian is that the author really tries to get you to buy into the fact that they have this intense rivalry, but it falls so flat because they barely interact and it’s so one-sided. very tell-not-show. does that remind you of a certain dynamic in kotlc? that’s right, it’s keefe and tam.

vehan is the one main character that i really can't say is exactly like a character from kotlc but to me he's what fitz could've been if shannon hadn't mangled and massacred him. he's kinda pathetic, ngl. like sopping wet rag vibes. but also he's really sweet. a true cinnamon roll. he spends a lot of time dragging aurelian places and trying not to piss aurelian off because he thinks aurelian hates him (i'll give you one guess who his love interest is). also the author randomly tries to make him flirty at one point and it was so funny how much it didn't work for his character.

and even in other aspects besides the characters, i want you to know that this series is basically just kotlc. the characters are fae, so they are all young and beautiful, they have powers, there's an abusive mother that’s evil but her son doesn’t realize she’s evil, the plot is convoluted as hell and takes way too long to get to the point, the world is described as bright and colorful, the sense of humor is just like the sense of humor in kotlc (which is personally not my favorite but i digress), the author spends a ludicrous amount of time in one character's head really drilling into the audience how much he has a crush on this other character, the incessant use of italics every other word and of course the all-white cast except for a few people here and there.

there's a ridiculous amount of lore that gets introduced in the first book alone, and i think people in this fandom would have a lot of fun with that, too (even if some of the lore is highly, highly irrelevant).

also this author's writing sin is definitely info-dumping. when i say their fatal flaw is info-dumping i want you to know i'm not fucking around when i say that. they will just info-dump a whole couple pages, and the information never becomes relevant. and it happens a lot (this is the author's debut so that might be the reason). here's an example of a massive info-dump:

(none of the above ever becomes relevant, in case you're wondering.)

there are good things too, though. like i'd definitely say that the hollow star saga is better than kotlc. there is a character i like named celadon who eventually becomes more central to the plot. all i'll say about him right now is that he's arlo's cousin and the relationship between him and arlo is genuinely endearing in some aspects. some plot twists were pretty well executed and the second book is absolutely better than the first. this author's strength is definitely backstories. the backstories, especially in the second book, are pretty solid.

only two books are out right now and the third is coming out soon (late november, if i'm not wrong) and i'm dying to read it. the author said the entire series will only be four books, i think, but i don't really trust authors when they say stuff like that anymore so. we'll see i guess.

and if all that wasn’t enough to convince you, i offer you this one final piece of motivation: at one point, nausicaa makes a twilight reference.

basically what i'm saying is: you should read the hollow star saga.

[alaydabug2]

Wanna know something I find slightly upsetting

How mad the entire fandom was about Unraveled and saying it didn't need to exist

While yes, I understand people saying Shannon was pressured to do it and stuff

But can't we just wait until the book is out to determine it

Cause Shannon was saying it contains important stuff you need to know for book ten

Can't we just trust her for a few more months and THEN decide on that when it comes out instead of being upset

The main reason I bring this up is because of the difference between the kotlc and pjo fandom

Kotlc isn't finished yet the plots are still ongoing and need to be tied up

People saying unravel is unnecessary don't actually know that yet because the series isn't over (or the book isn't even out)

Pjo is finished (the main percy jackson series)

But when the three books were announced to be added onto the main pjo series people were thrilled (im not as active in the pjo fandom so correct me if I'm wrong)

The series is finished the books are quite litterly unnecessary to the main pjo plot

But people aren't moping about it

They're just excited for more content

And by no means is that a bad thing

At all

So why is it such a drastic difference between fandoms when ik a lot of people overlap in them

And most people I see complain about unraveled dislike Keefe

AND THATS PERFECTLY FINE

You don't have to like him

But whether you do or don't

He's a big part of the plot

That's Shannon's choice

That's why fanfics exist

Why do so many people complain about this series they supposedly "love" and then gi bash on it

Criticism is perfectly valid

But at a point it's overkill

[bookwyrminspiration]

Hi there!

I had some questions (or statements I wanted to discuss I’m not sure what to call them) because I genuinely don’t know much about the subject. I’m on anon right now but I may comment on my own account later. Also don’t feel obligated to answer if this makes you uncomfortable.

So I was wondering if you could articulate any thoughts on proshipping in the kotlc fandom? I wanted to know your thoughts as from my understanding (and please correct me if I’m wrong) you see it pretty positively, and I wanted to better understand the ‘issue’ (idk what to call it)

Anyways I thought I should include what I already know.

So I understand that when people participate in proshipping it does not reflect their actual worldview.

I understand that it is fictional and really doesn’t affect real life.

I think my issue with proshipping has to do specifically with it happening in the kotlc fandom, and this has to do with Keeper of the Lost Cities being a kids series. My problem isn’t specifically with that, but mostly with the amount of “kids” participating in our fandom space (not actual kids like ten year olds but from my understanding we have an array of people from ages 13-16 who I would consider pretty young)

I just worry about when people make posts about, for example, one of the main cast and an adult in the series, because the Keeper casts ages may closely reflect the actual ages of people in the fandom, we’re creating an unsafe environment and these posts may affect what these ‘kids’ think is okay in real life or for themselves.

Anyways, I wanted to share my thoughts but I really mean it when I say I want to hear your thoughts, I don’t think I know enough about the ‘issue’, especially from the other perspective.

(Also, this isn’t really about your call out post about call out posts, I’ve just seen you liking some pro shipper stuff so I thought you might be interested in that sort of thing)

Hi! Thank you for being respectful about this. First, I avoid labels like "anti" or "proship," as they tend to create an unhelpful us vs. them dichotomy. Especially when, like these terms, they have strong associations and generate strong reactions upfront. It's not, in my opinion, conducive to productive conversation

I believe that all fiction, including disgusting, depraved, uncomfortable fiction, should be allowed to exist without restriction. Whether that's incestuous, predatory, or otherwise.

We don't have to read/watch it. We don't have to like it. Or be comfortable with it. But it needs to be allowed to exist.

It's existence does not harm us (the most that happens is we realize, we are uncomfortable, and then we stop watching/reading/etc. and move on), and there is no way to reliably moderate fiction. It will always be arbitrary, and those arbitrary distinctions will always be enforced by the privileged with power, who will use it to create their narrative and silence others.

The issue many people get stuck on, like you, is about children. Now I'm not saying this is what you're doing, but I'd like to bring up the Think Of The Children logical fallacy. It's a more recent one, so it's less known, and I'm just linking the wikipedia.

What it does is switch to emotional thinking, creating this idea of these helpless little things in danger we need to protect. It creates moral panic, because what are you gonna do? Argue against the children? You monster! It can shut things down.

And while children are young and still learning and need guidance, they're also people. They have their own thoughts, reactions, and choices. They use their childhood to practice that, which is aided by fiction. Fiction is a practice run for the real thing; it can be that learning and guidance

Children take what they see in fiction, where no real people are hurt or in these scary situations, and react. They form opinions, determine what they think is right or wrong, and they have more room for error. For example, it is safer for them to misjudge an actually malicious adult in a story, learn what the warning signs were, and be more cautious going forward with no real life consequence than to make that mistake for the first time with a real person.

This is just a general overview. To specifically address this fandom and its ships, I'm going to start with this: when you were 14, did you think it was okay to date an adult? Did you ever see incestuous art/fic and start wondering if it was okay to date your sister?

Yes, consistent, repeated exposure of concepts from influential places can normalize them. Is that a genuine risk here, or what is happening? Have you seen it happen before on a wide enough scale to be generally applicable? I, of course, cannot speak for everyone, but I already knew those weren't okay by the time I joined the fandom at 13. Yes, 13 is young, but 13 year olds are capable of complex thought and reasoning. Their minds aren't going to be changed that easily, and a lot of them would probably resent the implication (even if unintentional, this is nothing against you) they couldn't figure it out for themselves. At least I would've

And more specific to keeper again: we have maybe a handful of these "weird" and "gross" ships/aus/etc. Posted by a number of people I could likely count on one hand, incredibly infrequently. This is a genuine invitation to think it through: what is that going to do?

Is that from enough places with enough power to normalize these ideas? Who is seeing it? How impressionable are they? Have they already formed ideas of right and wrong? Will this change that?

The conclusion I've come to is: 13 years old is young in the grand scheme of things, but at 13 years old you are capable of complex thought. I don't think the limited number of these "objectionable" topics and posters, which/who can be easily avoided, is going to normalize or make people think it's okay irl. It didn't happen with us, did it?

And I think, to some extent, limiting exposure or controlling media access takes away agency and choice, and that young people being able to experience difficult concepts in fiction before seeing them in real life is beneficial. This often then leads to "but what if they read something really icky they hate!" to which I say, kids aren't going to do things they don't want to. They won't watch movies, shows, or read books about things they're uncomfortable with or disinterested in. I simply put the book down and read something else.

And if they're being forced to, that's a different problem, and the solution is not to make sure the media doesn't exist or they can't access it.

This has been long, broad, sometimes specific, and more all in the attempt to be thorough. What it boils down to is: I don't think what you're worried about is going to happen, or is even slightly likely enough to genuinely plan for or worry about (not that you're unreasonable for worrying, though), and I don't think there's any trustworthy course of action that would separate the "good" from the "bad" and reliably, fairly decide who can see it and when.

I hope this helps answer your questions :). I'm happy to talk about it more, though I don't want to devolve into arguing, so if that starts to happen (with you or anyone else), I will likely end the conversation.

[cavennmalore]

tagging @myfairkatiecat because it is only fair after you requested this word vomit lol

The thing about Keefe not being a good person is a little complicated. Full disclaimer, I don’t really believe in the whole good/bad person dichotomy, and definitely not for KIDS. Nevertheless, I don’t disagree with the people who say that Keefe isn’t the awesome person Sophie’s (biased) opinion makes him out to be. Not for the manipulative reasons -- which, Keefe is a teenage boy and I don't know about anyone else but that is like THE demographic for being a little messy in relationships lmao -- but for a lot of his planning. Joining the Neverseen without telling anyone what his plan was? Proposing himself as Mercadir without giving anyone a chance to refute him? Lying at the end of Legacy and showing up to the confrontation even though it was explicitly agreed he'd stay back? Basically, everything he did in Lodestar? Not great.

It's not Certified Good Guy Behavior. But that's his role. Keefe was literally designed to occupy this grey, questionable space, both in the narrative and outside of it. He's Sophie's character foil. Lady Gisela's plan revolves around pushing Keefe to become a worse and worse person; that involves raising him in a way that cultivates bad behavior and forcing him into increasingly extreme situations that are designed to make Keefe "ready" when the time comes. That is a huge part of the plots of Nightfall and Legacy.

Admittedly, I don't think Shannon has made him evil/grey enough, which I know isn't a popular take. There was real potential to make Keefe a wild card in Lodestar and make it so that the question isn't what stupid scheme is he planning? but to what extent have Lady Gisela's machinations worked? It's an interesting plotline to me. It's why I'm so excited for Unraveled; it's a chance to see this push-pull in action without Keefe's "north star" (AKA Sophie) guiding his decisions.

But a lot of people don't feel this way. A ton of the complaints I see around the book have to do with Keefe getting too much page time, the plotline taking up too much space in the story, etc. Which is fair! If you don't like Keefe, I'm sure a lot of this is grueling. However, a point I see connected to this line of thought is a wish for the books to return to a more ensemble vibe. That there should be more Dex, more Biana, more Stina, more Tam, etc. the way that it used to be.

That version of the books, though? It only really exists in the first book. Keefe is a prominent character in Exile and a huge driver of its plot. It's only in Book One where he only exists on the margins and isn't super involved. The ensemble cast has grown exponentially since then, to the point where there are frankly too many characters to keep track of in a scene without straight-up listing them all (which did happen but I'm forgetting which book). The decreased page time of supporting characters isn't solely because Keefe is eating the narrative, but because there are way too many characters for everyone to get a subplot; rather than have pre-existing characters solve issues, Shannon tends to just pull new ones in, and then leave them to hang out for the following books. If the series was for a more adult audience, I would say that it was time to start killing people off (like the popular critique of The Boys) but because this is a kids series, they're going to just hang around and not do much.

A lot of the nostalgia for this old version of KOTLC presents itself in fandom discussions of Dex. Full transparency: I didn't really like Dex that much in the early books when I did my reread. I found him unbearably rude to Fitz and Biana. His crush on Sophie felt invasive at times as if she was catering to a boy that was projecting his feelings and making her accommodate him. It's very similar stuff to the current criticism of Keefe! But I have yet to see any discussions around Dex that don't characterize him as kind, goofy, or sweet. Maybe there is some discussion of him being snarky or sarcastic. The most criticism I've seen of him is about how he treated Stina in his introduction, which was taken largely in isolation.

But that sweet, goofy version of Dex that people talk about missing? He doesn't exist. Sure, Dex mellowed out a ton in the later books, but he didn't become a whole new character. And I don't believe that he disappeared from the books in the way that some people claim. He just... doesn't have a subplot anymore. His crush on Sophie was resolved. It was a sticking point in his and Sophie's friendship which made him part of her character arc, and that arc is done. If that went on for any longer, it would be a drag on the pace of the series. Like I said before, the presence of so many side characters, each with their own needs and motivations, makes it difficult to introduce him into new stuff. It's why he gets so much more page time in Unlocked. With the presence of so many other characters, Shannon tends to handwave a lot of the background group dynamics. Dex ended up becoming close to Keefe and was able to shine there, away from Sophie's perspective and their finished arc.

All of this is to say, it's not wrong to dislike Keefe or like Dex. But I think a lot of the conversations surrounding these guys can get muddled in nostalgia and what people think the books should be rather than what they are. I'm (severely) guilty of it too. It's part of a broader trend in fandoms as "fandom" as a concept becomes more popular. That is a whole other post, though, and frankly, this one is long enough lol

[winwin17]

Ooh I like your fandoms!

Fandom questions: platonic or romantic samfro? Also, what are your thoughts on kotlc unraveled (9.5)?

Thanks for the ask!

I'm honestly on the side of platonic samfro. For one thing, I think it gives hope and greater beauty to people who are not in romantic relationships or maybe even don't care to have a romantic relationship at all. We all need to know someone is fighting for us, whether we have a romantic relationship or not.

Okay, so KOTLC 9.5 . . . I'm not entirely sure what to say. Like, I think there are enough Keefe fans who will be excited to read about his experience in the Forbidden Cities, but I don't see why they couldn't just add that as an extra bonus short story. I tend to think it's too short of a narrative to make into a whole book without really dragging it out.

I think if Shannon/her publisher are going for a 10-book series, they need to use as much page space as they can to actually work on the necessary stuff. There's no reason they couldn't publish a little Keefe short story even after the series wraps up. It's not like people wouldn't buy it.

My last thought is, sure, there are a ton of Keefe fans, but I think by now Shannon underestimates how many KOTLC fans are either not Sokeefe shippers or they just don't even like Keefe that much anymore. A lot of us just want to get back to the real plot lol XD Like, no offense at all, but does Shannon even know where the story is going anymore? I saw on her Instagram that there was apparently a poll to decide what kind of animal Keefe should meet in the Forbidden Cities. That just feels kinda ... aimless to me?? Anyway, I'm sure it takes a lot to be an author, and I'm sure the story will be cute, but I'm just not as excited as if it were actually a book that progresses the series as a whole.

[miabookss]

stellarlune spoilers down below beware!!

i know a LOT of people were complaining about the sokeefe kiss saying that it was anticlimactic, wanting more descriptions etc. however i think it was perfect just the way it was and here’s why. kotlc is a middle grade series first of all so like wanting it to be more would just not work for the younger audience and honestly would just be out of character i guess?? not completely sure how to explain correctly but it would just be plain wrong. and yes most of the fandom is way out of the middle grade age range, but there are still a lot of younger readers too, plus, sophie is about 15/16 and keefe is around 16/17. they’re still kids. they do not need a full on make out scene because i personally think sophie is a little young for something that mature and she honestly is probably not ready emotionally for anything so intense, and i really don’t think keefe would have been able to handle it either just bc of how much he’s dealing with. and for those saying there was no development between them and that sophie just suddenly started liking him, you’re wrong. she may not know it but sophie has had at least some small feelings for keefe the entire series but she just never realized bc she liked fitz for so long. if you pay attention in the books before nightfall you’ll find little moments where she feels things similar to things she feels for fitz but they’re almost brushed off bc she still thinks she likes fitz then. but she’s always liked him and they’ve had more development than sofitz. which is why i’ve been rooting for sokeefe since exile. the whole point of this tangent i’ve unintentionally gone on is that the kiss was perfect for keefe and sophie bc it was so THEM. it was perfectly unperfect just like their relationship has always been that’s what made it so beautiful and RIGHT. anyways thx for coming to my ted talk lol. i could go on so many more rants about stellar lune so if you’ve got any suggestions lmk!

[rainbow--skies]

1 and 9!

1. The character everyone gets wrong

Oh this happens to like. All my favorite characters every time I get into something it’s so sad.

Some standouts:

Biana Vacker from KOTLC (not by the modern KOTLC Tumblr fandom but on here in like 2020-2021 and still to this day on other sites with younger userbases) who seems to have her personality distilled a lot. She always gets portrayed as like this sassy best friend matchmaking all the ships and her canon personality gets thrown out the window. People also ignore her trauma like… canonically this girl’s father was reduced to a state of mind-scrambled insanity and she hid from everyone for weeks iirc and nobody EVER talks about that. This girl who grew up being valued for her high status and beauty and not who she was as a person was shoved through a mirror and not only suffered physical wounds that made her pass out of blood loss but also the trauma of the experience and the fact that she was now covered in scars and outside of the impossibly high beauty standard that she was taught to hold her self esteem in, and did all the healing from ALL OF THIS offscreen because it wasn’t interesting enough to write about I guess and then the fandom barely ever talks about it! Most of the fandom won’t even draw Biana with the scars!! I know there are other characters people do this even worse about because no one’s trauma other than Sophie and Keefe seems to matter to this fandom in general but it’s still annoying.

Martin Blackwood from TMA gets like. Uwuifyed by the fandom a lot is the best way I can explain it. Like yes he is a nice person that is a major character trait for him I get that, but the series also shows he can be manipulative if he has to, he can lie if he has to, he’s petty, he’s openly hypocritical in some scenarios. This adds to his character and people remove it sometimes because they don’t know how to deal with the fact that none of the protagonists are perfect saints because it is not that kind of series.

9. Worst part of canon

Idk what fandom to ask this for I actually don’t think I have many hot takes on canon in any of them. I’ll just go with KOTLC again and say that there’s the fact that so much of the books make it abundantly obvious that Shannon was like “oh shit I gotta add racial diversity to the books” and proceeded not to research a lot of things she should have. Lots of racist undertones in the series that other people have talked about already and I don’t think they are intentional but that really doesn’t change much.

[multi-fandom-lunatic]

:D I have plenty

Kotlc is boring. The first book and anything Nightfall and post loses everything I love about the series.

Keefe Sencen is toxic and manipulative (I don't like him)

Fitz Vacker is a more developed character than Keefe and morally better than the blond.

Fitz doesn't have anger issues, he has a temper. We, as a fandom, need to stop using both interchangeably.

Sophie is a vanilla main character who's personality changes on Shannon's whims and fancies. Is she a kickass protag? A hormonal teen? A pawn in the game? Pick ONE-

Sokeefe sucks. The only reason it's shipped is because Shannon makes Keefe so "likeable" (in quotes because he really isn't IMO), and Sophie's the MC. They're just two people and I promise you that in any other book or author they wouldn't be shipped.

More KOTLC fans should be aware and RIOTING because of the Laura Hollingsworth/Shannon Messenger/homophobia thing. SM's apology was shit, and we need to focus on THAT.

The entire "gnomes are servants to the superior, prettier race of beings, but don't worry, they actually enjoy working, but also their home is not safe for them to go to" is racist and we cannot ignore it.

SM is careless at best, downright malicious at worst for the comparisons and racist things that are in the book (one example above)

It sucks that the focus of the series shifted from defeating the Neverseen to "oh what has Gisella done to Keefe now"

The KOTLC girls are just so mid. Like so terribly mid. Especially compared to any other girls from other series.

SM's sexist comments that she makes in books are bad enough, but 1. pretending they didn't happen and 2. not apologising for it is far worse.

There's no character development in the series. The characters just rapidly change based on the scenario.

(Not sure if this is unpopular) We need more cute Keeftiz, Marellinh, etc moments. Not even romantic, per se, but things like Keefe and Fitz baking together, Marella and Linh playing Bramble and stuff.

The cast is too big. IMO it should be Sophie, Keefe, Fitz, Tam and Linh and maybe Dex. The other characters lack character development and importance. Wylie and Maruca are just so irrelevant it's laughable that they're in the main cast.

I want the series to end, but I don't think it'll be just if it in a book 10. Shannon has too many loose threads that even she knows aren't going to be tied up in one book. Having a book 10 be the final one would be so rushed and just unsatisfying.

The official art is so bad. Like, it just looks so off for all the characters. The style doesn't suit them, the stance doesn't suit them. It's just bad.

(Not sure if this is unpopular) SM is straight up weird and creepy for the way Sodex turned out. She could've made them best friends and made them kiss. But NO. They're cousins. I don't care if they're adopted or whatnot, it's weird.

Wylinh is creepy. Linh is around 15/16 and Wylie is 20/21. And they have the same father figure. That's just straight up creepy.

Grady shipping his DAUGHTER and his NEPHEW together is so creepy. It's meant to be this cute gag and it's just not cute. At ALL.

Matchmaking is Elvin eugenics.

It's a damn shame that Sophie didn't end up being a more activist character, because to me that would make her seem more in character (Forbidden Cities stuff) and more likeable. We see minute glimpses of this but it's never built upon.

Fitz getting mad at Sophie for not telling him her bio mom/being not the matchmaking lists is the most out of character this EVER. Like, isn't this the same boy who broke into Exile ILLEGALLY four books prior? This him?

Stina, while rude, is ultimately right about Sophie being unfit for a leader position. Sophie is the MOONLARK, but that doesn't mean she needs to be a leader.

Team Valiant is terrible. Eugh.

I wish Sophie held on to more of a grudge against the council. They made her wear a TORTURE DEVICE (ability restrictor) made by her BEST FRIEND AND COUSIN. I wouldn't forget that. Ever.

(Not sure if this is unpopular) Shannon should make a collection of short stories about the characters' lives after the series ends. Things like the Great Gulon Incident, Keefitz baking moments, just sweet, small scale stuff.

I think I'm fresh out of hot takes, haha. Just to clarify, I mean none of this with malice, just stating what I think!

Gimme ur unpopular kotlc opinions, no hate zone (I might explain why I disagree with you but all respectful)

[everliving-everblaze]

Since there's a lot of talk of new users joining Tumblr, I thought I'd give a couple quick tips of how we do things here in the KotLC fandom specifically! So, without further ado:

We don't do ship wars. If you try to argue about ships or insult the ships/characters you don't like, you're just going to get blocked by a lot of people. We all like to enjoy our interests in peace, and if we don't like a ship, we just mute the tag and move on.

With all of that said, Wylinh and other ships that involve an adult (like Wylie) and a minor (like Linh) are not welcomed. More on that: Wylie was 21 in Lodestar (it's mentioned that he was eight thirteen years ago) when Linh was a level four (which generally corresponds with being about 14), so they may have as large as a seven-year age gap. And when you consider in addition that elvin age is about one year more than human age, you're basically shipping characters that met at 13 and 20—see the problem? At the very least, please tag #wylinh for all related content so that those who don't want to see it don't have to.

If you DO have critical thoughts on a ship, character, or even the series itself, the catch-all tag for that is #kotlc discourse. Please use it! Personally, I have the tag muted, and I click through to see the posts only if they're from people I know.

We are very cursed! Some of the most popular items around here are things like many-eyed Fitz, who has 45 eyes and is quite a sight to behold. You are always free to ask someone to tag something if it makes you uncomfortable, and almost anyone will do that for you without question. You don't have to be embarrassed to ask; everyone has their things! Just be forewarned that when we get bored, the headcanons start to get wild... and feel free to jump in and make them even wilder!

You'll likely hear a lot about this, especially because it's true in every fandom (not just ours), but reblogging fanart, fanfiction, and the like is really great for creators. Even if you don't have a lot of followers you're reblogging to, the creator will feel seen and appreciated in a way that just doesn't happen with a simple like. So you obviously aren't obligated, but if you love something, the best way to show it is by reblogging—especially with a compliment!

With all of that out of the way, we all really love seeing newer fans around here, so we're super glad to have you! Just respect others' opinions, and we'll all have a great time. And if you have any questions, ask away!

[faggot-friday]

Results from the KotLC Ship Quiz Thing (part two of two)

(thanks again to everyone who did it!)

These questions are all opinions on specific ships

Question 10: Qualden "wdym theyre not gay theyre just cognates/j superior ship" "Could work" "100% cannon , their dynamic is hilarious [especially all the stuff the fandom comes up with]" "Eh" "lowkey love it but also dellaxalden" "Absolutely stunning" "exes that have some unresolved ✨tension✨" "Canon. Absolutely canon. Kind of a crackship but occasionally gives me feelings." "Hilarious and very fun" "No thx lol" "I like their relationship and the idea of them healing their bond together after Prentice's memory breaks" "Not sure how I feel about Alden as a character, but their relationship would be cute"

Question 11: Delivvy "YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES" (it continued like this for a very long time) "OMIGOSH, THEY'RE SO CUTE!!!1" "some of my favourite lesbians" "Cool, but wh" "yess but I feel like I like dxa to much" "Incredible and perfect" "girlfriends idc" "I LOVE THEM SO MUCH HOLY SHIT" "Cute!!!! There's room for angst and fluff and just jsjdhdbdjsvsv" "Nah" "I think it would be cool, like how they might've met mutually through their husbands and hit it off" "LOVE IT. that's all <3"

Question 12: Marellinh "YES YES YES YES YES YES YES" (again lol) "YESSSSSSSS" "they're adorable i ship them" "Eh" "gilrbosxgirlboss" "Will sacrafice a rat for it to be canon" "one of my favorite ships" "opposites attract, and I really like the dynamic where they both know what it's like to be afraid of their own power you know??" "SUN AND MOON, FIRE AND WATER, HOT AND COLD, BLUE AND RED(or.. orange??) THE BEST DYNAMIC" "Nuh uh" "I love this ship and opposites attract!" "oui"

Question 13: Tiertice "YES YES YES YES YES" (etc.) "FUCK YEAH!!!!" "very cannon , much gay" "Love that for the shippers but I don't think about it that much" "never thought about it but vibez" "Lovely ship. Used to think it was canon" "yes" "THEY'RE MY TRAGIC GAYS 🧡 Anyway they have so much angst potential, so much canon basis, so many feelings! They care about each other so much ahhhhhh-" "Yes yes yes yes knsbsdjwjebbd actually maybe. Polycule with cyra, because yes wylie you can have THREE parents (that.. turned into just 1 aftwr a while nsbdbdb)" (why did you have to add that last bit) "Nope" "I love this ship as well!!!" "tbf when i first read the series I thought there was smth there...ship it but it makes me sad thinking about the history of it"

Question 14: Starina (this one reverts back to the same format as used in part one) (so the responses are my phrasing but their choosing) (except for the fourth, fifth, and sixth, which were written by the respondents) 61.5% said "there's not much of it in canon but it seems nice" 7.7% said "no. no thank you" 7.7% said "maybe not all three of them TOGETHER, but otherwise it's good" 7.7% said "OOHHHHHHH I've never thought of it but it sounds amazing, will think about it more!" 7.7% said "uuhhh idrc, (as you can see i'm only adamant ab like two ships and then the rest is whatever lol)" 7.7% said "they'd be a badass relationship...the universe should fear them"

[gay-otlc]

Hello! I have many nice things to say today, (Long ask coming up, I’m so sorry if you‘re annoyed by it. I just want to give as much happiness as I can, if that’s alright. But if long asks stress you out, feel free to just skip it. Nothing I say here is urgent or anything like that.) but I apologize if they sound weird at all. I’ve been told that when I say nice things sometimes it comes off as creepy so if any part of this sounds creepy I am so sorry and I promise it’s not intentional. I just have a lot of thoughts in my head. Moving on, Saturn is such a beautiful name. (Granted, all your names are quite beautiful.)It’s actually a name I’ve considered myself, it’s just so joy-inducing. When I hear “Saturn” used as a name, I just want to jump up and down and wave my hands and smile, that sounds extremely weird but I don’t know a better way to describe the feeling. I wonder if you feel this way too when people call you Saturn? Or maybe something different? I‘d be happy to hear what led to you choosing that name, if you’d be willing to share. If not, that‘s okay too.

Have you ever looked at pictures of hedgehogs before? Or just looked at them in real life? I think they’re a “love it or hate it” animal, but I think they’re absolutely adorable. They’re just so small and squishy-looking, like they‘re little rubber balls or something. The excessive amount of quills they have only adds to their cuteness, in my opinion. As if they’re little balls of death. Destroyers of the universe.

Am I making this about me? I hope it doesn’t come off like that, I’d just like to try to relate with you about something. But just in case, let’s talk about you more! You have such a nice blog! So much attention to detail to the book series that brought us all here, along with some lovely and creative ideas/headcanons for it too! Also, you’re username- it’s so clever, I have no clue how you came up with it. Also also, you’re a writer! I have endless respect and awe for writers- writing can be so much more difficult than it seems. What do you enjoy most about writing? You’re definitely a household name within this fandom, I think I found your posts within the first few minutes of joining the fandom.

Who are your top five Kotlc characters? They don’t have to be main characters, they can even be characters who are only mentioned in passing if that’s who you choose. I’ll go first- (In order from favorite to fifth favorite) Tiergan, Tam, Elwin, Wylie, and Linh. Oh! How many books were there when you first started reading the series? I’m not asking this gatekeep-y, in case you’re worried about that. A fan’s a fan!

I’m going to stop here because this is almost an essay-length ask already. If you want me to continue talking, I can (I have too many thoughts and my brain is much too excited right now, like I said earlier.) but if you don’t want me to, that’s alright as well. Either way, I hope you have a great day/night.

Hi! This has been sitting in my askbox for over a week, lol, I was saving it for when I needed it and you know what? Now I need it. Thank you for your service.

Saturn IS a beautiful name, thank you! I chose the name back in May, I think? I'd recently written a poem about gender and Saturn/ring metaphors, and then a mutual of mine started going by Venus, and I went "space name? space name!" and added it. And yeah, I get kind of a dopey smile on my face when people call me Saturn :)

I haven't, but at your suggestion... HOLY SHIT LOOK AT HIM

Nah, you're good! The username... I was making puns about how everyone in KOTLC was queer, this was one of the puns, and I thought it would make a fantastic username. I was right. What's my favorite part of writing? That's tough. I would have to say the best feeling is when you hit a wall in your writing, but then the moment you break through it feels so good. It's also really good to hear that I qualify as a household name in the fandom, cause when I got started it felt like everyone was super close knit and I wouldn't really fit in.

Top five? Fuck, I'm genderfluid and in capable of making decisions /j. Marella and Biana are my top two, Della is absolutely wonderful, I agree with you that Tiergan is fantastic, and... yeah, Elwin too. I will declare those my top five before I can overthink that. I started reading the series when... Nightfall was out? But Flashback came out before I'd finished the first six.

You seem really nice and you made me pretty happy, so if you want to come back, that would be cool!

[moon-elves-cult]

To the anon that sent in the ask saying something along the lines of, “I’m new to the fandom, what are the melves? Why do you hate the elves?” Something went funky with the ask, so here’s your answer!

Welcome to the fandom Nonsie! we love to have you. And to answer your question, melves are a way we decided to include representation in the series. There aren’t many poc, queer, disabled, mentally ill, etc. elves in kotlc, so we decided they must’ve all moved to the moon to build a progressive and inclusive society! There are some fics and longer posts explaining the lore and worldbuilding (anyone who’s seen my personal blog knows I’m very invested in that lol)

As for the hating elves thing, that’s mostly just Kiri lmao. Anytime we see another of those posts we mostly just go, “ah. I see Kiri is back at it again. Hating the elves. Hope they’re doing alright.” Or at least that’s what I do, I can’t speak for everyone else. But all the elf-hate posts are made by Kiri, and basically what they’re saying is that elven society is messed up and elven society is way better.

[bookwyrminspiration]

quil I love you so fucking much you are the entire basis of this fandom

also thank you for pointing out the stuff about the satire blog it was making me really uncomfortable but I felt guilty about it cause im supposed to try to be a better person ya know? but im just a teenager trying to have fun on the internet in between school. yeah I get obsessed over random gay ships that have no chance of becoming canon but so what????

it's not wrong to try to see yourself in the story you're reading, is it?

sorry for the rant, I just wanted to say thank you for pointing that out

No need to apologize, Nonsie, and thank you, you're very sweet :)--though I'd say the fandom is based on the community of people, not any one person. I don't want to take credit for all the lovely individuals here that make this fandom what it is! Which might just sound like lip service, as I know I'm a big blog in the fandom, but I do mean it

As for the satire account, you're not the only person I've spoken to who's uncomfortable with it. Satire is a tool at the end of the day, but just in general I think mockery and negativity isn't an effective tool to get people to change--if that's truly what they're aiming for. I cannot speak to the motives of who runs the account, but sometimes it seems like being a "satire blog" is a cover/excuse. A kind of "it's just a joke" and "if you're uncomfortable, that's because you're the target and should better yourself" thing. Disclaimer: I am not saying that's what this mod would say, or that that's their motivation, just that it's the impression and vibe they're giving off so far. It inspires doubt

And it's not wrong to try and see yourself in what you read--that being said, it's important to be aware that not every story is for you. Sometimes stories are meant for other people to see themselves in it, to speak to experiences and identities that aren't yours, and that's okay. We shouldn't dismiss something's importance just because we're not in it; there should be variety, and it's an important skill to be able to engage with media and messages you don't see yourself in. It's part of how we learn about others and just good practice.

Given that the series we're talking about is kotlc, however, it's not one of those kinds of stories. So wanting to see yourself in it is a very reasonable, understandable thing! And you're not alone in it! I wish I saw myself represented as well, and so do many others in a variety of ways.

Anyway, point is that we are all people at the end of the day--and people (including us) can be shitty, yes, but people can also grow. But mockery of our peers doesn't encourage growth, and you're not alone in wanting to see yourself and express yourself without fear of ridicule.

[lilikags]

World of Keepers

✧ Have you ever wondered what it would be like to not only be an elf, but an elf with powers?? 

✧  Do you want to experience the amazing life in the elvin community? (Not to mention, there's great food-) 

✧ Want to be part of something extraordinary? 

 Then World of Keepers is just for you! WoK is based off the best selling and amazing series, Keepers of the Lost Cities! Even if you have never read Kotlc, everyone is welcome to join! It is basically about an elvin community, and no not those elves with the pointy ears in Santa's Workshop, but these elves are special. They look like every other human, but what makes them so extraordinary is they have powers! I guess you can say, Elves are the new Humans lol Moving on, WoK is a soon to be WoX site. (Which means it has been approved!) Also, Funding is available! We have a lot of staff positions that are currently open. So if you are obsessed over this fandom, want to get a job, or just want to rp an elf with powers, we strongly urge you to join us at World of Keepers!

Join our discord server as well! https://discord.gg/4zEBWvj

Funding: https://www.gofundme.com/f/bn8a44-world-of-keepers-funding?utm_source=customer&utm_medium=copy_link&utm_campaign=p_cf+share-flow-1

✎... Ok so, a note from me. I haven’t even read kotlc yet forgive me but please support this site. This isn’t the thing I have been working on and the reason why I’m sort of kinda yeah taking a hiatus (as if I’d been posting much anyways) but I really care about this site. For those who don’t know, WoX sites are sites for roleplay. It’s what got me into it, and I absolutely love it. (it has so many features I love that you don’t get on discord rp servers...) 

So, even if you aren’t going to join/support us, please reblog so that we can find people who are interested! Thank you! <3 

[intheoryowl]

Diversity in KOTLC

[While commenting on this post please don't post spoilers for Unlocked just yet. Thanks. This post may contain legacy spoilers. This post is a repost of my Wattpad post that I made in Sunflower Crown called Diversity in KOTLC, so if you’ve seen this already please feel free to skip it. This post lines up with MLK day, but it was originally posted in reaction to Shannon Messenger announcing the live action movies.]

[Edit: Okay, after typing this post up I realize that there are a few more characters that are POC, but they’re not prominent at all, so the representation is still miniscule. They were mentioned, like, twice throughout the entire series. So, my point still stands.]

What's one thing you notice about the photo above?

Oh, yeah. All the characters are white, expect for the last three in the photo, which are all conveniently tacked onto the end.

Let's address the elephant in the room for everyone in the Keeper of the Lost Cities fandom. Recently, I've been thinking a lot about how little diversity there is within the cast, especially within the main group. I've been meaning to make a post about this since the #BLM movement started up, but I never got around to it.

I've found that a lot of the people in the fandom have been incredibly shy about having this conversation, but I think it's really time we have it. The cast contains very little diversity.

Disclaimer: Before anyone comes at me for this post, I'd like to first say that I've  been a huge KOTLC fan and a big fan of Shannon Messenger's work for a  long time. This isn't meant to be any sort of hate post, but instead a conversation I think we all need to have.

Let's start with the format of the art up above^.

First of all, out of eight characters 3 of them are POCs (or not white). Wylie isn't even in the main group/doesn't really enter the story until much later in the series. The same goes for Linh and Tam. They're all tacked onto the end of the photo, like they're just add-ons.

These three characters are the only characters I know the race of that are POC characters. Out of the entire series. Yes, the entire series. [And I would say that's the case for most people that aren't superfans or recently phased out of the series before art was starting to be released.] I wouldn't say I'm the biggest fan out there, but there aren't that many prominent characters in KOTLC, and just about every single one of them is white.

It feels like a last-ditch throw in when Shannon Messenger went *oops I forgot about diversity entirely!!*. I mean, think about it. Tam, Linh, and Wylie entered the series later on than everyone else.

The lack of diversity, quite frankly, I find ridiculous. And not even just because there are three characters out of eight in that photo (one of which that is POC isn't even in the main group, nevermind the original main group) are POC, and prominent characters. Not only is there a lack of diversity when it comes to race/features that aren't white, but Shannon Messenger also includes exactly zero LGBTQ+ representation throughout the entire series. There is nothing hinted, nothing said. Gender norms are never addressed in the story, and that's fine. But for there to be no gay/pan/aro/ace/freaking anything on the spectrum representation?? No trans representation? Non-binary? Hello??? I get that when she started the series LGBTQ+ characters might not have been something you saw in every single book, but even as new characters are added in we see absolutely no LGBTQ+ representation still. There's not even anyone questioning their sexuality or their gender identity. Nowadays, that's not only a huge part of being a teenager (I would know, I'm one), but also just something you would think is key in the identity of a character.

As a writer, when I start writing a book, one of the first things I do is make sure I know who I want my characters to be. Gender identity, race, sexuality, all of this - these are such fundamental parts to a character. Truthfully, i don't understand how you could just overlook them whatsoever. It's a choice you have to make, not a default setting that's already been turned on for you. I think - even to someone incredibly racist - that as an author writing a book, one would be aware of the outward appearance of their characters? Or the fact that all of the characters had one very certain thing in common? It's hard to miss, frankly, and it looks really bad.

There's really no excuse for it at the end of the day. You can't explain away the facts, and the facts are that the lack of diversity within KOTLC is concerning.

With KOTLC as well, the book doesn't even center around identity for the most part. It's fantasy, and that's what runs the plot, not someone's struggles with race. It really would've been just that easy for Shannon Messenger to throw in a few POC characters or people that weren't straight, maybe mention it in passing, and be done with it and we wouldn't even be having this conversation.

Another thing I'd like to bring up is the microaggressive character arcs of Linh and Tam song, the only two out of the entire central friend group that are diverse characters. (they appear to have some sort of asian heritage, in case you never caught that. But I bet you did with their very distinctly Chinese last names.) When Tam and Linh first appear in the book, they're suspected delinquents and exiled for crimes to a school of people that have been outcasted from society. They're seen as outsiders. During the story, we see the both of them climbing their way up in the ranks through hard work & connections. unlike everyone else who is going to Foxfire from the start, and we don't see them as nobility at first at all. Not only do the twins come into the story late, but they start out being pinned as supposed criminals (for going to their school which they were wrongly exiled to) and being the underdogs.

Twins are also scorned and families in the Lost Cities with twins are highly stigmatized. Same thing, the only two Asian characters in the entire series and they're the ones who have to be scorned instead of the white ones.

I'm sorry, but that rubs me the wrong way. it seems incredibly microaggressive to me. You're telling me that the only two characters of color [in the main group] are portrayed this way by accident? You couldn't have chosen any one of your fourteen white characters to play the role? Please.

Also, this might be a reach, but is there colorism also present in the KOTLC cast? The type of Asian that Linh and Tam seem to be (Eastern - Chinese, Japanese, Korean, etc) have a very light skin tone. Throughout all of KOTLC, the only skin tone darker than white is Wylie's character, who is obviously African-American. There is no one that looks Latina [okay, there is, it's Jensi who was mentioned twice in the first two books and never again], a different kind of Asian,  Romanian, Indian, Middle Eastern, nothing. Actually, you know what, it's not a reach. You're telling me that objectively based on facts, there is only one character out of the entire KOTLC universe that's skin tone is darker than paper? That's the standard?

To that I say: get outta here.

I'm not convinced that Shannon Messenger - as much as I love and adore her writing and her book series - ever truly cared about diversity and inclusivity among her characters. There's no representation other than straight, white, male, female, two Asians, and a single African American character (out of anyone who actually matters). That's it. Statistically speaking.

That's ridiculous.

[This is a later edit: someone in the comments also pointed out that the Lost Cities are located all over the world, meaning that having a mainly white cast also is whitewashing? This only gets worse the more you think about it, ugh.]

I understand that the majority of the KOTLC fanbase is very young. Believe me, I do. I'm probably one of the older fans that has been here for a while/still is here. Most people my age have moved on to fangirling over the Umbrella Academy or something. I get it. But I do believe that even twelve year olds can understand what I'm saying, stay informed, spread awareness, and think critically.  

One of the reasons I think Shannon hasn't been called out nearly as much for the lack of diversity and representation in her stories is because she has such a young readerbase. That's fine. I don't expect people that are ten and twelve to be thinking about any of this. It never occurred to me at the age, so why would it occur to you unless someone else brought it up first?

That said, now that I have brought it up, I think that the least you can do is have conversations with your friends, tag a few people, and think critically about the casts of your favorite books/people you stan. If you're not speaking up, it makes you look like you don't care that there's absolutely zero representation and diversity in the KOTLC series. And you should care.

Keeper of the Lost Cities is a very white, straight series. What does this mean? It means that it's inherently racist, likely colorist, and not currently supportive of any LGBTQ+ people on any LGBTQ+ spectrum. People out there just like you (if you're white) aren't seeing themselves in stories or media. Instead, they're being told that only if you have European heritage or a lighter skin tone can you be a hero. It's harmful. And we need to speak out against it.

[Not to mention that there are no different body types. This post was just on core character identity, and nothing else. As my friend StickyCarpet put in a conversation, what about religions? Do all elves believe the same things? There's very little identity variation between characters beyond their personalities.]

The reason I want to speak out so strongly now, is because as you may know, KOTLC is being made into a live-action series of movies. On screen, it's going to be even more visible and in-your-face that there's no representation. You know what that says to everyone who wasn't represented at least a little bit (or well)? It says we don't see you because we don't approve of who you are, which is just such an awful message to send. In the movies, it's going to be super important for especially younger readers to see themselves on screen. I don't want these movies to just be another movie chock-full of straight white people. It's time for change. This was never something that should've been the standard, so we need to try extremely hard to change it.

By no means will that magically fix or amend the fact that Shannon Messenger chose to put just about zero diversity into the story in the first place, but it will at least show that she's trying beyond throwing a few new characters with different skin tones in after people start calling her out for it.

Keeper of the Lost Cities is my favorite or second favorite series, and it was (and always will be) a huge part of my childhood. I'm a huge fan of the series myself, but I want to make my opinion on this subject very clear and encourage you to form your own opinion on it. I don't have instagram or socials, but I do have a large platform on Wattpad to spread awareness with. Please spread the message.

Please, if you can, tag people from the fandom in the comments. Share this post. Reblog it on tumblr or post it on instagram. We need to get the conversation started. It's not enough to just sit here and pretend like we're all okay with the fact that the series we all love is grossly unrepresentative/not diverse.

In the external link, you will find a carrd leading to Ways to Help & be a part of the #BlackLivesMatter movement, including ways that don't involve money. In my bio, there's a link that goes to all crisis resources around the globe with links to causes. Please feel free to share and utilize both links.

Thank you very much for reading & (hopefully) spreading the message/awareness with me! Your favorite series and author(?) possibly being racist is something that's harder to come to terms with, even for me at my age, so please don't blame yourself for everything and just try to help as much as you can ♡

[Please feel free to reblog and repost on any platform anywhere as necessary. Spreading the message regardless is much appreciated!]

[adverb-slut]

KOTLC Tag Questions

Wow, it’s been ages since I’ve done anything KOTLC related and I barely consider myself part of the fandom anymore, so thank you so much @cherrychapstickkiss​ for tagging me in this!

How long have you been in the fandom? | Since I was 12!  I read the first book when it came out back in 2012.

What is your favorite book in the series? | Hands down Exile.  First of all, the cover is gorgeous, and secondly, it’s the first time MY SON Keefe actually plays a large role in the series.

What is your least favorite book in the series? | Flashback, hands down.  Why the everloving fuck is the book like 600 pages and half of them detail Sophie bedridden in the Healing Center staring at Wonderboy?

Who is your favorite character and why? | I WORSHIP ONE IDIOT AND HIS NAME IS KEEFE SENCEN.  I love him so much.  I’ve always found his dialogue and personality hilarious (except his current humor leaves much to be desired—one can only take so many we-should-put-that-on-a-tunic jokes), and I enjoy how complex he can be.  He takes up so many burdens, and for someone who’s been through so much, he handles it pretty well (sometimes).

Who is your least favorite character and why? | Tie between Lady Gisella and Mr. Forkle.  Mr. Forkle has honestly tired me out as a character with his rules; I hate when Sophie doesn’t follow them, but I hate the fact that he imposes them in the first place even more.  And I hate Lady Gisella because HOW DARE YOU HURT MY SON????  I guess technically he’s her son, but who cares—I’ve adopted him.

It’s hard to pick just one favorite, I know.  Pick your top three favorite characters, now. | Keefe—I literally just explained why, Gethen (I know he sucks as a person, but strangely I find him so interesting), and Grady (really wish he started getting more pagetime)

What is your favorite scene in the books? | Omg, literally nothing in the books has been able to top the Keefe-running-off-to-the-Neverseen and the whole Sanctuary business between him and Sophie before that.  Like, sure, I was sad at the time, because my son what are you doing you absolute fool, but I really loved how it was written.  I remembering rereading that scene oh God, so many times.

What is your least favorite scene in the books? | When Alvar was proven still evil in Flashback.  Fitz seriously pissed me off so many times with him and Biana muttering about not giving their brother a totally undeserved, admittedly, second chance, and I seriously despised the fact that he was right.  Despised.

What is one thing you wish to happen in the upcoming books? | Sophie stops being so fucking dense.  Like, I get it, she has other things to worry about, but how the hell can she be so perceptive to tiny details in said other things but not notice that OH FUCK THREE TWO BOYS LIKE HER AND MAKE IT SO FUCKING OBVIOUS THAT LITERALLY EVERYONE NOTICES (AND TRIES TO TELL HER) BUT HER.

What is your favorite thing about the series? | Ummm ... I don’t know!  I love a lot of things.  I love the worldbuilding and the imagery that goes along with it, to be honest.  

What is your least favorite thing about the series? | THE RANDOM FUCKING ASSPULLS IN THE PLOT.  Seriously ... OH LOOK YOU KNOW THE NIGHTFALL WE’VE BEEN LOOKING FOR ALL THIS TIME?  GUESS WHAT THAT WAS THE WRONG ONE THERE ARE ACTUALLY TWO NIGHTFALLS.  OH NO MR. FORKLE DIED SIKE NOPE HE ACTUALLY HAS A TWIN BROTHER THAT HAS THE SAME MEMORIES AND EVERYTHING AS HIM ‘CAUSE THEY SHARE EVERYTHING.  I hate it so much ... so much.

What is a headcanon/fan theory that you’ve basically accepted as canon, and why? | Erm, this has been said a million times but ... I totally accept that Jensi’s brother is the Phaser in the Collective.  By the WAY, Shannon, that is how you properly foreshadow things (seriously, I applaud this) and not randomly pull plot points out of your ass.  (No disrespect though, I love Shannon’s writing; there’s literally no way I would keep reading this series if I didn’t.)

What is a character that you wish got more pagetime? | My son Keefe Prentice.  Literally, they hyped him up so much, and when he’s finally returned from Exile, he’s mostly comatose or barely conscious and doesn’t do anything for God-knows-how-many-books.

What is a character that you wish got less pagetime? | Ummm ... Marella.  Never really liked her as a character, save for the first book.  I totally get why she drifted away, but that doesn’t mean I gotta stan her.

Gah, I don’t do KOTLC stuff anymore so I don’t know anyone, but I guess I shall tag the lovely @tplv-forever and whoever wants to do this!