#a collection of fables and romances

[voidchillz]

I’m already savage from the llamagines this is gonna be a TRIP. 💕

#a collection of fables and romances #sans aus #the fricking portal au #man #get cozy we’re gonna be here for a while

[zenubi-scribbles]

An art gift for @llamagoddessofficial who asked for “Forest God Sans” from A Collection of Fables and Romance (Illusion, which is a two chapter story). I got too chicken to color this. Coloring is not my forte. Perhaps later on, I’ll consider it. I felt like making the moss more like a thick, tattered veil over his true form to stay within the illusion theme. In a colored version, I would have added some non-line art moss onto the bones as well. I really enjoyed the read, so I’m glad you had me do this one!

#forest god sans #AO3 fan art #Fan Art #llamagoddessofficial #A Collection of Fables and Romance

[local-boob]

Excerpt from Chapter 1 of Eric Quayle's Early Children's Books: A Collector's Guide (1983)

FROM WILL SHAKESPEARE TO WILL WYCHERLEY, pp. 12-14

"The percentage of children who could read or look at picture books in the Middle Ages was minutely small, and even these favoured few could seldom have been allowed to handle personally the illuminated manuscripts which depicted, often in graphic and exciting form, the myths and legends of earlier days in religious history. One can imagine a kindly monk lifting up a wondering boy as he turned the vellum leaves and told the story they unfolded . . . A fanciful picture of a scene more likely to have been enacted between a pedagogue and his pupil in the latter half of the fifteenth century, the boy being taught his alphabet and figures by repeating the letters from his horn-book.

"Reading for pleasure was practically unknown for the young of those days, and, not surprisingly, few, if any, juvenile manuscripts that may have passed from hand to hand have survived. After the invention of printing with movable metal type about 1456, and the setting up of William Caxton's press at Westminster about twenty years later, there was still to be a long wait before any work remotely interesting to children made its appearance. Then, on 26 March 1484, 'in the first year of the reign of King Richard the Third,' Caxton finished his translation from the French of Aesop's Fables. The book of the subtyl hystoryes and Fables of Esope, with its woodcut illustrations, was not in any way intended by Caxton as a text for the young, but, since this first translation into English nearly five hundred years ago, the work in various forms and illustrated by scores of artists has remained in print almost exclusively for a juvenile audience.

"One of the most popular collection of of tales of the Middle Ages was Gesta Romanorum, compiled in Latin, almost certainly in England, around 1300, which appeared in manuscript in English during the fifteenth century. The Acts of the Romans, as it was usually called, is believed to have been written in order to supply a series of entertaining stories for regaling the brothers of an unidentified abbey and was probably compiled by one of their number to lighten the long nights of winter. The earliest manuscript versions differ widely in the tales they tell, but all are romances of chivalry and legends of saintly deeds, and to each of the stories a moral is attached. They supplied material for many subsequent authors, and in modified form provided the sort of adventure story reading beloved of children. Long before the invention of printing the youth of the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries must have thrilled to the accounts of Roman heroes dressed as they were in the garb of early medieval knights, slaying Greeks and dragons with equal impunity. Caxton's successor, Wynkyn de Worde, who had joined the master in London in 1477, and who inherited Caxton's press on his death in 1491, was the first to print Gesta Romanorum. Versions of his text, in abbreviated form and illustrated with crude little woodcuts, were read by children for their own amusement throughout the next four centuries, many carrying little homilies on their title-pages, such as:

"The Story's pleasant, and the moral good, If read with Care, and rightly understood.

"Another favourite with children must have been the various Bestiaries, described by M. R. James in his treatise on the subject, The Bestiary, 1928, as 'one of the leading picture-books of the twelfth and thirteenth centuries in this country.' These were early natural history, with many of the animals depicted being fabulous, but none the less fearsome for that. The Voiage and Travaile of Sir John Maundevile, Kt, a purely fictitious work written originally in French, purported to be a guide to pilgrims to the Holy Land, and must have proved extremely entertaining to youth from the middle of the fourteenth century onwards with its tales of ant-hills of gold dust; tribes of one-footed men 'and the foot so large that it shadeth all the Body against the Sonne when they lye down and raze it'; of wells whose water changes colour at the stroke of every hour; trees which bear honey and whose sap is wine; a one-eyed tribe, with the orb in the centre of their foreheads; and much more in the same vein with pictures to prove the statements true.

"None of these works was in any way intended for children, either in manuscript or in later book form, and we have to wait until the final quarter of the sixteenth century, to a time when William Shakespeare was a boy of sixteen, before the first purpose-made picture book for children made its appearance.

"Kunst und Lehrbüchlein was first published in Germany in 1578, but this issue was merely a hotch-potch of illustrations culled from a variety of works which the publisher, Sigmund Feyerabend (1528-1590), had commissioned during the previous decade. Book of Art and Instruction for Young People, to give the work its English title, was re-issued in 1580 as a book specially prepared for the youth of the day."

#Wynkyn de Worde #children's books #books #history of books #book collecting #middle ages #medieval #legends #romances #woodcuts #illustrations #William Caxton #picture books #The Travels of Sir John Mandeville #the bestiary #bestiaries #m. r. james #aesop's fables

[janeelyakiri]

from @llamagoddessofficial 's recent chapter of A Collection of Fables and Romances

Siren Dust was so perfectly spooky yet 💙💙💙

(it is a very dark chapter be warned!)

#jan draws #dusttale #undertale au #utmv #siren dust #llamagoddess is just such an amazing writer 💙💙💙 #and i am weak for dust of any variety

[catslilypad]

We're Cats on a Lilypad Studios. A solo run indie studio based in regional Australia and we make visual novels!

We aim to bring you rich and vibrant worlds, characters and narratives with a focus on fantasy, romance, and adventure.

(and cats)

See what we're working on!

GAMES

The Inn Between

Steam || Itch.io

Lead Artist: XianJin Publisher - Two and a Half Studios

A modern fantasy BL visual novel following Myka Riley, a young barista with a mystery on his hands.

He has no memory of his past, a sketch book full of creatures only he can see and a nightmare he can't shake.

A phone call from a stranger changes the course of his life as he's directed to a mystical inn on the outskirts of town.

A story of gods, demons and a world beyond anything Myka could have imagined as he seeks his past.

🏮Three love interests 🏮Incredible soundtrack + art 🏮Catboy, goatman, roommate! 🏮Free NSFW patch

Our full common route is now available in beta on our Patreon!

Heart Agency

Steam || Itch.io

Lead Artist: 6nii9

A model, an actor and an idol get assigned to a reluctant composer and brother of the agency head.

There's no punchline, there IS Heart Agency however, our BL idol visual novel in development.

A modern day BL visual novel about a composer from a famous family who isn't so keen on fame himself.

Not only are his parents world renown performers, they also own their own talent agency, which Adrian Heart is now compelled to work at.

Becoming the reluctant manager to one of three elite talents Adrian has his work cut out for him. All while maintaining his anonymity.

🎬 Three Love Interests 🎬 Original Soundtrack 🎬 Gorgeous art 🎬 All your favourite Idol themes

Heart Agency is getting a completely revamped demo via our Patreon!

Moonflower

Steam || Itch.io

Lead Artist: Tomomochi

The Moonflower...is dying...

Play as Nika Skylar, a royal alchemist with an aversion to nobility as he uncovers a century long plot, investigates a murder AND rescues a sacred and rare fae flower.

When a once a century festival is attacked, High Alchemist Nika Skylar is forced to take matters into his own hands. Accompanied by a mysterious stranger who ignites his very soul, he has one night to save not only the kingdom but the rarest and most powerful entity in the world.

The fabled Moonflower.

🌸 56 thousand words with multiple endings 🌸 Gorgeous CG 🌸 Bonus Chibi 🌸 Alchemy Minigame 🌸 Catboy

Moonflower

Steam || Itch.io

Lead Artist: Tomomochi Key Art: Fuyuure

One year after the disastrous Moonfaire all seems well in Ashmire.

But what of our fated fae?

While memories of the event are hazy to all others Captain Thane has remained vigilant, waiting for the promised return of their felinis alchemist.

With the arrival of a voiceless fox perhaps his wait is at an end?

🌘 Continue the love story of Skylar and Ender 🌘 New locations 🌘 New characters 🌘 Gorgeous art and breathtaking backgrounds

🍑Additional Patreon exclusive NSFW ending

ARTBOOKS and BUNDLES

The Art Collection Volume 1

Every month our patrons vote to decide our monthly illustrations themes and characters Illustrated by Mizu Yukiiro.

These votes include theme, SFW character and NSFW character.

A collection of select past patreon illustration and promotional artworks can be purchased in the Artbook Volume 1 on itch.io.

The Art and Lore of Moonflower

Steam || Itch.io

Delver into deeper into the world of Moonflower with the art and lore of Moonflower!

This book covers all the details of the game, from character concepts, to extended lore and even a comprehensive endings guide.

BL LOVERS BUNDLE

Steam

Three games, two developers!

Immerse yourself in three captivating stories: The Divine Speaker, an 18+ fantasy visual novel; Moonflower, a mystery fantasy visual novel; and start;again, a hilarious (yet somewhat heartbreaking) mystery visual novel.

And the best part? You can get all three games at a discounted price! Already own one or two of the games? No problem! Pay only for the games you don't have yet and still receive the bundle discount. Don't miss out on this fantastic deal!

If you'd like to follow along in real time and see other things from us as well our discord and twitter are the best places to find the studio, chat, and also see what other devs are working on as we collaborate or share.

You can find all of our links and socials on our Linktree

Find Us:

Twitter

Tumblr

Discord

TikTok

Instagram

BlueSky

Support us on our Patreon for multigame updates, exclusive illustration and more:

Patreon

Buy our merch, such a Keychains, prints and Dakimakura on Ko-Fi:

Ko-f

As well as making games, I also sometimes get to play them!

Catch me on Youtube playing games and sometimes singing!

Exclusive dev streams sometime? (づ￣ 3￣)づ

Youtube Twitch Ko-Fi Twitter Tumblr Discord

#visual novel #vn #the inn between #heart agency #moonflower #cats on a lilypad

[snasaparilla]

Fanart of "First Contact" from @llamagoddessofficial's 'A Collection of Fables and Romances.' I love Skull so much and I had to make some doodles of this chapter.

#AaHHH first fanart I'm putting out I hope you like it llama #HT! Skull #HT! Axe #ht!sans #sans/reader #sans au #my art #just some messy doodles I decided to color cause I liked them #and this chapter has been living in my brain the past few days #yea i put him in converse idk i thought they would look cute with his fit at the end lol #horrortale sans #horror sans/reader #llamagoddessofficial fanart #HT! Bear

[neil-gaiman]

Where did the first three chapters of the audiobook’s third act come from? I thought I’d read all of the graphic novels, but those were a complete (and pleasant) surprise.

The Song of Orpheus and Fear of Falling are both in the Fables and Reflections collection. The Flowers of Romance was from a "Winters Edge" anthology comic and is reprinted in the Sandman Deluxe volume 2.

[aughtpunk]

I've been meaning to ask for a while, how is your writing going? Did you find a publisher for Echo of the Larkspur? Any other major stories you've worked on?

Oh boy, I've been sitting on this ask for awhile.

For those new to my Tumblr I've been working on a novel called 'Echo of the Larkspur' for many a year now. While I wrote it ages ago I've spent so much longer trying to get it traditionally published. I've sent out countless queries to agents and publishers only to get nothing back. The biggest feedback I ever received was when a published author told me to take out the queer romance to "make it normal" because it was "too confusing" for a general audience.

Well, fuck that.

After a long discussion with my editor I've decided to give up trying to get Larkspur traditionally published for good. Instead I'm now getting ready to have Echo of the Larkspur self published because my fans have waited long enough for this novel. But in order to make sure the novel is the best it can be I'm doing a fundraiser on GoFundMe to cover the cost of a professional editor, a cover artist, lettering, and hopefully some money left over for advertisement.

You can find the GoFundMe here! If you can't donate then please share the link across the socials and discord!

Also if you want to check out what else I've been working on you can find my Midwife Fable Collection on Amazon here!

Thank you everyone who's supported me over the years. I wouldn't be where I am without you all.

#Echo of the Larkspur #Welcome to Cyber Vale #writeblr #writers on tumblr #writers and poets #writerscommunity #queer #lgbtqia #sci fi #science fiction #romance #robots #indie author #self publishing #gofundme #donations

[rpgchoices]

Sometimes I really want to read a short summary of what to expect from a game with a very particular description that CATER to my OWN SPECIFIC interests, so here we go.

(click here for other videogames)

what to expect from LOREN THE AMAZON PRINCESS

This is a visual novel with rpg elements, turn based Jrpg-like combat, companions recruitment and dating sim (romance options)

The game has an uncensored version with nudity and more skin-showing armors (here how to unlock it on steam)

The DLC Castle of N'mar adds more quests and (in my opinion) a fundamental ending addition, plus three companions

You can play as Seran (male human) or Elenor (elven woman), they have different backstories and will be treated differently by Loren and other characters

There are themes of racism (elves vs humans, but also nomadic humans, orcs etc.), slavery and gender discrimination (amazons enslave men, so if you play as Seran you will get a bunch of that)

You play as the slave/servant of Loren, the amazon princess. Loren is effectively the "fantasy hero" of the story and you are her helper and bodyguard

The story is pretty simple and a bit "fable-like", there won't be too many surprises, it is a classic fantasy "hero finds magic sword, become even bigger hero and has to defeat this demon guy" except that you don't play as the hero (that is Loren)

There are only two class (thief or warrior), with the initial choices in game adding some more branching into fighting skills (ex. my character was a warrior and magic healer)

In general you will have a pretty big number of companions (11 in total with the dlc) so a big array of classes to use for fighting and you can change party (6 members more or less each fight) before each fight

The game is not voiced if not for some battle cries

The game follows a classic rpg storytelling style, you will visit places and choose dialogue options/quest options that will have different consequences

Make sure to often stop at camp and talk to all your companions to get their full dialogues and stories

Each companion has a personal quest and a bit of character development/progression

Your protagonist is a character on their own, so you cannot choose what they say, but you can now and then choose the tone (friendly / joking / forceful) of their answers.

ROMANCE: you can romance all the possible characters up till the last chapter where the game will make you choose (you'll know when it happens)

The romance progression has quite a lot of content, it follows multiple camp dialogues and extra camp scenes that can trigger randomly and if you have collected enough hearts (they can be collected through dialogue options or other choices), plus a more involved series of final scenes in the last chapter

Elenor (female character) can romance multiple female characters (Loren, Karen, Chambara) and multiple male characters (Amukiki, Rei, Mesphit)

Saren (male character) can romance multiple male characters (Amukiki, Draco, Mesphit) and multiple female characters (Loren, Chambara, Myrth)

The game also has jealousy scenes that depends on the specific multiple characters you romance (ex. I was romancing everyone I could and Chambara noticed and started listing all the names, plus she had a jealousy scene with Myrth)

In general the characters are, in my opinion, what make this game so charming. They interact a lot, comment a lot, and feel like a fantasy party

plot? Loren, princess of the Amazons, decides to leave her city to find her missing mother, and ends up being the hero of a war that requires her to lead nations once fighting with each other's. You play as a male or female character who helps and accompanies Loren. gameplay? visual novel, rpgs, jrpg-like, turn based fighting characters? The characters are definitely the best part of the game, mainly the companions (non-companions characters are not particularly important). sadness level? low or medium depending on your choices at the end

#lgbtq games #visual novel #loren the amazon princess #what to expect

[adarkrainbow]

Okay, do you have any information about fairy tales and the time periods where they were meant to take place?

All fairy tales, fables, chivalric romances type of stuff, etc, that I've read were supposed to take place in a kind of mythical past, but they ALL seem pretty much contemporary to the time where they were written.

And the thing that puzzles me is that over the course of the centuries, the "mythical past" grew larger, and larger.

When people in 17th century wrote about fairy tales, the mythical fairy tale past were the Middle Ages and earlier Renascence, but now the 18th and 19th centuries and even some earlier parts of the 20th century are all time periods often used in fairy tale works.

Heck, Disney's Frozen is set in 1843, making Anna and Elsa contemporaries of Queen Victoria. Think about that for a moment.

Well you are pretty much right. This is how the "fairytale time" works.

Fairytales are always supposed to happen "once upon a time" "in the past" "a long time ago", because the story is supposed to be done... But even then, it is not always true. The classic and well-known fairytales take place in a distant unclear past - for example Perrault evokes himself in his fairytales how in the olden days fairies and ogres were much more numerous and present than today. Other times however the past is still the past, but a more recent past - there are several stories where the narrator defends the "truth" of the tale by pointing out he himself (or she herself) met some of the protagonist when it was done, or participated in a given event (usually the marrage at the end of the tale, where he or she was some guest).

But no matter how far back in the past the fairytale will be - each fairytale will be heavily influenced and inspired by the contemporary culture and events which surrounds when it was collected or written. This is because fairytales are meant to be told to a contemporary audience - and so there is always contemporary events marking them. The fairytales of Perrault and d'Aulnoy are supposed to take place in a distant, fantasmagorical past - and d'Aulnoy loves to use medievalism and have knights an tournaments and the like - but the way they describe their courts, the fashion they describe and various items they refer are actually contemporary to their period, meaning their stories could very well take place in the end of the 17th century France. (In fact some have to, since very VERY contemporary items are described, such as one of d'Aulnoy tales describing a fairy giving a princess special little pies explicitely referred to as those the most fashionable and famous baker of Paris did at the time) But that was the whole point of these fairytales, since they were playful humoristic literary tales meant to entertain a courtly audience, so the confusion was deliberate.

On another level, French literary fairytales were used to often comment and evoke the "present day" society and ESPECIALLY the present day monarchy and the king (Louis XIV), since it was again a product of courtiers at the court for other courtiers. A lot of these fairytales use their subtext and shape their world to either criticize or compliment the king and his current situation.

If you go see "folkloric" French fairytales however, they all have a very precise and defined location: their given region. This is why outside of literary fairytales, the fairytale of Frances are provided in books that divide each region of France or go province after province. Local, countryside-collected fairytales obeyed to the regionalism of old France, where each area was very distinct and each region had its own culture, language and customs - resulting in their fairytales usually happening in their own region, and often involving local landmarks or buildings or historical figures of their region.

Now if we extend things to other fairytales like the Grimm, most of them seem to take place in some sort of unclear "distant" mythical past, but when you look at them closely, you realie they are heavily shape by 19th century Germany. For example when it comes to food the omnipresence of sausages is already a dead clue (Germans have a true culture of the sausage, the same way in France we have a culture of the cheese). The omnipresence of the topic of war is also relevant - for example how there are lots of stories depicted soldiers returning from war ; and also the presence of guns and rifls (opposing older tales' depiction of swords and bows for example).

Given one can't just have ALL the fairytales smashed together as it is a too vast ensemble here is what I can only say... Fairytales are always meant to not take place in the real world - or if in the real world, in a distant past of it, in a time when magical beings still roamed and when specific landmarks did not exist. In French literary fairytales, for example, this is done by refering the "marvelous and magical past" that was a mix of the medieval Arthurian tale and the Greco-Roman mythological world.

But no matter how separated from the real world the fairytale world is, said fairytale world will ALWAYS be a reflection, mirror, caricature or influenced by the context in which the story was told. French fairytales always happen in France, and French literary fairytales depict societies based on the one of late 17th century France. German fairytales collected by Grimm happen in a "far away land, in a distant past", and yet take place in a land with a German culture, and heavily marked by disasters such as gun-using wars and famines - clearly showing the influence of a post-Napoleon Germany.

So if you ask me I wouldn't use the "mythical past" to designate this fairytale era - because while it takes inspiration from the actual "mythical past", as in the past imagined by the myths of Antique cultures, mixed also with the medieval-imagined past a la Arthuriana - the fairytale past is actually a liminal space mixing said mythical past, completely detached from the presence, with the "current day" or "present day" of the fairytale's storyteller.

As an aside note - this is why I do think the decision by some authors or crators to imagine the fairytale world as split between various "cultural" countries. Like in Fables, where all the German fairytales come from "Hesse", the Russian ones from a different Slavic fictional country, the Norwegian ones from Ultima Thule, etc etc... Because when you look at the original texts, the French literary fairytales of Perrault clearly do not belong to the same time period or area as the Grimm fairytales. It is possible to unite them all in one time-space context of course - and people haven't refrained from doing it so! But it will in terms of technological level create discrepancies (why are princes fighting with swords monsters, when an humble poor soldier has a rifle?) ; or you will need to select the fairytales so that they all fit a same "set" (for example remove too modern tales).

All in all the thing everybody knows is that fairytales take place in a distant past, far-away country and fictional universe ; but the thing many people forget (despite understanding at a subconscious level) is that the fairytales also always happen in the "present" of when they are told. When Perrault jokes that the awakaned Sleeping Beauty is dressed like the "prince's grandmother", he describes the outfit of the actual grandmothers of the generation of Perrault. And if you want to keep the joke, you'll need to update it to the generation you are telling the story to. People tend to forget that fairytales are meant to be "interactive" and "living" stories, told to an audience to which it adapts itself. It was the whole art of the storyteller, and why we have so many variations and rewrites of fairytales - to be a good storyteller is not to stick faithfully to one fairytale "original" text, but to be able to retell the story, and to carry an iconic tale, while adapting yourself to a new audience and to modern times.

That's also the difference between a fairytale author/storyteller, and a fairytale expert/scholar. Those that study fairytales need to "freeze" them and to trap them in amber, so as to stuy they given form in time like fossils. Those that tell and retell fairytales need to modify them and make them evolve.

#fairy tales #fairytales #fairytale analysis #fairytale #fairy tale #fairytales analysis

[cartograffiti]

February '24 reading diary

I finished 19 books in February, which sounded like a mistake until I realized I read most of them as audiobooks while doing manual tasks. It's always nice when my ears are on my side (says someone with a hearing disorder).

I like poetry, but I don't read enough to feel knowledgeable about it. I've been trying to read a bit from various countries, and after I enjoyed the Pablo Neruda collection so much in January, I went on to read three other poetry books.

Khalil Gibran's The Prophet is one of those works that I've seen quoted out of context so much that I was shocked to discover I didn't actually know what it's about. It's a series of prose poetry fables with a linking plot in which the titular prophet converses with the people of a city he is departing about different aspects of life. A lot of it is really beautiful and thought-provoking, and I thought it was great. It's become a popular source of quotes for weddings and inspirational goods, but I was surprised and moved to find it's also a text about multi-faith unity; Gibran was Lebanese, and Lebanon had and has striking diversity of religions.

I also really enjoyed The Poetess Counts to 100 and Bows Out, a collection by the important Venezuelan poet Ana Enriqueta Terán. I find her wordplay unusual and her subjects interesting, and even in translation, I found her work to give a powerful sense of humor and hopefulness, and a gift for creating a scene.

I did not enjoy Rupi Kaur's Milk and Honey. Kaur is one of the most famous living poets, and I had read so much praise and disdain for her work that I wanted to form my own opinion. There are turns of phrase I really liked, and it is laid out in an interesting way that means some related poems could be read either distinctly or as sections of a longer thought, which I found neat. But I found myself so grumpy the more I read of it that I ended up also reading a lot about Kaur and other people's analysis of her work, trying to contextualize why I bounced so hard off it. Many critics wrote about trying to separate her style from her content, and chose to praise just one or the other, but I am critical of both. Her style lacks personality that would tell me it was her work as opposed to any other poet's, and her content is full of basic, played-out sentiments of popular feminism and bathetic viral posts. Being reminded of "take me to a museum and then make out with me," "but they said not to touch the masterpieces," is not what I'd hoped for out of this. I do think it's a good thing and a strength of Kaur's that she is able to speak to so many people's common experiences through her clarity and intimate tone; it's a shame it didn't click with me. And unlike several professional opinions I read, I think she's completely entitled to write poetry that is not all self-revealing confessional pieces; that should not be something we demand of any art form. But it's a shame some of her verses suggest that certain kinds of shame and violence are a collective and integral part of womanhood and South Asian identity. She's only a little older than I am, and we were both students when she wrote these. I wonder whether her recent work is more sophisticated. I'm not motivated to find out.

The title of the Kaur book reminded me of some enthusiastic praise I'd read for Mary Robinette Kowal's Regency fantasy romance Shades of Milk and Honey, and I found that disappointing, too. I almost liked it; there's some great bits about making art with magic, and it's a good little world. The most interesting character doesn't get enough page time, a lot of secondary characters feel like flat loans from Austen, and the late-book resolution was forced and rushed.

In the Emelan group read, we finished! We read Melting Stones, an Evvy-centered book that I really enjoyed until it became repetitive in the second half, and feel pretty mild about, and The Will of the Empress, reuniting all the original kids as older teens, which I thought was just great. Pierce in top form, and one of the best of this setting.

Lois McMaster Bujold has a new Penric & Desdemona novella out that I haven't been able to borrow yet, but in the meantime I discovered there was one I missed. Penric is a physician mage devoted to an unusual god, which means he's benignly possessed by his demon friend Desdemona, and they have adventures and solve mysteries. This one was Knot of Shadows, about a puzzling corpse and curses. Great fun. Don't start here.

In the land of romance, I've been really enjoying Mimi Matthews's Belles of London series, about a friend group of interesting Victorian horse girls, so I read The Lily of Ludgate Hill as soon as I could. These are no-sex but sexy books with a lot of skill. I've been easily invested in each couple so far, the friends are well integrated into each other's lives even after resolving their own storylines, and their new beaus are introduced smoothly. More than that, there is a lot of consideration for the social issues and new ideas of the period. My favorite is still the first, but Anne and Felix have a strong second chance romance backstory and they're fun to see squabble and cooperate.

More romance: I finished another Gail Carriger novella, this time Defy or Defend. Dimity Plumleigh-Teignmott in the Finishing School series was only learning to be a spy because her evil genius parents wanted it. Her actual dream was to marry a nice politician of not too much importance and be a domestic goddess and social power. Now an adult working for the government, her professional partner is also her perfect man, and she hopes he'll admit to mutual feelings while they're on a mission to rescue a vampire hive from dangerous disintegration. It's very much a Cold Comfort Farm or The Grand Sophy plot of a cheerful girl solving everyone's problems, which is perfect for Dimity: I love her and I love this premise. Felix's internal conflict is a bit of a nonentity, but I don't care, he's too busy adoring Dimity and taking the trans vampire to buy new clothes.

And the last romance for the month, The Companion by E.E. Ottoman. An extraordinarily efficient novella about Madeline, a writer whose spirit has been crushed by trying to break into the industry in NYC in the 1940s. A friend arranges for her to go stay with Victor, a successful author lonely in a too-big inherited house upstate. She is quickly attracted to both him and his artist neighbor Audrey, and they adore her. All three are trans, and the core of the plot is Madeline navigating these new relationships while settling into the unfamiliar safety and encouragement offered to her. In Madeline's POV, Ottoman very much treats the poly triangle as two distinct romances and a third observed at a close distance, which means doing about 2.5 times the work of most. I went wild for the execution, which felt like magic. You do have to like reading about people trying to write and cooking, which fortunately I do. Highly recommended.

A very different book about a writer that I was impressed with this month is Malice by Higashino Keigo. In translation, this is the "first" of a longer detective series that I can't remember where I heard about. That was to my advantage, because I wasn't primed for the premise, alternating between the deductions of Detective Kaga and witness statements. It quickly becomes apparent who did it, fitting best into the why-dunnit class, and using my expectations as a mystery fan against me. Higashino does not idly use an author as one of the POV characters; his profession creates a surprise that taught me something about how writing works mechanically. Very cool.

Also a book about books: Sunyi Dean's The Book Eaters. My oldest friend and I both listened to this as the audiobook wonderfully read by Katie Erich, and we both complained that the interview in the bonus material killed a little of the mystery for us. Despite that, we loved the main character, Devon, and it's full of interesting ideas. It's about a group of families who eat information instead of food. It's about...fairy tales and it has a unique form of dragon and vampire myths and a slow-burn escape from Christian cults. It's about figuring out you're gay when you're already a parent. It's weird and fascinating and upsetting. I think Dean made very smart choices about when to reveal information through flashbacks, and I think Dean sometimes over-explains things to the reader in the narration that would have been stronger if I was left to interpret them myself. L and I both think we'd be interested in another Sunyi Dean book, but not a sequel to this one. It is a complete concept.

I feel that way about Shigidi and the Brass Head of Obalufon by Wole Talabi, too. This one is a fantasy heist with lots of backstory starring Shigidi, who is a kind of minor nightmare god, and Nnemoa, who is a kind of succubus. They have gone freelance, breaking from the corporation of Orisha and taking their own jobs through the living and spirit worlds. I particularly like Nnemoa's backstory chapters and the heist, but Aleister Crowley is involved for some reason and much less repulsive than in real life, and I was disappointed the heist is a pretty brief element. I'd like to read another Talabi book, though, and this was the first adult book I've read that features the orishas of the Yoruba religion which have been a welcome part of several recent YA fantasy books.

The Order of the Pure Moon Reflected in Water is not the Zen Cho book I thought it was when I checked it out, but I'm glad to have read it. It's a wuxia novella about a nun and some bandits involved in rebellion, told with a lot of humor and thoughtfulness about the role of holy objects through the POV of a trans bandit with his own history with the nun's order. I love Cho's style!

That was a one-sitting project audiobook, as was a full-cast play recording of The Importance of Being Earnest. This is a sensational play that I had put off reading because I thought it had probably been overhyped. It hadn't. This is the source of a lot of Oscar Wilde's best quotes, and it's a jewel of drawing-room comedy and dialogue that operates on multiple levels of significance. I'm glad I happened to listen to actors doing it, which I wasn't expecting when I tapped on the first audiobook that came up.

More old books: I found an Agatha Christie mystery I didn't like! How sad! This was The Big Four, a series of spy short stories starring Hercule Poirot and Captain Hastings, compiled together into a loose novel. The effect is somewhat disjointed, and not every story shows her ingenuity. It's full of 20th century political paranoia of conspiracies and spies, with anti-Asian racism and antisemitic tropes I can often count on Christie to avoid or subvert.

And Steppenwolf, by Herman Hesse, which is a very strange and influential work of literary fiction about a man who believes--not to minimize it by putting it this way--that he has a secret wolf-self inside him, much like certain middle schoolers of my acquaintance. The edition I listened to opens with a letter from Hesse in which he remarks that this book is frequently misunderstood, which I will admit put my back up. Maybe there's stuff in your book you didn't intend, Herman! I enjoyed its vagueness, I adored the complexity embodied by Harry Haller's friend/alter-ego/mother/girlfriend/boyfriend Hermine, and I got a lot out of reading literary analysis that gave me better context for the transmigration of souls and Jungian theory. It also suffers from didactic passages, racism and antisemitism, and dogmatism about artistic quality. Very worth reading, difficult to say whether I "liked" the book.

Carrying on with Dorothy Dunnett's Lymond books, I went straight from GK into Queens' Play, which I loved every moment of. It's easier to read than the first book, as she pulled back on stylized spellings and puzzling quotations, without losing any sparkle or punch. It's sooo fun. It's sooo distressing. Spies! Plots! Assassins! Disguises! Escapes! Messy bisexuals! I told my Lymond friends this book was funnier, but that feels like the wrong word for some of the things that happen in it. Giggling and kicking my feet and crying.

And a book I am very solidly neutral on: The City Beautiful by Aden Polydoros, full of vibrant personality and a great premise, but the plot gets in its own way in complexity and the pacing was a real struggle for my taste. The core cast is really strongly varied Jewish immigrant characters in Chicago in the 1890s, some teens have been murdered, there's a dybbuk, and gay kissing. I think I would have enjoyed it more when I was a teen; some YA takes me that way.

#This February fit a lot of February into it #reading diary #bookblr

[mrsackermannx]

fic writing masterlist <3

attack on titan

levi ackerman

nsfw one shot collection > chapter 1-36 chapter 37+ ongoing

word count: 181.9k

fable— levi x fem!reader slow burn romance

word count: 131.5k ongoing

drabbles— nsfw

christmas in the ackerman house 22’ drabble

levi and your curly hair

levi and pregnant reader

chainsaw man

aki hayakawa

indecisive— aki x fem!reader nsfw one shot

word count: 2.5k

drabbles/thirsts/thoughts

shy but jealous asshole aki

make out sessions with aki fluffy

when you’re overstimulated (aki x neurodivergent reader)

jujutsu kaisen

security— satoru x fem!reader romance (posted only on AO3)

word count: 15.5k ongoing

jjk one shots (nsfw)

gojo satoru

come back to me

tease

bad dreams— gojo x geto

drabbles

husband gojo/ pregnant reader 2.4k

a good deed/ roommate gojo nsfw 2.3k

single dad geto/younger neighbour reader 1.k

sleepy sex with satoru

morning sex with satoru

pottery class (gojo w/ a lil bit of geto/reader)

she misses me (ino takuma)

after work (fwb/choso)

sfw chef sukuna <33

jjk men and your curly hair (headcanons/vignettes) sfw bonu

©mrsackermannx: do not repost, plagiarise, translate or modify my works.

#navi #lourdes navigates! #aki x reader #levi x reader #gojo x reader #more gojo coming soon hehe <3

[sasslett]

Shopping mall - or rather, Market Square w/ Alisaie and Y'shtola

"And here we are," Alisaie announced, happily raising her arms as she twirled. "The largest bookstore in Sharlayan - and dare I say all of the star as well?"

Largest bookstore or not, Jess stared in awe - shelves upon shelves of books, as far as the eye could see, lining every wall floor to ceiling. Where would she even start? Cookbooks, perhaps? Or a travel guide? Or maybe an adventure story, or a collection of fables, or- 

"Hm?" 

Y'shtola's puzzled sound snapped the woman back to attention, as she watched the Miqo'te approach one particular bookshelf, her tail flicking. 

"What did you- Oh!" Alisaie gasped, a wicked grin crossing her face as she pulled out one particular tome; intrigued, Jess stepped closer, eyeing the novels on the shelf - The Light of Her Life, Primal Attraction, Primal Urges, Primal Need, Sav-

Wait… These were romance novels! 

"What are you doing?" Jess asked in confusion, attempting to peek over her Elezen friend's shoulder, only for the young woman to quickly turn away, shielding whatever she had open.

"He reached down, grabbing his thick, girthy, pulsating co-"

"Alisaie!" Once again, Jess attempted to reach for the book, only for the woman to forcefully push her back, her grin growing ever larger.

"-and shoved himself into my moist, begging womanhood, and I screamed his name. 'Oh, Varrus,' I cried, as-"

"Wait, Varrus?!" This time, there was no fighting as Jess snatched the book from her young friend's hands, only confirming her fears - it was, indeed, a novel about the Warrior of Light. Savoring the Savior, it was called, the cover depicting what she assumed was intended to be Varrus, a purple-haired, shirtless, sweaty, overly-muscular Elezen holding onto the side of a cliff, a scantily-clad Miqo'te woman tucked under his arm, her hand upon his chest, staring at him with a gaze of pure adoration. 

Yep, that was a romance novel, alright. 

"Tell me, Jess." 

The woman whipped around, finding Y'shtola leafing through another tome. 

"Would you consider this to be an accurate representation of the Warrior of Light? For you know him better than any other."

She peeked over the Miqo'te's shoulder, instantly regretting it as she caught sight of an illustration she could only assume was supposed to be her lover - and, she had to admit, the likeness on his face wasn't terribly far off. But the similarities stopped there, as his head was attached to a body more muscular than even the gods themselves, biceps thicker than his head, at least eight well-defined abs along his shirtless, glistening torso. Of course, her eyes were dragged lower, to where the drawing depicted the man holding onto what she could only describe as a horse's member, thicker and longer than she'd ever want inside her - and though she considered her lover quite gifted in that department, it was absolutely nothing close to reality.

"Is it true that he likes it rough?"

She wheeled around to see Alisaie holding yet another book.

"No! He's a very kind and gentle lover, thank you very much," she hissed. "Thal's balls, how many of these are there?!" 

"An entire shelf!" came Alisaie's overly-excited answer. "And, look, I think this one even includes you." 

"Me?!" The woman groaned, slapping a hand to her face. "Please, can't we look at anything else? I assure you none of these are accurate - and I don't care to elaborate further."

Thankfully, her friends acquiesed, moving on to browse the shelves further down… giving Jess the opportunity to sneak one or two of the novels under her arm while they weren't looking. 

For research, of course. 

#sassbox #my wols #my writing #oops

[numberonetrashwitch]

Shorter Headcannons, partially based on cannon

only Origin Characters, not really spoilery, mainly based on their actual character sheets (bc i wanted to thank Larian, so i bought the special edition)

Color-coded bc i know how this fandom works Lae'zel, Wyll, Karlach, Shadowheart, Gale, Astarion, Halsin

Lae'zel and Wyll commit to some fighting practice when they're left in camp

Gale, as the main cook, prepares native dishes from water deep (lentil and bunny stew, cheesy bread, all while using the totally legit foodomancy)

Astarion getting up in the middle of the night, he says to "keep watch" but everyone secretly knows that he wants to do his hair, brush his teeth etc.

Lae'zel offering to hunt & Astarion offering to drink the blood of the game to "make it less messy to dissect it" and Lae'zel refusing

Shadowheart sneaking away to think/talk to herself, basically keeping an internal diary

Gale innitially refusing to talk to Astarion because he knew something was off, but later finding him trying to make conversation with Astarion again as they both know quite a bit of magic / Gale cannonically being too curious for his own good

Wyll and Astarion peacocking at every possible opportunity, to the point they have a fencing match over something stupid (and everyone looking at them like "well if you wanna 'swordfight' why can't you two just get in a tent and have it over with?)

Karlach waking everybody (except Lae'zel and Astarion) sweetly and making coffee (don't know why, i see her as an early riser?)

Wyll innitially refusing to take Astarion take watch, but one evening they have a heart-to-heart about Wyll needing more Rest than Astarion

Gale trying to meditate, under the guidance of Halsin and utterly failing bc he either sees Mystra and shuts down, or because he get's to excited

Karlach and Astarion playing Dice, with him trying to rig the game, but Karlach being too aware (she has them in their inventory)

Shadowheart, Lae'zel and Gale playing chess (Lae'zel has it in their inventory) and Shadowheart outmanouvering Gale by distracting him

Halsin whittling custom spoons and bowls for everyone, as a sign of admiration / thanks

Shadowheart and Gale discussing their connection to their gods, healing and alchemy

Wyll and Karlach bonding over their fighting-stories and favorite bard-songs

Shadowheart and Astarion acting above them all but being two of the fiercest protectors of the Group (though both wouldn't admit it and play it off agressively)

The group agreeing that Wyll should do the supply-run, as he is the most charismatic (and no one trusts Astarion around money)

Karlach, who always wanted a dog, training Scratch

Halsin sleeping with the Owlbear Cub in his tent

Gale receiving letters from other Wizards, inquiring not just about his whereabouts but random - arcane - questions

IF you romance Astarion as an elf, him speaking to you in elvish thinking that nobody else in camp is able to understand it -with Shadowheart (who also speaks elvish) evesdropping

IF you romance Karlach you'll wake up some day with a teddy bear next to you, you know it's her's so you'll ask her why she gave it to you, with her saying "Sounds like you had a bad dream Solider, so i asked Clive to protect you"

IF you romance Halsin, you'll randomly being invited to a night stroll where he shows you cool mushrooms, glowing bugs and beautiful flowers - he'll also making you flower crowns

IF you romance Wyll, he'll talk to you about his favorite dances, stories and asking you what you think of them (because they are actually fables and he asks you for your opinion)

IF you romance Lae'zel, she'll sharpen your weapon, collect things useful for you and offer to carry part of your load

IF you romance Gale he'll offer to read some of his poetry to you. Some of it is uneccessarily verbose, or needs context / refinement, but there are definately some very good works in-between

IF you romance Shadowheart, she'll pray for you and makes progressively more jokes, and a lot of them are suprisingly good?

#baldurs gate #baldurs gate 3 #bg3 #non-witchy #headcanons #all companions #not really spoilery #fluffsmut? #i was watching the high rollers episode while writing this #character sheet based #why are they all so cute?

[chororine]

The Who's Who of Hipipo

("Open Image In New Tab" highly recommended!)

one of my favourite scenes in "Osomatsu-san: The Hipipo Tribe and the Glistening Fruit" was the climactic chase featuring cameos from many reoccuring and one-off characters (some of whom also appeared in the film's opening) from all three seasons of the anime - some well-known among fans of the franchise, others not so much.

in an attempt to fill in those "not so much" gaps, I proudly present a project I've been looking forward to posting for three months: a visual guide to the name and origin of every character who cameos in the climax and/or opening. see the list in text form under the cut!

Nanmaiders (season 3 episode 16: "Nanmaider Attacks")

Potato Kingdom citizens (season 3 episode 17: "Imoni")

Tatsunami/"Tacchan" (season 3 episode 23: "Friend")

Satozaki (season 3 episode 5: "Well, Yeah...")

Drunk couple (season 3 episode 2: "Let's Be Quiet At Night")

Sanematsu/Sanecop and Kaoruko (season 1 episode 13: "Sanematsu-san", season 2 episode 14: "Sanematsu-san Episode 9" and season 3 episode 16: "Sanecop")

Jyushi-senpai (season 3 episode 3: "Magical Angel Magi Lunatic Icchi")

Kouji Murakami (season 3 episode 1)

Shonosuke Hijirisawa (season 1 episode 2: "Aesop's Fables That Are Actually Terrifying" and others)

The New Sextuplets (season 3 episode 1)

Dobuko Busujima/"Dobusu"/"ugly flower fairy" (season 1 episode 15: "The Life of Chibita's Flower" and others)

Sukeroku (season 3 episode 12: "AI")

Tortoise and Hare (season episode 15: "Cosplaymatsu" ("Mister"))

The voice actors: Takahiro Sakurai, Yuichi Nakamura, Hiroshi Kamiya, Jun Fukuyama and Daisuke Ono (season 3 episode 1)

Miyu Irino (season 3 episode 24: "A-1 Grand Prix")

The director: Yoichi Fujita (season 3 episode 1)

Kumi and Miwa (season 2 episode 7: "Osomatsu and Todomatsu")

Sextuplets as "kill the cacao" demons (season 2 episode 19: "Valentine's Day")

Shoei (season 2 episode 3: "Totoko's Challenge")

Kinko Inuyama (season 2 episode 16: "The Cutie Next Door")

Devil Yeti (season 2 episode 17: "UMA Expedition Team")

Eitaro (season 2 episode 12: "The Eitaro Family")

Eitaro's mother (season 2 episode 12: "The Eitaro Family")

Michaelmatsu (season 2 episode 13: "Discharge Notice 2017: The Youngest Brother Who Got Fired")

Osoma (season 2 episode 17: "Inn")

Matsuzou as "Cherryzou" (season 2 episode 4: "Matsuzou and Matsuyo")

Sousou (season 2 episode 7: "Romance of the Three Kingdoms")

Giant oni/demon (season 2 episode 25: "Osomatsu-san in Hell")

Regular oni/demons (season 2 episode 25: "Osomatsu-san in Hell")

Chupacabra Deluxe (season 2 episode 15: "UMA Expedition Team"

F6 (season 1 episode 1: "Osomatsu-kun Returns" and others)

Super Mongolian Death Worm (season 2 episode 14: "UMA Expedition Team")

Chanto Shitaa/"Propershitter" (season 2 episode 1: "Osomatsu-san Returns")

Aida and Sacchi (season 1 episode 2: "The Melancholy of Osomatsu", season 1 episode 7: "Todomatsu and the Five Demons" and others)

Dayon girl/"Dayoko" (season 1 episode 23: "Dayon Tribe")

Black Factory supervisor (season 1 episode 2: "Let's Get A Job")

Sutabaa Coffee manager (season 1 episode 7: "Todomatsu and the Five Demons")

Dayon Tribe members (season 1 episode 23: "Dayon Tribe")

Totoko's parents (season 1 episode 4: "This Is Totoko" and others)

Flag Corporation employees (season 1 episode 6: "It's A Birthday Party, da jo")

Kamimatsu/Godmatsu (season 1 episode 21: "Kamimatsu")

Jiguzou (season 1 episode 3: "Tidbits Collection" ("OAW/OSO"))

"Christmas couple" (season 1 episode 11: "Black Santa" and season 2 episode 5: "Summer Kamen")

"Fheeeh" master (season 1 episode 22: "Final Sheeeh")

Shaorin (season 1 episode 22: "Final Sheeeh")

Atsushi (season 1 episode 22: "The Star of Hope, Todomatsu" and others)

Oil magnate (season 1 episode 24: "Totoko's Huge Panic")

Coachmatsu (season 1 episode 25: "Osomatsu-san, Such As It Was")

"Kanojo"/"Homura" (season 1 episode 9: "Jyushimatsu Falls In Love" and season 2 episode 8: "Jyushimatsu and the Dolphin")

Akumatsu/Evilmatsu (season 1 episode 21: "Kamimatsu")

President of France (season 1 episode 6: "Iyami Has Arrived")

Musashi Ironworks baseball team (season 1 episode 25: "Osomatsu-san, Such As It Was")

Fourth Galactic University Affiliated High School baseball team (season 1 episode 25: "Osomatsu-san, Such As It Was")

Oguri Overbite (season 1 episode 6: "Iyami Has Arrived")

Wanta (season 3 episode 19: "Dogs")

PHEW 💦

#HipipoParty #osomatsu san #osomatsu san spoilers #osomatsu hipipo #spoilers #spoiler #what does it say about me that i recognised 99% of these offhand and only had to double check a few character names and episode numbers.... #('i'm autistic' that's what it says) #still laughing at Fujita getting a cameo even though this movie was directed by Yoshinori Odaka and not him #a risky choice but one that paid off imo

[mikasimaginairyworld]

The Crows: their type of literature

Inej likes fables, myths and fairy tales.

she grew up with Suli folklore stories and I think during her time at the menagerie she silently played them out in her head to escape her body.

she also told them to younger girls to confront them

before she became the Wraith she would sometimes imagine being a hero from one of these stories who is undercover

she also likes tales about the saints, they give her hope

Jesper doesn't read much but when he does it's the smuttiest, most filthy books you have ever seen or the most heart shattering sad romance stories.

no in between

he is horny or he is sad

he would be embarrassed at first to tell Wylan that but I think after some time he would read to him even the filthy ones (wink, wink)

Matthias isn't a huge reader, surprisingly he prefers music

but if he does read it's mostly either dystopian literature or puppy-love stories

romance is a must for him in any book

he really roots for each character in the books he reads

he also often re-imagines some of the more romantic scenes as him and Nina

not so often he actually tried to use some lines from his romance stories on Nina

(it never really worked)

Nina is the ultimate bookworm

she reads absolutely everything

it seems as if she has read every single book on the planet

seriously, whenever one of the Crows asks her if she knows a book the answer is yes

she is this person who will read smut with a straight face in a room full of people

she loves to quote books

she recognises the quotes Matthias uses on her from his books

she once tried to convince Matthias to read a smutty book. but after a few lines he refused claiming that it was absolutely 'disgusting' and 'indecent'

(but he still read it late at night in secret)

(of course Nina found out and teased the hell out of him for it)

Kaz loves thrillers

psychological, dystopian, you name it

he would never admit it to anybody but reading a few chapters before he goes to bed are a part of his nighttime routine

he has a small collection of his favourite books

one of them is a book of maps of the world

he likes to read about the places where Inej currently is with her crew so he feels as if he's with her

he has a drawer in his desk with a lock that only he has a key to

in this drawer he keeps a notebook where he writes down Inej's favourite stories that she tells him

whenever he feels lonely he reads one of them

they are ridiculous but they feel like Inej

Wylan can't read so he never really discovered his favourite literature

when Jesper started to read to him, Wylan quickly found out that he enjoys books about art, music and inventions

Jesper finds it boring but he does his best to read them as exciting as possible

Wylan also likes smutty romance books (just as Jesper)

Wylan has adapted the habit to 'read' notes out loud

whenever he looks at a music piece he quietly hums the notes to himself

Jesper soon found out and demanded that Wylan 'read' all of his music pieces to him

#six of crows #crooked kingdom #inej ghafa #nina zenik #jesper fahey #wylan van eck #kaz brekker #the crows #kanej #headcanon #literature #books and reading #preferences