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marashi96art · 1 year

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Questions for the fanfic writers about Leon S. Kennedy's lack of background story: How do you deal with it?

I've been haunted by this problem for MONTHS and I needed to spit it out. I feel like Tumblr is a better place for long text and reasoned discussion, and most importantly: fanfic writers.

It's long and I sincerely look forward to your opinions. Even though I only draw Cleon, I didn't mention any ship in this post so I won't add ship-related tags here; if you're gonna list examples based on your ship, please respect each other.

So hear me out:

The best part and the worst part about Leon S. Kennedy is that HE DOESN'T HAVE A BACKGROUND STORY and a CONSISTENT characteristic development...and it's driving me insane.

The benefit of it is that I can shape his past into whoever I want to fit my stories. But it brings out a bigger problem: the development is solely depending on my understanding & knowledge of character design. He's pretty much a blank sheet of paper, except he's extremely famous, and I don't want to stray too far away from the canon info that we've got on him(and get "canceled" for OOC).

(I don't actually write stories into fics, but I DO write short scripts for my art when they are intended to be a series. I guess the prep work to start anything is the same: write it down in words, then expand the idea.)

I love AUs and I'm more interested in sci-fi/fantasy than modern/zombie-apocalypse kinda thing. But when I wanted to dig deep into their backgrounds, to start world-building, there's NOTHING for me. It's so frustrating.

For example, I'm currently working on a Monster Hunter AU based on the RE4R DLC Hero Outfit, which basically is the whole RE gang running around in the woods hunting supernatural creatures. (Not just CAPCOM's MH series but with the general mythical creatures, werewolves .etc)

And they have a Hunter's Guild, different tribes and clans, you know the drill. Since the setting was in a fantasy world, their surnames have caused me great pain from the start.

The easiest one is Redfield. It can be interpreted as "fertile land" or "battleground", and from these I immediately have quite a few visual ideas of how they'd look like, and what they'd do for a living. Chambers, Valentine, and Oliveira are "OK", but the surname Kennedy doesn't fit in ANYWHERE.

(Yes, I googled. It's Irish; but let's be honest, our first impression was a certain American political family.)

Then I read this article that shares a similar concern: Is Resident Evil 4’s Leon S. Kennedy Italian? An investigation

It pretty much sums up the most common FANDOM theories of Leon's background info. But all of them are still just, headcanons.

The more I try to dig in, the lack of this crucial element--a character's canon background story--is really blocking me to create things I enjoy. Even though I've been drawing him for almost 50 pieces of fan art, I still don't know what he's actually like. I can only imagine his personality by referencing other fictional characters/actors whom I think share a resemblance. (I have a soft spot for Keanu Reeves, Faramir from TLOR, and Sanji from One Piece. But that's another story for another time.)

Of course, I'm aware of the fact that, instead of spending this huge amount of time to rewrite a fictional character I don't own, I can create my own OCs and build everything from scratch. But that's not the point. I only started playing video games in 2019 when I bought a Nintendo Switch; and my first-ever, modern game experience was Zelda: Breath of the Wild.

The whole game-wise fandom and RE series are pretty new to me. But I've been in fandoms of books/movies/TV shows for over a decade. It shocked me that Resident Evil, this world-popular series has almost 30 years of history but non of the main characters have a consistent background that follows through the in-game timeline. There're huge gaps between the games even if we add all of the movies in it. How did that work? How do you get to know them? How do you get attached enough to write your own fan story?

In conclusion, I don't think I like Leon S. Kennedy, cuz he remains a mystery. Instead, I just combine all of the good qualities of other characters I like, create my version of Leon Kennedy, and hopefully pray that when he reappears in a new RE work, I didn't do him wrong.

#leon scott kennedy #leon s. kennedy #leon kennedy #resident evil #resident evil 2 remake #resident evil 2 #RE2R #resident evil 4 remake #RE4R

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soulisticreads · 4 days

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Currently Reading:

1. Angels’ Blood 2. Archangel’s Kiss 3. Archangel’s Consort 4. Archangel’s Blade 5. Archangel’s Storm

6. Archangel’s Legion 7. Archangel’s Shadows 8. Archangel’s Enigma 9. Archangel’s Heart 10. Archangel’s Viper 11. Archangel’s Prophecy 12. Archangel’s War 13. Archangel’s Sun 14. Archangel’s Light 15. Archangel’s Resurrection 16. Archangel’s Lineage

All the novellas were written to to stand alone, so you can pick them up at any stage. However, if you’d like to read the series in strict chronological order, check out the list on this page.

Collected Novellas All four Guild Hunter novellas to date now available in a single volume, Angels’ Flight.

Individual Novellas

1. Angels’ Pawn (this is available as an e-book on its own, and as part of Angels’ Flight) 2. “Angels’ Judgment” in Angels’ Flight (this was originally part of the Must Love Hellhounds anthology) 3. “Angel’s Wolf” in Angels’ Flight (this was originally part of the Angels of Darkness anthology) 4. “Angels’ Dance” in Angels’ Flight

#The Guild Hunter Series #Nalini Singh #BookTalk #Booktube #Book Tube #Fantasy Romance Books #goodreads #Romance #Paranormal #Fantasy #Urban Fantasy #Paranormal Romance #Angels #Vampires

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kyber-collector · 1 year

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Are the Mandalorians in a Cult?

BITE Model Breakdown- Din Djarin’s Children of the Watch:

Today I am here to once and for all answer the pressing question on everyone’s minds: Is Din Djarin’s Mandalorian tribe (Children of the Watch) actually a cult? Bo Katan Kryze refers to The Tribe as a cult when speaking with Din, but does the group actually qualify as such? Here I will be laying out an in-depth analysis using Steven Hassan’s BITE Model of Authoritarian Control to effectively answer the question that Mandalorian fans have been asking since the beginning.

TDLR for those who do not want to read the entire post: no, it is not a cult.

*Please note, I will only be including tactics and traditions seen on screen in The Mandalorian and The Book of Boba Fett, and therefore only delving into the specific subsect known as “Children of the Watch” or “the Tribe”, not the original Deathwatch or other sects.

First, a little background. What is a cult?

Most dictionary definitions of a cult read something like the following:

“a religious group, often living together, whose beliefs are considered extreme or strange by many people”

If we are going off of this definition alone, the question seems to have a clear-cut answer. The Watch is an orthodox religious sect, the members live together in a covert, and many characters throughout the series express confusion, disapproval, and judgment towards their beliefs. However, the issue is much more complicated and nuanced than this, as there are many facets to what makes an organization a cult. Thankfully, we have a very useful tool at our disposal: Steven Hassan’s BITE Model of Authoritarian Control. Created by Hassan in 1988, the BITE model aims to identify and flesh out a set of criteria characterizing dangerous cults and other authoritarian groups.

BITE stands for:

Behavior control

Information control

Thought control

Emotional control

Breaking down each criterion one by one, here is how the Children of the Watch measure up:

Behavior Contro

1.Regulate individual’s physical reality

The physical reality of individual Tribe members is significantly regulated. The group controls where its members live and what they may wear, demonstrating a degree of power over the physical realities of members.

2.Dictate where, how, and with whom the member lives and associates or isolates

Members of the Children of the Watch live together in compounds called coverts, where they remain hidden for their own safety. In Din’s covert, only one member of the Tribe is allowed to leave the covert at a time.

3.When, how and with whom the member has sex

We do not see any restrictions placed onto the Mandalorians when it comes to sex– though they are not allowed to show their faces or remove their helmets, there are realistic ways in which Mandalorians could still engage in Creed-compliant sexual activity (see: popular fanfiction tag “the helmet stays on”.

4.Control types of clothing and hairstyles

The Children of the Watch are very strict when it comes to attire, requiring members to never remove their helmets at risk of excommunication/exile. Once a member of The Tribe is old enough to speak the Creed, they are awarded a helmet that they may never remove in the presence of another living being.

5.Regulate diet – food and drink, hunger and/or fasting

We see no dietary restrictions, fasting, etc. implemented by the Children of the Watch.

6.Manipulation and deprivation of sleep

Though members of the Tribe likely may become sleep deprived while on missions or other outings, we do not see sleep deprivation intentionally utilized as a means of control.

7.Financial exploitation, manipulation or dependence

While members of the Children of the Watch maintain the ability to seek out their own employment (Din working as a bounty hunter, for example), we see the income earned from this work being presented to a spiritual leader within the organization. After Din is paid for collecting a bounty to the Guild, he extends the Calamari Flan and beskar that he earned to the Armorer. This implies a degree of financial control within the Tribe. I hesitate to include this point, though, as Mandalorians bring beskar to the Armorer not out of a sense of fear, obligation, etc, but because they believe they are returning it to its rightful spiritual owners. The beskar given to the Armorer is also often returned to members in the form of newly forged weapons and armor.

8.Restrict leisure, entertainment, vacation time

An argument could be made that the leisure and vacation time is controlled by the Tribe, as only one member is allowed to leave the covert at a time. This is not, however, done with the intention of authoritarian control– it is a matter of safety.

9.Major time spent with group indoctrination and rituals and/or self indoctrination including the Internet

Considerable chunks of time appear to be used for battle and combat training, which in this context can be viewed as ritualistic. There are also initiating rituals for young foundlings and apprentices, during which they recite the Creed and are given their first helmet which they may never remove.

10.Permission required for major decisions

We do not see members of the Tribe seeking permission from leaders for any major decisions. Though members may seek guidance from spiritual leaders such as the Armorer, they are not required to.

11.Rewards and punishments used to modify behaviors, both positive and negative

Rewards and punishments may be given within the Tribe, but they do not appear to be used to modify behavior.

12.Discourage individualism, encourage group-think

Members of the Children of the Watch are all required to wear standard helmets, and all are required to follow the doctrine of the Creed (walk the way of the Mand’alor). Still, despite these points, leadership within the group does not appear to discourage individualism or creative thinking. Helmets and armor are allowed to be personalized however the wearer sees fit, and the Creed itself does not facilitate group-think.

13.Impose rigid rules and regulations

The most rigid regulation members must follow seems to be regarding helmet-wearing. There are other fairly strict rules laid out by the Creed, such as those surrounding foundlings, the darksaber, and rulership over Mandalore. The Creed also lays out a number of other rules members must follow, but these are closer to a moral and ethical code than to regulations.

14.Punish disobedience by beating, torture, burning, cutting, rape, or tattooing/branding

There is no evidence of the Children of the Watch engaging in any violent forms of punishment against members.

15.Threaten harm to family and friends

We do not see evidence of the Tribe engaging in threats against the families or friends of members.

16.Force individual to rape or be raped

The Children of the Watch do not engage in this kind of behavior.

17.Encourage and engage in corporal punishment

There are no examples of corporal punishment being encouraged or practiced within the Tribe.

18.Instill dependency and obedience

The Tribe does not appear to foster dependency, but it does instill obedience among its members. Mandalorians who do not obey the Creed may be exiled.

19.Kidnapping

The Children of the Watch do not engage in kidnapping. They do take in foundlings, or children who have been abandoned or orphaned, but I do not believe this qualifies as kidnapping.

20.Beating

There is no evidence of beating being employed by members of the Tribe.

21.Torture

There is no evidence of torture being utilized as a means of control by the Tribe.

22.Rape

(See 16.)

23.Separation of Families

The Children of the Watch hold strong family values, especially honoring foundlings and their training. Though families likely became separated during times of war, splitting up families intentionally has never been part of the Creed. In fact, when told that Grogu must forgo attachment to become a jedi, Din states that this is “the opposite of our creed”.

24.Imprisonment

The Tribe is not seen to engage in systemic imprisonment of either members or non-members; though bounty hunters like Din Djarin likely lead to individuals being imprisoned, this is not representative of the group as a whole.

25.Murder

The ideology of the Children of the Watch, as well as many other Mandalorian sects, heavily revolve around war, weapons, and violence. Consequently, murder is normalized, and has become routine practice within the Tribe. At one point, when Din explains that he did not kill Moff Gideon, Paz Vizsla and the Armorer have the following interaction:

Vizsla: “Death would have been justice for his atrocities.”

Armorer: “This is true.”

Information Control

1.Deception: a. Deliberately withhold information b. Distort information to make it more acceptable c. Systematically lie to the cult member

Spiritual leaders within the Children of the Watch do not deliberately lie, distort, or withhold information at any point we see on screen.

2.Minimize or discourage access to non-cult sources of information, including: a. Internet, TV, radio, books, articles, newspapers, magazines, media b. Critical information c. Former members d. Keep members busy so they don’t have time to think and investigate e. Control through cell phone with texting, calls, internet tracking

The Children of the Watch do not minimize or discourage access to outside information through any means. Former members are exiled, but this does not appear to be related to management of information for the sake of control.

3.Compartmentalize information into Outsider vs. Insider doctrines a. Ensure that information is not freely accessible b. Control information at different levels and missions within group c. Allow only leadership to decide who needs to know what and when

All members of the Tribe appear to have access to the same level of information; every member knows and has access to the Creed, as well as other crucial information. The Armorer does not have control over who knows what, nor does she compartmentalize information (from both inside and outside sources).

4.Encourage spying on other members a. Impose a buddy system to monitor and control member b. Report deviant thoughts, feelings and actions to leadership c. Ensure that individual behavior is monitored by group

Members of the Children of the Watch are not encouraged to spy on each other. There is no evidence of buddy systems, reporting “deviant” actions, or monitoring within the group.

5.Extensive use of cult-generated information and propaganda, including: a. Newsletters, magazines, journals, audiotapes, videotapes, YouTube, movies and other media b. Misquoting statements or using them out of context from non-cult sources

The Children of the Watch do not have any sources of cult-generated information that we see, such as newsletters, holotapes, etc. There also does not appear to be intentional misquoting of non-tribe sources.

6.Unethical use of confession a. Information about sins used to disrupt and/or dissolve identity boundaries b. Withholding forgiveness or absolution c. Manipulation of memory, possible false memories

If a Mandalorian confesses to removing their helmet in the presence of another living creature, they will be exiled from the Children of the Watch. Forgiveness and/or absolution are possible, but can only be given by bathing in the living waters on Mandalore. Information is not used to disrupt identity boundaries, nor to manipulate memory.

Thought Control

1.Require members to internalize the group’s doctrine as truth a. Adopting the group’s ‘map of reality’ as reality b. Instill black and white thinking c. Decide between good vs. evil d. Organize people into us vs. them (insiders vs. outsiders)

The Children of the Watch require every member to follow “the way of the Mand’alor” and adhere to the Creed, a doctrine laying out rules members must follow– as well as a singular view of what a “true” Mandalorian is.

2.Change person’s name and identity

Members of the tribe maintain full control over their names and identities.

3.Use of loaded language and clichés which constrict knowledge, stop critical thoughts and reduce complexities into platitudinous buzz words

The Children of the Watch does not appear to utilize loaded language and cliches to stop critical thinking. The phrase “this is the way” is a saying often used as a simple response to questions or as an affirmation, but I do not believe it is used to reduce complexities or stop critical thought.

4.Encourage only ‘good and proper’ thoughts

There does not appear to be any encouragement or discouragement of certain thoughts within the Children of the Watch.

5.Hypnotic techniques are used to alter mental states, undermine critical thinking and even to age regress the member

Hypnotic techniques are not employed by the Children of the Watch.

6.Memories are manipulated and false memories are created

We do not see any evidence of memory manipulation within the Tribe.

7.Teaching thought-stopping techniques which shut down reality testing by stopping negative thoughts and allowing only positive thoughts, including: a. Denial, rationalization, justification, wishful thinking b. Chanting c. Meditating d. Praying e. Speaking in tongues f. Singing or humming

While certain members are seen meditating, this meditation does not appear to be utilized as a tool to control thoughts. Din Djarin does use denial, rationalization, and justification when he comes to learn that his sect is considered extreme or abnormal, but these tactics do not seem to be systemic within the group.

8.Rejection of rational analysis, critical thinking, constructive criticism

The Children of the Watch do not appear to reject critical thinking at any point in the show.

9.Forbid critical questions about leader, doctrine, or policy allowed

At no point do we see questions being discouraged or forbidden by members or leaders of the Children of the Watch. All questions asked by members receive genuine answers, such as when Ragnar Vizsla asks why Grogu doesn’t wear a helmet, or when Din Djarin asks the Armorer about Bo Katan Kryze.

10.Labeling alternative belief systems as illegitimate, evil, or not useful

Other groups of Mandalorians are viewed as “illegitimate” by the Children of the Watch, as removing their helmets does not adhere to the way of the Mand’alor. This can be seen when Din Djarin first meets the Nite Owls: they remove their helmets, and Din immediately assumes the armor has been stolen and that they are not really Mandalorian.

11.Instill new “map of reality”

Members of the Tribe must adhere to the Creed, which acts as a “map of reality” and outlines what a “true” Mandalorian is. We also see this new “map of reality” discussed when Bo Katan Kryze asks the Armorer about the Mythosaur: Bo Katan says that she saw it under the living waters on Mandalore, and the Armorer simply tells her that “When you choose to walk the way of the Mand’alor, you will see many things.” This shows that members believe in a shift in reality surrounding membership.

Emotional Control

1.Manipulate and narrow the range of feelings – some emotions and/or needs are deemed as evil, wrong or selfish

At no point do we see emotions or needs deemed as evil, wrong, or selfish by the Children of the Watch. Most members do appear unexpressive and monotone, but this is likely due to the constant wearing of face coverings.

2.Teach emotion-stopping techniques to block feelings of homesickness, anger, doubt

We do not see any emotion-stopping techniques used by the Tribe.

3.Make the person feel that problems are always their own fault, never the leader’s or the group’s fault

There is no evidence of blame-shifting within the Children of the Watch.

4.Promote feelings of guilt or unworthiness, such as: a. Identity guilt b. You are not living up to your potential c. Your family is deficient d. Your past is suspect e. Your affiliations are unwise f. Your thoughts, feelings, actions are irrelevant or selfish g. Social guilt f. Historical guilt

Mandalorians in the Children of the Watch likely do experience some degree of guilt, as they are required to follow a strict moral code in the form of the Creed. However, these feelings do not seem to be actively promoted by leadership within the Tribe.

5.Instill fear, such as fear of: a. Thinking independently b. The outside world c. Enemies d. Losing one’s salvation e. Leaving or being shunned by the group f. Other’s disapproval f. Historical guilt

The Children of the Watch engage in shunning, excommunication, and banishing. This occurs when a member of the group does not adhere to the Creed, for example by removing their helmet. By Creed, once a member is exiled they are no longer considered Mandalorian and may only seek redemption by bathing in the living waters under the mines of Mandalore.

6.Extremes of emotional highs and lows – love bombing and praise one moment and then declaring you are horrible sinner

Love bombing and extreme highs and lows are not utilized by the Tribe to manipulate members.

7.Ritualistic and sometimes public confession of sins

Din Djarin, after taking off his helmet in the presence of another living creature, is questioned by the Armorer and forced to confess in front of Paz Vizsla before he is swiftly excommunicated and exiled. Whenever asked, Mandalorians are required to vow that they have been loyally adhering to the Creed.

8.Phobia indoctrination: inculcating irrational fears about leaving the group or questioning the leader’s authority a. No happiness or fulfillment possible outside of the group b. Terrible consequences if you leave: hell, demon possession, incurable diseases, accidents, suicide, insanity, 10,000 reincarnations, etc. c. Shunning of those who leave; fear of being rejected by friends and family d. Never a legitimate reason to leave; those who leave are weak, undisciplined, unspiritual, worldly, brainwashed by family or counselor, or seduced by money, sex, or rock and roll e. Threats of harm to ex-member and family

(See 5.)

Conclusion

After analyzing each individual point on the BITE model and applying it to The Children of the Watch, I have come to the conclusion that no, Din Djarin’s covert is not a cult. Though the group is quite orthodox in its beliefs, it does not engage in authoritarian control over its members.

If you enjoyed this breakdown and would like to see more posts like this in the future, let me know! I may do a BITE model analysis of the Jedi order if enough people are interested.

#I spent so much time on this #please tell me people care about this topic #star wars #the mandalorian #the mandalorian s3 #din Djarin #bo katan kryze #ragnar vizsla #the armorer #deathwatch #children of the watch #star wars analysis #star wars thoughts #cults #bite model #the helmet stays on

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sleidog · 1 year

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tag 9 people you’d like to get to know better!

tagged by @el-is-away

1. three ships

I'm not a HUGE shipper outside of OCs, i sit pretty neutral on most things, but ships i've drawn before or actually thought about are;

FFXV: ravus/ignis, noctis/ignis [sometimes i flip flop, include all three them, etc] Yakuza: kiryu/majima monster hunter: julius/aiden [i like to think they kept in contact during MHW era 👀]

with OCs; slei/-insert OC of choice-, rui/sinigh, teo/stiu/treab

2. last song

according to spotify it was 'in love with love' by smash into pieces

3. last movie

treasure planet and road to el dorado since we watched them p much back to back [NEW movie would be lyle lyle crocodile]

4. currently reading

not a whole lot with my work schedule, but i have all the guild wars books on my shelf waiting for me to have time

5. currently watching

no distinct series', i guess the last thing that was a series i watched is dragon prince

6. currently consuming

i've not grabbed food yet, so, a fruit twist fanta x)

7. currently craving

seeing stu again, not being so brain frazzled with work

I tag: i saw stu got tagged, so uuuuh @commander-winterberry @fern-hounds @guildwuff2 @straywyvern @woozyintyria @ritens @legendaryskyscale @kjk-art @massivechildshark [don't mind me plucking people from my discord server because i'm bad with tagging people on memes, you don't have to if you don't want to!]

#tag games

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dafuzzz · 2 years

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The Morganville Vampires 1&2 (2009) - Rachel Caine

Rating: 4 / 5

(No Spoiler Review)

The Morganville Vampires series has absolutely risen to the top five in my blood-sucker favorites list, and trust me when I say I have read a lot of vampire novels so this is not a small decision. Can you tell I have absolutely CRUSHED a good portion of this series on the DL? I know, I know, I am late as heck to this party, but I think experiencing this after a hefty twilight phase makes the whole thing so much better. Lets talk about it!

Glass Houses (Book 1) was a wonderfully strong hook into this series. Within the first few pages alone I was latched on to the concept of Claire and this world she resides in. Mean girls that would make Regina George herself look like a member of the lollipop guild? Vampires? Vampire HUNTERS? Fed up humans? Yes, Yes, Yes, and YES. This novel is packed full of colorful characters who are easy to love or completely loathe with every fiber of your being, keeping a reader around for the long haul.

To top it all off, I present to you an /organized vampire hierarchy/ and humans who have to abide by their rules to survive. Human families who pledge their blood to a vampire for protection presented a dynamic that was new to me and something I didn’t know I craved to see. Without effort this book filled a hole in my vampire loving chest. Oh, and did I mention there is romance in this series? I could not believe how easily it fit into the story without completely overriding all of the meaty bits that drove this book forward. It sounds a little chaotic but I promise everything blend perfectly into a tall drink of water I wouldn’t recommend missing. Should you choose to partake, have the second book on standby because the cliffhanger on that ending will leave you frothing at the mouth for more.

The Dead Girl’s Dance (Book 2) had my jaw denting the floor over its never-ending action and awe-inspiring turns. I would liken the events unfolding to that of the famous boulder that raced after Indiana Jones, in the best possible way. This novel will make you hurt, love, gasp, and scream...although maybe not in that particular order. We are talking murder, revival, betrayal, and a huge look into the vampire hater side of this dispute. Now I pride myself on giving honest book opinions without dramatically spoiling the inside, since I think the experience of reading should be something for you all to enjoy, but WOWEE. I don’t think there is much I could say without thumping a hornets nest of spoilers, but I’ll do my best to get across just how intoxicating this was.

We find ourselves learning more about Shane and the crew’s unfortunate residual consequences of living in this society, and watch as the return of these traumas explode havoc not only in the life of our lovely Claire, but all across the city. It adds another layer of complexity icing to the dark underbelly of this already rich vampiric cake to watch as she attempts to pick up the pieces of not only her boyfriend’s life as it goes to crap, but the shattered routine “peace” of Morganville that just barely kept her friends out of trouble. I’m talking unwanted family meetings, kidnappings, and deals that would put devils to shame.

~~~ I cannot commend this series enough, if that wasn’t already painfully obvious, and admit that I am much further ahead than these books on the review so let me know if you really want me to lay each book out here because I think I will be leaving here otherwise. Those two really speak for themselves once you start them. ~~~

#the morganville vampires #book review #bookworm #book blog #book obsessed #books & libraries #book #vampire #vampyr #vampire book #ya novels #young adult novels #rachel caine

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bookgeekgrrl · 2 years

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My media this week (26 Dec 2021 - 1 Jan 2022)

📚 STUFF I READ 📚

😍 Hither, Page (Page & Sommers #1) (Cat Sebastian)

🙂 Domestic Service (Ella Fenn)

😊 Begin Again the Story (rainbow_nerds) - 50K, shrinkyclinks, WS recovery-through-cooking fic

🥰 Pragmatics (Derkish) - 57K, DinLuke - modern setting AU - "Luke is a grad student trying to finish his linguistics PhD after an unexpected leave of absence. His neighbor, Din, is a single dad and delivery guy at Pizza Parsec. (Actually, Pizza Parsec is just a front for the bounty hunters' guild. But Luke doesn't need to know that.)"

😊 Clouds of Witness (Lord Peter Wimsey #2) (Dorothy L Sayers, author; Ian Carmichael, narrator)

😍 the summer of a thousand julys (brideofquiet, author; alby_mangroves, art) - 53K, pre-war Stucky - Bucky discovers Steve's a sex worker and it prompts a lot of confusion, contemplation, want and feelings. Or to quote the author's own tag "steve and bucky the 21-year-old dumbasses extravaganza"

😐 The Mystery of the Spirits (Snow & Winter #5) (C.S. Poe) - you know, sometimes it's better if you don't get a sequel no matter how much you love the characters. Seb & crew are still great & I loved seeing Aubrey again. But there were 2 plot/supporting character things that really left me majorly irritated and dissatisfied. Really sad to leave something once so enjoyable to me with such a sour taste. I still am going to enjoy the 5 previous books in this universe and just consider it closed after the prior book if I ever do a reread.

😐 Unnatural Death (Lord Peter Wimsey #3) (Dorothy L Sayers, author; Ian Carmichael, narrator) - I did remember to skip book #1 due to the pervasive antisemitism but I forgot just how much racism/antisemitism was in this one too. The murder plot is great though.

🥰 (if only in my dreams) (jehans) - 45K, Stucky AU - dumbasses & friends-to-lovers, entire pine forest - reread, fave

😊 The Unpleasantness at the Bellonna Club (Lord Peter Wimsey #4 (Dorothy L Sayers)

😍 The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes: A Scandal in Bohemia; The Red-Headed League (Arthur Conan Doyle, author; Stephen Fry, narrator)

💖 +269K of shorter fic so shorter work shout out 💖

(::whispers:: Yuletide, baby!)

Accidental Husbands - A Christmas Vignette (darter_blue) - MCU: shrunkyclunks, 7K - love this iteration of them

(next year it'll be clear) this was only leading me to that (alasse) - 10 Things I Hate About You: Kat Stratford/Patrick Verona, 5K - really loved this, very in character and realistic

Live Long and Prosper, Motherfucker (Suaine) - Die Hard: Matt Farrell/John McClane, 6K - as I say every year, I don't know how I got here but I ain't mad about it

A Stitch Apart (FairestCat) - Page & Sommers - Cat Sebastian: Cora Delacourt/Edith Pickering, 2K - really want more of Edith/Cora pre-canon adventures!

I've Got A Rainbow, It's In My Mouth (inlovewithnight) - Ted Lasso: Keeley/Roy/Jamie, 10K

The Universe in Miniature (Door) - Father Brown (TV series): Robert Malmort/Joan Vanderlande, 1K - this fic was gentle, luminous, exquisite

📺 STUFF I WATCHED 📺

Ghosts - s3, e7 (2021 Christmas ep)

Murdoch Mysteries: Home For The Holidays (s11, e0)

Murdoch Mysteries: Once Upon a Murdoch Christmas (s10, e0)

Big Fat Quiz of the Year 2021

The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring

The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers

🎧 PODCASTS 🎧

Shedunnit - Ngaio Marsh Goes Home

Shedunnit - Dorothy L Sayers Solves Her Mystery

Shedunnit - Murder Isn’t Easy

Shedunnit - Audiobook: The Woman in the Big Hat by Baroness Orczy

Shedunnit - Audiobook: Peter Crane’s Cigars by V. L. Whitechurch

Shedunnit - Audiobook: How The Bank Was Saved by V. L. Whitechurch

FILMS TO BE BURIED WITH Patreon Crew! - Kevin Pollak

Ologies with Alie Ward - Raccoonology (PROCYONIDS) with A Gaze of Raccoonologists

Hit Parade - Chestnut Roasters, Part 1 & 2

Shedunnit - Bonus: John Pugmire Interview

🎶 MUSIC 🎶

Instrumental Dancehall Riddims

Modern Middle Eastern Instrumentals

Bold Brazilian Instrumentals

Future Bass Instrumentals

#sunday reading recap #bookgeekgrrl's reading habits #bookgeekgrrl's soundtracks #really bummed out by that snow & winter debacle #but still it was jarring and unpleasant #page and sommers series #lord peter wimsey #fanfic ftw #i read 130k of yuletide fics last sunday #absolutely glorious #lotr #shedunnit podcast #i'm finally caught up!#hit parade podcast #ologies podcast #films to be buried with podcast #been listening to a lot of white noise of the 'crackling wood stove' variety #fan makers are a *gift*

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pheita · 2 years

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I just had a weird idea. Ok, so the first "book" from my Sojan stories is called "Guild Hunter Sojan" and is about meeting Sojan, and him getting closure on his past, finding love again in Lyran, and finally facing his father. Right? Right. So from all the things I wrote, we can go on like this: "Lyran the fightning bard" as a sequel because the next series of events is about Lyran and Sojan becoming a real couple, Lyran facing his little trust issues when it comes to trusting people to stay with him and him deciding to become a hunter of the guild because he wants to be more of a help for Sojan when they travel the continent(s). This will be surely a dual POV because it will include some time they are apart from each other because of Lyran's little trust issues. And yes, the word fighting can be seen with two meanings in this case. Next would be "Elven warrior Niatenya" because this would be where the guys meet Niat, her decision to change from being an elven warrior to become a hunter of the guild and becoming more herself and less what people expected her to be. So again, it is about finding yourself, right? Right. This would probably start with the little novella "Song of their life" but changed to fit into her POV. Or do a two POV thing where I switch between Lyran and Niat. Woould makesense so we continue Sojan's and Lyran's story as well. We will see. So we have all the set-up now. We have a lot of people already known to readers. And now the big thing of Lyran getting his titles back. This will bring us to "Ylva, Mercenary of the Free" which will include the Halloween special, the short story after this, and the sequel of the Halloween special, but I would need to sort some things out and change a couple of things etc. We will not only include Ylva in the greater storyline and add her to the poly relationship the guys didn't realize they are starting. (Yeah, my dorks are idiots) but it will be told through 3 POVs with Ylva being one of them. (That's where I need to change things) And the worst of it. All those four WIPs will cover only about 15 years of the 20 I already wrote for. So what comes after this? Well, the next big event would be 4 years after they met Ylva, when idiot Sojan managed to get into the demon version of Pon Farr (yeah, I am a nerd lol), which is actually 1. funny given the fact he is graysexual 2. even funnier because he got into it because he started to think about starting a family with Lyran. Did I say, they are dorks? They are completely dumb. So let's say the aforementioned four WIPs are one cycle. So we will need to start a new cycle. Since it is all about a family of all kinds, I will have at least three WIPs in this cycle, and all should have something with family in their title. I am still working on this part. I don't know if I hate myself doing all this or if the world of Sojan got me in its grip too much. Oh, and I still need to incorporate better the world of Deyani, since I decided both continents are on the same globe. Maybe I let Ylva go back to her birthplace and let her run into my other group of found family idiots. Oh gosh, she will be trouble if she meets Deyani and Rogel. It will be hilarious! Ok, so far so good, and enough of my Monday noon thoughts. Tagging the taglist folks because I guess you might want to know this. Yeah, I am crazy.

@ashen-crest @adie-dee @cometworks @kainablue @abalonetea @writingamongther0ses @vivian-is-writing @viskafrer @contes-de-rheio

#writblr #writing #pheita talks #sojan

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benjamindisco · 2 years

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Tagged by: @krshush

fav color: Yellow!

Currently reading: Nothing 😔 Managed to read 3 books last year, but work and life is too much for me to even keep up with my normal relaxation things, never mind starting a new book

Last song: The Squeaky Wheel by The Dear Hunter was the last song that played on my drive home. It’s a good one

Last series: Delta and I are watching the newest season of The Great Pottery Throw Down right now! It’s such a good show. Hands down the best competition show out there. Season 4 and 5 are spectacular. Here’s hoping AJ wins 🤞🤞

Spicy/savory/sweet: If I could always be eating sweets I would be

Currently working on: ...staying alive? Trying to get more money from jobs? Nothing cool or good haha

Currently playing: Guild Wars 2. Always GW2. The new expansion comes out at the end of the month!

Tagging: No one, KR got our immediate friends. But feel free to do this if you want!

#ask meme #benji talks #watch The Great Pottery Throw Down #the last two seasons have trans people #and it's just a good wholesome competition show #everyone are friends #they make pottery #what more could you want

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tilbageidanmark · 3 years

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Movies I watched this week - 30

Joseph Losey’s brilliant 1963 ‘The Servant’, with dashing Dirk Bogarde and Bowie-lookalike Edward Fox in his first major role.

Chilly, ambiguous sexuality, stylish power dynamics and a creepy attack on Britain's class system. Written by Harold Pinter, with a cool jazz score, and crisp black and white cinematography. A game where the master becomes a slave - A true masterpiece.

✴️

After seeing ‘Pig’ last week, I knew I had to find the documentary The Truffle Hunters. It’s about a group of old mushroom foragers, all in their seventies and eighties, and their dogs, living in the mountains of Piedmont, Italy, and I’m glad I did.

Simple, delicate and rich - a rare find, like the truffles themselves - Best film of the week.

The trailer sums it up.

✴️

A straightforward Finnish biopic of ‘Tom of Finland’, the influential creator of homoerotic art and fashion. Fascinating subject told in a by-the-number style.

✴️

Thomas Vinterberg’s 2016 The Commune - a timid drama about a couple trying communal living in 1970s Copenhagen. It would be better if it was just about Trine Dyrholm's and her asshole husband’s (The always unpleasant Ulrich Thomsen) disintegrating marriage. 4/10

✴️

Borgman, a strange Dutch thriller about a charismatic hobo and his manipulative Manson Family posse who take control of a wealthy family and convert them too into his possessed followers. Some biblical and existentialist undertones, maybe diabolical, Christian horror, surrealistic symbolism and disturbing visuals. A mixed fair.

✴️

Harold and Maude, a love story between two people who like to attend funerals, a young man and 80 year old free spirit Ruth Gordon. With (unrelated to the plot) score by Cat Stevens.

Edgy? Eclectic? “With it”? Not so much after 50 years.

✴️

Benoît Delaunay’s very sad short animation Three Small Cats, about a cute cat family that dies one by one.

✴️

3 more with Willem Dafoe:

✳️✳️✳️ At eternity’s Gate, painter Julian Schnabel‘s hagiographic biopic of Vincent Van Gogh's last two years in Arles.

Beautiful! 9/10.

I remember having a precious edition of ‘Letters to Theo’, which decades later I just gave away with the rest of all my books... Sad!

✳️✳️✳️ Paris, je t'aime, a 2006 anthology of 18 vignettes, each set in different arrondissement (2 are missing). Most are romantic, enjoyable and sentimental “City-Porn”.

The last Alexander Payne short, where lonely letter carrier tourist Margo Martindale has an epiphany on why she loves the city, was perhaps the loveliest.

Also, Maggie Gyllenhaal as a hashish smoking actress was absolutely cute.

✳️✳️✳️ I didn’t know that Paul Schrader directed Adam, Resurrected, a 2008 Israeli film based on Yoram Kanyuk’s book ( אדם בן כלב‎ ). A horrible and cringy holocaust drama taking place at mental institute in the Negev in 1961.

Unfortunately it is headed by Human Ham Sandwich Jeff Goldblum in a three piece suit and with a fake German accent trying to hamm-out Jerry Lewis in his Auschwitz comedy ‘The Day the Clown Cried’.

One of the worst film I’ve seen during this project!

✴️

Le Samouraï, Jean-Pierre Melville’s tribute to American gangster genre of the 30′s and 40′s. With taciturn Gun-for-hire Alain Delon at his peak handsomeness. Solitary, coolly detached, deadly stylish.

✴️ Discovering Max Tohline:

✳️✳️✳️ Media scholar Max Tohline’s fascinating investigative video essay A Supercut of Supercuts. The 2 hour long academic discussion extends to before the beginning of the cinema to postulates that Supercuts are not a form of aesthetic, but a new mode of knowledge - the database episteme.

Compelling! I’m going to watch the rest of his output!

✳️✳️✳️ ‘The Conversation’ is the Confessional - ‘We’ve heard it all before’.

✳️✳️✳️ Editing as Punctuation in Film - "The whole eloquence of cinema is achieved in the editing room"

✳️✳️✳️ From ^ there ^: György Pálfi’s Final Cut, Ladies and Gentlemen, a romantic experimental mash-up, made up of 450 clips from the most famous films in history. It seems that I’ve seen 90% of all of them here in recent years.

10/10

✳️✳️✳️ More from ^ there ^ : Chuck Workman’s 1986 Precious Images. 470 half-second-long splices of movie moments through the history of American film. Commissioned by the Directors Guild for its 50th anniversary.

✴️

I dislike most “action” movies, but I love Tony Gilroy’s Bourne trilogy, and watch them regularly. I just binged again on The Bourne Identity, ‘Supremacy and 'Ultimatum, the films he wrote just before directing ‘Michael Clayton’.

All three of them follow the same story patterns. I don’t want to see the last two.

Here is Tony Gilroy Delivers a 2013 BAFTA Screenwriters' Lecture.

Link: About The Bourne trilogy’s shaky-cam action.

✴️

I finally finished Your honor, Bryan Cranston’s 10 episode series, which was unfairly compared to Breaking Bad. Yes, both are dealing with a respectable member of society going ‘Bad’, in this case a New Orleans judge whose son accidentally kills a motorcyclist, and who decides to cover it up.

But this is no ‘Breaking Bad’, because the ridiculous drama here is lazy, full of holes and clichéd throughout.

Based on an Israeli series ‘Kvodo’.

✴️

The princess Bride - First watch: Yes, it’s very quotable. If I was 12 seeing it for the first time, I might find it enchanting, but since I’ve waited 56 years, nah...

✴️

The Hater, another despicable Polish film about a young social media sociopath, online stalker and manipulator who works at troll farm and foments hatred, violence and destruction.

(I’m glad I quit Netflix).

- - - - -

(My complete movie list is here)

#movies

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personaleffectsandotherthings · 2 years

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Amy's Bookish Top 10 of 2021 1. An Author I Read for the First Time: Ann Aguirre 2. A Series I Finished: The Wolves of Mercy Falls by Maggie Stiefvater 3. A Book That Surprised Me: Cursed Luck by Kelley Armstrong 4. A Book to Film I Want to See in 2022: The Black Phone by Joe Hill 5. A Book That Made Me Laugh Out Loud: Broken (in the best possible way) by Jenny Lawson 6. A Book That Made Me Cry: Lone Wolf by Jodi Piccoult 7. An Awesome Book Cover of 2021: Wild Sign by Patricia Briggs 8. A Favourite Book Couple: Raphael and Elena - The Guild Hunter Series by Nalini Singh 9. Top Anticipated Next in Series or Sequel: Munro by Kresley Cole 10. A New Series to Start in 2022: Elemental Assassin by Jennifer Estep #books #top10 #top10books #reading https://www.instagram.com/p/CYKz6LbMszG/?utm_medium=tumblr

#books #top10 #top10books #reading

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ulfrsmal · 3 months

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Reading List Tag Game

Thank you for the tag @alexagirlie ! :D

What are your recent, current, and future reads?

Recent: In this month of January '24, I've read, ranked most to least recent:

The Stolen Heir by Holly Black (The Stolen Heir Duology #1)

Archangel's Prophecy by Nalini Singh (Guild Hunter Series #11)

Rise of Empire by Michael J. Sullivan (The Riyria Revelations #3+4)

Archangel's Viper by Nalini Singh (Guild Hunter Series #10)

The Sea of Monsters by Rick Riordan (Percy Jackson & The Olympians #2)

Giovanni's Room by James Baldwin

Archangel's Heart by Nalini Singh (Guild Hunter Series #9)

and I also finished House of Chains by Steven Erikson (Malazan #4) which I started December '23. I've read more than I thought I had!

Current:

Midnight Tides by Steven Erikson (Malazan Book of the Fallen #5)

Future:

Skyward Flight (novella collection) & Words of Radiance (Stormlight Archive #2), both by Brandon Sanderson. Also The Atlas Complex by Olivie Blake (The Atlas Six Series #3), been waiting like 3-4 weeks to get to that one 😫

I'm not tagging anyone but if you wanna rave about books, consider yourself tagged by me! :D

#thank you for tagging me #wynne rambles #books #i've never been more glad i keep a reading journal lmao i could not have answered this off the top of my forgetful head

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dmitrigivesgoodblood · 3 years

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Speaking of Re-Reading

From Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/p/CP0zGKMrh6S/

alecia_reads

📖ANNOUCEMENT📖

We are interviewing @authornalinisingh … this is not a drill!

#RomanceBookSquad is back for a summer readalong! It’s time for some PNR/ Urban Fantasy goodness while your rubbing on your SPF 75 at the pool or the beach! We are super excited to dive into Nalini Singh’s Guild Hunter series with books 1-6!

"Angels rule over humans and vampires, but the most powerful of them all are the archangels. Beautiful. Deadly. Sometimes cruel. Always unpredictable. There are several different groups represented – the archangels, the angels, the vampires, and the Guild Hunters."

We are each taking a week to do chats in the discord and IG lives!

Here are the book dates:

1. Angels’ Blood. Start June 18th Alecia

2. Archangel’s Kiss. Start June 25th. Kerry

3. Archangel’s Consort. Start July 2nd Nathasha

4. Archangel’s Blade. Start July 9th. Natasha

5. Archangel’s Storm. Start July 16th Tori

6. Archangel’s Legion. Start July 23rd Krys 

Then JULY 30th we are talking to Nalini Singh! No big deal, just you know a New Times Bestselling author!

If you are already in our Discord, just go the channel on the left that’s called Nalini Singh to find the book breakdowns. If you want to join it, DM me.

Make sure to follow all of use to get updates on IG lives!

To join the discord you can Dm Alecia here: https://www.instagram.com/alecia_reads/

#Nalini Singh #guild hunter #readalong #Archangel's Blood #Archangel's Kiss #Archangel's Consort #Archangel's Blade #Archangel's Storm #Archangel's Legion #Author interview

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thelatelockdownlist · 3 years

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A Series on Series 02: Nalini Singh’s Psy-Changeling/Trinity Series

Hi! I’m Alex, a YouTube Newbie and this is The Late Lockdown List where I talk about the list of things I’ve got on my mind since the lockdown started. Today, on the second episode of A Series on Series, I’ll be talking about one of my favorite romance novel series ever:

Spoilers galore! That’s it. That’s the disclaimer.

So who are the Psys and and who are the Changelings?

In this world, there are three predominant races: the Psys who have powers akin to those of Professor X and Jean Grey, the Changelings who are shifters -- both animal and human forms, and the humans -- just humans.

There are two main changeling 'packs' in the series: the cats (leopards and panthers) - DarkRiver and the wolves - SnowDancer. As of this writing, there are 15 books under the Psy-Changeling series and 4 under its spinoff -- Trinity -- so named because they've included the other race: humans.

The series starts with Slave to Sensation

with Sasha Duncan, a Psy, who gets involved with Lucas Hunter, the alpha of the DarkRiver cats.

Sasha is a cardinal Psy. This means she’s very strong - literally off the charts strong, because their scale only goes up to 9 and cardinals are way over 10. But her abilities have not manifested. Her mother, Nikita Duncan, is a member of the ruling council. In this book, Nikita decides to enter into a sort of business partnership with the DarkRiver cats to sell real estate to changelings. Sasha becomes the point of contact.

So that’s basically how it starts. If you want to know more about the story, please go ahead and read it. I don’t want to tell you because that would be a disservice to the author.

However, I’m going to tell you what I love about this book and the books that follow.

I think Ms. Singh is a great world builder. There are a lot of familiar things about this world where Psys -- who are in the Marvel parlance, mutants -- and changelings -- think were animals but that’s oversimplifying it -- coexists with humans. She sets up the story so well without overexplaining it -- showing AND telling at the same time.

I found it very easy to dive into this world inhabited by the gifted and the supernatural mostly because their problems mirror a lot of what we contend with in the real world: corrupt politicians, violent crackdown of dissenters, prejudice against those who are not like ourselves… The characters in the story deal with these problems using their gifts -- ones we don’t have, but I understand their motivations and the decisions they make -- right or wrong.

It may sound trite but the human element in the circumstances in which the characters find themselves are very real and I couldn’t help but be drawn and just stay engaged the entire time.

So after finishing the first book, I hunted for the next and was completely gratified that it’s a series. I get to know what happens after and that’s amazingly satisfying. I also get to find out more about the initially peripheral characters in the book. And I get to learn more about what “Silence” is and why it’s starting to break…

The next books are about the rest of the packs with a smattering of Psys and humans here and there. The pairings are usually Psy and changeling. Down the road, you get human and Psy and then human and changeling. You’ll also meet the so-called bogeyman of the Psys: the Arrows. Essentially, they’re a squad of highly trained assassins, most of them trained since childhood. Fascinating bunch.

The last book in the Psy/Changeling series is Allegiance of Honor

which sets up the spinoff Trinity series.

In this book, we meet an almost one-year-old Naya - Lucas’ and Sasha’s half-psy/half-changeling daughter and the only one in the world - who can now shift. This is also the book where we find out just exactly how many ‘pupcubs’ Mercy and Reilly have.

It’s not all cute stuff, though. There’s an abduction attempt, a ‘righteous’ killing and vengeance. All through it, we see the lives of the Psys, Changelings and humans evolve to try to live in this world where there’s now a real possibility of all three races co-existing in peace.

Of course, si vis pacem, para bellum. If you want peace, prepare for war. And there’s a lot of foreshadowing.

So I’ve mentioned Trinity several times. The first book in the spinoff Trinity series is Silver Silence

where we meet Psy Silver Mercant, assistant of Kaleb Krychek who is the former Councilor now member of the new Trinity Accord council. Kaleb and Sahara Kyriakus’ story is told in the 12th book, Heart of Obsidian

We also meet another changeling pack, the StoneWater bears and its alpha, Valentin Nikolaev.

In this book, someone is committing acts of terrorism against humans -- to start -- to undermine EmNet or Emergency Net headed by Silver. In the previous books, EmNet coordinated rescue and relief operations.

The three other books in this series deal with more of the fallout of the creation of Trinity. A shadowy organization called the Consortium -- which is like the reverse side of Trinity -- also made up of all three races -- that seeks to undermine what Trinity wants to accomplish. It wants to sow discord among the races so they can go back to how it used to be: Psy, Changeling and humans living apart and keeping to themselves.

I’ve talked about what I loved about this series, but I realized I left out one important thing: romance. Each book tells you the love story, either the start of one or the continuation of the ones you’d read before, of the characters. The dynamics of the relationships are different, especially among the changelings because they have a hierarchy: an alpha, his/her sentinels, lieutenants and soldiers. They’re also classified into two ‘dispositions’: dominants and submissives. The dominants are usually soldiers, but there are also maternal dominants -- ones who protect the hearth and home from within the hearth and home. In this world, submissives hardly ever hold eye contact for long against dominants, which makes for a power imbalance in a relationship where you’re ideally supposed to be equals. However, with mates -- like wolves, changelings who mate -- explained like a magical and psychic merging of the souls -- mate for life. With mates, the dominant-submissive dynamic is less structured. It wouldn’t make for a good relationship if the submissive doesn’t have ways to be in equal footing as the dominant. Here is where the human side of the changelings appear. The mating bond snaps into place only when both parties let it happen. It is up to the female (all of the major matings in this story are heterosexual) to decide to accept the mating bond. However, it is the male who becomes aware of the ‘mating dance’ first.

I may be explaining it badly, but if you’re intrigued, go read the books. Seriously.

One other thing I love about this series that I know I’ve mentioned but feel like I should say again: this is a world you can happily get lost in. The way it’s built is so intricate; the details seem to jump out of the pages. I feel so invested in what happens to every single character that gets introduced in every book.

Of course, I have favorites like Roman and Jules -- twin DarkRiver cubs who were introduced in the first book.

I find myself looking for mentions of the pups or cubs because of how Ms. Singh writes them. Imagine having a toddler and puppy/kitten existing in one body.

It’s difficult to choose a favorite, but so far, mine is Allegiance of Honor.

It has all my favorite characters and it’s a great setup to the spinoff. I was so relieved to hear about the spinoff because I thought that I would have to say goodbye to all of them. This way, I still see glimpses of my favorites while being introduced to new people and how they form connections to the characters that have yet to be explored.

That’s it for me. I hope you enjoyed listening to me ramble on and on about the Psy/Changeling/Trinity series.

The latest book, Alpha Night

has been out since June 2020. Thanks for watching, and I’ll see you in the next episode where I discuss Nalini Singh’s other supernatural/paranormal series, Guild Hunter series.

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mjmnorwood · 4 years

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[I.D. A header image of two pencils on a yellow background, with title reading ‘Making Fantasy Worlds Feel Real’. End I.D.]

I love reading books where the author has crafted a world so believable that you feel like you’re really there, and over the years I’ve spotted a few techniques that I think really help elicit this feeling in readers. The title says fantasy worlds, because that’s what I have most experience with, but these tricks should work just as well for sci-fi!

1. When there’s an opportunity to be specific, be so.

The devil is in the details, and so are worldbuilding opportunities! I find that being specific is a great way to make a world feel realistic, and get across the tone of a story. You could just say your characters are having breakfast, but mentioning what they’re eating can really add to the scene. Perhaps they’re having porridge, which conveys a sense of normalcy, or maybe they’re eating Sustainagrain!™ which suggests a corporate-led sci-fi setting. Details can also show information about a character without outright stating it. You can just have a character gathering herbs, but if you specify that they’re collecting rosemary and thyme it suggests they’re going to cook, whereas saying they’re gathering feverfew suggests medical use.

The great thing about this technique is it makes things feel more realistic without adding much to your word count!

2. Use language to bring your world to life.

Story-specific slang can make a world feel so rich. Sometimes, a character’s background means it makes sense for them to speak formally, but if all your characters speak this way it can draw attention to the fact that they’re literary creations. For characters whose backgrounds involve growing up in more informal environments, the casual nature of slang feels very realistic.

Another facet of this is idioms, which are incredibly useful both for making dialogue feel natural, and giving details about worldbuilding. As an example, in my WIP one character tells another that they’re ‘looking greyer than a monk’s habit’, which conveys both the fact that the character looks unwell, and that monks wear grey in this world. It’s a small detail, but as we covered in the point above, small details can be great for realism.

Making up slang and idioms that don’t feel forced can take a bit of practice. For an example of where this is incredibly well-done I recommend Tamora Pierce’s Beka Cooper books. The slang and idioms felt so natural that after I read the books I unconsciously started using some of them in real life!

3. Don’t let your world be static; give it a history.

Sometimes it makes thematic sense for a world to be unchanging, but for the majority of cases this isn’t so. Giving your world a history that characters can casually refer to makes it seem like it exists outside of the book—it was there before the reader opened the first page, and will continue to be there after they’ve read the last line. This is especially effective if historical events have directly shaped the way the world and characters are now. Big, important events are great for this, but don’t underestimate the power of small changes. Little things like, for example, if guild regulations have recently been revised, show that the plot isn’t the only thing that drives change in this world, and that its people, places, and institutions don’t just exist to serve the story.

For a stellar example of a believable history, I recommend reading Lois McMaster Bujold’s Vorkosigan Saga. I know Bujold’s work has cropped up in a lot of my posts, but that’s because 1. I’m rereading the vorkosiverse right now, so it’s on my mind, and 2. she is very good. The history in her books feels so real that I have strong emotional responses to historical tragedies, despite knowing they’re fictional.

4. If something exists in the real world, consider using that rather than a fantasy version.

This is very much my opinion (even more so than the other points), but I feel that readers are more likely to engage with the fantastical aspects of a story if they know that the other details of the world do exist in reality (or could conceivably exist). I ran into this with my WIP—I needed a poison with very specific properties, so I made one up. However, when I was redrafting I decided to look into the matter a bit more, and found an obscure real-world poison that had almost everything I needed for the plot to make sense. I decided to use this as I felt it would be fairer to readers if they had at least a chance of figuring out the poison—a slim chance, but not inconceivable for a reader with an interest in toxicology. If I had used my fantasy poison, they would have had no chance at all.

I recommend Michelle Paver’s Chronicles of Ancient Darkness as a good example of this. Don’t be put off by the melodramatic series name, these are fantastic books. They feature mages, spirits, and demons, but Paver uses real-world survival techniques to make the lives of her hunter-gatherer characters feel grounded in reality.

Final note: Believability isn’t the be-all-and-end-all of good fantasy worldbuilding. A lot of authors don’t worry about realism and still write brilliant books, e.g. Patricia C. Wrede’s Enchanted Forest Chronicles are built on playing around with fairytale tropes. There are also authors like Terry Pratchett, who are somewhere in between—a lot of Pratchett’s characters/plots/worldbuilding are built on narrative causality rather than realism, but many of the details he includes are very realistic (like his descriptions of how food is supplied to Ankh-Morpork).

I hope you find these tricks as useful as I do, regardless of how realistic you want your world to be.

Like this post? Follow for more writerly content! It’ll be lovely to have you along :D

#writing advice #writing tips #writing help #writeblr #worldbuilding #fantasy #science fiction #scifi #writing #writers #writers on tumblr #writeblr community #writblr #fiction analysis #lois mcmaster bujold #tamora pierce #original

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