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#protagonist x faerie
truthflower19 · 2 years
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Mates are souls that are fated to be together however it doesn’t mean a mate is a person true love. SJM remind us that not all mated couples are happy together yes been mates creates a very strong bond but not love
We see how rhys loves feyre even without the mate bond been accepted he said he fall in love with her because she is one of them(IC) even cassian state he almost fall on his knees when he saw nesta that he loves the looks that she gives to people . The mate bond is there but they had been in love with their mates because of who they are
In others words a mate bond makes the male protective over the female and it also creates lust but not love, love is something that makes the bond even stronger in my opinion
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eerna · 10 days
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Ok Ok so I've been thinking this for. quite a while like even before Stolen Heir was released. it's kind of controversial because I might be making mountain out of a molehill but -
I think Jurdan fans border on being disrespectful to Holly Black at times... the problem isn't what one chooses to focus on even though that annoys me too, like it's not like people can control the fact that they focus more/love a character more than the other. But I'm starting to see this especially on Instagram and Goodreads, and I think I have good reason to believe HB is more active on insta and Goodreads is like, the book reviewing site, if there's any place she may look for comments or critique it's that.
and my problem lies with the language used . HB can announce she's working on something and can give hints about it and I've seen soo many people just outright tell her "I don't care about [x] and [y] just give me JURDAN!!" or anything along that vein , there's also "I'm only reading this for Jurdan lol I kind of couldn't care less about []".
It genuinely annoys me a lot !! And I wish I could say to each their own but ykw? At some point it starts to feel like if these two characters aren't involved people don't even try to make an effort to connect with the other characters, the new protagonist, etc. To be honest your page was a breath of fresh air because I don't even see a lot of folks focus on ANYTHING in TFOTA other than this ship.
There's also the irony that so many people pride themselves on loving Jude, their morally grey female rage character, but refuse to discuss Taryn with nuance. Or Vivi, sometimes. It's weird how so many people love Madoc (justified, I like him too) then refuse to think that hey, maybe Taryn's way of coping with faerie is different than Jude and that affects her actions! something something fandom misogyny
The above unrelated paragraph is just to say that a Nicasia focused book is something many people just absolutely will not be able to handle lmao and I so dearly wish Jude and Cardan's 'screentime' is few and far in between just so that it's less palatable. But oh well.
(And after Prisoner's Throne it worries me because with the implication that the Nicasia focused book might have Jude and Cardan POVs I feel like she's catering more to these people now.
If that's how things turn out that would genuinely make me really sad because I didn't pick up her books after reading TCP, I started with Spiderwick Chronicles, then Modern Faerie Tales, and I love the way she creates atmosphere, her worldbuilding, her depiction of the weird and creepy and magical. I especially think that's her strongest suit, more than characterization, so something like this that hinges more on specific characters genuinely turns me off.)
AGREED SO MUCH WITH ALL OF ITTT I too noticed the really dumb people in her comments crapping on everything that isn't a new Jurdan book... Like, the woman was writing books and enjoyed fame 15 years before Jurdan happened. She obviously has a lot to say about her world. Why the hell would you want her to stop developing it and only focus on 2 characters??? I was a big Spiderwick fan as a kid, and when I read TFOTA I had no idea it was by the same writer but I could TELL the vibes were all there. I too think that is her specialty and I'd rather get 10 stories on different characters than 5 on Jurdan.
I want the Undersea book to be about Nicasia and part of it is because I agree, I think most of the fandom would HATE it and it would fry their brains, and I want to see it. It is dumb and petty of me, but it would be sweet vindication for all the clowns screaming into my ear that Taryn is problematic actually in case I didn't notice. Ultimately I know it is a fruitless endeavor. TFOTA has the misfortune of being too good and complicated for its main audience of tiktok book fans, but also too bad and simplified to spread into more general, unspecified fantasy circles where its themes could catch the attention of people who would know how to appreciate them. That means there is only a small portion of fans who both like the books AND have the critical thinking skills to appreciate all the things they do right outside of romance/basic female wish fulfilment.
In the end, judging by TPT, we are gonna have to take the L and accept we bet on the wrong horse and minority does not make the money. But at least we will be there together to make a mountain out of a molehill!
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demifiendrsa · 4 months
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Visions of Mana | Announce Trailer
Visions of Mana will launch for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 4, and PC (Microsoft Store, Steam) in 2024.
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First details
A brand-new entry in the beloved Mana series, Visions of Mana is the first mainline instalment in more than 15 years. Visions of Mana will return to the series action RPG roots and take players on a new adventure with protagonist Val, a soul guard assigned to protect his childhood friend, who has been chosen by the Faerie as the Alm of Fire to travel to the Tree of Mana and rejuvenate the mana flow. Square Enix released a new trailer which provides a first look at the newly imagined world of Mana in the all-new Visions of Mana. The trailer features action-packed gameplay and showcases a vibrant world where players will be able to journey across a range of breathtaking environments, battle with an array of enemies and monsters, including fan-favorite Rabites, while exploring a world where the powers of nature and elemental spirits connect. Fans and newcomers alike will also get to experience new and evolved gameplay with real-time 3D combat. Since the series’ debut in 1991 as Final Fantasy Adventure, a spin-off of the Final Fantasy series, Mana games have immersed players in bright vibrant worlds, breathtaking environments, heartwarming characters and high fantasy storylines across many genres and platforms. Fans of the series can expect new designs of the series’ beloved creatures from Mana series Illustrator Airi Yoshioka and a new captivating musical score composed by Mana series composers Hiroki Kikuta, Tsuyoshi Sekito and Ryo Yamazaki. “I am delighted to finally be able to reveal Visions of Mana, the first mainline instalment to Mana series in over fifteen years,” said Mana series Producer, Masaru Oyamada. “The development team have been working hard to ensure that Visions of Mana remains faithful to the series that players know and love while also offering fans and newcomers a fresh new experience with an all-new story, characters, and gameplay mechanics. We cannot wait to share more details about the game with you soon.” To celebrate the reveal of Visions of Mana, popular series artist HACCAN created new teaser artwork which gives players a glimpse of the iconic Tree of Mana against one of the game’s enchanting vistas and a variety of the heartwarming characters that players can expect to encounter within the game.
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wearesorcerer · 1 year
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Top 5 sorcerer basckstories!!
I'm choosing to interpret "backstories" literally instead of mechanically (PF bloodlines, 5e origins), 'cuz there are quite a lot that aren't covered that way. As such...
#5: Lab Accident
Sugar. Spice. And Everything Nice. These were the ingredients chosen to create the perfect little girl. But Professor Utonium accidentally unloaded added an extra ingredient to the concoction: a can of whoop-ass Chemical X. Thus, the Powerpuff Girls were born! Using their ultra super powers, Blossom, Bubbles, and Buttercup have dedicated their lives to fighting crime and the forces of evil!
It could be a chemical (modern science)/alchemical concoction, a laser, some sort of cosmic energy, lightning, or whatever; you weren't meant to be exposed to it, but you were. As a result, you have powers.
Bear in mind that while this is a comic book cliche (emphasis on cliche: I hate that the MCU decided to emphasize the Science Origin for all heroes [even Thor] prior to Doctor Strange), but it works well in D&D because no one uses it. Sorcerers have a hard time distinguishing themselves from Wizards because Wizards were already about throwing fireballs, lightning bolts, and magic missiles before Sorcerers were distinguished from them (and pigeonholed into doing the exact same thing). Embrace that by flipping the tables: instead of having a magical talent that got you inducted into a prestigious academy for wizardry, be some sort of academic who in the course of their studies inadvertently gained godlike power.
#4: Psychological Problem
In Matilda, the eponymous protagonist develops telekinesis because she's supremely intellectually gifted and under-challenged by her course work -- her brain has to do something with the extra power. (We all wish we were Matilda.) Matilda doesn't have a diagnosable disorder underlying her powers (at least, from this explanation; there's a lot to that book), but boredom from lack of stimulation still constitutes a psychological problem. (Plenty of characters with powers have psychological issues, as well.)
#3: Touched by Vorlons
You don't have to enter into a relationship with a magical being (i.e., be a Cleric or Warlock) to be affected by one and gain powers. H.P. Lovecraft's Great Old Ones were prone to have their thoughts and dreams invade those of mere mortals (largely unintentionally), which could have all sorts of warping potential. People who claim to have been abducted by aliens (or faeries) sometimes also claim to have developed latent clairvoyant (or similar) abilities.
This is essentially the same thing as #5 except that it roots you into the Weird part of the world instead of having some academic pursuit make you adjacent to it. As with Warlocks, Clerics, and Sorcerers with an inheritance backstory, this gives the DM grounds for possible encounters and you room to question your relationship with the world beyond mortal society.
#2: Lab Rat
Your powers weren't accidental at all; you were created to be what you are. Are you a monster? A god? Something else entirely?
Rei Ayanami. Sephiroth. Mewtwo. Other albinism-coded psychics. Eleven. That one artificial god in the Fool's Gold campaign. You get the idea. Floating in a giant tube of liquid. Frankensteinian hubris. A test subject who only wants love but is never treated as a person. Revenge. Explosions. Psychokinetic freakouts.
I love this trope. Lovelovelovelovelove.
#1: Fluke of (Super)Nature
You just have powers. You don't know how. They developed at some point in your life. Maybe you have control over them, maybe you don't. Maybe they're tied to your more volatile emotions, maybe they require a special trance-like state, maybe they burst forth during puberty, maybe maybe maybe.
This may seem to be boring, but it does force you to flesh out how your spells affected your development. Are they tied to your emotional volatility? Do you have full control of them? Did they brand you a freak, a celebrity, or a prodigy in some area? Do you love them or resent them? Do your powers make you feel special, different, or just you?
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mejomonster · 6 days
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Manga I'm reading or will read (so I guess if you have similar tastes check some out):
Death note (im not still reading, I read it long ago, still one of my favorites)
Hikaru no go (LOVE this artist, loved the cdrama adaptation, still need to read the original)
Billy Bat (i love everything naoki urasawa has ever made. If you like mysteries thrillers and wild plots? You'll probably like everything this author made too. In this particular case, billy bat is like if Kingdom Hearts crossed with Beyond Evil and was global scale centuries scale murder world control plot, full of references and a good evil mickey mouse spoof and an evil disney and comic artists as the protagonists and a lot to say about creation and stealing ideas and originality and transforming what already exists and like. If youre both into murder mysteries AND an artist then the themes are very fascinating. Urasawa also seems to make many manga that take place in multiple countries and characters of varied backgrounds, and I appreciate the global scale of the stories and the particular perspectives it offers. Some other manga by urasawa on my to read list: Pluto, Master Keaton, 20th Century Boys, Monster)
Tomie, and anything by Junji Ito (i love junji ito! I read Remina and LOVE IT, highly recommend for horror and sci fi lovers its a short good read. Read his cat manga for some comedy and zero horror. I find his horror manga oddly comforting. I also read Lovesick and adore the way the stories end up much more about personal fears manifested as monsters while the personal fears continue as the true plot, my favorite kind of horror. Junji Ito did a manga adaptation of No Longer Human I may eventually check out, but since the original novel was written by another person im not sure I'll click with it as much)
Dungeon Meshi (to read, self explanatory, its a very kind story in terms of how you feel, nice art and characters)
Golden Kamuy (to read)
Vagabond (to read)
Devilman (reading, feels oddly like old mickey mouse and xmen comics which is pleasant, it is as gay as youve heard)
Berserk (reading, i love it to pieces and take gratuitious breaks because it clicks Too much for me. The character and world designs are very close to how i usually design fantasy worlds, including the gratuitious faerie designs im always doing, so i try not to read this When im writing as its just too close to what i click with lol. I highly recommend if you like fantasy and solid characters)
Tokyo Babylon and X by Clamp (to read)
Banana Fish (to read)
Revolutionary Girl Utena (to read)
Vinland Saga (and the animal version, to read)
Beyond the Tricornered Window (i started, its surprisingly lust filled for a ghost finding story)
One Piece (reading)
Urusei Yatsura (i love everything by rumiko)
Ranma 1/2 (ive read and watched many a time, just my absolute fave. Do you like gender shennanigans, action and romantic comedy? Well i happen to love romantic comedy, IF its bisexual and filled to the brim with action scenes and ridiculous moments. Ranma 1/2 perfectly fits that niche. So lots of fun fights, off the wall moments like a baby pig being actually a teen boy adopted by another boys fiance, a girl who turns into a cat and wants to marry Ranma when he looks like a guy and kill him when he looks like a girl, 2 anime villain level dramatic siblings in a mess with ranma and his fiance akane romantically, a rich preteen girl who kidnaps pig boy, a guy named moose who turns into a goose, its just great)
Trigun (i want to know why people love this manga)
The Drifting Classroom (i just like horror manga a lot can u tell, to read)
School Rumble (another romantic comedy slash ensemble slice of life, where ranma plas with gender and comments on societal biases, school rumble instead keeps it lighter and plays with the usual romance teen manga tropes and both uses and breaks them a lot. The lead is in love with an alien boy who does not get crushes, and is the only alien in the plot. The guy who loves the lead is a delinquent manga artist and that gets meta at points. The leads sister is the more likely usual Protagonist type but shes just into helping animals and avoiding ppl and is very similar to Komisan, one of the leads friends is like Girl James Bond. The characters all read stereotype in early eps then actually get explored in ways you wouldnt expect and wouldnt assume to go that deep. Its very much ensemble about friends, and the romance is not actually main stage despite all the crushes, so a bit like Ouran Host Club in that way. I like romances and slice of life best When they subvert tropes and do the unexpected with them, and school rumble does fun things in that way)
All the Kingdom Hearts manga (i just like kh and love the artist and little side scenes the manga adds that the games dont have. Id love to read the novels one day if i could find them translated)
Innocent (i got an ad that recommended it but it looks scary so im probably in)
Homunculus (looks scary, of course its on the list)
Detective Conan (to read, my friend LOVES the anime)
Arcana (genuinely no idea what its about, i just gave it one look and made a judgemeny guess itd be my kind of story. Ill find out)
Brutal (looks scary, so of course i added it to my to read)
Erased (my friend loved the anime so ill probably like it)
Inuyasha (i figured maybe i should finish the manga since ive Watched half the anime back in childhood)
Seven Days (theres a jdrama bl adaptation)
Takara Kun and Amagi Kun (theres a jdrama bl adaptation)
Ultras (ill be real it looks super gay but also romance heavy only and i dont care much for Only romance usually, if u like gay sports stuff this looks like REAL gay sports romance drama for adults)
Witch Hat Atelier
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theboarsbride · 1 year
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Name 5 movies/book/songs/etc that inspired each of your stories!
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OOO!!! So sorry this took too long to get around, but thank you so, so much for sending this ask in!! 🥺��
The Monster and the Butterfly🥀🦋
Crimson Peak - and Guillermo del Toro's whole filmography, tbh, but Crimson Peak especially. And also other ghost movies/shows, such as The Orphanage, The Others, The Haunting of Bly Manor, Mama, Paranormal Activity, The Conjuring I & II.
Panna a Netvor/Beauty and the Beast (1979), as well as Jean Cocteau's La Belle et la Bete.
Various dark fantasy movies and books from the 1980s/90s like The Dark Crystal, Legend, The Company of Wolves, etc. and Angela Carter's The Bloody Chamber.
Shelley Duvall's Fairytale Theater "Beauty and the Beast" episode (literally why Susan Sarandon - who plays Beauty - is Sophie's fc)... and honestly, on that same note, Peter Jackson's LOTR trilogy because the fucking music is so good, and Brad Dourif as Grima Wormtongue is the whole reason why the modern version of Edgar exists (and is his fc) lmao.
A Taste for Monsters by Matthew Kirby - and to add onto this, KIND OF?? Is that a lot of inspiration for TMATB came from the hate I feel towards some modern BATB retellings (i.e.- Sarah J Maas' A Court of Thorns and Roses series especially) that feature conventionally attractive 'Beasts' who are only beasts in the sense that they're awful, toxic, cruel people who, to me, don't deserve redemption or romance - or even friendship - as well as female protagonists who are just so, so unlikeable in their bitterness, idiocy, and Mary Sue-ness??? I wanted to write a romance that featured love interests that were unconventional in appearance, flawed but still likeable, and having a relationship that is healthy/consensual!
Cheating and adding a 6th one, but the works of Abigail J. Harding's Parliament of Rooks portfolio! GOTHIC BIRD MONSTER BELOVED!
Those Red Nights🌕🐺
Using Bob Odenkirk as a fc for a werewolf character - literally that's the whole reason why this story exists lmfao. So you bet I was watching the hell out of Better Call Saul and Breaking Bad for inspo (and simp material)!
Silence of the Lambs, the movie especially! But there is also Thomas Harris' Red Dragon novel (and the movie starring Ed Norton and Anthony Hopkins, and the movie Manhunter) that was a source of inspiration!
David Fincher's Se7en - I wanted to write a neo-Noir story for a hot minute, especially ones with psychological horror elements!
Nightmare by Tuesday Knight - this just helped me develop the idea of TRN being a psychological horror, and writing about the themes surrounding nightmares, the haunting effects of guilt, etc.
Werewolf movies like Bad Moon and Silver Bullet
Temperance & Mr. Wyrm 🐍⚕️- I don't talk about this WIP much but I still think about it regularly!
Wanting to do a retelling of the fairytale "The Lindworm Prince" and also wanting to explore writing a weird body horror romance!
The Shape of Water - again, del Toro out here inspiring goofy fucking monster romances!
David Cronenberg's The Fly - tragic body horror romance goodness, my beloved!
General 1980s media and pop culture - a lot of this was kind of inspired by reading My Best Friend's Exorcism by Grady Hendrix! It's a book set in the 80s and utilizes the 80s nostalgia, but it also doesn't shy away from how ugly the 80s were in terms of social stigmas for people who weren't straight white men. In TAMW especially what I'd be alluding to is the stigma surrounding AIDS, and other blood-borne illnesses.
And, lowkey, wanting to have Gwendoline Christie as a fc for a character?? Like, idk, with who Temperance is as a character within the novella, Christie seems to fit her super well! Also the tall gf x short bf is a ship dynamic I ADORE! (also the character of Jack, the titular 'Mr. Wyrm,' is another character where I use Brad Dourif as a fc for but shhhhh i know I'm cringe, don't remind me)
These are the main WIPs I still work on!! There is also The Faeries and the Lark but that's more on the backburner for now, but that story was inspired by wanting to do a genderbent retelling of Sleeping Beauty but has now turned into a Gothic/dark fantasy Sapphic romance that's a funky blend between Sleeping Beauty and East of the Sun, West of the Moon that's inspired by Scandinavian folklore and seeing images of women in armor lmao.
But if there are any WIPs you'd wanna learn about, give me a shout and I'm more than willing to scream about these goofy, silly little stories!!
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historyhermann · 1 year
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Things Get Better?: LGBTQ Representation in Animation in 2022 [Part 2]
Continued from part 1
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In 2022, there was a plethora of LGBTQ characters in Western animation, from gay warriors Orc and Iago in Battle Kitty to a lesbian drama teacher in Dee Dee Holloway in Big Nate. Other series featured gay couples (as in Baymax!), gay and lesbian parents (as in Firebuds), and many other lesbian, bisexual, non-binary, and queer characters. [3]
Reprinted from Pop Culture Maniacs and Wayback Machine. This was the nineteenth article I wrote for Pop Culture Maniacs. This post was originally published on January 16, 2023.
Some series had more representation than others. One of these was The Legend of Vox Machina, airing on Amazon Prime and based on the Critical Role roleplaying podcast, which featured lesbian, bisexual, and queer characters, specifically Vex'ahlia "Vex" de Rolo, Vax'ildan "Vax" Vessar, Lady Kima, Keyleth of the Air Ashari, Scanlan Shorthalt, and Lady Allura Vysoren. Stephanie Beatriz, a bisexual actress, voiced two of these characters: Lady Kima and Lady Allura. In addition, there were was a reboot of Monster High which premiered on Nickelodeon in fall 2022, with more gender diversity and LGBTQ characters, such as a non-binary monster named Frankie Stein and two lesbian moms (Medusa and Lyra).
Just as powerful was the reboot of The Proud Family in a series named The Proud Family: Louder and Prouder. It aired on Disney+ from February to April of 2022. Created by the same person as the original, Bruce W. Smith, it includes three gay characters: Randall Leibowitz-Jenkins, Barry Leibowitz-Jenkins, and Michael Collins. There were also one-time lesbian characters and queer vibes among other characters, who are part of the show's mostly Black cast.
One of these characters is Maya, a 14-year-old anti-racist activist voiced by Keke Palmer. Although Palmer is an actress who has described herself as sexually fluid and queer, it remains to be seen whether Maya will be "sexually fluid and queer as much as Palmer is in real-life."
This was followed, later in 2022, by the much-expected Dead End: Paranormal Park, which Netflix recently cancelled. This series broke barriers as the first animated series with a trans protagonist named Barney Guttman. He is voiced by a trans male actor, Zach Barack. The show also includes Norma Khan who likes multiple genders and is ambiguously queer, and Courtney, who is non-binary. This series goes beyond the barrier-breaking of High Guardian Spice, a series by a trans male creator, Raye Rodriguez, who voiced one of the show's characters (Caraway), or the trans male lead character in Wendell & Wild (Raúl Cocolotl), who was said to be the first trans man in an animated film.
2022 heralded the end of the much-beloved Disney series, Amphibia. The series featured LGBTQ characters who were confirmed after the show's finale, like bisexual Sasha Waybright, voiced by bisexual actress Anna Akana. There's also Mr. X, Frodrick Toadstool, and Toadie who are gay, Yunan and Lady Olivia who are lesbian, Ally who is pansexual, and Jess who is bisexual.
Continued in part 3
© 2022-2023 Burkely Hermann. All rights reserved.
Notes
[3] This includes lesbian characters Nadja el-Koury and Danielle in Human Resources, Laura Feinberg as a bisexual woman in Little Demon, a queer non-binary couple (Gladys and Wren) in Pinecone & Pony, a non-binary Faerie student named Jae in Supernatural Academy, and a non-binary transformer named Nightshade in Transformers: EarthSpark. In addition, Dragon Age: Absolution, which only aired for six episodes in December 2022, featured four of LGBTQ characters (Miriam, Hira, Roland, and Lacklon), with Qwydion voiced by Ashly Burch who came out as queer and pansexual in July 2022.
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mirohtron · 3 years
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pretty
note: they're boyfriends <3 they just don't know it yet <3 this is my hill <3 also this may have a little bit of pl*t but that's 4 another day n yes the ending was rushed but blame my writer's bloqué
The fairy looked so peaceful sleeping on the bed. Serene. Not a hint of that deviousness he'd have before the protagonist would leave and come home to a trashed house, not a hint of that malice and that spite he'd have watching the protagonist do anything, no matter how fleeting those emotions were, were on his face.
The fairy was like that, the protagonist supposed. Fleeting. Barely in the same room as him when he was fairy-sized, barely letting the protagonist get a proper look at his face, wings fluttering about, the fairy flitting away and above or underneath any furniture.
Sometimes it would feel like the protagonist was talking to a voice in his head with how the fairy barely showed himself.
When the fairy first changed to his human size, he still never let anything linger for long. Malevolence, spite, that happiness whenever something bad happened to the protagonist, they all flit across his features as quickly as they came. Never stayed for long, like he didn't want the protagonist to know him. Or his face, from how he'd never stay still when he was fairy-sized and how he never looked the protagonist right in the eye.
It felt odd. To see someone who laughed at every one of your mishaps and made trouble for you to not even have the courage to look you in the eye felt like it should be unusual. Maybe being big made the fairy feel vulnerable, made him feel less like a fairy and more like a human, even if he still had his powers and his wings that he could conjure and make disappear.
The protagonist looked at the way the fairy's hands curled into the fabric of the pillow and the way his elbows were pointed out, resting his back on the springy mattress, the evening light accentuating the curve of his lips, his nose, his eyes, like a painter had spent hours upon hours perfecting his features.
The fairy looked like someone out of a romantic painting. Just the way he slept seemed to have some kind of romanticism—he looked so relaxed, so comfortable. The way his eyelashes cast shadows on the curves of his cheeks, the way his hair fell perfectly on his face, curling, interlocking with each strand—pretty.
Mesmerising. The fairy looked mesmerising, and the protagonist never noticed. Even though the fairy slept a lot, was tired often, the protagonist never noticed, even if he was a little fleeting most of the time.
Even with those little moments they'd have—so rare the protagonist found it a little tough to recall one specific moment—he never noticed how mesmerising the fairy could be.
The one moment, it was a bad rainstorm. So bad the electricity temporarily cut off for some houses. The fairy had become human-sized and sat with the protagonist on the couch and in the dark, and they'd fought over who held the little flashlight. Thunder had struck, lighting up the room, and the fairy had looked beautiful in that one moment of light. The glint in his eyes intensified, the groove below his nose a little pronounced, and the shape of his lips looking pretty, pretty, pretty.
It felt like the image had been burned into his mind for that one fleeting moment.
The protagonist didn't need to look to know the sun had almost set. Yet, the fairy was still bathed in its light, flawless
Still mesmerising.
Almost as mesmerisingly, the fairy stirred in his sleep. The protagonist felt like he was enchanted by him somehow, even if it sounded a little cliché. Could it even be cliché, when something mythical was involved?
Slowly, just as relaxed, the fairy's eyes fluttered open, and the protagonist watched every move. So serene and pretty, and still so romantic somehow. He looked like he was about to stretch, but stopped when his gaze fell on the protagonist.
The skin around the fairy's collarbones sucked in as he took in a breath through his teeth, the muscles in his neck contracting as he swallowed. The protagonist couldn't help but look, follow the movement, watch it all happen in a few slow beats like a pretty painting had come to life.
The fairy shifted, but didn't make a move to sit up. Instead, his gaze roamed the room, looking around and to the other side of the room, and the muscle in his neck stretched prettily at the movement, like a brushstroke on a portrait that you couldn't take your eyes off of.
The protagonist watched the light shine on the curves of his face, the way it reflected off of his eyes as the fairy looked back at him. Force of habit, the protagonist supposed, that he looked around the room. So long he'd known the fairy enough to know this habit of his, yet he never looked at him properly up until now.
The fairy shifted. Rolled his shoulder in a small movement as he gazed at the protagonist kneeling beside the bed—the protagonist's bed. Wearing his hoodie. It always pissed him off, how the fairy would hog everything of the protagonist's, how he'd not wear any of the clothes the protagonist had bought for him, how he'd barely give anything in return.
He'd come in here to talk to the fairy about it, prepared for a possible argument considering their chemistry. Instead he'd knelt down and watched the fairy look pretty in his bed, look like an otherworldly being, peaceful and serene and relaxed and nothing like the fleeting, diabolical thing he usually was.
True to what the protagonist thought of the fairy, he made a move to sit up on the bed. Shifted, adjusted his elbows so he could prop himself up on them, but the protagonist didn't want that. The protagonist didn't want the moment to go as soon as it had come.
Wordlessly, he put a hand on the fairy's chest and gently pushed him back down. The fairy made a soft, barely audible noise from the surprise, but didn't seem to mind the action. Instead, quietly, he stared. The fairy's eyes seemed to turn into pools of honey in the light. Warm and rich, pupils dilated. Pretty, pretty, pretty.
Now that the fairy was awake, the protagonist was expecting him to start being a nuisance, like he always was. Maybe move into the other room. But he just... kept staring. His eyes roamed over what he could see of the protagonist, still as a leaf, still like a romantic painting. Still so relaxed and comfortable.
So pretty, the protagonist wanted to draw him. He painted sometimes, sketched most of the time. Surely he could do the fairy justice.
Maybe. But there was no paper near him, let alone a pen or pencil. Then, the fairy's features twisted into something like worry. He took in a breath, parting his lips, but nothing came out. The fairy paused, broke eye contact, before closing his eyes.
Odd.
The fairy released his breath in a sigh, turning his head to the side. The lighting painted shadows on his features. Accentuated the muscles in his neck, the curves of his face, the shine of his hair. Pretty, still. So pretty.
The protagonist didn't want to ruin the atmosphere somehow, but the question slipped out before he could fully consider it. Maybe that was selfish.
"What's wrong?"
The fairy looked back, and that worry hadn't faded yet.
"How long have you been there?"
The protagonist almost winced at the question. Of course, he'd been watching the fairy sleep. That was weird, and they weren't even close for that kind of... intimacy. Shame seeped into him, and the protagonist made a move to get away, but the fairy caught his sleeve. Some kind of emotion close to urgency flashed in his eyes, and he frowned.
The protagonist's fingers twitched at the side of the bed, but he decided to go back to his initial position.
"Not long," he answered, and he was sure it sounded almost wispy; like fog disappearing after someone spoke in winter, "barely ten minutes."
The fairy visibly relaxed, and the protagonist only noticed the fairy had had his body stiffened up when he released a breath and it looked like he practically melted into the mattress. Confusion prodded the protagonist. Worry wasn't an emotion the fairy showed, if ever.
"...why?" the protagonist asked after a few moments. Worry. Surely there was something wrong, why else would the fairy worry?
The fairy released something like a huff, almost like he was exhausted. Maybe exasperated. "It doesn't... matter," he answered, "doesn't bother you."
"Wouldn't it be nice to tell someone?"
Something flashed in the fairy’s eyes. The fairy faltered over something, barely letting a syllable form on his tongue before he pursed his lips. “I don’t know,” he said after a moment.
The protagonist expected him to say something else, with how it looked like his throat moved to form another word, but nothing. The protagonist followed the slope of the fairy’s cheekbone with his eyes. Shadows fell on his sternocleidomastoideus, and the protagonist’s eyes followed up to his jaw, wanting to memorise every trace of the fairy.
"Stop that," the fairy said through his teeth. Not angry. Not anything.
Maybe the fairy read his thoughts somehow. Maybe he just caught on to just what places the protagonist's eyes were going over.
The protagonist caught himself, snapping his gaze from the hollow of the fairy's throat to his eyes. "Stop what?" he asked. He forgot to breathe before asking.
The fairy's hand twitched, making way to his neck. "Stop looking—" he faltered. Paused, furled hand on his collarbone, something flashing in his eyes again. His brows twitched for a moment.
The protagonist sucked in a breath. Oh. He made a move to scoot away again, but the fairy caught his shirt once more, a little faster than the last time.
Reflexively, the protagonist's hand shot up to catch the fairy's wrist, and then they both paused.
This time, it was the protagonist who made a noise. Soft, barely audible, and it felt like it was plucked out of his lips and thrown into the air against his will.
It burned where the fairy's skin met the protagonist's own, but it felt like the burn of a fireplace rather than the burn of piping hot metal. The fairy stared at him, something coming together in his face. The protagonist wasn't sure what.
The fairy never let any physical be there between him and the protagonist. Usually, the fairy moved away when the protagonist did something as small as brush fingers with him.
Right now, the fairy didn't move. Now, the fairy didn't say anything as the moments carried on, meeting the protagonist's eyes with something inscrutable. Not angry. Calm. Calm and nothing diabolical and mischievous swirling in his eyes.
Mesmerising again. Breath-taking, the groove beneath his nose catching shadows once more, and the shape of his lips looking impossibly pretty against the light.
The fairy's fingers twitched on his collarbone, and the protagonist caught the movement, snapping his gaze from the fairy's eyes to his furled hand.
Slowly, the fairy's fingers let go of the protagonist's shirt, and the protagonist's fingers left the fairy's wrist. The protagonist straightened, fingernails momentarily scratching at the bedsheet.
Quietly, he took in a breath, watching the fairy's hand retract back to where it previously was. Silence filled the room for a few moments. Not tense.
The fairy looked away once more, gazing at the pillow on the other side of the bed. Then, he looked up at the ceiling, and the curve of his nose was too pretty to not want to memorise. His lashes curled longer than the protagonist had thought, and the column of his throat was more defined with the shadows.
The fairy was achingly pretty.
"I think," the fairy said, breaking the moments of delicate silence between them both, "that I act out my dreams. That's why I asked."
"Fairies dream?"
The fairy looked at the protagonist, and for a moment it looked like that malice had returned momentarily. But then it was gone as soon as it came.
The protagonist thought the fairy would look away again. Instead the fairy simply shifted on the bed, burying the side of his face into the pillow, gazing into nothing in particular.
"Everything dreams," he stated. It didn't sound snobby, nor did it sound like an annoying show of intelligence. It just sounded like that, a statement. "If it's alive, it'll dream."
"You think so?"
The fairy shook his head. "It's not a thought. It's a fact."
"Is it?"
The fairy's eyes flitted to the bedsheets. Softly, he took a breath in, releasing it in an ever softer exhale. "Yeah. Except viruses. They lay dormant without a host until they die, but I think you already know that."
The protagonist tilted his head to the side. He wasn't expecting the fairy to know much about science, especially when he barely ever went out, let alone talked to someone aside from the protagonist.
Maybe that was a little narrow-minded.
"What do fairies dream of?"
That made something simmer, and the fairy glared defensively. "Don't ask me that," he said, almost in a hiss.
The protagonist moved back a bit, caught off guard, and the silence wasn't as tender for a moment.
The fairy looked taken aback at his own reaction, like some kind of revelation was coming together in his mind. He shifted uncomfortably, pressing himself deeper into the mattress.
"Sorry," the fairy said. It almost sounded tight, like his throat wouldn't allow him to apologize. The protagonist was more caught off guard at the apology. "It just... happened."
The protagonist's nails scratched at the sheets again. "It's fine," he mumbled.
The fairy looked away, and they fell into silence once more, and the sun was slowly setting and colouring the room a pale orange. The protagonist looked at the way his hoodie folded over on the fairy's limbs, how normal he looked despite being magical.
The column of his neck contracted, like the fairy was swallowing, before he turned to look at the protagonist again.
"Hey," he began, "I don't really mean it. When I'm being... fairy-like, I suppose."
The protagonist tilted his head. "You mean when you wreck my house? I wanted to talk to you about that, actually."
The fairy exhaled, looking up at the ceiling. "It's a part of our demeanor. It's hard not to."
"You can't control it?"
"Without practice, we can't." The fairy spread his arms a little bit, stretching. The line of his neck looked pretty that way, glowing in the sun. "It mostly happens because of spikes in emotion for me."
"Like anger?"
For a moment, the fairy froze, looking at the protagonist uncomfortably. Had he not meant to say that? But then it was gone as soon as it came, and the fairy shook his head.
"Nevermind," he said, tighter than when he apologized, "it's hard to understand. But earth fairies are naturally malicious."
The protagonist nodded. Perhaps the topic made the fairy uncomfortable. He wouldn't prod if the fairy didn't want him to.
"All right," he said, and his lips curled without his permission to give the fairy a faint smile. Then he smothered it as soon at it happened. It probably looked weird.
The fairy stayed still for a few moments, boring his eyes into the protagonist, before he nodded along. Probably because of the smile. The protagonist started to feel awkward about it.
But before his mind could go on and on about it, the fairy spoke up again, distracting him.
"Can you make that... noodle thing?"
That time, the protagonist smiled. "You mean spaghetti."
The fairy seemed to grow defensive. "Yes, that—I hate the weird names of your foods, stop it."
"Of course." The protagonist couldn't quite stop smiling immediately. "It's okay, some of them are hard to pronounce because of different languages."
"Oh."
The protagonist laughed softly. "I'll make it."
"Can I help?"
Oh?
That was new. The fairy never helped.
The protagonist nodded. The fairy wanted to help. They could warm up to each other that way.
The house was a little more peaceful after that.
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some of my playlists for u:
good morning 🌞 - wake up, it’s a beautiful morning.
✨u r the protagonist✨ - the key to survival is to live slow, live fast and feel alive.
vacanza italiano - for daydreaming about vacations with my mafia husband
i wanna be the girl you’re singing about - i always wanted to be one of those girls whose name was a the title of a magical song, so this is a celebration of the it girls in music
hanging out with myself - when you're on your own, in your own space, with your own thoughts and alternating between being okay with that and not.
stars hollow soundtrack ✩ - songs that feel like an autumnal day in stars hollow, a cup of coffee at luke's and falling in love over and over again (how it feels to be a gilmore girl)
summer lovin’ - how it feels to be in love with someone in the endless days of heat.
an ode to friendships that feel warm - for when you find people that feel like sunshine
r e s e t & d e t o x - to clear your head, heart, mind and soul. 
in love with my future - for manifesting and holding onto hope for the idealised dream of being independent, happy and stable
green fingers 🌿 - a playlist for gardening, planting and watering... to help my plants grow, feel loved and safe.
wes anderson sounds - (music from: bottle rocket, rushmore, the royal tenenbaums, the life aquatic with steve zissou, the darjeeling limited, fantastic mr. fox, moonrise kingdom, the grand budapest hotel, isle of dogs, the french dispatch)
❁ ghibli ❁ - “Who has seen the wind? Neither I nor you: But when the leaves hang trembling, The wind is passing through.”
cottagecore 🍄 - looking for faeries and picking fruit
what if we hold hands and lay in a field of wild flowers? 🌸 - (plural noun): a flower of an uncultivated variety or a flower growing freely without human intervention. // romantic picnic bitch energy
little adventures - for all of life's mini adventures: supermarket trips, museums, getting lost in the countryside, taking detours, walking down quiet streets... climbing, exploring, taking it all in.
young, free and running wild - you'll never be this young again. you are free to be whoever you need to be. you can explore. you're filled with premature nostalgia for the moments you are currently living. you love the things and people around you with all of your being. 
to the seaside - the air is easier to breathe here. 
sunset songs - tunes for when the sun goes down. time to unwind and process the day.
your eyes meet across the room - you've never seen them before and don't know their name but you want to find out every secret they've ever had. you'd spend the rest of the night at their side. the colour of their eyes is your new favourite shade.
rooftop euphoria - let's climb up as high as this city can take us and look down at the world beneath us. let's remember how small we are and find some comfort in it.
the days when the sadness is quiet - it's never gone, not really, but some days your heart feels overwhelmingly lighter, and it's easier to find the light.
classics that make me feel something - songs you can't remember actually learning the lyrics to, that set your soul on fire.
i’m in love with al pacino! - my heart belongs to johnny, sonny, bobby, tony, arthur and michael
burnt out gifted kid energy - i was so ahead of the curve, the curve became a sphere
political angst - make your voice heard. fight with everything you have. don’t let them stop your power.
you + me in the backseat - in the backseat of the car. your soundtrack drowns out anything but your feelings. fire burns inside you.
lullabiezzz - songs to fall asleep to
memory lane - walking hand in hand through the past. for nostalgia and remembering it all too well.
hometown nostalgia - you know every street corner. you remember everything and everyone you loved here.
the end of the world - the sun is rising over the hill for the last time. you don't have enough hands to hold everyone. all of the hate you once had doesn't matter anymore. you cling onto the memories and take a deep breath.
slow mornings with you - warmth seeping through the curtains. knowing you have nowhere to be. before toothpaste. stillness. contentment. being with your person.
oh no, i’m in love - the penny has dropped
stay close to me - for the kind of love you hope stays forever. for the kind of love you never want to put down. 
we’re driving into the sunset and your hand is on my knee - the wind is in your hair. the streets are empty. the radio is too loud. all you know is that you're in love with the person in the seat beside you. 
growing pains - time isn't stopping and we're all getting too old and our youth is slipping away
dissociation station // music to switch off to - wondering how you'll ever have the strength to rejoin the world around you.
slow dancing in the kitchen - barefoot in the kitchen, swaying with hips pressed together, noses brushing, comforted by each other's laughs, soft singing voices and declarations of happiness at being close to the other person.
rainy daze - rainy days and mondays always get me down
longing for escape - take my hand. we’ve been stuck for too long. let's get out of this town. we won't look back.
under the stars ✧ - come sit with me. we'll trace constellations in the sky.
ravenclaw common room - "Or yet in wise old Ravenclaw, if you've a ready mind, where those of wit and learning, will always find their kind."
sneaking out to meet you at midnight - the thrill of climbing out the window, making you way to your secret hiding place, and having a person to pour all your romanticism into, waiting for you. 
end of love - you're unsure how or why you got here, but now it's over and you can't stop feeling.
eternal - (adjective: eternal; noun: Eternal): lasting or existing forever; without end.
ethereal goddess shit 🌙 - pov: you are an ethereal goddess and everything you touch and embody is magic.
touch starved <3 - sexy shit...
eiffel for you - a french summer. you drink coffee and eat a pastry at a café. beautiful women and couples in love stroll by. the air is crisp and sweet. 
new city, big dreams - a place just for you. boxes of your past life surround you. a new life awaiting. your look out at the city. it's been waiting for you.
dreamy turner ♡ - pov: you've been in love with alex turner for over a decade
bookstore daze 📚 - bibliophile (noun): a person who collects or has a great love of books.
instrumentals - // for reading and writing and studying // (classical, ghibli, wes anderson, disney, romance, cinema)
let’s feel things 🍷 (a playlist for drinking red wine) - songs for late night wine drunk dancing, tears and feelings. 
i’d do it all over again - a million times over without regret.
witching hour 🕯- for all your witching hour needs.
the last train - for those half-awake train journeys
great space race 🪐 - let's take a rocketship to space.
coffee breath - you can tell a lot about a person from the way they take their coffee.
meloncholia - my sadness is sending me into the abyss (this is a mess but it's all the songs that make me feel sad)
‘isn’t it too dreamy?’ - twin peaks inspired // (mostly for audrey horne, the love of my life, my bisexual awakening)
seething 👿 - when your blood boils
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ladymelisande · 3 years
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Since you don't a lot of modern female characters from Western (or American) writers, I gotta ask, what tips would you give to us newbies/amateur writers from the West who want to be professionals and not fall into the "woke" Hollywood problem you have? Is there anything in particular we have to do and to avoid when we write? Would it make any difference for the female character if in a romance (with anybody) or not and with what genre the story is?
To clear up things: I'm technically a Western writer and also an amateur because I am not published. But as far as I'm writing in my own novels, here is the thing:
If your character is an heroine, then her goal has to go for something heroic. I don't mean a Role Model(tm), I mean someone who deliberately has helping people as a goal or at least grows on her. That's why Alina utterly fails as a heroine despite everyone treating her as a saint and a good person: she does fucking nothing to help people at the end and half of the time she is just thinking about killing someone. A protagonist doesn't need to be a heroine, but if you're gonna make her one... then she has to do some good stuff.
Don't base your character strength on how much she yells at men or 'roasts' them. That's not recipient for a good character arc no matter what people in this site might tell you.
Don't make violence their first option for everything unless it's something that is called out or explored (see in a well written way: Jude Duarte pushed to murder since she was raised by a warrior and pushed to the extremes by the abuse of power she suffered in Faerie).
A female character doesn't have to be warrior to be respected or a leader unless that goes with the setting or is indispensable.
Being snarky just for the sake of being snarky is not necessary.
She doesn't need to preach about women and their right unless she is an activist or that actively comes to the conversation (see in badly written: Amy March giving a stupidly anachronistic speech in 2019 Little Women).
Don't make them morons that can't accept other people's critics. (see: Jo March in 2019's Little Women yelling at someone giving her honest criticism about her writing and never really showing that she learned).
For fuck's sake if you're going to be inspired by other periods of history, don't make her talk like an idiotic Twitter Feminist. I think here with the guys we nearly had brain damage on reading Alina acting like Genya being given as a handmaiden to the Queen was slavery or something. It's a job! She gets paid for that! Nobles did that all the time in every monarchy. If you're gonna inspire yourself in a historical setting, Jesus, at least go to Wikipedia because clearly LB didn't.
Like, unless your girl is a modern girl, who has been raised in the modern day, do not make her act like one out of nowhere (even then, I have exceptions with my own heroine because she is not a moron and has been hearing from the fairy court her whole life).
She can have whatever appearance you like, don't listen to Americans whining that they don't want X colouring or X race or whatever. They shouldn't dictate your characters because they are entitled.
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art-of-storytelling · 2 years
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This f/f fairy x vampire urban fantasy is out today!
Buy KISSED THE MARK for:
🏘️a supernatural missouri town
🗡️bounty hunter society
🧚‍♀️buffy-esque fairy protagonist
🌿faerie realm
🧛‍♀️snarky vampire love interest
💋annoyance-to-lovers banter
Universal buy link here!
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s-n-a-k-e-p-i-t · 3 years
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alright x3, i just finished the folk of the air series and biiiiiiiiitch
first of all, I would like to curse myself into oblivion for not reading this book sooner. was it recommended to me? yes. did I not read it because I was unsure about faerie stories? you bet. and yes, don’t worry, I know I’m an idiot for that. 
however, I am OVER THE MOON that I finally decided to give it a go because OH MY GOD. And before I jump into this I just gotta address something, because I watched a tiktok last night of this girl RIPPING INTO this book and it honestly pissed me off. I’ve seen a lot of dislike for this series on, as mentioned, tiktok and goodreads. And I get it, I understand why people don’t like the conflict in the first book because it seems juvenile... but we also gotta remember the characters are young and in school, so naturally they have problems that may be difficult for someone not in high school to vibe with, but THAT’S YA FICTION BABY! (and that’s why I love it tbh) I’m very glad I ignored all that slander and picked this lil baby up, because it was right up my alley.
SPOILERS BELOW FOR THE CRUEL PRINCE, THE WICKED KING, THE QUEEN OF NOTHING 
Let’s go. 
First of all, the first book had me from the first chapter (my friend also had me at ‘enemies to lovers’). And Cardan had me from the first mention of him (and the rings on his hands). He was my ideal awful favorite character and I absolutely loved the entire arc of hating to loving to hating to loving him throughout the entire series. I absolutely LOVE when a character has that much substance. 
I think Jude is one of my favorite female protagonists. She’s morally grey, gotta love it but she’s also a badass and I loved being able to see the way her mind works. It was fun to try to piece things together as she too tried. It was also a kick to the gut with every reveal (cue ONLY DEATH) to a riddle I couldn’t figure out. Though when I first heard the riddle, I imagined a bloody Cardan just sorta walking out of the dark or erupting from the floor, but maybe not being entirely himself, but I quickly forgot the thought and kept reading. 
I loved how I never trusted Locke and how The Bomb stole my heart instantly and I really owe that all to the writing. Just like faerie it was carefully planned out and every gesture meant something, and those two characters I feel were really well executed. I loved the diversity of the couples (Vee and Heather yee yee) and I liked that it wasn’t forced into the story the trademark bi couple whose problems stem solely from coming out. Which is really freaking refreshing from the more recent years of inclusion. 
I also can’t believe how fast I tore through this. I mean I know my fanfic period of September-Now has rapidly increased my reading and with work, having to read fast is literally the only option, but still I was not prepared to finish this series in two days. I started The Cruel Prince on Monday at around 5p (ish??) and then just finished The Queen of Nothing today (5p) okay so yeah, it took me two days--and that includes a full time job and a hefty workout schedule--so good for me :) But the ferocity I ripped through this with was such a good feeling that I love and honestly haven’t felt in a while (probably since Shatter Me) 
Also as much as I love my sweet Warner, I think Cardan just stole the spot of guy to beat. His cunning and trickster ways was just such an interesting read--cue me screaming into my pillow when Carden exiles Jude and laughs at her when she announces she’s queen-- I was FUMING about that for hours. My sister was like ‘can you like chill’ on our facetime call... and honestly, no I couldn’t. I was shaking with anger, in disbelief he would do something like that after all we had been through (yes, we, I went through it too) and I even tweeted Holly Black and I was like UM WTF... (I sent her a nice tweet after finishing QoN don’t worry, don’t worry) 
Also as someone who sorta dozes off with war strategy, I felt like this was not too confusing and still compelling and I think that goes back to what I said earlier about us being inside Jude’s mind as she tries to piece everything together. Like it was interesting enough to have all the different Courts and to understand their motivations and their alliances and stuff, normally that stuff wigs me out and I just re-read the same sentence over and over, but here I was pleasantly surprised reading all the differing opinions and arguments of what they should do and when.
Ugh and then when the loml slays that fucking snake boy and he hugs her for the first time and just holds onto her in the middle of fucking battle. CAN WE TALK ABOUT AN ARC I am just still reeling from those emotions. And then when Nicasia is like “he sent you the dress for the coronation” I just about rolled off my chair. *chef’s kiss* brilliant.
Feel like a Madoc death would’ve been lit, but his existence in the mortal world and without violence, seems like death to a part of him so I’ll take it. 
I also will never get over Chapter 21 of The Queen of Nothing. So much that I re-read it the second I finished it. “Come here” It’s a miracle no one came to check on me from the sound I made. ANYWAY..
Overall, I just can’t find enough words to describe how amazing this series was and how honored I was to finally take the stick out of my ass and read it. I can’t wait to come back to it one day, maybe a year or so and completely immerse myself in it all over again. CANNOT WAIT. 
It’s safe to say I found yet another series that made me feel things the way Shatter Me did. It’s been a HOT minute since a (non fanfiction) book has done that. (And I separate the two because fanfiction I know the characters and with original works I actually have to get to know them but whatever, not important) anyway, it was amazing to be so in love with words again... and even in hate a little bit too, but hey that’s jude x cardan.
Okay the end, off to tackle more books on my 50+ TBR list yee yee
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rpgsandbox · 3 years
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In 2014, Magpie Games launched a Kickstarter for Urban Shadows, an ENnie award-winning tabletop roleplaying game of political urban fantasy that quickly became one of our flagship titles. For years, fans have praised both the game’s effortless explanation of the Powered by the Apocalypse engine and the groundbreaking content on race and urban communities, leading Urban Shadows to be a favorite of urban fantasy gamers, podcasters, and streamers alike.
Now—more than six years later—we are returning to the dark streets of the city for Urban Shadows: Second Edition, updating the game’s rules, look, and tools to better support moving stories of political urban fantasy. Featuring new playbooks, new faction mechanics, and completely revised materials from first edition, Urban Shadows 2E will thrust you into the danger and drama of the city like never before!
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                      Download the Urban Shadows Quickstart here
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Urban Shadows is a political urban fantasy tabletop roleplaying game in which mortals and supernaturals alike vie for power in a modern-day city. Vampires, faeries, hunters, wizards, and more clash in the shadows...or make backroom deals for their piece of the streets and skyscrapers. No one is ever safe, and everything is always at stake.
In Urban Shadows, you play unique and powerful archetypes, protagonists who are attuned to the supernatural world. While the mortal world remains ignorant of the struggles of the city’s supernatural denizens, you are caught in the middle of the physical conflicts and political drama of the city’s past, present, and future.
You might be a spectre bound to an artifact, unable to move on until you’ve resolved your trauma. Or you might be a clever vampire who controls the best blood supply in the city, caught up in a war between your kind and those who hunt you. Or you might be a veteran of your city’s ancient conflicts, someone who got out of the game but keeps getting drawn back in by friends and allies.
No matter who you are, you contain within you the power to shape the city’s destiny. What future will you choose? And what will your victories cost you?
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Urban Shadows is based on the Powered by the Apocalypse system used by tabletop RPGs like Apocalypse World, Dungeon World, and many of Magpie Games’s own titles such as Masks: A New Generation, Root: The RPG, and Zombie World. The game uses the core framework of that system to provide a strong, simple way to create your own stories of political urban fantasy. You’ll create a character using one of several archetypes, and then you’ll take action, rolling two six-sided dice to resolve the outcomes of dangerous and difficult situations.
Urban Shadows creates stories like those you’d find in Constantine, Diableros, The Dresden Files, The John Wick franchise, The Last Witchhunter, Lost Girl, and The Wire.
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In Urban Shadows, the city is a living, breathing character all its own. It hides dark desires, wicked deeds, and devious schemes, its shadowy tendrils a danger to mortals and supernaturals alike. Some residents have sacred sanctums or secure workshops—places to weather the storms of the city—but a sprawling metropolis lies just outside those little nooks, caring little if you prosper…or bleed out in the gutters.
But nobody faces the city alone. Even the humblest of imps has a small community, a circle of those who can offer solace in the face of problems and danger. But community is a double-edged sword—demanding as much as it gives—and the needs and desires of those same circles constantly shape and reshape the vibrant urban landscape of the city. Nothing lasts forever, but the city turns over nearly every night, different forces laying different claims to you and yours.
The city hungers. Will you sate its gnawing desires? Or will your enemies make you the feast?
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The schemes and plots of supernatural beings have been a part of the city for as long as anyone can remember. The faces at the top may shift and change with the tides of fortune, but rarely does something occur in the mortal world without some push from those who lurk in the shadows. A new subway system? A contested election? A bank robbery? Nothing is what it seems.
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But what is mere money or prestige to wizards, ghosts, and faeries? Who cares about cash or elections when trafficking in human souls or exploring other dimensions? The supernatural forces of the city—and the mortals who deal with them—know only one real currency: debt.
Debt is the power to influence those who owe you, the chits you call in to get things done, the ties that bind you to the rest of the city, and the proof that your word is strong and your bonds unbreakable. There are few true friends in the city, but your debtors always want to see you survive—you can’t pay up if you’re dead.
But there are other ways to triumph in the city beyond the economy of favors and patronage. Cruel rituals. Dark secrets. The temptations of the monster within you. Those who seek power at any cost will find no end to the magics and mysteries available for the merest price of a soul.
The streets bleed shadows—your debtors always around the corner—as the city threatens to swallow you whole. Will you die a hero… or live long enough to become the villain? Will you fight the darkness…or beg for power? The choice is yours.
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Over the past five years, Magpie Games has developed and created multiple games that broke boundaries and redefined what PbtA can do. Now, we think it’s time to apply the lessons we’ve learned to Urban Shadows, making a game that’s tighter and easier to run, but also filled with new ideas and improvements, including new tools for players and GMs. We’re also excited to create a beautiful new book with visionary art and fantastic graphic design. In short… we’re making Urban Shadows 2E because we’re thrilled to revisit and refine our work!
Here’s a quick list of the major changes, many of which are already available in the quickstart:
revised basic moves, including new versions of turn to violence and let it out
revised playbooks, including rebuilt versions of The Hunter and The Oracle
two brand new playbooks: The Sworn (Power) and The Imp (Wild)
changing Factions to Circles—see below—and adding Circle Status to represent standing
a new downtime phase of the game focused on player-facing city moves and rumors
replacing Storms with a new MC-facing faction turn, including new faction moves
expanded MC tools for generating your city and Circles at the start of play
We’re also adding a new mechanic to bring PCs into contact more often with each other: City Hubs. Cities are enormous spaces, and we found (in US1E) player characters could sometimes retreat to their different corners of the cityscape, interacting only with their own worlds and not with each other. With City Hubs, we want to create smaller, expandable environments to focus play and create drama. These Hubs—described below—position characters in neighborhoods, institutions, and community spaces in which they interact more frequently and avoid sessions in which PCs rarely come into contact and conflict.
Download the quickstart for a chance to test out some of these new features! We’ll be previewing more of them during the campaign, and we’re excited to get your feedback and refine Urban Shadows even more. Thank you to everyone who has given us feedback on 1st Edition since 2015!
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In Urban Shadows, your characters juggle relationships and obligations, seeking allies and opportunities, cashing in debts along the way to get things done. When you seize the day, you reshape the city in your image and unleash your powers on those who stand against you; when your enemies move and hunt, you do your best to stay ahead of the oncoming storm.
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Urban Shadows uses the Powered by the Apocalypse framework to resolve interesting moments of uncertainty through moves, bits of mechanics that say: “When you do [x], [y] happens.” Each move trigger—the “When you do [x]” part—is designed to help point at moments of uncertainty, when neither the players nor the GM know exactly what happens next. Some examples of such moments include:
When you throw a punch at a loudmouthed werewolf in a demonic club
When you plead with the wizard’s council to return a tome of magic stolen from you
When you try to escape the evil ritual you stumbled onto in the city’s sewers
When you ask one of your companions to forgive the debt your fae lover owes them
When you trigger a move—when you perform the action described in the move’s trigger—then the rest of the move kicks into effect, often requiring a die roll. You roll 2d6 (two six-sided dice) and add in one of your stats to find out what happens.
Every playbook has four stats:
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Blood is the measure of your fight or flight instincts. It tells us how tough, dangerous, coiled, and quick to act your character is in a perilous situation.
Heart is the sum of your passion, charm, and charisma. It tells us how proficient your character is at getting what they want through negotiation and persuasion.
Mind is a reflection of your critical thinking and analysis. It tells us how perceptive your character can be and how good they are at manipulating others through deceit.
Spirit is a gauge of your connection to the “other” and your force of will. It tells us how focused your character is under pressure and what kind of power they can unleash.
Each stat is ranked from -3 to +3. You add your stat to some rolls when you trigger certain moves. For example, when you turn to violence, you roll 2d6 + Blood.
On most moves, if you get a 10 or higher (10+), things go your way! If you get a 7-9, you get what you were after, but usually with some cost or complication. If you get a 6 or lower, that’s called a miss, and the GM gets to tell you what happens next as things spiral out of control.
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Urban Shadows has basic moves for all the usual conflicts in urban fantasy—fighting, lying, escaping, magic, and more—along with special moves for managing debts and your relationships with communities at large.  
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The city is a fierce cesspool of politics and corruption, but there are clear connections and boundaries between like-minded residents, spheres of influence that make up the scope of politics within the city. Most call these divisions Circles, loose political groupings that illustrate the differing affiliations and loyalties in the world, each one a community with its own internal politics and dramas. The Circles are:
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In addition to the main stats, each character also has ratings (from -3 to +3) for their Circles, measures of how well the character understands each specific community. A character with a high rating in a Circle has contacts and connections within it, and can easily interpret its political information; a character with a low rating in a Circle doesn’t understand how that Circle works or who the power players are within that community.
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Circles aren’t organizations or formal alliances; they are more like broad communities or subcultures. The disagreement between two members of the same Circle may be as—or more—intense than any conflict between two differing spheres. A werewolf and a vampire both hail from Night, but that doesn’t mean they get along. It only means they understand each other...and the violence inherent in the language of their streets.
Yet there are factions within each Circle capable of acting in unison, alliances who can shape the city’s future—werewolf packs, witch covens, faerie courts, and more. In Urban Shadows: Second Edition, we’re giving GMs new tools to support those factions in a “faction turn” between sessions. We’re also giving players new tools to get stuff done in downtime, acting on the rumors they heard about what the factions have done in the past week or two of offscreen activity, all fueling the drama of the city and the power players have to shape the setting.
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Urban Shadows uses archetypes (The Wolf, The Wizard, The Oracle, etc.) to help players create characters quickly and easily. These archetypes are only ever a starting point; you can always bring in different myths, legends, and ideas to make your character entirely your own.
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Characters often acquire abilities and powers from other archetypes and may even change archetypes over the course of play. As your character advances, you may also find reasons to retire to safety, securing that character’s place in the city as you create a new character to continue your group's story.  
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Absolute power...corrupts absolutely. Urban Shadows features a dynamic corruption mechanic, tracking your character's descent into darkness. When you take a life, give in to your monstrous nature, or cross a line you shouldn't cross, you mark corruption. As you gain corruption, you unlock new and potent powers, allowing your character to get what they want—at the cost of further corruption. The dark side of your nature bears productive fruit.
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Power is never free, though. Cross the line too often and you lose your character to the darkness, handing them over to the GM for them to play as a threat. Corruption is a downward spiral threatening to push you over the edge, and not everyone is cut out to make it back from the brink. As your character gains new abilities fueled by the growing darkness within, you face a difficult choice: will you give up what you've gained to save yourself?
Corruption also encourages you to play to your archetype. Each archetype contains unique boundaries and taboos that define when you mark corruption. Life is always sacred, but werewolves, mages, and faeries all face unique temptations while stalking the city's streets.
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Cities are giant, complex networks of interconnected communities caught in an almost constant state of change. In order to focus your characters’ conflicts and provide reasons for the players to consistently play together across those spaces, Urban Shadows 2E uses City Hubs—dynamic sections of urban life that frame the story you’re telling together without cutting you off from the rest of the city’s potential.
A City Hub isn’t just a physical district or area of your city. Instead, each Hub is a collection of institutions, relationships, and anchors—important NPCs—that create a background for the action in your story. Even better, Hubs can be added over the length of a campaign, expanding the city with new locations, conflicts, and NPCs as your story progresses.
Urban Shadows 2E features four City Hubs, each dominated by one of the four Circles:
City Hall (Mortalis)
Downtown (Night)
The University (Power)
The Arts District (Wild)
Perhaps your Tainted is a student at the local university, the same campus that lies within the Wolf’s territory...and the same institution at which the Wizard recently started working as a professor. Or maybe your Oracle has an occult bookstore downtown in the same office building in which the Sworn is regularly summoned to meet with the wizard’s council, just down the street from the family restaurant in which the Aware still waits tables.
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Hubs are also a flexible tool for structuring your campaign as a whole. You can use two different Hubs set in the same city for different campaigns, you can grab elements from any Hub to use as inspiration for your campaign, or you can expand your campaign to include new Hubs as your city grows. We’ll release new Hubs through this campaign as stretch goals and as digital supplements after the Kickstarter.
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Kickstarter campaign ends: Thu, November 19 2020 9:00 PM UTC +00:00
Website: [Magpie Games] [facebook] [twitter]
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zpetlovesglitter · 3 years
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The Wicked Powers Theories
The Wicked Powers has recently been getting me excited WAY too much - which says a lot about how weird I am since Cassie hasn’t even started on it yet (LOL).
aND, so, I kind of thought it’d be nice to jot down some predictions and theories on how the series might go and maybe some thoughts on THE SHIPS (that really do be the real TEA).
So.Here we go.And do let me know about any thoughts you have on this topic as well - I read anything about TWP like a crazed creature these days istg.
1)The POV has already been envisioned to be from Ty, Dru and Kit. I absolutely love this settlement since they are all very intriguing characters. Ty is an interesting person and his actions are always unpredictable, so we might enjoy this one. And,I believe he is at The Scholomance while the story progresses, followed by Livvy (Ghost Livvy, I mean).It’s still unclear what Livvy’s situation is, so I can’t wait to know more about that - it’s bound to be something unexpected. And, as for Dru, it’s kinda obvious. We all know that WE HAVE A LOVE TRIANGLE COMING UP. But, other than that, we also know she attends The Academy and finally starts to makes some friends and even has that really close Italian (..or was it Spanish???) Shadowhunter friend who’s her age and Cassie also revealed that the two are really tight indeed. And I will be honing in on the Love Triangle soon - I told you I’ll be trying to spill whatever tea I’m guessing at.  And, as for the last character WE HAVE KIT! OMFG YOU DO NOT KNOW HOW MUCH I LOVE OLDER BROTHER KIT.LIKE GOSH DARN IT HE IS SO ADORABLE AND MINA IS SO EFFING CUTE I CAN’T EVEN-                          AND KIT’S TRAINING WITH JEM AND HE IS GOING TO BE A WELL-TRAINED SHADOWHUNTER IN TWP, SO YAYYYY!! And, I absolutely CANNOT wait for MinaXKit interactions, they are the cutest siblings ever and I absolutely know that Mina grows up to be sarcastic. I can’t wait for the possible sarcastic arguments between Kit and 4-year old Mina. YOU THINK I FORGOT ABOUT KITxTY? NOPE.THE REAL SHET’S COMING UP.
2)Now,we know that the storyline is going to have something to do with that Faerie Heirloom that was from the Rosales Family. And, Cassie also said it was going to be kind of an Arthurian Legend-ish story. If you don’t know the Arthurian Legend, I suggest you read on it. I’m not sure if Cassie meant the characters and LOVE Aspect of it or the LEGEND aspect of it as in the stuff about Excalibur and all. But, for now we’ll view it in both and examine it, shall we?
King Arthur's reign ends after his wife and best knight have an affair.
This is the drama in the legend.But, there are no relationships with the MCs yet. So idk. I’m clueless. Like, maybe Dru has a relationship?? Okay I’m clutching at practically nothingness so don’t judge me. :/
So,it’s obviously something to do with the LEGEND.
I am afraid I cannot say too much about it, since I have never read too deeply about it. But, here’s some of the basics:
-He managed to pull out Excalibur from the rock it was stuck in.
-He wielded Excalibur for the people and not for his own self-interest.
-He gets help from a wizard named Merlin.
-The peeps go on a quest.
And I have this reference from a website..I’ll hit u with the link as well, if you’d like to read more on it like I did
Arthurian legend, the body of stories and medieval romances, known as the matter of Britain, centring on the legendary king Arthur. Medieval writers, especially the French, variously treated stories of Arthur’s birth, the adventures of his knights, and the adulterous love between his knight Sir Lancelot and his queen, Guinevere. This last situation and the quest for the Holy Grail (the vessel used by Christ at the Last Supper and given to Joseph of Arimathea) brought about the dissolution of the knightly fellowship, the death of Arthur, and the destruction of his kingdom.
(I’ve linked it with the text above.)
So,now I thought this was interesting- the destruction part. After all, it’s something I’m expecting about the Shadowhunters. Will the Clave maybe be destroyed? Or maybe Faerie will be destroyed? So,there were three things that brought on this uh Destruction.FIRST, his wife and his best buddy were going behind his back and doing them lovey-dovey stuff. And they all go on some quest to retrieve something important to them. So, this sounds like something plausible to be the plot of TWP. Maybe the Heirloom’s missing? And who goes on the quest though? Maybe they venture through Faerie? BLAH MY HEAD HURTS SOME THINGS ARE BETTER TO BE SURPRISED WITH ;)
-----I kinda scrolled back up while writing about Janus down there and remembered CLARY MIGHT BE TAKEN HOSTAGE LIKE YESS AND THEY GO FIND HER MAYBE?
3)We will defo see Christina, Mark and Kieran at some point- no worries, Emma and Julian too. Happy Couples! XD
4)So,then we can look forward to Dru and Jaime’s interactions. I am absolutely excited for this the most, as a shipper of the two. If you remember, we saw Jaime ignoring her for a while back there at the end of QOAAD and then he says “See ya at the Academy soon ig”. I really do hope they meet and hang out as friends, at least. I am excited to see what kind of trope it’s gonna be tho. Like, do they ignore each other and remain awkward until they start the adventure stuff in the book where they eventually have to talk to each other after years or smth. Or, maybe they’re really good friends rn. But, what I’ll warn y’all shippers is that they might not end up together, and could wind up as brother-sister-ish kind of best buddies. Which is equally cute a relationship imo. It’s a really sweet thing to be, really. I lowkey hope Cassie spins something beautiful for their relationship like a sibling-like best friends kind of thing. But, I feel like they might have feelings for each other in secret. Or maybe they date. Or maybe they suppress their secret-feelings for the sake of friendship later on in the book and end up having that really sweet friendship I was talking about.There are SO many options and that is precisely why I am so freaking excited.
5)JAIME ROCIO ROSALES.       Like, I have this gut feeling that he might end up being my fave male protagonist character in TSC. He’s got it ALL. Like, the sense of humour, the looks, the bubbly yet brooding personality, the quirks and OFC THE FRICKING NAME ITSELF IS CUTE AF LIKE BRUH I CANNOT WAIT TO READ ABOUT HIM.I have so much to say about Jaime but I’d rather we let ourselves simply wait for the crumbs Cassie might give us or maybe reread all his parts in TDA like I do everyday or just wait for the book to come out rather than simp for someone we know nothing about yet....
6)Ash Morgenstern.         He’s a cute lil bean.        That was random and untrue lmao. He’s not a ‘lil bean’. He’s totally badass with dem wings and all, but we know he’s soft inside for Janus and ofc Dru, I believe. I find him the most intriguing character, honestly. I would love to know what goes through his head. He’s actually, like, the one character in TSC that I don’t have all figured out. He gon surprise us all for sure tho. He is awesome. That’s all I have to say for now. And he looks up to Janus which is SO GODDAMN SWEET AHHHH. And THE WINGS I CANNOT WAIT TO READ MORE ABOUT THE WINGS IT SOUNDED SO BADASS ISTG I LITERALLY CANNOT WAIT GOSH DARN IT. But he really do be a cute lil bean lowkey tho.
7)Kit and Ty LOL. I have no words really. But lemme tell you how it might go. There is definitely going to be some kind of reunion. AND THEN THAT’S WHERE IT GETS CUTE. They could either be awkward and we know what tension that gets us-perhaps some whisperings of My Watson...(?  ;) and maybe they go all sad and brooding with dem looks later OR, they could be the sweetie-pies they were before and be happy and all HIII BUDDDYYYY MISSED YAAA LESS GO BE DETECTIVES YAY BURN IT UP MAH BUDDY!! Either way it’s going to be cute af and we know it . TRUST IN CASSIE Y’ALL.I trust Cassie to let this ship sail the seven seas and seven more like it deserves.
8)Ash and Dru So, Ash has a strange lil fixation on Dru and I believe he even thought she was ‘pretty’ or something. It was definitely a good adjective, but I think he said ‘pretty’. idk but we know he likes her. and I can imagine a nice relationship. I can picture them with her hair flying in the wind and they meet for the first time or smth. IHNI WHAT IM SAYING. But, there will be DRAMA. They are going to be real cute with each other YOU CAN BET ON THAT.And, by cute I do not necessarily mean ‘Oh, you have the loveliest eyes’ or some shet like that. I have a feeling it’s going to be a case of ‘Well,that’s not weird or anything YOU WEIRDO - NO U - NO U - NO U’ However this relationship is going to go, I know that it’ll be a sweet one.And, for all you shippers of these two, I have no assurances that HE IS THE ONE or anything but he is definitely a candidate. Jaime is going to be some competition I can tell. So, idk. It depends on the Jaime x Dru ship to decide things for Ash x Dru ship imo, since it might be a no-brainer if the two have feelings for each other- I mean,Jaime is an actually perfect love interest in TSC, while Ash is strong potential Best-Friend material, so it’s ONLY if Jaime and Dru don’t like each other that way that Ash could make it as a love interest. So, if y’all wanna find out what’s in it for you guys, ask Cassie maybe about how the Jaime x Dru ship might go, the next time u wanna ask her ;)
9)Tavvy and maybe the kid Helen and Aline might have had We were getting hints of another baby, so HERE WE GO.Tavvy might have a playmate. :D. YAYYYYYYYYYY
10)Janus  I’m honestly worried about him. He is a worrisome character. I hate empathising with the antagonist, personally. AAAAHHHH . I hope we see some character development in him. I really don’t want to see him as an antagonist in the story. He’s sweet and feels cheated, but he should realise that it ain’t Jace’s fault but SEBASTIAN’S fault. I would like for him to make amends with Jace :( And, also, he might get the story started in TWP tho idk. But, seriously tho, when he went home in that short story and Ash asked, “I thought you were gone forever?” or something of that sort and he shook his head sadly and Ash went soft for him. Like, that fricking broke my heart. I love this relationship tho. And, i hope Clary and him can be good friends. But, I feel like he might end up dying to save her or smth and make us all cry . T_T
11)WHAT TF IS GOING ON WITH THE SHADOWHUNTER POLITICS RN THO?HOW AND WHERE ARE THEY ALL SURVIVING TOGETHER WHAT IS THEIR SYSTEM AND STUFF THIS IS NOT A POINT WITH POTENTIAL THEORIES COZ HONESTLY I WANT TO BE SURPRISED BUT I THINK THEY MIGHT ALL JUST BE IN HIDING AND THEN IN TWP THEY MIGHT HAVE TO COME OUT FOR A QUEST OR SMTH AND WHAT IS HAPPENING TO THE SHADOWHUNTERS AT THE CLIMAX OF THIS WHOLE SERIES??? IT IS THE END OF TSC SO IM SCARED AND KINDA SAD TOO :(((((((
12)Thule We might learn more about the Thule world and maybe they restore it or maybe the Quest is in Thule. idk. we don’t know much, but Thule will most probably be explored a lot. Cassie wouldn’t have opened up Thule for no reason.
13)Zara and Emma  Showdown? Befriend e/o ? What’s in store for these two? If it’s a showdown we get to see CORTANA YAY I AM OBSESSED WITH CORTANA NOW BECAUSE OF CORDELIA AND HER OBSESSION GOSH DARN IT WHAT HAS HAPPENED TO ME
14)BIG WAR I see a huge war coming I just know it. It’s a climax so there MUST be a big war and so I cannot wait! Feel like there’s gonna be some deaths as well. Lowkey feel like Jia might die. I can feel it. :(
15)The best-friend shadowhunter of Dru is a nice thing to look forward to! I can’t wait to read about the two! And I love the fact that Dru is finally exposed to new people. And, for anyone who’s confused as to how she goes to the Academy, in QOAAD she only said she’ll have some maturity done AFTER some years .  Those years are over and she at the Academy now hecc yeah I BELIEVE THE BFF IS CALLED THAI AND SHE’S FROM THE SPANISH INSTITUTE CORRECT ME IF IM WRONG???
16)Magnus Bane He is literally everywhere. He gon be here too. No worries for all the Magnus Bane stans. He’ll make it here without a doubt!  Good for you :).  and the entire community of shadowhunters they literally always need him  17)THE MAIN MAIN PLOT THE SHADOWHUNTERS SHOWDOWN IS OBVIOUSLY GOING TO ALSO BE RELATED TO THE PRINCES OF HELL COMING TOGETHER AND I AM TOO SCARED TO LOOK TOO INTO IT BUT WE KNOW SHIZ COMING GNJODIFPEDWEFHUGBJ VM
18)THIS IS KINDA RANDOM BUT I CAN’T WAIT FOR THE SELF-ESTEEM GROWTH IN DRU LIKE PLEASE SHE QUEEN MWAH
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WTFairytale Bingo????
Hello LOVELIES Welcome to FAIRYTALE BINGO
First up, THIS ISN’T YOUR GRANDMA’S BINGO Though it could be, if fan creations were their thing
SECOND THING, Just like Fight Club, there are some rules:
Be super cool
Choose any one of the 9 magical cards and create fills for any fandom, any pairing, any rating
The usual jargon regarding 1 square per creation. Yes! different chapters in the same story can fill different squares
There are no subsequent rules
Badges may happen, but we’re here for the magic~
There are no round ups
No rules against crossovers
No deadlines 
No posting requirements 
And no discords to join
If you make it to fill that slot, it counts as a fill
I’m saying NO now, so that when you think to yourself: “Hmm, could I--?” you will know the answer is YES! 
Email: [email protected] AO3 Collection: https://archiveofourown.org/collections/Fairytale_Bingo
Feast your eyes and make some fills!!!!!
The wonderful and mysterious RudeArrow deserves ALL the credit for... everything.
Card 1
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Magic Beans Saving The Kingdom Unicorn Blood Heroic Urchin Forbidden Rooms Dryad Castle Gryphon Origin Story Shifter Fae Curses Favoured Child Irish Mythology Magical Loss of Sight Quest
Card 2
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Stardust AU Talking Animals Hate Potion Dungeon Magic Apples Chimera Granting Wishes Invisibility Origin Story Magic Tattoo Soulbond Virgin Sacrifice Magical Loss of Taste Good Parents Long Journey Greek Mythology
Card 3
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Familiar/Daemon Magic School Scandi Mythology Unicorn Wingfic Inheritance Loss of Powers Obscure Fairytale Plague Practical Magic Beastly Bride/Groom Candle Bastard Child Cheating Death Deal With The Devil Magical Loss of Feeling
Card 4
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Magical Exhaustion Mermaids Technomage Guardian Spirits Ghosts Evil Doubles Magic is Mundane Dwarves Russian Mythology Secret Drawers Witch/Wizard Urban Fantasy Elemental Animal Protagonist “Dude, where’s my dragon?” Drow
Card 5
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Demigods Forces of Nature Kitsune High Fantasy Under the Sea Parallel Worlds Faerie Dust Chosen One Egyptian Mythology Fountain of Youth Light and Dark Magical Loss of Speech Sphinx Utopia Magical Helpers Courting
Card 6
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Crafting Love Potion Magic Heist Nymph Seeking Fame/Fortune Summoning Uprooted AU Roman Mythology Phoenix Magic Rope Family Curses Assassin Magical Loss of Hearing Missing Parents Manticore Fellowship
Card 7
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Damsel in Distress Dream Walking Geese Magical Baby Seven Sins Time Travel Valdemar AU Sacrifice of Power for X Royalty Mystical Forest Elves Dystopia Magical Loss of Smell True Love’s Kiss Werewolf Japanese Mythology
Card 8
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Chaperone Frog Prince Godly Heritage Magical Underground Merlin AU Swans Unhappily Ever After Vampire Magic Treaty Lesser Known Creature Saves the Day Grim Reaper Fairytale Remix Dragon Dark Lord “The price was too high.” Apocalyptic Event
Card 9
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Magic Number 9 Demon Dark Fantasy Happily Ever After Magical Instruments Spinning Silver AU Step Parents Druid Sword in the Stone Angel Djinn “Be careful what you wish for.” Arranged Marriage/Betrothal Blessings Golden Egg Magic Food
Link to higher res cards:
https://drive.google.com/open?id=1JIuxug-GjGMIHxr7Paown3b3FRQvINiH
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bookshelfdreams · 4 years
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things i love about Carnival Row (non-conclusive, no particular order) (slightly spoilery)
It’s grimdark(tm) but in a way that actually works. It isn’t just dark and gritty for ~~realism but because the setting demands it. This is, after all, a story about colonialism. The setting shapes the characters, not the other way round (like, how often does grimdark just mean “populated entirely by assholes because good people are boring”) - also, characters aren’t randomly killed for shock value.
Mainpain-ridden male protagonist with a Tragic Backstory who is actually....quite sympathetic. Also, his backstory is genuinely horrifying. Also, although it is explained to some extend, a lot of it is shown through his characterization and how other characters interact with him - there’s never a moment where he sits down Love Interest to have the talk - “here’s how x terrible thing happened to me, please let me cry all over you and then reassure me which will make my trauma go away”. Which is nice.
m/f romance that is actually sweet and alluring and doesn’t make me want to claw my eyes out at all
respects sex workers
respects women’s bodies
the title cards. Vintage anatomical collections are one of my favourite things in the whole world.
The costumes. Honestly, the production design in this is so great. Not in all cases, there are a few things that don’t really work, but overall? *chef’s kiss*
Use of prosthetics. I’m always a sucker for practical effects.
Knows its politics and doesn’t shy away from making its point. Takes the Fantasy Racism analogy to actually make the point “racism always bad” instead of it being a covert justification for white supremacy (or certain parts of it, and that is so prevalent in urban fantasy). Granted, it is not very subtle or sophisticated in making that point, and comes across as performative at times, but at least it has something to say and then says it, instead of shying away just when it gets serious.
actually interesting use of that age-old Prophecy trope. Interesting, in that no one takes it seriously (except 1 character), and it serves more as a catalyst than a plot template. Also, it is pretty generic, which is a nice touch of realism.
Subtle character growth. Some big changes happen, but all gradually, and all believable, without the need to have a character stop and explain their motivation.
Good worldbuilding. This is a fun sandbox to play in, just the right amount of detailed to make the prospect of exploring it further seem exciting.
Rewatchable. Knows its story and is only interested in telling it well, doesn’t feel the need to be clever or surprising.
Relatively low stakes, all things considered? Like, there are no chosen ones or evil overlords to defeat. This is just about people trying to survive in a horrible world. Who also happen to be faeries.
Honestly, “x genre but with faeries” is all I ever want from media anyway
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