#woodcut novels

[sacchiri]

Hellsing 2002 calendar illustration.

Ein wunderliche und erschröckliche Hystori von einem großen Wüttrich genant Dracole wayda Der do so ganz unkristenliche marrter hat angelegt die mensche, als mit spissen als auch die leut zu Tod geslyffen

A wondrous and frightening story about a great berserk called Dracula the voivode who inflicted such unchristian tortures such as with stakes and also dragged people to death

#hellsing #alucard #kouta hirano #translation was found in a comment by u/lazyfoxheart on r/Kurrent #fun fact this is the highest quality version of this image that exists online #i know because i've been looking forever for a version that's clear enough to actually read what hirano wrote under '1443' #but there weren't any so i had to take matters into my own hands #the real image on the back of the guidebook is only 2 inches tall so i had to take this with my smartphone and will my hands not to shake #anyway i'm pretty sure it's supposed to say Eğrigöz (the location vlad was imprisoned) so yeah. thank you hirano very cool #if i might rant for a sec it took me an embarrassingly long time to figure that out because i didn't have the guidebook at first #and in the images i could find online that part was just a blur that looked suspiciously like a person's signature and i was like. who tf #i was thinking matthias corvinus since he issued some political propaganda against vlad iirc but it didn't match his signature on wikipedia #then i thought it might be vlad II dracul's since he probably had to sign an agreement to send his sons over as hostages at some point #but that didnt seem right either so i kept skimming vlad's wiki page #and then i was like goddammit...hirano.....you just misspelled Eğrigöz didn't you.. .... #i maybe should've made a separate post dedicated to this instead of writing a novel in the tags but eh #the hellsing brainrot runs deep #also- i put it in the source link at the bottom of the post but the german inscription is copied off a real woodcut of vlad from 1491 #except instead of depicting him as an adult hirano drew him as a child which gives the inscription a very different feel imo #the one final thing that interests me about this is the fact that hirano published this calendar in 2002 #which is REALLY early in the series. like this was before volume 5 came out?? #i have no idea why he decided to do a massive spoiler drop in a random piece of japan-only merch #sandwiched between a drawing of alucard as john travolta from saturday night fever and integra as a fish no less #it makes me really curious to know what the fan response to this was back then. like did people even know who this was #maybe im just an idiot and everyone back then was like 'ah yes its alucard as a 12 year old. how very informative'

[thoughtportal]

Gods' Man is a wordless novel by American artist Lynd Ward (1905–1985) published in 1929. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gods%27_Man

               Frans Masereel            My Book of Hours                     https://theanarchistlibrary.org/library/frans-masereel-my-book-of-hours

#books #wordless books #graphic novels #woodcuts #wordless novel #woodblocks #books and literature #books and writing #books and libraries #books and authors #art history #Frans Masereel #Lynd Ward #art book #history #book history

[jrenzella]

First 3 pages of my forthcoming graphic novel Fractal Cascade

#woodcut #printmaking #kunst #comics #comic art #graphic novel

[recursive-rupture]

Chris Lanier: "Your grandfather was an influence on you, in pursuing art..."

Eric Drooker: "My grandfather introduced me to silent storytelling when I was a boy. He showed me several woodcut novels, which were popular in the 1930s, when he was a young man. None of the books had any words in them, only stark black-and-white images."

Chris: "What woodcut novels did your grandfather show you?"

Eric: "When I was about twelve, he gave me two wordless books, Passionate Journey and The City, by Frans Masereel, the Belgian expressionist. He said, 'Take a look at these books, they're written without using any words.' I was intrigued, but could hardly penetrate the books. They were too serious ... not cartoony enough - or linear enough - for me to grasp. But over the years, I'd occasionally crack these books open and marvel: 'Hmm ... Entire stories told in pictures - in woodcuts, no less!' Each year they affected me more and more ... until I began to feel haunted by these silent books. In my early twenties, I began to study Masereel's technique, and after Sue Coe gave me a huge anthology of his work, I became possessed by his vision."

Chris: "Have you seen any other woodcut novels?"

Eric: "I'd stumbled upon a collection of woodcut novels by Lynd Ward, the American illustrator. His book Storyteller without Words contains all his silent stories, including Gods' Man and Vertigo. I was deeply moved by his art, and inspired by the social realism in his work."

{pictured: prints by Eric Drooker, Frans Masereel, and Lynd Ward, in that order}

#eric drooker #frans masereel #lynd ward #prints #art prints #wordless novels #woodcut #scratchboard #woodcut novel

[tygerland]

#frans masereel #woodcut #design #art #vintage #1910s #nostalgia #nature #trees #books #artwork #reading #literature #illustration #booklr #academia #bookworm #outdoors #books and libraries #graphic novels #📚

[astriiformes]

I am once again informing you all that Pentiment is currently (as of 6/13/23) on sale on Steam and you should really really play it.

If you're new here: Meticulously researched historical mystery game somewhere between an RPG and a visual novel in which your choices matter a lot, set in 16th century Bavaria where you play as an artist employed by a local monestary. Incredible plot, story, and characters, made me feel every human emotion, beautifully weaves in themes about art, history, why we create, and how we're remembered after we're gone, gorgeous stylization (the whole game is made to look like a medieval manuscript and/or woodcut), and was clearly made with so much love. Also how many games come with a full historical bibliography and the option to enable long s in the game text?

It's well worth the sale price especially and it's my mission to get people to play this game.

#please please play pentiment #hot scriptorium summer

[most-normal-eccles-cake-ignorer]

^this one is large, definitely open it in new tab to view full size if you're on desktop!

^ The woodcut-style illustration from chapter 10 and the banner I did for @gorgeousundertow's gorgeous fic, Half Agony, Half Hope, as part of the Ineffable Idiots Big Bang!

@queenofthecute also did some lovelyyy art for chapter 2 that everyone should see!

closeups and info about inspirations under the cut:

faces and southwark cathedral in bg // snek do a hiss // lol i really like to make these guys aaalmost touch hands

As you can see I got very excited about the regency AU and decided to do art inspired by illustrations in Jane Austen novels.

The banner is me trying to be like Charles and Henry Brock with a dash of snek and nightingale.

The ''woodcut'' is inspired by Joan Hassall's work with a Brock-esque ribbon frame bc I liked doing the one in the banner so much.

--

I also wrote a separate post where I share some of the resources I found while researching and show some of the amazing artwork by Hassall and the Brocks that inspired these pieces! You can read it here.

#this was my first bang and i had so much fun! #ineffable idiots big bang #joan hassall #charles edmund brock #henry matthew brock #good omens fanart #good omens fic #good omens fanfiction #woodcut #good omens au #regency au #eccles makes

[pentacentric]

Heaven, Hell and the Human Heart

When I read the SPN Pro-Ship Bang prompt for a story based on Dante's Inferno where Sam descends into Hell to rescue Dean, I knew I had to get it. And I was so, so lucky I did, because working with @saltbind has been freaking fantastic. And so is his story.

Go read it here, now. There was so much to work with that I kind of went a little nuts with the images, so there's a lot more under the cut. Check out my art post on AO3 for more background info and some stuff about the process, too, if you're into that kind of thing.

We're both fans of Zdzisław Beksiński and he was my inspiration for the first of the two main images for the story—Sam and Ruby on their descent through the Circles. I'm no Beksiński, but I did try to capture some of his otherworldliness and discordantly-pretty, diffuse lighting here.

I ended up with a bit of romance-novel-cover vibe here and I'm ok with that. And I will never pass up an opportunity to paint Sam's tits. ❤️

Gustav Dure's gorgeous engravings for Dante's Divine Comedy were one of the first things @saltbind referenced. I love them, too, and ended up turning some of my character concept sketches into illustrations that have a little bit of that woodcut feel to them.

Top row is Dean, Boy King Sam, and Ruby's demon form. Bottom row are Meg and Bela (I'm a little in love with this Meg).

Alastair was one of the first things I drew because I just cannot resist a good creepy monster.

In Hell's archives, there's definitely a manuscript that details Sam's journey. Here they recorded a tormented Dean and a righteously vengeful, into-his-powers Sam.

Added bonus, close-up shot of Cerberus, because he's just so damn cute.

@spnproshipbang

#spn proship bang #boy king sammy #sam winchester #dean winchester #wincest #inferno inspired #spn fanart #myspnfanart #spnproshipbang2023 #spnproshipbang #bela spn #meg spn #ruby spn #alastair spn #mild gore #i'll probably post some of these individually later since there's a lot going on here

[vintagerpg]

Other Magic II (2020) goes where all great RPG lines wind up eventually: a monster book. Subtitled Monsters of the Americas, it is a collection of unusual creatures from a variety of American folk traditions, all accompanied by Jesse Ephraim’s minimal yet evocative woodcut art.

Some might be familiar to well-read aficionados of monsters from oral traditions. The Raven Mockers, for instance, which I know from their appearance in Manly Wade Wellman’s Silver John novel The Old Gods Waken. Over all though, I suspect Other Magic II will be the first time readers encounter most of these creatures, like the headless mule (gouts of fire shoot from the neck of this monster, which is actually a woman cursed to take the form) or the Lagahoo (a man whose head is a coffin topped with three burning candles, who rather reminds me of Pyramid Head, actually).

Most of these monsters are interesting for a couple of mechanical reasons. For starters, they aren’t really good for D&D style combat encounters. Rather, their reasons for being almost all beg for whole, dedicated scenarios (I can easily see these used in spooky games like Vaesen or Call of Cthulhu). This is partly because of another interesting feature: most of the monsters can’t be killed in conventional ways, if at all. The majority of them can only be driven away temporarily. For some, the only strategy is avoidance. Like the magic of the first volume, this implies different modes of play for readers to investigate on their own, which I am more than happy to oblige!

#dungeons & dragons #tabletop rpg #roleplaying game #rpg #d&d #ttrpg #Folk Magic #Woodcut Games #Other Magic #Occult

[uwmspeccoll]

Another Wood-engraved Feathursday

JOHN MCWILLIAMS

Now here's a couple of intense fellows! The print is entitled Sparrow Hawk by South Carolina artist and engraver John McWilliams (b. 1941). The print was selected for inclusion in the Fourth Triennial Exhibition 2020-2022 of the American wood engravers society, the Wood Engravers’ Network (WEN), and this image is from the catalog for that traveling show.

McWilliams's work is inspired by Lowlands flora and fauna, so it seems a little odd that he would choose as his subject the Eurasian Sparrow Hawk (Accipiter nisus) rather than the American Kestrel (Falco sparverius), which is so common to his native habitat. Both species are used in falconry. Nevertheless, both offer something for the engraver, and we enjoy how McWilliams's Sparrow Hawk looks like it's about to take a bow.

John McWilliams received his BFA and MFA from the Rhode Island School of Design and is Professor/Director Emeritus of Georgia State University Ernest G. Welch School of Art and Design. He has received numerous awards, including the Guggenheim Foundation Fellowship and the National Endowment for the Arts Fellowship in photography. Today he maintains a studio in McClellanville, S.C. He counts as his inspirations the work of Albrecht Dürer and the German expressionists, the illustrations of Rockwell Kent, and the graphic novels of Lynd Ward and Frans Masereel. Of working in wood, he writes:

Woodcuts and wood engravings . . . have held much fascination for me. . . . The process of developing an image into a woodcut or wood engraving gives structure to my life. . . . It is such sweet irony that, although the act of creating gives my life structure, it nevertheless produces an enigma, a puzzle that others may interpret through their own lives. There are no easy answers. Such is life.

View more Feathursday posts.

View other posts with engravings from the WEN Fourth Triennial Exhibition.

View more engravings by members of the Wood Engraver’s Network.

View more posts with wood engravings!

#Feathursday #wood engravings #wood engravers #John McWilliams #Eurasian Sparrow Hawk #George Dirolf #Wood Engravers' Network #WEN #WEN Fourth Triennial Exhibition #exhibitions #exhibition catalogs #birds #birbs!

[toweroftickles]

Genshin Impact: Quiet in the Library

(Jean/Lisa Tickling Fic)

This was a request for @artistgirl20 that, like always, took longer than anticipated. ^^;

**a crash of thunder, overdramatic violin music** "I surrendered my crown for you, Chien! Everything that was mine, I gave to you!" Antoinette stood on the starboard rail of the mighty ship, tears streaming down her cheeks. The stars cried out to her from above, begging "Jump!" Chien faced her, his black locks slick with ocean spray. Frigid were his wolf-like eyes. "You knew what I was...my responsibilities! My family! My duty to my country surpasses any love I have for man!" Antoinette's lip trembled. "...or woman?" she whispered. Their lips crashed together in a tempest of passion and agony, and the thunderous sea waves, for all their sound and fury and majesty, could only stare with jealous eyes at the rapture before them. Oh, that Antoinette could summon their frigid depths to her and cool her trembling loins! The straps of her blouse unbuckled, seemingly on their own. Her back was against the wall. It was happening. And as Chien reached for her, their eyes magnetically locked, she felt a surge of tender embers stirring in her silken -

"Uh, Jean? What are you doing?"

**cymbal crash**

A startled yelp escaped Jean's mouth. The chair rocked and squeaked beneath her, nearly collapsing onto the floor until steadied at the last second. Who was…?!

…oh. Lisa. Duh.

The snug little cottage of Jean's imagination came crashing down around her ears, and in its place sprung up cool white plaster walls, columns upon columns of endless books, and a chessboard floor. Once again, she was sitting at one of the long tables in the Knights of Favonius Library, her fantasies interrupted by gubernatorial tedium.

After the surprise subsided, pangs of guilt rippled her brow. Her face buried itself in her palm. She was supposed to be out helping the local populace, not goofing around, but preparing everything for the Weinlesefest always tired her out. Too many business owners to corral, too many casks to brew, too many guards to train, too many windowpanes to decorate...

Blessed Barbatos; she could use a coffee.

"Hee-Hee. You look tired. What are you worried about now?"

"Nothing...nothing!" Jean scrambled to conceal the small purple novella in her lap. "Just brushing up on some vineyard history before I....Hey!"

Just like that the book was out of her hands. Lisa playfully yanked it away from her and began to leaf through the pages before she had a chance to object, much to the former's dismay. The cover's title, embossed in silver letters, read Above The Ebbing Waves, and underneath it was a woodcut illustration of two embracing figures on the edge of a cliff. The bookkeeper grinned broadly.

"Why Jean…sitting here with a romance novel instead of performing your knightly duties?! How saucy!” Lisa, hand on her heart, looked as if she might pretend to swoon. "And after all those lectures about my productivity..."

Jean grimaced. Ugh...That gleeful sarcasm was just killing her. She wasn't gonna hear the end of this one for a while. Embarrassed, she watched Lisa's fingertip trace across the book's inner cover, until it found the small ink stamp peeking out from behind the dog-eared pages.

"And wow...I never thought you'd be the type to keep a book checked out late."

That one stung. It was true...Jean had, knowingly and with malice of forethought, broken a rule. The world was officially ending.

"Right, I...I know! I'm sorry, it's not like that!" she broke out into nervous babbles. "You see, I hadn't quite had enough time to reach the ending, and I thought that if I sat in here and finished it quickly then you might..."

The truth was that she simply didn't want to part with the book's sensual, overwritten cheese. But amidst all of that nervous excuse-making, Lisa merely chuckled. It was almost offensive, how nonchalant she was. In fact, Jean wasn't sure what bothered her more...that she was caught reading spicy love stories on the job, or the fact that Lisa didn't seem to care in the slightest about her despicable crime.

The spellcaster leaned forward on the table, right into Jean's face, putting on her most comforting smile.

"Jean...this library is entrusted to me, is it not?"

"Well...yes, of course it is." Their noses were almost touching.

"Mm-hm. And what's my first rule here?"

Jean immediately sat at attention and spoke like a student taking a quiz. "Seventh Edition Rules section 1: Please be quiet in the library."

She looked up, expecting approval, and saw that Lisa was instead rolling her bright green eyes...with a twinkle of playful affection in them, sure, but rolling nonetheless. (Was that a rhetorical question?) Lisa walked around behind her back, her heels slowly clicking on stone floor.

“Noooo…the first rule in my library is: while you're here, you have to relax.”

Black-gloved hands suddenly clasped Jean's shoulders. She let out a soft gasp. A rubbing sensation spread across her back and her neck.

“Oh....Mmf…now, Lisa…”

“Shhhh. Shh. Just relax.”

Jean shuddered. Lisa's hands felt warm and soft as they massaged her tense muscles into butter.

"You're so high-strung. It's cute, but it's not all that good for you."

She couldn't help but smile at the remark. This felt nice; nicer than she wanted to admit. Spindly velvet claws tip-toed their way down her neck as graceful as a ballerina, smoothing over her capelet and up and down her shoulder blades, until at last they came to rest, right on the lip of her collarbone.

Those long nails…the light touch sent an embarrassed quiver down her body, and she exhaled quickly through her nose. Half-shy and half-elated, she took Lisa's hand, holding it at bay.

“Heh…hey, watch your hands; that tickles…” she sighed.

Uh-oh. Her eyes reflexively dilated. As soon as the words slipped out, Jean knew she’d made a mistake. Lisa's flirtatious chuckle pricked her ears. She could feel that evil "Wicked Witch of the West" grin staring down at her.

“Oh REALLY?”

“…No. Lisa, don’t.” Her pretty smile, relaxed for the first time all day, twitched conspicuously in the corners. Jean was giggling already, and no finger-wagging authority could hide it.

“Oh, sweetie, you should NOT have told me that.”

The sound of cracking knuckles rang out. Jean tried to hop up, but before she could stand, ten fingers reached down to her waist, held her still in her chair, and skittered all along her belly.

“Mmfff…Mm Hm-Hm! Hmhm! D-hon't do that!" The blonde knight struggled to keep her lips sealed and barricade the soft, sweet sputters with her hand. She didn't hate being tickled, but in public? This was embarrassing!

"You can't giggle in my library, Jean. Rule number 1, seventh edition." Oh, why did Lisa have to tease her so much?

"Hn-Hee! C-come on, cut it out; someone'll seehee us!"

"Then hush."

Those fingers...they were marching like little soldiers all over her torso. They played the drums down her lats, squeezing and plying so gently between every muscle; even her corset couldn’t protect her. She wriggled in her squeaky chair, desperately hoping that the nearby knight (who was in the midst of perusing a book titled The Handmaiden's Swan, and Other Dirty Jokes Overheard in Djafar Tavern) wouldn't meet her gaze. One girl a few tables down did notice the pair, but then quickly turned away with a playful smile. That was the worst part for Jean. Not the tickling...not the jittery nerves inside her tummy...but the possibility that another Mondstater might see this display of affection.

Gossip, you see, was quite the force of nature in this town.

“Ah Hn-Hn! Hn! It t-hickles!”

“Goodness; you’re even more ticklish than I imagined!”

Wait… ‘imagined?’ Had Lisa thought about this before? No, don’t be silly; she wouldn’t, Jean told herself. Why won’t she stop?!

"Hey...you want to see something fun I can do with my detection magic?"

"Lisa, don't you dahahare..." Jean tittered nervously, her snickers dancing on the end of her tongue. Her words resisted, but her tone, her smile, her eyes...those surrendered.

"Hm-Hm...I can find out exactly where you're most ticklish," Lisa purred. "Right........

.....abooouuuuut......."

"D-hon't; dohohon't..." Jean was about to erupt.

Her ribs...the right side, smack in the middle. The lower left side of her smooth tummy…a soft, squeezable handle just above the hipbone.

“….HERE!”

Both spots felt a sharp pinch. Fingertips dug in and wiggled firmly, kneading into those nerve clusters with skill and aggression, sucking Jean's breath right out of her...

...and that was it. She laughed. She laughed, and no matter how she struggled, she couldn’t stop.

But this was no ordinary tickling. Daggers of crackling static burrowed down through her clothes...Electro magic?!....and kissed her tingly skin in all those innumerable secret places that made her want to squeak. She was lighter than air, practically floating. Her hair stood on end, her arms and legs broke out in chilly goosebumps.

"Ahhh Ha-Ha Ha-Ha Ha-Ha! H-Heh-Heh Ha! *gasp* L-hee...Lisaaaa, Ha-Ha Ha! *gasp* Oh my g-hosh!"

“Oh, here’s a weak spot! And another…and another…”

“Ha-Ha Hee!”

Were any students in the library watching? It no longer mattered. Those thoughts were far away now. All that mattered to Jean was how apple-red her cheeks were glowing, the delirious dreamlike warmth she felt, how much Lisa clearly relished touching her this way, how every playful jab made her want to curl into a little ball on her bedroom floor and yet never escape the arms that nestled her...

She descended from her hazy fog, breathing softly, her cheek flat against the cool wood of the desk. The tickling had stopped, leaving behind little teardrops that hung from her eyelashes and ghostly tingles all over her body.

"Hn......*sigh*....Hn-Hn....Lisa....th-hat's nohot funny...Hn-Hn Hn..."

“Now how does that feel?”

Jean’s pulse steadied. Her breath slowed. She hadn’t noticed at first, but to her surprise, she wasn't worn out. On the contrary: every muscle in her body was alive, coursing with a current of renewed vigor, like pure distilled caffeine had been injected into her bloodstream. Electricity made the hair on the back of her neck buzz.

Better than tea. Better than coffee. Better than…Get your mind out of the gutter, Jean; you’re a knight.

“O-oh....Wow, I…I feel so…energetic!” she gasped.

"Hmm, yes, that's my very special 'Electro-Tickle.' Heh-Heh." Lisa wiggled her fingers devilishly in the air. "Gives you a wonderful little jolt of energy, huh? I just love doing it. You know…some people even seem to really enjoy the process..."

Jean stood and snapped her book shut...uncharacteristically hard.

“Yes, well…*cough* thank you very much for bringing this new skill to my attention. I appreciate the help in getting me back to work. Ahem...Now, um, if you'll excuse me..."

"Hey, wait a minute, where are you...?"

Jean was already halfway across the room and at the front desk. The romance novel clunked inconspicuously into the return drawer. She didn't know why it worked, but her sunny disposition was back. That Lisa...she always knew how to get Jean excited to serve her community again. Just for a brief instant, she looked back.

"See you later tonight?"

Lisa smiled. There's the Jean she knew. "Yep. Tonight."

********

***The Next Day***

Knights of Favonius did not seek vengeance. Such dishonorable behavior was beneath the guardian factions of Mondstadt. But there were limits to chivalry, and surely Grand Master Varka would understand. Just this once.

Lisa was somewhere in the library...the witch had been in absentia all morning, but never strayed far from her den. Jean knew that much for sure. She’d catch that lackadaisical librarian shirking chores again and make her pay. It was justice, after all. Up the stairs she traipsed, creeping like a ninja. Nothing out of the ordinary…not at first. A quick scan of the second floor got no results. But then, behind the shelves and against the wall, something caught her eye. There was a small light glowing from beneath a desk…a candle, most likely. Worth investigating.

There, in a quiet back corner, she finally found Lisa, wedged underneath the table and in the midst of a nap, surrounded by a crude box-fort of novels. The witch's head was propped up on a red leather-bound cooking manual. Not much of a pillow. Her chest moved with gentle, placid breaths. Her wide-brimmed hat lay limp on her forehead.

Jean couldn't believe this - sleeping on the floor now? Really? Slacking off was perhaps Lisa's favorite pastime, but this was a whole new level of frivolity. But this time, Jean wasn’t even frustrated. No, it was the perfect opportunity. And even more perfect: a mango-sized lavender pot resting atop the short bookcase nearby, that she herself had left there a few days earlier. Its bouquet of dandelions had only just begun scattering seeds.

Perfect.

She quickly plucked one of the blooming flowers from the dirt and resumed her stealth mission toward Lisa. The lioness crouched low until she was down on all fours, beneath the long desk, eyes level with her prey...still asleep. Her heart was beating fast. Crawling up to the dozing librarian, her left hand closed slowly around Lisa's stilettos, she pulled, and the high heels slid off with a satisfying shuffling sound.

Lisa's feet, like the rest of her, were long and shapely…at least a size 10, her very high arches accentuated by the sheer pearl-grey nylon sheathes they wore. They were pretty, statuesque even, and it made Jean strangely jealous. (She'd always wanted to gift Lisa a really lovely pair of shoes for her birthday, something that her feet would look nice in, perhaps adorned with some petrified Sumeru roses and lacework etching...but never found the right pair, nor the time to custom-craft them.)

Shoving that thought down inside her for the moment, Jean reached out slowly with her fragile flower…quick, make sure she hasn’t stirred…and let its delicate little filaments brush gently against Lisa’s soles.

Tickle tickle tickle.

"DAH; Hnhn-Hnhn Hnhn!!"

At the softest touch of dandelion fuzz, the sorceress snapped awake with a start, and her knees buckled and pulled sharply into her breasts. Her sudden burst of giggles was smooth and husky, like a rich oaky bourbon, melting in Jean’s ears as a drink on the tongue. Jean struggled to grab Lisa’s ankles and hold them still, but the librarian’s big, ticklish feet were already nestled safe underneath her. She sat up, adjusting her honey-cinnamon curls, and giggled some more.

“Good morning to you too, Jeanie…little bit early for that sort of thing, isn’t it?” Her lips flashed a knowing smile.

“*sigh* Lisa, it’s 2:30 in the afternoon.”

Jean then realized that the dandelion was still in her hand, and quickly blew its seeds to freedom out of the side of her mouth. Lisa brushed her hat aside.

"Heheh...Oops. Let's hope nobody came by to return any books today." Immediately she hopped to her feet, making a stop to grab her discarded heels. “What do you need? Anything I can do to help, I’m there.”

Jean almost laughed. It never ceased to amaze her, how quickly her lazy confidant transformed into a buzzing worker bee whenever she was around.

“Good. I don't want to have to write you up again. Now, if you don't mind, there's something I'd like you to do with me, if you aren't too busy with your beauty sleep."

“Oh! Jean, I'm scandalized....I could never forget about our afternoon tea! You woke me up just in time.”

Jean blushed.

“N-no, that’s not it. But...actually, yes, it is about that time, if you're interested. And you do have a list of duties to perform after that. It’s just…well….you see, I’ve got a very full itinerary for the next few days preparing for the festival. And, um…I'm feeling a little bit drained right now, and…”

The Grand Master looked down at her ivory boots. Why couldn’t she get the words out? It wasn’t that embarrassing; it hadn’t been the day prior. But something was holding her back. Was it weird now? Was she making it weird? Her arm reached out into space, grasping for a distraction…any distraction…and began to fiddle with some of the hardcovers on a nearby shelf. That smug smirk of Lisa's was making her nervous.

“…yes? Heheh. Go on, spit it out.”

Whew. Ok. Here it goes.

“I wanted to ask…

…would you please practice that...'Electro-Tickle' technique again?”

For a second, she was worried at what Lisa would think. And then the giggles started.

"I was hoping you'd ask."

********

#jean gunnhildr #jean genshin impact #lisa minci #lisa genshin impact #jeanlisa #genshin impact #genshin impact fanfics #genshin #genshin tickle #genshin impact tickling #tickling #tickle blog #tword #tickle fluff #genshin fluff #jean x lisa #lisa x jean #tickle #tickling community #tickle community #tickle fic #genshin fic

[ragnarokproofing]

this post is going to be under construction for forever, basically.

i haven't decided on my fake name yet. i live in chicago but i'm leaving soon. late twenties. male. i hold an MFA in creative writing and a BA in game development.

i write fantasy, primarily dark fantasy, but am also interested in urban fantasy and historical fantasy. i have a decade of experience writing and posting fanfic in many different fandoms.

my writing focuses on themes of masculinity and homophobia, transness, sexuality and kink, disability, and gay love/romance.

i speak english and have a questionable grasp of french and czech. i am studying norwegian and old norse/icelandic.

i'm open to tag games and the like but it will probably take me a minute to get to them.

fiction: i'm really passionate about YA lit, even though i'm not writing any right now. my favorite YA authors are laini taylor, alex london (yes, the one plagiarized by james somerton), and margaret rogerson.

my favorite (adult) fiction authors are cathrynne m. valente, ursula k. le guin, and brandon sanderson. my favorite nonfiction authors are neil price, richard preston, and lindsey fitzharris.

film: my favorite directors are masaaki yuasa, robert eggers, and the wachowski sisters. my favorite films are cloud atlas (2012), ravenous (1999), mind game (2004), pom poko (1994), and trick or treat (1986).

i love B movies, and i have a growing collection of DVD movie packs and vinegar syndrome special editions. i have the oversized "champagne and bullets" poster hanging on my wall, and i own the miami connection soundtrack on vinyl. i am one of the only people on earth unironically interested in the history of shot-on-video movies.

music: anything in the "alternative" sphere, but i have a special fondness for folk punk and psychobilly/horrorpunk. my favorite bands are the mountain goats, AJJ, florence + the machine, aganst me!, editors, and baroness.

study/academic topics: my thesis is largely inspired by my passion for viking/medieval scandinavian history and culture. i am studying old norse/old icelandic, in the hopes of being able to read the sagas in their original language.

i love medical history and know everything there is to know about WWI-era facial reconstructive surgery, and plan to write a story about it someday (i was into it before the fitzharris book, goddammit!). i will read any nonfiction book about a part of medical history, whether it's a specific disease or a technique or field.

other: lake superior and the minnesota north shore, minnesota public radio, food culture and food writing, candles and incense that smell like the woods, tattoos that look like woodcuts, collecting enamel pins, travel patches, and mosser cats, fiber arts.

my thesis: a grand-scale dark fantasy novel about a misanthropic wizard academic and an alcoholic viking mercenary trying to save the world. main themes: cultural homophobia, misogyny, and machismo and the way they affect gay men, fascism and surviving under hostile systems, sacrifice and what makes a world worth saving, languages and the way they affect our lives, romance.

vampire story: a short story about a vampire that works at hot topic befriending a community college student in 2007. main themes: being suicidal and what makes life worth living, connection, romance.

viking story: a short horror story about a viking that gets stuck in a cave while searching for his unrequited love, who may or may not be dead. main themes: homophobia and machismo, grief and mourning.

i don't like naming things.

i don't care who follows me.

this blog is occasionally NSFW.

if you post a lot about political issues, i will not follow you. this is because i am here for fun, not to be angry, depressed, homicidal, or suicidal. if you do not like that, get bent. it will not change.

if you are weird to me, i will block you.

if you, under any circumstances, refer to me or any of my male characters as baby, baby girl, girlie, bitch, princess, or any other infantilizing, misogynistic horseshit, i will block you.

that's it.

#my posts #writeblr intro #about me #writeblr

[lux-vitae]

Bon Voyage by Lynd Ward, illustration for Gods’ Man: A Novel in Woodcuts (1930)

#☼ #lynd ward #art

[waldires]

Father of the Graphic Novel. Depression Era Woodcuts by Lynd Ward

#art #graphic art #20th centiry #american art #american painter #lynd ward

[thebeautifulbook]

OF CHILD CHRISTOPHER AND GOLDILIND THE FAIR by William Morris (Hammersmith: Kelmscott Press, 1895)

Contemporary full brown calf by Cedric Chivers of Bath finely decorated in relief and gilt. Hand decorated floral endpapers. Top edge gilt. Woodcut title, decorative borders, and woodcut initials designed by William Morris. Chaucer type printed in red and black on handmade paper. 600 copies printed on paper; 12 copies printed on vellum.

Child Christopher and Goldilind the Fair is a fantasy novel by William Morris, perhaps the first modern fantasy writer to unite an imaginary world with the element of the supernatural, and thus the precursor of much of present-day fantasy literature.

#beautiful books #book blog #books books books #book cover #books #vintage books #victorian era #fantasy #william morris #book design #art binding #book binding #bibliophile

[noelcollection]

April showers bring May flowers… and the end of April brings a close to poetry month. A story can be told in various forms, through verse, prose, epistolary, and solely through images. Illustrations can give visuals for difficult literary imagery or they can be the sole narrative form of a work. 

The James Smith Noel Collection is currently displaying various works of poetry featured from Homer to E.E. Cummings. Some of these publications have marvelous illustrations and etchings that provide readers with deeper understanding of literature. In the case of one particular work, we are showing an edition of Beowulf which is an epic poem. Beowulf holds a special place in literature and in English history, since it was one of the earliest recorded poetical works of the English language. While this edition has been translated from its original old English for easier reading, it is also an illustrated edition. The epic poem has been translated and adapted numerous times over. This particular edition is from the late 1930s and is illustrated with woodblock prints in a blended style of Art Deco and Expressionist. 

The artist for this edition is Lynd Ward who lived from 1905 to 1985 and he was an American artist and novelist. He was known for his series of wordless novels for juveniles and adults that would influence the creation of the graphic novel. His print works included more than just woodblock prints but also used watercolors, oil, ink, lithography, and mezzotint. He suffered from tuberculosis in his early life and throughout much of his childhood. He took to drawing and art from an early age; and it is said that he told a teacher that “Ward was draw spelled backwards.” When he was in high school he was the art editor for the school paper and yearbook where he was exposed to linoleum-block printing. He remained dedicated to art and studied at Columbia Teachers College in New York. After graduating he went to Europe and attended the National Academy of Graphic Art and Bookmaking in Germany as a special-one-year student. He learned etching, lithography and wood engraving. Ward learned wood engraving from Han Alexander “Theodore” Muller, and was deeply influenced by Muller. It was during that time in Leipzig, Germany that he encountered two wordless novels, one by the Flemish artist, Frans Masreel and the other by Otto Nuckel. Masereel’s wordless novel The Sun (1919) featured a story told through 63 woodcut illustrations. Otto Nuckel’s Destiny (1926) which was illustrated with lead-cut engravings with a darker and naturalist narrative. 

Ward returned to the states in the autumn of 1927 and showed his portfolio to a number of editors, was commissioned by Dorothy Rowe in 1928 to illustrate The Begging Deer: and other stories of Japanese Children. Ward illustrated several other works until 1929 when he created his first woodcut illustrated novel and the first American wordless novel, Gods’ Man in October of 1929. The James Smith Noel Collection also holds a copy of Ward’s novel Gods’ Man (https://bit.ly/42lQhrB).

The illustrator for our 1939 edition of Beowulf is not the only interesting contributor to the literary canon, the translator for this edition is William Ellery Leonard. William Ellery Channing Leonard was born in 1876 to parents that admired the transcendental literary movement. He was named after the mentor of Ralph Waldo Emerson, William Ellery Channing. Leonard had an nontraditional education, attending as a student in his mother’s class for 5 years and then home-schooled by his father until the age of nine. He took up a job as a door-to-door salesman out of high school due to frustrations at not being able to afford college to further his passion for literature. By happenstance, he accidentally ended up at the College of Liberal Arts at Boston University when seeking to visit the Massachusetts Genealogical Society because his guidebook had the wrong address. The venture resulted with Leonard being offered a tuition scholarship from the dean of the college. He would go on to write over 200 poems while in school and publish in Century Magazine in 1899. He graduated with a B.A. from Boston University and then moved on to Harvard University for a masters. He completed his masters in a year and a temporary professorship. He maintained a successful education and literary career, he also produced numerous volumes of poetry.

Leonard spent his life struggling with agoraphobia, which resulted in decreasing radius until he would host academic lectures in his home. He was briefly married to the daughter of his landlord and then later to a student. His personal struggles are reflected in his poetry. His death was commented on by a newspaper as being what freed him from his “phobic prison.” 

Leonard also wrote scholarly commentaries on Aespo, Empedocles, Luretius, and Beowulf. The edition on display in the James Smith Noel Collection is fully titled as Beowulf: translated into verse by William Ellery Leonard and illustrated by Lynd Ward (https://bit.ly/41KZvNU) published by Heritage Press in 1939. The edition is illustrated with black, blue and light-brown woodcut prints, the illustration on display for the J.S. Noel Collection’s current exhibit is of when Beowulf is battling the sea-hag or water-witch that was Grendel’s mother in an underwater cavern. The Danish-hero struggles against foe and then finds a sword at the bottom of the cavern, the sword is the key weapon for defeating Grendel’s mother. 

#woodcuts #poetry #literature #beowulf #visualart #books