#Sophya Soulwright

[tafferling]

Guys.

Look at my half-elf bard Fi.

I wanted to make Crane, but it didn't work out.

[hermit-writes]

Hermit Prints — A look back at 2024

Published Books

I’ve worked on several books for @duckprintspress as well as some independent or self published projects. Novels, novellas, and anthologies for all tastes!

Independent / Self-Published

Aphelion by S.E. Crane

Horizon’s Crown was an Earther triumph; a stage at the frontier of the settled systems, a city of hope and dreams and infinite potential.      Then one man bit another. Now, under the watchful eye of its orbital island, it straddles the line between dead and dying; a city of nightmares and endless sorrow. Varrett Vild Vickers belongs into a pilot’s chair. He’s meant to dodge asteroids, to race dragons, not chase credits so he can pay rent while HC’s major demographic clicks its teeth at him and tries to eat his face off. But it’s fine. Really. He copes.       Or that’s what he tells himself, all the way until a woman falls from the sky and turns his already upside-down life very sharply sideways. Armed with nothing but her worst-kept secret and a ledger of lies, Sophya Soulwright tricks her way into Horizon’s Crown, looking for not only her sister, but for redemption and a meaning to a life she’s never held dear.        What she finds instead is a city trying its hardest to live, and a man who courts death every step of the way. He’s infuriating, tireless, and after a glitch binds their souls together, he is now stuck with her.

The Edge of a World by JD River

A monster lurks under Otar’s skin. It has destroyed lives and Otar lives in fear when it will escape his grasp again. But he isn’t the only thing that seems out of place in this world: a mysterious ancestor, the Ancients, left behind nothing but ruins and questions. After the monster causes a tragic accident, Otar chooses to travel the Seven Lands to find answers instead of being executed. But time is running out. When the summon for a newly discovered ruin comes, it’s his last chance to clear his name. On his journey he faces down slavers looking for easy money, and his former lover – who still makes his heart beat faster. Then the excavation site finally reveals the truths about the Ancients, and it becomes clear that something bigger lurks in the shadows. Otar’s connection to his monster could save them all from a catastrophe – but will he be willing to sacrifice it all? The Edge of a World is a Fantasy Sci-Fi story about self-discovery, destiny, and paving your own path.

New Year, New You: A Speculative Anthology of Reinvention — ‎ Immortal Jellyfish Press

An anthology of diverse speculative fiction exploring themes of reinvention, re-imagining, and revolution, from Elizabeth Bear, Daryl Gregory, and alumni of the 2023 Viable Paradise Writers’ Workshop. New Year’s resolutions and self-help gurus ask us to reinvent ourselves—be better, prettier, perfect. But the writers featured in this anthology know that promises of reinvention contain both potential and pitfalls.  One woman’s doppelgänger offers her a chance to fix her flaws — for a small price. One of Cinderella’s stepsisters discovers what she has to sacrifice to create her own fairy tale. Coffee shop regulars debate surviving an impending apocalypse if it means losing espresso. Against the wishes of her family, an eel-person yearns to reveal her true nature. A lonely, sentient ship and her human employee must learn to trust each if they both want to survive. A showgirl in a backwater lunar cabaret seeks cosmic fame—and will do anything to get it New Year, New You contains stories of rediscovery through time-travel, simulations, and distorted realities. Of reinventions that challenge deeply held beliefs or require a change of perspective. Of mind and body alterations that interrogate desire and self-image. From some of the emerging voices in science fiction and fantasy, comes a mind-bending collection of twenty-four tales that span the vast reaches of magic and space and delve into the intimate spaces between people.

Duck Prints Press

Aether Beyond the Binary

How would Earth look if the very atoms around us were suffused with magical aether? How would our lives be different if this aether was discovered last year, or last century, or last millennia? How might the people who lived with this magic explore their gender identities? These are the questions we posed to the 17 authors who contributed to Aether Beyond the Binary. Their inventive answers comprise this must-not-miss collection about magical realms, adventures and mysteries, new chances and well-earned endings, and characters as gender-diverse as the worlds they inhabit.

To Drive the Hundred Miles by Alec J. Marsh

Serendipity, WA is filled with Christmas cheer, beautiful mountain views, and trans man Will’s feminist Wiccan family. Home for the holidays, he avoids their clumsy attempts at support by hiding in the local coffee shop and flirting with Bea, a friend from high school. The beautiful landscapes can’t make up for the the realities of being queer in a small town, and Bea wants out. Will grabs for a prosperity spell, and finds a new way to connect to the magic he’s become estranged from. New romance and optimism get them through the holidays, ready to face their next problems.

Hockey Bois by A. L. Heard

Nick Porter has always loved hockey. Ever since he can remember, it’s been his favorite thing in the world. It’s too bad he never learned to play, he’d tell himself, but it was too late to do it now. Adults don’t just magically learn to skate and join a hockey team. That’d be ridiculous. Except maybe they do? On a whim, he decides to sign up for an adult  beginner’s class. He learns to skate, joins a team, and meets a really hot teammate… and it’s pretty much a disaster from there on out.

Many Drops Make a Stream by Adrian Harley

A memory-stealing cult. The ever-watchful City of Eyes. Making small talk. Join Droplet as she faces all these horrors and more… Vigilante shapeshifter Droplet has trained her entire life to take down those with more power than scruples, but she still makes mistakes. When a rescue mission goes wrong, a memory-stealing cult of blood mages escapes with kidnapped captives in tow. To save them, Droplet reluctantly teams up with the outgoing, tenacious Azera. Droplet knows better than to trust a human—she made that mistake once, and that person’s betrayal scattered her community across the known world—and she can tell Azera is hiding secrets behind her sunny smile. But if they can’t learn to work together, even Droplet’s own memories could be lost.

Many Hands: An Anthology of Polyamorous Erotica

For those who love their short stories spicy, we’re delighted to bring you Duck Prints Press’s debut explicit anthology Many Hands: An Anthology of Polyamorous Erotica. In this collection of brand-new stories, we celebrate many flavors of polyamory. Orgy? Yes please! Ménage à trois? C’est magnifique! Foursomes and moresomes? Delighted to attend! We asked our contributors to blow our minds with their fun combinations, unusual settings, favorite trope usage, and (of course) super sexy smut—and they didn’t disappoint. From a vampire free-for-all to a heartfelt reunion, from surprise soulmates to enemies-to-lovers, this collection has polyamory in lots of scrumptious varieties that lovers of erotica won’t want to miss!

Fanbinding

I also did typsetting for fanbindings! Three were bound by TheBookishPause, one was for this year’s @marveltrumpshatete auction, and one was for the ever delightful @ltleflrt!

[tafferling]

Book Release: Aphelion, The City of a Billion Stolen Souls

Aphelion is a love letter. In incomplete one at that, which is still being written as I make my way through the series. But as each of its seasons is finished, a book gets released! And here we are! My first official 'omg I published something' novel: Aphelion, The City of a Billion Stolen Souls

If you like science-fantasy with soul-harnessing magic and tech, a cyberpunk (or aetherpunk, those two are having fisticuffs) flair, and a slow burn simmering away in the middle of a (mysterious) zombie apocalypse, then Aphelion may just be right for your bookshelf. Literally, because you can buy all of book one's 531 pages in gorgeous print!

What's in it?

In a world where tech runs off the concept of one's soul and where dragons steady cosmic scales, heroes are shaped in the shadow of an ancient grudge. Horizon's Crown was an Earther triumph; a stage at the frontier of the settled systems, a city of hope and dreams and infinite potential. Now, under the watchful eye of its orbital island, it straddles the line between dead and dying; a city of nightmares and endless sorrow. Varrett Vild Vickers belongs into a pilot's chair. He's meant to dodge asteroids, to race dragons, not chase credits so he can pay rent while HC's major demographic clicks its teeth at him and tries to eat his face off. But it's fine. Really. He copes. Or that's what he tells himself, all the way until a woman falls from the sky and turns his already upside-down life very sharply sideways. Armed with nothing but her worst-kept secret and a ledger of lies, Sophya Soulwright tricks her way into Horizon's Crown, looking for not only her sister, but for redemption and a meaning to a life she’s never held dear.  What she finds instead is a city trying its hardest to live, and a man who courts death every step of the way. He's infuriating, tireless, and after a glitch binds their souls together, he is now stuck with her. 

Don't want this chunky darling on your shelf and prefer to read it digitally? Dontchu worry, Taff has you covered. I release Aphelion as a free-to-read web serial, both on Campfire (where you can tip me if you like to get world building extras) and Archive of Our Own. 'cause like I said; Aphelion is a love letter. I just want to write it and share it.

But that doesn't mean I don't want to hear from you if you choose to give it a chance.

Where to find Aphelion:

On Amazon (531 pages, paperback).

On Goodreads (oh gosh I have an author profile there now).

On Campfire Explore (where, if you choose to tip, you may feel the sudden sensation of an ethereal cat slinking around your ankles in appreciation).

And on Archive Of Our Own (where it all started).

BIG BIG BIG thanks to @hermit-writes for her amazing typesetting skills (and book photography) and of course @drawinglinestoconstellations for the cover and interior art.

[tafferling]

In a world where tech runs off the concept of one's soul and where dragons steady cosmic scales, heroes are shaped in the shadow of an ancient grudge.

Aphelion has a new cover! This gorgeous piece is by the ever-talented and hard-working @drawinglinestoconstellations. Thank you so much for bringing it to life, and I cannot wait to see it on book one's printed release.

But what even is this? Well!

Aphelion is a science-fantasy webserial, with soul-harnessing magic and tech, a cyberpunk flair, and a slow burn simmering away in the middle of a zombie apocalypse.

All chapters are free to read both on Archive of Our Own and Campfire Explore. But if you feel like it, you can tip the author (that's me, I'm the author) on Campfire, where the full package unlocks worldbuilding information and may come with the sudden sensation of an ethereal cat slinking around your ankles in appreciation.

Horizon's Crown was an Earther triumph; a stage at the frontier of the settled systems, a city of hope and dreams and infinite potential. Then one man bit another. Now, under the watchful eye of its orbital island, it straddles the line between dead and dying; a city of nightmares and endless sorrow. Varrett Vild Vickers belongs into a pilot's chair. He's meant to dodge asteroids, to race dragons, not chase credits so he can pay rent while HC's major demographic clicks its teeth at him and tries to eat his face off. But it's fine. Really. He copes. Or that's what he tells himself, all the way until a woman falls from the sky and turns his already upside-down life very sharply sideways. Armed with nothing but her worst-kept secret and a ledger of lies, Sophya Soulwright tricks her way into Horizon's Crown, looking for not only her sister, but for redemption and a meaning to a life she’s never held dear.  What she finds instead is a city trying its hardest to live, and a man who courts death every step of the way. He's infuriating, tireless, and after a glitch binds their souls together, he is now stuck with her.

[hermit-writes]

Hermit Prints — Aphelion (The City of a Billion Stolen Souls

This project was for the book Aphelion: The City Of A Billion Stolen Souls by S.E. Crane. The cover art is by Martina Belli.

This is in the 6×9 format, with cream paper and matte cover options. The manuscript has 178,349 words and the final books has 531 pages.

It is currently available in paperback or free online via Campfire.

If you’d be interested in getting your story typeset and ready to print, please visit my commissions page.

In a world where tech runs off the concept of one’s soul and where dragons steady cosmic scales, heroes are shaped in the shadow of an ancient grudge. Horizon’s Crown was an Earther triumph; a stage at the frontier of the settled systems, a city of hope and dreams and infinite potential. Now, under the watchful eye of its orbital island, it straddles the line between dead and dying; a city of nightmares and endless sorrow. Varrett Vild Vickers belongs into a pilot’s chair. He’s meant to dodge asteroids, to race dragons, not chase credits so he can pay rent while HC’s major demographic clicks its teeth at him and tries to eat his face off. But it’s fine. Really. He copes. Or that’s what he tells himself, all the way until a woman falls from the sky and turns his already upside-down life very sharply sideways. Armed with nothing but her worst-kept secret and a ledger of lies, Sophya Soulwright tricks her way into Horizon’s Crown, looking for not only her sister, but for redemption and a meaning to a life she’s never held dear. What she finds instead is a city trying its hardest to live, and a man who courts death every step of the way. He’s infuriating. Tireless. And after a glitch binds their souls together, stuck with her.

Book front and spine

Book interior (printed)

Book interior (screen)

[tafferling]

Sophya Soulwright

Imagination | Anxiety | Don't see me | SIN | Secrets and Lies | Sarcastic Bean | Odd | Isolation | Avoidant Attachment | Shy | I'm trying, I swear

Sophya is a Cad’his; a soultrickster. Technology whispers to her. Souls call for her. Surprising absolutely no one, she wants nothing to do with any of it. I’m delighted to figure out what she finds in Horizon’s Crown and if she’ll come to terms with what- and who -she is. 

Read about her journey in Aphelion, a slowly unfolding cyberpunk-lite zombie apocalypse novel with a heavy helping of romance and a dash of sassy soul cat.

Beautiful art by @nikoschrissis

[tafferling]

Varrett Vild Vickers / Sophya Soulwright

Bring your daylight, bring your dark~ ~into your darkness, I'll shine a light

Art by @delborovic who knows what I need for my (he)art and who I probably owe like, I dunno, 80% of my soul by now.

Varrett and Fi are the protagonists in my (totally free) Web Serial, Aphelion: Read it on Ao3 or Follow it on Campfire.

[tafferling]

Any Sophya/Varrett headcanons that aren't spoilers? :3

Sophya/Varrett?! Like. THE PAIRING?! (also hi, I did not see this ask until now). THANK YOU SO MUCH

I am not sure if I ever mentioned that, but... Varrett is not big on reading books. He enjoys movies, VR experiences, music, comics and such, but he's never been a big reader since he gets distracted easily without visual stimuli.

Sophya eventually begins to read to him. And since Sophya's imagination likes to run off and creates pictures out of what she imagines, Varrett quickly becomes enthralled. He loves it when she reads to him and he gets to see what she reads come to life around them.

[tafferling]

💗, 💘, ❤, 💖, 📎, and 🎀 Varrett and Sophya :3 I just love them a lot.

Omgosh, that's a lot of hearts. *eats them* I'll alternate them so the post doesn't get too long.

This is for the OC Emoji ask.

GROWING HEART - if they have a crush, is it noticable? what changes when they’re in love?

Varrett doesn't do crushes. Or, you know, he hasn't for a long while, because it's a waste of time. If there's someone he'd like to have a go at with a friendly weapon (You know, testing the mattress with? Do the no-pants dance with?), he'll make a move.

However, if he feels emotionally attracted to someone? If he's actually in love? Then Varrett holds hands. He can't get them out of his head. He agonizes. He pays attention. And not just to What can I get them or say to them that gets me to the knocking boots bit quicker kind of attention. But the I want you to know I love you kind of attention.

HEART W/ ARROW - what traits do they look for in a relationship? do they believe in love at first sight?

Never mind, not alternating. Varrett believes in lust at first sight. And what he looks for in a relationship is fun, front and centre. (Or so he says, he is really looking for someone who he can dote on and who he can call family.)

Sophya doesn't go looking. She has no relationship experience and no attachment to romantic love or sexual attraction; a contrast to SIN, who is quite the romantic and enjoys ogling fine men (and women) and commenting on such.

A lot of Sophya's reluctance may even come from how close she is to SIN? How there are no secrets between them. How she's ALWAYS there. How can anyone, ever, compete with that? How could she, ever, find someone who'll understand her better?

Aaa- there is no white heart on the list. I will choose RED HEART - their love language(s)?

Varrett's love language is touch.

Sophya's is silence, sharing music, and not wanting to leave.

SPARKLING HEART - are they a subtle or a showy lover?

Varrett is the showiest. Seriously. Touching. Talking. Holding hands. He's Mister PDA. And, uh, showing off. DID YOU SEE THAT, kind of showing off, and hopefully, they did see that, because otherwise he'll mope.

Sophya? The exact opposite.

PAPERCLIP - a random fact.

Varrett hates tailgaters.

Sophya writes VR/veil scripts for short movies and experiences!

RIBBON - how would they fit into other worlds / aus? what aus would you like to try out? what fictional world would they fit / not fit into?

They are an AU. This breaks my brain. Varrett and Sophya are a Kyle/Zofia Dying Light AU, inserted into my Shielding Thing universe. But-- But-- I think they'd be great in a spaghetti western! Varrett would be such a delightful cowboy. OH WAIT. FIREFLY AU. SPACE COWBOYS!

They'd also do great in Destiny and I am considering rewriting Hiraeth with Varrett innit :3 Sophya could be his Ghost.

[tafferling]

ohh I'll take a casual affection prompt for Varrett: #10 - placing their chin on the other’s shoulder

:3 Thank you?! Thank you! This is nowhere near as casual as I intended it to be. Also, I think this is Cyberpunk 2077 AU Varrett. No zombies!

It’s night. Neon light is smeared against a rain-whipped window and the pitter patter of fat drops knocking on the glass is ever present. There's not much to see inside the apartment behind that window. It's small and modest, but lived in. A low bed is tucked under an alcove, with shelves ringing it. Clamped to one of those shelves is a small, lonely reading lamp, its long neck pointed downwards.

It’s the only light alive in the quiet apartment and it is currently staring down at an open book and its attentive reader. She— the reader, her name is Sophya —sits hunched on the bed, surrounded by pillows and then some more pillows and another pillow for good measure.

She doesn’t look up when she hears bare feet pad across the carpeted apartment floor. Or when the mattress bounces as Varrett flops lengthwise down on it. She’s still not looking when the otherwise cool air around her begins to heat up as he presumedly scoots himself close to her. Presumedly, because she’s focused on the book.

He brings with him a whiff of barely tamed peat and I-just-showered-with-the-peachiest-peach-soap-I-could-find. It’s a wee distracting.

Though not as distracting as his arm sliding around her as he manoeuvres himself flush against her back. He props himself up with the other arm and lands his chin on her shoulder.

His hair is wet. She notices that first, what with how it gets a lot of that wet on her. And he failed to shave. She notices that second, because his scruffy chin does all sorts of tickling and scratching as he finds himself a comfortable position. Mostly though she noticed how everything gets really warm all of a sudden.

“Whatchu reading?” Varrett asks. The way his voice rumbles from his chest and drums against her back is making the words on the page feel unimportant for a moment.

She flips the book closed, baring the title. Then she opens it back up and resumes her reading. Tries to, at any rate.

“The Ship Who Sang, huh?”

She nods. It gives his stubble a chance to tickle her some more.

“You gonna share?” That is when he decides it’s a good a time as any to tilt his head and have a nibble at her neck. The touch of his lips catch her off-guard and light her up with a warm, electric jolt.

She almost smacks him with the book.

Almost.

Varrett stops nibbling and gets comfortable exactly where he is: halfway draped over her, his chin on her shoulder, and an arm looped around her. And that is how he stays and that is how he listens.

And listens.

And listens.

All the way until his breathing gets real steady and his weight gets heavier and heavier, pulling them both down into the pillows under the lonely light of that small, long necked reading lamp that's been witness to the same display more times now than it can count.

If small, long necked reading lamps could count, that is.

[tafferling]

APHELION:  A Cyberpunk-lite Web Serial

Cover Reveal!  New Web Serial!   First two chapters out!    Aaaaah~?!

>> Read it on Ao3 for now! Or check it out on Campfire. <<

In a world where tech runs off the concept of one's soul and where dragons steady cosmic scales, heroes are shaped in the shadow of an ancient grudge.

#zombie apocalypse     #slow burn       #cyberpunk-lite       #soulmagic    #soul links    #a tiny bit of horror    #hope in the face of darkness   #rated m for language because Varrett is a potty mouth       #sassy cat

Horizon's Crown was an Earther triumph; a stage at the frontier of known space, a city of hope and dreams and infinite potential.       Then one man bit another. Now, under the watchful eye of its orbital island, it straddles the line between dead and dying; a city of nightmares and endless sorrow.

Varrett Vild Vickers belongs into a pilot's chair. He's meant to dodge asteroids, to race dragons, not chase credits so he can pay rent while HC's major demographic clicks its teeth at him and tries to eat his face off. But it's fine. Really. He copes. Or that's what he tells himself, all the way until a woman falls from the sky and turns his already upside-down life very sharply sideways.

Armed with nothing but her worst-kept secret and a ledger of lies, Sophya Soulwright tricks her way into Horizon's Crown, looking for redemption and for meaning to a life she never held dear. What she finds instead is a city trying its hardest to live, and a man who courts death every step of the way. He's infuriating, tireless, and he's her only hope.

They wish they'd never met.

>> Read it on Ao3 for now! Or check it out on Campfire. <<

[tafferling]

Aphelion

Chapter 4: Desperate Measures  (1)

A free web serial; Cyberpunk-lite, a Zombie Apocalypse, and Soul Magic.

>> Read it on Ao3 | Follow it on Campfire | Tumblr Tag <<

There’s laughter.

It has sharp edges and it rattles with glee; like a belly fashioned from metal that shakes and booms and clanks. Sophya stands surrounded by it, her eyes fixed on her hands. They’re trembling. A steel grey ring sits on one of her fingers, its wide band etched with delicate fawn antler patterns. Her chest tightens. She knows the ring; knows when she’s last worn it.

But this isn’t right— is she dreaming?

That can't be. Sophya doesn’t dream. Hasn't ever and would never.

When she looks up, there’s Krisi. A long-fled home surrounds them, the memory of it washed out like a painting soaked in water. Krisi walks a step or two ahead.

Sophya hurries after her. She doesn’t want to, would prefer to turn around and walk the other way, because she knows what’ll happen when she reaches her; she’ll grab for Krisi’s slender shoulder and Krisi will pull away. That’s how it always went. That’s how it would always go.

No, she’s not dreaming. She’s fashioned her own Hell and starred herself in its opening act.

She grabs for her sister. And catches only air.

>> Read it on Ao3 | Follow it on Campfire | Tumblr Tag <<