#edit: THEY ALSO HAVE A COURSE CALLED TALES OF HORROR

[ifyourereadingthisblinktwice]

conflict of sticking with my environmental planning degree plan and a potentially more stable/well paying job vs wanting to go for an arts degree in literature analysis and writing and history and culture because i love it so so much but know it wont be considered ‘useful’. FIGHT

[just-an-enby-lemon]

I know Wicked is not going to make Dorothy a young kid like in the books but I really like when dark versions of childrem literature do keep them as kids.

Not in "it's more fucked up" light but in this is also a metaphor for kids growing up in a weird scary world while most adults never actually explain anything and either expect them to already know or to be forever oblivious. And so the kids have to figure it out. To make themselfs the decision to remain kind, to learn to love the new world or at least the people in it.

And I do think being a kid is part of the reason Dorothy reacts to Oz so diferently than the Wizard. Yes, it is also because she is a good person. But Dorothy is a kid she is used to things that make no sense. So she goes to an insane new world and her first instinct is to learn. She is quicky to accept that animals talk and scracrows walk and tin man have life. Because she is open minded yes, but also because kids know they don't know everything in a way most adults don't.

But Dorothy also killed (she didn't but you get it) someone and was praised for it. And she is scared and she wants to go home. And everyone keeps teeling her she did the right thing and that all she needs to do to go home is meet this amazing all powerfull guy and kill the horrible mean witch. And every fairy tale has evil witches. So maybe it's okay. And she takes it. Because she is a child and she is new and they are adults.

But she is kind. She befriends all this traumatized adults with backstories and connections she does not know (just like real kids don't know the past of the adults they trust) and she just wants to help them. And she notices that the Tin Man already has a heart and the Scarecrow has a brain (Fiyero was likely lying from the start but Dorothy does not know that) and that the Lion does have courage. And she decides it also means she has to do the right thing so (and I'm going Wicked books here) when she meets Elphie all she wants is to apologize. She knows what is like to lose family and also she knows the witch protects the animals and Toto is her best friend, so anyone that protects animals cannot be that evil specially when the animals here are really just people but different shaped. She doesn't know if she will ever be forgiven but she wants Elphaba to know it was an accident, to know she is sorry, to know someone else is mourning her sister, to know that it is scary and unfair. To give her the shoes back if she can finally just take them off.

She is brave and when she discovers the Wizard is a farse she shows it to everyone. And it's not planned in any way because she is a kid. She doesn't have the maturity, the trauma nor the context Galinda has. Hell she must have noticed Glinda loves the witch and it might be the one reason she does not call Glinda out as well, not any strategy just thinking love can fix all cause she's a young kid.

[I also just think baby Dorothy would make everything funnier. And of course I have the personal fix it that Glinda and Elphie make amends post cannon as them (and Fiyero) find about Tip and raise Ozma as the polycule they should've always been (and also try to fix Oz from very different angles). Only as the Oz books go Dorothy and Toto come back (with Uncle Henry and Aunt Em this time) and she and Ozma fall in love (homoerotic best friends and co-princess wich is the same). And I think Ozma going to present Dorothy to her low key parents only to learn Dorothy has very diferent forms of history with them is golden.]

P.S: This was edited so I will add that in the original I made the point that I consider the three girls that best follow this lost child in a world of horror and wonder having to figure it out by themselfs with a but of an allegory for growing up and the expectations unfairy placed upon them as queer and neurodivergent even if unintented so (it's also accidentaly about gender in my head). The girls being of course Dorothy, Alice and Wendy.

P.S2: I know in the books they just die and in the musical they run for our world but it's my fix it and let's be honest Oz is in shambles and a very traumatized Glinda will not fix it all by herself and she deserves some support.

[kaylinalexanderbooks]

Writeblr intro post

So yeah when I first came here I didn't know this was a thing so I've been working on this in the background. Now that it won the poll, I'm making it now!

I'm going to edit this post as I go so it has more links as I make posts about my WIPs!

About Me

Hi. Call me Kaylin. It's a pen name but I like it. (Some people are just finding out this isn't my real name and y'all should've read the bio)

I'm an education major and do writing on the side and it's a huge passion of mine (hence why I want to teach literacy)

Asexual demiromantic sapphic (she/her) - (I am comfortable within reason to talk about my experiences)

Love ask games and tag games and generally interacting with others

Love reblogging mutuals' writing talking about WIPs!

21+ but my WIPs are YA - I don't usually reblog anything with a mature community label (sorry in advance for mutuals who do), but when I do I mark it 18+ and I try to label content warnings (LET ME KNOW IF I MISSED SOMETHING)

I'm an educator by heart so I love giving feedback, know a lot about kids, and of course education psychology and theory

I have minor scoliosis, chronic nerve pain my hands, and chronic headaches and migraine attacks in control with medication if anyone needs to ask me about these experiences for writing purposes. I also occasionally use a cane due to knee pain from an injury.

I have an ultimate get to know me game if you want to check that out

Some other general ways to get to know my writing: writer questions, writing questionnaire

My asks are always open! Feel free to stop in whenever you want!

My WIPs

The Secret Portal

See linked intro post for more detail!

YA sci-fi/fantasy

Planned to be a five book series

Quick version: A bunch of adolescents discover a portal to a dimension populated by people with powers. There's also a war. Yayyy.

The first installment is currently in the process of being read by beta readers. Apply to be one here!

One to five game

Q&A (open at any time!)

My OCs

Tagged as #the secret portal, #tsp, or #teaspoon if you want to give it a nickname. #tsp updates and #tsp excerpt are used as well. All characters get their own tag and #alium will be used when talking about my world building

Ask to be added to or removed from the tag list! @thepeculiarbird @illarian-rambling @televisionjester @finchwrites

@literarynecromancy @honeybewrites @the-golden-comet @corinneglass

School of the Legends

See linked intro post for more detail!

YA urban fantasy fairy tale retelling

International school for people with gifts (born with), majicks (learn), and curses (given).

Currently in planning stage but five chapters have been written.

Planned to be a four book series

One to five game

Q&A (open at any time)

My OCs

Tagged as #school of the legends and #sotl. Also use #sotl updates and #sotl excerpt, though not as often as TSP

Ask to be added to or removed from the tag list! @illarian-rambling @katwritesshit @wyked-ao3

I have a WIP questionnaire I have gone for BOTH TSP and SOTL!

It Was All Just a Dream

See linked intro post for more detail!

YA speculative fiction/coming of age/horror

Planned to be a standalone novel

Currently in planning stages

Short version: stuck-up teen gets a vivid, layered dream that forces self-reflection and causes her to lose track of what's real

WIP questionnaire

Tagged as #it was all just a dream and #iwajad. Will use #iwajad excerpt and #iwajad update as needed

Ask to be added to or removed from the taglist!

@thepeculiarbird @mrbexwrites @drchenquill

Other Ideas

The Emerald of Secrets - temporary title for vague fairy fantasy idea

Perspectives - temp title for watching the same event five times in a row from different perspectives

Eternity - temporary title for a supernatural detective anthology

The Others - temporary title for a sci-fi apocalypse story

There are more but these are the main ones

What I Post or Reblog

Updates on my writing

Tag games and ask games! I love them dearly but it may take a bit to reply! I have a lot piled up and not all of them are simple. But I will get to them!!

Writing from others

Writing advice

Beta requests, book announcements, and intro posts to help boost!

I try to keep things positive! If I see a negative post about writing I'll usually reblog it with some positive spin. Sorry if that's annoying but it makes me sad that people aren't happy about writing.

I always try to include image IDs to make my blog accessible - if something is incorrect or you have any suggestions for making IDs better let me know!

[krinsbez]

A Watership Down Meta/Headcanon/Rant

So, both @jaybutnotthebird and @stavarosthearcane have stated that, to their knowledge, I've not posted this on tumblr, and indicated that they would like to hear it, I'm posting it now!

So I don't recall if it was stated explicitly or was, like, a rumor, but everything about Gen. Woundwort makes so much more sense when you realize he's a hutch rabbit.

Why is he so enormous? Cuz he was bred to be big and fluffy, was fed flayrah everyday, and was taken to the vet if he got sick.

Why is he so afraid of humans? Because they were the first elil he ever encountered.

Why is everything he does in complete opposition to proper lapine culture and behavior? Because he grew up not knowing anything about it.

Efrafa is, in essence, an attempt to make a warren into a hutch.

OK got that? So, here's another thing to think about. Cowslip's Warren, or Strawberry's Warren, or the Warden of the Shining Wire, or whatever you want to call it...they also completely disregard traditional Lapine culture and behavior; they don't tell stories of El-ahrairah, they make weird poetry about the inevitability of death, they keep babbling about dignity, they make ART, etc. This, by the way, is why it and Efrafa come off as so viscerally wrong, because Mr. Adams went to the trouble of putting us in a rabbit headspace, so we can understand the full horror; it's not just Woundwort's tyranny or the farmer's snares, it's that they're unnatural and rabbits aren't meant to live that way.

Now, I know what you're thinking when I say that word, "unnatural", but put down the pitchfork.

Because Hazel and Co. do a LOT of things that is outside the realm of typical rabbit behavior:

Despite being Chief Rabbit, Hazel let's the others argue with and talk back to him.

They made friends with mice and a bird.

He adopted Cowslip's Warren's idea of using tree roots to create a big central chamber

Tales (the sequel short story collection) has them adopt a (obvs. less aggro) version of the Efrafan practice of having the Owsla run patrols

They busted out hutch rabbits.

They used a boat

Meanwhile, Sandleford, the Warren that our heroes fled, was apparently the epitome of a traditional Warren and of course they all died horribly.

So, what's the difference?

It goes back to the last lines of the first myth, part of which was used as the first animated film adaptation's tagline:

“All the world will be your enemy, Prince with a Thousand Enemies, and whenever they catch you, they will kill you. But first they must catch you, digger, listener, runner, prince with the swift warning. Be cunning and full of tricks and your people shall never be destroyed.”

(I bolded the important part)

Sandleford's Chief Rabbit (EDIT: The Threarah) decided he liked things as they were and refused to change, and his people died. Cowslip and Co. allow themselves to be farmed and treat death as an inevitability, and they're slowly going mad and dying one by one. Gen. Woundwort teaches his Owsla to respond to every situation by fighting, and they break and flee when the unexpected happens. The ordinary rabbits of Efrafa are forced to live like hutch rabbits and they're miserable and not having babies.

Hazel does weird stuff…but he does so because he's in a weird situation and has to adapt. He listens to the other's concerns and ideas, he keeps an open mind, he figures out what resources are available to him, and then figures out how he can use them to protect his people.

In short? Unlike Woundwort, Cowslip & Co., or the unnamed Chief Rabbit of Sandleford EDIT: The Threarah, he is cunning and full of tricks.

(I think one of the reasons the BBC miniseries from a few years back didn't hit right is that they failed to get this)

Anyways, thanks for coming to my TED Talk

[heathensimmer]

Calling Sims 2 Lore Aficionados!

Hello, Sims 2 players … are you … addicted … to Sims 2 lore?

Have I got a treat for you! 

So, before I got into modding, I wrote a lot. Mostly novelizations of my favorite slasher/horror films via Fanfiction.net lol

Now, with my Sims obsession blossoming, I want to bring in my writing skills.

Tales of SimNation

I really want to create for the Sims 2. Not just mods, but creative fiction. Documenting Sim history as they see it and as how I, and players, interpret it. I want to write about them. Write about their universe. Weave together a cohesive narrative with the fun added challenge of clearing up EA/Maxis discrepancies.

I want to write it in narrative fashion, kind of like a historical novel that combines Sims 1, 2, and 3 lore (maybe throw in some weird stuff at the end about the "alternate timeline" of Sims 4 ... ) but it shouldn't be hard to plod through if you know what I mean. Fun, and Sim-my.

Maybe some dark stuff here and there like describing Olive Specter’s adolescence (I plan on a volume that entails the events of Midnight Hollow TS3 Store World and yes, Olive Specter is a character there before Strangetown!) or like neighborhood/character corruption being used to describe political corruption in the hood.

I will start it with the citizens of Roaring Heights, told in multiple “vignettes”, embroiled in a technological feud with the “innovation capital” of early Sim Nation: Twinbrook.

This excerpt is an unfinished Table of Contents and Prologue, and then the first “vignette”, told by a local author in Roaring Heights, who takes you through a brief history of early Sim Nation.

As far as other stories in Roaring Heights for Volume #1, I will describe Consort Capp’s life as a young adult - he is a character in Sims 3 Roaring Heights along with HIS parents, Hector and Andromache Thebe! 

Here’s where we get into the discrepancy of the Capp family - I made this another link for those who aren’t interested in Veronaville lore. This is just ONE of many of Veronaville's discrepancies (I was not a Veronaville kid, y'all may have to fill in the gaps in my research).

Ultimately, the novel (in a series of volumes) will HAVE to culminate in the iconic abduction of Bella, Don’s ass getting whisked to Riverview and Dina and Nina taking a little trip to Barnacle Bay.

Obviously, it can be an endless ongoing story! And Simmers are free to chime in! 

What hoods should I include in the early days of Sim Nation?

I honestly don’t think I could write for Sims Medieval.

I can think of the early worlds/hoods post-medieval as being obviously Veronaville (described as “Old Country”- Goths may have descended from there, I feel like Altos from S3 might have as well - they are a parody of the Sopranos so…), Midnight Hollow, Moonlight Falls, Roaring Heights, Twinbrook, Starlight Shores (its bio references a 300-year old beginning) and possibly Sunset Valley (what became Pleasantview. I will also have to work out how Sunset Valley changed into a tiny town like Pleasantview lol). Bridgeport may have also started around then by a man named Ebenezer Alto - another possible source of the Altos. Then, of course, there's Strangetown ... UGHHH there’s too much to try and weave together, but I like a challenge …

I’ll keep everyone posted! 

EDIT: Or course, SimCity from Sims 1 will be featured. Between Sims 3 and Sims 2 events

[esta-elavaris]

Nobody Knows

Okay, starting things off with something I wrote back in 2015 for my first creative writing class at uni. It's a short horror story, the assignment was literally just "write a short story with roughly 1.5k words" bc they were great with giving us serious freedom to write what we wanted to write, and this was what I came up with. I think it was the first 'serious' original short story I wrote, I was 18/19 at the time (so, disclaimer on that score if you're going to compare it to the stuff I'm posting now at almost-27 lolol), so the quality will probably reflect that, but it has sentimental value and a bit of other meaning to me, so I'm posting it as is. Definitely a "look at what I dredged up from the archives" kinda thing rather than a "wow isn't this great?" kinda thing.

I remember I went into that first semester, looked at the people in the class around me and just thought "oh god, I am so fucking out of my league here" -- but then, three months later, my course leader (who ended up being my personal tutor in the years that followed, and my favourite teacher across my whole degree) really enjoyed it and his very kind feedback resulted in the moment where I stopped and thought "man, maybe I actually have something going with my writing". It also ended up in my uni's Eng Lit magazine, which I still have a copy of for archival purposes ✨

Plus, if I reread it too closely to edit it to the quality I like to think I can produce now, I will end up convincing myself not to post it 💀 so here! Have some baby!writer stuff.

By the time I reached nineteen, I was scared of Nobody. That was what I called him - Nobody. My own private little joke.

“Who are you talking to?”

“Nobody.”

“Who are you staring at?”

“Nobody.”

Not a lie, but not a response that would get me thrown into the nearest mental hospital. I considered that a win/win. It also described him accurately – for he didn’t seem to have a body. All I ever saw of him was shadow. Sometimes it would be clearer, forming a silhouette, and other times he’d just be an ever-shifting mass of darkness. I’d been too young to be frightened by his appearance when I first found him in my grandmother’s attic. I’d thought my cousin’s tales of hauntings in the house had always just been made up to scare me, but regardless, Nobody didn’t scare me – not at first.

By the time he did, I’d known him for a decade, and had only resented him for two of those years. The resentment began at my seventeenth birthday party. Before then, having a negative thought about Nobody was utter blasphemy in my book. I would never allow a bad word to be said about my guardian, protector, teacher and presumed imaginary friend. Not one. My mother would suggest that I was too old for this behaviour, and that it was time for Nobody to go away, only for me to go ballistic. I learned to keep him to myself after that, but my good opinion only strengthened, if anything. What could be bad about somebody, living or not, who was so willing to protect me? Who toppled over the chairs my bullies sat in? Who snuck me the answers I needed in tests? It was absurd, but I kept my mouth shut, and as far as everybody else was concerned, my imaginary friend vanished. It meant little to me – it wasn’t like any of them could see him in the first place.

Then things changed. What was meant to be the best night of my life turned out to be the worst. No parents, no neighbours, no rules. Just lots of booze, music and fun. Or so I thought. The first hint that something was awry was when all of the alcohol became mysteriously unavailable to us. Packs of beer would end up in locked cabinets, with the keys nowhere to be found. Bottles of vodka would fling themselves towards the sink and smash there, any potential source of amusement quite literally down the drain.

Then came the issue of the music. My best friend spent the entire evening wrestling with the CD player, wondering why it would refuse to play certain songs (the ones I knew Nobody hated), or why the volume refused to go any higher than, a pretty pathetic, “six”. The final straw was when every guy at the party suddenly became dramatically ill. Every single one. Headaches, vomiting fits, fevers, or even just a sense of pure unease. They needed little motivation to leave such a pathetic party in the first place. Within an hour, the only guests left were my two best friends. My seventeenth birthday bash had been demoted to a sleepover worthy of a ten year old.

After that, Nobody became less of a trusted ally and more of a domineering parent. Where I used to look at my hungover friends with a smug smirk, happy that Nobody had prevented me from drinking enough to end up in that state, I now looked at them with envy. They were normal. They drank too much and endured the consequences. When they were too lazy to study for tests, they failed. Life was difficult and it was unfair and they complained about it relentlessly. But that was what made it fun. They had to think about their next move, take responsibility for themselves. If they forgot their keys, they’d be locked out – they didn’t have any ghost to open the door for them. Without the dark you find yourself unable to appreciate the light, and so life became unbearably boring. I knew that whatever was approaching me in life, it would be fine. Nobody would handle it, whether I wanted him to or not. I hated it, and I hated him for it. My life was no longer mine to control, but instead belonged to somebody who was dead. How twisted was that? Each day was monotonous, and I found myself learning little - if that - from the limited life experience I had. I made no attempt to have an eighteenth birthday party.

Spurred on by thoughts of my failed seventeenth birthday party, and non-existent eighteenth, I made my decision. On the night of my nineteenth I took a lighter to the living room curtains, setting the place on fire. In the grand scheme of things it seemed like a perfectly safe and reasonable thing to do in the name of distraction. By time the blaze was out and smoke stopped billowing out of the window, I was already down the street, peering out at my home from behind a wheelie bin to make sure that I wouldn’t be returning to the charred skeleton of the house at the end of the night.  What I did return to, however, was a foreboding mass of shadow that I was too scared to tear my eyes away from. His presence had gone from endearing to terrifying in seconds flat.

My bedroom was trashed. Books were scattered on the floor, my clothes were strewn around any and every surface available. Even the door had a long, jagged splinter running up through the middle. Nobody made no move, no attempt at communication. Instead he stood stock-still in the corner, shadows bristling.

I didn’t sleep at all that night, instead sitting up in bed, staring at the void that was once my dearest companion with a sense of dread filling my chest. Hours later, when my drunkenness gave way to a fierce headache, all of the painkillers in the house had mysteriously vanished. I’d hoped it would end there, the same way arguments with my parents went. I’d lie, they’d be angry, eventually we’d all forget about it and move on. Nobody wasn’t the type to move on.

That’s where the decision to get rid of him came from. I couldn’t handle it. The constant hounding of my steps, the uncomfortable atmosphere, the lack of sleep. Sure, without him my life would be mundane and ordinary, but what was I with him? An adult with no decisive powers and an enforced bedtime.

When the day came, I kept up the façade marvellously. Nothing was out of the ordinary, and as far as he knew I was simply visiting a new friend at her apartment. Nobody didn’t show any sign of realising something was up until it was too late.

“That’s it?” I asked the ‘mystic’ dubiously as she finished burning incense and tracing odd symbols on my arms with the ash.

“That’s it,” she waved a hand “You may leave. He cannot follow.”

Nobody’s head shot up in clear alarm. His silhouette jerked towards me, but didn’t move. Couldn’t move. His head snapped between the old woman and I, almost like he was watching a tennis match, before it settled on me again and he unsuccessfully tried to move. The shadows around him spiked outwards.

“Oh, hush! You have no power here!” the old woman snapped impatiently.

I paid her as promised, but kept my gaze on Nobody. It was a weird feeling. Like seeing a caged tiger at a zoo. So much power, but no ability to use it. He’d gone from running my life, to being unable to take even a single step in my direction, all thanks to a bit of ash and some fancy words. For half a second, I faltered. I wanted to apologise to him. Pleasant memories surfaced – my toys putting on shows for me as a child, dancing on invisible strings, or even not having to pay to use the tube, as the ticket gates opened on their own upon my approach. But then the shadows spiked angrily again, and the regret was replaced by the more familiar fear.

When I walked out of that apartment, for the first time in ten years I was truly alone. I was truly free. Free to make my own decisions and live outside of Nobody’s grasp. It was then that life decided to catch up on all the years’ worth of lessons it had been unable to teach me until then. My freedom lasted four minutes. If I’d had Nobody with me, he’d have noticed the car that I failed to until it was too late, so used to not even having to look before I crossed the road. The last thing I saw was his dark silhouette, standing motionless in the window overlooking the street.

[drasnianfrank]

Twenty Books Challenge

Hypothetically, you are only able to keep 20 of your books. Only one book per author/series. So what books are you keeping? Credit due to @the-forest-library (I have been thinking about this list for like a week straight)

Guardians of the West by David and Leigh Eddings - any of the Belgariad/Mallorean series frankly. I read these series I don't know how many times as teen. Yes, they are a problematic. Yes they are trope-y as hell but I love them.

Memory by Lois McMaster Bujold - inching just barely above Miles in Love or Mountains of Mourning.

Goblin Emperor by Katherine Addison - This is a book that always makes me cry.

Whale Talk by Chris Cutcher - A swim team comprised of various kids with disabilities and are deeply flawed but are also attempting to do good things? I wish this was on every book list for teens.

All Systems Red (Murderbot Diaries) by Martha Wells - I mean all murderbot series is great. Funny story, I told my mom to read this book eons ago and she only read it after a librarian recommended it.

Return of the King by JRR Tolkien - though technically LotR is one book and I don't have single copies of this anymore. But the scouring of the shire just hits me in different places when I read it.

A Child's Anthology of Poetry edited by Elizabeth Hauge Sword and Victoria Flournoy McCarthy - My textbook of poetry when I was young.

Cloud Cuckoo Land by Anthony Doerr - Another a book that makes me absolutely sob.

The Realms of the Gods by Tamora Pierce - I love the Wild Magic Series the most of all Pierce's series. And yes, I recognize the problematic relationship. But also, talking badger.

Sabriel by Garth Nix - I'm sorry the far superior goth necromancer with bells.

First Truth by Dawn Cook - If had I pick one of the truth series. I have an unnatural fondness of a book series that combines magic with Punnett Squares.

Macbeth by William Shakespeare. Narrowly above Midsummer Night's Dream. But the tomorrow speech is an absolute banger.

All Creatures Great and Small by James Herriot - Any of the Herriot books. I read these almost to pieces.

Double Whammy by Carl Hiassen - It was this or Squeeze Me. But Skink really deserves to saved.

House of Leaves by Mark Z Danielewski - Post Modern Horror.

Where the Sidewalk Ends by Shel Silverstein - More Poetry of my childhood.

Dark Tales by Shirley Jackson - specifically The Possibility of Evil.

Daredevil vol 6 by Mark Waid, Chris Samnee - Graphic Novels count and I will fight you. This has one of the first individual issues I picked up.

Sandman vol. 8: World's End by Neil Gaiman, Micha Allred - Sandman holds a near and dear place in my heart. It was a close call between this and American Gods or Preludes and Nocturnes. But I will have echoes of Crements in my head.

Hawkeye vol. 4: Rio Bravo by Matt Fraction, David Aja - Pizza Dog! Also any of the volumes are fantastic and visually gorgeous.

I did take the prompt literally, but here are five more books I either always buy on kindle/can only get as an ebook. I would pay an extraordinary amount of money for these in print.

Toad Words and other stories by T Kingfisher - I was following her when she was still writing fantasy!

I Reap You Not by Catelyn Winona - Second Person done right.

True Porn Clerk Stories by Ali Davis - This causes me to giggle, rage, and cry.

The Heiress Effect by Courtney Milan - Brothers Sinister series is the standard I compare all Regency Novels to.

Night Shift by Stephen King - Specifically Quitter's Inc. But frankly any collection of Stephen King is gold.

Tagging @thatoldstandby, @msfehrwight, @raventycho, @timemachineyeah, @theneptuneviolin and anyone else. And of course you can include pictures too.

[traskomancer]

RPG a Day 21-25

Day 21: Favorite licensed RPG

Free League's Alien RPG, hands down. I can't think of any other licensed games I even play off the top of my head, and the Alien game is very well done. The stress mechanic and 3 act structure go a long way to achieving the feel of the source material.

Day 22: Best secondhand RPG purchase

Not even a purchase but a trade; I swapped a 5e book to @marquisnaberius in exchange for the 2e Unknown Armies core book and the 1e One Shots book. As far as strictly things I've bought, I did get a lot out of my set of core books for D&D 3.5 as a kid despite barely actually playing that particular edition. I was used to 4e and the juxtaposition was interesting. Also, I like the sketchy art style in the PHB.

Day 23: Coolest looking RPG product/book

I'm very partial to games that have a diegetic-ish style, like Monsters and Other Childish Things, the Unknown Armies 3e character sheet, and so on.

I also really like the art and feel of the Mothership scenario Gradient Descent. As far as the coolest art, Over the Edge 2e has some great stuff, though there are many others I could mention. Tales from the Loop is obviously designed around its art to some extent. This is definitely a prompt with a lot of answers.

Day 24: Complex/simple RPG I play

I think D&D 5e is the most complex RPG I feel I fully understand, and I do mean I FULLY understand it. I have half the monster manual and spell lists memorized and can improv anything else I need. It is kind of nice having a system of moderate-to-high complexity at my beck and call. I know there are much more complex systems around, including other editions of D&D, but I don't really want to make the mental investment of learning them. That's not what I enjoy in RPGs these days anyway. If I want crunch I'll play a video game.

As far as the simplest game, Fiasco is basically improv with a little bit of dice prompting for structure. So if you consider improv simple, which I feel is a plausible perspective, then that would count. One page games like Lasers and Feelings and Everyone is John of course also count for this.

Day 25: Unplayed RPG I own

Oh god, so many. I've already mentioned Monsters and Other Childish Things a few times in these prompts. Troika!, Ryuutama, Liminal Horror, Vaesen, The Dee Sanction, Mothership, and Fellowship all also fit this category. And that's to say nothing of all the games I've played once or twice and would love to come back to...

[odisparo-writes]

Writer News

I've been writing all this time nonstop. Well, actually, revising/restructuring--I have a full book that I'm whipping into release-ready state. Of course, I'm indie, so I'm doing it all on my own, from cover to finished ebook. I invested in some programs to help me with editing and that's what's been taking all my time.

The project isn't a huge one, but I'm pretty excited about it. I've shared the first book of Native Blood (now called Harvest Night) many times over the years, and each time it finds its readers who enjoy the dark and intense journey within. This time around, I think readers will be a mix of old and new. I hope this tale continues to entertain lovers of 18+ horror.

I've hit 154,000 words, and have about 18 chapters to go. Yes, that's quite a lot. It's a big book. Not intentional, hence why this is going to live as an indie passion project, though I'll be tagging it with an ISBN to draw my line in the sand as an author.

Although at the end of this I'll be cutting as many words as possible, but I've found readers that enjoy the story have no problem reading all those words. The reason I haven't dropped the project is because I wrote a Book 2, and that one seemed to be even better liked. I have some other titles too that found their readers, so I keep writing, and now I'm releasing it so anyone can read my stuff at any time.

I'm also returning to create stuff expressly to send to publishers. With all this work I'm doing backstage (I'm really beating myself up), I'd love to connect with the right publication or publisher.

Synopsis of my current pride and joy:

NATIVE BLOOD: HARVEST NIGHT [Book One] Rated R: Violence, Sexuality, Mature or Disturbing Themes Genres: Horror, Scifi-Fantasy, Drama, Supernatural (Vampire/Zombie/Cosmic) Themes: War, Love, Friendship, Family, Identity, Technology

Elias Pendergast, leader of a company of hunters on an alien planet, discovers signs of a dangerous attack the same night his teenage brother attends an illegal underground party.

Other Notes: This book follows 3 distinct POV characters--Elias Pendergast, president of Silatem; Adam Pendergast, his teenage brother and graduating senior; and Talitha Morai, a native orphan who was brought into human society through a Pendergast charity foundation. Elias and Adam are estranged and both affected by their father's execution by a native warleader. Talitha lives among humans and is struggling with hostile attitudes for her bloodline, though the Pendergasts are one of many entities that attempt to broker peace between natives and humans. The occupation of "Hunter" exists because although natives and humans can breed, the volatility of the mix sometimes sparks rabidity. I'll also mention the natives are immortal blood drinkers and this is their planet, so they love the sun. It's part of who they are and their native beliefs. The bite's an open hobby/therapy/fetish(all the above) between humans and natives, but that also can spark rabidity. Hunters are quite busy worldwide. My humans are from our Earth, though farther in the future, and yeah, my natives know about our vampire stories. :) The plotline I've written above is exactly what to expect the book to be about, but I explore the bigger story around it too. That's why it's on the longer side, so it's great for readers that like character and world development alongside the plot. My writer tag line's always, "Long Dark Tales For Long Dark Night." That's what Native Blood, and my other stories, are--only Rated R and I'm not kidding, if you're more affected, it can be scary or upsetting.

If my premise stokes questions in you, it's likely I've thought about it and have/will address it. My humans can't get off this planet and don't know why, they have no idea why their civilization crashed there, and they want to go home--but after 1000 years, they've become quite comingled.

I do know where they are, why they're there, and if they can go home. That's the plotline of the series. But first, let's start with Harvest Night. It's a standalone book, so you never have to read past the first to get a full story, but if you want to proceed...the first book is directly tied to what happens later.

That's what I'm doing right now. I hope by the end of August I'll have a full draft ready to cut to final length. (This story is inspired by so many things, both ficitional and not. No matter what else you see or how pretty/neat/funny it seems, don't be distracted--I write horror. Don't say I didn't warn you.)

[harleyacoincidence]

Just realized that I never did an actual writeblr introduction. Whoops. Anyway!

No idea how to format this, but we're here now and there's no time like the present.

Hello writeblr, I've been with you for almost a year now (I think). You can call me Harley, and I've been writing as long as I can remember. While the stories I wrote back in elementary school aren't the best, I am still proud of how much I've improved since starting out. I've kept a few WIPs I worked on in high school (those are being finished and edited), as well as a few others I started in the past few years.

Speaking of which, here are some original WIPs you might find featured on here (whether as part of tag games, asks, or random snippets):

Tales of the Unfortunate Summoner - Demons, humans, and trauma galore! Yes, I finally named the WIP with the niece-uncle relationship between a human (Henriette) and demon (Hadeon), featuring nobody's favourite former Shakespeare demon, Blaise. If you enjoy more modern fantasy, this might be the one for you. Once I finish writing and editing it so it's up to standard, of course.

Love Corrupts Fresh Lilies (often shortened to LCFL, due to laziness) - Ah yes, another instance of "idiot protagonist messes up and now everything's destroyed"! Meet Rafflesia, the poor mistreated girl who finds herself lost in some bizarre world after escaping her cousin, Jacob. She soon becomes corrupted and ends up a machine of mass destruction. Well, that's the plan, if I ever finish it. If you enjoy dark fantasy and dark romance, you might enjoy this.

The Devoted Musician - Wow! An analog horror series based on other horror media, how original! Well, it's been seven years in the making and I'm hoping it turns out alright. If you enjoy graphic horror media, ghosts, curses, and comic relief brought to you by deceased teenagers, this is something you might be interested in. It will be available on YouTube (with the next episode coming out VERY soon), and I will post the links to the videos on here as well.

Undying Service - I've barely outlined this WIP, due to focusing on my larger projects (see items 2 and 3 on this list), but here's the gist: altar server dies and is buried in a church, which they haunt to annoy members of the clergy as well as other religious folk. They might fix the occasional thing, but this is a mystery/satire, so we can't have too much of that.

Organized Obsession - This WIP has a better outline than Undying Service (at this point, literally anything does), as well as some characters. If you saw the poll that involved "fandom discourse but turned up to 11", that's this one. This WIP has some dystopian elements to it, but is also a satire (taken more seriously, unfortunately). I don't want to spoil too much, but in this world, taking sides is a must if you want to survive.

I'm going to be releasing a WIP crash course soon (along with the next episode of The Devoted Musician, which will have a bit more substance), so stay tuned!

I hope to meet more mutuals and people to follow, and the ones that I have are the best writers I've ever had the pleasure of interacting with. If you have questions about any of my WIPs, feel free to send me an ask or tag me in a game! I try my best to respond to those as soon as I can.

(Also, obviously I have more things planned, such as smaller WIPs, possibly sharing completed works, ARGs, and even a game...but those are stories for another time.)

[monitorkernelaccess]

ok first thing I love about the posters: how each piece of literature represents the girls well!

First we have "The Portrait of Just Monika," with Monika as Dorian Gray. That's like. Such a perfect match. Here's a character who outwardly appears charming and will do anything to maintain that image, but they're hiding a secret cruelty and corruption. Plus I love the nod to Jumpscare Monika by making that the portrait.

Those are the obvious parallels that I picked up on before I actually read Dorian Gray but now that I have read the book there are. Even more similarities between the characters and their stories. Dorian never seems to act out of intentional cruelty (except maybe with Sibyl) but he becomes so self-absorbed that he turns apathetic to others and doesn't care about the consequences of pursuing his own pleasures. But I felt bad for him at some points because so much of his corruption seems to come from simple pleasure-seeking that ends up destroying others' reputations, which is bad because he should have protected those others from societal rejection, but at the same time he never set out to harm them. Maybe I felt bad because the edition I read had notes about references in the story to Wilde's own hedonistic tendencies, and I felt that maybe Wilde was using Gray as a sort of self-insert, worrying that his pleasures signified a corruption of his own soul. Or maybe that's not what he meant at all. In any case, I found Dorian Gray to be sympathetic in the same way I find Monika to be sympathetic, where they don't intend to do harm but they have become apathetic to others and end up doing lots of harm anyway.

I also have the headcanon that Monika enjoys more classical literature along the lines of Oscar Wilde, Charles Dickens, and Jane Austen. Maybe that's because she called the club a "literature club" rather than a "reading and writing club." Or maybe that's just my projection onto her. I do that a lot. Finally, I like that she as a canonically queer character is represented by a novel with a queer author and subtextual queer themes.

Next, we have Sayori as "The Airheaded Horseman," a play on "the Headless Horseman" from "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow." This is also a piece of classic spooky literature of the 19th century, but this time it's a short story, and a more lighthearted tale. "Sleepy Hollow" is suitable for children as well as adults, and has the vibes of a scary campfire story. I think this reflects Sayori's interests and personality; she likes to keep things upbeat and speak in a more lighthearted way, and she doesn't seem to gravitate towards literary works that are too heavy or complex. I can't think of any connections between Sayori and any events or characters in "Sleepy Hollow" (though maybe there's a vague connection of Ichabod Crane also being a kinda upbeat protagonist?), but it seems like this title was chosen for Sayori as a way to make some deprecating humor. She's not the "Headless Horseman," she's the "Airheaded Horseman," both literally meaning there's air where her head should be and also joking about her being ditzy. Sayori tends to use a lot of self-deprecating humor. It works! I also like how both her and Monika have 19th century lit <3

Then, we got Yuri in "The Club of Cthulhu," in which she is the title horror. And like. Of course she isssssss like such a Yuri book. We know she loves her psychological horror and she loves books with lots of world building and lore. I've never actually read Call of Cthulhu or any of Lovecraft's works so I can't say much more about that but like. It's perfect to me. Classic eldritch horror. I do like that her title parody references the club as a whole too :)

Finally, we have Natsuki as the "Summer Demon," a monster reminiscent of Godzilla. Natsuki, always pushing the box of what "literature" includes, doesn't reference a book at all, but instead a classic movie! Plus, her poster design shows that her book is a manga—perfect for our manga-loving club member! Natsuki's horror character/creature is big, strong, and destructive. I feel like Natsuki would like that sort of fantasy. As someone who is constantly belittled for having "childish" interests, whose friends don't treat her with respect, who probably doesn't have a lot of power at home, and who is underestimated for her small frame and cute appearance, I bet she'd like being the big and powerful creature for once! Being the tsundere trope, she's also sometimes prone to outbursts of aggression (though who can blame her considering all the above). It can be nice to imagine having an outlet where you can be as angry and destructive as you want because you're a big creature who doesn't have to care about anything. I know Godzilla also has some serious themes regarding the effects of nuclear warfare, but I haven't seen the movie (or any of its sequels or remakes for that matter), and I don't really see how that applies to Natsuki anyway, so I won't talk about that. I will say that her title of "Summer Demon" is a reference to her name's meaning. "Natsuki" is the Japanese word for summer. The title might also be a meta joke about hypothetical mistranslations (like the "Mon-ika" bit from base game), like maybe the hypothetical manga called her the "Natsuki Demon" (like that's her first name) but then hypothetical English translators assumed "Natsuki" just meant "summer" and translated it as such. Oh well that's a bit convoluted of a joke so probably not.

Also I just love the simple genius of having a horror game themed around literature and making posters of classic horror lit like. Duh of course. Perfect merch. Also the acrylic standees have ravens on them probably referencing the Edgar Allen Poe poem ok byeeeeeee

I love the ddlc horror lit posters. I see them in my room every day and they make me smile :)

[qqueenofhades]

I recently submitted my first ever article and it got accepted provided I change "some minor things" aka the entire article... Awful, 0/10, is it always like that? 💀💀💀

...okay y'all, buckle up, I'm about to tell you my worst academic horror story. Aka why academia is a terrible, awful, no good very bad idea and you should never do it. If you've been following me for a long time, you may remember parts of this, but yes.

Anyway, so in the UK university system, which is where I did my PhD, you don't have a thesis committee; you have two examiners, one internal (a member of the department in your home university, but who didn't supervise you or advise you) and one external (a senior academic from an outside university who hasn't seen your work before and wasn't involved in the process in any way). My supervisors and I had a little trouble finding an external examiner, as the guy that we first asked didn't think he was a good fit, and then we found a replacement: a senior female scholar at a fairly good university in Ireland, who shall both, for the purposes of this cautionary tale, Remain Unnamed. She had worked with my supervisor before, they were friends, and he thought that she would be a suitable replacement choice. As for my thesis, my supervisors both thought it was pretty much done and hence ready for formal submission and viva (the oral examination). So! We submitted it!

My viva was duly scheduled, I turned up on the day already nervous as hell, and then things started going, hmm, slightly downhill. It soon became apparent that my external examiner thought my thesis was about something else, subject-wise, than it actually was (aka the subject SHE worked on, not the one I did) and she kept asking questions that were only tangentially related and demanding to know why I hadn't included all this background/genealogical/family information. (Where might I find it, you ask? Oh, in her book!) My internal examiner was mostly fine and made a few comments about how I needed to beef up my critical commentary on this or that charter source, and move some things from the conclusion to the introduction. You know! NORMAL things that a NON-PSYCHOTIC PERSON would suggest after reading a 300-page doctoral thesis that was clearly on the topic that it was about! NO BIG DEAL!!!

They sent me out of the room to debate whether they were going to pass me or not, while I had a heart attack and they took forever, and finally called me back in to say that okay, they were going to approve it, But External Examiner Had Questions!!! I was just relieved that I wasn't going to suddenly fail my PhD at the last hurdle after four years of work, but to say the least, extremely shell-shocked. I went out kind of in a daze, and my supervisor pulled me into his office for a congratulatory drink of champagne and told me that he'd never had any doubts it was going to be fine and etc. He also offered to refer the thesis to the series that he edited at a major academic press, in order to be published as a monograph. I don't remember how much I said, but I don't think it was much, and he seemed a little puzzled that I was looking like I'd just been hit by a tornado. Was this the end of the saga, you ask? No, of course not!!!

Anyway, if you request corrections to a thesis, you're supposed to submit them within a very abbreviated timeframe: by the end of the week, so the candidate (me) has as much time to work on them as possible. My internal examiner submitted a sensible one-page list of suggested edits within two days. We couldn't get hold of my external examiner for ALMOST THREE WEEKS (close to a MONTH). Then she sent these absolutely batshit endless lists of barely comprehensible corrections that read like total rambling, which neither me nor either of my supervisors (so, two-and-almost three PhDs between us) could understand. My main supervisor was so horrified by how unprofessional and inexplicable this was that he literally offered to read through all them and try to turn them into something that I could actually use. I was already working on the other ones, and wrote a passive-aggressive line into my introduction throwing major academic shade about how This Thesis Is About This Subject, Not That One. The reason this line exists in the world is due to my absolutely psychotic external examiner, so.... yes.

Tl;dr: happy ending, my internal examiner was the one solely responsible for signing off on the corrections and was happy to do so, I passed and graduated, and then did more revisions on my thesis to turn it into a book. I submitted it to the academic press for another external expert to read and was absolutely braced for another total nightmare. Instead, he basically came back with "this is great and I can't think of anything!" and thus I made a few quick tweaks and it went off to be published. So boy, was I ever owed that karma.

[boombox-fuckboy]

5 Criminally Underrated Audio Drama: Supernatural Fiction Edition

Always hard to resist a good bit of supernatural fiction, who doesn't love some good monsters and mysterious happenings? Podcasts certainly have no shortage of it, and better yet, it's almost all very queer.

There's only a few popular supernatural podcasts, most of which are more horror or fantasy leaning anyway, but there are some incredible lesser known ones that could easily fill that space! Without further ado, here are 5 absolutely quality supernatural podcasts.

Up to date as of 16th July 2021

Jar of Rebuke

"Join in Dr. Jared Hel's journey as he works to re-discover his forgotten past and learns about various entities and anomalies within the small farm town of Wichton for an organization called 'The Enclosure'. With creatures and stories based upon real legends and lore within the midwestern United States, follow along as Jared tries to figure out the secrets of the town as well as the secrets of their own identity."

Adventures of an unkillable (well, he can be killed, just doesn't stay that way) amnesiac scientist as they investigate strange creatures, make new friends, and eat lots of tasty food in the small town he's living in. Really well written and paced, full of cool creatures and enticing mystery with a dash of horror, and an absolutely endearing lead. Very queer. There are currently 18 episodes of between 10 and 27 mins each.

Jar of Rebuke is available on major podcasting platforms and Spotify. Content warnings are given at the start of each episode from season 2, though not for earlier episodes, and transcripts of each episode are available on the website. You can also follow their tumblr at @jarofrebukepodcast!

Monstrous Agonies

"From werewolves in the doghouse to new ghouls at work, there's no problem too strange for this weekly advice segment, from the UK's only dedicated radio service for the creature community"

A community advice radio show in a world where humans and monsters and creatures of all kinds live together in a world just like our own. Delightful exploration of the cultural and everyday aspects of this world, as well as individual tales of familial, platonic, romantic, and (non-explicit) sexual intimacy and conflict. Simple but clean soundwork with the absolutely most soothing narrator/presenter I've encountered, and of course, both subtle and overt queer rep. Season 1 has just finished, there are currently 35 episodes of between 10 and 20 minutes each.

Monstrous Agonies is available on major podcasting platforms and Spotify. There are no content warnings available, but transcripts are linked in the show notes of each episode. You can also follow their tumblr at @monstrousagonies!

Murray Mysteries

"A gothic-comedy audio retelling of Bram Stoker's Dracula"

A super fun, super queer, and honestly super faithful modern adaptation of Dracula. Instead of Mina's diary, it's the podcast she and her flat-mate Lucy, run together! The friendship between the two feels genuine in a way shows rarely capture. Van Helsing has the same cool but weird professor energy of the original that adaptations never get quite right. Dracula himself has got the be the most fun and well thought-out modern take on him I've seen. Mina and Jonathan are still the absolute sweetest but with the inspired addition of being an acespec bi couple. Lucy's three suitors are all different genders. I could go on. It's also just, really funny. You don't have to have read Dracula to hear it, but it'll still be an extra layer of fun if you have. Season 2 is currently airing, and 21 episodes of roughly 8 minutes each are available.

Murray Mysteries is available on major podcasting platforms and Spotify. Content warnings are not given, but transcripts are linked in the show notes of each episode. You can also follow their tumblr at @knovesstorytelling!

The Night Post

"In Gilt City, conscripted couriers are both respected and shunned. They inhabit the borderlands between a growing industrial society and the untamed, arcane frontier that surrounds it. The Night Post is a weekly supernatural audio drama about survival, tradition, and the vast unknown."

After his husband goes missing, Milo is conscripted to take his place as a courier. But nights delivering the mail in and around his city are filled with unexplained strangeness even the other couriers, Val and Clementine, can't anticipate, and while looking for his husband, they find far more and far stranger. Really well made, acted, written, full of more mystery and intrigue than I can hope to do justice to here. And it's very queer. The Night Post is on break between seasons, 15 main episodes of roughly 15-20 mins each, and 4 minisodes of about 5 mins each are currently available.

The Night Post is available on major podcasting platforms and Spotify. It has content warnings at the top of the transcripts, which are linked in the show notes of each episode. You can also follow their tumblr at @thenightpost!

The Way We Haunt Now

"Eulalie Elizabeth Reed is haunted by lots of things. Paths not taken. Failed relationships. Mistakes. Fears. Hopes. But she’s never been properly haunted before. That’s about to change. The Way We Haunt Now is a lighthearted horror audio drama about female friendships, found family, and fighting the narratives that try to define us––even in the afterlife. Oh, and ghosts. Did we mention ghosts?"

Eulalie has always been a little haunted, but after she comes home with an antique phonograph, this becomes a bit more literal. What starts off unnervingly spooky and very mysterious becomes a gentle and wholesome ghost story. I love the chill vibe of it, the mystery, the optimistic outlook on humanity, well thought-out soundwork. They are currently between seasons and crowdfunding for season 2! At present there are 10 episodes of 15-20 mins each, and one 5 min minisode available.

The Way We Haunt Now is available on major podcasting platforms and Spotify. It has content warnings at the top of the transcripts, which are linked in the show notes of each episode. You can also follow their tumblr at @thewaywehauntnow!

Want more great audio content?

5 Criminally Underrated Sci-Fi Podcasts

5 Underrated Weird Fiction Podcasts

5 Underrated Sci-Fi Horror Podcasts

5 Underrated Superpowered Podcasts

5 Underrated Comedy Podcasts

[cerebral-device]

I think your Homestuck stuff is really neat, especially the Hauntswitch posts. I would love to know more about Jude's friends if you don't mind sharing :D

Oh yeah of course!! I’ve been waiting so long for someone to ask me about them tbh LMAO

OKAY SO idk how to really format this in a concise manner so I’m just gonna ramble about them

So right off the bat, their names are

Rome Foster (white hair, orange sign)

Rita Valentino (black hair, glasses, yellow sign)

Noah Sanvick (white hair, glasses, red sign)

Aaand Mike Morris (black hair, blue sign) !

They don’t have official god tiers right now, as I just kinda wanna write them with god tiers in mind, and see where that takes their characterization in the end but the ideas for them are Rome is a thief of probably hope, Rita is either a sylph of time, a maid of void, or a sylph of void (leaning towards time bc time player lol), Noah is a prince of space, and Mike is an heir of mind. They’re all pretty snarky with each other, especially Rome and kinda Noah but with the exception of Rita as she kinda feels a bit outcasted from the group anyway. Throughout hauntswitch I feel like they would get into a loooot of arguments, including Jude. Just conflict of ideals tho stuff y’know. They each have their own “gimmick” type thing though! Based around Jude’s interest in aliens and cryptids n such. Noah’s whole thing is local missing and homicide files in and around hauntswitch as I’m sure the town probably has some deep and wild history like that, as well as any other true crime and mystery type stuff. Which is funny because of how easily freaked out he is, especially with fictional stuff like horror movies. Mike’s is ghost hunting, but the more technical kind. Think like those real life ghost hunting shows type stuff. He’s also the group skeptic and is big on ttrpgs and is in the robotics club with Jude. Rita’s is also ghosts! But less hunting and more of the séance Ouija board kind of ghost stuff. She the muppets/Jim Henson fan ever, and is kinda miffed by all of the creepy or gross stuff the others like. She’s also a fan of storybooks and folk tales. Rome doesn’t consider himself “as much of a nerd” as the others, despite definitely being a nerd. He tries to be a cool guy but kind of just ends up bullying his friends lmao—. He loves horror movies and urban exploration, and is more than happy to go poking around some abandoned place in the name of ghost or cryptid hunting. He definitely definitely still believes in aliens n ghosts n such though.

They’re also all in the middle school band! Except Rome bc he got kicked out for getting in trouble too much. Jude plays the trombone, Mike the clarinet, Noah the trumpet, Rome was in percussion before he was kicked out, and for Rita I haven’t really decided what yet but some contenders are oboe, violin/viola if it’s one of those bands that have a string section, or saxophone. They have a d&d session going right now, it’s 2e bc that’s what would be the most recent edition for the time period iirc! Jude is the dm, Mike is the magic user, Rita is the cleric, Rome is the thief, and Noah is the fighter. All themed around their god tier ideas lol. They also have code names, though the only 3 I really like are Jude’s, Rome’s, and Rita’s

Jude’s is Jay-Bird, which was a nickname given by Rome that much to Jude’s dismay became his codename (Jude is the object of ridicule a lot sorry</3) Rome’s is Foxtrot, which is the NATO phonetic alphabet for F, since his last name is Foster, and Rita’s is RVal which is just a throwback to RoLal from homestuck proper. The what I’ll call placeholder code names for Noah and Mike are John Doe and Winchester respectively, I’ll assume u get the John Doe one but Winchester is specifically referring to the haunted Winchester house lol. They just always felt too long to me, and like the code names themselves would need nicknames, which defeats the point of code names lmaoo.

I’m starting the run out of things I wanted to say about them but please feel free to ask more questions! I’ll definitely probably have an answer to whatever u ask lol. I do wanna just throw in that Rome chronically gives people nicknames, and will usually call Jude ‘juice’ or Noah ‘sandwich’ referring to Noah’s last name lol (or Sanddick if he’s feeling exceptionally mean). They all also have very polarizing opinions of Christmas movie Emmet Otter’s Jugband Christmas and if u know the movie you can probably just guess what Rita thinks of it lmaoo.

[rpgsandbox]

Beyond the reach of roads, past the scope of mortals there is a darkened place. A shadowed tree-line where no-one dares cross and whose boundaries go undisturbed.

This is not the woods of peaceful fey and beast, but the dark and twisted children’s tale that kept you full of terror. It is a world of fear, madness, and bloodshed; ruled over by the uncaring watch of ancient trees. There is no bargaining with the primal forces that rule the uncivilized world, as you have nothing they could ever want.

The woods do not care for you. Never forget that.

Into the Wyrd and Wild is a supplemental book for those seeking to incorporate a weird and terrifying wilderness into their role-playing game. Players and GMs who enjoy a level of horror and prefer the sweeping, darkened landscapes of forest and mires to the well-trodden cobblestone of dungeons need look no further when it comes to books. Presented within the book is a light overhaul of the adventuring system, modified to fit better with a campaign centered around forays into the frightening wilderness.

In addition to stocking the area with new monsters and set pieces, Into the Wyrd and Wild is also an attempt to increase the playability of the wilderness. Rather than have the wilderness remain a place along the way to a dungeon, it seeks to make the wilderness a dungeon in itself. Included in this is an essay on design theory as well as a way to easily and randomly construct a wilderness dungeon.

The book contains a variety of information for both GM and players alike. For players there is a vast array of strange items and artifacts, each embodying the haunting and feral nature of the Wyrd and Wild. There is also a section devoted to spells, specifically, Wyrd magics that may be just as deadly to the caster but offer great and terrible powers if they choose to harness it. Finally there is a list of the odd and useful floras that dwell within the wilds, plant-life that ranges from profitable and wondrous, to deadly and loathsome.

For GMs, this book contains every possible thing you might need to run a wilderness-horror themed game. Monsters that present unique and specific challenges to the player, while also being terrifying and lethal; simple rules for use in the Wilds that make gameplay both easier and deeper; unique factions that exist within the Wilds, for use or adaptation in a home game; and of course a plethora of tables for generating random locations, treasures, encounters, and more.

Why a Revised Edition?

Into the Wyrd and Wild took a lot of people by surprise when it first launched. Charles Ferguson-Avery and the team at Feral Indie Studio managed to take the woods, something many of us take for granted in RPGs, and transform it into something truly terrifying.

After multiple conversations, reviews and self-reflection, a number of things came to light that could be tweaked to make Into the Wyrd and Wild the absolute best product it can be while staying true to the intent and vision of the original. Among those are:

Some new and enhanced art in certain places

Additional detail of the original intent of the book

More information on how to implement the rules into games

Two new tables for encounters

A few reworked GM handouts

An index

Hardback as the standard format, which sets the baseline for future projects.

Since its initial printing, there have been repeated calls for a reprint due to limited availability of the initial product. Wet Ink Games and Feral Indie Studios have teamed up to bring you this gorgeous revised version, and print enough to help get it in the hands of fans though various retailers.

If you are a previous backer, or have purchased the original version through DriveThruRPG or Itch.io, we will provide you with a PDF copy of the revised version at no charge after the campaign. While we value your support if you choose to help bring this to production, we do not expect you to have to buy the book a second time.

While the contents of Into the Wyrd and Wild were designed for D&D and the OSR, this book has been written to be as system-neutral as possible. This means that:

Rules and stats are written bare-bone with the intention of being widely compatible.

Enough information is given that a GM and player can easily adapt it to their own preferred system.

The book contains:

Rules for wilderness travel and survival

Rules for Moon Cycles and strange phases.

Rules for hunting, tracking, and butchering monsters.

40+ dangerous and terrifying monsters.

40+ strange and savage items.

40+ spells and rules for channeling the Wyrd.

An essay and guideline on running and creating "wilderness dungeons."

A step-by-step guide for generating your own wilderness adventure.

100 random wilderness locations.

Tables upon tables of random diseases, wilderness dressings, traps, hazards, flora, encounters, and MORE.

All illustrated with over 150 pieces of original art.

Whether you are a veteran group looking to make a foray into the terrifying Wilds, or new to the hobby and looking to spice up your game, Into the Wyrd and Wild provides something for everyone.

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[autolenaphilia]

Arthur Conan Doyle and Frederick Marryat

I was browsing through Arthur Conan Doyle's book Through the Magic Door. It is a delightful little book where Conan Doyle talks about the books he loves. And in Chapter XI he mentions Frederick Marryat, which got my attention because of @marryat92 who I thought might be interested.

The context is Conan Doyle talking about nautical fiction and which books he would pick if he "had to choose a sea library of only a dozen volumes". And in such a library "Marryat, of course, must be represented, and I should pick "Midshipman Easy" and "Peter Simple" as his samples."

It is not surprising Conan Doyle read Marryat.

He was very interested in sea stories as that entire passage in the book gives evidence of. He published an entire collection of short stories about called Tales of Pirates and Blue Water which naturally has just pirate and sea stories. He had his own seafaring adventure as a doctor on a whaling ship as a young man.

There was also ACD's great interest in the Napoleonic wars. This was reflected in his fictional output. This can be seen in the 1956 omnibus of Conan Doyle's The Complete Napoleonic Stories which is a thick volume of over 600 pages containing two short story collections and two novels. The short stories star one of his most popular characters, Brigardier Gerard (although he was even then overshadowed by Sherlock Holmes of course) who appears in one of the novels, Uncle Bernac. Gerard is a comedic figure, an unreliable narrator who tells of his adventures as a cavalry officer in Napoleon's army.

In fact, Marryat actually is mentioned in passing earlier in Through the Magic Door in that very context. In Chapter IX Conan Doyle discusses the literature the Napoleonic era produced, and how little the English has produced about the wars compared to the French. But one of the exceptions is "Marryat's novels, many of which are founded upon personal experience".

So as a reader and writer interested in nautical fiction and the Napoleonic wars, it is not surprising ACD found Marryat’s fiction interesting.

But Through The Magic Door is not the only place in which Marryat appears in ACD’s voluminous writings. Searching through the Arthur Conan Doyle encyclopedia website, I found other references to Marryat. A bunch were to the Captain’s daughter, Florence Marryat who wrote spiritualist works which ACD referenced in his own spiritualist writings. But her father is referenced elsewhere too, most interestingly in two of ACD’s short stories.

One of ACD’s earliest works is the horror story John Barrington Cowles from 1884. The story concerns a mysterious and possibly supernatural femme fatale, and the title character compares her to a story by Marryat:

“"Did you ever read of wehr-wolves?" he asked.

I answered that I had.

"There is a story," he said thoughtfully, "in one of Marryat's books, about a beautiful woman who took the form of a wolf at night and devoured her own children. I wonder what put that idea into Marryat's head?"

This story is included in the Oxford World Classics edition of ACD’s Gothic Tales, with footnotes by Darryl Jones, and Jones explains in a footnote that this is a reference to the werewolf story in Marryat’s The Phantom Ship.

There is a more extensive and weirder appearance by Marryat in another short story, and I mean that the man himself appears as a character. The story is Cyprian Overbeck Wells. A Literary Mosaic.

It is a comedic ghost story about an unsuccesfulwriter struggling with writers block, and reading the classics of English literature for inspiration. And one night he has a vision (suggested to be a dream brought on by his reading), that “The greatest masters of fiction in every age of English letters had apparently made a rendezvous beneath my roof, in order to assist me in my difficulties.“ This includes both dead writers like Daniel Defoe and Tobias Smollet but also living ones like Robert Louis Stevenson. And they set about telling the story of a character named Cyprian Overbeck Wells in a round robin fashion. The bulk of the story is pastiches of various authors.

Defoe starts the story off, and Jonathan Swift continues it. They bring Cyprian aboard a ship but he is left alone after the crew abandon it during a storm. And eventually he sights an island. Swift ends his part of the story by describing Cyprian doing a “nautical manoeuvre“ and

“At the description of this nautical manoeuvre I observed that Smollett grinned, and a gentleman who was sitting higher up the table in the uniform of the Royal Navy, and who I guessed to be Captain Marryat, became very uneasy and fidgeted in his seat.

"By this means I got clear of the current and was able to steer within a quarter of a mile of the beach, which indeed I might have approached still nearer by making another tack, but being an excellent swimmer, I deemed it best to leave the vessel, which was almost waterlogged, and to make the best of my way to the shore.

"I had had my doubts hitherto as to whether this new-found country was inhabited or no, but as I approached nearer to it, being on the summit of a great wave, I perceived a number of figures on the beach, engaged apparently in watching me and my vessel. My joy, however, was considerably lessened when on reaching the land I found that the figures consisted of a vast concourse of animals of various sorts who were standing about in groups, and who hurried down to the water's edge to meet me. I had scarce put my foot upon the sand before I was surrounded by an eager crowd of deer, dogs, wild boars, buffaloes, and other creatures, none of whom showed the least fear either of me or of each other, but, on the contrary, were animated by a common feeling of curiosity, as well as, it would appear, by some degree of disgust. "

"A second edition," whispered Lawrence Sterne to his neighbour; "Gulliver served up cold. "

This leads to a fight between Sterne and Swift, before Smollett manages to interrupt it by continuing Cyprian’s story, and he is followed by Walter Scott and Edward Bulwer-Lytton. But the dream vision ends before Cyprian’s tale ends, having gone off in a new direction with every author. It is a weird bit of comedy, which might have been funnier if I had read the authors being parodied. I leave it to his fans to judge if the pastiche of Marryat is convincing or funny.