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[clockworkkwritesstuff]

RÛNÊN Review

Once again, I firmly believe that Anne has outdone herself with her collection of stories, illustrations, and comics featured in RÛNÊN. I’ll begin by saying how struck I am by the composition of the book itself- It begins with the definition of the title, meaning ‘to whisper’, which strikes me as extremely fitting for these short stories as they are very much the whispered desires of our main heroes. Perhaps I’ve said this before, but Anne has a real knack for gripping readers with her titles, perfectly outlining the content of the book with one word or phrase. This one particularly reminded me very much of a song I love, ‘Undisclosed Desires’ by Muse, as that’s precisely what RÛNÊN is, a series of undisclosed desires. Following the beautifully chosen title, Anne provides a timeline of all the events in relation to the main story, which is a simple addition but an incredible enhancement to give a little more context to what you’re about to read. Thank you very much, Anne, for ensuring we are all kept up to speed with where exactly we are in the story. Having read other collections like this, getting a more exclusive ‘behind the scenes’ can be a little hard to follow when it’s left up to JUST context clues. This was very helpful and the placement of all these stories gives another crucial detail; Embry and Kuo were seriously just on their toes around each other for way too long.

What I also particularly love about these additional tales is the backstory and context it provides regarding the weird and wonderful world Anne has created as the setting. Gimma, like other fantasy settings I adore, is very built and developed, with its own traditions and festivals, its collection of laws and unique vibe to it. In fact, I’ve drawn similarities between the feel of Gimma and the vibes around where I currently live- for instance there’s a huge manor house that’s a few hundred years old, not far from that is a small bar that’s interior is decorated like an old tavern, and there’s at least one traditional event every month – the whole place is both diverse and close-knit, which is the same kind of strong feeling I get while reading about Gimma. Whether this was Anne’s intention or not, I do like it very much! Fantasy stories like Bound where the background and main setting it entirely up to the author partially rely on the context that can be given about said mystical setting – they need to match after all, otherwise we risk the worldbuilding being inconsistent. Let me just say how perfectly built Gimma is. I want to attend a Lenten Feast!!

Now, without giving too much away, I am living for these little pre-contract stories about Embry and Kuo. I am a sucker for awkward relationship stories, and these two are redefining exactly what that means. The line that separated them has been blurred for ages, perfectly shown in Anne’s storytelling by the way, but I also have a strange fascination with just how much Berrin was on thin ice! How has the ice not broken yet? Well somewhere along the line Embry had decided to hold him up (theoretically, of course) and things were so damn close to disaster for both of them that a line had to be drawn. Can anybody else say relatable? Have you seen a relationship like this before? I’m sure we all have, and yes, this period of their relationship paints Berrin as a little dick, we have to acknowledge that falling into this kind of toxicity is also just a human mistake. Even in relation to the main story, I am so curious about this character and how he’s holding up, seeing his interactions with our main duo and how he responds to seeing his old mage getting all heated over Mr.StealYourMan! Damn, Anne, really knows how to flip my feeling on its head when it comes to her characters! There’s plenty of focus on our main pair, but not so much that they have to carry the story alone, there are other people in this world that she’s created and clearly Anne is an expert at making every single one of them perfectly human (I’ve struggled with my own writing in the past. I am living for these character-building stories!)

There’s something so funny about the friendship between Kuo and Benji, they make me feel amused every time, not to mention Benji reminds me of one of my closest friends. Another character I love, please protect Benji!

I still adore Aik so damn much. Thanks, Anne, for the Aik content! Did I mention that RÛNÊN was R18? Yeah, THANK YOU FOR THE AIK CONTENT!!!!

So, here’s where I make a bit of a confession; cheesy romances where the main pairing is just naturally drawn together for no reason? That bothers me. It’s too convenient, unrealistic, overdone, nonsensical, AND YET Anne does it well. There IS a reason for Embry and Kuo to be drawn together, to have the strong connection that they do, and it is presented in a way that makes sense. This is a world where sparks literally seek one another out and try to connect with their mage or page counterpart, and in order for it to work out, they need to be evenly matched and evenly powerful. From the beginning, this has been clear and a well-flowing explanation as to why they always seem to find one another. It’s far easier to accept this idea when it’s justified, which is done through the background and the context of the story being in a world of magic, once again earning Anne more points for developing Gimma so well!

On another note, I love that Embry’s response to jealousy isn’t to lash out and attack someone like so many other cheesy romances… at least not that would actually hurt someone (I do pray for Aik’s tastebuds, sour milk is disgusting) and he remains a bit of a goof about it. More drunk mage content, please XD On this note, how can something like stitching the back of your drunk (boy)friend’s tunic be made so innocent and romantic at once?

I love how Kuo started off as (in Anne’s own words) an emotional cactus, but can also be a smug, mischievous, little tease. It’s his feisty nature breaking through wonderfully, trying to keep his distance but sometimes just being unable to resist being his old self. This, followed by the fumbling awkwardness of them both being dorks, just gives me so many more reasons to love Kuo as a character.

Anne doesn’t fall into the trap of the main couples’ personalities being purely reliant on one another. Kuo’s personality isn’t reduced to how much he likes Embry. Embry’s personality isn’t reduced to how much he liked Kuo. They’re very distinct characters that are perfectly capable of being interesting by themselves without falling flat on their faces. Oh how I adore these characters.

The way these two keep getting interrupted reminds me of living in my flat at university. Let’s not forget that Embry and Kuo live with many other pages and mages alike, and the constant cock-blocking just keeps giving them reasons to perform this same song and dance of trying to abstain. I am frustrated for them, but this all works in their favour because when things finally go how they want, it’s all the more satisfying for the reader (and the boys, no doubt about that).

So when it’s not a concern anymore and they’ve managed to get this far, on my god, we get to see more feisty Kuo, more dorky Embry, and what’s more, switchy boys, it’s a wonderful time we’re living in!

My final word is coming back to Anne’s art more than her writing, and I’ve deliberately put it off until now so that I could talk about it in its own segment. Holy hell, I would pay this woman to give me lessons if I had the money (if you ever get the chance to offer a course, hit me up, I’ll save my finds for years!). On one hand, the black and white pieces dotted around are beautiful in their own sense. All pieces have their own atmosphere, but with no colours to work with, you’re left with shadows, poses, and expressions. Every single one, from start to end, has it’s own strong feeling to it. There’s an eerie confusion, then there’s pure comfort, but also that beautiful, heated and flustered feeling too! Side note, I adore how Anne still makes the blushes pink and red when the rest of the image is black and white. Similar to how I like it when eyes are coloured in a black and white picture, it looks so lovely and adds to the original without stealing all the attention. And the coloured content? Anne uses one of the most gorgeous colour palettes I’ve ever seen. Naturally certain tones are used for ambiance to a coloured piece of work, but at the same time, the characters have such lovely diverse palettes that are so perfectly arranged so that, once again, there isn’t just one, glaring shade that steals the attention from the rest of the piece. I challenge anyone to find a piece of Anne’s art that you don’t think looks fantastic. Even the sketches included at the end of the book are wonderful to look at. This entire collection is delicious eye candy. I must say, there’s a piece included of Eva and Carla that is striking to me. I absolutely adore it.

Thank you for this book, Anne. Thank you for its content, for all your hard work in compiling it, and you have my support for the world of Bound. And to finish off… Thank you for the Aik content XP

[clockworkkwritesstuff]

[clockworkkwritesstuff]

words to use instead of

as 

while 

when,

whilst

 even as

 just as

 just when

 simultaneously as

 so long as

 at the moment that

 at the same time that at the time that

 in the act of

 in the process of 

on the point of

during the time that

 at the same time as

 during the time

 throughout the time

 in the time

 during which

 during which time

for the period that

 at the same time

 meanwhile

 at the time

 as long as

 exactly when

 at the very moment that

at the very time that after

 as soon as

 immediately when

 immediately after

instantly when once

looked

glanced 

gazed 

stared

gaped

peered

focused 

 peeped 

peeked

took a look

taken a look 

watched

considered 

saw 

seen

observed 

viewed

regarded

marked 

checked out

glimpsed 

spotted 

eyed 

took in 

taken 

in ogled

eyeballed 

beheld

beholden 

before

ahead

back

previously

since

sooner

afore

aforetime

ante

antecedently

anteriorly

before present

ere

fore

former

formerly

forward

gone

gone by

heretofore

in advance

in days of yore

in front

in old days

in the past

past

precendently

previous

up to now

smiled

beam

grin

laugh

smirk

simper

be gracious

express friendliness

express tenderness

look amused

look delighted

look happy

look pleased

touch

brush

caress

feel

handle

hit

kiss

lick

pat

reach

rub

strike

stroke

tap

abut

adjoin

border

communicate

contact

converge

dab

examine

finger

fondle

frisk

glance

graze

grope

inspect

join

line

manipulate

march

massage

meet

neighbor

osculate

palm

palpate

partake

paw

percuss

pet

probe

push

scrutinize

sip

smooth

suck

sweep

tag

taste

thumb

tickle

tip

toy

verge

be in contact

butt on

come together

feel up

impinge upon

lay a finger on

exhaled

breathe

emit

give off

let out

discharge

eject

emanate

evaporate

expel

issue

respire

steam

vaporize

nodded

acknowledge

bend

bow

greet

respond

salute

acquiesce

agree

approve

assent

passionate

ardent

dramatic

eager

eloquent

emotional

expressive

fervent

fierce

fiery

forceful

heartfelt

heated

impassioned

intense

poignant

spirited

strong

vehement

violent

zealous

affecting

animated

blazing

burning

deep

fervid

flaming

frenzied

glowing

headlong

high-powered

high-pressure

hot

hotblooded

impetuous

impulsive

inspiring

melodramatic

moving

precipitate

quickened

steamed up

stimulated

stirring

thrilling

warm

wild

but

although

however

nevertheless

on the other hand

still

though

yet

gasped

choke

snort

whoop

blow

convulse

gulp

heave

inhale

inspire

pant

puff

respire

sniffle

wheeze

catch one’s breath

fight for breath

frowned

glare

glower

grimace

pout

gloom

lower

sulk

cloud up

do a slow burn

give a dirty look

give the evil eye

knit brows

look black

look daggers

look stern

movement

act

action

change

development

evolution

exercise

flow

migration

move

operation

progress

shift

advance

agitation

alteration

swirled

boil

churn

roil

twirl

whirl

agitate

coil

crimp

crisp

curl

eddy

purl

roll

snake

surge

swoosh

whirlpool

whorl

wriggle

[clockworkkwritesstuff]

some aesthetic words for your fic title! (pt.1)

alexithymia (n) the inability to express your feelings

cosmogyral (adj): whirling around the universe

euneirophrenia (n): the peace of mind that comes from having pleasant dreams

scintila (n); a tiny, brilliant flash; a small thing; a barely visible trait

anagapesis(n): no longer have any feelings for one you once loved

mangata (n); the reflection of moon on water

serendipity (n); finding luck without even looking for it

selenophile (n) the person who loves the moon

nyctophilia (n); love for darkness or nght, finding relax and comfort in the darkness

drapetomania(n); an overwhelming urge to run away

gumusservi (n): moonlight shining on water

clinomania (n); the excessive desire to stay in your bed

basorexia (n); the overwhelming desire to kiss

solivagant (adj) wandering alone

sehnsucht (n): the inconsolable longing in the human heart for we know not what, a yearningfor far, familiar, non- earthy land one can identify as one’s home

redamancy (n); the act of loving one who loves you, a love returned in full

hireath (n); a home sickness to a home which you cannot return, a home which maybe never was, the nostalgia, the yearning, the grieve for the lost places of your past

 alamort (adj) : half- dead of exhaustion

viridity (adj): naive innocent

numinous (adj): describing an experience which makes you fearful yet fascinated, awed yet attracted, the powerful personal feeling of being overwhelmed and inspired

[clockworkkwritesstuff]

My Regular Writing Playlist

Sleepsong - Bastille

Ocean Eyes - Billie Eilish

Lovely - Billie Eilish

I Love You - Billie Eilish

B*tches Broken Hearts - Billie Eilish

I'll Be Good - Jaymes Young

Video Games - Lana Del Rey

Young And Beautiful - Lana Del Rey

Carmen - Lana Del Rey

This Is What Makes Us Girls - Lana Del Rey

Immortal - MARINA

Teen Idle - MARINA

Starring Role - MARINA

R.I.P 2 My Youth - The Neighbourhood

Things We Lost In The Fire - Bastille

Icarus (Live) - Bastille

From Eden - Hozier

Movement - Hozier

Way Down We Go - KALEO

September Song - Agnes Obel

Dorian - Agnes Obel

Perfect Places - Lorde

Everybpdy Wants To Rule The World - Lorde

Honeythief - Halou

Gods & Monsters - Lana Del Rey

Glory And Gore - Lorde

Prom Queen - Molly Kate Kestner

Arsonist's Lullabye - Hozier

Bottom of the River - Delta Rae

Meet Me in the Hallway - Harry Styles

You Don't Own Me - SAYGRACE

I Found - Amber Run

Secret - The Pierces

Lowlife - That Poppy

Oxford Comma - Vampire Weekend

Hurts Like Hell - Fleurie

Head Space - Bastille

Invisible - Skylar Grey

Beauty From Pain - Superchick

Idfc - blackbear

Coffee and Cigarettes - Augustana

Creep - Radiohead

Elastic Heart - Sia

Blue Lips - Regina Spektor

Not About Angels - Birdy

anxiety - blackbear

Don't Deserve You - Plumb

Misty Moutains - Richard Armitage

Mordred's Lullaby - Heather Dale

Loreley - Blackmore's Night

Battlefield - SVRCINA

Paralyzed - NF

Already Gone - Sleeping At Last

Runaway - AURORA

Complicated - Olivia O'Brien

the broken hearts club - gnash

Water Fountain - Alec Benjamin

The One That Got Away - Brielle Von Hugel

Let Me Down Slowly - Alec Benjamin

To Build A Home - The Cinematic Orchestra

If I Killed Someone For You - Alec Benjamin

Sweater Weather - Alyzon Stoner & MAX

Gone in Bloom and Bough - Caspian

Crazy in Love - Eden Project

All I Want - Kodaline

Let Me Go - NF

Everything's Alright - Lizz Robinett

Sick of Losing Soulmates - dodie

Surrender - Natalie Taylor

Power - Isak Danielson

Puppy Dog Eyes - Ida Laurberg

Dancing With A Stranger - Sam Smith

Slow Dancing In The Dark - Sora

July - Noah Cyrus

Liability - Lorde

all the kids are depressed - Jeremy Zucker

Toxic Thoughts - Faith Marie

crash - EDEN

The End of All Things - Panic! At The Disco

Strawberries & Cigarettes - Troye Sivan

[clockworkkwritesstuff]

RUH Review

Ruh is comprised of sketches by Anne of her awesome characters, who I said quite a bit about in my previous review of Buan. Once again, Ruh contains side stories from Bound: The Contract, providing more backstory and creative exposition for the history of the setting in the main arc. Thus far, what we have been given seems an incredible amount of development and fascinating characters, in the main arc alone, then later in Buan where we got a closer look at interactions between our favourite magical lovebirds, but Anne comes back with yet another surprise-HOORAY!-somehow making me far more attached, sucked into this world, immersed completely and somehow I get the feeling I have yet to learn more about these characters. Particularly in the written works included, the stories are packed with unspoken words and feelings difficult to include in the mini-comic stories. But, once again, having read them, I returned to the min arc AND Buan, once again with new knowledge. I felt almost like I was reading something new, imagining the detailed words describing the drawn scenes and the feelings they keep hidden. Likewise, no matter what the scene, all forms of storytelling used complement one another. Anne's gorgeous art, as I've said before, presents just the perfect amount to convey those unspoken thoughts, interactions these characters wish they could have, hopes and regrets, using their expressions, setting, and pacing. For those of you who own a copy of Ruh, turn to page 6, you'll find Anne's sketch, 'Hush', accompanying the short story of the same name, whether you look at Embry's face or Kuo's face, there has obviously been so much effort and care put into those looks to perfectly encapsulate every single racing emotion they feel for the other. Much the same as Anne's other pieces, she puts in immense effort for this story, for that, I'm certain we all thank and admire her. The short 'Hush' itself is probably my favourite. With so few lines, so much is explained. Reading the main arc, we're treated to some classic scenes where Embry and Kuo fumble about each other, something obviously on their minds, but reading this gave me chills, everything seemed more serious and gave this feeling of contemplation- poor Kuo must've been thinking so hard (babey). Something I have mentioned before but will bring up again; characters and storylines can easily fall flat if there is no relation between them and the other characters or something to take your attention off the main pair for a moment or two. Sometimes other characters are more than just villains and no important character should be treated as just a part of the background. This is an amazing example of just that; characters being treated right to keep a story alive. There are other mages and pages present in the monastery, some really interesting. I gotta say I'm excited to see more about Eve and Carla after reading 'The Beast'. Not to mention my growing love for Aik. Now, here's a question; how do you build a character's personality further? Put them in different situations! 'Dance With Me' is an adorable AU, easily relatable and incredibly humorous. Mara, who also wrote the written half of Buan, displays here the incredible talent she possesses, accompanied with a couple of oblivious boys and a nightclub, it's a fascinating little idea that I am so happy was explored. Putting these characters in THIS situation was an interesting choice, seeing as it doesn't seem like too many similar occurrences would happen in the cannon main storyline, however that is an amazing way of pushing a character to their limits, and for this to work out so well gave an amazing touch to the overall book. Hats off to Anne and Mara! (Also 'Egg') The illustrations are beyond gorgeous, but I'm sure any budding artist will know what when printed, coloured art can appear different. On average paper, the matte appearance can flatten things out, make it look more 2D. However, special care has gone into each coloured page to ensure that doesn't happen. From posting the art online to printing them, changes have likely been made with those intentions in mind. Everything, from sketches to comics, to full-colour illustrations give this book a beautiful appearance as well as an enticing story. It lives up to its title, Ruh- rough. Rough works, a rough assortment of relevant media, but also rough experiences, rough lessons, and rough feelings. To summarise, I love and treasure the story we've already been given, and I anticipate the story Anne will continue to produce. If you're a fan of Bound: The Contract, please support Anne further. I'll link her Ko-Fi and Instagram below, along with the Tapas link to Bound. Happy reading!

https://www.instagram.com/annedrawsstuff/?hl=en

https://ko-fi.com/annedrawsstuff

https://tapas.io/series/Bound-The-Contract

[clockworkkwritesstuff]

BŪAN Review

Okay... I know this went out a while ago and I am deeply sorry that it took me so long to finally review it. However, I'm here now, having read it many times to say It. Is. Magical.

I will point out that I will NOT be posting details about the story, at least from pages 6-13 as requested. This is a gift, exclusive to those who donated/bought the story, so it would be unfair for me to share all the spoilers.

If you want to follow the main story that Buan is from, please follow @/Annedrawsstuff and #/Boundthecontract over on instagram!

On with the review!

First of all, the story is split in two, a comic half illustrated by the very talented Anne, and a written half by the equally as skilled Mara-Tabea (@/beasarcevic).

To kick off the story, there's a brief character introduction of our two favourite boys, Embry and Kuo, which describes their origin, feeding into the written half later on. Already from there, even if you hadn't read their story up until now, you can determine that we're going to be dealing with some interesting characters. Considering their development and relationship in the main arc, their pasts are very well put and thought out, matching their characters greatly. Remembering their stated pasts before their meeting does add to their story and definitely added to my emotional investment in their experiences.

At which point, the comic begins! Once again, I will stress, Anne is an incredibly talented woman whose art style I truly do adore. What struck me immediately is the layout of the first page, already absolutely gorgeous. What comic artists sometimes struggle with is how much dialogue to put on each page. Too much can deter a reader, and boring placement of textboxes can be... boring. From the first page, it's clear how much effort went into every detail, even layout. Already got a lot of points from me. As a budding artist myself, I know the importance of things like lighting, shadows, expressions and gestures when conveying a scene. Anne deals with all of these things beautifully. The dark setting in the middle of the night, the dialogue used, and every aspect of Embry and Kuo's interactions create an atmosphere that I can only describe as sensually tense. Their intimacy within the first few pages is portrayed perfectly, followed by an awkward encounter that honestly made me both squee and cringe for the both of them. I was so immersed that even I felt nervous.

Also, Aik!

After an amusing little twist, the written work by Bea begins! The written section is very obviously from Embry's POV, giving us further insight that the character introductions page, adding to it and making me want to give him a massive bear hug. BOY DESERVES LOVE!

Now where Anne's comic demonstrates the extent and effect of Embry and Kuo's strong contract, Bea's writing conveys the struggle of not having a page to be bound to, giving us a far better understanding of exactly what the contract between them is. May I just say also, her writing is crystal clear and easy to understand. Everything is set out at a great pace- nothing jumps around. The way she has written built up anticipation for me, imagining this playing out as a scene in front of me, not only setting an in-depth scene, but giving us Embry's thoughts as it all occurs, all of which feed into the atmosphere Bea is building, the feel of the comic Anne put in and the whole main story at the same time. The extend of the contract's importance is actually fascinating and I wouldn't have such a deep understanding of it now if I hadn't gotten this story!

With beautiful imagery and insight, I went and looked back at the main comin on Anne's instagram, now with a better understanding of the contracts and much more love for the relationship between these lovely boys. Their interactions now, with knowledge of how deep their relationship really is and how much they must trust one another, seem more intimate, in a way, these actions vrey exclusive to one another instead of my original assumption that Embry was just a natural flirt. I now firmly believe that the flirt is Aik... thatnks to art on Anne's instagram.

Also, Aik!

Yes, I am far more interested in the other mages and pages involved in the story now, knowing how vital contracts are and seeing the relasionship between mages Embry and Aik. Even minor characters are interesting to me, which is an amazing perk of writing for an author or comic illustrator. If all characters besides your main focus are bland, then your story may end up falling flat as well. Bound The Contract most certainly is NOT a story that will fall flat.

Both sections of this mini story, comic and prose, are beautifully done and compliment on another, after reading one, reading the other will have deeper meaning. When I finished, I went back and read it again immediately as I could understand the bond better now, each time approaching it with the same level of interest as the first.

Truly, this story is an eye-opener to readers of the main arc and would make an amazing prologue to those who read it first before going to see the main story!

[clockworkkwritesstuff]