fionir

[fionir]

Artfight is done for the year!

But I wanted to share the piece I'm most proud of this year. After my friend suggested some group isometric art, I wanted to do the same, and combined all the Legend of the 5 rings characters listed together - inviting them over to my Scorpion's home base on Teardrop Island.

I did this really early on, and I'm super happy with how many new friends I've made over there! Thank you all for your kind words and revenge portraits of my character Reiji.

This was my first time drawing people in an isometric piece, and I'm super happy with how it turned out!

All the characters are listed on the right. See the source link of this post for the artfight, which should take you to all the owners of all the characters.

[fionir]

I feel like adding... A lot of Urban fantasy I read made the city its own character in a way that it is more than just the place stuff happens... Like no it's integral in some way that it's happening there it wouldn't happen like this anywhere else...

There is an aspect of the community that lives in this place that's more central to the story than some other fantasy genre...

(but then again I have not read a lot of Urban Fantasy, so I might just be off.)

i want to hear the pedantic lecture on urban fantasy pls

Okay. So.

As I learned it, and the way I basically always saw it used until probably the emergence of romantasy as a major genre/subgenre, urban fantasy meant basically the following:

Low fantasy (generally primary world/set on Earth, though that's not a requirement)

Focused in one city/urban area, which the MC generally has some sort of connection to, either magical or otherwise (the character can go to other areas particularly in later books, but the city is essentially home base, and that doesn't change)

Usually contemporary or contemporary-esque (if not set on Earth), so these are generally more modern cities than medieval-y villages like we see in a lot more high fantasy (though I've seen urban fantasy in steampunk settings, for example)

Generally one main character rather than an ensemble cast, though the MC may have major side characters and/or a love interest with them (but we're generally not getting 3+ POVs)

Often investigative or about helping people, though the MC doesn't need to have an investigative job

Often involves supernatural/paranormal creatures and/or elements of folklore or mythology, though that's not a strict requirement

Often (though not required to be) a series, which may have an overarching plot but is more in the monster/mystery-of-the-week style, where each book focuses on a new threat even if they are still dealing with consequences from previous books

In some ways, urban fantasy has a lot in common with both mystery and romantic suspense series, which are much more episodic and investigative than genres like romantasy or high fantasy and much more focused on a single character than long romance series.

Over the last five or so years, though, I've seen urban fantasy used much more for "anything fantasy set in an urban setting" or "romantasy set in something that may resemble a city" which makes it way harder to find actual urban fantasy.

The current top listed book for Urban Fantasy on Amazon is The Book of Azrael by Amber V. Nicole. From what I can tell from reading the summaries of the books on the series and clicking around on Goodreads, this is a secondary world romantasy with one single arc across the four books in the series and no major investigative elements. The only reason I can imagine it is listed there is that it is, presumably, set in a city? I assume?

The current second listed book is Fated to the Wolf Prince by April L. Moon, which is a paranormal romance novel that is not actually set in a city.

The current third listed book is City of Gods and Monsters by Kayla Edwards, which seems like the closest to what I would consider an urban fantasy, in that it is actually set in a city, and there is an investigative element. It looks like it's secondary world, and the books may have more of an overarching arc that's more romantasy than the general episodic nature of urban fantasy, but it could fit the definition.

And sure, by some definition, could you call those first two urban fantasy? I guess. But we use subgenre distinctions for a reason.

It would be like calling most romantic suspense "contemporary romance" because it happens to be set in the modern era, or calling a romance between someone from Tennessee and someone from Boston "multicultural romance" because they have different cultures.

[fionir]

@friar-s-lantern you know who.

Writing characters who don’t know they’re in love

(PS: but literally everyone else does and is so tired)

These characters aren’t clueless, no, they’re not walking around like, “love? never heard of her.” They know something’s going on, they just won’t admit it (not to themselves, not to anyone.) Maybe they’re scared of messing it up, or maybe they think the other person doesn’t feel the same. Maybe they’ve stuffed the feeling so deep even a NASA rover couldn’t dig it out.

Whatever the reason, they’re not avoiding the truth as much as they’re…rebranding it. Calling it “friendship” while giving each other their only jacket and dreaming about each other’s voices like it’s totally normal behavior.

ꕤ They don’t realize it’s love, but they notice everything else. They clock every mood shift, every absence, every little thing. They definitely  know when something’s off.

⇢ “You changed your hair.” ⇢ “You looked upset earlier.” ⇢ “You didn’t text me back and I panicked.” ⇢ “You weren’t at lunch and it felt weird.” ⇢ “Are you cold?” hands over jacket without a second thought

They don’t say “I love you,” but their actions scream it constantly.

ꕤ they get weird when someone else gets close They’re not jealous. No, how dare you think something like that… they’re just keeping an eye out. For safety... Or whatever."

⇢ “Who was that?” ⇢ “Oh, you’re hanging out with them again?” ⇢ “I just think it’s interesting how you never cancel on them.”

They don’t say it, but they hate the idea of being replaced. It stings more than they’re ready to admit.

ꕤ they make excuses to be around each other.

Literally inventing reasons to be in the same space.

⇢ “Wanna study together? I’m struggling with this topic.” (They’re not.) ⇢ “Oh, I was just in the area.” (They weren’t.) ⇢ “You forgot this.” (It’s a single pen.)

They’d rather lie badly than admit, “I just wanted to see you.”

ꕤ  Their friends are so over it Everyone around them is either rooting for them or trying not to scream.

⇢ “You’re in love with them.” ⇢ “That’s not friendship, and you know it.” ⇢ “You made them soup. FUCKING SOUP. Just say you’re married already.” ⇢ “If I have to hear you talk about them one more time, I’m charging rent.”

Friends are the Greek chorus of this situation, like, brutally honest and endlessly tired.

ꕤ  There’s always a moment they almost figure it out That one soft, unspoken beat where the truth almost breaks through.

⇢ Watching them laugh like it’s the first time. ⇢ Seeing them cry and wanting to fix it more than anything. ⇢ Realizing no one else makes them feel like this. ⇢ Thinking, God, they’re beautiful.

Then they blink, panic a little, and go, “Huh. Weird.” And move on. Like absolute fools.

ꕤ  When it finally hits, it’s not cute, it’s catastrophic. Suddenly everything makes sense and feels like too much.

⇢ Flashbacks. ⇢ Internal screaming. ⇢ “Oh no.” ⇢ “OH MY GOD.” ⇢ “Has it always been this obvious??” ⇢ “Wait. Everyone knew?!”

Yes. Everyone. The friends, the neighbor’s cat. You were the only two who didn’t get the memo...

[fionir]

@friar-s-lantern look! It's our man!

Day 3243 ArtFight 31 Kullervo, for @fionir

[fionir]

I am so tempted to turn this into a bingo card for the next reread XD

You have no idea.

On writing sexual tension

⊹ standing too close. like just barely not touching. why are their shoulders breathing on each other??

⊹ conversations that sound normal but feel like foreplay. “pass the salt” has never been so loaded.

⊹ one of them says something flirty and the other freezes for 0.2 seconds like “oh.”

⊹ eyes dropping to lips and then—back up. with effort.

⊹ holding eye contact just a little too long. like... are they gonna kiss or duel??

⊹ unintentional physical contact that lasts one second too long and now they’re both broken

⊹ a hand on the small of the back. that’s it. that’s the tweet.

⊹ tension so thick that other characters start noticing like “hey are you two okay?” (they are not)

⊹ “accidental” sleepovers. “oh no there’s only one bed.” yeah. suuuure.

⊹ biting back a smile. biting back a moan. biting anything really.

⊹ one of them walks away and the other has to physically restrain themselves from watching the hips

⊹ lots of sighing. frustrated sighs. horny sighs. “i want to kiss you but I’m emotionally unavailable” sighs.

[fionir]

@friar-s-lantern what it feels like reading back Worship XD

rewriting my story for the 4th time and it’s crazy because every single time i rediscover the plot like it’s buried treasure. wow!! who put this here!!! oh right. me. three months ago. insane

[fionir]

LE THANH HOA Pre Fall 2024 if you want to support this blog consider donating to: ko-fi.com/fashionrunways

[fionir]

LE THANH HOA Pre Fall 2024 if you want to support this blog consider donating to: ko-fi.com/fashionrunways

[fionir]

IRIS VAN HERPEN Couture Fall/Winter 2026 if you want to support this blog consider donating to: ko-fi.com/fashionrunways

[fionir]

the human mind is prone to catastrophizing when left unoccupied. And that’s why it’s important to always have a little Blorbo to rotate in your head. It acts as a protective charm of sorts to redirect your imagination away from harmful spirals

thoughts without Blorbo: oh my god I was so cringe in seventh grade why did I do that

thoughts with Blorbo: I haven’t considered the interactions with bleebus; I must rectify this immediately

[fionir]

Osprey familiar! For @fionir

[fionir]

Congratulations to all AO3 users! Important Milestone reached!

Bookmark database overran!

[fionir]

The other night husband and I were watching a documentary about the yeti where they were doing DNA analysis of samples of supposed yeti fur, and every one of them came back as bears.

Anyway, the next night we watched a thing about some pig man who is supposed to live in Vermont. People said it had claws and a pig nose but walked upright like a man. Now, I happen to know that sideshows used to shave bears and present them as pig men. So every piece of evidence they gave of this monster sounds to me like a bear with mange.

So now the running joke in our house is that everything is bears. Aliens? Bears. Loch Ness monster? Bear. Every cryptozoological mystery is just a very crafty bear.

Bears. They’re everywhere. Be wary. Anyone or anything could be a bear.

[fionir]

@friar-s-lantern this felt like a callout, so you get to suffer with me.

the story arc is a mess. the pacing is tragic. but somehow the vibes are immaculate. explain that. explain how i’ve done that.

[fionir]

i go to the shop and I ask if they have any raspberries. they say no, they used to sell raspberries, but they haven't had any in stock in the last 15 years. I ask if there's somewhere else I can go to buy raspberries. They say no, with confidence and pride, they're the only shop around who has ever sold or will ever sell raspberries. Other shops might sell other fruit, sure, but they have a monopoly on all raspberries forever. I ask if they're possibly planning on them selling them again in future? they say they can't tell me that.

on the way home, I encounter someone eating raspberries. I ask and they tell me that they grow their own, they got some seeds from the shop back in The Raspberry Days and kept them. They take me to a field of many beautiful raspberry plants and invite me to pick my own, they're free for all the town to pick whenever they'd like.

someone comes up behind us. It's the shop manager, President of Nintendo Shuntaro Furukawa. he hatefully throws a bob-omb that blows up and kills both of us instantly for stealing 200 trillion dollars worth of potential Raspberry Shop That Doesn't Do Raspberries Anymore profits that they weren't making and then he turns around to the camera with a big thumbs up and says don't do piracy or something ok please

[fionir]

"You don't know me. I'm not the same person anymore."

"That's okay. I'll get to know you again."

[fionir]

Another one I'm super proud of:

(characters left to right:

Cyesimi's Mira and her son then mine: Vaya and her daughter Raven.)

https://artfight.net/~Fionir

So, I've been busy art fighting! ^^

And I got such amazing art basically day I 😍

So this was my first real revenge for the year!

(character belongs to Aumbriaa)