#Xiala

[aregebidan]

you are made of stars / ID in alt

anatomy study took a turn for the better

[alystar00]

Serapio: I feel like I can be myself around you.

Xiala: You're weird and quiet around me.

Serapio: Yes.

[berrymuttbb]

black sun by rebecca roanhorse moodboard

[halcyondaaze]

between earth and sky

[mermaidbracket]

[casthecryptid]

Xiala a sea captain by Renato Prezioso (art station)

"this painting is inspired by one of the characters of Rebecca Roanhorse's novels Black Sun, I really liked her character and look forward to see how her story will end in the final book!"

[datastate]

i should make another fav character bingo where i have to choose a Singular character from everything i'm into, but unfortunately every character i love is within the context of the Dynamics ...

[beauzos]

Y’all gotta stop writing romance till you can write characters that actually have chemistry. Or even characters that have chemistry as FRIENDS let alone partners. Why do we insist on smushing two characters who don’t click at all together. I’m tired

[alienatiic]

finally trying to promote my webcomic this is my petition for you to read :3

[villainanders]

rereading black sun so I can remember what happened before I read uh. the second one. which is sitting on my nightstand but I forget what it’s called. anyway serapio my poor little meow meow ❤️

[nellasbookplanet]

Book recs: merpeople

Everything from pretty, magical sirens and selkies to eldritch monstrosities and murderous, scientifically plausible fish-people, merpeople as a whole have a special allure and surprising versatility to them. Allow me to share with you some books!

(Also, did you know that a lot of mermaid books are very queer? If not, you're about to find out!)

Continue under the readmore for details and my thoughts on the books!

Other book rec posts:

Really cool fantasy worldbuilding

Really cool sci-fi worldbuilding

Dark sapphic romances

Vampire books

The Shape of Water by Guillermo del Toro & Daniel Krauss

Surely this one needs no introduction on tumblr dot com, the monsterfucker site? In 1960s America, Elisa works as a cleaner in a government laboratory when a strange fish creature is brought in to be studied, and an immediate connection sparks between the two.

Black Sun (Between Earth and Sky trilogy) by Rebecca Roanhorse

This isn't so much a mermaid book as a fantasy book in which one of the main characters is of merpeople heritage. In a pre-columbian inspired world, sea captain Xiala travels with a mysterious scarred passenger toward a dangerous goal. Also features bisexual and nonbinary leads!

Ice Massacre (Mermaids of Eriana Kwai trilogy) by Tiana Warner

Young Adult. A small island is forced to defend itself against intruding forces of vicious mermaids. As all men trying to fight them get lured in by their siren song, a ship filled with warrior girls is sent instead. However one of them, Meela, had a complicated past with one of the mermaids, which is brought back to life when the two reunite on the battlefield. Sapphic romance. This one is also available as an ongoing webcomic.

Into the Drowning Deep by Mira Grant

A research vessel heads towards the Mariana Trench in search of answers of what happened to a ship which mysteriously lost all its crew some time earlier. In the deep dark, something intelligent and hungry awaits them. Very much mermaids of the horror variety. Sequel to a novella. Also contains a sapphic romance, however that is a pretty small part of the plot as a whole.

Our Bloody Pearl (These Treacherous Tides series) by D.N. Bryn

A siren who's been held captive by a pirate is freed, but too injured to survive on their own as their tail has become paralyzed. Another pirate captain decides to help them out and has to work to win their trust. Fairly fluffy and light on worldbuilding and plot (though there is a bit of a revenge story in there), with a focus on character and recovery. m/nb romance with an asexual love interest.

The Deep by Rivers Solomon

Novella. Yetu holds the memories of her people, descendants of pregnant African slave women who were thrown overboard, a past forgotten by everyone but her. But holding the memories alone is slowly destroying her, and she flees to the surface. A look at inter-generational trauma and the scars it leaves.

The Mermaid's Daughter by Ann Claycomb

A continuation on the classical fairy tale. Kathleen, up and coming opera singer, has suffered from a lifelong and unexplainable stabbing pain in her feet. As both her mother and grandmother died from suicide, possibly due to a similar condition, Kathleen's girlfriend convinces her to try and find out more of her family history. More of a magical realism than a full on fantasy (with a lot of focus on the intricacies of opera) but very beautiful.

Winter Tide by Ruthanna Emrys

Lovecraftian fishpeople! Aphra and her brother are the only survivors after the government raided their home, Innsmouth. Their only living family are the amphibian people of the deep, whom they will one day join, but until then they are bound to land where they struggle to build new lives for themselves after the great loss of their home and loved ones. Then rumors start to spread of a russian agent seeking dangerous and ancient magic, forcing Aphra to involve herself as they try to stop it. Does contain horror elements but is generally a much more optimistic look on cosmic horror than most lovecraftian stories, told from the perspective of one of his monsters. Lots of focus on found family and rebuilding of community. Asexual main character (however I don't think that becomes in-text confirmed until the sequel).

Eelgrass by Tori Curtis

When Bettan, a selkie, has her skin stolen by a man and gets forced into marriage, her best friend Efa is determined to save her. The other selkies however refuse to help, and so Efa seek out the help of dangerous mermaids in the hopes of rescuing her friend. Atmospheric and beautiful, with a very nice balance of platonic love between friends and a (sapphic) romance, both portrayed as equally important.

The Moon and the Sun by Vonda N. McIntyre

You can't go wrong with a Vonda McIntyre novel just, like, in general. This one is set in 17th century France, where a young woman and her brother travel to live at the royal court, where they are to care for and study a strange captured sea monster fabled to have the ability to grant eternal life. A lot of focus on court politics as well as the cultural and biological differences between the humans and the mermaid. Also available as a movie (but it's not very good, please just read the book).

Sommaren 1985 by John Ajvide Lindqvist

Including this on the list feels a little mean because it's not yet available in english, but all of the author's other works have been translated (fun fact, he's the writer of internationally acclaimed vampire novel Let the Right One In!) so odds are this one will be as well. It follows a group of young teens in 1985 finding a mermaid tied up on a beach and hiding her in a bathtub in a shed. While the mermaid is important, it's more of a coming-of-age story with few supernatural elements. The author generally writes horror, and while I wouldn't classify this as such it certainly has an ominous atmosphere throughout. Gay main character but no romance (other than sideplots involving other characters).

The Girl from the Sea by Molly Knox Ostertag

Young adult graphic novel. Morgan, a young girl living on an island, meets a selkie with whom she quickly sparks a connection. But Morgan has yet to tell anyone about her feelings about girls, and the selkie has secret motives of her own as to why she chose to come on land. Sapphic romance with enviromental themes. Very pretty art.

Bonus AKA I haven't read these yet but they seem really cool

The Mermaid the Witch and the Sea by Maggie Tokuda-Hall

Young adult sapphic fantasy featuring not only mermaids but also pirates!

Out of the Blue by Jason June

A young merperson must leave the sea to undergo a coming-of-age journey - and risk getting stuck on land forever.

Teeth by Hannah Moskowitz

A boy living on an isolated island befriends a merperson with dangerous secrets.

Honorary mentions AKA these didn't quite work for me but maybe you guys will like them:

The Seafarer's Kiss by Julia Ember (sapphic little mermaid retelling from Ursula's perspective), Weird Fishes by Rae Mariz (enviromental novella), The Fate of Stars by S.D. Simper (fantasy, sapphic enemies to lovers)

[aregebidan]

and not a day goes by when i don't think about them (ID in alt)

[kawaimoonshine]

🤗🐱A Lil Kitty Cat🐱🤗

This was supposed to have that watercolour feel or effect, idk which one, but well no can do

And I was a bit too stubborn to have them flipped so you can see Xiala's unburned side of the face but hey! At least you get to see what it looks like without it being partly hidden away by the 3/4 face angle or side profile

Xiala's armour is also a bit in a work in progress, at least her backside of the armour which is why it's in a simple formation atm *sigh* also that I can't draw this type of armour yet

The kitty technically doesn't have a name unless I do decide to go by my own cat's name

[mochidom]

FAIRIES HEIRS MASTERPOST

Meet the new gen!

The Cobra (Hayeis)

The Green-Strauss (Eldeweiss)

The Justice (Feirn)

The Redfox (Kiera and Kaen)

The Scarlet-Fernandes (Xavier and Xiala)

The Dreyar (Makiva)

The Orland-Chenney

The Dragneel

Headcannons

Stories

The Kinder poison: There was a cold virus going around targeting 10 years-old boys and Hayeis Cobra needed money, what's the connection here ?

Asuka Babysit Inc.: "This is the last ever I will babysit!" Asuka thought as she was dragged by force to her 20th babysit gig of the month.

Titania's Despair: One article, two Scarlet-Fernandes, three journalists, four threats and five thrown fists.

Thunder God Tribe? : Either they found a new team name or Eldeweiss Green-Strauss would have no choice but do the unthinkable.

The Honorary Mermaid Heel Member: Was there a way to get rid of Xavier Scarlet-Fernandes ?

[fiefgoldenlake]

Recs for Disability Pride month (and some bonus belated recs for Pride!)

All titles link to Storygraph, which can give you a further synopsis, as well as any warnings.

Godkiller (Godkiller #1) by Hannah Kaner

Meet Kissen - the eponymous godkiller. In a world which has forsaken gods, Kissen deals with those who still prey on the public. She finds herself drawn into a quest with a young girl who is bound to a god. Along the way, they start to uncover what truly happened in their country's war against the gods. Bisexual rep, queer-normal world, main character has a prosthesis.

Iron Widow (Iron Widow #1) by Xiran Jay Zhao

Zetian volunteers herself to be a concubine pilot, to avenge the death of her sister. Giant robots, known as Chrysalises, are piloted by men, with the assistance of a female (concubine) pilot. Zetian's actions lead her to be punished by a match-up with Li Shimin, who has killed every concubine pilot who has ever flown with him. But everyone has underestimated Zetian. Poly, bisexual rep, the correct resolution to a love triangle. The main character suffers from chronic pain, mobility issues, and uses a wheelchair on occasion. 

The Final Strife (The Ending Fire Trilogy #1) by Saara El-Arifi

This is a class-driven society, and clear-blooded Hassa belongs to the ghost class, who've had their tongues cut out and hands severed by the ruling Ember class. The book follows Sylah, one of the Stolen Ember children, forged into a weapon and using drugs to cope with her past, and the beautiful and privileged Anoor. In the background, there's Hassa, keeping an eye on everything. The Ghostings communicate through sign language, and although Sylah is as fluent as possible without being a native, she can't speak it - it is a language exclusive to them. Sylah also suffers from drug withdrawal symptoms in the first book. Trans rep, wlw, mutism. 

Black Sun (Between Earth and Sky #1) by Rebecca Roanhorse

Xiala is a disgraced Teek, charged with bringing a 'harmless' passenger to Tova. Serapio has a destiny, one which has caused him to be blinded, and he's determined to fulfill it. Blind main character (but has the capacity to be magically enhanced), queer-normal world. 

The Gentleman's Guide to Vice and Virtue (Montague Siblings #1) by Mackenzi Lee (YA)

Monty is already well-versed in vice before embarking on his Grand Tour with his best friend, Percy. It isn't a problem that he has a big crush on Percy - really. But it is Percy's last chance for freedom, since he suffers from epileptic seizures, and his uncle has judged it best that he be put in a sanitorium at the end of the trip. Bisexual rep, mlm, epilepsy, period-typical homophobia, period-typical discrimination. 

Six of Crows (Six of Crows #1) by Leigh Bardugo

If you haven't already read it and you want to know more about a world like the Court of the Rogue, definitely check this one out! The Crows are a fantastic group, and you can't help rooting for them. Leader Kaz uses a cane and suffers from PTSD - Bardugo says she was looking to create a character who was "disabled and ferocious". Queer found family, mlm amongst the main characters, limp/use of cane, PTSD. 

Bonus Belated Pride Recs The Jasmine Throne (The Burning Kingdoms #1) by Tasha Suri

There's a rot spreading through the nation, which sees dying plants sprout inside people’s bodies, killing them. The Emperor is seeking to crush a rebellion, and will not tolerate any dissent. Priya does what she can to help the poorest citizens, but it's not without a cost, and she needs to keep her head down. Malini, the vengeful princess imprisoned by her own brother, has other ideas, however. Wlw. 

The Priory of the Orange Tree (The Roots of Chaos #1) by Samantha Shannon

A quest fantasy with a queendom on one side, where magic is prohibited and the throne of Inys has passed, generation after generation, from mother to identical daughter. On the other side, there be dragons. Assassination attempts, a beautiful wlw romance, another main character who reads as ace, and a gripping plot, this book is worth every one of its (almost) 850 pages. Part of a series but each book stands alone.

Little Thieves (Little Thieves #1) by Margaret Owen (YA)

Vanja is one of my favourite characters that I've encountered in years (and as a bonus, the author is a confirmed TP fan!). This is an irreverent retelling of the Goose Girl from the maid's perspective, and the concept behind the title is, "The little thief steals gold, but the great one steals kingdoms; and only one goes to the gallows." Vanja is a little thief, accustomed to fending for herself, but she comes up against a curse, an impending marriage, and a personified pocket ledger. Demi rep, queer found family. 

Finally, I read Something Wild & Wonderful by Anita Kelly, which is a story about two guys who meet hiking the PCT. One of them brought his comfort read - Alanna: the First Adventure

[valyrra]

When Ominis finds out MC has been going into the undercroft footage leaked:

I was talking to @xiala-bexchan when I remembered this vid

It's like so accurate i cannot stop laughing. this is canon