#dead rebellion worldbuilding

[isabellebissonrouthier]

RED ASK GAME: WRITEBLR: WORLD-BUILDING

CRIMSON - What is the government?

SCARLET - Is there a rebellion?

RUBY - How rich is the population?

GARNET - Are there gods?

CARNELIAN - How do people dress?

POPPY - What historical event does every student learn about?

ROSE - What is the most known myth?

BLOOD - What do the people do with the dead? What are their funerals like?

GORE - What is the most common method of murder? Is it legal?

BLUSH - What are the views on sex before marriage? How strict is it?

LIPSTICK - What is the beauty standard, and how often is it met?

APPLE - What is the most eaten meal?

CHERRY - Describe a celebration!

STRAWBERRY - What was the first thing you created in this world?

RASPBERRY - How does the world support the story you're telling?

POMEGRANITE - Name a food!

JAM - Share your favourite piece of worldbuilding information!

TOMATO - What is the most common occupation? Do the workers enjoy it, or is a requirement?

PEPPER - What inspired this world?

WINE - What is the most broken law?

[nellasbookplanet]

Book recs: Queer fantasy, part 1

A note: queer here does not necessarily mean “guarantee of an f/f or m/m ship with a happy ending”, but rather simply a significant presence of queerness. Some of the books feature no romance but has a same gender attracted/trans/a-spectrum lead, or features an m/f relationship with bisexual, trans or aro/ace characters, or simply features a world-building which is heavily queer inclusive in ways that don’t always compare to our own ideas of sexuality and gender. I have however disqualified works where the only queer presence is along the lines of “gay best friend” or a blink and you’ll miss it confirmation that never comes up again.

For queer sci-fi recs, click here! For a masterpost of book rec lists, click here! For more details on the books recommended here, continue under the readmore. Titles marked with * are my personal favorites!

The Spear Cuts Through Water by Simon Jimenez*

AKA the book the killed me. Two boys travel throughout their land with the body of a god as her horrible, horrible children try to hunt them down. It’s hard to explain more than that, but trust me when I say the narrative voice and literary techniques are incredibly unique in how they blend past and present, reality and story, lead and bystander. Truly an experience. Features an m/m romance.

The Unbroken (Magic of the Lost series) by C.L. Clark*

Tourraine, who was stolen as a child and trained as a soldier for the empire that conquered her home, is recruited by Luka, the future leader of the conquering country, to root out a rebellion. A game of twisted loyalties and attraction is soon to develop as the two must decide where their priorities lie: with each other, or with their respective countries and people.

Sing the Four Quarters (Quarters series) by Tanya Huff*

Though a royal by birth, princess Annice renounced her throne to become a bard, a musician who through training can Sing elemental spirits to do their bidding. Ten years later, she goes on the run for two counts of treason, first by imperiling the succession order by becoming pregnant, second by helping her ex, and the father of her child, escape the palace dungeons and a death sentence. Bisexual lead in an f/f relationship. When I first read this book I described it as, and I quote, 'a fucking delight', and I stand by that.

The Unspoken Name (The Serpent Gates duology) by C.L. Clark*

The sort of portal fantasy you get when all the worlds connected by portals are fantasy worlds, and none of them are ours. The portals themselves become simply a part of the worldbuilding that the characters use to travel between fascinating places, and it’s all really cool. It follows Csorwe (lesbian orc assassin whom I love), who grew up in a cult, indoctrinated as a child sacrifice to a god. But on the day she was meant to die, she instead chose to follow a powerful wizard and train to become his loyal servant and sword. Aside from being an excellent fantasy, it’s also a close look at the hard path of unlearning indoctrination and the search for love and validation where you’ll never find it, and learning to live for yourself. Multiple queer leads.

The Jasmine Throne (The Burning Kingdoms series) by Tasha Suri

A princess held captive by her own brother, who wants to see her dead, tries to trick a servant into helping her escape, but with undeniable attraction growing between them and the servant having her own goals of liberation things quickly get complicated, both between them and in the country at large as rebellion and dangerous magic brews. Sapphic romance.

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

Queen Sabran's lineage has protected the country of Inys from dragons for a thousand years, but now the safety of their land is threatened as Sabran is yet to conceive and assassins are closing in. Lady-in-waiting Ead is secretly part of a society of hidden mages, and is using her position to protect her queen. Meanwhile, on the other side of the sea, dragonrider Tané is faced with an impossible choice. The fates of all three are intertwined as they attempt to stop the rise of a great dragon. 800+ page epic fantasy. Sapphic romance.

The Raven and the Reindeer by T. Kingfisher*

Young adult, fairy tale retelling of the Snow Queen. When Gerta's friend Kai is stolen away by the evil Snow Queen, Gerta must depart on a mission to save him. On the way, she encounters, among others, a talking raven and a pretty robber girl who become her allies. Sapphic romance.

The Rise of Kyoshi (Kyoshi duology) by F.C. Yee*

Young adult. Set in the Avatar universe, but aimed at an older audience than the animated series. Though she will one day be one of the most well-known avatars of the land, for now, young Kyoshi is but a humble girl who has yet to find out her true destiny as the bender of all four elements and keeper of balance of her world. When betrayal strikes and a dear friend is lost, Kyoshi goes on the run alongside fiesty firebender Rangi to find out the truth of her destiny and power. Sapphic romance.

Legends & Lattes (Legends & Lattes series) by Travis Baldree

Viv is tired of adventures and bloodshed - now she wants a peaceful life, and decides to go after it by opening a café. But going from warrior to small business owner is easier said than done, especially when Viv's old life comes knocking. Best described as a cozy fantasy, with a largely low-stakes but heartwarming plot and a sapphic romance.

Phoenix Extravagant by Yoon Ha Lee

Gyen Jebi is an artist, but making a living is difficult. When offered a job by the Ministry of Armor to paint the magical sigils that animate their automaton soldiers, they have little choice but to accept. But as Jebi sees the dark depths of the government, especially the shocking source of their magical paint, they must find a way to resist. Perhaps by freeing the Ministry's mighty automaton dragon... Nonbinary main character.

Crier's War by Nina Varela

Young adult. Who says sci-fi has monopoly on robots? In Crier’s War, artificially created automae have defeated and subjugated humans, who live as second class citizens. Young Ayla goes undercover as a servant, meaning to assassinate automae girl and Sovereign’s daughter Crier. This would be easier if the two weren’t quick to develop feelings for each other.

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

In a pre-columbian inspired world, sea captain Xiala, gifted with an unusual connection to the sea, travels with a mysterious scarred and blind passenger toward a dangerous goal as prophecy heralds the return of a god. Features among others bisexual and nonbinary leads.

The Fifth Season by N.K. Jemisin*

In a world regularly torn apart by natural disasters, a big one finally strikes and society as we know it falls, leaving people floundering to survive in a post apocalyptic world, its secrets and past to be slowly revealed. We follow a mother as she races through this world to find and save her daughter, stolen away by a father who just murdered their son after having discovered a terrible secret of their family. Does feature multiple queer characters and a main polyam relationship, but DO NOT read this expecting happy queer relationships as this series handles many dark subjects (you should still read it though, it's incredibly good).

In Other Lands by Sarah Rees Brennan*

Young adult. Kids who can walk between our world and a magical one get recruited into a magical school that trains them to be either fighters or diplomats. Our lead decides that fighting is stupid and that he’s going to peacefully solve every conflict ever, all while being the most delightfully obnoxious little brat possible and getting involved in the most bisexual love triangle imaginable. Very good, funny, and heart-felt coming of age story.

Our Bloody Pearl 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 world-building 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.

A Master of Djinn by P. Djélí Clark

Set in an alternate 1910’s steampunk Cairo, where djinn and other creatures live alongside humans. We get to follow an investigator as she races to catch a criminal using a powerful object to control djinn and stir unrest. Fantastically creative and fresh, and also features a buddy cop dynamic between two female leads as well as a sapphic romance.

Black Water Sister by Zen Cho*

As a toddler, Jessamyn Teoh left Malaysia. Now a young adult, she’s broke, closeted, and moving back. There she’s faced with the ghost of her estranged grandmother, Ah Ma, who was a medium and avatar of the deity the Black Water Sister in life. Now she demands Jess' help in exacting revenge against a gang boss that offended her god. Meanwhile, all Jess wants is to get her life back on track.

Heaven Official's Blessing (Heaven Official's Blessing series) by Mo Xiang Tong Xiu

Once, Xie Lian was the beloved crown prince of a kingdom. Then he rose to godhood at a young age, and was expected to take a step back from his land and his people, but in his inability to do so ended up losing everything. Now, eight hundred years later, Xie Lian has ascended to godhood for a third time, forgotten by mortals and the laughing stock of Heaven. Trying to rebuild his reputation, Xie Lian sets off on a mission, and on it encounters an infamous demon king who inspires fear in all of heaven. M/M romance.

Jane, Unlimited by Kristin Cashore*

Young Adult. Jane is invited by an old acquaintance to an extravagant gala in an island mansion, stranding her among the rich and glamorous. But being surrounded by rich people is the least of Jane’s problems: the mansion is housing secrets, some of them tied to Jane’s own family. The mansion offers her five choices, all of them leading her down different paths and different answers. Jane, Unlimited is a choose-your-own adventure story of sorts, featuring five different endings in five different genres, each more off the wall bonkers than the next. It also features a bisexual main character!

Every Heart a Doorway (Wayward Children series) by Seanan McGuire*

A tumblr favorite, the Wayward Children novellas feature a school open to children who have returned from adventures in other realms and now have trouble adapting back to regular life. Some installments are set in our world, others follow children as they have their otherworldly adventures. The main characters vary between books, but are generally pretty diverse with among others asexual, trans, intersexual and sapphic leads. Both funny and dark, it takes a closer look at the trauma many endure growing up different.

The Starless Sea by Erin Morgenstern*

Surreal and fairy tale-esque, The Starless Sea is stories within a story, following graduate student Zachary as he finds a strange book which, in-between other tales, tells a story from his own childhood. Trying to find out how this came to be, Zachary gets involved with a pink-haired woman and a handsome man who are doing their utmost to protect a strange, otherworldly library available only through magical doors. It’s a book hard to put in words, but which I once described as “romantic without being a romance while stile having a love story at it’s core”, and which can be summed up only as “an Experience”. It’s also quite gay!

Not Even Bones by Rebecca Schaeffer*

Young adult. Nita isn’t a murderer - technically. She just dissects the bodies of supernatural beings her mother brings home and sells for parts on the black market. But when her mother brings home a still living victim, Nita has had enough and frees him. As it turns out, no good deed goes unpunished as Nita is betrayed, her own nature as a supernatural entity outed as she’s kidnapped and placed behind bars. Now she must find a way to escape before she's sold for parts. Features two aroace leads and a queerplatonic relationship, though it isn’t made textual until book 3 and briefly masquerades as a romance, which is pretty hilarious.

The Last Sun (The Tarot Sequence) by K.D. Edwards

Urban fantasy. Rune Saint John is the only survivor of the massacre against the Sun Court years prior. Now he’s been hired by Lady Judgement to find her missing son, Addam. Alongside his companion and bodyguard Brand, Rune goes on to question Addam's family and business contacts all over New Atlantis, island city and home of the Atlanteans after their original home was destroyed by ordinary humans. But the more he digs, the more Rune finds clues that Addam's absence is connected to Rune's own tragic past. M/M romance.

Gossamer Axe by Gael Baudino

Centuries ago in Ireland, Chairiste Ní Cummen was trained in the secrets of music and magic. But her pride was her downfall, trapping her and her lover in the land of the Sidh. Only Chairiste escaped, hoping to one day win her lover's freedom in musical battle with the fairy that holds her captive. Now she is Christa Cruitare, harp teacher in the modern world and all but resigned to her loss. Until she comes across a great new music: heavy metal. Taking one last chance to win her lover's freedom, Christa sets out to gather other skilled musicians and bring them with her in her final battle. Sapphic romance.

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

Pantomime (Micah Grey trilogy) by Laura Lam

Young adult. On the surface, Gene's life is that of a noble debutante. In reality, she has secrets: she's both male and female, and has magical abilities that hasn’t been seen in an age. In the face of a betrayal from her parents, Gene runs away from home, dresses up as a boy, and joins a circus. Intersex main character.

Ghost Walk by Kay Solo

Maaya Sahni can see ghosts, and does her best to survive in her small isolated town by keeping her head down. But when an entire street full of people is spirited away by faceless specters that scares even ghosts, Maaya must find a way to stop the specters. Lesbian main character.

Swordspoint (Riverside series) by Ellen Kushner

In Riverside, duels are the way to settle disputes, and Richard St. Vier is the undisputed master of the sword - at least until a death is met not with awe but with outrage. M/M romance.

[soulfulazrael]

My Hellaverse Religions and Marriages. Or how my Asperger made up some odd worldbuilding over the dumbest reason imaginable.

We all know this shot. We all hate this shot (well... I do)

And it's for one, big reason... what the hell are marriages in Hell? Well. I was wondering that too and honestly the answer is very simple... Who gives a shit? Viv wanted a contrived story with forced marriage where Moxxie looks like a total bitch so she did it as well as she could and since she could not do it well it came out how it did.

But it did made me think at least. What would marriages in Hell look like? And that lead me to a downward spiral of thinking up in a few hours how it works and why it works. And here is the result. Ladies and gentleman and all the inbetweens (I don't judge) I present my first rewrite post which I mostly do for myself as a note for future in case dementia catches me like it did with my grandparents. One is dead, the other is dying, but enough about my happy life. Let's get into autistic rambling.

So, before we get to the marriage system I have in mind, first let's delve into another thing. God. Or in this case. Deities. As in my version of HB/HH I write about in my AU there are several of them. All of which are different High authority figures of which the main ones are five and I will name all of them: First one is Lucifer

Who in this version is... not as nice. In fact he is very, VERY cruel being. One that has little qualms about lives of anyone else. A being of Chaos from the times of the Rebellion in Heaven which he lead against God after he corrupted humanity to prove to The Almighty of his superiority, of that he is deserving of love much greater than mortals. Cast out from Heaven alongside all those that took side with him.

Now in Hell he embodies Pride that shaped the top layer of Hell. He is a Deity that preaches ultimate freedom. He preaches the idea of that you deserve all that you want. That every feeling, every desire you feel is correct and that you alone are deserving of those no matter what anyone says, no matter who it hurts. All that is important is you. That is the crux of those who follow him. Hedonists, narcissists, cruel, chaotic beings of pure selfishness who believe in righteousness of their desires and standing up against any authority that wants to keep them away from fulfilling their dreams and when all dreams become reality, there is no other outcome than Chaos which Lucifer adores.

They are called Light Takers. For Lucifer is one who brings light and those who follow him, take said light and all that they want.

That is Lucifer and now let's get to the Deity right under him that sides with him more so than the other one, another creature of Chaos (also be mindful that this is just short summary of those things, I can go more in depth about each one in other posts). Satan:

I don't have a better image as my idea of how he looks is pretty different. I imagine him as a centaur like being with a lower body similar to a bull, more human like torso, a head similar to one on this app with mighty wings and 4 arms. A brutal, relentless deity, one who's philosophy is to spread death and prepare for fight against the Heaven. To drown the world in the blood of his enemies and for the bodies and blood to rise so high so that he can approach the Heaven's gates.

His followers are mostly Imps. Many of them sharing to lesser or greater extent this philosophy of slaughter. It gives them meaning to kill and make their own trail of Blood as they follow in the hoove steps of the Lord of Slaughter. Followers of Blood they are called. A numerous force of berserkers devoted to mindless murder and Chaos.

With all this Chaos there has to be a balance point though right? You'd be correct. As on the opposite end of the Chaos spread by Lucifer and Satan is The Lord Governor:

Lucifuge Rofocale. He is in my version very similar to this depiction, although he very rarely smiles. He is known also as Bitter Governor for his rivalry with Lucifer in which he is mostly ignored by the latter as he tries to gain control over the Chaos of Hell.

He is the creature who values Order more so than anything. He is the Lawmaker. He is the lord of Laws that he writes into his Great Book, many laws there are, some of which contradict each other, some forgotten, other irrelevant. All his. He is the cruelty of order and subjugation incarnate. His name itself Lucifuge is one that was given to him after rebellion in which he took side of Lucifer in order to create a perfect society of his own. A society that was never to be. He who runs from Light for he was a Throne Angel of greater light than any other, a Light so strong he could never know even a smallest shadow. Light that he hated above all and could never fully rid himself off of it's taint.

When he came to Hell his Pride alongside Lucifer's shaped the Entire Ring. Lucifer controls the Central parts where Pentagram City is located and Lucifuge controls outer rings of Pride where his 5 towers on borders of Pride spreading to the blood sky surround the Chaos of Lucifer. His desire of control made manifest. A control he spreads with his Emissaries. Those who follow him and his laws faithfully and spread them with unmatched zeal. And his most faithful and powerful servant is the 4th of the Main Deities. The Silent King of all Ars Goetia.

King Baal. His version in my AU is based on this picture. A creature with lower body of a Spider and torso of a man with head of a King with long hair at the top. Which ever direction he looks, his face changes shape, if to his right it takes form of a cat and left is the frog. Among the deities he alongside Satan were born in Hell and were since time of their Hell's manifestation bitter rivals and his beloved is Queen of Gluttony Beelzebub which is often a target of mockery. A spider who beds a bug instead of eating it, but no care to those words are given, no words... Only silence. Pride was originally meant to be his as it would embody his silence, but it was not to be as the Fall happened and Pride was born from the quiet grounds.

He was named an Ars Goetia by Lucifuge to whom he pledged allegiance to in Silent Promise and ever since his invisible web spread across skies of Pride, woven from threads attached to every life among Ars Goetia and to cut it is to be a Heretic condemned to suffering at the hand of Silent King. Baal's Faithful who are his followers are mostly Ars Goetia. All believing in Hell's security to be utmost priority. To make it safe at any means necessary. To make sure that Hell will be eternal and all who fall into it's flames will never escape it's torment. He is the one who keeps the Ars Goetia in check to follow the laws Lord Lucifuge laid out. For maybe side of Chaos has numbers and ferocity, but Order has power and stability.

A balance that is most crucial to never ending conflict festered by the most enigmatic and possibly most terrible of the Five. Mephistopheles.

Who's looks are as everchanging as interpretations of how he looks. A Demon who fooled the world into believing he was, but a made up Demon in a story about Faust. Always cloaked in shadows creature, that despite looking a lot of times like the most basic denizen of Hell, is anything, but. As his nature is a mystery to all who inhabit it. A creature of Darkness that remembers the time of the first words that is alien to both Heaven and Hell. One that gave Hell it's currency made of Souls it caught with contracts they make on earth. A Creature that always maintains the balance of both sides. Making sure there is never a conclusion to this bitter conflict and flames of Discord never fade. Something that is cherished by his Brethren in Dark.

To be Mephisto's Brethren in Dark is to commune and listen to Mephisto's words. You are what you are. There is no change to that. So live your life as you see fit. Make of your life anything you want. Be it for order or chaos. Be it for your desire or duty. What is important is to know who you are and to believe in his words. It is to be on the side of yours and his and all that you must have will come to you, but the price will have to be paid, but it does not have to come from you now has it? No... You use others as much as you are used. You know that very well. You always will. For you are rotten, but so is everything else. So is that so bad?

There are many other deities. Such as King Paimon, by many considered as one of the if not the mightiest among Kings. A being who's promise of seeing his Labyrinth makes many shudder at the mere thought. Or the Sins who's patronage seek those who live on their rings. But the choice is up to the Hellborn... aside from mostly Hellhounds, who mostly only reside and do labor for the Beelzebub. A Cerberus insect of endless hunger.

But there is one more path. On the side of neutrality is also another side. Hell. To listen to the will of Hell.

Listeners of Hell are those who feel the very wind among the bloody streets. To know intimately the desires of the ground you walk on. To serve Hell as it's listener and to reinforce it's will. This is path for those who seek a different path from all other deities. But to do so is to give all that you are to the home you have. Not to protect, but understand it. Breathe with it and to be a true part of it. Closer than many others.

These are all the paths Hellborn can... or rather have to choose. Because atheism is not possible in this realm. Hellborn have to believe in something otherwise it means they are a traitor to the Hell itself. Whatever one believes in it is up to the Hellborn in question. But the choice it is one Hellborn MUST make.

Now... after this little mythology lesson where does this lead in terms of marriages? Well. The marriage in itself is also a deal between deities. Each side has their own contract that has to be signed by the priest of their respective deity. And each priest is of different kind. Emissary is a political for the most part. Mephisto's Brethren could be of any kind. A soldier of Baal. Hedonistic royal of Lucifer. Berserker of Satan. If both sides worship same deity it means less issues, but both contracts are still required.

Both sides need to sign their respective contract and then place their cut hands on those contracts as they are connected by their blank sides. Letting their blood seep into them as both of them touch them. Letting their blood, believes and word to connect them forevermore, for them both to be servants together. That is unless one has a change of faith which may require redoing of the process at the chance of being shunned by everyone around. For it is a shame to be someone to turns away from their God.

So yeah... This is how I would personally write certain part of Mythology of Hell. I know I did not elaborate on certain other things like Paimon or Sins, but I think this is a good enough of a starting point to the mythology I want to make with 3 sides here. Chaos, Order and Neutrality. All with their own strengths and weaknesses. All with their own stories and people who worship them. All with their own traditions, beliefs and personalities... All of it... because I was iffy by the fucking Exs and Ohs priest. I need serious mental help. This is just sad to look at. Then again if you read this far, I guess we all lost here. Or maybe you liked it. If so then please leave a comment or something. I cherish those. And maybe think of who you would choose to follow.

[bored-trans-orchidsexual]

A Starstruck Odyssey, and Masculinity

I have thoughts and am just gonna unload them on Tumblr. That's what we do here, right? I recently have been re-listening to Starstruck and have had some thoughts on it's depictions of masculinity. This isn't a serious post per se, just some thoughts and observations. Starstruck has a wide spectrum of masculine characters on display, though a lot of it is hostile/toxic. Most men or male-coded characters are either outright villains, or more neutral parties with some toxic and selfish tendencies. Don't get me wrong it's a wild violent galaxy and that's the point, the entire party participates in scamming, kidnapping, exploitations, and unnecessary murder and we love to see it, it's not like it explicitly makes all men out to be inherently more monstrous and evil than others. But I do think the depictions of masculinity can be interesting to observe. Amercadia is a pretty cut and dry critism of the patriarchy and American nationalist culture, which is fantastic worldbuilding to include. Many of the masculine-coded androids are actually pretty nice, friendly and helpful or serious about their jobs, aside from a bitchy one in the beginning who injects our main 'droid with an anxiety spike about being one of a kind. Pretty much all of the Slugs we meet occupy masculine bodies, and they seem to have an abstract gender that picks up pronouns from the body they occupy, though the monarch is objectively a king and uses masculine pronouns even before getting a body, and he's pretty selfish and stupid.

But the main pair I'm thinking of, is Barry and Gunnie. Looking at the two of them, there's a lot you can assume. Big Barry Syx is this massive, bulky dude in power armor and shades with a mullet, while Gunnie is a 4' 11" techie cyborg with a big ol' smile. Listen to them in action and many of your assumptions are reinforced; Barry is a total dude-bro associated with nuts, steroids, working out, and acting much like gym bros in our modern life, while Gunnie is a hyperactive technician just doing his best, despite being mired in sympathetic tragedy. Barry's trauma is fairly fantastical or common to stories, having his family gunned down by one of his own, while Gunnie is mostly weighted down by medical debt after he got in an accident after trusting the wrong person. Based on these apperent details one would assume Barry is this toxicly masculine jackass who's insecure about his flaws, while Gunnie is the smartest man on board and is trying to keep everyone in line, doing the right thing, ect. And of course, you'd be dead wrong. Gunnie, while a sympathetic and likable character, is *mired* in toxic masculine traits. While it was an accident that put him in his situation, it was brash foolishness and ignoring obvious red flags that got him in that position in the first place, not to mention a rebellion against his family driving him to it. Furthermore, as Lou himself admits in Adventuring party, Gunnie's *pride* is the reason his problems are so vast; He comes from a lot of money, his initial debt might have never happened or mostly gone away to begin with if he went back to his dads for help. His toxicity doesn't make him an unlikable character but he does have these traits. He's brash, prideful, and ignores common sense a lot. He is also very nice and friendly with others, listens to people, ect. He doesn't have *every* toxic trait in the book, but has them which I tend to not even notice because he's just a funny little guy. Barry, meanwhile, is just about the most wholesome and giving person in the entire 'verse. Syx *And* Nyne, when not under a slug's control, are these total sweetheart bros. Sure, they shit talk each other with friendly ribbing, and yes they are very good at violence, but this violence is always motivated by helping those in need or fighting for those who can't fight for themselves, the Barry Battalion way. Barrys hate it when people are rude, or hurt the innocent. Barrys fight for their friends, provide endless support and praise, and will throw their very bodies into danger to protect or help, as seen on Rec 97 and in the big finale of the battle of the brands. And while the thing the love most is other Barrys, that does not mean that what they respect is also being heavily macho dudes. Barry one (or was is spelled differently? Barry Won? who knows) was the professor who created the other Barrys, a nerdy and fragile professor type, that the Barrys loved and treated as a fellow Barry *literally* the moment they were created. Even Syd is a Barry now, and that's accepted both by Barry Syx who's known her a long time and bonded with her, as well as Barry Nyne who literally, to his perception, *Just* met her, despite her appearance as like a waitress with an arm canon. Being a Barry, in other words, isn't about being just like them, having the name Barry, or anything like that. It's a vibe, it's a way to be, and the 'verse is better off with these super wholesome boys who, despite embodying many stereotypes of the gym bro, posses *none* of the commonly toxic traits also associated with that. They aren't insecure around smarter people or those with different skillsets, they hold no gendered assumptions, and they never wanna use their might to opress others for their own satisfaction.

Just, some thoughts.

[lilaccatholic]

Things I'm hoping for in Sunrise on the Reaping:

More character names in general!! Not just because SC infuses so much character into the names she chooses but also it would make fic writing so much easier if I just had the names of Katniss's parents for the love of goodness

I want my heart BROKEN. We know that Snow kills basically everyone Haymitch loves as punishment for what he did with the forcefield, but I legitimately want to feel as much of the tragedy as possible so it doesn't become mindless bloodsport.

As always, worldbuilding!!! Panem is such an endlessly fascinating world, and what we got in TBoSaS was so good, but I crave so much MORE about how this system works. Remember, the second Quarter Quell is basically Snow at the height of his power. We've seen the first days of Panem as the Games are first becoming a thing, and we've seen the end of the Capitol's reign of terror when things were more relaxed right before amping up in an effort to prevent war. There's no other way Katniss could have been out there hunting, that there could have been a tolerated (and thriving!!!) black market in 12, that so many people could have been collaborating to organize a rebellion. What must Panem have looked like at the height of Snow's might? What might we learn of the harsh realities of the Seam that Katniss, jaded though she was, missed in her innocence?

Tie-ins with the other books! I'd love to see more about characters like Greasy Sae, Ripper, even the Mellarks, and other merchants, and see what they were like before Katniss knew them. If anything, I feel like that above all would show how devastating the firebomb attack on 12 at the end of Catching Fire was. Look what's been destroyed. Look *who* has been destroyed. See these characters you've grown to love? In 25 years, all of them, even the children, save who Gale could usher into the forest, they're all dead.

In that vein, I'd love more info on the culture of 12. I feel like that goes along with worldbuilding, but this is so important to me that it bears repeating in a slightly different font, lol.

I have soooo many thoughts on this, but this is what I've come up with so far. I'm so excited to see what comes when the book is released in March. Let me know what you guys are looking forward to!!!

[whump-in-the-closet]

Recommended Stories

Just a compilation of whump stories by other writers that I’ve enjoyed. No, no one asked for this, but here it is anyway. Since I’m always looking for new stuff to read, I imagine that this list is going to grow. But for now…

(this isn’t in any particular order and they’re all SFW as far as I’m aware)

Our Man Flint by @dismemberment-on-a-tuesday-night

Poetic prose that lures you into the story. A vampire hunter is forced to face (quite literally) his worst nightmare.

Erebus & Terror by @brutal-nemesis

There’s a gradual loss of humanity as the prince of a fallen kingdom is turned into a science experiment. Gore, suffering, and a protagonist you love to hurt.

Diamonds to Dust by @kira-the-whump-enthusiast

Some fantastic villain whump, with a sprinkling of angst. Family dynamics involve a distraught brother as a caretaker.

Jane’s Pets by @another-whump-sideblog

Nasty captivity and heavy torture featuring an immortal twelve year old whumper and her human pets. A very relatable protagonist and cast of characters.

Ongoing Untitled Story by @verkja

Fantasy adventure whump with some cool worldbuilding and three morally grey main characters. Oh and btw? The world is ending.

Kane & Jim by @whumpsday

Whumper turned whumpee and whumpee turned caretaker. Vampire whump and some truly horrible torture methods. It’s fantastic.

Seven Series by @whump-queen

Objectification and pet whump, hoo boy. A roller coaster of BBU suffering and a sad whumpee who’s in way over his head.

Waking Dreamer by @painsandconfusion

An intriguing magic system with a very whumpy plot that only gets worse and well developed characters.

Sunlight and Embers by @whither-wander-whump

Fantasy setting and a rebellion in the making. A prisoner is recruited from the dungeons to be used as a pawn in the rebellion and the plot continues to thicken.

Betrayed by @suspicious-whumping-egg

Hero and Villain whump. A hero is betrayed by their team and left at the mercies of the opposing side.

Hero and Villain Story: Behind the Masks by @whumpering-heights

Hero and Villain whump, but with a villian who does not deserve what he’s been put through. There’s an unlikely bit of mercy from someone you’d least expect. As the kids say, it’s right in the feels.

Weapons Don’t Weep by @wolfeyedwitch

A human weapon in a dystopian setting is rescued by a team of rebels. Dehumanization and angst with hopes for a recovery arc.

The Second Wave by @there-will-always-be-blood

Whumper turned whumpee and is furious about it. A morally-grey (she’s more than happy to commit murder) type of protagonist and an antagonist you want dead.

Liliholm and Page by @yet-another-heathen

Vigilante whump with a cinematic feel and characters who are vividly human, whether whumper or whumpee. God-tier whump will have you gripping your screen.

[steddieunderdogfics]

I f you're still looking for Kas!Eddie fics, Me and the Devil (Walking side by side) By LilacFleur (@liiacfleur)

The worldbuilding and detail so far is absolutely insane

https://archiveofourown.org/works/45419389/chapters/114275548

me and the devil (walking side by side) by LilacFleur

@liiacfleur

Rating: Explicit

157,058 words, 5/? chapters

Archive Warning: Graphic Depictions Of Violence

Tags: Alternate Universe - Fantasy, War, Post-War, Human/Monster Romance, Eddie as Kas - Freeform, Medieval, Hurt/Comfort, Fluff and Angst, Slow Burn, Secret Identity, world building, Politics, Prince Steve Harrington, Dethroned Steve Harrington, Torture, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Magic, Wing Kink, Eventual Smut, Protective Eddie Munson, playing fast and loose with canon events, eddie dies in the prologue but comes back to life, Minor Background Relationships, Blacksmith Eddie Munson

Summary:

During the prince's tenth summer, he met a blacksmith's nephew. Six years later, he kissed him in the middle of a war. Five after that, he held him as he died. After a brutal war that lasted a decade, the Kingdom of Hawkins begins to crumble - allegiances are questioned, treason looms ever closer, and vengeance poisons minds. Suffering from the heartbreak of losing the only man he's ever loved, Steve is thrust into the political turmoil without a moment to breath. Quickly, he finds himself in the middle of a court rebellion, and, in the dead of night, he becomes a king. A minute later, he is dethroned. Sent as a gift from the new leaders of Hawkins, Steve is carted across the continent to be presented to Kas the Bloody Handed - a man he hasn't seen since their blades clashed on the battlefield. Expecting a swift execution, Steve is stunned to find Kas has no intention of such a thing - instead, he wishes to help the prince restore his seat on the throne. Between politics, monsters, and the growing threat of another war on the horizon, Steve finds his heart yearning for the touch of a creature that is more man than monster. or; it started with honey, like all sweet love stories do.

Thanks for the rec!

This rec is a part of Theme Weekend. The theme this weekend is Kas!Eddie.

Know a fic that deserves extra love? Submit through our asks or the submission box!

[teethoftheeditor3]

Fav anime?

A very difficult question my friend, and one that I don't have a definitive answer for. I haven't made my list of things I want to talk about yet because it's gonna be long, but anything I've drawn is from something I love.

I can give you a few of my favourites, and I'm definitely going to both leave out and forget a lot of them. And I don't want to give spoilers either, so the descriptions will be short. For the record, most of these I recommend reading if you can, though if you can only watch them then I understand. Apologies for the sloppy grammar.

In no particular order:

Akudama Drive - a cyberpunk heist plot (anime original)

The Ones Within - a thriller/mystery type thing

The Eminence in Shadow - good goofy fun

Akame Ga Kill - a classic revolution with a twist (I haven't read this but I plan to, the manga is apparently better than the show)

No Game No Life - no war, only war games

Log Horizon - The best isekai ever. really well written and worldbuilt but the author is mildly sexist and was arrested for tax fraud.

That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime (Season 1) - Isekai, I've only seen the first season, but i read the lightnovels

Hellsing - a vampire that hunts other abominations

Hellsing Ultimate - the later adaptation of Hellsing that actually follows the manga because they actually had the manga to follow

Horimiya - cute romcom

Infinite Dendrogram - a very interesting premise, executed slightly above average

Charlotte - by Jun Maeda, if you know that name that's enough to know if you'll like it, very sad

Code Geass - Lelouch of the Rebellion. Do not give the movie and newer stuff the time of day. the story was complete at the end of season two where it was intended to end.

Trigun - a western

Cowboy Bebop - wikipedia calls it a neo-noir space western. and yeah, that's accurate

Yu-yu Hakusho - one of the first shounen

Mirai Nikki/The Future Diary - what if your diary started making entries for tomorrow

Overlord - evil d&d isekai

Yu-Gi-Oh - a card game replaced all other everything

Yu-Gi-Oh GX - card game highschool

Yu-Gi-Oh 5D's - CARD GAMES ON MOTORCYCLES

Psycho-Pass - a crime/thriller

Tokyo Ghoul - basically vampires, very edgy

Assassination Classroom - the title kinda says it all

Terror in Resonance/Zankyu no Terror - thriller, difficult material that probably requires a trigger warning. it was removed from my streaming site before i could finish it. Beautiful music, look up the motorcycle scene

B: The Beginning - supernatural crime drama/police procedural, i need to watch season 2

Death Note - you know what that is

Hunter x Hunter - a very fun shounen with a cool power system

Violet Evergarden - very sad

Re:Zero - Return by death isekai

Jujutsu Kaisen - season one is amazing, i read the manga instead of season two so i can't attest to that

Haikyuu - volleyball

Kuroko no Basket/Kuroko's Basketball - What if basketball had naruto eye powers

Tower of God - based on the webtoon, the anime is really good

Mushoku Tensei - isekai with really good worldbuilding, but a main character and plot that are not for the faint of heart

In the Land of Leadale - cozy isekai

Remake Our Life - guy gets the chance to redo his life... but time travel has consequences

This very long list is just for anime which I have seen. if I were to open the field to books that have gotten an anime you'd have things like

The Executioner and Her Way of Life

Frieren: Beyond Journey's End

Chillin' in another world with level 2 super cheat powers

Berserk of Gluttony

I'm In Love With the Villainess

The Detective is Already Dead (read this one the anime is apparently terrible)

Solo Leveling

There are probably a whole bunch more too that I can't remember. It's been almost 5 years since I pretty much stopped watching anime altogether in favour of reading the original novels or manga. This list is by no means comprehensive and there are a number of things I left off because I like them but they aren't really... good. Like Seirei Gensouki.

[haveyoureadthisfanfic]

Summary: When Luke Skywalker—operating under the name of Luke Lars—accepts a job offer from none other than Darth Vader to become the next Head Engineer aboard his flagship, The Executor, a.k.a. The Lady, he hardly expected his life to take as much of a turn as it did. Learning how to navigate his way through the microcosm of culture that is the Lady, Luke finds that life is far from quiet in his new home. Friendships and rivalries are made, inventions and politics throw everything into disarray, and throughout it all, Luke and Vader slowly find themselves drawn closer to each other, much to the relief and awe of many of the Lady's crewmembers. Follow our favorite engineer from the twin suns as he goes from strangers, to friends, to adoptive family with his mysterious new mentor, and changes the face of the galaxy forever in the process. There are mysteries about the past to be unraveled, inventions to be made, wars to be fought, and family bonds to be forged in the fires of revolution and rebellion. They say that Darth Vader has no heart, that the Empire and its Emperor are eternal, that the Jedi are dead and gone, and that nothing will ever change. "They" have obviously never met Luke Skywalker before.

Author: @jackdaw-kraai

Note from submitter: Has very fun worldbuilding and is just a great read

[sj-latrice]

Writeblr Re-Intro | x3

who am i

call me atrice ad altiora (she/her. it's my penname!

22 years old +1 every october.

proud soulaan with an anti-colorism chip on my shoulder.

i have a BA in professional writing

writerly things about me

i tend towards speculative fiction: fantasy, sci-fi, and all the subgenres that come with them.

i've never actually finished a wip before! I'll be changing that real soon though.

i write fanfic!

my works have themes of / religious trauma and deconstruction / afrofuturism / anti-colorism / overcoming sexism / toxic queers™ / eat the rich, burn the monarchy / afro-centricism / slave rebellions (FUCK YEAH) / it's only good if it's gay / polyamory

2024 Writerly Goals

complete five short stories from my worldbuilding project.

have a complete outline of all of my wips using the stc method

write at least half of fem!faustus wip

name fem!faustus wip ✅

name solarpunk isekai wip

post at least twenty instances of stc method practice on tumblr

write one (1) piece of bible fanfiction

wip masterlist

Title: [fem!faustus wip]

Genre: Historical Fantasy

Status: Not Outlined

Logline: After witnessing the enslavement of her dead brother's soul by a white supremacist cult, Beulah Neal makes a deal with a demon for her people's freedom.

Tag: ?

•

Title: [solarpunk Isekai wip]

Genre: Solarpunk , Portal Fantasy

Status: Not Outlined

Logline: After dying and being reborn as the villainess in a novel she hated, Vaelana Vaith disobeys the Plot and schemes to overthrow her brother, the second male lead.

Tag: ?

•

Title: @kenopsia-shout

Genre: Epic Fantasy, Anthological

Status: Writing World Bible / Outlining As I Write

Logline: An anthological worldbuilding project exploring a world where the hanahaki disease is a zombie virus, matriarchal empire seeks to revive it's dead goddess, and long ago a mysterious force turned the oceans into a forest where horrors roam free.

Tag: n/a

other blogs

@therosehost

fandom and fanfiction sideblog

@kenopsia-shout

anthological worldbuilding sideblog

@thechrysanthecandle

religious deconstruction sideblog

i'm excited to start writing again!!!

[cactusspatz]

February recs

Trying something new this month! I've got five top recs below (most of which are quite long, sorry not sorry), but in an attempt to keep my Pinboard more contemporary I've put all of my January bookmarks up at this tag if you're looking for more to read.

Below are recs for: 9-1-1, The Untamed, Game of Thrones, and The Hobbit. And at Pinboard are more recs for 9-1-1, The Untamed, & The Hobbit, plus Batman, Goblin Emperor, KJ Charles, and Star Wars!

Hot Ghost Problems by ebjameston (9-1-1, Buck/Eddie)

The ghost would prefer to go by Buck, if Eddie wouldn’t mind. Eddie is the newest firefighter at the 118. Buck is the ghost haunting the 118. Unfortunately for both of them, Eddie's also a witch and needs to put Buck's spirit to rest, because that's what witches do. Turns out, Buck's spirit? Super not interested in being put to rest. Very interested, however, in flirting with Firefighter Diaz, who is just trying to survive his candidate year. (Also turns out, Buck? Super not dead.)

I adore this trope, but this one's got great worldbuilding around the magic, and the author is skilled at combining drama and humor. So you've got the emotions and pining but also Eddie's sisters roasting him via group chat, and so on.

Batting a Buck & Change by Daisies_and_Briars (9-1-1, Buck/Eddie)

“Do you remember that shift where Buck was off and Hen was on mandatory relaxation, and they both got drunk in Hen’s kitchen in the middle of the afternoon while we had to resuscitate a canine?” Eddie nods vigorously. “Oh, Hoover. I remember Hoover.” “Why have we never been drunk during a dog resuscitation, Eddie? Have you thought about that?” “Well now I am.” “We should call them and let them know that we can have fun on Dads’ Night Out.” Nothing could go wrong. OR: Eddie and Chim embark on a “Dad’s night out” to watch baseball at a sports bar, and after a few too many, Eddie accidentally lets his feelings for Buck slip.

I am weak for shenanigans and Chimney's keeping-secrets fail - one of his panicked attempts to escape a conversation in this is HYSTERICAL, you'll know the one - and this fic has a top-tier assortment of both, plus a lovely Eddie-Chim friendship/baseball buddies/mutual dad admiration society.

The Pack Survives by astolat (GoT, Robb/everybody)

There is a land of the living and a land of the dead and the bridge is love, the only survival. —Thornton Wilder

Sprawling AU where the South makes peace and Robb lives - but ends up having to deal with internal rebellion, polyamory negotiation, dragons, and of course, a terrifying army of the dead. Features Robb growing up and making fewer and better mistakes in addition to his usual tactical genius, plus a fantastically sharp Sansa.

Thicker Than Water by athena_crikey (The Untamed, Wangxian)

The Lans were one of the founding families of the Vancouver Guild; part of their legacy is to maintain their place in it for the benefit of all. Cultivation is important, essential, serious. In the distance, something squeaks. A disaster, is Lan Zhan’s first impression as the bike squeals to a halt on the far side of Song Lan’s car. The man riding it – and he’s tall, and lanky, and sure-footed – hops off and locks it to the car’s back door. The back door of a police vehicle. He pulls his helmet off to reveal long, sweat-soaked hair with a shaggy undercut, bright grey eyes, and a smile that launches like an arrow straight through Lan Zhan’s chest. No, he thinks, watching this trainwreck of a man shimmy between the narrow space dividing Song Lan’s back bumper and the next car’s hood like he’s doing some kind of dance step. Absolutely not.

Excellent modern-with-cultivation AU with a gorgeously written Lan Zhan POV - both in terms of the prose and his deep-seated trauma that bubbles up along the way.

A Passion For Mushrooms by Chrononautical (The Hobbit, Bilbo/Thorin)

There are many trials for a hobbit attempting to make a life among dwarves. A hobbit wants a garden. A hobbit wants to eat regular meals. A hobbit wants friends, good books, and comfortable chairs. Bilbo does his best to carve out a little hobbit life for himself in the mountain. If only there were not one final obstacle. For a hobbit heart wants love, and among dwarves that is a sticky subject.

AKA the one with the mushroom mine, more feelings about guilds than I ever imagined having, and some epic cultural misunderstandings (both romantic and otherwise). I'm very much showing up to this widely recced story 6 years late with Starbucks, but it's got fantastic worldbuilding, humor, and romance.

Enjoy the reads! I always like it when people tell me which ones they liked so feel free 😘

[furious-blueberry0]

The Partisans of Beth-Keré

I wrote this rough base of worldbuilding a while ago, it's for a fic I'd like to write about a piece of the rebellion, that fought on this planet, Beth-Keré, that is inspired by the Italian Resistance and the Partisians during WW2.

I noticed I never posted it here soooo, enjoy:

Beth-Keré had been under a monarchy since the Great Civil War that had happened a millennium ago, by the time of the Clone Wars this didn’t change, and the current King was Virto the Third.

In 19 BBY when the Empire arrived on the planet, the King decided to give them full control of the planet, after one Imperial officer not-so-covertly implied that if he didn’t do so, then something would happen to his son, who was currently still on Coruscant as the Senator of Beth-Keré in the Galactic Senate. This decision led to him becoming a puppet in their hands, and also to the people hating him and wanting him and his family dead.

^ probably gonna change this part, it does not work well here

The Old Guard had been the main military force of the planet for millennia, before being dismantled by the Empire and substituted by their Stormtroopers.

The members of the Old Guard had not been happy with this change, and so not only did they went out of their way to create some of the first rebel groups, but they had also stolen and hid most of their old equipment before being discharged, and gave most of it to the rebels over the years.

Some old members decided to join the Empire and work as spies, while also stealing weapons, mainly grenades and blasters.

For the first 19 years of the Empire’s occupation, the rebel activity across the planet had always been really low. The small groups of rebels had to hide in the mountains, with nothing more than the clothes on their back, food begged by their family and friends, some blasters and, if they were lucky, some grenades.

These groups would mostly attack the Imperial settlers in the small cities, mostly their hometowns, where people knew them and sometimes would help them hide away if the plans went wrong, or if their hideout in the mountain got discovered.

The situation remained the same, until the explosion of the Death Star, then everything changed.

A wave of insurgency had hit the population, and thousands of the victims created by the Empire, tired of its tyranny, all rose up and created their own rebel cells, and grew the already existing ones, all across the planet.

Now every city, from the smallest to the Capitol, had at least a group of rebels fighting against the domain of the Empire, in one way or another.

The story I want to write follows a group of rebels that fight in the Capitol (still need to find a name).

The Partisans of the Capitol are divided in squads of 8 members, each with a leader, and they can only communicate face to face with the members of their own squad, while the leader could contact other leaders, and only them.

They mostly acted on their own when perpetuating small actions, but would collaborate when it was time to start bigger and bolder attacks.

Most of them had to live in hiding, while some could still live under the sun, and even work. The most common work between the rebels were those of cooks and waiters, who could sneak some extra and free food to their comrades.

The Partisans also used a system of couriers, young people in their teens who would run through the woods and the city to deliver messages, supplies or weapons between the rebels. 

A really dangerous job that could be done only by teens and children, since the older ones were too suspicious to be seen running around the city, while the young couriers could easily just be seen as children playing and could easily hide from any suspecting Stormtrooper.

The majority of the rebels are no older than 20. 

Those of the Capitol too, with the oldest being 29 and the youngest 11.

The Partisan Organization divided the Capitol in 9 operational zones, and each zone had at least 2 squads:

I zone: 2 squads

II zone: 4 squads

III zone: 3 squads

IV zone: 4 squads

V zone: 3 squads

VI zone: 5 squads

VII zone: 6 squads

VIII zone: 4 squads

IX zone: 3 squads

All squads and each member have a code name or battle name. For example, the second squad of the V zone is called “The Witches”, and it’s composed of only female Partisans.

Their actions mostly consisted in sabotages, the killing of Imperial Officers or of known torturers.

Some of their most notable actions:

The killing of three colonels and one admiral during the Empire Day. They had been targeted with hand grenades, and with them died 12 Stormtroopers. (III zone)

The attack on a patrol, where the partisans set fire to their tanks while the Stormtroopers were still inside, burning 21 of them alive and destroying 7 of those vehicles. (VI zone)

The attack on the restaurant where one of the rebels worked, who knew that that night it would have been full of Imperials celebrating, organized an action where 12 of the Imperials died, but 2 partisans also got killed. (I zone)

The explosion at the entrance of the tribunal, where planted bombs killed 10 Stormtroopers and 2 Lieutenants. (VIII zone)

The attack at the prison, successful operation with the collaboration of all the squads of the V, the VI, and the VII zone, where 42 Stormtroopers had been killed and most of the prisoners (many of them Partisans or just “enemies” of the Empire) escaped and helped in the attack. 6 Partisans and 13 prisoners lost their lives. (VI zone)

(still need to plan them better and add some)

[nellasbookplanet]

Book recs: sapphic romance for people who like Hannibal and Interwiev with the Vampire, aka fucked up and toxic

Enemies to lovers, lovers to enemies, fucked up power imbalances, manipulations, plain bad people doing bad things - if you like your sapphics a little bit dark check out these books!

Some of these end happily, some tragically, some are more will-they-won’t-they than full on romance, some focus on healing while others focus on Getting Worse, but they’re all very juicy.

For details on the books, continue under the readmore

Feel free to recommend more books in tags and comments!

Othe book rec posts:

Really cool fantasy worldbuilding

Really cool sci-fi worldbuilding

Mermaid books

Vampire books

The Abyss Surrounds Us by Emily Skrutskie

Young Adult. tumblr classic back in the day! A trainer of sea monsters genetically engineered to protect ships from pirates is kidnapped by, you guessed it, pirates, one of whom happens to be very hot.

Escaping Exodus by Nicky Drayden

While my feelings on Escaping Exodus were mixed, it cannot be denied that the dynamic between the two leads and the way they go from childhood best friends to enemies on different sides of a class and power struggle is very delicious. It also features some really cool worldbuilding of living, alien generation spaceships and the human culture that has developed inside them.

The Stars are Legion by Kameron Hurley

This book fucked me up when I read it. It’s weird, it's gross, there’s So Much Viscera, there are literally no men, it has living spaceships and biotech but in the most horrific way imaginable. Had I to categorize it I would call it grimdark military sf. It’s an experience but not necessarily a pleasant one.

The Lumionus Dead by Caitlin Starling

Possibly one of the most unsettling books I've ever read, and definitely the most claustrophobic. Gyre, a caver on an alien planet, ventures into the dark and dangerous underground, guided only by a woman who has no compunctions on using and manipulating Gyre as she sees fit to obtain her secretive goals down in the caves.

The Jasmine Throne by Tasha Suri

On the less toxic and fucked up side of the spectrum, but still pretty juicy. A princess held captive by her own brother, who wants to see her dead, tries to trick a servant into helping her escape, but with undeniable attraction growing between them and the servant having her own goals things quickly get complicated.

Gideon the Ninth by Tamsyn Muir

Listen, if you're on tumblr I probably don't need to explain this book to you. Trust me when I say it's exactly as good as people claim. There are indeed lesbian necromancers in space (quite a few of them, actually), but also incredible worldbuilding that keeps growing with every new installment, interesting political commentary, morally complex characters with fucked up dynamics, and well-thought out plot that keeps you guessing until the last.

They Never Learn by Layne Fargo

Listen, sometimes you just want to read about a vicious bisexual lady professor who murders predatory men and falls for the woman trying to solve her crimes and that's okay.

Fingersmith by Sarah Waters

The source of not one but two movie adaptations, Fingersmith is a story of trickery and manipulation as a young conwoman works to gain the trust of a heiress. I don’t want to say much more because the twists are some of the best parts, but trust that it doesn’t take long for things to get real complicated between them.

The Unbroken by C.L. Clark

Tourraine, who was stolen as a child and trained as a soldier for the empire that conquered her home, is recruited by Luka, the future leader of the conquering country to route out a rebellion. A game of twisted loyalties and attraction is soon to develop.

This Is How You Lose the Time War by Amal El-Mohtar and Max Gladstone

Again, if you're on tumblr (or twitter, apparently) you have in all likelihood already heard of this one, too. Just like GtN it lives up to all expectations. It features two women on different sides of the titular time war, who starts leaving letters for the other to find as they chase each other through time. A quick read, slightly surreal, and absolutely beautiful, I cannot recommend this enough. Pretty mild on the fucked-up-scale.

House of Hunger by Alexis Henderson

In a world where the rich drink blood to preserve their health, Marion applies to a position as bloodmaid in a notorious noble house far from home. Suddenly showered with luxuries and debauchery, Marion soon gains the interest and favor of Lisavet, countess of the house. A fresh take on the idea of vampires.

Sorrowland by Rivers Solomon

A young pregnant woman flees a cult that left her body strange and changing in terrifying ways. Hidden from the world, she does her best to raise her children while trying to find out the truth of the cult and being pursued by a hunter in a dangerous game of cat and mouse. In no way a romance, but certainly has some fucked up sapphic shit going on.

The Traitor Baru Cormorant by Seth Dickinson

After her home was conquered by another land, Baru is determined to join their forces and climb the ladder until she’s in a position to free her people. To prove her loyalty, she’s sent to bring order and quell rebellion in another conqured region. Baru is set to succeed, but also has to struggle with her feelings for Tain Hu, a duchess of this region.

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. This one is also available as an ongoing webcomic!

Borderline (The Arcadia Project trilogy) by Mishell Baker

Urban fantasy mystery. Very much of the will-they-won’t-they variety, with a bisexual lead who has a male love interest as well as a female without falling into the typical pitfalls of a love triangle. Plays around with various fucked up power dynamics. A year after a failed suicide attempt that cost her both her legs, Millie is recruited by a secretive organisation that works to control traffic to and from Arcadia, the land of faries. Bear in mind that while the sapphic-ness is present throughout, it has a much smaller presence in book 1 than books 2 and 3.

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

The Hunger by Whitley Strieber

Ancient vampire is on the hunt for a new partner, none of which tend to last long.

Codename Villanelle by Luke Jennings

Precursor of the famous Killing Eve tv series. While I don’t know much of the books, I did enough research to know this: their endings differ.

[blood-injections]

Came across my sort of headcanon masterdoc for how BLI was started that I all wrote down because I have an au in my drafts that deals with the creation of BLI and the killjoys and danger days universe if the Fab Four were there since the very beginning and how they went from normal teenagers to rebels fighting a war and. holy SHIT guys this shit is genius and I totally forgot about it all. Anyway figured I’d finally post some of it.

As we all know, canon information on the formation of Better Living and how the country became a postapocalyptic, irradiated dead zone is… scarce to say the least. We know that there were the Helium/Atomic wars but don’t know if those are separate wars or two names for the same thing. We know that the great fires happened in 2012 and that they were a possible cause for the rise of Better Living. We know the pig bomb was dropped in 2017 thanks to a Cherri Cola tweet and if I remember correctly it was dropped in Texas(literally can’t remember if that’s canon or part of my shit) and probably related to the wars, which apparently took place not long before the music videos. We know that the further out into the zones you go the more radiation there is and that as of 2019 the zones get acid rain. And we also know that Australia somehow just up and disappeared which is by far the most eldritch canon detail about the dd universe.

But that’s it.

So I have built upon the breadcrumbs of canon and just sweeped some under the rug and done quite the feat of worldbuilding to explain how BLI and the killjoys came to be.

In my mind it all starts in 2012, but it’s probably been in the works for decades. There were conspiracy theories of corrupt governments and secret societies but nobody knew the true extend of it. One second the country was running as normal, the next the government was taken down by people in its own ranks, people that have lied their way to the top and were secretly working together just to take over. In a day the country falls, America attacks itself. Communications are cut off along with everything else that society needs to function. Power is shut off nationwide, satellites are disabled, missiles(non nuclear) shoot into the air just to turn around and attack the very land they hailed from. From the ashes of America rise the corrupt individuals that made it all happen, with the woman that’ll become known as the director at the helm of it all. They form a new government and try to round up the survivors, intent on creating a utopia from the rubble.

I have no idea what’s going on with other countries if they help or if this new government attacked any other countries or just its own or if a world war is essentially started I just figure since canon didn’t touch on it and nobody else ever does I won’t either. Use your imagination I guess.

But it’s 2012, the country is in shambles, the biggest cities have fallen, smoke covers the land. The great fires of 2012 start not a week after the demolition of the USA, beginning as fires from burning cities that cause surrounding land to catch light and later on, its deliberate napalm to shape the path of the fires and drive people out of their shelters, using the destructive powers of Mother Nature to literally herd survivors to certain areas of the country.

The great fires quickly lead to the start of the Helium/Atomic wars, which are two names for what’s the same fight, but different sections of it. The helium wars come first, a rebellion to the new government was quickly formed by what remained of uncorrupt military and control over weapons are essentially split between the two sides. An all out war breaks out and the sides start off evenly matched, the numbers of those loyal to the new government and those remaining images of what fell fairly well matched.

A month after civilization falls the new government drops the first nuke on New York City already demolished by the first missiles, its now doomed to be a nuclear wasteland as well. It seems like this would be called the atomic war, with the use of atomic bombs, but it’s not. This is the true start of the helium war, for it seems both sides are suddenly eyeing the precious resource, for who has control over its production might very well come out on top of this fight, for helium is used in everything from medical technology to space exploration and national defense. It’s used for welding and in rocket fuel and nuclear reactors and yes, nuclear weapons. And it’s already a finite resource, non renewable and already said to be running out. And now in this ruined country there’s more of a demand for it then ever. And guess what? The United States is the biggest producer of helium worldwide, with the largest helium deposit located in Texas.

It’s unclear which side drops the second nuke, but what matters is that it falls smack dab on top of that deposit. It seems desperate times call for desperate measures and the desperate measures were to wipe out the source of advancement for the war completely. It becomes known as the pig bomb.

The fight goes on for two years during which the new government builds ‘safe zones,’ aka walled cities for survivors to head to, just to get trapped in and made to work. The rebellion is diminishing and unfortunately the enemy is winning. Then the third and final nuke is dropped, once again by the new government. It’s discovered that the rebellion was actually the side to drop the pig bomb, but it did pay a crucial blow to the enemy and helium remains scarcer than ever, meaning they must limit what the manufacture and how they build.

The third nuke is dropped northeast of the pig bomb, around Wyoming , and the sick thing is it doesn’t do that much. The country there is already burned flat so it wipes out a good chunk of the rebellion that was hiding in the Midwest but other than that all it does is drive the last of the survivors to the far west, where the ruins of LA and the biggest of the safe zones resides. The placement of the nukes really locks off this to-be battery city and the zones, trapping them in a big irradiated box.

At this point numbers in both sides have dwindled and fighting has died off, not to a standstill, but the last bomb marks the official end of the helium wars as the last survivors trickle into the LA safe zone and the surviving rebels hide just outside it, in the fairly untouched desert and ghost towns that litter the borders. Supplies on both sides are running low and this quiet period of rebuilding and recollecting becomes known as the dust bowl.

The west is pretty much uninhabitable aside from this chunk of land and the rest if the country is all burnt up and cut off and the northeast is a no-go zone to radiation and in fact the entire east coast has essentially fallen into a nuclear winter, fucked up from the trade winds carrying over the radiation and ash clouds from the pig bomb and the great fires and even after two years they sky never seems to clear. The entire eastern half of the united states is a wasteland of dust storms, acid rain, pockets of radiation, and thanks to permanently altered weather patterns due to rapid Atlantic climate change from all the ash and radiation clogging the atmosphere, that means the coast is under attack from a constant barrage of deadly cyclones, meaning even if it wasn’t irradiated, living there is impossible due to the monthly high winds and flooding and all the horrible things cooking up in that ocean.

For anyone that didn’t make it to the LA safe zone, still stuck in survivable pockets of the country in the Midwest or even in the deadly east, none of them are going to last long for sure. Anyone that didn’t head west while they could has to watch out for whoever is left there with them, scrounging for resources. Looting gangs and desperate madmen roam these states and they won’t show mercy. It’s kill or be killed beyond the wall of radiation that now separates the far west from the rest of the country.

That quiet time known as the dust bowl passes slowly and at some point the LA safe zone becomes known as Battery City and the safe areas around it and the small bit of the west coast not ravaged by radiation or fires become known as the zones, numbered one through seven by how risky they are to inhabit, one being the safest, just beyond the city walls, and seven being the most dangerous, with the highest levels of radiation. They’re not perfect circles like the canon maps, since there some small dead pockets of radiation and stretches of ash land(fire ravaged areas) that are deemed inhabitable. The zones are also much larger than canon, stretching out into the edge of Arizona and maybe even Utah and Nevada.

All levels of the zones are desert wastelands, but go north and that’s the ash lands, the giant stretches of land burnt through by the great fires. The fires took months to die out and some are still burning, but the empty areas on the edge of the north zones are a true wasteland, the soil contaminated by the vast amounts of ash that coated it and if you drive through it you just kick it all up, then you can’t get out of your car or you can hardly breathe. Step onto that dead land and it’s completely barren, it feels like another world. Nothing grows, not a sprout is to be seen, just the vast dark, dead, soil. As time passes and the zones get a culture, they say that’s where you go to die, they say it’s filled with ghosts.

But back to Battery city, it’s 2016, the dust bowl period is coming to an end and each side has been rebuilding. The city is shinier then ever and the new government, now calling themselves Better Living Industries, is putting all their resources into medical experiments and technological improvements, working on robots and AI and mind altering medication. With each passing month the citizens seem to become more sated and meanwhile in the desert, the rebels are having some improvements of their own. After the last bomb fell and everyone headed to the zones and the rebellion survivors found each other, they had to spend time figuring out how to survive while avoiding the city and whatever was happening within, but now it’s been a couple years of recuperation, and the rebellion has been planning. They’ve heard of the experiments Better Living has been doing and what’s going on with the citizens and they’ve decided it’s time to stop just surviving and start fighting again, and this marks the start of the Analog Wars, a much smaller scale fight, free of missiles and bombs, it’s just one side against the other with mainly handheld weapons. It’s named for the rebellions reliance on analog equipment like radios and other older devices since there’s no normal communications or electronics available. They use things like morse code and secret messages to communicate via the airwaves and this is where Doctor Death Defying gets his big role. He was a marine turned Helium War survivor and veteran, losing his legs in the fight, and now he may not be able to be on the front lines but he mans the radio and somehow always stays positive, spreading news and hope through the zones. He coins the term Killjoys for the rebellion and this is the time when the zones culture starts blossoming, with Doctor Death coming up with most of the slang, originating as unique code words to let rebels what’s going on and where without BLI figuring out what they’re talking about, and the young folks somehow taking the lead in the fight instead of the few veterans that remain. They’re not trained soldiers, just people fighting for what’s right, and that’s what makes them dangerous. The rebellion gets their hands on some of BLIs weapons, the laser guns, making their fight more equal. The Fab Four pop up around this time and they inspire people across the zones, a team of four friends that found each other in the apocalypse, they’re still pretty much kids but now they’re leading the fight against BLI. They remember how life used to be but as the years pass and they really become soldiers, they start to forget, until all they know is the desert and a life that’s a cycle of violence and hope, life as killjoys.

When 2019 comes around and the events of the music videos may or may not happen, it’s still technically the Analog War but the term isn’t really used anymore, since it’s just life for everyone at this point, having weekly skirmishes with BLI goons, which start turning up as dracs and scarecrows instead of just soldiers in 2017.

But it’s 2019, we’re all caught up, it’s life in the zones as we know it, and that’s all I have for you today.

[lividdreamz]

INSANE ASYLUMS, CANNIBAL PROPHETS, ELDRITCH CULTS, & SELF-PROCLAIMED GODS GALORE

A WIP INTRODUCTION — OF ILL REPUTE

GENRE; Dark Fantasy, Occult Horror, Romance (?)

TARGET AUDIENCE; Adult

STATUS; Outlining and Drafting

TARGET WORD COUNT; 40K — 60K

CONTENT WARNINGS; gore, violence, torture, cannibalism, abuse and exploitation of mental patients, sexual content

SUMMARY; When a new patient who calls himself Yoska Menik and boldly declares he is a god arrives at The Maker’s Sanctuary—an insane asylum with a reputation built on less than holy monks, shrieking lunatics, and inhumane practices—he is quickly dismissed as a madman. While everyone believes Yoska Menik’s another deluded lunatic, Valentin, a fellow inmate harbouring a dangerous secret of his own, finds himself inexplicably captivated by him…even as increasingly strange occurrences begin to unfold around the asylum. As his relationship with Yoska Menik deepens, blurring the line between madness and sanity, Valentin must learn to navigate the treacherous path between his forbidden desires and the dangers they present.

THEMES/TROPES; Faith, Belief, (Abuse Of) Power, Revenge, Rebellion, Religion, Identity, Tradition, I-Don’t-Like-You-Very-Much To I-Will-Serve-You-All-My-Days, Found Family (Kind Of…)

CHARACTERS;

Valentin — Alleged cannibal. Prophet. Performer of strange blood rituals at midnight. He’s also an opium addict, but we don’t talk about that.

Esa St. Edvin — A god (self-proclaimed) with dubious eldritch powers (unconfirmed). If you call him Yoska Menik, it’ll make his day.

Martja'ysa Bruheimer Isko-Sanni — A formerly wealthy divorcée who may or may not be able to commune with spirits. Moody, melancholic, prefers solitude.

Johannes St. Lendzell / Ly — Purported victim of demonic possession. Cried and clawed at walls often. Friend of Valentin. Dead.

Pia St. Ørjan — A woman who believes she’s made of glass. Approach with caution.

Jin ij Phanom Sieng — Valentin’s younger brother. Merchant. Rebel fugitive and woefully bitter about it.

Father Paavali — The Maker’s Sanctuary Monk #1. Cruel, contemptuous, and violent.

Father Mika — The Maker’s Sanctuary Monk #2. His kindness, compassion, and love for his wardens often mask his perverted urges.

STARRING A CAST OF;

Creepy monks

Creepier cults

Strange supernatural happenings disguised as miracles

Ritualistic cannibalism

Blood magic

Wacky religious prophecies

Cruel and unusual punishments

Opium addicts

Failed rebellions

Surreal sex dreams

A gothic insane asylum

One (1) ghost

TAGLIST; Ask To Be +/-

MAIN TAG; Forthcoming!

OF ILL REPUTE is a WIP I began working on in 2018 and promptly dropped (for many reasons). However, as you can clearly see, I’m picking it back up again! If you’d like to know more about it and it’s world, here are two posts where I go into more detail about its setting. More posts about its worldbuilding (and characters) to come!

[katewibberlystan]

recommending you books i enjoy based on your favorite tbob character (ft a sentence for what each one is about/why it's awesome, and the intended audience)

kate: - the last magician by lisa maxwell; a well constructed time travel heist set in 1902 NYC, with immaculate worldbuilding and fascinating magic. YA. - the once and future witches by alix e. harrow; three sisters, who are also witches, organize for women's suffrage and fight against an ancient evil. Adult. - truthwitch by susan dennard; a pair of witches and best friends become caught up in political intrigue, reincarnated monsters, and a fantastically crafted world of complex characters and cool magic. YA. - time stoppers by carrie jones; an orphaned pre-teen discovers a secret town full of magic, one that she and her friends must save from attacking monsters. Middle Grade. - the diviners by libba bray; a group of teenagers with paranormal abilities find themselves fighting off evil spirits in the 1920s.

michael: - matilda by roald dahl; a classic children's fantasy that celebrates learning and families of choice. Middle Grade. - the strange case of the alchemist's daughter by theodora goss; the children of gothic literature's classic mad scientists come together to solve mysteries and stop human experimentation. Adult. - every heart a doorway by seanan mcguire; a quick, poetic read about what happens to the kids from a portal fantasy quest after they come home. YA. - the girl from everywhere by heidi helig; a pirate ship that can travel between time and fictional worlds, so long as they have a map, sets out on a quest to reunite their captain with his lost love. YA. - miss peregrine's home for peculiar children by ransom riggs; after his grandfather's death, a teenage boy is thrown into a world of monsters, time travel, and people with superhuman abilities. YA.

emma: - the scapegracers by h. a. clarke; a group of teen witches become friends and form a coven to defeat a group of modern day witch hunters trying to steal their magic. YA. - the lost girls by sonia hartl; a group of vampires plan to kill the man who made them this way, before he can harm any other women. YA. - the society for soulless girls by laura steven; a college student's attempts to investigate mysterious deaths becomes connected to her angry roommate's attempts to create a potion that can alter a personality. YA. - coraline by neil gaiman; a kid finds a door to a different world in her new home, a world that seems pleasant at first but soon grows quite terrifying. Middle Grade. - bad witch burning by jessica lewis; a teenage girl trying to escape poverty raises the dead for money, only to find her zombies cannot be controlled. YA.

gabriel: - holes by louis sachar; boys at a juvenile detention camp are forced to search for a lost treasure and explore the complicated history behind it. Middle Grade. - nettle and bone by t. kingfisher; a woman sets out to kill the evil prince holding her sister prisoner, with the help of a motely crew including an exiled warrior, a fairy godmother, a witch, a possessed chicken, and a skeleton dog. Adult. - lone women by victor lavelle; after her parents die, a woman with a monster trapped in her suitcase tries to survive and build a home for herself in the Montana wilderness. Adult. - chomp by carl hiaasen; in the Florida everglades, a young boy and his animal trainer father are commissioned to help film a survivalist tv show. Middle Grade. - revelator by daryl gregory; set in the 1930s/40s Tennessee, a moonshiner raised by a cult has to return and face the monstrous being her family worships. Adult.

wilamena: - the black witch by laurie forest; a complex fantasy world in which rebellion foments among many beings at a magical college. YA. - island of the aunts by eva ibbotson; a fun children's fantasy where two outcasts are kidnapped by eccentric old women to help protect an island full of magical creatures. Middle Grade. - children of blood and bone by tomi adeyemi; a young woman persecuted for her powers fights to take back her home from a magic-hating tyrant. YA. - deep blue by jennifer donnelly; the underwater world of mermaids is plunged into chaos when political machinations and an ancient prophecy collide. YA. - the thirteen treasures by michelle harrison; a girl who can see fairies is sent to live with her grandma, where she uncovers secrets about her abilities. Middle Grade.

rafe: - the witch haven by sasha peyton smith; a student at a school for witches in 1911 NYC is searching for answers about her brother's murder. YA. - the bones of ruin by sarah raughley; an acrobat who cannot die joins a magical tournament held by the most powerful people in Victorian London in exchange for answers about her forgotten past. YA. - the court of miracles by kester grant; a thief forms alliances and completes impossible tasks in Paris's elaborate criminal underworld, all so she can keep her little sister safe. YA. - the gilded wolves by roshani chokshi; a tight-knit group of criminals is tasked with recovering a magical artifact capable of changing the world. YA. - the cure for dreaming by cat winters; a teen suffragette gains the ability to see people's essence after an encounter with a hypnotist. YA.

bonus, all of the above: reaper man by terry pratchett. literally everyone should read discworld, it's amazing and reaper man is my favorite. good omens by pratchett is also a gem.