#fantasy ficiton

[passionforfic]

The Novels That Made It Into the Boruto Anime

The first wave of Naruto novels made into the last episodes of Naruto Shippuden; the same happened with the new wave of novels that came out towards the end of the 2010s. Many people complain that the Boruto anime is full of fillers, making it a reason why they say the anime is weak. I differ. The Boruto manga is action pack from the very beginning; but it doesn't give the reader a moment to appreaciate the accomplishments of the Great Five Kage at the end of the 4th Great Ninja War. The Boruto anime opens the lense to show us what the ninja life is like in times of peace, but these arcs are no fillers since most of them are based on manga and novels related to Naruto. In a previous post, I wrote about the Sasuke's Story: The Uchiha and the Heavenly Stardust and how it was integrated into the anime; today, I want to write about the other five books that came out around the same time as the previous one.

Three out of the six novels that came out are about Naruto's illness:

1. Kakashi's Story: the Sixth Hokage and the Fallen Prince

2. Sasuke's Story: The Uchiha and the Heavenly Stardust

3. Naruto's Story: Uzumaki Naruto and the Spiral Destiny

These three can be read interconnected, starting with the epilogue and first chapter of the Naturo one, then reading Kakashi's book, then Sasuke's, and then ending with the rest of Naruto's novel. In the anime arc, the story focuses on Sasuke's and Sakura's mission, mentioning Kakashi's part in the effort and then explaining that Naruto will be okay. I like what they did in the anime, since putting all three novels into the arc would have been too much, still I enjoyed reading all three books, specially becasue I got to see my favorite characters interact and work together as a team. It's kind of sad, though, how Naruto decides not to confide on Hinata about his illness because he doesn't want to worry her and their children, still she knows something is going on and she tells Naruto and we definitely see it in what she says to Sasuke. I love how Naruto and the others work with Orochimaru even when they don't really trust him and how Yamato - while keeping watch - has become part of the lives of those living with Orochimaru, even Mitsuki when he goes to visit his parent. . .

The other three novels take place before Naruto's illness, and Boruto and his friends have a bit more exposure. In Sasuke's Story: Star Pupil, we see Sasuke training Team 7 while Konohamaru is in the hospital after a mission. Here, we can see Boruto's conflict with the use of science in the ninja world. Boruto doesn't want to be connected to anything related to science since what happened at the chunn exams but, here Sasuke tells him the importance of knowing physics and other science facts. Plus, we also get to see father and daughter work together in a mission, while Sasuke reflects about his role as sensei and team work. This story is not part of the anime, and I think they made the right decision. I enjoyed reading the novel, but I don't think that it was necessary in the anime.

Shikamaru's Story: Mourning Clouds is a very interesting novel, and we see a Shikamaru that is willing to do anything to keep peace; and we also get to see him and Sasuke actually have a one-on-one conversation that makes them realize that they want the same things. But I also like this novel because we get to see the dynamics in the Nara household: Shikamaru's relationship with Temari and Shikadai. This story is partly incorporated into the anime, although the episodes in the anime focus more on Boruto's involvement, and we don't see the political situation behind the feudal leader's visit, it's there and that's when we start to learn more about the mark Boruto has in his hand.

Naruto's Story: Family Day is completely incorporated into the anime in a couple of fun and sweet episodes where we see Naruto, Sasuke, Shikamaru, Choji, and Sai spend time with their children. I like the novel's story about Hinata spending the day with her father and her sister. And I like the anime adapatation's Naruto-Boruto moment. This novel and its adaptation give us a look into the family dynamics, our favorite characters' relationship with their children.

There are other manga that are incorporated into the Boruto anime that are wonderful:

1. Naruto: Konoha's Story - the Steam Ninja Scrols: The Manga - which focuses on Mirai's journey to finding herself while traveling with Gay and Kakashi.

2. Naruto: The Seventh Hokage and the Scarlet Spring, where Sarada faces her parents and questions their relationship.

These novels and manga are great, and the incorporation of most of these stories into the Boruto anime gives depth to the story, intensifing our sadness and desperation when we see Boruto face Kawake and the distruction of the village. They also give space for character development, we get to see the young generation mature and transform, from carefree children to teens that have to mature in order to deal with what is coming.

The five novels that I read this month were full of action, intrigue, fun, and unforgetable interactions that strength characters' relationships with each other.

[djohnhopper]

FANTASY: gods and their enticements... Creating my own fantasies - worlds within worlds - of gods, gods in waiting, dreamers, dreams, enchantment, magic... For more - just follow the link: https://johnhopperwriter.blogspot.com/

[midstpodcast]

Season 3, Episode XIX Finale Appendices 🔎 | Lark's Final Journal Entry #MidstSpoilers

[imaginal-ai]

"Nova-Class Swordsman: Chenglei" (0005)

(More of The Galactic Realms Series)

0004

0003

0002

0001

[gardenfeather-book-reviews]

"The Spirit Bares its Teeth" by Andrew Joseph White

Silas Bell, a young autistic transgender man living in the 1880s in England, wants to be a surgeon. Not a wife and mother. After a botched escape from a future devoted to a husband, he is diagnosed with “veil sickness,” a disease that causes violet eyed women to open the veil and communicate with the dead, an act that is illegal for women to do. 

        He is sent to Braxton's Finishing School and Sanatorium and engaged to a wealthy lord's son. But Braxton might not be what it seems. And Silas is the only one who can save the life of his new friends by uncovering the secrets of the school, all while fighting the voice in his head telling him to just do as he is told. For Silas, doing as he is told is not an option.

        Andrew Joseph White has crafted an incredible story. All of the characters are complex and every character has so much depth. White is able to balance the main character, Silas, with all aspects of his identity. They are all woven throughout the story in an authentic way that gives him personality outside of those defining traits while still acknowledging how important they are. It is one of the best representations of autism I have ever read.

       The setting and accuracy to historical detail makes the stakes seem real and send you to the time period. He uses the time period to bring light to the story he wants to tell. His use of imagery is terrific. 

        White is able to discuss so many important topics throughout the book, all of which apply in some way to our society today. He somehow is able to highlight and tackle each complex theme in one book while giving them each the space to be recognized for their individual importance.  

        Gory and dense while also romantic, The Spirit Bares its Teeth is an amazing novel with an incredible message to fight for your life and happiness, even if the whole world is against you.   

[ryanmoody]

Albert Pyun - Writer/Director (1953-2022)

[moons-cozy-corner]

First Impressions

Hello all! This is the first of MANY that I hope to write, so hop on for the ride if you may. I'm hoping to be more active now that it is summer, and there will be much more original character content. I already have so much planned for my little guys >:)

Content Warning: Self harm, homelessness, blood, starvation, betrayal(mention), fighting/beating, stabbing

Daren held the worn cotton jacket in his hands, wringing it between sensitive fingers as he stretched out his stiff wings. A lump of stale bread lay limp between the fabrics of a pocket, not nearly enough for a meal. If he had taken any more he would have been caught. Being a thief was not something Daren had necessarily trained for when he lived in Glissden. He had never known hunger when he lived in Glissden.

Now he sat in the silent alleyway on an old thin blanket he found in the dumpster months ago. He tore off small chunks of the bread at a time, nibbling on them slowly to create the illusion that there was more food than there really was. Normally Daren managed more than just bread. Ideally, he went for fruit, but that was starting to become more and more like a luxury than the basic need it definitely was.

His stomach cursed at him all morning. On and on it went and ignoring it didn’t work. Even now, downing some of the bread didn’t ease that deep ache in his gut. Not to mention the fact that it tasted terrible, though not much did anymore. Human food was bland, all the bread and dry vegetables and greens, the lack of fruit everywhere. The water always tasted off, metallic, and there was never enough of it. It left him tired and dizzy constantly, which made the feat of finding food even more difficult.

A whole year had passed since he’d left. They hadn’t even bothered a final glance as he was shoved in the wagon and taken away. The stickiness of the plaster over his wings and the cold metal of the cuffs never left his mind, even a year later. If that wasn't insulting enough, they had to hold him down for almost an hour to get the plaster on his wings while his family and friends watched wordlessly, even as he cried for help, begging them not to let the humans take him. 

Tears pricked his eyes as the memory crossed his mind. He grabbed rusty scissors from under his blanket before adjusting himself against the wall, his green wings splayed out against the brick. The silver was tinted a minty green, a color that almost glowed in the faltering light of dusk. How much would a human pay for just this, just a small remnant of his blood? Daren’s family said he would save lives. Maybe that’s why they felt so just in selling him to the humans and sending him away for what was meant to be forever. Through blurry eyes he watched as the scissors slid across his skin. Minty green dripping down soft brown down onto gritty gray, then to nothing. He didn’t mean to go so deep this time… but now all he could do was watch.

The cool metal felt satisfying on his skin. He’d sharpened these specifically to protect himself from humans, but now they had another purpose. He watched as the blood oozed through the slit he created, letting the pressure and tensions fall out of his body along with it. He knew a human would have at one point gotten an infection from the rusty scissors, or perhaps would have just bled out. They wouldn’t be of any use now, though. Not with his life force ingrained into the metal. 

He considered returning for a while. To Glissden. His once-home. The human city was filled with filth, dirt and trash lining the streets. It was always so loud, too. Around every corner there was a fight, sellers and traders yelled about their prices and goods as if it was their dying breath, horses trotted loudly on poorly-paved streets. Moths aren’t loud. Their voices and movements are soft and his home represented that–they flew everywhere, and nothing was paved. It was grassy, flowers blooming on the mountains that they lived on. Even in the ravine where sparkling water flowed, it was a soft trickling that accompanied the chitter-chatter and the flapping of wings. It was much more colorful there too. Daren missed it, and it only made him cry more.

“Hey.” Daren looked up through hazy eyes. Above him stood a man, a human man, frail in build but confident in stance. Bleached hair fell loosely over his pale face, clearly unkempt but somehow still shiny and smooth, like silk. When he kneeled down to Daren’s level his eyes shone, a dark magnificent blue. The color reminded him of Glissden right after sunset, before the sky turned completely black. A hand wrapped around one of his upper arms, making Daren pull back and squeeze himself against the wall, two hands wrapped around his midsection and the other two held out for defense. “Hey, hey, calm down. I’m not going to hurt you. I want to help you, if that’s alright? You’re… bleeding.”

His arm. The stranger was referring to his arm. “No. No, stay back, human,” he snapped, trying to get a hold of himself, though tears unwillingly fell from his eyes. He didn’t want to be taken again. “Whatever you’re planning, stop planning it.” More blood oozed from his arm. It didn’t even really hurt anymore, it didn’t need healing. It would heal on its own. Who did this human think he was anyway? Leave me alone.

“I’m not planning anything.” The human blinked at him, then sighed, taking a few steps back. The human looked over the wound, then the rest of his body with a look of pure confusion, noticing the extra arms, his antennae, the way they started twitching. He’d already noticed the odd blood, but… “what-?”

Before the human could ask, Daren stood, grabbing his things. “Wait, what are you doing? Where are you going?” As Daren walked further back into the alley, the human only followed, his steps coming to a stop as Daren hid behind one of the dumpsters, watching the entrance carefully.

The human sighed after a moment, rubbing a hand over his face and turning himself around in one lazy swing. He began to leave the alley when a group of humans turned the corner. Daren covered himself as fast as he could, wrapping himself in his jacket where he sat huddled behind the dumpster. The scissors felt heavy in his hand, dripping with his own blood. He wiped it off quickly and curled up, hoping to be swallowed by the shadows.

The blonde human was quickly surrounded, shadows stalking over him as street lights turned on. Three of them, circling around. They didn’t see Daren. “Did you bring what we agreed on?” The tallest of them towered over him a bit more than the height Daren would. His muscles were intimidating and tense, though he wasn’t scared. He was angry. The other three kept their mouths shut. It was clear they were there for security only—power in numbers and all that. Daren noted how their hands were kept in their pockets. Weapons, for sure.

The human dared to spare a glance back at Daren, but only for a split second. “No. I need more time.” His stance was loose, but his white-knuckled fists told Daren he was terrified. “It’s been tight. I’ve got part of it, like $2500. I know that barely puts a dent in my debt but it’s the best I can do-“

The man stalked closer so that the two were face to face—or face to chest, considering the height difference–and grabbed him by the collar. The others stood back, blocking off the entrance to the alley. “That won’t cut it, kid. You’re running outta chances.” Out came the knife. Daren’s eyes followed every movement carefully with wide eyes. It looked dull without any light glinting off it, hidden in the shadow the man created, but the promise of pain was still evident. “In fact, I may just gut you right here and now. You’re more trouble lettin’ live than you are dead.”

He pushed the human back, making him stumble to the ground. The sound of his body hitting the concrete echoed in the alley. Daren flinched at the sound of a bone snapping, a consequence of how skinny the poor human was. There was a slight gasp in the short length of silence that passed before the pounding started. Two sets of fists beat upon the humans’ flesh as he tried his best to shield his head and center, but with only two hands not much could be done. They kicked and punched relentlessly, until all that came from the blonde human were small grunts.

When the man finally told his underlings to let up, the boy was left shaking and bloody. He was nudged with a boot but still didn’t move. One signal and the underlings had him pulled taught by the limbs, each arm secured as he was pushed to his knees. His torso was completely exposed, and the knife was right there. 

The knife jerked back then forward before Daren could even blink. It hit the human in the lower abdomen, eliciting a choked cry. Then it went again, and again. And again. Two of Daren’s hands covered his eyes while the others clamped his mouth shut to keep any shrieks from escaping.

“You,” the man’s voice boomed, “are a useless piece of trash. Nobody’ll care when you’re gone.” Then he turned, knuckles covered in deep red ooze, walking back to the street. One of the others spat at the human as they left, a final insult layered on top of all the red and purple.

After the last of the bunch turned the corner, Daren tentatively stepped out from his hiding spot, clutching his scissors. He inched forward slowly, unsure whether or not he should turn back and hide again.

“…Human?” The once stark blonde hair had streaks of red now. The source of the blood became apparent as the human's head lolled back, blank eyes struggling to focus on Daren. He knelt down, holding the stranger's head in his hands. Daren’s own blood slipped from his fingertips and onto the other’s neck. “I’ve got an idea. Hold on.”

Daren helped the human lean up against the alleyway wall, then focused on himself. It didn’t take a lot for him to slide the scissors back over his wrist, reopening and widening the previous wound. The warm blood flowed down his wrist and into Daren’s cupped hand. Some of it was guided to the human’s head, but most to his gut–it would take a lot of green to heal that up.

He’d never seen his blood work on humans, or at all, for that matter. It must have been the first time for the other as well, for the human too was staring in disbelief as the wound, now smeared with green, stuck itself back together. Then, when the human touched his forehead, they both realized that the bleeding had stopped there as well.

“What the…” The human tried sitting up straighter, but only fell over again into the puddle of his own blood. “How’d you do that? I mean- thanks.” As the human began to try to regain his mobility, Daren backed off. Part of it was awe, the other fear. What would the human do now that Daren had shown him what he could do?

He didn’t know, though. The human didn’t seem to have been aware of Moth abilities, which was definitely a first. Not that Daren had stopped to ask many humans if they knew about his blood's healing capabilities. The human had to have noticed Daren’s wings, and the extra arms. It was impossible not to. But now, staring at the human in his weakened state, especially after watching him get pummeled near death by a group of thugs, Daren couldn’t find it in himself to be so terrified. But he was still human, and human meant danger. He’d always known that. 

A series of spluttering coughs tore Daren from his thoughts. This was ridiculous. The human could barely breathe and Daren was worried about his own safety. Daren wasn’t the only one in danger of getting killed if the human decided to yell out. So, he crawled back to his side.

Daren pulled the human to his feet wordlessly, which only caused more sputtering and coughing from the other, making Daren wince and cringe. He even thought he saw a bit of blood fly out of the human's mouth. Ew. The human nearly fell back down, but Daren wouldn’t allow it, using his other arms for support rather than his own self defense. “Tell me the way to your home, human.”

“Arnin,” he grunted, wrapping an arm around Daren, making his wings shudder in response. “My name…is Arnin. My house… that way.” Daren nodded, committing the name to memory. Arnin. The name made his heart flutter and filled him with a sort of determination as he started walking towards the alleyway entrance.

“Alright, Arnin,” he said, draping his jacket over himself with one of his arms, keeping a strong hold on his new companion. “Let’s take you home.”

taglist: this may be outdated, sorry

@bleeding-letters @nicopascaline @whumped-inc @subval01

@whumpkinz @littlespacecastle @hollowgast1 @aswallowimprisoned

@edkore @vermillion-emerald

if i forgot you (which im pretty sure i did forget some ppl, its been a while) pls let me know :>

[avernine]

A weaver of dreams

[miakate-writes]

Juniper Sloan

"Juniper had always been that boy in the back of the class with the bright eyes and beautiful smile that could make even the coldest day warm again. He looked at life like a challenge, like a bucket list of things he could say he had done. He covered himself in oversized jumpers and random notes on paper and countless pairs of high-tops. Juniper did everything with no care in the world, so much so that sometimes Maeve found herself wondering if his brain was formed the same as hers. Did he have one less part of his brain? The part that conducted all of Maeve’s overthinking, did he not have that?"

[wastehound-voof]

Weird Tales, December 1931 (Popular Fiction Publishing Co.)

Cover artist: C. C. Senf

[authorbettyadams]

“Flying Sparks” Volume 1

Science Fiction Adventure Story

100K Words

PreOrder Now!

Get a free electronic copy “Dying Embers” Dragons, Aliens, and Things That Go Boomp in the Night!

#FlyingSparks #ScienceFiction #Scifi #Story #novel #book #DrakeMcCarty #AmaLove #Donny #Em #Bard #Bole #Aliens #Spaceships #Crystals #fireflies #NPS #NationalPark #Doctor #Sever #family #storm #writing #reading #drama #literature #author #BettyAdams #DyingEmbers #Dragons #ThingsThatGoBoomp #Indiegogo #CrowdFunding

[themysticmagick]

The next chapter of my book is now available for download... 

The Rivens Manor In this chapter you will get a sense of where the Rivens family lives and an insight inside their lives. The Rivens Manor will be a main set for the series, The Adventures of a Young Witch.

[midstpodcast]

Season 3, Episode XII Appendices 🔎 | The Parable of The Investor & The Notary

[imaginal-ai]

"Nova-Class Swordsman: Yuto" (0004)

(More of The Galactic Realms Series)

0003

0002

0001

[therogerclarkfanclub]

"Real Time Dungeon: Skirmish"

Author: Andrew Peed, Matthew Peed Narrator: Roger Clark Book Series: "Real Time Dungeon", Book #2 Run Time: 8 hours, 24 minutes Audiobook Release Date: September 06, 2023

Listen to a sample of this audiobook:

Overview:

With the battle of the living dead looming over his shoulder Sidney redoubles his efforts to be ready for the fight. He brings in new technology from some of his favorite games to help with this threat. While working, he finds that the Undead Core is not idly waiting for the battle and is working on his own plans that make things more complicated for the future. With his community growing, so does all the pains of trying to manage it all. Will Sidney be able to turn all the tricks and tools he mastered as a Strategy game player into usable methods to keep his people alive? The Undead Core will be the test to find out. ©2021 Andrew Peed and Matthew Peed (P)2023 Tantor

Real Time Dungeon: Skirmish is available from:

Audible ✰ Audiobooks.com ✰ AudiobooksNow.com ✰ AudiobookStore.com ✰ Barnes & Noble ✰ Chirp Books ✰ Downpour ✰ Google Play ✰ Hoopla ✰ Libro.fm ✰ Overdrive + Libby ✰ Rakuten Kobo ✰ Scribd

TIP: If you want to find more audiobooks from Roger, you can click on the "Roger's Audiobooks" tag, or you can also check out my pinned post 😉 Happy Listening!

[djohnhopper]

FANTASY: the sleeping prince... A world of gods, gods in waiting, dreamers and dreams. For more fantasy - just follow the link: https://johnhopperwriter.blogspot.com/