#gender fae aesthetic

[here-there-be-bad-dragons]

Give me a knight who only became a knight to hide his face publicly because he's very dysphoric about it and wants to hide from the world in a metal shell who is ordered to hunt down one of the fae folk of the forest only to find a fae whose existence cant be defined by gender who spirits him away and helps him become more masculine and transitions him slowly with magic and slowly steals his appearance and at the end of the story asks him "may I have your name?"

[moneyfor-nothing]

Sometimes I miss my long wavy hair and I wanna wear flowey dresses w/ elf ears and look like an ethereal fae creature, and other times I wanna wear (faux) leather jackets and have slicked back short hair like a 50s greaser guy, and other times I wanna dress up in all black with trad goth makeup and look totally androgynous.

But mostly I just wear oversized hoodies and sweats

[vaguevamp]

🌻🧚🌷

[honeysucklethornsandalligtrhorns]

in a small town and was taking a bus up to a local ice cream shop when i saw the FUNKIEST of people >:D they had long dark hair, the neatest glasses, and a cool fedora and was on their was to the local music festival (they got off at the stop that you needed to get off at to get there along with everyone else on the bus haha) and when they got off i noticed they had a nonbinary pin on their cool little side bag. god i wish i knew them they're so peak sajskajskajskal

[blues824]

Hiii!!! I really like your writing. So I decided to drop a request.

Could I request Rollo, Ace, Sebek, Deuce, Vil, and Malleus who hates crowds and socializing with strangers but is sweet and doting towards them, spoiling them with compliments and food?

Gender-neutral reader. Spoiler for Rollo’s?

Ace Trappola

He noticed that you were fidgeting and very quiet during the Unbirthday Party, and so he pulled you aside and asked what was wrong. You told him that you didn’t really like big crowds like this, and so he pulled you to his room where you could charge your social battery a bit more.

Ace made sure that he texted the Heartslabyul group chat, and they were all (even Riddle) understanding of the situation. Now, what was left was to make sure that you were alright. However, you pulled him into his own bed and started cuddling up to him. He was definitely surprised, and his face started glowing red.

The next day, you brought him a shit-ton of sweets to say thank you for saving you from the party. He tried to refuse the 15 cherry pies that you made for him, but you just shut him up with a kiss on the lips as you invited yourself inside. You made a point to inform Trey that these were for Ace and no one else, as he was your knight in shining armor, so to speak. The baker smirked as he saw the First Year sputtering and stuttering.

Deuce Spade

He doesn’t have too big of a social battery himself, but he still makes a point to present himself as respectful. However, you had grown oddly quiet, and he noticed. So, he pulled you into his room and asked if you were okay. There, you told him that you didn’t like being around so many people, and he offered to stay with you until the party was over.

Once he had informed the Heartslabyul group chat that neither of you would be continuing due to you being stressed out, and everyone was surprisingly understanding. Now, all that was left was for you to show your gratitude by yanking him into his bed next to you and you placing light kisses on his lips.

The following day, you invited him over to Ramshackle where a bunch of baked and cooked goods were awaiting him. You hugged him immediately, and pressed a kiss onto his cheek, and this alone had the man flustered. Don’t get me started on when you called him your hero, sat him down at the table, and held a bite of the food to his mouth.

Vil Schoenheit

Being a celebrity, he had to get used to rather large crowds. However, you were never a celebrity and instead got into a relationship with one. So, as the two of you were on your date, a paparazzi person recognized him at a cafe and the two of you had to flee. But, you did not flee quickly enough and you were eventually surrounded.

He took off his coat and quickly put it over you to cover you as he ushered you to the chauffeur, opening the car for you to get inside. Once you were situated, you quickly hugged him and thanked him for saving him. Since this was supposed to be a casual date, he was dressed casually and thus did not scold you for ruining his clothes.

The next day, you woke up extra early to prepare some smoothies for the two of you. You even went through the process of making them look aesthetically pleasing. Once Vil woke up, he saw you in the Pomefiore kitchen adding straws to the cups. He called your name, and you turned and revealed the smoothies, telling him that it was your way of saying thank you for saving you from such a large crowd.

Malleus Draconia

I feel like we can all agree that Sebek pretty much qualifies as a large crowd, so Malleus often feels suffocated by his knight’s will to serve him. However, once you had entered a courtship with the dragon prince, he noticed that you would always wince whenever the First Year started yelling and getting too close. So, one day, Malleus got in between you and Sebek and the former told the latter off.

Of course, part of it was because the sneaky fae knew that he would be receiving affection right after. And, his prediction was right. Because once the saddened knight went away, you told the prince to bend over at which you pressed a kiss to his cheek. The simple act of affection had him weak in the knees. Malleus Simpificus Draconia is his new name.

The next day, you showed up to Diasomnia with a container of ice cream. Lilia answered the door and you explained that you were here to thank your knight in shining armor for saving you from an uncomfortable situation. The bat fae gladly let you in, and even whipped out his phone to take a picture when you kissed Malleus.

Sebek Zigvolt

Sure, he may prioritize the young master, but you come second on his list. So, when Ace, Deuce, Epel, Grim, and Jack were all trying to talk to you at once and he could see you getting overwhelmed, he stepped in. He pulled you behind him as he stated, in a very loud voice, that you needed a break and that he would escort you back to Ramshackle. There, he extended his arm for you to take and he led you away. And yes, he left Grim behind.

As the two of you were walking, you quickly placed a kiss on his cheek. He froze in place as his face started going red, and you thanked him for rescuing you from likely trouble. You even added that he makes a great knight, as he protects civilians as well as the heir to the throne, and his heart was pounding against his ribcage.

The next day, you showed up to class early so that you could present him with a lunch that you had made for him. You stated that it was well-balanced and would get him through training with Lilia and Silver after school. The fact that you considered all possible factors in making him a lunch made him even more flustered than he was the day before.

Rollo Flamm

The two of you weren’t quite in a relationship as you had only just met a few days prior, but the two of you could tell there was a connection. Because of that connection, he could tell that you were very uncomfortable with going through the bustling market within the City of Flowers. So, he quickly took your hand and led you away from all of the people.

He instead led you to the bell tower that he often visits, as he is the keeper of the Bell of Salvation. There, he introduced you to the Bell, but while he was distracted you placed a kiss on his cheek and thanked him for saving you. His eyes went wide in shock, and he was about to whip out his handkerchief that he typically uses to hide his face when he noticed that it was gone.

Once he looked up, he saw you smiling and waving the piece of cloth in front of his face. For the first time, you saw a rather mischievous smirk on his face as he quickly ran off after you to try and get his handkerchief back. When he did, he noticed that it smelled like you. It was a sad day when you had to go back to NRC, but he is always reminded of you whenever he looks at the piece of cloth.

[obsessivevoidkitten]

A Moth To His Flame

 Yandere Rosy Maple Moth Fae x Gender Neutral Human to Fae Reader (CW: Moth transformation, pheromones, kidnapping, stalking, yandere moth-like fae, no smut, general yandere behavior) Word Count: 1.5k 

(I typed this up in under 2 hours, not beta read so I hope you will forgive any mistakes. Also sorry if there are any formatting anomalies, I had some issues adding a “keep reading” line. I made a post a couple weeks ago about having the idea for this fic and here it finally is! Enjoy!) 

 You did not know what had attracted him to you. Perhaps it was your way with plants, or your vibrant colorful aesthetic, hell it could even just be your scent for all you knew. Whatever the reason he was head over heels for you and you really wished he wasn’t. Very nearly every single day this mothy fae man wandered out of the forest and tried to flirt with you as you tended your many crops.

 It started towards the end of spring about a year ago. He came walking out of the forest seemingly at random and had introduced himself as Basil. He was a tall moth like fae, with large pink and yellow wings and bands of fluff around his wrists, ankles, and neck. His head was entirely like a human’s except for the feathery antenna sticking out from his curly pink hair. You were not frightened, fae and humans interacted all the time where you lived and it was not an odd occurrence to see one, but you did wonder why he had approached you.

 “Well, I am (Y/N), what can I help you with Basil?” You thought perhaps he wanted to purchase some of your crops, though it was still odd to be approached when your market stall and signs were not posted.

 “Oh, well, I thought you were really cute and I was wondering if you wanted to go out with me sometime?” Basil flashed you a sweet smile. That was definitely odd considering he had never seen you before, but perhaps you would think it odder had you known that he had been watching you from the woods ever since you moved in over a year ago.

 You had politely declined his date offer, telling him that you two did not know each other and you were not really too interested in dating right now, but almost everyday that you were outside he approached you, made some small talk, asked how you were doing, and inevitably asked if you had changed your mind about letting him take you some place.

 Now that around a year had passed you had gotten to know him pretty well but you remained uninterested in him romantically. It may be a bit of a stereotype but you could not help but worry he was hiding something and might be trying to trick you in some way, and even if he wasn’t you just were not into him.

 Basil, on the other hand, was more interested in you than ever. You were so cute and small compared to him, and your human ways were so fascinating, like how you tended to your plants so sweetly. He wanted to tend to you that way~ You were such a nice human and as far as he was concerned you should just let him take care of you.

 Eventually with all his pestering you agreed to exactly ONE date. He was ecstatic, you had FINALLY seen that he was a good mate for you and agreed to let him “take you some place nice.”

 And, well, he did technically hold up his side of the bargain. He took you to his own gardens, deep in the woods there lay a path accessible only to fae and those with a fae escort that took you to their realm.

 His cottage and surrounding gardens were surreal, the plants were like something out of a dream, the sunlight was golden and everything seemed to shimmer and glow. And when night time came the blooms really did glow under the silver blue light of the moon.

 Honestly you had had a great time exploring Basil’s personal gardens and drinking tea with him in his cottage, but it was getting late and you really had to leave, and you had only accepted the date to end Basil’s pestering, and though you wanted to remain friends you were still uninterested in being his partner.

 “Hey, this was great Basil, but… I still really do not want to date anyone right now.. I hope we can still be friends though!” You looked down nervously. “And uh… I should really be getting back ho-”

 Basil stared at you intensely with his golden eyes as he spoke, “No, I don’t think so (Y/N), you agreed that I could take you some place nice, there was nothing in our verbal contract about me having to take you back.” He wisely grabbed your wrist and pulled you to him before you could react. He had not wanted it to come to this, but he was not opposed to making you stay with him, he knew deep down you had to like him, you were always so polite to him and you yourself had agreed to a date with him.

 The strong fae dragged you kicking and screaming back to his cottage. What had seemed so idyllic and cozy in the day time now only filled you with dread as you were forced inside.

 “I really am a nice guy, you need to just let me take care of you!”

 Basil kept you trapped for weeks in his cottage, he had used a spell that made it impossible for you to leave. He kept trying sweetly to get you to talk to him, but you adamantly refused to say anything other than demands that you be released. But… that really wasn’t part of the deal he made with you so he just wouldn’t do something that silly.

 Besides, he knew you would show your love for him eventually, you just needed a little help was all. Basil tried gifts of the type a human could only dream, he tried candies and other various sweets, he tried physical affection, he made you cups of fancy teas, and offered to let you garden the most wondrous fae plants. He even attempted to use his mothy pheromones to whoo you, it was considered high romance in the mothy fae realm, but as you were human they just flustered you slightly.

 You refused all of it, you just wanted to be taken home and left alone, you told him you never even wanted to see him again.

 Finally he decided he would just turn you into a fae like him. You would be fully at the mercy of his pheromones and completely attracted to him. You had not been born as a mothy fae and you had no resistance to them. Plus you would look just too perfect with antenna, wings, and cute pink moth fluff. Basil had been planning to turn you into his little moth mate since the very first time he had laid eyes on you, but he had wanted to wait until you were willing so the process would be less scary for you. But oh well, you’d forgive him, this was just that nudge you needed to be able to confess your love for him.

 Basil approached you with a strange look in his eye that you couldn’t place, you scooted into the corner of the room but he still approached, stopping when he was a few feet away from you. He did not say anything and you were a bit scared, what if he decided that you weren’t worth the trouble, or worse, what if he decided he was going to be more violent in his persuasion attempts?

 Basil began flapping his large wings and shimmering powder coated your entire body, you went completely limp. You were fully conscious of your surroundings but you were paralyzed, unable to even scream. He easily picked you up and pressed a gentle kiss to your forehead before laying you on his large bed.

 “I know you’re scared babe, but I am just trying to help you okay?”

 Basil began the task of lovingly wrapping you in his own soft magical silk produced from his wrists. Within hours you couldn’t see a thing and were fully trapped within a cocoon, you could hear Basil mumbling some sort of spell before he lay beside your cocooned form and wrapped an arm around you in what was intended to be a comforting gesture.

 But nothing could comfort you now, over the next 24 hours you slowly became a fae like him. It started with an intense itching that you were powerless to do anything about as fluffy fur grew in the same places that he had it, then an immense pain in your back and head as you sprouted antenna and wings.

 Finally, mercifully, the pain subsided. You planned to fight viciously with your captor. Even though somehow his past actions now seemed somehow a bit romantic as your brain chemistry and perspective of his behavior had been forcibly altered by your transformation.

 Not so much that you actually wanted to be his though, but that changed immediately when the silk cocoon fell away. Your new antenna instantly picked up on a heady intoxicating scent, what WAS that? You sniffed and inhaled deeply in his direction as your antenna began twitching from his pheromones.

It was the scent of a strong and loving mate, just for you! You buried your face into his neck as your antenna continued twitching.

 Basil held you close, kissing the top of your head sweetly and rubbing your antenna against his as he cooed softly. It had taken years, but you were finally where you were always meant to be, at his side as his little mate.

[sapphicmimikyu]

[ID: A nine horizontally striped flag. The first and ninth stripes have semi-circles facing inwards, and the middle stripe is the thinnest. Colors from top to bottom are dull pinkish red, pink, light pink, off white pink, white, off white purple, dull pinkish purple, dull medium purple, and dark gray purple. End ID]

• Faighostypic : Pronounced: Fae-gows-tie-pik

[PT: Faighostypic : Pronounced: Fae-gows-tie-pic. End PT]

— A gender connected to the fairy-ghost dualtyping in Pokemon. This may also be related to intertwining themes of mystery and whimsy, cuteness and morbidity, playful mischief and haunting, and the morute aesthetic, or it can just simply related to fairy-ghost Pokemon.

[redgoldsparks]

February Reading and Reviews by Maia Kobabe

I post my reviews throughout the month on Storygraph and Goodreads, and do roundups here and on patreon. Reviews below the cut.

Ruthless Vows by Rebecca Ross read by Alex Wingfield and Rebecca Norfolk

This book started a little slowly for me, as I waited for Roman to regain his memories and for Iris to get back to reporting at the front. Luckily, the magical typewriters once again play a major role in this story as they did in the first one; Roman and Iris's letters are the emotional heart of this series. I also love how it fore fronts the importance of journalists during wartime. Iris's bravery and constant willingness to move towards danger and the unknown in service of sharing the truth makes her a very compelling character. Unfortunately, the magical divine conflict behind the war just didn't compel me very strongly in this book. I think the gods were introduced too slowly into the narrative, and that a lack of a human motivation behind the war simplified the conflict in a way that sucked some of the tension from the text. If you are looking for a solid romance with a strong epistolary element and the aesthetic of wartime setting, this series delivers; if instead you want a complicated, devastating, deeply emotional story of young people surviving a real historical war, pick up Code Name Verity or Rose Under Fire.

Mamo by Sas Milledge

Jo has lived in her small seaside hometown her whole life, and loves it there. But then things start to go wrong- curses, bad luck, mysterious illnesses. She seeks out the town witch and finds a teen girl about her own age, named Orla, who Jo has never met before. It turns out Orla has just returned to town after the death of her grandmother, the previous witch. She wasn't buried properly and her bones are scattered around the town, stirring up bad energy, disturbing the local fae and trolls. Jo and Orla set out of lay the old witch properly to rest, but there's more going on than either of them realize. This is a fairly short but well told tale, queer and magical, and with a little bittersweet edge.

Look on the Bright Side by Lily Williams and Karen Schneemann 

This is a very charming follow up to Go With The Flow, taking place over the friend group's following high school year. Brit, who was diagnosed with endometriosis at the end of the previous book, had a surgery to remove it over the summer. When she goes back to school, she finds her affection caught between two different boys. Christine has finally admitted to herself that she likes Abby as more than a friend... but telling Abby that is another matter. Abby is still working on her campaign of menstrual justice on campus, while Sasha struggles to balance her homework, sports, and time with her boyfriend. The girls learn, grow, make mistakes, and support each other.

Gathering Moss written and read by Robin Wall Kimmerer

It took me a little longer to get into this one than Braiding Sweetgrass, mainly because I had much less personal knowledge of mosses than the larger types of plants which Kimmerer wrote about in Sweetgrass. It doesn't help that mosses do not have common names, so are referred to mainly by scientific names, and I was rarely able to picture them well in my head. However, by about a third of the way through I had fallen into the miniature world of mosses and the striking and insightful ways Kimmerer links them to all other organisms in their ecosystems. I loved learning how mosses, like tardigrades, with which they probably co-evolved, can survive desiccation and be revived by water even after all seeming signs of life have disappeared. I was intrigued by the story of a moss species which changes its gender over its lifespan, starting out producing only female reproductive stalks in its early days, shifting producing a mix of male and female stalks as it matures, and then producing solely male stalks as the patch reaches peak density. I was frustrated by stories of the illegal moss harvesting which is stripping Oregon rain forests bare. And I was once again completely charmed by the beauty and generosity of Kimmerer's writing and worldview. She's a bestseller for a reason; I highly recommend everyone pick up at least one of her books at some point.

The High Desert by James Spooner 

James' white mother and his black father divorced when he was in elementary school, and he moved around a lot. For high school, he moved with his mom to Apple Valley, a barren small town in the desert an hour inland from Los Angeles. Already a skater, James encountered punk music just went he needed it most: as an isolated and angry teen in a racist town with little to no underground scene or counterculture. The music, and later, the politics, of punk raised James in the semi-absence of parents and role models. This memoir, chronically roughly a year, is an unflinchingly honest look at the cruelty, creativity, friendship, and solidarity of teens. It has the density and scratchy texture of a 90s zine without ever sacrificing clarity. I was very impressed by how clearly and in what detail Spooner was able to recreate his high school angst and activist awaking in this coming of age tale. Punk wasn't the music that found me, but I still remember the high of finding a new favorite band or song that felt as if it spoke right to my teen soul. This book is a testament to the power of music to reach into the dark and pull someone out into the light.

Falling Back in Love With Being Human written and read by Kai Cheng Thom 

Short and sweet, this book is half confession, half spell book. Each chapter is written as a letter- to trans women, to activists, to sex workers, to johns, to those contemplating suicide, to TERFs, to children's book writers- each followed with a little action or ritual. I listened to it as an audiobook and loved hearing the letters in the author's voice, but I can also see how reading it in print and lingering over each letter one at a time would be wonderful too.

The Great Beyond by Lea Murawiec translated by Aleshia Jensen 

Manel Naher is an anti-social and idiosyncratic young woman living an endless city in which everyone advertises their own names on street signs, sandwich boards, at social events, on business cards, and by simply shouting them at strangers. This may not sound so different from our own world except that it's driven by an even more intense desperation: if one's name is not known, and one's presence fades fully from people's minds, and the forgotten person will literally die. Manel wants nothing more than to escape the city into the wilds beyond it, but her presence is so low she suffers a near fatal heart attack and is scared into a fearful scramble to gain enough fame to live. Her attempts to claw her way into people's memories is surprisingly successful, and in the process of becoming one of the 1% she leaves behind everything and everyone she loved. Never before have I read a comic that felt so much like literary spec-fic. The concepts are fascinating and the cartooning knocked me off my feet. A visual masterpiece I'll be thinking about for a long time to come.

The Spectred Isle by KJ Charles read by Ruairi Carter

Saul Lazenby is a disgraced archeologist who served time for a war crime during the recent WWI. Back in England, disowned by his family, he struggled to support himself. The only job he is able to secure is as a personal assistant to a batty old major who believes in fairy stories and keeps sending Saul off to various parts of London to investigate supposedly occult sites. Saul knows it's all fake but he keeps investigating anyway... and then a tree bursts in flames in front of him. And a mysterious gentleman keeps showing up at the same sites of sacred groves or ancient wells which Saul's been sent to look at. That gentleman is Richard Glide, who just happens to be the heir to one of the oldest arcane families in England. And he can't tell if Saul is causing the spiritual problems that keep occurring around him or if it's all an unlikely coincidence. This historical romance is a fun and quick read, shorter than most of the KJ Charles books I've read before. Be warned, the end sets up a sequel which has not, and may not, ever actually come out- but I still enjoyed this one on it's own.

Red at the Bone by Jacqueline Woodson 

A gorgeous, nonlinear novel about three generations of a Black family living in New York between roughly the early 1990s to the mid 2000s. The chapters rotate between multiple POVs, covering moments of change, tension, or reflection for the family. The opening scene is the evening of a debut party for sixteen year old Melody, who wears the dress her own mother was supposed to wear at her debut... except that she was already pregnant. From that moment, the narrative spins back time to how each character arrived there: Iris, a teen who refused to give up her baby but also refused to settle into motherhood; Aubrey, a young man in love with a girl who was already leaving him; Iris's mother Sabe, a daughter of a survivor of the Tulsa massacre, a women who stores her money in gold bars hidden around the house; Iris's father Po'boy, who as a young man ran races, and as an old man holds more love for his family that his body can carry. The character work here is so strong- I was immediately swept away into the cares, worries, secrets, and longings of the family. I read the whole book in one day, but I'll be thinking about it for a long time.

We Are The Land: A Native History of California by Damon B Akins and William J Bauer Jr 

It took me a long time to read this book, as it was challenging to read a history of genocide while also seeing genocide in my phone every single day. But I'm ultimately very glad that I finished it. This is a well researched, approachable, indigenous-authored history of the native people in the land now called California. I enjoyed how place specific this book is. I felt much more connected to the history recognizing nearly every place name, and once the book got passed around the year 1900 I started to also recognize names of organizations that still exist and activists who I'm familiar with. I have a much better understanding of the patchwork creation of and the broken promises of the reservations, land allotments, and rancherias. I was happy whenever the book mentioned Pomo master basket weavers Elsie Allen and Mable McKay, who my mom has been telling me about for years, or Greg Sarris, Santa Rosa based chairman of the Graton Rancheria and author. I have a better understanding of this land where I have lived and worked all my life after reading this book.

Zodiac: A Graphic Novel by Ai Weiwei, Elettra Stamboulis and Gianluca Costantini

I've been following Ai Weiwei's work since about 2010, and was absolutely delighted to learn he was releasing a comic memoir. I managed to snag a signed copy though the Comix Experience Graphic Novel of the Month Club and I will treasure it. This book is organized into 12 chapters, each themed around one animal from the zodiac. It weaves together slice of life moments from Ai Weiwei's day to day life, stories of his father (the revolutionary poet Ai Qing), memories of Ai's time as an art student in New York, his incarceration, time spent with his mother, his partner, and his son, conversations with artist friends and some of his international exhibitions. It is not a tight narrative; it wanders, it indulges in myths and fairy tales, it is open ended and I enjoyed it so much. It was written along with Elettra Stamboulis, and draw in a delicate lose line art style by Gianluca Costantini. A few of the lines from the end of the book haven't left my head since I read them: "Freedom of speech and human rights are not given to anybody for free. They always come through fighting and struggle" (101); "Any artist who isn't an activist is a dead artist" (165) and "... the purpose of art, which is to fight for freedom."(166)

Witchy Vol 2 by Ariel Salmat Ries 

This volume was just as beautifully drawn as book 1; the cartooning is masterful, but I don't have a very good sense of where the larger plot is going. This book was mostly a long side quest in which Nyneve learned how to make a broom under an exiled gay broom making master. I enjoyed this! However it didn't particularly seem to move the story forward. I will keep reading, but the sense of drama and urgency from the beginning of the first book is slightly missing here.

No Gods, No Monsters by Cadwell Turnbull read by Dion Graham  

What a ride! I went into this book knowing almost nothing, and I think that was the right way to go so I shall not summarize the plot. This is the first book of a series; it's ambitious, it's weird, it's got a very large and extremely diverse cast; it is such a fresh and original take on a contemporary sci-fi in which the world realizes that monsters, gods, and magic have existed all along. I worried a little in the first third that the book maybe had too many POV characters, most of whom seemed very unconnected from each other except by geographical proximity to either Cambridge, Mass, or the island of St Thomas. However by the end almost all of the characters had been at least tenuously linked by plot events in a way that really worked for me. The book also has trans, nonbinary, asexual, queer, and poly characters whose identities are only revealed slowly, and usually after you've known the character for a while. I am very impressed by the scope of this story and definitely plan to continue with the series.

Arrive In My Hands by Trinidad Escobar 

Sensual, at times tender, at times haunting, this beautiful little book is a collection of lesbian erotic comics from a poet artist at the top of her field. I am definitely biased, having been friends with the author for years, but I also deeply admire this work. The women, witches, and creatures in these stories yearn for pleasure and for freedom; they chase both through oceans, forests, broken suburban towns, and through dreams. The book is perfectly sized to hold close to your heart.

Bird by Bird by Annie Lamott read by Susan Bennett

I've been hearing about this book for years as a writing guide, but it is almost equally a memoir or collection of anecdotes about the writing life. Parts of it worked for me and other parts didn't. The author has a very different type of brain than I have, and the chapters on working through the anxiety, neurosis, and depression she suffered from when trying to write didn't really speak to me at all. I also did not enjoy the handful of flippant jokes about killing yourself when the writing isn't going well. However. There are also some genuinely really moving pieces about writing books as gifts to loved ones, especially loved ones who are soon to leave us. I thought a lot of the advice in the middle about focusing on details, on recording memories, on research, and on character development was really solid, and I want to keep some of it in mind when I start developing my next book. There was also a set of lines in the introduction, about how writers are able to participate in public life while also working from home and without leaving the house which hit the nail on the head of why I entered this career!

Recitatif by Toni Morrison read by Bahni Turpin with an intro written and read by Zadie Smith

I've been wanting to try another Toni Morrison, since the only one I had previously read in high school went completely over my head at age 15. Recitatif is Morrison's only short story, and this audiobook version is read by the wonderful Bahni Turpin (who you might recognize from Angie Thomas or Akwaeke Emezi's audiobooks). Also included in an excellent essay written and read by Zadie Smith. This comes first in the audio, but if you are new to the story as I was, skip the essay and listen to the story first! Then go back and listen to the essay afterwards. This way the cleverness and impact of the story can hit you fully. It is so smart, so well crafted, and such a master class in writing that both reveals and conceals so much about the complicated relationship of two damaged women.

Delicious in Dungeon vol 1 by Ryoko Kui 

I can immediately see why so many people are charmed by this world and these characters! This is the start of a really fun D&D infused adventure story, with a small group of down on their luck adventures deciding to cut their adventuring costs by eating the monsters they kill in the dungeon. The man behind this idea, Laos, is also searching for a missing sister who may or may not have already been eaten by a dragon. I already have books 2 and 3 on hold; I haven't been so captured by a manga series since starting Witch Hat Atelier.

Delicious in Dungeon vol 2 by Ryoko Kui

I devoured this book as quickly as book one. Our adventure party gets a bit deeper into the dungeon and begin to have more meaningful interactions with the beings who dwell there, including an Orc family just trying to get by, golems which grow vegetables on their backs, and living paintings which might reveal more of the buried castle's history.

Delicious in Dungeon vol 3 by Ryoko Kui

A flashback reveals more of the school friendship of Marcelle and Falin; a deep underground lake leads to many encounters with watery monsters of various types. I continue to have a very fun time with this series!

Bunt by Ngozi Ukazu and Mad Rupert

Molly grew up in Peachtree, Georgia, in her lesbian moms' hardware store, in the shadow of the town's prestigious and expensive art college, PICA. Every since she can remember, she's wanted to attend PICA- despite the fact that her best friend dropped out last year and says the school chews people up and spits them out. But Molly got a full ride scholarship, so her first semester should be a breeze, right? No! Because when she shows up to orientation, no one can find her scholarship or even her registration. It turns Molly will have to pay for her first year after all; she takes out some dodgy loans and scours the financial aid booklets for any other scholarship she can apply for. It turns out, if she can scrape up a full team of softball players... and they compete against other college teams in the same division... and they win at least one game over the course of the semester... the whole team gets a free tuition! Is it possible to win one game with a bunch of big-ego, burned-out, athletically-challenged artists? I loved the energy of this story, with many well-informed digs at art school culture and hypocrisy. The team has great chemistry and the art style is full of action, physical humor, and delightfully expressive cartooning.

[emeritus-fuckers]

lesbianism? say no more, my touch starved dyke ass is here

could i please get hcs for the ghoulettes with a enby lesbian goth reader? (sfw or nsfw, whatever you prefer!!)

Ghoulettes with a nonbinary lesbian goth s/o

Cirrus (she/ze)

Cirrus's style is a mish-mash of butch, punk and goth (but in the baby bat way) with comfort being the most important.

You share some stuff if you'd like. Mostly jewelry and make-up, since it's the most gothic part of zir wardrobe.

Cirrus likes to occasionally make her own jewelry, so if you're into that, you two make jewelry together.

She likes Scary Bitches, so if you listen to those, you have karaoke parties together with Cumulus.

Correct people on your pronouns why repeating their every word and then using the correct pronouns, putting an incredible amount of pressure on them, while looking directly in the eyes of the person who used the wrong ones.

Cumulus (she/her)

Cumulus goes primarily for comfy clothing, aesthetic doesn't really matter to her all that much.

But she does admire the people who commit to a style or a subculture. And that includes you, of course.

She'd love to go look for more clothes with you, whether you buy or thrift.

She becomes really fond of the music, to the point of humming some of her favorite songs and using a few of them as a small vocal warm-up.

Corrects people about your gender and pronouns (whichever you use).

She adores the jewelry.

Sunshine (she/her)

Sunshine likes a few songs, but no specific bands.

Her style is more... scene kid meets tomboy metalhead.

But she does like gothic make-up, so she'll absolutely let you mess around with her looks.

Just mind the piercings! She loves her piercings, you know!

She'll proudly wear anything you might gift her and tries her best to find things for you, too. Especially on tour, there's always some cool stuff on the festivals they all play on that you would probably like.

We already know Sunshine's a biter. She likes biting you affectionately... but she also bites others.

Willing to bite the face off of anyone who misgenders you. Just say the word.

Aurora (she/they/fae)

While Aurora doesn't really identify as a lesbian per se, she does identify as femme and loves everything feminine.

She doesn't fully understand what goths are, but once you show her a few kinds of goths, she instantly falls in love with faerie, pastel, perky, fetish and cabaret goth styles, so bonus points if you're one of those.

They start experimenting with faer own style, settling on a combination of her previous femme style with pastel and cabaret goth style.

She loves goth dancing, fae thinks it's absolutely fun and adorable. Giggles every time.

Acts confused and asks a lot of questions if someone uses the wrong pronouns on you. That's not what your pronouns are, why are they using different ones? It doesn't make sense!

Mist (he/she)

He likes how it looks on you, but wouldn't go out of her way to change her style.

Mist is a metalhead. He likes a different kind of music than you do, but she does like Sisters of Mercy, so if you like them too, you guys can chill out to it together.

You both wear a lot of dark eyeshadow and lipstick. She'll let you add the typical goth eye-liner to his look. She quite likes it, really.

Goes to concerts with you and has a good time, but wouldn't listen to the music outside of them.

Willing to start a fight if anyone even tries misgendering you.

~

Written by Nosferatu.

Taglist: @charlie-is-a-menace @copias-fluffy-asscheeks @randodummy @tuttifuckinfruttifriday @calliedion-dungeon @randominstake @callmeicaro @thecuriouss @nuntia @dio-niisio @ethereal-maniac @mamacarlyle @mybotanicaldemise @igodownjustlikeholymary @natoncesaid @plaquerat

[that-pink-magical-girl]

A realistic look on what the twst boys would wear outside of school

Riddle - probably wears preppy clothes, sometimes try to be hip and cool but fail miserably.

Trey - at best a t shirt and cargo shorts. I dont think he cares that much. I could be wrong

Cater - hip and cool, wearing all sorts of things that he thinks is cool

Deuce - The 6th grade fit. I will not elaborate.

Ace - wears funny T shirts and jeans. 

Leona - whatever Ruggie buys him. Wore that god awful leopard print for camp.

Ruggie - Surprisingly well coordinated outfits?! He has a sporty and comfy vibe.

Jack - workout clothes, or clothing easy to move around in. Buys with practicality in mind. 

Azul - Probably still wears well put together clothing with layers that makes him look sophisticated. very nice. Good job Azul.

Jade - Doesnt really care. Wears cozy or nice clothing. Owns a pair of mushroom earrings. They were given by the prefect. Wears them a lot outside of school. Let jade wear more earrings. 

Floyd - Only wears the most god awful shirt that makes your eyes bleed. And ironically wears outdated meme clothing. Also has earrings, but their weird. He has worm on the string earrings, those weird baby earrings, bubble blower earrings that you can actually blow bubbles from, and much more. Honestly slay.

Kalim - I see him wearing light modern street wear, or anything he thinks look cool. Still has a cute or light hearted flair. Has a lot of Accessories

Jamil - He also likes street wear, but he likes it more edgy and dark. 

Vil - Its Vil. He is a icon. He is the moment. 

Rook - Wears movable clothing so he can be sneaky and move around freely. Probably has poet shirts with billowy sleeves. Fun fact! Poet shirts with billowy sleeves is one of my favorite genders!

Epel - PLEASE Please please give this country boi a flannel shirt. And maybe a cowboy hat and cowboy . Please. I dont ask for much. Vil gives epel flowery preppy clothes, but Epel buys himself cool clothes that he likes outside of school like band shirts. 

Idia - Comfy clothes for laying around in. Cool anime reference shirts.

Ortho - Uhhhhhhhhhh

Malleus - wears princely fae clothing because he likes the aesthetic 

Lilia - Meme shirts with bad color combos. Wears cargo shorts with socks and sandals to embarrass everyone

Sebek - wears normal clothing but sometimes wears full on chain mail because he has no chill. 

Silver - cozy pjamas and Simple T shirts. He has onesizes. :)

[thekindisco]

ID PACK FOR A SHAPESHIFTING FAE OF STARS AND STORMS

NAMES:

Femme: Estelle, Lunar, Nebula, Skye, Miranda(Like from The Tempest), Astra, Nova, Stormy.

Masc: Orion(Related to the constellation), Astro, Comet, Stellan, Axy(from Galaxy), Raine.

Neutral: Spark, Gale, Cyclone, Hail, Storm, Cosmo.

PRONOUNS

Poly/morph/morphs

Rain/cloud/raincloudself

Star/stars/starself

Shift/shifts/shiftself

Mid/night/midnightself

Twi/twi/twiself

Hail/hails/hailself

Thun/der/thunderself

Drip/drop/dripdropself

Moon/moon/moonself

Voi/void/voidself

Sol/lar/solarself

Gust/gust/gustself

⭐/⭐/⭐self

🌠/🌠/🌠self

🌌/🌌/🌌self

🌃/🌃/🌃self

⛈️/⛈️/⛈️self

🌀/🌀/🌀self

⚡/⚡/⚡self

GENDERS

Stormgender - a non-binary xenogender where someone’s gender feels connected to storms and rainy weather.

Tempestdeusic - a xenogender related to rainstorms, harsh, gusty wind, rain, trees, and being a storm deity. It feels like the awesome power of storms and wind (https://www.tumblr.com/eccentric-kalki-talde/680371710950801408?source=share)

Astrumgender - a xenogender identity in which one's gender feels deeply connected to stars and constellations, like lights in a void, or like there is a light bursting within the user.

Caelgender - an aesthetically-centered gendered that is largely focused on space related things (such as stars, aliens, planets, galaxies, and black holes).

Eterigender - a xenogender that is connected to being in the stars, and feels ethereal, light, and soft.

Astranoirian - an aesthetically-centered gendered that is largely focused on space related things (such as stars, aliens, planets, galaxies, and black holes).

-mod fae

[fruixtii]

hey a little tag game i want to try!!! order your favorite twst dorms from least fave to favorite!

Scarabia: their characters on their own are good but seeing them together makes me extremely uncomfortable?? it’s probably because the orientalism plus people shipping together..it’s not jamil and kalims fault but i have a complicated relationship with scarabia

Octavinelle: idk they just don’t stand out to me. jade is neat but i feel like the tweels are overhyped. don’t really have an opinion about azul

Savanaclaw: again the characters are great but. as a whole they don’t stand out to me. i love jack and ruggie but leona 😬 if you got rid of the sarcasm and smug expression he would be a cool character (i kin him more than i would like) but i feel like he’s wasted potential. also book 2 was the hardest to get through because it was so boring it really did them dirty

Heartslabyul: the card guys!! don’t really care much about them either..i usually like alice in wonderland vibes but their dorm uniforms are the worst things i’ve ever seen. WHY DO THEY WEAR T-SHIRTS?? other than that i don’t have much to say about them.

Pomefiore: THE GAYS okay they’re awesome. this is mostly because of rook i just really like rook. and rookvil. epels great to actually. also on the complete opposite note their dorm uniforms are amazing (maybe even my favorite) i would totally wear them myself. but even though they’re in the top three i don’t really think about them more than any of the other dorms.

Ignihyde: okay of course my second favorite dorm is the cute family. what did you expect. but also they are so interesting?? book 6 has been the best book so far especially with all the lore. also ortho is best boy AND LITERALLY A ROBOT. how can you not like precious robot boy who loves his brother. also their designs are cool the hades hair and teeth are very gender.

Diasomnia: you already knew this was coming. my beloved dark romanticism found family dorm<33 i am literally obsessed with them okay. not only are their designs peak gender but they’re WRITING is so. augh. just the contrast between them. we got two faes who are centuries old and have experienced years upon years of hardship. war. suffering. and then we have two (one and a half) humans who have never experienced loss. or grief. they are honest and hardworking and loyal, they represent youth and joy!! and yet they all have so much LOVE and TRUST for eachother it makes me go INSANE!!!! also you can never miss with gothic aesthetics and fairies…literally the greatest thing out there

anyways in conclusion i think any dorm that isn’t diasomnia and doesn’t have tragedy and fate weaved inside them are plain and boring. if i placed your favorite dorm low feel free to tell me why im wrong and why they are the best!! i would love to hear :)) (also feel free to include ramshackle too)

tagging: @rayroseu-reblogs @ethanwinterfan69 @drdepper @shrimpyjustwrites @llondonfog @wondergeek @frogeloise @morays @hxneylavendxr @teslathelame @the-v-lociraptor @anotherlavendergay @chaoticsnacc @aloodonut @valsol-909 if you guys would like<3

[rosanna-writer]

Ok, but in this scenario is there a boating accident in which mermaid!Feyre has to rescue the idiot prince from drowning? Has she secretly been in love with him for years from afar and longs to walk among the other Fae of Velaris? Can mermaids even shift form to the appropriate parts needed for sex!?

Ok. So.

Do I have any plans to write mermaid!Feyre? No. Have I thought about this too much? Yes.

Putting this under a cut because I think it'll get long.

You CANNOT convince me there isn't weird shit living in the Sidra. River that passes through a magical city??? There's no way it's just some normal fish and plants in there. And since we know the Spring Court has water-wraiths living in at least one of their lakes, I think it stands to reason that there are some river mermaids living there. (Love at First Sight's for Suckers almost had Feyre as a Sidra water-wraith instead of a shadow-wraith!)

IN ADDITION

SIDRA. RIVER. BOAT. RACES. ARE. CANON. (In ACOFAS Rhys says, "I’d grown up in these houses, attending the parties and feasts that lasted long into the night, spending bright summer days lazing on the sloping lawns, cheering the summer boat races on the Sidra."). Drunken party boy prince falling off a boat and into Feyre's arms??? It's a perfect meet cute. There's even potential for a childhood-friends-to-lovers story if Feyre's a Sidra mermaid (just the thought of her being the first person Rhys seeks out every time he gets a chance to visit Velaris during breaks in his training in Illyria......it's so cute)

Look at the boathouses of Philadelphia and tell me they don't give you Velaris vibes:

But if you're a mermaid purist and insist that Feyre needs to live in the sea? As @thesistersarcheron would remind you, the Night Court is bordered by the sea on three sides. There is a LOT of untapped potential with things like pre-High Lord Rhys serving in the Night Court navy during the war, mermaid!Rhys and NightCourtSailor!Feyre, and the general aesthetic of the cold, icy sea in the far north Night Court.

Mermaid sex just requires some imagination:

I think a dude from Crescent City also has a pouch that opens up??? I'm not really a Crescent City fan so idk for sure, don't quote me on that. But in general, I think the concept of a hidden pouch (with or without a dick inside and regardless of gender, mermaid!Feyre penetrating Rhys would be hot, for example) more or less solves the mermaid sex conundrum.

And finally, we can't talk about Feysand and the sea without a mention of MB's lovely tentacle sea monster Rhys Feysand fic: High Tide Came And Brought You In (and in addition, if you're interested in a non-oceanic Feysand story about lesser fae Feyre secretly being in love with Night Court prince Rhys, Bejeweled is one of my favorites)

[avelera]

I dunno what it is about Hob/Dream that makes me reconsider tropes I would normally never touch with a ten-foot pole (ex. Royalty AU) but while half asleep I got clocked between the eyes by an Arranged Marriage AU idea (but not a "No Powers" AU and yes I can explain) than I'm 90% sure I won't write but...

I got hit with the idea that sometime pre-fishbowl, Dream and Desire have one of their friendly-but-not-so-friendly little wagers (we're talking peak Bitchy Dream era) here that ends with Dream losing the bet. Desire's demanded reward is that Dream has to spend a year "living as a human" and no, he doesn't get to just go off and be an artist somewhere and live some half-fae life of his choosing, he has to live an actual normal life of Desire's choosing. And they choose for Dream to live as a wife (or spouse, really, gender is kind of immaterial to Dream and Desire but he'll be perceived as whatever makes sense for the situation he's in by humans) somewhere in the world for a year, like actually see what it's like to be a human who doesn't have total autonomy to go wherever and do whatever they want.

Dream (or perhaps Death intervenes as a wingman lol) does manage to get the chosen "partner" to not be a total stranger and of course, picks Hob Gadling as his partner for this year. The era is kind of immaterial but I am imagining 1789 or 1889 era Hob for this as making the most sense (really, it just comes down to aesthetics). Dream figures this challenge will be no big deal, human life isn't that complicated, but would rather not risk being with someone actively cruel or abusive. Desire finds these terms acceptable (and if that wasn't the first alarm bell, Dream's not paying attention, because actually Desire is in this waaaay more to watch Dream fall haplessly in love with a human than caring that he picks up some life lessons about being human, that's just a bonus).

Anyway, cue Hob getting "mortal" Dream dropped on his doorstep and hearing the terms of how Dream's going to be his partner for a year and they're going to live as usual and he's just like, "Ummm....?? (SO many fantasies at once happening right now I'm not sure I'm awake or not but I'm also very freaked out by this, wait you have SIBLINGS??)" But when he tries to demurr Dream just informs him that if he doesn't accept, Dream will be with someone else for a year and of course Hob can't have that.

Cue: shenanigans.

[bassguitarinablackt-shirt]

Bad Descriptions of All My Characters (part 2 technically)

Power Doesn't Guarantee Glory:

Aria Allen (they/she):Short little girl liker who is somehow friends with everyone and is a constant presence in the story even when they aren't truly there

Alex Ruinde (he/they):He read too much twilight as a kid and the aloof mysterious aesthetics seeped into his brain, also they probably listen to hozier

Mathew Mckoy (he/him):A 15 year old who thinks he could beat god in a fistfight. He's absolutely correct.

Salveria Ramel (she/her):Simultaneously the least and most plot important character

Eli Roile (he/him):So much cringy middleschooler energy

Frey Ruinde (she/her):A 12 year old girl already holding the weight of her family's issues on her shoulders

Oriana Mckoy (she/her):She deserves to be a little bit of a judgemental bitch. As a treat.

Inora Luis (she/her):Religiously traumatized librarian

Lani Morina (any pronouns):Butch lesbian who probably ate dirt as a kid

–––

Built on Bones and Flowers

Antoine Villeneuve (he/him):He's trying okay? It's not his fault his parents were aristocratic assholes

Vixen Valentine (any pronouns):Overdramatic goth researcher who's gender is whatever happens to be funniest at the moment

Celestine Maxwell (they/fae/she):Proof all you need in your life is a transfem inventor girl

Arden Clayborne (xe/he/they):The definition of "how could someone so smart be so dumb...?"

Melian Doyle (he/him):Former depressed fuckboy alcoholic, current depressed married coffee addict

Analie Villeneuve (she/her):Elegant sword lesbian

Silas Doyle (he/him):Would let a man stab him if the guy was pretty enough

Alexandra Slater (she/they):Butch sword lesbian

–––

The Inhuman Fascination With the Human Mind

Orion (he/him):Freaky little automaton dude who throws rocks at kids

Oz (they/he):They're everything society hates and he loves it

Opal (they/them):Stereotypical horror movie child

Nathalie (she/her):Simultaneously a doll pretending to be human and a human pretending to be a doll

–––

Corrupted Royalty WIP

Casimir Clement (he/xe):Flower shop owner soul in the body of a prince

Fletcher Clement (he/him):Spoiled brat pretending to be a gentleman

Celeste Clement (she/he):Bigender bisexual in the sense that she is simultaneously a he/him lesbian and a she/her gay man. Also he was accused of murder and everyone went "yeah she would do that"

Alistair Evans (they/he/she):Therapy and a relationship with a slight power imbalance would probably fix them but that's not what happens

Cordelia (she/fae):Beautiful, elegant, mysterious woman who knows a suspicious amount about the royal family for the leader of a criminal group trying to take down the monarchy

Rigil (he/it):So chill and down to earth you almost forget he's wanted for murder

Cyrus (he/him):This baby can fit so many metaphorical skeletons in his closet

Fredge (any pronouns):Woah turns out the closest thing this group has to a mechanic/doctor/chef is a 15 year old who says shit like "actually im gender evil"

Tip (she/her):Bloody little girl. Will bite if you steal her snacks.

–––

Tagging: @literatureisdying @gently-decaying-flowers @imslowlydisintegrating @clearcloudlesssky @olive-riggzey @serendipminiewrites @asoulsreverie @talesfromtheunknowable @j-snapdragon @holdmyteaplease @lordcatwich @sm-writes-chaos @enne-uni @sneebl @sixthesnek @leisoree @dandelions-fly-in-summer-skies @the-stars-sing @shadow-of-tea-and-tea (sorry guys i just think you might be interested in my writing lmk if you want me to not tag you in stuff like this in the future)

please feel free to send asks about my writing i thrive off of answering questions

[en8y]

[IMAGE ID: four horizontal flags with nine stripes. the middle stripe is twice as large as the rest of them, which are equally sized. the first flag has these top three colors: warm grey, light cool grey, and olive green. the second flag has these top three colors: dark olive green, rose gold, and pink. the third flag has these top three colors: medium brown, warm yellow, and medium red. the fourth flag has these top three colors: dark cool green, pastel blue, and dark warm purple. each flag has these bottom six stripes: dark grey, off-white, dark grey, medium-dark grey, light grey and medium-light grey. END ID.]

responder + supervisor + entry + caller systems

responder system (resp-, respo-, respon-, or -respond): a gender connected to being a/an [XYZ] responder; this gender is connected to [XYZ], [XYZ] aesthetics, being knowledgeable and/or helpful, hotline aesthetics, analog horror, and being a responder in the home safety hotline sense!

supervisor system (supe-, super-, or -visor): a gender connected to being a/an [XYZ] supervisor; this gender is connected to [XYZ], [XYZ] aesthetics, being knowledgeable and/or a fae, hotline aesthetics, analog horror, and being a supervisor in the home safety hotline sense!

entry system (entri- or -entry): a gender connected to being a/an [XYZ] entry; this gender is connected to [XYZ], [XYZ] aesthetics, being otherworldly, scary, or a pest, hotline aesthetics, analog horror, and being an entry in the home safety hotline browser!

caller system (call- calle- -caller): a gender connected to being a/an [XYZ] caller; this gender is connected to [XYZ], [XYZ] aesthetics, being scared, confused, or angry, hotline aesthetics, analog horror, and being a caller in the home safety hotline sense!

@radiomogai @liom-archive @obscurian @gendersystems @role-systems