#isle of elsi

[isleofelsi]

The second book collection of my award-winning, Eisner-nominated webcomic Isle of Elsi is now available for online ordering!

You can also download a $0+ PDF ebook from my Ko-Fi shop:

[illarian-rambling]

Thanks for the tag @mysticstarlightduck!

Worldbuilding in Five

Rules: post 3-5 images of a place in your world and tell us a bit about it!

Hm, I've got a lot of places in my world. Let's go with Nacé and Yewbury!

1) Nacé

Nacé is a Skysheerian colony city past the far east of the Iarlan continent, on the Gymnari Isles. It was once a proper, stately colony that paid homage to the Skysheerian queen. However, as the neglect of their mother country grew, they became a beacon for pirates and lawdodgers of all sorts. The only contact it has with Skysheer anymore is through the taxman.

The Outcasts quartet spend their four year of time skip here, hiding out from the various organizations they're wanted by. It's a rowdy, old city, half sunk into the swamp that coats the island. As many different folk call Nacé home as they do Unity, leading to a very diverse population, if a disreputable one. There are more dive bars in Nacé than anywhere else on Illaros. Their wharves are as extensive as the corruption in their law enforcement. The people are generally known to be unflappable and jaded. The one single thing Nacé is strict with is its quarantine code. As an island city that relies on its shipping business to survive, it has to be.

2) Yewbury

Yewbury is the capital city of the Republic province of Skolan, the magical powerhouse of the extensive empire. Ergo, Yewbury is the magical center of Illaros. Its Yewbury College of the Arcane, as well as its Archive, are renowned worldwide.

The city itself is a dour, rainy place, full of dour, gray people. There's a sort of citywide superiority complex about their magical prowess. Yewberites see themselves as cultured and refined, as citizens of the most erudite place in the world. They look down on anyone they think doesn't meet their standards. Astra learned her skill in magic and runes here, and she hates the place for how it treated her.

Tagging @somethingclevermahogony @elsie-writes @kaylinalexanderbooks @revenantlore @autism-purgatory and anyone else who'd like to do this :)

[kanzakurawrites]

Descendant's Character List Part One: AK's

I have been asked to make a list of characters who appear in my fics, both book canon and ocs, so... I apologize for how long this is going to be. (The only characters excluded on this list are those who appear in the movies).

This is everyone born before the first Descendants movie. I may add on to this list as time goes on and more characters are created. All ages are the ages at the time of D1. I headcanon that the first movie takes place in March-April of 2015, or A.C. 20

Alice:

"Ally" Allison (Canon) - First seen in Wicked World. I made "Ally" be a nickname. Longs to be a detective, and works at her mother's tea shop. 15

Aladdin & Jasmine:

Prince Aziz (Canon) - First mentioned in The Isle of the Lost. 17

Prince Amir (Canon?) - His name is said during the Tourney Game in the first movie, spelled Amir according to subtitles. His jersey says Emir, but I went with the "A" spelling and made him Aladdin and Jasmine's son. 15

Princess Jamila (OC) - The baby of the family. 12

Anastasia and Dimitri:

Princess Alina (OC) - 18

Prince Damien (OC) - 14

Princess Dasha (OC) - 13

Anna & Kristoff:

Prince Aleksander (OC) - Heir to Arendalle. His friend group consists of Pierre, Emery, Ruby and Erica. 18

Prince Aksel (OC) - Best friends with Elsie and Ben, good friends with Reiner. 16

Prince Asmund (OC) - 13

Princess Kari (OC) - Best friends with Eira. 9

Princess Klara (OC) - The youngest of the family, and friends with Clementine Charming. 7

Ariel & Eric:

Princess Melody (Canon) - First appeared in The Little Mermaid 2. She's quite a bit older than her little sisters, and is married with kids of her own (all ocs who won't really appear much). The only reason she hasn't taken over her parents kingdom was at King Beast's request to wait until Ben became High King. 32

Princess Abi (OC) - She is older than Ebba by only 6 minutes, but unlike her sister she doesn't have as strong of a call to the sea. With that said, she is still a mermaid. 16

Princess Ebba (OC) - Ebba loves the sea and everything to do with it. 16

Princess Elle (Canon-ish) I believe she was confirmed by Kenny Ortega. She was born without the use of her legs, but thanks to her grandfather, is able to transform into a mermaid. 14

Aurora and Phillip:

Prince Pierre (OC) - Audrey's older brother and heir to Aurora and Phillip's kingdom. He is dating Ruby Fitzherbert. 20

"Cinderella" Ella and Kit:

Princess Karine (OC) - Chad's younger sister. She's best friends with Reiner. 14

Prince Emil (OC) - He has not yet started at Auradon Prep. 11

Princess Clementine (OC) - 6

Elsa:

Erica (OC) - Inherited her mother's powers, but grew up in the Arendalle castle with her cousins at King Beast's "request". 19

Eira (OC) - Best friends with her cousin Kari. Unlike her sister, Eira got to be raised in Northuldra. She has powers similar to Elsa's. 10

Esmerelda & Phoebus:

Zephyr (Canon) - First seen in Hunchback of Notre Dame 2. Best friends with Li Shang Jr. 19 as of D1

Genie & Dalia (From the live action Aladdin)

Lian (Canon) - Seen in the live action Aladdin movie. 22

Omar (Canon) - Seen in the live action Aladdin movie. 21

Jordan (Canon) First seen in Wicked World. 15

Hercules and Megara:

"Herkie" Hyllus (Canon) - Mentioned in the books. I made "Herkie" a nickname while naming him after on of mythology-Hercules son's. 16 as of D1

Makaria (Kinda Oc) - Named after one of mythology-Hercules daughters. 15 as of D1

Merida & Feradach (Bravely book):

Marette (OC) - The eldest of Merida's triplets. Marette is a dreamer, and loves to be out in the highlands. 15

Moira (OC) - 1 hour younger than Marette, and 30 minutes older than Maisie. Moira is a warrior, she's trained to be one. 15

Maisie (OC) - The youngest of the girls and the most "lady-like". 15

Mulan & Shang:

Li Shang Jr (Canon) - Mentioned in Rise of the Isle of the Lost. 19.

Rapunzel and Eugene:

(I accidentally put Elsie and Reiner as 14. They are not. They are 15 in D1)

Prince Emery (OC) - Heir to Corona. 19

Princess Ruby (Wicked World) - She's in her last year of school and dating Pierre. 18

Prince Reiner (OC) - The heir to the Dark Kingdom. He's Elsie's fraternal twin, and his best friend is Karine Charming. He's also good friends with Aksel and Ben, partially due to his sister's friendship with them. 15

Princess Elsie (OC) - Reiner's fraternal twin sister. She's a lot more bubbly than her twin brother, and is best friends with Aksel and Ben. 15

Princess Edeline (OC) - She's not quite as friendly as her siblings, and is focused on ballet. 14

Princess Rosalind (OC) - She was a surprise baby and has her older siblings all wrapped around her finger. Along with most of Corona as well. 5

Robin Hood & Maid Marian:

Rowan Hood (OC) - 18 as of D1.

Bobby Hood (Canon) - 17. Mentioned in the books.

Mason Hood (OC) - 16 as of D1

Roger and Anita Radcliffe:

Rebecca (OC) - 15 as of D1

Andrew (OC) - 13 as of D1

Snow White & Florian:

Princess Sandra (OC) - 14

Princess Sascha (OC) - 8

Tiana & Naveen:

Princess Teresa (OC) - 17

Prince Tyrone (Canonish?) - His name is on a Tourney jersey, I just gave him parents and a personality. 16

Princess Naomi (OC) - She's best friends with Carolina, her Aunt Charlotte's daughter. 14

The Madrigals (Yes, I'm putting them all together):

Dominique (OC) - Dolores and Mariano's oldest. 8

Felix (OC) - Dolores and Mariano's son, named after his grandpa. Nicknamed Fe. 6

Ines (OC) - Isabella's oldest. 6

Emmanuel (OC) - Luisa's oldest. 6

Soraya (OC) - Isabella's youngest. 4

Catalina (OC) - Camilo's daughter. 4

Mercedes (OC) - Dolores and Mariano's daughter. 3

Lorenzo (OC) - Luisa's son. 2

Natalia (OC) - Camilo's daughter. 1

Others:

Koa (OC) - The son of Kida and Milo, and heir to Atlantis. 21

Derek (Canon) - First mentioned in Escape from the Isle of the Lost. Dopey's son, Doug's older brother. 18

Tiger Peony (Canon) - First mentioned in Return to the Isle of the Lost. 17

Brendan (Canonish) - He's on the Tourney team, I just gave him parents. Son of Big Nose and Assunta (Tangled: The Series). 17

Colton (OC) - Charlotte la Bouff's son. 17.

Carolina (OC) - Charlotte's daughter. Best friends with Naomi. 14

Arabella (Canon) - Seen in Rise of the Isle of the Lost, Arabella is one of Ariel's nieces. 14

Lorne (OC) - The daughter of Leezie, a character from the book Bravely. 14

Callum (OC) - The son of Leezie, and younger brother to Lorne. 12

Graham (OC) - Leezie's youngest child. 7

Pin (Canon) - Mentioned in Return to the Isle of the Lost. Son of Pinocchio. 13

Maia (OC) - The daughter of Kida and Milo. She wasn't happy about being sent to Auradon Prep. 12

Artie (Canon) - Mentioned in Return to the Isle of the Lost. Son of Arthur. 11

Marin (OC) - Daughter of Melody, Ariel and Eric's oldest grandchild. 9

Malik (OC) - Son of Melody. 7

Mahalia (OC) - Daughter of Moana. 8

Finlay (OC) - Son of Hamish, one of Merida's brothers. 3

Murdoch (OC) - Son of Hubert, one of Merida's brothers. 2

Amelia (OC) - Daughter of Hamish. 2

Ean (OC) - Son of Harris, one of Merida's brothers. 1

I'm sorry if this is confusing! And with how long it is, there's not much to say about all the characters. But feel free to ask me about any of them, or even give suggestions for other Disney characters who might have kids!

The Vks

[scotianostra]

On May 10th 1850 Thomas Lipton, founder of the Lipton's grocery chain was born in Glasgow.

Before the big supermarkets took over we lhad ots of wee ones, every street had a Liptons, or a Galbraith even a Templetons!

Liptons was one of the originals started by a guy from Glasgow who built an empire and the tea brand still bares his name.

Born in a tenement flat in Crown Street, the Gorbals, Liptons parents were Irish and had left the Emerald Isle during the potato famine, the smallholding their family had farmed on for generations no longer viable they settled in Glasgow. 'Tommy' Lipton was educated at St. Andrew's Parish School close to Glasgow Green and by the time Tommy was 12 his parents had a shop in the street they lived selling ham, butter, and eggs. It was with the aim of supplementing his parents' limited income that Thomas Lipton left school at the age of thirteen and found employment as a printer's errand boy, and later as a shirtcutter. He also enrolled at a night school, the Gorbals Youth's School, during this period. He then found work as a cabin boy a steamer running between Glasgow and Belfast and was captivated by life aboard the ship and the stories told by sailors who had traveled to the US After being let go by the steamer company, Lipton quickly used the wages he had saved to purchase passage on a ship bound for the U.S., where he would spend five years working and traveling all over the country.

Back in Scotland on his 21st birthday, In 1871 Lipton opened his firstown shop at 101 Stobcross Street in Glasgow. In the heart of industrial Glasgow, full of smoke and fog, the shop was said to be so brightly lit that at night it became a beacon in the street. Goods were stacked in the American fashion, not for the convenience of the proprietors, but with the purpose of catching the customers’ attention. Lipton used another selling technique learned from his time in the States and from his Mother's shop.

When his parents had opened their small shop, Mrs. Lipton, rather than deal with middlemen at the markets, dealt directly with the farmers of her homeland. Lipton followed this example. He bought his bacon, eggs, butter and other produce directly from Irish farmers. The firm traded as a supermarket until 1982 when another group bought the shops that were to become Presto’s, the decision was made as they wanted to solely concentrate on the Tea business which it does to this day, in 2009 Lipton received a Corporate Green Globe Award for its work with the Rainforest Alliance.

As well as the tea and the shops but Lipton was also a keen sailor, he holds a place in the America’s Cup heart as being the most reliably consistent and deftly congenial loser. Five times he challenged for the Cup, five times being defeated. Despite his best laid plans and momentous effort to win the cup, the tea magnate simply didn’t cut the mustard. Nonetheless, he did have a penchant for beautiful boats. His last challenger, Shamrock V, never really stood a chance of winning the race but it did win marks for pure beauty. His well-publicised efforts to win the cup, which earned him a specially designed cup for “the best of all losers”, and also made his tea famous in the United States.

During the first world war Thomas Lipton helped organisations of medical volunteers. He placed his yachts at the disposal of the Red Cross, the Scottish Women's Hospitals Committee of Dr. Elsie Inglis, the Serbian Supporting Fund, etc., for the transport of medical volunteers (doctors and nurses) and medical supplies. Not content with just allowing his boats to be used he also took a keen interest in the work of Elsie Inglis and the womans hospital, visiting Serbia, where he insisted on humble lodgings and was renowned for his humility and modesty. .In addition to visiting many hospitals, where he encouraged doctors, nurses and soldiers, he found time to attend traditional fairs and to take a part in blackberry gathering and fishing. Sir Thomas Lipton was proclaimed an honorary citizen of the city of Niš.

Lipton even made the cover of Time magazine during 1924. He was knighted in 1901. Sir Thomas Lipton passed away on 2nd October 1931 in London and is buried alongside his parents and siblings in Glasgow's Southern Necropolis, his grave, like the man himself, a humble, simple understated affair, he bequeathed the majority of his fortune to his native city of Glasgow, including his yachting trophies, which are now on display at the Kelvingrove Gallery.

[vigoburrito]

I will be at Cartoon Crossroads (10/8/22-10/9/22) this weekend! I will be exhibiting at the expo on the weekend with copies of Growing Up Gerudo (Child Arc Part 1 and the zine), original comic The Divine Intervention, and autobiography zine The Art of Existence at my booth! I will also be teaching with cartoonist Alec Longstreth (Isle of Elsi) a webcomic workshop on Sunday! 

I look forward to seeing any of you guys there! 

-A. “Junior” Vigorito

[somethingclevermahogony]

Find the Word

I was tagged by @elizaellwrites , thank you!

My Words Are: Oath, Save, Aim, Major, and Cadence

Your words Are: Fish, Run, Screech, Down, and Drumming

Oath(s)

Narul stopped and pivoted to see who had spoken. Fifteen men spewed forth from a nearby hallway. Their bronze spears and armor gleamed in the torchlight, and the fearsome lions painted across their rounded shields snarled and barred black teeth. They were not the lackluster bullies, merchant’s sons, and reprobates who filled the ranks of the city guard; they were mercenaries, brought to Chibal from the rough southern isles of Korithia and Knosh to protect the Hall of Oaths and its masters.

Save

“Because we’re slaves. I don’t owe her father any kindness. I just do my job so I get fed and not hurt, my job is to clean the stables, scrub walls, and serve beer, not to save falling brats.” Suru said. Dunar nodded in agreement.

Aim

The two sides fought like clashing lions, blood speckled the polished shields of the Apunians and soiled the feathered crests of the Kishites. Carrion birds swirled high above, bald vultures and black crows. On both sides, great plumes of fire would sporadically erupt from the earth and whirling torrents of wind threw men like children’s dolls. This was the work of the sages. They sat atop chariots, eyes closed and faces gaunt. Akard could hear his own sages as they cried out to the spirits, struggling to be heard over the clash of swords and spears. Their magic was not strong enough to turn the tide of the battle by itself, and so instead their aim was to disrupt formations, to weaken and scatter.

Major

Akard sighed and began to pace back and forth. " I see. So you waste my time by summoning me here, and you subject my people to slavery and poverty despite my requests that you return them. Do not try to deny it, I decided to take a little tour of your lovely city before coming to speak with you. I saw the beggars and I saw the markets." The Bidani had indeed received multiple requests from Akard to release the foreigners but they had elected to ignore them. " Well, we were going to release them in time; it would have just been a major economic blow to our city if we just let them all go at once. We needed to get proper infrastructure…." " I did not come to this city to hear a greasy merchant babble about why they thought it appropriate to waste my time." Akard barked.

Cadence

“Something, anything then! Name something, and I will give it to you.” The giant tilted his head thoughtfully. “ Give me my childhood, remind me what it was like to be held.” “What?” “Or give me back my first kiss or my first love.” The pirate opened his mouth but no words came out. “Tell me my name. My real name.” “I…” “Make honey taste as sweet as the first time that I tasted it. Or remind me what a truly beautiful woman looks like.” “I’m sorry, I don’t...” “Give me something to do, or someone to talk to that won’t be gone or done by the time I blink. Fill in these holes inside my head, color the shadows or be wipe them away entirely. Help me remember or else help me forget.” The giant’s tone and cadence never wavered, it was monotone, emotionless. He raised his massive arm to strike. “I…I don’t…I don’t think that I can.” The giant nodded his head, and for the first time the unfortunate birgand was able to detect some glimmer of emotion in those cold dark eyes, a tired and melancholic disappointment. “Worth a try I suppose.” The body of the pirate captain hit the mast of his own vessel with such force that his body momentarily stretched and twisted completely around it before it fell broken to the deck.

Tagging @illarian-rambling , @patternwelded-quill , @unrepentantcheeseaddict , @elsie-writes , @mk-writes-stuff , and whoever else is interested!

[meltotheany]

Top Ten Tuesday was created by The Broke and the Bookish in June of 2010 and was moved to That Artsy Reader Girl in January of 2018! hello, friends! this month i realized that i have not done a top ten tuesday since january 2021! yes, 2021 lmao! i truly didn’t think it had been that long! so i went on the prompt page and saw that this week was a freebie week, where you can pick any past prompt, and i thought that that was pretty perfect for me, because i had been craving to do a little spring tbr anyways! 🌸🐰 🌷 ARCS TO READ ☆ An Education in Malice by S.T. Gibson – february 13th ⤷ this sapphic dark academia is on this list, because i still have not read it. truly, i was so excited for it, but then early reviews kind of made me apprehensive, and now i’m two months behind with reviewing it! so hopefully i get to this one very soon! ☆ The Honey Witch by Sydney J. Shields – may 14th ⤷ i mean, just look at this cover! this is sapphic witches and then add in a cottage, in the woods, on a tiny isle… and that is really all i need to hear, ever. ☆ The Dead Cat Tail Assassins by P. Djèlí Clark – august 6th ⤷ okay, i know this has a summer date, but i already have an arc and there is no way i am going to be able to wait until the summer! necromancers, assassins, and a vow our mc isn’t supposed to remember, but does. i just know i am going to love this one. 🌼 SPRING RELEASES ☆ Just for the Summer by Abby Jimenez – april 2nd ⤷ after falling so head over heels in love with Part of Your World last year, now i just want to read everything by abby! i think this one is about two people who think after they break up with someone, that ex will find their true love, so they come together and try to date each other… so that they can break up and find their trues. but something tells me, it’s not going to work out that way lol. ☆ The Familiar by Leigh Bardugo – april 9th ⤷ as you are reading this post, i will be reading this book! all i really know is that this is about immortality and desire with a fairytale historical backdrop and i am so ready to crack open this book immediately! ☆ Wild Love by Elsie Silver – april 9th ⤷ country 2023, and now country 2024 – i can’t believe! but truly no one does small town like elsie silver, and this start of a new spin off series follows the brother of willa (my fave character in chestnut springs) so i am really predicting to love this one. ☆ The Brides of High Hill (The Singing Hills Cycle, #5) by Nghi Vo – may 7th ⤷ cleric chih and their stories are some of my favorites of all time. each one always feels so different, but the storytelling always feels like coming back home and i cannot wait for this sixth installment. 🌻 BACKLIST BOOKS ☆ The Last Murder at the End of the World by Stuart Turton ⤷ i’ve actually never read anything but this author before, but this murder mystery, set on an isolated island in a dystopian world where everyone has lost their memories, and only have a little over 100 hours to figure out who did it, sounded so good that i actually preordered a signed special edition. ☆ ASAP by Axie Oh ⤷ i really adored xoxo when i read it a couple years ago and i have a feeling i am going to adore this one just as much, if not more. this is a kpop romance, where we follow another character that we meet in book one! ☆ Heartless Hunter (Crimson Moth, #1) by Kristen Ciccarelli ⤷ this one recently landed on my radar, because so many of my friends started raving about it. all i really know is that it is about a witch and a witch hunter, but truly the way everyone is five starring this just has me so curious that i know i need to pick it up this spring you know, it was actually harder than i thought to narrow it down to only ten, but i am truly so excited for all of these books! and it really felt really happy to do a top ten tuesday again, after so much time has passed without my realizing! and if you’re wondering why Funny Story by Emily Henry isn’t on this list, it is because i alread...

[shopfiorire]

꒰ა ♡ hey EVELYN, MISHA, CHRYSANTHOS, and NATHAN! what are you doing here in uniform?! your shift doesn’t start for another SIX HOURS, i’ll see you then ! ꒰LALA BAPTISTE, SYDNEY SWEENEY, DREW STARKEY, and NUNEW CHAWARIN ARE NOW TAKEN꒱

꒰ა ♡ LALA BAPTISTE. 23. SHE/HER. — congratulations EVELYN DELVA welcome to the sunrise family! It looks like you’ll be working at TURN THE PAGE as a BARISTA! we’re so excited to have another ARIES here! there’s just a few things to verify and then we can see when your first day is — so, you said friends would describe you as being LOYAL…? i do get that vibe from you! when you’re clocked out, people would be most likely to find you at SUNNY ISLES BEACH? heard there’s going to be a special event there in a few weeks, hope to see you! lastly, you said the one song you’d overplay on the store speakers is MADE FOR ME by MUNI LONG? i can’t wait to see you here! ꒰ A. 21+. EST ꒱

꒰ა ♡ SYDNEY SWEENEY. TWENTY-FIVE. SHE/FAE. — congratulations MISHA LUCK welcome to the sunrise family! It looks like you’ll be working at BOBA'S GROOVE as a TEAM MEMBER! we’re so excited to have another CANCER here! there’s just a few things to verify and then we can see when your first day is — so, you said friends would describe you as being DETERMINED…? i do get that vibe from you! when you’re clocked out, people would be most likely to find you at CLAYDATE? heard there’s going to be a special event there in a few weeks, hope to see you! lastly, you said the one song you’d overplay on the store speakers is SHARK IN THE WATER by VV BROWN? i can’t wait to see you here! ꒰ ELSIE. 24. EST꒱

꒰ა ♡ drew starkey. 26. he/him. — congratulations nathan monroe welcome to the sunrise family! it looks like you’ll be working at athleisure as a manager! we’re so excited to have another capricorn here! there’s just a few things to verify and then we can see when your first day is — so, you said friends would describe you as being free-spirited…? i do get that vibe from you! when you’re clocked out, people would be most likely to find you at sunny isles beach? heard there’s going to be a special event there in a few weeks, hope to see you! lastly, you said the one song you’d overplay on the store speakers is three month hangover by the band camino? i can’t wait to see you here! ꒰ k. 21+. cst ꒱

꒰ა ♡ NUNEW CHAWARIN. TWENTY TWO. HE/SHE/THEY. — congratulations CHRYSANTHOS LEE welcome to the sunrise family! It looks like you’ll be working at PARADISE ENVY as a ESTHETICIAN! we’re so excited to have another GEMINI here! there’s just a few things to verify and then we can see when your first day is — so, you said friends would describe you as being KINDHEARTED…? i do get that vibe from you! when you’re clocked out, people would be most likely to find you at NOSTALGIA WONDERLAND? heard there’s going to be a special event there in a few weeks, hope to see you! lastly, you said the one song you’d overplay on the store speakers is CAKE by KARD? i can’t wait to see you here! ꒰ NANA. 21+. GMT ꒱

[sorcadh]

The Cottingley Fairies

photography research

“There are fairies at the bottom of our garden,” announces the opening line of a poem by Rose Fyleman first published in 1917. Coincidentally, that was also the year two intelligent and talented young conspirators managed to convince some very well-known people that there really were fairies living near Cottingley Beck, the stream that ran past the foot of their garden.

For the Cottingley fairies were fakes, beautifully drawn images of fairies probably created by Elsie and staged and photographed by both girls. They had been copied from images in  “Princess Mary’s Gift Book”, published in 1914, and then had wings added to them. Held upright with hatpins, they were sufficiently plausible to be accepted by Conan-Doyle and many others. Three more fairy images were taken, the final one, “Fairies and their Sunbath”, in 1920.

During the 1920s and 30s, fairies, gnomes and other supernatural creatures would be popular subjects for mass-market prints, pottery and ornaments. As cinematography advanced, the fairy-tale cartoons of Walt Disney captured the imagination of children and adults alike. People continued to believe in the fairies because they wanted to believe in them. They wanted to have faith in the girls and the story they told.  Somewhere in a forgotten corner of the green and pleasant isle, supernatural beings still lived their secret lives, revealed only to a select few.

[isleofelsi]

The Isle of Elsi Book Two Kickstarter is now LIVE!!!

The goal for this project is to print the second book collection of my award-winning, Eisner-nominated webcomic, Isle of Elsi! It's a fun, all-ages, fantasy comic with dragons, wizards, talking wolves and lots of silly wordplay. They are the best comics I've ever made!

I'm offering lots of print reward tiers including copies of Book One, an activity book, and comic books!

My amazingly talented wife, Claire Sanders, has created some incredible 9" plush toys of the "ite" characters, as well as two 13" Nogard the Dragon plush toys!

Please check out the Kickstarter page for more info, and I would appreciate it so much if you could help me spread the word about this campaign! Below are social media posts that can be easily shared!

Instagram

Twitter

Facebook

And all of the images above can be downloaded in this google drive folder, if you would like to share any of them with your friends and family. Thanks so much for your help! Together we can make this book a reality!

[ao3feed-marymatthew]

Ruined

read it on the AO3 at https://ift.tt/sceLkIn

by DarkLadyOfHogwarts12

Fianna Borges’ parents and elder brother have been burnt at the stake. Fleeing through the Shadow Fold and surviving, Fianna, Olga and her cat Tortoise are taken in by Queen Zoya and King Nikolai Lanztov at the Grand Palace. Then they are sent to a relation of the aristocratic Crawley Family. There, they learn to fight but revenge is still in the air. And then the murder happened.

Words: 157, Chapters: 1/?, Language: English

Fandoms: Downton Abbey, The Grisha Trilogy - Leigh Bardugo, Grishaverse - Fandom

Rating: Teen And Up Audiences

Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death

Categories: Gen

Characters: Original Characters, Isobel Crawley, Cora Crawley, The Darkling | Aleksander Morozova, Baghra (The Grisha Trilogy), Inej Ghafa, Robert Crawley, Mary Crawley, Anna Bates, Elsie Hughes (Downton Abbey)

Relationships: Mary Crawley/Matthew Crawley, Isobel Crawley/Richard "Dickie" Grey, Isobel Crawley & Mary Crawley, Nikolai Lantsov/Zoya Nazyalensky

Additional Tags: Witch Hunters, Burns, Ravka (Grishaverse), The Wandering Isle (Grishaverse), Fjerda (Grishaverse), The Shadow Fold | The Unsea, Protective Zoya Nazyalensky, Protective Nikolai Lantsov

read it on the AO3 at https://ift.tt/sceLkIn

[comicsalternative]

Webcomics: Reviews of Isle of Elsi, Late Bloomer, and Carriers

Webcomics: Reviews of Isle of Elsi, Late Bloomer, and Carriers

[podcast src=”https://html5-player.libsyn.com/embed/episode/id/5336859/height/90/width/550/theme/custom/autonext/no/thumbnail/yes/autoplay/no/preload/no/no_addthis/no/direction/forward/render-playlist/no/custom-color/88AA3C/” height=”90″ width=”550″]

Time Codes:

00:00:28 – Introduction

00:03:03 – Eisner Award nominees announced

00:10:04 – Isle of Elsi

00:47:30 – Late Bloomer

01:09:44 – Carr…

[comiccrusaders]

WEBCOMIC WEDNESDAY REVIEW: Isle of Elsi

WEBCOMIC WEDNESDAY REVIEW: Isle of Elsi

It’s hotter than hell outside, but inside there’s air-conditioning and great webcomics. Hello, everyone! I’m Aaron, and I’m back again to bring you your next favorite digital read (hopefully)!  Please, if you have any feedback, leave it here in the comments or contact me on Twitter (@Sully_Writes). And as always, if you have or know of a webcomic that you’d like to see reviewed, reach out and let…

[scotianostra]

August 27th 1784 saw the first balloon ascent in the British Isles by James Tytler, Edinburgh.

James Tytler was born in 1745, son of the minister at Fearn in Angus, and after a good education at the parish school, and two or three years as a surgeon’s apprentice in Forfar, he made his way to Edinburgh to study medicine at the University. The following summer, 1765, he took service aboard the Royal Bounty, a Leith whaler, as ship’s surgeon. Then came the first of many misfortunes during his life – he got married. The marriage was hasty and he now had to earn enough to support his wife, making the continuance of his studies impossible. He set up business in Leith as a pharmacist. Business was poor, eventually forcing him to flee to England, out of the reach of his creditors.

He returned to Edinburgh, now with five children as well, and set about making a living from what seemed to be his greatest skill - writing. He was a very prolific writer and editor, although the vast majority of his work went anonymously, being employed in the main by other writers and publishers. He is renowned to have had an amazing skill at editing, being able to précis an item as quickly as most people could read it.

After some attempts at his own publications, a spell in the debtors' sanctuary at Holyrood, and his wife leaving him, he eventually found steady employment in editing the second edition of the Encyclopaedia Britannica, much underpaid at sixteen shillings a week. He spent the next six or seven years at this monumental work while living at Duddingston, using an upturned tub as a writing desk. The Encyclopaedia filled over 9,000 pages and it was during his researches for one of the appendices, covering Air Balloons and their development in the past year, that his interest was sparked.

He set about constructing his Grand Edinburgh Fire Balloon with very little money and probably even less public support. He charged 6d to see a model, and eventually had his balloon ready for a public inflation, though not for a flight. At the time Edinburgh had a building nicknamed "the largest pigeon-house in Europe" - the partly built Register House at the East End of Princes Street. This made an excellent venue for Tytler to test his 40 foot tall balloon, the unfinished dome providing shelter and support.

James Tytler then advertised the public ascent, to be held at Comely Garden (a pleasure garden, now the site of Milton Street, Waverley Park, and the Elsie Inglis Hospital) on 6 August 1784. Needless to say, James had his normal luck - bad luck - all his attempts being dogged by either technical problems or the weather. The press attacked him, and the mob attacked his balloon. Discouraged but not beaten, he was ready again towards the end of the month.

On Wednesday 25 August he inflated the balloon at an early hour in the morning, left the fire burning for another hour, stepped into his basket, and was released. The Grand Edinburgh Fire Balloon rose from the ground, tethered. According to the Edinburgh Evening Courant "the balloon, together with the projector himself, and basket in which he sat, were fairly floated". Two days later he had even greater success, "navigating the atmosphere" for about half a mile to Restalrig, and on the 31st he made another ascent. Thus were made the first flights from British soil, predating both Lunardi and Sadler. Tytler was famous. A hero. Until another attempt failed and the ignorant press again criticised him.

James Tytler's life after his ballooning successes was no less interesting, with another stay in the Holyrood sanctuary, further writing and publishing, divorce proceedings, another wife and more children, and eventually an indictment for seditious libel which led to his being outlawed. His last few years were spent in Salem, Massachusetts ., where he died in 1804

[antiquatedplumbobs]

Spring, 1903

Dear Papa,

Spring is here! The snow has finally begun to melt, patches of bare earth are beginning to peak through, and I’ve begun to see crocus shoots by the porch. I am quite gratified that the snow is on its way out, it has been a long winter.

Unfortunately a few weeks ago we had a terrible incident, something got into the hen house and decimated our entire flock. It was quite a shock, they certainly weren’t neat about it. I was sad to see my girls go like that and we all missed the eggs. Hamish blamed himself as he built the coop and felt it must not have been up to snuff if an animal could get in (it’s quite ridiculous, these things happen), but he has built a new coop completely from scratch, it’s much bigger than the previous one and a bit more fancy than was probably necessary. Freddy has taken to calling it the ‘Caw Mahal’ as he declares it the fanciest coop he has ever seen. We purchased a few new hens and a rooster whom we have named Rusty and hope the flock will grow as the spring progresses.

Hamish certainly hasn’t stopped there, he has been working from dawn till dusk making improvements around the farm. He tore up all the old wooden fencing and replaced it with the boys help. He also insisted on constructing a new cow barn out in the paddock, with the extra room we’ve purchased a new cow, who the boys have dubbed Cocoa (she is brown if you hadn’t guessed). She seems a fine cow, has a strong appetite, Hamish thinks that means she’ll be a good producer.  

After last fall’s disappointing pear harvest Hamish has planted several new trees he acquired from his father. They are quite small now, but should grow over the next several years. The boys have been hard at work with their father clearing out the orchard of winter debris and treating for pests and weeds. Willy loves helping out around the farm, Freddy is much more inclined to have his head in a book, but he doesn’t argue when I send him out to help.

Now that the weather is a bit warmer we have been bringing little Elizabeth (who we are affectionately referring to as Elsie) outside for fresh air. She loves being out and hates to be left behind. She is just beginning to walk, it feels like just yesterday she was my little miracle baby, tiny as can be. Despite her wishes though we don’t let her stay out very long as there is still a strong nip in the air, Hamish has to all but drag her in. I worry the trouble she will be when she is older.

I hope that you are keeping well out on the isle and the winter wasn’t too harsh for you.

Yours affectionately,

Violet

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