#it’s a post apocalyptic fantasy and tragedy

[dumb-but-happy-trist]

My favourite games are in no way associated with my favourite games. And my favourite books are only partially related. One of them is a tragedy and the other is almost a tragedy.

Meanwhile games have tragedies, comedies, action-adventure, post apocalyptic, fantasy, sci-fi.

We will use your inbox to yap again about a character from twisted wonderland

This guy who is based on one of the eels of ursula

He basically just does wharever he feels like , being very intest about everything and getting bored easily, will bite or hug if he likes you.

He has a twin brother named jade who is a lot more collected and distant (so oposites yet both are a bit scary) they are very close to eachother ,then he is also close with azul (the one i showed you last time) even if he sometimes gets bored of how proffessional azul can be

He is good for sports but terribke to explain technique, his answer to how to balance on a surfboard was "just make a cool pose" , he nicknames everyone after a sea creature ex. Mc is shrimpy , one that gets red while mad is nicknamed goldfish and so on (the only ones without nicknames are his brother and azul, who he calls by name)

:> (the more confident we get to speaking with you the bigger the unskipabble cutscene becomes)

First : I love characters that give nicknames to others (namely : Gaius, who gives me my favourite nickname), so I already love him.

Second : I was about to go yap inside your inbox about The Count.

Third : Not long enough to annoy me (it’ll never be)

[writer-haley-e]

I haven’t talked much about it on here, but I was participating in NaNoWriMo this month! I was expecting to not complete it, because I’ve heard of so many people not able to in their first year, but I realized I can actually write pretty fast if I try to, and I finished!

My current word count is 50,537!!

I haven’t written this much for any one story before, so I’m so proud of myself for getting this much done in such a short time, and I’m hoping to finish the rest of the first draft by the end of January at the very latest.

Also I’ve been keeping track of how much time I’ve spent just writing this month, and it’s added up to 32 hours and 36 minutes, which seems fast to me at least, idk how fast other people did it.

Anyways, my first year trying nanowrimo and I did it! Yay!

[writeblrdirectory]

@multi-lefaiye

NAME: Multi / Xavier

PRONOUNS: they/he

USERNAME/URL: multi-lefaiye

SHORT BIO: My name is Multi, and I'm relatively new to writeblr but I've been on tumblr for almost 11 years now (wow)! I write both original works and fanfiction, but really what I'm interested in for writing is stories that explore grief, trauma, and queerness, and how those things can all intertwine with each other. I don't have anything officially published just yet (at least in a traditional sense), but I love sharing my work and seeing others share theirs. I love to be people's hype man.

WIP LINKS:

God Died With Wooden Bones WIP

The Moon Hides Its Breath WIP

Fragile Things WIP

WHO I'D LIKE TO CONNECT WITH: Looking to connect with other queer writers in general (especially fellow transmascs and especially fellow trans mlm), as well as other writers who seek to explore similar themes! And if you like the series Tales From the Gas Station, please reach out and talk to me.

>> join the writeblr directory

[theeverchangingoverseer]

"The Eight Survivors of the Second Salem" -Remnants of the Second Hunt-

At the advent of mankind's peak into the glorious fruits of the Present came the downfall of society and all notions of reason and trust with it. As the second Witch Hunt sweeps across the globe like an unmerciful wildfire, eight souls unsold will rise bound to their Patrons, trapped in their desire for revenge, acceptance, power, wisdom, peace, chaos, silence and escape.

The Tormented Arachnid The Wandering Stag The Wailing Rodent The Silent Jackal The Slumbering Hound The Lingering Serpent The Rampaging Falcon The Whispering Owl

We call thee for protection, safety, power and corruption. May thy blessings fill our persecuted hearts.

May the Fires of Guilt and Prejudice burn ever so slowly against the skin of who ignited the first spark.

[ghostpoetics]

Queer Indie Horror and Dark Fantasy Romances

I currently have seven books out! Signed copies are available on Etsy. They are a mix of Gothic lit, horror romance, and dark fantasy romance.

Some of these books are very dark. Be sure to check out my author site for content warnings on every book page.

A FLAME IN THE NIGHT: Or—Marriage: Two people and their silver-haired vampire. An MMF vampire romance that takes place in 1924 Paris. Burlesque clubs, Twenties stag films, decadent parties, a blond waifish man who is totally straight, and bloody eroticism.

WITCH SOUL: M/F witch x vampire continuation of A FLAME IN THE NIGHT, prelude to MFMF. Millie, a strong-willed and disabled witch, meets Leon in less than favorable circumstances and works to gain control of her witch soul, the fallen angel stuck inside her.

PROVIDENCE GIRLS: A sapphic cosmic horror romance that takes place in Great Depression New England. After Vin escapes from being sacrificed in her hilly, isolated town of Dunwich, she’s saved and taken in by Azzie, a reclusive and aloof clerk at East Providence’s city hall. The two women bond and share their strange and harrowing past experiences, but Azzie has a secret: She’s from a hamlet called Innsmouth, and she’s changing into a Deep One.

KING OF HELL: M/M vampire x demon romance and revenge road trip. Laurențiu, one of the favourites of the hedonistic King Paimon, asks him to help him get revenge on the man who betrayed him a long time ago. What ensues is a road trip through post-apocalyptic Atlanta and abandoned Dollywood.

UNHOLY WITH EYES LIKE WOLVES: Carmilla x FMC x Erzsébet Báthory. Noémie, a dishonored and widowed noblewoman in early 17th century Hungary, finds herself in an unenviable position: After grievous trauma and loss, her last chance to regain her honor comes when she must serve as Lady Erzsébet Báthory’s handmaiden. Báthory is stoic and imperious, and as Noémie struggles to acclimate and accept her present and future, she begins to have dreams about a mysterious woman. Worse, there are stories of disappearances and deaths in the castle, and Noémie might be next.

THE SAINT OF HEARTBREAK: Two of the Bible's greatest villains... After his betrayal with a kiss, Judas Iscariot dies in despair and goes to Hell. When Christ saves other souls during the Harrowing of Hell, he leaves Judas behind—but not alone in the ninth circle, where the most detestable traitors go. Callous, resigned, and abandoned by God long ago, the Devil sees Judas as a pathetic wretch, but he soon finds a kindred spirit. As the centuries pass, they struggle to find even a sliver of happiness in Hell. Doomed by the narrative, will they find happiness, or will their story continue to be a tragedy?

SACRAMENT: SACRAMENT is a dark Gothic romance that follows Maël, a man who makes a deal to be the human familiar to a peevish vampire lord named Sebestyen. Besides dealing with Sebestyen’s demands, he also contends with his burgeoning feelings for Alain, his closest friend, all while faced with the looming threat of Sebestyen’s twin vampiric masters.

[the-sassy-composer]

Really tired of streaming services making absolute banger animated TV shows for adults, never advertising them, then canceling then because no one watches them, so I'm taking it upon myself to share some of the ones I've watched recently with the hope other people will hear about them for the first time and give them a shot.

---

Blue Eye Samurai

"A master of the sword lives life in disguise while seeking revenge in Edo-period Japan."

Probably one of my favorite animated shows of all time. Mizu, arguably one of the best sword masters in this time period, goes on a quest to eliminate four white men living in Japan, one of which is Mizu's father. The show focuses heavily on how factors outside of your control, such as race and gender, impact how others view you and how you view yourself.

Watch if you are a fan of: Complicated characters/relationships, revenge quests, gore, complicated relationships with gender and race, and absolute badass characters.

Where to Watch: Netflix

Undone

"After 28-year-old Alma nearly dies in a car accident, she finds that she has a new relationship with time; she develops this newfound relationship to find out the truth about her father's death."

Undone focuses on difficult relationships with family, including how your parents can have profound effects on you even after they're gone, and how to deal with grief. That, plus the added chaos of being able to travel through time.

Watch if you are a fan of: character studies, shows dealing with grief, time travel, trying to rewrite fate.

Where to watch: Prime

Scavengers Reign

"The crew of a damaged deep space freighter are stranded on a beautiful but dangerous planet."

A mix between sci-fi and horror, this show focuses on the crew of a crashed spaceship. Each (living) crew member of the ship escaped in pods, scattering them across the planet. They must fight to survive and make their way back to their ship on a planet featuring some of the most fucked up creatures I've ever seen.

Watch if you like: sci-fi, isolationist horror, body horror, creature features

Where to watch: At the moment, Max. As of May 31st, Netflix. Max canceled the show (even though it has a 100% rating 🙃). Netflix may make a season 2 depending on how many people watch it in the first few weeks after it comes to Netflix.

Harley Quinn

"The newly single Harley Quinn sets off to make it on her own as the criminal queenpin in Gotham City."

Honestly I was feeling a bit burnt out on super hero shows, but this one felt like a breath of fresh air. It follows Harley as steps out from the shadow of the Joker, no longer being one of his henchmen and struggling to find her identity as a single, independent villain.

Watch if you like: Superhero/villain shows, stories that focus on blurred lines instead of a clear distinction between good and evil.

Where to Watch: Max

Primal

"At the dawn of evolution, a caveman and a dinosaur on the brink of extinction bond over unfortunate tragedies and become each other's only hope of survival in a treacherous world."

This show is super unique in that there's basically no dialogue, but it still finds a way to display an absolutely gutwrenching relationship between two parents of different species going through shared grief.

Watch if you like: Brutality, heavily visual story telling, prehistoric stories, and tales of overcoming.

Where to Watch: Hulu

Love Death and Robots

"This collection of animated short stories spans several genres, including science fiction, fantasy, horror and comedy. World-class animation creators bring captivating stories to life in the form of a unique and visceral viewing experience. The animated anthology series includes tales that explore alternate histories, life for robots in a post-apocalyptic city and a plot for world domination by super-intelligent yogurt."

I love this show because you never have any clue what to expect. A siren living in a river falling for a deaf knight? An artist painting intergalactic art pieces? Three robots going on a field trip through the apocalypse to visit old human historical sites? You never know, but there's going to be love, death, and/or robots in it. Each episode varies wildly, so I'd recommend watching at least a few to get a taste for it, as some will resonate more strongly than others.

---

I'm sure there are lots more excellent animated shows, but these are all the ones I've watched in the past year or so. I'd love to see more recs in the tags, because I'm always down to watch more cool animations!

[authoralexharvey]

THE DISTANCE BETWEEN STARS AND SALT, a WIP Intro by @authoralexharvey

GENRE — dark fantasy || adventure

INSPIRATIONS — The Tiger's Daughter, Final Fantasy 10, I Am Setsuna, LoZ: Wind Waker

POV — first-person directive

TAGS AND TROPES — adventure, angst, (non-MC) chosen one, established couple, finding your purpose, grief, lgbtq, marital problems, post-apocalyptic setting, post-flood setting, queer worldbuilding, quests, sacrifice as an act of love, seafaring, tragedy, travel

WARNINGS — animal attacks, emotional trauma, mentions of plagues, self-sacrifice (NOT suicide), violence

STATUS — draft 0

GOAL — ~80k words

THE DETAILS

CHARACTERS

Edera, the woman who married a star. To many, she bears no significance outside of this fact, which has now caused an identity crisis in the face of Seren's prolonged absence.

Seren, the star who fell from the heavens. For a year and a day, she was conscripted as all Celestine are to watch for the world-devourer of legend. After being the one to witness its return, she becomes desperate for solutions.

SUMMARY

There was and there was not, in the oldness of time, a star-born woman and her hapless wife who ventured on an arduous quest... Star-born Seren has been gone for a year and a day, conscripted as all Celestine eventually are to track the cosmos for signs of a legendary devourer of worlds. When she returns home, her wife Edera couldn’t be happier… until Seren confesses that she herself has seen the World Devourer’s return and that, because she was the one to see it, she must be the one to stop it. Unwilling to allow them to be separated again, Edera and Seren must venture across their drowned world in a harebrained effort to save it. But as darkness looms in the fringes and a strange rot afflicts the world they love, they will have to race across the raging sea to avoid being consumed. But just what is it that lies at the end of this mission? And how can they stop a force so much larger than themselves?

Details of this post subject to change as the drafts continue.

TAGLIST (Ask to be added!)

@surroundedbypearls , @magic-is-something-we-create , @ceph-the-ghost-writer , @firesidefantasy

[altocat]

Why is Final Fantasy VII your favorite game?

There's so many reasons. I'll list the first ones that come to mind.

The characters. They're all layered, dynamic, tragic, and profound. At the end of the game, they FEEL like family. You come to know them so well. I sorta had this experience with BG3 too. I love stories with characters that go on a huge journey with you.

Its sci fi/apocalyptic aesthetic.

It's exploration on themes of trauma, mental illness, environmental preservation, and found families.

The entire existence of Cloud and Sephiroth as characters--one of the BEST game protags and one of the BEST game villains.

The music. Oh good lord the music is so good. Whether that's the original score or the modified score for the R trilogy.

The wider lore, both across the Compilation and contained just in the OG alone. It's so dark. It feels bleak and hopeless at many points in the story. I like that the OG explores some genuinely gloomy concepts relating to the planet, moral ambiguity, and the human condition.

Jenova as a CONCEPT is cool. I love vague cosmic horror implications. Hojo is a fun villain as well in just how nasty he is.

The relationships between the characters feel genuine.

Set MOMENTS from the OG alone. I can think of so many iconic scenes. Nibelheim. Cosmo Canyon. The fight with Dyne. The Forgotten City. UGHHHH so good. All of it.

Cloud and Tifa's bond still moves me. Aerith's sacrifice for her friends is still powerful. Sephiroth's tragedy. The fucked up lore behind SOLDIER. Lucrecia's cave. The Turks. SO GOOD ASEDRFGHJGFDS

I like that this game feels more...modern than the others? Idk it feels like a post-apocalyptic future that is just as relevant TODAY as it was back when the game first came out.

And hey, I LIKE most of the Compilation titles. Crisis Core is clunky but still makes me emotional. Advent Children is honestly a pretty good film despite its goofiness. Dirge is bad in a funny/entertaining way. First Soldier has shit gameplay but its story is genuinely compelling. There's a lot to like about the expanded lore. And I'm so excited to see where it goes in the future!

[7clubs]

hi just wanted to ask how. do i Read orv like what Is it

Hi... Omniscient Reader's Viewpoint is a super long Apocalyptic Fantasy + Psychological Korean Webnovel (complete) that also has an ongoing Webtoon adaptation.

If you like fun metanarrative bullshit, have ever been a little too dependent on your blorbo to get through life, if you love stories/storytelling as a concept, if you are a writer like me, and like epic complex women, you may just love ORV.

If you are a former homestuck like me and was dissatisfied with the ending: uh, this is kinda like hs if it stuck the landing. i am serious.

HOW TO READ ORV:

Novel: I used this epub file!

Webtoon: Right here!

The Webnovel currently doesn't have an official English translation (though it's in the works) and I believe the one that's out there is partially machine translated, so the prose can be rough.

But obviously, I still enjoyed myself plenty: ORV often goes through some scenes rather bluntly/directly anyway, and shines truly with what its characters and themes are doing.

There's more versions in this google doc too, and that has a whole bunch more info for new readers and a link to content warnings as well! But I want to keep this post simpler ^_^

I think the Webtoon comic is a pretty good adaptation, and might be a great starting point! (since... it's probably not going to be complete for. another decade) But ORV relies on a lot of the novel format's quirks for its full impact, and I truly think it's the definitive experience.

WHAT IS IT ABOUT?

It's a story about stories focusing on Kim Dokja, who is a nobody office worker about to lose his job, who has lived a life of mostly mundane, everyday tragedies.

He finds solace in his hobby, reading webnovels on the train to work, in particular his favorite story: a super long, super boring, and super unpopular webnovel called Three Ways to Survive the Apocalypse (TWSA) In fact, he's perhaps the only person who has read the novel to its final chapter, after over ten years of dedicated readership.

As he's waiting for the webnovel to update with its epilogue, suddenly, the world as he knows it is plunged into TWSA's setting, and Kim Dokja finds himself in the unique position of being the one person who knows how the story will play out... and perhaps, change the ending to his liking.

But he doesn't have to just contend with surviving the bloody challenges demanded by the godly beings of TWSA's setting... he also has to face the novel's characters becoming real people: in particular, its ruthless protagonist, Yoo Joonghyuk, who has his own plans for success and is more than willing to cut down any new threat that pops up.

ARE YOU NORMAL ABOUT IT?

No. I will never be the same again. see this attached post

[saturnine-saturneight]

I write genre-crossing horror stories with a focus on the environment, mental illness, body horror, and interpersonal abuse. You will find diverse casts, nonbinary protagonists, and queerplatonic relationships.

Graveyard Flowers

Post-apocalyptic eco-horror tragedy. Against the backdrop of a flower zombie apocalypse, the friendship of two thieves crumbles under pressure. Topics of trauma, systemic neglect, and coming of age.

Main characters: Nat (transmasc bigender) and Ron (agender)

Part 1 on Neocities | Tag

Particle Decay

Urban sci-fantasy horror story. Nightmarish things are happening to the very fabric of reality, and two friends race against the clock to find out why. Topics of mental illness, alienation, and corporate greed.

Main characters: Jan (nonbinary) and Marion (transfem)

On Neocities | Tag

Holoatypical

Mad science merging game. A young biologist is tasked with mapping out a cave ecosystem, feeds his interns to the meat grinder in pursuit of fame. Topics of power structures in academia and terminal illness.

Play the Prototype | Tag

Places to find me

Neocities

AO3

itch.io

Bsky

[bu-blegh-ost]

I freaking love Riptide cause it's literally impossible to determine what genre it is. Is it a comedy? For sure. But is it also a tragedy? Oh, absolutely! A musical? Fantasy? Steampunk??? Horror? Post-apocalyptic? Wait what do you mean they may go to space in the future??? Sometimes it's a slice of life, sometimes it's a murder mystery. But in the end, it's just a story about people who found meaning in their adventure, no matter what it is. They found happiness within the chaos and family in each other.

And I can't fucking get enough of it.

[theresattrpgforthat]

Hey mint. For a long time now I've been looking for games that emulate Zelda. Now I know you've gotten a request like this before, so I'll add an extra challenge to help me find what I'm looking for - I'm looking for something that can handle the fantasy of playing as Zelda, or Link, or Ganondorf. Think wielding the master sword, sealing away monsters with holy magic, or playing projectile tennis with the baddies.

For bonus points: got anything with majora's-mask-style transformation masks?

THEME: Legend of Zelda; Powerful Characters.

My dear, dear friend, I don’t know if you realized this when you posted this question, but I think I’m working on a game that fits exactly what you’re looking for. (But never fear, that’s not the only thing I’m recommending.)

A Terrible Fate, by Mint-Rabbit.

The world is ending. A comet is falling; the moon is fading; the sun is growing dark. In three days, we will succumb to the heavens abandoning us to the cold and dark, or burning us up in a whirlwind of fire and ash. That is, unless the four Great Spirits can awaken.

You are heroes, called upon by the people to dive deep into the dungeons in which the Spirits slumber. Discover what has put them to sleep, and free them from whatever traps them deep within their winding halls. Keep your promise to the people, and the land will be free.

A Terrible Fate is a lightweight Forged-in-the-Dark game about cursed heroes using a time loop to free the land from impending doom. These heroes will use magic masks that they have been granted in order to open up cursed dungeons and free the Spirits that can save the land from this tragedy.

A Terrible Fate takes a lot of inspiration from the Masks of Brinkwood, and I was inspired to create it back when I received an ask about games inspired by Majora’s Mask. You are doomed adventurers granted supernatural powers through a series of magical masks, which will consume you should you fail. Venture through four dungeons to free the Spirits that can stop the sky from falling, and do your best to help people who will never remember your names. If you want a game about grief, anonymity, and time loops, then this is the game for you.

I’ll hopefully have the full game up by the time this post is live, but if not, the goal is to have this game released by June 8, because that’s when the Majora’s Mask Game Jam finishes up!

Echoes of the Broken, by Scribbles and Dice.

Welcome to Echoes of the Broken — a tabletop roleplaying game of elemental mayhem in a post-apocalyptic fantasy world.

It’s been 100 years since the Breaking of the Gods, when the world of Ranaskar was devastated by an apocalyptic war between the gods. Falling from the heavens, the broken corpses of the gods became the Remnants — colossal, monolithic structures of arcane power. From the Remnants emanates the Echo, the will of the Broken Gods, twisted by their violent end. The Echo warps the land, and corrupts the people, leaving Ranaskar a volatile hellscape. 

Now, 100 years later, the Sanctums grow weak, ever besieged by the Echoes of the Broken Gods. In desperation, the Remnants of Oros have called upon champions — the Wardens.

Characters have fairly powerful abilities granted to them by a dead god, as well as Burdens; weaknesses or curses that provide them specific disadvantages. Character creation feels fairly descriptive, building a layered history that culminates in a character with plenty of connections, gifts and responsibilities. Your characters also have attributes and skills that use a point-buy system to determine where you’ll pull your dice from.

When you want to do something, the GM will tell you what threshold is required for success. Players will create a pool of d6’s based on their attributes and skills, and attempt to meet or beat the threshold. What is really interesting about this game is that the group can choose to tackle an obstacle together, and contribute all of their successes towards the same goal. At the same time, the GM can set a higher threshold difficulty if a challenge is meant to be a group challenge, so the difficulty can scale. If you want a game with powerful characters who have a substantial amount of backstory, you might want to check out Echoes of the Broken.

Keepers of the Six Worlds, by carnel.

You are the Keepers of Harmony, beings of spirit created to guide and protect the six worlds by the All-Mother. The six worlds were created by the trickster Yorgi when he shattered the world gem in the serpent's forehead. Each of the six was a reflection of the true world but brought into equal and parallel creation.

The worlds were sealed away in a fold of the blanket of night where they would be hidden and protected from the manipulations of the gods and the temptations of the true world.

Take on the role of divine beings given authority over a pocket universe. Will you resist the temptation to become as gods? Will you preserve the status quo as you were tasked or will you help those in your care to find their own path?

This is a deck-based game that uses playing cards to generate the worlds that your characters will attempt to protect. Your actions will change the trajectory of each of these worlds, but at the same time you may also find yourself changed in the process. I think this carries the theme of transformation that you might be looking for, even if the transformation that came about is not through masks.

At World’s Edge, by Workpire.

Welcome to the edge of the world. At the final days of the final age, the fires of life have nearly been extinguished. The Sun is bleeding. The Kings are dead.Only a handful of beings are left alive - Immortals. Gods.  Whatever's left, make your way to the Temple of Fire, defeat the guardians within, complete their trials, and feed the Fire to restart life… or stop the cycle forever.

At World's Edge is a short, simple combat-based tabletop RPG with a new, unique combat system that relies on area of attacks and a dodge mechanic that makes for dynamic combat.  You are Gods, and you fight as Gods.

This is primarily a fighting game, complete with a grid to move your characters around on and attack modifiers that relate to numbers on your character sheet. Your characters are also not just hyper-competent people; they are Gods, with specific Aspects that will improve your rolls whenever they are relevant. Unfortunately, you cannot be the God of Courage or the God of Wisdom; the game works better if you have a domain over Lightning or Fire or something more tangible.

Firmament, by Veil’s Edge Games.

FIRMAMENT is a rules-lite action fantasy RPG about the conflict between the Champion of an ancient order and the various factions that wield the corrupt magic of Affliction. Players embody the powerful Champions of the Order of the Firmament as they join the fight against Affliction.

The Champions are opposed by the factions that use Affliction as a weapon. From the industrial Braxon Alchemical to the implacable Hexhunters, these enemies are the most dangerous foes the order will face. Combat is fast and deadly in FIRMAMENT—for the order's foes at least. In combat, Champions wield weapons of sunlight and moonlight in battle, and spend a resource called Celest to use powers unique to their Discipline.

If you want highly-competent characters, LUMEN is probably a good system to consider, as I’ve mentioned before. Characters are rather sleek, with three Attributes, a health and “magic” bar, and a few abilities that make your character special. The core part of this game is fast, high-action combat, and the fight against Affliction kind of reminds me of Link’s attempt to cleanse parts of Hyrule in games such as Twilight Princess or Breath of the Wild.

POWER | WISDOM | COURAGE, by UnabashedlyRose.

Whenever the Shadows rise there will always be three points of Light that oppose them. They will fight, sacrifice, and overcome the Shadows at a great cost to themselves.  But that is what makes them heroes. It is up to you now and we know you will not let us down.

POWER|WISDOM|COURAGE is a GMless game for three players about being chosen by the Light to face off against the Shadows and save your home from destruction. 

There’s an obvious reference going on with this game, although all of your characters are considered heroes, including the Ganondorf analogue. I’m not entirely sure how much setting is packaged into this game; you can probably draw the connections between the three parts of the Triforce if you want to, but I have a feeling that they’re not necessary. The other limiting factor is that this game is exactly for three players, so if you have more or less, it’s not really an option.

You might also be interested in…

My Legend of Zelda Recommendation Post.

The question that started it all. (Majora’s Mask)

Dawn of the First Day, by Riley Hopkins.

[was-andi-rigby]

Alright, y'all. Poll time. Synopses of your choices are under the cut, if you want them. I can't decide between my upcoming original stories (I'm gonna write them all eventually), so I'm inviting y'all to choose for me.

On a related note, if I hit 15 followers before this poll expires, I'll do a follower lottery and the lottery winner will get to name a character in the winning story! (More details on that also under the cut.)

Synopses

Adventures in the Gaywild, a queer contemporary portal fantasy with an ensemble cast of queer & disabled adults just trying to live their lives, but who have said lives interrupted regularly by their hometown’s proximity to the fey realm. Beronsgate is a cute little coastal town with a major problem: sometimes the door you open doesn’t lead where you wanted it to. Monster-of-the-week episodic sitcom installments with an overarching denial-of-destiny arc. (If this wins, the "winning story" will be the first installment of the series.)

The Death of Santa, a sapphic Christmas adventure with a transgender Mrs. Claus who’s unhappy in her role as the token female holiday persona, and escapes the North Pole only to find herself in a strange land of eternal winter. Kristina takes shelter in a fortress built over a gate, and finds deadly traps, warped Christmas monsters, and the woman she married 900 years ago. Transgender themes, trans joy/power, and mistaken identity feature heavily in this high-action novelette that tries not to take itself or Christmas too seriously.

Liberty, a gay cowboy friends-to-lovers between a cattle baron’s heir and a gifted horse trainer. Aaron and James have kept their romance a secret for almost a year. When Aaron’s mother makes a big stink about him turning down yet another farm princess, he’s got a tough choice to make: follow the herd, or follow his heart. Forget coming-of-age—let’s talk coming-out, love and support from unexpected avenues, and being true to yourself.

Double Tide, a seaside low fantasy adventure about a dockworker and the inquisitive merrow they met in the local tidepools, who become fast friends despite language barriers and local taboo. When a new fishing technique threatens the local merrow population, they discover whether a lone dockworker and a social pariah can really make a difference. Try this gender-agnostic, hopeful Romeo and Juliet (without the tragedy) that explores the meaning of love and friendship.

The Siege of Helen, an exploration of neurodivergence and (mis)communication in a romantic relationship. Helen’s new pregnancy has made her mood a thousand times more volatile, and her husband is spending more and more time at the office. Hephaestus, already overstimulated and dysregulated from trying to provide for his now-growing family, realizes in the nick of time that there’s only one way not to lose the woman he loves: he’s going to have to talk to her. About his feelings. Short story companion to my novel-in-progress, By Any Other Name, following Ambrose’s parents as they try desperately to keep their marriage from falling to pieces.

The Library, a heartwarming zombie survivor tale about a weary now-single dad and his last remaining foster teen who fight to preserve the ruins of a great library against those who would destroy it for their own short-term survival. Take refuge in the Charles J. LaRose Memorial Library, and let Kaylen tell you about the time they fought off zombies and men with guns to make a safe place for travelers like you to rest and recuperate in the desolate hellscape of the zombie apocalypse.

Lottery Info

Lottery will happen if the total follower count (less myself) on this blog reaches 15 before the poll in this post expires. I'll choose via random selection & contact the winner via Tumblr to confirm you want to participate. If you don't, or I can't contact you via Tumblr because your messages are closed, or if I don't get a response to my initial message within ~24 hours, then I'll choose a different winner by the same process. And so on until someone bites.

Lottery winner will receive a short bio of the relevant aspects of their character (appearance, mannerisms, and plot role), and the name they choose will be used for the described character. I will not accept names that are offensive or that would be considered offensive in the context of the story or character, and I retain the right to ask the winner for a different name if the chosen name is, for some reason, really really not going to work in the context of the story.

[duckprintspress]

Queer Reads for We Need Diverse Books Day

April 3rd was We Need Diverse Books Day. We’re slightly behind, schedule-wise, but we DO need diverse books, and we figured: better late than never! We asked our rec list contributors to give us one of their favorite queer books staring a person of color, and to give us a sentence or three review for the book! Below are their answers…

Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe by Benjamin Alire Sáenz; rec by Anonymous #1: Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe by Benjamin Alire Sáenz is the coming-of-age story that treats it’s characters with a great deal of love and respect. Dante and Ari feel entirely real, their struggles relatable and touching.

Juliet Takes a Breath by Gabby Rivera; rec by S. J. Ralston: A Puerto Rican lesbian from the Bronx has a summer internship with a white feminist author in Portland. A coming-of-age story that focuses on the power of queer Black and Brown women. The narrator’s voice is strong, clear, and at times poetically beautiful.

The Spear Cuts Through Water by Simon Jimenez; rec by Shadaras: The Spear Cuts Through Water by Simon Jimenez is a gorgeous stand-alone mythic fantasy novel with lush prose that moves through perspective and tone with ease. It weaves a story about two young men—a disillusioned prince and a one-armed soldier—rescuing the Moon from where she’d been entrapped for decades by the emperor, framed by a generations-later youth learning this tale.

Heaven Official’s Blessing by Mo Xiang Tong Xiu; rec by Anonymous #2: Heaven Official’s Blessing by Mo Xiang Tong Xiu follows Xie Lian, a prince turned vagrant who, after 800 years, ascends to godhood for a third time (as a god of junk and scrap collecting) and Hua Cheng, an enigmatic ghost king whose power and menace are rivalled only by his desperation to finally give Xie Lian a happy ending. It’s a nested narrative structured in a really interesting way, where each arc reveals more of what happened over the 800 years of Xie Lian’s long and troubled life while also exploring how his choices come back to haunt him in the present. The supporting cast is fascinating, the themes of how hard it is to do the right thing are especially resonant right now, and I’m still messed up about the Black Water arc.

We Deserve Monuments by Jas Hammonds; rec by Shannon: It’s the first book that really captured (for me) the feeling of nearing adulthood and realizing you can decide what kind of adult you want to be, how nuanced and flawed people are, and how difficult learning to navigate all of that can be. And I’m a sucker for queer stories in the South.

Little Mushroom by Shisi (Yi Shi Si Zhou); rec by Nina Waters: Little Mushroom by Yi Shi Si Zhou is the story of a sentient mushroom who has lost his spore and goes searching through a post-apocalyptic dystopian near future in order to get it back. It’s the story of a state-sanctioned mass murderer he meets when he reaches a human city. And yes, it’s a BL about a sentient mushroom and a state-sanctioned mass murderer falling in love. But. It’s also a cutting look at what it means to be “human”; and it’s an insightful gaze at how far we’ll go to protect ourselves, our communities, and our worlds; and it’s a tragedy about the importance of hope – and that hope is ultimately rewarded. An Zhe is just a little mushroom. And his story is so. fucking. good.

Light from Uncommon Stars by Ryka Aoki; rec by Adrian Harley: Light from Uncommon Stars by Ryka Aoki is a wonderful genre-blender. On the fantasy side, a world-class violinist has made a deal with the devil; on the sci-fi side, an intergalactic starship captain hides her identity and runs a donut shop with her family. The book is all about the power of music, food, and love, and it’s warming and joyful without tipping over into cloying.

Rust in the Root by Justina Ireland; rec by Shea Sullivan: Rust in the Root by Justina Ireland is the story of Laura, a young, queer, Black mage in the 1930s who is forced by circumstance to work for the government in a segregated group of Black mages. This group supports the future of magic, Mechomancy, which has always been powered by death: first, the death of Black people, and now, the old death of oil fuel. This story is an unflinching look at the realities of America’s roots in enslavement, genocide, and theft, and is also an incredible story of found family, the power of community, and the true responsibility of power. The worldbuilding is deft and deep, and sets the stage for a rich, layered, coming-of-age, coming-to-power story that gives no easy answers, but delivers hope in abundance.

Last Night at the Telegraph Club by Malinda Lo; rec by E. C.: I am yet again gonna recommend the works of Malinda Lo, especially Last Night at the Telegraph Club, a touching, well-researched and well-footnoted sapphic coming-of-age story. It follows a Chinese-American high schooler in 1950s San Francisco as she struggles to reconcile the (often conflicting) expectations of her family, community, and country with her own goals and desires.

Make Room for Love by Darcy Liao; rec by Linnea Peterson: Make Room for Love by Darcy Liao is a sapphic adult romance about a biracial transfemme grad student named Mira who needs new housing after leaving an abusive relationship and winds up moving in with a Chinese American butch lesbian electrician named Isabel who she meets at a club. The book explores Mira’s trauma and self-worth struggles left over from her previous relationship, Isabel’s grief and eldest daughter issues following the death of one of her sisters, and both blue-collar and academic labor rights, since Isabel is a union member who has previously salted a non-union shop, and Mira is part of the effort to unionize her fellow grad students.

Our Goodreads book list is full of way more diverse queer books we recommend, so check it out!

See something you just gotta own? Check out the Duck Prints Press Bookshop.org affiliate shop/page to grab a copy for your shelf!

If you love talking books, we hope you’ll join us on our Book Lover’s Discord server!

[crehador]

brother crab's winter 2025 first impressions: momentary lily

NOT HOW I EXPECTED THE OP TO SOUND. 10/10 LOVE THIS

so it's typical gohands hair. i mean fare. typical gohands hair as well lmao. and i'm generally a fan of gohands nonsense (NOT praeter) so that's a positive in my book

i went in without watching a trailer or even skimming a summary so had no idea what to expect, THRILLED to discover it's like yuru camp except instead of solo camping and cooking it is post-apocalyptic mecha shoujo* battling. and cooking

first ep ending gives off a hint of incoming tragedy so i will. try to emotionally brace myself for anything lol. the group dynamics are already really fun, characters very likeable to me. this might hurt (in a good way)

looking forward to canned mackerel italian-style tomato hot pot together! <- ep2 title, which is delightful to me

*not really mecha i guess but not sure what else to call this. like mahou shoujo but more sci-fi than fantasy. mecha shoujo

[chattercap]

Current Project Roadmap (September 2024)

As we enter the last part of the year, I figure that it would be a good time to do a quick rundown of all the projects that I'm currently working on!

First, regarding my previous announcement about removing animations, after receiving some feedback I've decided to go ahead with removing them, to give me a bit more flexibility in terms of asset creation and enable me to release Android builds. However, for the games that I've already released, I'll be retaining versions with the animations (so - Karamu, Kanau, and MindMindMind), except for The Deepwater Witch - since I only released a demo, and it would be awkward if half of it was animated and half of it wasn't LOL

Project: The Perfect Woman Key words: Psychological horror, literally the only thing that I've made that isn't a romance, this project has been stuck at 99% for the past three weeks

Current progress: The game is basically complete, and I just need to finish debugging some of the saving and loading. I basically ended up using this project as a playground for testing some new systems, so it took longer than expected LOL I'm going to take some time to document all of my changes before I focus on polishing it up. Expecting to release on September 13th.

Project: Karamu Trilogy Key words: Romance, horror, emotionally needy ex-boyfriends, blackmail and possessive behavior is okay if you have shared trauma, yandere love interest (who unfortunately becomes a better person, I apologize)

Project details: One love interest (M), established protagonist (F).

Current progress: The script for the final part is 100% complete, at 65k words (over double the length of Karamu and Kanau combined! Haha!) It has been revised and passed along to the voice actors. I'm also collaborating with some very kind translators to release a French translation of Karamu and Kanau and a Russian translation of Karamu.

Project: The Deepwater Witch Key words: Romance, surreal, post-apocalyptic, twisted fairy tale, grumpy practically homeless man x mute sunshine mermaid, Ramil is my BEST pathetic man and I stand by this

Project details: One love interest (F), established protagonist (M).

Current progress: The script is 100% complete, and I have a few CGs left to do.

Project: Actala: The Hero's Shadow Key words: Romance, fantasy, mystery, childhood friend romance with a good dosage of additional Eldritch horror, basically every tag that I could add for this would be a massive spoiler what do I do

Project details: Five love interests (M), established protagonist (F).

Current progress: The updated demo is about 50% complete, and I've been working slowly on the remaining CGs and sprites.

🌹Code Name: You Just Want to Plant Flowers but Your Yandere Knight Traps You in a Tower, Toxic GF Edition❄️

Key words: Romance, twisted fairy tale, hero-to-villain love interest, friends/lovers-to-enemies arc, GF that can either princess carry you or rip your head off, tragedy, yandere love interest

Project details: One love interest (F), customizable protagonist.

Summary: You're the heir to the royal family, but you've been kidnapped and trapped in a tower by one of the kingdom's strongest knights, who used to be your best friend. Although the kingdom sends knights to rescue you, she cuts them all down without mercy. Why is she doing this? How can you escape? And the question is… do you want to?

Current progress: The project is fully outlined, and writing is in progress. The logo is complete!

🔪Code Name: I'm Trapped on an Island With My Husband, Who Is Probably Going to Divorce Me or Stab Me🦑

Key words: Romance, psychological horror, marriage drama, tragedy, yandere love interest

Project details: One love interest (M), customizable protagonist.

Summary: Following a horrible family tragedy, you've retreated to a remote island with your loving husband. However, things aren't going well for your marriage. After a horrible fight, you wake up to find that your husband is… different. Kinder. More understanding. At first, you're happy, but he's also acting a bit strangely. You start to wonder… is this the man that you married?

Current progress: The project is fully outlined, and writing is in progress. The logo has been commissioned.

🌶️Code Name: I Got Isekaied into a Smutty AU Where My Demon Boyfriend Blackmails Me into Marriage!🕸️

Key words: Romance, smut, historical, revenge, murder spouses, blood makes everything sexier apparently, yandere love interest

Project details: This is a NSFW spinoff of one of my previous projects, Karamu, featuring the same characters and similar themes in a historical Japanese setting, with more sex and more murder! One love interest (M), established protagonist (F).

Summary: Every three days, a body appears in the harbor, surrounded by red flowers and covered in golden threads, its heart torn out of its chest. People say that it's the work of a demon. After her best friend is beaten half to death by her husband, Nelli decides to do anything to save her - even if it means making a deal with that very same demon.

Current progress: The project is fully outlined, and writing is in progress. Once I decide on a title, I'll commission a logo!

Additional note: Since this is a NSFW project, I'm not comfortable with making it freely accessible. As a result, I'll be paywalling at least the NSFW portion (depending on how integral the NSFW is to the plot, I'll either release this as free with NSFW DLC or a free demo + paid full game).

I'll be focusing on finishing up The Perfect Woman during the first half of September! After that I plan to release demoes (hopefully) for both the knight gf game and the husband-traps-you-on-an-island game sometime in December.

Other than that, I would be curious if anyone has projects that they're looking forward to! 🤔 I've basically been working on projects as I like, but if there are any projects that you're interested in particular, let me know and I'll try to prioritize accordingly! 🙇 If not I'll try to divide my time so that I make decent progress on all of them, prioritizing my announced projects.

Thank you to everyone who's following along with my work 😊

Chattercap