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faustandfurious · 3 years

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51, 61, 69, 72, 85 and 89 for the book rec thing! Also sorry to bother you with more after asking for so many numbers and it's a shot in the blue anyway but have you read anything by Jeff VanderMeer? I keep hearing good things about him and many of his work indeed look up my alley but I'm a little overwhelmed with what would be a good place to start.

To answer your last question first: no, I haven't, but I've heard people say nice things about his Southern Reach trilogy, so maybe that'd be a good starting point?

51 - A book you found underwhelming

The Mistborn trilogy. It seemed like the kind of series I might enjoy, and I'd had friends whose taste in fantasy literature I trust, tell me that "you have to read Mistborn, it's soo good". There were some elements I loved, like Sanderson's subversion of the Chosen One trope, and Kelsier as a character, but the trilogy fell a bit flat in books two and three, to the point where I never actually finished book three before I had to return it to the library.

61 - Your favourite horror novel

The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson. I love haunted house novels, but what a lot of horror authors do wrong is that they reveal the ghost/monster/mystery too early or overdo the supernatural aspects to the point where they become slightly ridiculous. And Jackson never does that, because there's no corpse in the attic, no monster under the bed, just Hill House and its malice drawing the characters and the reader in.

69 - Your favourite mythological retelling

Circe by Madeline Miller. I love how it explores human mortality from an outsider's perspective, how Circe defies the gods again and again and gets away with it because she, being one of them, understands their limits and to what extent human fates are beyond their control.

72 - A book with a gorgeous cover

The Priory of the Orange Tree by Samantha Shannon. I mean, look at the cover art by Ivan Belikov

85 - Your favourite book about magical realism

I'm not going to go too deeply into the problem of defining magical realism as a genre, but I thought these quotes illustrated it quite nicely:

Gene Wolfe said, "magic realism is fantasy written by people who speak Spanish," and Terry Pratchett said magic realism "is like a polite way of saying you write fantasy."

Now, I am somewhat inclined to disagree with these views, because although it is sometimes difficult to categorise certain works as either fantasy and magical realism, or to divorce the concept of magical realism from the Hispanic authors, such as Gabriel García Márquez and Isabel Allende, whose works have come to be viewed as defining from the genre, I do think there is a clear distinction between fantasy, where the magical and unknown take the centre stage, and magical realism, where the supernatural merely seeps into the background of a story that is first and foremost about real world interpersonal relationships and ordinary everyday life.

Suffice to say, there are several books classified as magical realism on Goodreads, that I’d rather say were fantasy, like H.G. Parry’s Shadow Histories duology, which are so heavy on the magical elements that they’re definitely in the genre of historical fantasy.

Of the books I have read, I think Bulgakov’s The Master and Margarita comes close enough to magical realism to qualify, so I’m going for that one as an answer to this question. It is, at any rate, a brilliant book, regardless of which genre you choose to put it in.

89 - A book that disappointed you

A Darker Shade of Magic by V.E. Schwab. It promised Regency Era London with magic and absolutely did not deliver on that. Magic yes, but the Regency Era elements were so nonexistent and Lila Bard’s backstory so generic that the few chapters set in our world might as well have taken place in 21st century London, or 21st century literally any city on this good earth.

Thank you for the ask!

#book rec asks #anonymous elf #answered

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lilyharvord · 3 years

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I’m not sure whether you take prompts in general and if you would for the shades of magic but here we go just in case :) you know in a gathering of shadows when alucard barges into lila and kell, I’ve always thought he would give her shit about it but never knew what the conversation would be so that idk?your writing is also amazing and you’re so talented

AAAHAHHAHAHAHAHA Okay I’m so excited because you’re the first person to ask me to do a Shade of Magic Prompt???!!! I am totally open to doing prompts, my ask box is always open ((((: . (hella nervous cause this would be my first intro to the fandom, but I’m so here for this!!!!) *cracks knuckles* I did it. ((((:

Sometimes, Delilah Bard wanted to watch the world burn. It was nothing personal, never. But sometimes, it needed to burn. And right now, as she lost another round of Sanct to Alucard, it needed to go up like a tinder box.

“You’re cheating.” She grumbled, tossing her cards unceremoniously onto the pile. Her old captain smirked, the little white scar above his eye where his sapphire used to rest crinkling

“That is how one plays Sanct, Bard.” He laughed as he pulled the pile of loot towards him. Fingering a particularly nice precious stone that Lila had been loath to give up, he smirked. “I’ll play you in another round just to show you.”

“I’ve already emptied my pockets, and I don’t plan to lose anything else.” Lila pushed her chair back along the plush carpet of his rooms. Reaching for her half full glass of dark red liquid, she gazed out at the Isle, glowing faintly in the evening light.

Resting the rim of the glass against her lip, she tried to ignore the beauty of the view. She didn’t miss it like Kell did, but whenever they did return, she found herself having a hard time leaving it behind as the Nightspire pulled away from dock. While her mind had stopped chanting run whenever she felt that gentle tug she associated with staying put, she still refused to admit she wanted to remain in London. The sea was still her calling... and it didn’t hurt being captain of her own ship.

The past few months they had been away had been harder on Kell than ever before. It had been almost three years since Osaron, and yet that pain had never left him. He waved her concern away at every turn, but it didn’t stop her from asking around in markets and taverns. Subtle questions about magic and it’s loss. She blamed Holland, of course, he had been the one still drawing on their magic in the end. A little warning could have saved them the pain Kell dealt with now.

Her brow creased and her reflection in the polished glass mimicked it. The other Antari had long been quiet. Kell didn’t speak of him, and Lila didn’t exactly mind that. It still worried her though.

“Gold for your thoughts?”

“You have all my gold.” Lila forced a smirk, her short cropped hair shifting as she glanced over her shoulder.

“Very well,” Alucard sighed as he leaned back in his chair and took up his own glass of wine, “I’m thinking that if those two don’t hurry up I’m going to die of boredom in this very room.”

“How regrettable.” Lila bemoaned mockingly, before sipping at her drink. It was sweeter than any wine he had ever given her but just as rich, if not richer. Being a close confidant of the King certainly helped support her friend’s expensive tastes.

“It is regrettable, Bard. Because I’ll blame that royal pain-in-the-ass for it, and then who will keep you company on those long voyages?” His lips curled into a rapier sharp grin as he gazed at her over the rim of his glass.

Setting her glass back down on the table and standing over the captain turned noble turned consort, Lila frowned down at him. Her fingers danced to the knife strapped into her thigh, hidden beneath the lovely new coat she had bought today. It had even more pockets and straps for her to hang and hide knives, much to Kell’s chagrin when she showed him. Alucard didn’t appear the slightest bit swayed by her posturing though, in fact, his eyes burned with mischief at the sight of her reaction.

“I do not need constant companionship, unlike you.” She ran her fingertip along the rim of her glass, calling up a bead of wine that she flicked his direction. He barely swiped it out of the way before it could splatter on his pristine white shirt. it plopped onto the table, and Lila laughed at his offended expression before lifting the glass completely to down the last of that delicious, honey sweet wine.

“That’s not what I saw years ago.” Alucard’s grin returned in full force when she set the glass back onto the table, earning Lila’s full attention with those words. Her brow quirked in speculation, and she drummed her fingers on the table, awaiting a further explanation.

Searching her memories for what he could possibly be referring to, she settled on a faint one of a closet sized cabin. A rush of heat bloomed along her cheeks, and she pushed off the table. “You’re insufferable.”

Howling with laughter at Lila’s retreat, Alucard swept up the cards from their games and shuffled them once more. “Play me in another round of Sanct,” he said with a wink, “and if you win, I’ll pretend I never saw that little... interaction.”

“There was nothing to see.” Lila slammed her hands on the table, furious that he would pick something she was so obviously poor at. If he had chosen something else, perhaps like magic, or knife throwing, or even pickpocketing she would have agreed to the wager.

“I don’t know, I’ve never seen that royal bastard so flushed and bothered. Looked like there was plenty either about to happen or had just happened.” Alucard bridged the cards to shuffle them, lifting his eyes to Lila’s mismatched ones for a heartbeat. That glossy black orb she had for a black eye winked in the light as she jeered at him for his comment.

“Nothing happened.” Lila reiterated as she picked up her glass to pour herself another one. Insufferable, he was so insufferable. Perhaps she should chuck him in the Isle, watch him paddle to the side and get out dripping wet. Then again, Rhy might thank her for that. On second thought, maybe she should bury him in the floor up to his waist, or perhaps open a door into a wind blown bluff and leave him there.

The whisper of cards skidding across the table filled the silence as Lila lifted her now full glass back to her lips and drank deeply. When she glanced over her shoulder, Alucard waved an inviting hand to the table. “Tell you what,” he said before leaning his elbows forward and smirking at her, “if you agree to play another hand with me, I’ll stop bothering you about it.”

It seemed a little too good to be true. Something like that was bound to keep Alucard entertained for years to come. He wouldn’t give leverage up so easily, unless he had gone soft during his time in the palace, which Lila very much doubted.

Slinking back to the table, she sat with a grunt in her chair and tapped the cards she had been dealt. “What do you get out of it?”

“Well,” picking up his cards, Alucard shrugged, “just because I stopped annoying you with it, doesn’t mean I won’t go after our lovely black eyed prince about it.”

Lila’s mouth opened to refute him, and tell him to leave Kell alone about the whole thing. He was like a skittish pony where topics like that were concerned. If Alucard brought it up... Christ help them all. She hesitated a moment though, a bright smile pull on her lips. Oh he would go as red as his hair if Alucard brought it up, and he’d stammer and stumble to try and defend himself, or her honor. Oh it might just be worth the entertainment.

Chuckling to herself, Lila lifted up the cards and grinned at the three saints in her hand. “If I win, I want that hat you have hanging over there.” She pointed the midnight blue one, with the peacock feather sticking out of it. It would complete her new ensemble, and as a captain it was only fitting that she have nice things like that.

Alucard frowned, and glanced warily in the direction of the hat. Chuckling to himself, he laid his cards face down again and reached for the lin in his pile. Tossing it to the center of the table, he winked, “if you lose, I bring that story up in front of the entire court.”

Lila reached into her pocket for the remaining two lin she had and pressed them to the table. With a wicked grin, she slid them into the pile and said, “very well.”

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incorrectadsom · 4 years

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The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue Review (No Spoilers)

The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue follows the winding tale of Addie LaRue a girl made immortal through a Faustian deal, but is also cursed to be forgotten by everyone she meets. Three hundred years later, she finds someone who can remember her.

Style.

The most remarkable trait of this book is the style, a style I will call neither good nor bad, but characteristically Schwab’s. This book’s writing is what happens when Schwab is no longer tethered, freed, if you have read her other works, her Villains or Shades of Magic series, you will be intimately familiar with it. Rife with wistful metaphors and long, winding monologues like circling hallways. You will notice however, they’re usually cut short in her past works, you might not have noticed it then, but you’ll notice it after reading this book. Because they never stop in this book, they stretch on and on, and as she returns to her favourite turns of phrase again and again until they’ve stuck so far in your head you wonder how she thought of so may metaphors for the colour green. That’s the thing about this book that still wins my heart, this is Schwab condensed. This is Schwab’s meandering, wistful, nostalgic style first and characters and plot second. This is a book of atmosphere.

I was thinking of splitting this book into a list of pros and cons, but there are no objective elements in this. It’s biggest pro for one reader, a reader who wants to escape to ancient French villages and fantastical New York art exhibitions and Chicago speakeasies will also be the biggest con for a different type of reader, a reader who needs a villain to best, a conflict around every corner, a suspense to hang in the air. And suspenses are hung, but then you’re whisked away to a new land as you watch your heroine journey throughout history.

My best recommendation for you is to go to a bookshop and read the first page. If you like it, read it, if you don’t, don’t. You won’t have met the characters, not really, and you won’t have grasped the world, but, it’s most pervasive element, it’s style, is bared for the world to see from it’s very first pages. I mean this with no malice behind it, but I don’t think this is a book that could “win someone over” halfway through, if you love the first page, you’ll love it through and through, if you think it’s a tad boring, well that might stick too. When I see criticism of Schwab’s style, sometimes I agree with it and sometimes I merely understand it. They say she procrastinates plot progression, circles around the story more than she tells it, words flowing out of pages like a waterfall with no drains. For a few of her books-namely Vengeful and A Gathering of Shadows- I did feel pinpricks of annoyance. I felt I’d been promised an action packed plot and was stuck with a several page monologue about abstract concepts of freedom and power and yes, it was beautifully written, but isn’t this in the middle of an action scene? For this book I felt no such annoyance, because this book doesn’t have that promise of fast paced scenes and villains to defeat, and when that wistful, meandering style is the entire book, you can go along for the ride without wondering when the heroes will make their way out of their newest predicaments.

There are some downsides to this, in my entirely subjective opinion. Obviously for people who simply don’t like this type of style, perhaps people who adore the tight framework and near perfect pacing of Vicious may find Addie not as well suited to them. Despite my fondness, a downside is the several times I found I had turned two pages at once and not noticed, either finding myself in the exact same scene or assuming it had ended a page earlier. There are very few pages you could skip over and realise you had missed it by it being mentioned in future prose, while in some of her other works, the status quo changes constantly. In Vicious I was hungry, there was an overwhelming need sowed by Schwab to hear Victor and Eli’s past. In Addie, reading is less like running for my life and more like a lovely ambling stroll down a garden path.

Characters.

This section will be much shorter, congratulations if you’ve made it this far.

What is there to say of Addie LaRue? If you’ve read the Shades of Magic I would say two words, Likable Lila. Lila Bard and I have a complicated relationship, I love reading of her, I love her wit, but if we met in real life I’d keep a wide berth. Many readers have even less favourable ideas, her actions are often played as recklessness, but cross the thin line of “stubborn” to “stupid.” Addie captures that stubborness, that wit, but I was never annoyed with her, never thought I couldn’t have been pushed to do what she had. The slight internalised misogyny inside of Lila has also vanished in Addie, which is a great relief. To someone who hasn’t read Shades of Magic? Addie is someone so desperate for freedom she’ll ask it from anyone, from people she knows she shouldn’t. Reckless, yes, but you grow a respect as you see all she endures.

Luc. Awful. Amazing. Beautiful. Hideous. A real and true dark grey and you’re still not sure if it’s really grey, you’ll never be sure. He’s pitch black at first and Addie splashes like a drop of white, but did it truly lighten him? Or was it a trick of the light? Flowery prose aside, do I want to fuck him or kill him? It changes from moment to moment.

Henry. One of the rawest characters, and despite the pages and pages of Addie, his moments, his glimpses, make me empathise with him most. Best description I can think of is just, heartwrenching.

Bea. Please date me.

Sam. Please date me.

Robbie. I know he isn’t Robbie Valentino from Gravity Falls, but... Isn’t he though? I was honestly too distracted as I read every line of his dialogue in TJ Miller’s voice. It was a problem.

Overview.

I know I may have sounded a tad harsh in this review, but I felt I needed to bring it to attention to warn readers who know themselves well enough to know this won’t be their cup of tea. But I truly would recommend this to any reader who feels they can enjoy stories without high stakes, stories with beautiful prose transporting you to awe inspiring locations, stories about the journey and not the destination. And isn’t that how a book about an immortal should be? Never about an unreachable destination, but an infinite journey?

#the invisible life of addie larue #ve schwab #v e schwab #victoria schwab

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ashintheairlikesnow · 3 years

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Yknow, the importance of consistency over realism in worldbuilding sounds interesting. Would you mind explaining that?(If not, that's perfectly fine)

Of course!

So, there’s a tumblr post going around that hits on this, too, and they start with I think the easiest way to explain this in one sentence: When people complain about something being “unrealistic”, what they usually mean is “I couldn’t believe it in the context of the story”.

In sci-fi or fantasy, you can do nearly anything, provided that you are consistent with it. You can have your world-building make as little sense as you want, really, as long as your characters and settings all consistently reflect that world-building.

For instance, if your characters are human and you break their bones, imprison them for months, or whip them - all of these things have known, consistent ways of changing and affecting the human psyche and body. If you are not consistent with that, it will break immersion.

However, if your character is alien and they don’t have calcium-based bone structure, you could change what broken bones look like to those bodies! But then make that change consistent and constant for that alien race!

Let’s see...

Um, another example:

If you set up a magic system, it needs to affect everyone in the same way or you’ll break suspension of disbelief - not because of the magic, but because the rules aren’t applying to everyone the same.

One issue I brought up with Shades of Magic that really wrecked my immersion is that Delilah Bard, one of the main characters, uses magic for the first time on a ship in the middle of the sea. The author has noted, more than once by this point, that no one can manipulate the ocean because the amount of magic needed to do so is so vast. No one.

Not the other powerful magicians called Antari in the story, NO ONE can do this. Not our main character, a magician who has spent most of his life immersed in study. Not the pirate captain whose ship Lila is on, who can wield nearly every kind of magic AND has a secret side power besides.

Not the pirates who USE water magic, who have spent their lives on the ship.

Nobody. Can. Use. Magic. To. Control. The. Ocean.

But of course Delilah Bard can, once without even trying.

(Arguably, the not-even-trying scene is actually pretty funny, but it still breaks the concept of how magic works in the book)

This is meant to be a “look at how wonderful and powerful and super cool this character is” moment, but instead it made me put the book down. I picked it up again because I loved the story (and was sort of hoping literally any female character but Lila would survive to the end and also get characterization), but it really struck me as deeply inconsistent and broke my suspension of disbelief.

Because the author broke their own rules for how magic works multiple times to make Lila Bard cool.

(For the record, Shades of Magic is a rollicking good story and if you don’t want to read the series, PLEASE at least read the first book, it’s so fucking good. I go hard at issues with the series because I WAS so enamored of it, I read the whole series in like two weeks, was sometimes up until 2 AM trying to finish the last pages)

So, that’s a good example of world-building that, even if ‘unrealistic’, works just fine in the context of the story until it’s violated on a whim.

There is no reason whatsoever for the rule violation to happen when it does. It doesn’t really serve in any significant way. It’s just “Lila Bard is better than everyone at everything, even stuff she doesn’t know”. That will hurt reader immersion!

If you find that happening but you need that violation to serve your story - in Shades of Magic, Lila becoming a powerful magician is an important point, and the amount of time that passes is incredibly short and compressed so either way it all had to happen very very quickly - then you need to seed some explanation or hint or showcase of that exception to the rule elsewhere in the story.

“She’s just better” is not an explanation. You need to have something that weaves into your world-building.

If you find yourself falling into an inconsistency like that, you need to pull it out - OR you make it consistent with everything else. If that inconsistency is necessary, or it electrifies you, then you don’t have to take it out! But you do need to have it fit in with the world-building rules you’ve already established, or you’ll break the immersion of the reader.

The world itself is inconsistent in a lot of ways. People are inconsistent, fickle and uncertain. We change. Worlds change. But if you’ve set up a very specific rule about how your world works, ONLY break that rule if you’ve set the story up to support it.

Also, this is tumblr and you’re writing for free on the internet, so don’t drive yourself to stress over it! There are some inconsistencies with Bram and Ryan through Danny’s story and how the magic works there, because I published the pieces as I went. If I collected them together, condensed and published a book... I would do a LOT of reworking of those early chapters to give you hints and a better understanding of what I planned. I would build the inconsistencies into the creation of the story so that they were consistent with my world-building.

I am trying to do a little better with the mer story - this is my first attempt at writing a largely linear narrative - but there may be some inconsistencies there, too, for the same reason.

(I’ve had three people note the inconsistency in my mammalian mer having scales on his tail, but that’s actually consistent with my world-building for this story... I just haven’t given away why yet. If I went back to do the beginning again, I might add in more clues than I already have)

Don’t stress yourself over it, but generally keep in mind that nothing has to be all that realistic, it just has to be consistent within the context of the story.

#writing advice #writing

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belettewrites · 3 years

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Some mountains and a dog part 4

previous | next | masterpost | AO3

cw: animal death mentioned

It was just before midday; they had been on the road for three yours, Jaskier on Roach and Geralt leading him. He had started doing that more, after the mountain. To show Jaskier that he was cared for; that Geralt hadn’t meant it, but did mean what he had said about wanting to apologize. And it was nice to see Jaskier on Roach, next to his and Geralt’s bags, as if he belonged with him.

Geralt had no doubt about Jaskier belonging with anyone; the bard was a mage, after all, and his own person, and was as free as a bird. He felt blessed to have Jaskier by his side – that Jaskier had been by his side for twenty years, and had chosen to stay there even when things had become shitty. Well, shittier. He had stayed when Geralt ran to find Ciri, he had stayed when it turned out that Ciri had powers, he had stayed to wait for Yennefer when it became clear that he wouldn’t be able to help much.

He had stayed and was still there, by Geralt’s side, cheeks sun-kissed and hair ruffled by the wind, laughing a laugh that was only meant for Geralt.

“Geralt!,” Jaskier suddenly gasped, turning him away from his thoughts, “Look, a dog!”

He smiled. Jaskier did this every time they came across a dog. “Geralt! Look at its tiny paws!” he would say, and Geralt would hum; “Geralt! Look at how soft it looks!” he would cry out in delight, and Geralt would hum. “Jaskier, look over there, the dog,” Geralt had said once, and Jaskier had taken his hand and squeezed it briefly before letting it go, a smile brightening his face.

“Don't approach it,” Geralt warned, “it's a shepherd dog and its job is to protect the flock. Don't want it to think you're a threat.”

Though Jaskier, even smelling magic like he always had ever since he had revealed his true nature to Geralt, didn't seem like much of a threat. But Jaskier’s safety was not something Geralt wanted to play with, so he looked over at the dog to make sure he wasn’t being threatening.

The dog had seen them and was watching them distrustfully. Especially Geralt; he was used to it, cats always hissing at him, but dogs usually were nicer. Though this one had to protect something, and there was nothing more dangerous than a dog with instincts telling him to protect something.

Geralt had once seen a dog turning on his own owner because the man was yelling quite angrily at his child, who looked close to tears. The dog, a big dog with long black fur, had growled, stepping between them. The child, unaware of what was happening, had hugged it, but their father had turned pale and after glancing down, had gone away quickly. Seemingly satisfied, the dog had licked the child’s hands, and Geralt had turned away, not forgetting how far the dog was ready to go to protect what was under its care.

So he was more than relieved when a voice called out:

“Charcoal! What are you looking at, you doof- oh!”

Jaskier dismounted Roach and straightened up, ready to defend Geralt against any prejudices.

But there was no need; the woman, when she saw them, smiled and waved her hand to say hello, the dog staying close to her, almost making her trip over it. It was almost weird, seeing another person here, when it had only been him and Jaskier for the last few days; how easy it had been, to forget about the rest of the world.

Jaskier waved back, seemingly unbothered by the sight of another human here, and Geralt relaxed as the dog turned its attention away from them. It was a big dog. "Fluffy" Jaskier would say, fur white and gray and black, its head bigger than Geralt's hand. It looked young; still in training, then.

The woman walked closer to them. She wasn't tall, but wasn't small either; red hair falling on her shoulders, freckles on her cheeks and nose. She looked – pretty, the kind of person Jaskier would have spent the night with years ago. Though he had stopped doing that well before Ciri; after his performances he would always come back to Geralt, smiling softly at him and stealing his ale. It warmed Geralt more than he could say.

“Excuse him,” the woman said, still smiling, “he thinks anyone that isn't me or my wife is a threat, but he’s a sweetheart.”

“It's nothing,” Jaskier replied, “I had a dog a bit like him when I was younger. Great with children, though you should've seen how he reacted when someone that wasn't us walked by.”

The woman laughed.

“Well, let me say, it is nice to meet other souls up here. I'm Violet.” she added with a smile.

Then she hesitated, glancing at Jaskier then turning her attention back to Geralt, and to his swords.

“Say, I don't want to sound rude, but- what are you doing here? I mean, there's no one here but me and my wife, and the occasional traveler. We have a beast that steals the sheep, but apart from that, I don't think it's the kind of place you'd expect to find lots of contracts. Or a court to play in,” she added after glancing at Jaskier's lute case.

“Geralt needed some holidays,” Jaskier replied at the same time Geralt said “Jaskier wanted to see the mountains.”

“What?” Geralt blurted out, freezing.

Jaskier turned to him, a soft look in his eyes. Violet watched them without saying anything, an amused smile on her lips.

“Geralt, you spent the whole winter being a teacher to- Fiona, and before that you spent the whole year hunting monsters and saving humanity. You deserved a break. Though, frankly, I didn't expect you to agree so easily.”

Geralt hummed. Jaskier didn’t know that he would agree to anything he would ask, though he was sure the other man was already aware of that, to some extent. Jaskier laughed, gently took his arm, and faced the woman again.

“See? The things I have to do?”

“My wife’s the same. I swear, she wouldn’t rest if I wasn’t there to remind her,” she smiled before adding, “Lila – my wife – and I are taking care of a sort of refuge for travelers, like you; eat lunch with us, and we'll see if we can ready a room for you, so you won't have to worry about sleeping in the woods tonight.”

“It's fine,” Jaskier started, “we-”

“You shouldn't,” the woman insisted, “there's something lurking around at night – it has killed two sheep already, and our old dog too, it- it wasn't pretty to see. My wife had to put an end to his misery, it was – rough.”

The pain was evident in her eyes, reflecting the loss of a life companion. Geralt saw Jaskier put his hand on Roach’s muzzle.

“So when you said there was no contract here-” Geralt tried to ask.

“Ah, well. It's just that, I'm afraid we don't have much coin to offer you, sir witcher. A beast, but no contracts,” she shrugged, though he could see she was tired.

Jaskier took his hand and squeezed it; Geralt tried very hard not to feel too warm at that, and hummed. His bard smiled knowingly.

“I'll take care of the beast,” Geralt said, “in exchange for lunch, and ale for my bard, if you have some.”

Violet smiled at them, a bit unsure but grateful nonetheless.

“Follow me, it’s not that far.”

She then started walking and they followed, still staying close to each other.

“I think we may have some goat cheese left,” Violet said, still in front of them, expertly avoiding stepping on unsteady rocks. “My wife makes them and they’re delicious – and I swear I’m not biased!”

Jaskier replied something; what, Geralt didn’t know. He let him carry the conversation like he always did, smiling and winking and actually caring about what was being said to him. Geralt was just happy to be there, Jaskier next to him. Happy to be known, too – he did need to take a break, after spending the whole winter teaching Ciri, and the beginning of spring fighting monsters. He would take care of Violet and her wife’s problem, they’d spend the night here, and they would go on the day after, pleased to be in each other's company. Maybe the life of a witcher could be sunny, too, sometimes.

***

“Honey? I found travelers that haven’t tasted your fine goat cheese yet!” Violet called out, a grin on her face as she opened the door of her house, the bells that were hung on it happily tinkling.

They had walked for ten minutes on a dusty road after finding Violet, the dog Charcoal running back and forth around them, always going back to her but lingering around Geralt in hope that he would pet him.

Jaskier knew that Geralt had a sweet spot for animals even if they didn’t always return it; he could think of at least three different occurrences where Geralt had looked absolutely dumbstruck when a dog had made its way to him before standing on his hind legs to beg for pets. On one occasion, a cat had made its way to their table when they were sitting in a tavern, and Jaskier would never forget how Geralt’s face had softened when the cat had allowed him to pet it.

Jaskier hid a smile when Geralt removed one of his gloves to pet the dog, who wagged his tail in obvious joy. Fuck, but bringing Geralt here had been a wonderful idea.

They were now waiting outside an admittedly pretty good-looking house, made out of dark stones that once must have been part of the volcanoes around them. The wood shutters looked old, but it seemed like someone had been carefully treating the wood with oil that would make it last longer, and it was overall obvious that the house was very well cared for – that it was not only a house, but also a home. Small, little violet flowers that Jaskier recognized as crocuses were growing under the windows, and it was absurd how much it made the place look welcoming and happy, as if an artist had put their brush here, adding a soft touch of color to an almost dark painting.

Jaskier was putting weight on his right leg since his left knee was still hurting him a bit – the bruise had gone from deep blue to pale yellow, but he avoided using that leg as much as he could, hoping that Geralt wouldn’t notice – though he had obviously failed at that, as Geralt had forced him to ride Roach earlier. It was something they did, now, Jaskier pretending that he didn’t want to ride and Geralt sighing fondly before helping him climb on the saddle.

“I’m surprised you even agreed to share it, honey,” a woman replied, short brown hair tied back by a black bandanna. She was almost tackled by Charcoal who in his joy to see her again had jumped on her. “Hold on, you doof, we’ve seen each other this morning.”

Violet was laughing again, and Jaskier smiled; it was good, to see people happy. It was good to see them with Geralt by his side, to let Geralt see that you could work but still let yourself be happy.

“Lila, this is Jaskier the bard,” Violet said, “and Sir Geralt. They’re quite famous, did you know? Sir Geralt said he’d take care of the thing that’s taking our sheep if we let him and his bard have lunch with us.”

Lila looked at them, squinting her eyes to see them better. Jaskier smiled at her, and Geralt – well, Geralt did his best, Jaskier assumed.

“Come on in, then,” she finally replied, “we wouldn’t want the stew to grow cold.”

***

The inside of the house was quite simple, but still showed that this place was a safe haven for both Violet and her wife and the travelers that apparently sometimes passed by.

“We’re not officially a refuge,” Lila explained as Jaskier helped her dress the table, “we just welcome people and offer them a room for the night – especially in winter, when it gets particularly cold outside.”

Jaskier nodded without replying anything. Lila seemed surlier than her wife but she still was a kind soul, ready to help. She reminded him of Geralt, in a way.

The room was nice; it was large, the windows letting the sun pour its light inside, brightening the place and making the floating dust look like sparks. There were plants hanging from the ceiling, and Jaskier saw that Geralt took a moment to admire them. It was strange, to see a house where a special thought had been put into the decoration – the places they were staying at usually didn’t care much for that kind of thing, and Kaer Morhen was more about practicality before beauty.

At the center of the room was a wooden table surrounded by two benches, one on which Geralt was sitting, listening to Violet who was animatedly talking, a dish towel in her hands, the dog sitting at her feet. Jaskier let his mind wander as he set down the pitcher full of wine but was brought back by the mention of his name in Violet and Geralt’s conversation.

“Jaskier and you, do I need to prepare two rooms? We have enough of them, it wouldn’t bother us.”

He tensed, but still pretended that he wasn’t listening. It would be weird, not sleeping next to Geralt after all these years – even at Kaer Morhen they had shared a room, Geralt not quite ready to let him go after barely escaping Nilfgaard and Jaskier needing the proximity of his witcher to be able to fall asleep. And they shared all the time on the path, to share warmth and to save coin.

But there were no threats here, no need to save their coin, and so Jaskier prepared himself for a sleepless night. It would be fine, not reading to Geralt, not braiding his hair before going to bed – it would be fine.

“Just one room will be enough,” Geralt replied, and Jaskier almost dropped the glasses he was about to put on the table. Well, that – that was nice. Maybe Geralt needed him close to be able to sleep, too.

Jaskier glanced up and met Lila’s eyes; she raised an eyebrow at him, clearly aware of his inner turmoil.

“Lunch is ready,” she announced instead of saying whatever it was that she had been thinking about Jaskier and his… feelings… for his traveling companion.

They took place on the benches, Jaskier and Geralt facing each other. Lila served the stew, and Geralt took Jaskier’s plate wordlessly, taking the carrots out of it and then giving it back to him. Jaskier smiled at his friend, and Geralt shrugged as if it were normal. Which it was, had been ever since Jaskier had said twenty years ago that he didn’t like carrots.

“So this beast,” Jaskier started, munching on his stew, “what does it do, exactly?”

Violet and Lila exchanged a glance, and Lila put her fork down, drinking a bit of wine before answering. Geralt had not stopped eating, though Jaskier had seen him discreetly hand Charcoal a piece of bread.

“It- takes the sheep,” Lila started, “and nothing else. Happens only at night, though, and Violet wanted to stay up but I told her that I’d rather not lose her to that thing. What are a few sheep next to my wife?”

Violet had blushed a little, but was fondly looking at her wife.

“There were footprints,” Lila went on, “but not ones that I could identify. Like, they look like ones of a wolf, but – they weren’t, not really.”

They all fell into a contemplative silence only broken by Charcoal’s loud breathing. Geralt slipped him another piece of bread, and Jaskier bit his cheek to prevent himself from telling him that he was teaching that dog terrible manners by rewarding him like that.

“How often does it happen?” Geralt asked, acting as if the big dog wasn’t lovingly staring up at him, hoping for more food.

“We don’t know,” Violet replied, her voice soft, “some weeks nothing happens, and then the next we lose two sheep and our dog.”

She looked up at Geralt, and Jaskier was stricken by the acceptance on her face.

“You said you would go and take a look, Sir Geralt, but there’s no guarantee that you’ll find it. But that would be okay – it hasn’t attacked us, and we know better than to go out during the night. And – you being willing to go already is – well, it’s-”

“What my wife is trying to say,” Lila cut in when it became obvious that Violet didn’t know how to end her sentence, “is that we’re already grateful that you would try to take care of it, and that even if you didn’t find anything, we would be okay. We’ve survived so far.”

Geralt nodded, and Jaskier found himself thinking about a song about two lovers, facing what Destiny was making them face, getting hurt and injured but always having each other and always going on –

Then he realized that it sounded a bit too much like him and Geralt, if him and Geralt had been lovers, and his ears grew hot.

“I’ll still go and see what I can do,” Geralt replied. “I’ll go tomorrow night.”

Lila nodded, and Violet smiled again.

“Now,” Violet started, “I was wondering, Jaskier, if you would be okay with playing something tonight?”

It had been a while since he had played for other people- well, okay, maybe not that long, but still. Playing for himself was okay, playing for Geralt was more than nice, but playing for other people? That was what had made Jaskier start to play, first for his sister who loved music but couldn’t sneak out to listen to music she actually liked like he could, then for bigger crowds. It wasn’t about being loved by his public, it was about people loving what they were hearing and forgetting about life for a while.

“Of course,” he smiled, “I’d be more than happy to.”

“He sings well,” Geralt said, and Jaskier blinked at him before feeling his face warming up.

“Why thank you, darling,” he managed to reply before turning to Lila. “Need help with something this afternoon?”

Lila looked at him with the same knowing look in her brown eyes that she had had earlier, and shrugged.

“Not particularly. Tomorrow, though?”

He grinned at her.

“I look forward to it. Now, tell me, I was promised a very fine cheese, made by the most talented cheese maker of the continent – her words,” he added while gesturing towards Violet, “not mine.”

Violet laughed and Lila stood up.

“I’ll go fetch it, it’s good with bread. If you haven’t fed it to the dog,” she added while glancing at Geralt, who froze on the bench. Jaskier burst out laughing, but still took his own piece of bread and broke it in half.

“Here, dear heart, take half of mine,” he managed to say, shoulders still shaken by his laughter.

“Hmm,” Geralt replied, which only made Jaskier laugh harder, losing himself in the mirth of Geralt’s golden eyes.

#Geraskier #The Witcher #mine #geralt x jaskier #I love dogs #dogs are the best #cats too #but DOGS

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amandaklwrites · 3 years

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Top Ten Favorite Fictional Characters

Okay, here I am with another Top Ten! And this one is: my favorite fictional characters of all time. These are the characters that I watched or read, and I fell in love with them, wanted to be them, or saw parts of myself in them. I connected with these characters more so than any other. So, here’s my list. In no particular order of favorites, and why I love them so much.

1. Elizabeth Swann (Pirates of the Caribbean franchise)

I think you can tell from my other favorites lists, and my review on these movies, that Elizabeth Swann literally changed my life. I think I was about 12 or 13 when I first watched this movie, and she intrigued me more than anyone else in the film. I loved her wit, her smarts, her drive, her love, her beauty and her fierceness. As I grew up (and still now), she’s someone I’ve always strived to be. She became a Pirate King for god’s sakes.

2. King Richard (Galavant series)

There’s an ongoing joke with my mom and some friends that I AM King Richard. In the way he says things and acts, and his humor. I love Galavant so much, but Richard makes me laugh more so than the others. His character is just wholesome and great, and kind of silly. But my god, do I love him so.

3. Wanda Maximoff (Marvel Cinematic Universe)

Another character I connect with. Wanda was always my favorite female superhero, ever since I first saw her back in Age of Ultron. As the movies continued, I loved her even more, and then I recently saw WandaVision. And she’s so powerful, but so caring at the same time. I like that she toes the line between good and bad, and that’s because she’s human. She reflects the true nature of people—because honestly, who of us wouldn’t create a whole television series just to be with a lost loved one again? As I’ve grown and watched her, I realized that her and I match up, personality-wise and how we think. So, I don’t want to be more like her, because I think I am like her already.

4. Celaena Sardothien (Throne of Glass series)

A badass woman who takes no shit. I was just out of high school when I discovered this series and I loved her. That she was a juxtaposition (which I feel like with myself sometimes); she was brutal and gentle, she could hate and love, she was a frightening assassin but also loved pretty clothes and chocolate. She felt the most human to me in the whole series. She was an enigma that I first discovered as a teen, and I craved it.

5. Emma Swan (Once Upon a Time TV series)

I was 16 when this show came on, and I fell down the rabbit hole into this world. But the person I always loved most, who I connected the most with, was Emma Swan. Not that I was raised without parents and had issues with that. But despite my loving family, I had personal issues when this show first started. I had attempted suicide when I was watching Emma Swan find her belief in herself every Sunday night. Though my journey may not be the same, I felt like, all through the rest of high school and almost all of college (I think it ended right before my last year), I was going through a similar journey with her. I saw myself in Emma Swan, and I saw her triumphs and losses and growth as a reflection of my own. So, she’s one of those characters that burrows into me, our hearts beating together.

6. Samantha Stephens (Bewitched)

I just love Sam. I can’t explain it—I do. This series is one of those that settles into my soul so gently, and I feel so safe and warm when I watch it. But Sam’s the best—she reflects a real person. And funny enough, one of my VERY FIRST memories in my life was being really small (I had to be like 2 or 3), sitting in someone’s lap, and seeing a black-and-white Sam wriggle her nose and do magic. So, that may be why she has a special place in my heart too, because she’s been there since the beginning.

7. Susan Pevensie (Narnia)

I wanted to be Susan when I was like eight. I thought her beautiful and majestic and amazing. And as I grew up, I realized I was a bit like her. I could be stubborn, a bit rude, and trying to keep everyone under the calm. It’s interesting, how when I think of what she meant to me as a kid, versus what she means to me as an adult, are very different. But at the root, they’re similar.

8. Tommy Shelby (Peaky Blinders)

Thomas Shelby is literally one of the most intriguing characters I have ever seen on the screen. He’s ruthless and intelligent, he can be kind and generous. But he’s ten steps ahead of everyone. And I love seeing him on screen. I think he’s fascinating, but we’re also very similar, and I’m not sure if that’s amazing or frightening.

9. Evie Carnahan (The Mummy movies)

Evie is who I wish I could be. She’s so, so smart, she’s headstrong, she’s willing to take on a mummy. My second dream job would have been archaeology/Egyptology, and I think she’s a reflection of what I almost became, of what I could have been. And I just adore her.

10. Lila Bard (A Darker Shade of Magic)

I just read this first book, and DAMN. I love Lila so much! She’s an intriguing and brutal character, but I love that there’s love hidden behind it, even though she doesn’t want to admit it. I love these grey characters and she’s the epitome of what I love. I can’t wait to learn more about her.

Runner Up: Bucky Barnes (Marvel Cinematic Universe)

He’s going to be on another list coming up, but I thought I would put him as a runner up here because I wanted to mention why I love him and think he’s so interesting. I love his journey as the kind, protective best friend to a ruthless, brain-washed killer, to healing from that past. I love seeing characters fall to villainy (though it wasn’t his choice) and breaking out of it. I like characters that fall all the way to the bottom and pull themselves out of it. And I think that’s why I find his journey the most fascinating at times.

#top ten favorite fictional characters #I love so many characters #but here are my faves #elizabeth swann #king richard #wanda maximov #celaena sardothien #emma swan #samantha stephens #susan pevensie #tommy shelby #evie carnahan #lila bard #bucky barnes

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luciehercndale · 4 years

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Jade // Kelila

Another Kell and Lila one shot. This is going to have a part II, but you can read it as a standalone. As usual, I hope you enjoy it!

Couple: Kelila, Kell Maresh and Lila Bard Fandom: Shades of Magic Rating: T+ Words: 1082

Ch 1: JADE ; Ch 2: VELVET ; Ch 3: ANCHOR ; Ch 4: THUNDER ; Ch 5: FEAST ; EPILOGUE

“A royal event. Yikes,” Lila exclaimed from the sofa.

She laid on the far end of the furniture with her feet perched on Kell’s legs. He had just returned from an errand and was tired. His hair was in disarray and his shirt already unbuttoned and ready to be discarded for a pajama, but first, he said he needed to sit down.

“You know I hate events as much as you do,” Kell replied lazily as his hands massaged Lila’s feet. It came naturally to act domestic with her, as if they had known each other for years instead of months. “But this is a masked event, which means we can leave when we get tired of mingling in with the crowd.”

Lila raised one eyebrow and nodded. “That’s pretty great. Fantastic.” Her voice betrayed her annoyance, but Kell was used to it. She didn’t like public events, considering she couldn’t pick pockets anymore.

“Rhy said it’s just to show other royals that we are holding up after everything went down,” he explained, and adjusted his head on the back of the couch and closed his eyes to rest his eyelids.

“Then what?”

Kell’s eyes snapped open and he glanced at Lila. “Then what, what?”

“What do we do?” Lila inquired, her eyes trained on his hands who were still working on her feet and ankles. Their eyes met for a moment, and she tilted her head on the side expectantly. “You don’t have to do that, you know.”

“What shouldn’t I do,” he murmured. His voice laced with fatigue and he yawned after he spoke.

Lila removed her feet from Kell’s limbs and sat down closer to him. He blinked twice, quite confused, or probably too sleepy to function. “You’re dead tired, Kell.”

“So, what,” he said. It was a question but it came out as a simple affirmation.

On his side, Lila sighed. “Come on, let’s get you to bed.” She grabbed his arm and pushed him off the sofa. Damn, he was already sleeping standing, and it made things harder. But he managed to walk at least, and she could reach the bed in less time than she imagined. Kell tried to sit down and swayed because she didn’t let him. “Wait, you can’t sleep with your coat on,” she admonished him, then proceeded to remove his clothes until he was naked from the waist up. He was half away in the world of dreams, it seemed, because when she was finally done and helped him under the silk sheets, he fell asleep in no time. Lila crawled in bed next to him and adjusted the covers so that they were both tucked in, then she put her head on his inviting arm and tried to sleep as well. He kissed her hair before finally dozing off.

The following day, Lila woke up to find the bed empty of Kell. His side of the bed was made – it was so like him, ugh – and she couldn’t see his coat anywhere. She rubbed her eyes and got out of bed. Today she also had something to do because of the royal event Rhy, king Rhy, had organized for the city. She didn’t have to go far from the palace at all, and it bothered her. She wanted to do more things, but after the situation with the shadow king had settled down, Red London was as normal as always. And the ball was proof of its return to mundanity, to ordinary life. Lila thought that had she not met Kell, she would have probably been lost, always looking for an adventure. Which wasn’t wrong, but she craved for safety now, after she had tasted it for so long. And Kell gave her the stability she had never had. He gave her love, a family…

“Ugh, it’s too hot,” she protested. She had just had a sip of tea but it burnt her lips.

“Are you talking about me?” Alucard said from the doorway. He was in his morning attire, as nonchalant as ever. She noticed he had a box in his hands, and she frowned.

“You’re in a good mood, I see. Happy for the ball?”

He rolled his eyes and extended the mysterious box to her. “Let’s just say that as much as I love to be around people, I had something planned for our king –“

“Do not say it, I beg of you.” Lila interjected, raising her index finger to stop him from continuing. “And what’s this thing?”

“Don’t you see? It’s a pretty box with I don’t know what inside.”

She grabbed the box and put it on the table next to her, where her tea was cooling down. “It’s probably for Kell.”

Alucard shrugged, then pointed to a small envelope on it. “There’s your name over there, isn’t it?”

She snatched the envelope away before he could reach for it and realized it was true. She was about to open it when she glared at the captain.

“What? Do I need to leave?”

“What do you think?”

He sighed and turned his back, heading towards the door. “I’ve already read it, by the way. Your loverboy is sickly sweet, I was about to throw up my breakfast.”

“Alucard!” Lila screamed angrily, but he was already outside of the room. At least, she was alone with the yellow envelope. She finally dared to look at it and saw her name on the front written in an elegant and neat handwriting. Then she took the piece of paper folded inside and read.

Lila.

I am aware you hate this ball, but I will try to cheer you up still. In this box there is something for you. Maybe you will hate it, maybe you will like it. Do with it what you want. I’ll see you tonight.

- K

She threw the paper on the floor and opened the box in a hurry. Her suspicious were right, because the container held a beautiful dress made of red velvet. It was beautiful even folded, but what caught her attention more was the knife with the jade handle on the top of it. She touched the blade with affection, examined the way it was polished, clear. It was wonderful. She put the blade to her chest and grinned. Was this what being loved by someone meant? She thought so. And she couldn’t wait to show Kell that the feeling was mutual. Her excitement for this ball intensified a bit.

#adsom #adsomfanfic #kelila #kell maresh #lila bard #shades of magic #a darker shade of magic #a gathering of shadows #a conjuring of light #ve schwab #som #tweety.writes #kell and lila #tweety writes

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antaripirate · 7 months

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Some final thoughts before Threads, from a place a little too close to my heart.

(and a note on Threads posts and spoilers)

So, its 11pm, and an hour untill I’ll have access to The Fragile Threads of Power (I ended up preordering the kindle edition on top of my physical ones, bc they are all delayed in shipping, and, as someone pointed out to me recently, I have the patience of a fruit fly).

I should probably preface this by saying that this will probably read as insanely cringey, but I have so much I want to say, and so much on my mind that I know I will never know how to convey.

But I am just so fucking grateful that V has brought these worlds, these characters, back to us.

They feel like my home.

Something I always try to explain when people ask why Shades means so much to me, is that when I first read ADSOM, it was the first time I had ever seen myself in a character so entirely, and just felt so fucking seen.

I know that not everyone loves Delilah Bard, and that’s okay. But I’ve never felt quite so myself as I do when I have Lila there on the page next to me, as ridiculous as this probably sounds. I don’t really know how to explain this, because there are so many ways I could begin.

And then there’s Kell. Oh, Kell.

It’s so odd, to have never found a character like me, and then all of a sudden, stumbled across one who I wholeheartedly see myself in, and another where I can see pieces of me reflected.

If you couldn’t already tell, I’m not very good at putting these feelings into words, but trying is better than nothing, right? So I’ll continue.

The concept of having these characters back is so reassuring, so exciting, so nerve-wracking. I can’t wait to see what they’ve been up to, how their relationships have strengthened and changed, how new characters will push and pull on the threads of established dynamics and weave new ones.

I am scared of inevitably awful things happening to my favourites. The thought of Kell and Lila not being ok, and safe, and happy, and together fucking terrifies me. They are my entire world, both together and apart. But as terrified as I am, I can’t wait to have them back. To hear them snark at each other, and pull each other out of trouble, and just love each other.

I could writes essays on these two, and on all of the original ADSOM cast, and on predictions and theories and things I’d love to see, but I don’t think right now is the time for that. I’m already rambling and already so nervous with excitement.

I feel like a ball of adrenaline.

I can’t wait to come home.

A note on spoilers on posting:

So I’ve been wondering a lot about what to do regarding posting here about Threads whilst in the spoiler risk period, and I think what I’m gonna do is anything I do post, I’ll have a huge heading broadcasting spoilers for the book and also for which part within the book, because I am fucking terrified of accidentally spoillering someone. If anyone has any thoughts on this please do lmk!!

Anyway, if you read this, thank you - I hope it didn’t sound too ridiculous.

Anoshe.

#i may end up deleting this #it probably reads like nonsense but it’s got a lot of emotions in it from me #anyway #here we go #the fragile threads of power #threads of power #tftop #fragile threads #adsom #a darker shade of magic #a conjuring of light #a gathering of shadows #kell maresh #shades of magic #v e schwab #lila bard #delilah bard #kellila

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honourablejester · 3 years

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Goblin Lore Bard Concept

I’m gonna be honest, just a random character concept because I wanted a tiny tired goblin Abraham Van Helsing. A battered little professor goblin who’s seen a lot of shit, and is more than a bit weird because of it, and would like to help people now

Character Sheet: Ifviz ‘The Little Professor’ Hezzing

Name: Ifviz ‘The Little Professor’ Hezzing

Race: Goblin

Age: 47

Background: Sage

Class/Level: Bard 3 (Lore)

Statistics: Strength 8, Dexterity 15, Constitution 14, Intelligence 10, Wisdom 12, Charisma 16

Skills & Languages:

Skills: Arcana, Deception, History, Insight, Investigation, Perception*, Persuasion*, Stealth

Instruments: flute, kalimba, handpan

Languages: Common, Goblin, Elvish, Abyssal

Ideal: I try to help other people as much as I can, because no one helped me, and I wish they had

Bond: I keep my thoughts and poetry and discoveries in a little journal; I hope to leave it as a legacy, a reminder that I existed

Flaw: I talk to things, myself, objects, spirits that no one else can see

Traits, Feats and Background/Class Features: Darkvision (60ft), Nimble Escape, Fury of the Small, Researcher, Bardic Inspiration, Ritual Casting, Jack of All Trades, Song of Rest, Bonus Proficiencies, Cutting Words, Expertise (Perception, Persuasion)

Spells:

Cantrips: Mage Hand, Vicious Mockery

Spells: Faerie Fire, Dissonant Whispers, Healing Word, Comprehend Languages, Detect Magic, Knock

Equipment: Leather armour, rapier, dagger, common clothes, bone flute, kalimba, backpack, bedroll, crowbar, hammer, stakes, holy water, holy symbol (Lathander), mirror, tinderbox, waterskin, writing kit, leather-bound journal, trinket (tiny gnome-made music box)

Allies & Enemies: 'Master' Abraham Torren, the human wizard who owned him for over twenty years. Lila Knupperwocket, the gnome bard who taught him the basics of his craft once he escaped

Description: A tiny, wiry, whitish goblin in a tired, shabby suit, with a pair of reading glasses that he very carefully keeps safe in a handkerchief in his pocket, who looks tired and sad and would very much like to be able to help you

History: Known as 'The Little Professor', Ifviz spent a lot of years enslaved to a wizard of ... dubious morality. One who trafficked with a number of dark powers, including demons, witches and vampires. Ifviz kept his head down, and tried not to think about what went on very literally over his head, but he also did everything in his power to learn from what the wizard left lying around: lore, and information on demons and magic, and whatever other books and writings he could lay his hands however briefly on. He developed a love of music from the collection of music boxes the wizard indulged in, but had no means at the time to safely indulge it.

When his master's dark deeds finally (apparently) caught up with him, in the form of demonic forms and voices gleefully laying waste to his lair, Ifviz scarpered instantly, and made his way out into the world, determined to keep learning, to find a way to stop such people as his master and his cohort in future, and to find a way to indulge in music and poetry now that he was relatively safe to do so. Despite the reputation of his race and the way he is viewed, he's mostly done his best to live up to those goals, and to help other people where he can, with a little help here or there along the way.

#d&d #bards #goblins #character concepts #abraham van helsing #i just like tired professor goblins #not sure why

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reggiehargreeves · 3 years

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Hargreeves + DnD

I started playing DnD earlier this year and it’s become my weekly escape and obsession, and because my brain is a *dumpster* I’ve been thinking about each of the Hargreeves siblings and which DnD class + subclass they’d be if they were characters. In fact, I have spent TOO MUCH time thinking about it. Call it a US election coping mechanism. Spoilers for the show under the cut.

Luther - Paladin, Oath of Devotion. I thought fighter or barbarian would be too obvious of choices. Paladins are hardy adventurers, driven by a belief in something, most typically a divine figure. For most of his life, Luther lives in service to his father because he believes, deep down, despite how cruel and strict Reginald is, it’s all for a better, higher cause. He makes excuses for Reginald’s abuse until he absolutely can’t, which shatters him a bit. It’s only when he transfers 100% of his loyalty, belief, and love to his family, is he righted again. For his subclass, I considered Oath of Redemption, but I think Devotion fits our big guy better.

Diego - Rogue, Swashbuckler. Maybe this choice is a bit obvious, but it’s difficult for me to imagine Diego as anything else! Rogues are more than capable combatants, but are also known for their reliance on stealth and cunning. Now...Diego may have his moments where he is decidedly not cunning, but he wouldn’t be a Hargreeves if he could fire more than 3 brain cells at a time. I almost went with Assassin for the subclass, but I also don’t think my bb is necessarily sneaky enough, hence Swashbuckler. There’s also the stereotype of the Broody Rogue, and while Diego genuinely has a Tragic Backstory™ and Mommy Issues™, his tough-guy-with-a-gold-and-incredibly-soft-heart nature speaks to the class.

Allison - Bard, College of Eloquence. I can hear you now. But Avery, doesn’t Vanya play the violin??? Yes! But Bards are an expansive class when you look beyond their stereotypes. Bards can be accomplished diplomats and storytellers thanks to their natural charisma. Allison’s power of rumoring others lends itself nicely to the class. She is capable of making others do as she pleases and up until a point in S1, we know she’s used her powers enough to provide herself with a very comfortable life outside the Academy. Bards are also capable of filling ability gaps in parties of adventurers in support roles. Need another sword or caster? Bards can fill that spot. Allison’s power, like Klaus’s, is more subtle than Luther and Diego, but as we saw in her fights with Cha Cha and Lila, she’s more than capable of holding her own in a physical fighter when she needs to.

Klaus - Wizard, School of Necromancy. I mean, you knew it was going to be a necromancer of some kind, right? Our spindly boy is our reluctant wizard of the party. Klaus can commune with the ghosts of the dead, and is not only able to speak with them, but also capable of commanding and even touching them. Necromancy is considered taboo in the world of DnD, and most societies frown upon wizards just up and reviving dead loved ones. Klaus, for the most part, hates his power. As a child, Reginald locks him in a mausoleum to be tormented by the long-dead ghosts that live there in an attempt to make him “”stronger””, and he is traumatized. As a teenager and adult, he develops addictions to numb himself from facing the dead. For most of his life, the only positive thing to come from his power is his ability to summon Ben. He doesn’t come into his powers for several years. Klaus would make a fascinating inspiration for a reluctant I’d-rather-not-use-my-natural-abilities necromancer. Runner up: Grave Domain Cleric.

Five - Warlock, no subclass choice at the moment. I struggled with Five as he, to our knowledge, is perhaps the smartest of the siblings. This is partly due to his lived experience, as well as the work he put into figuring out his time traveling abilities. It speaks to the whole “warlocks are driven by an insatiable need for knowledge and power”, wherein warlocks seek to strike deals or create pacts with entities far more powerful than them. After getting himself stuck alone in an apocalyptic future for decades, unable to figure out how to get back, he’s approached by the Handler. She offers him 5 years of service, after which he may retire to any time/place he wants. HMMM. How Warlock-y. Anyway, we know that this isn’t the first deal he is forced to strike with the Handler in exchange for knowledge and power.

Ben - Monk, Way of the Astral Self. I really struggled with Ben. My first thought was a Circle of the Moon Druid, BUT I don’t think of Ben as nature-y as a stereotypical Druid. However, he’s fairly shy, studious, and sensitive. Monks also require a mastery over their own body in order to harness both their physical and magical abilities, which reminds me of Ben’s eldritch power. When you have a kind of void or passageway to another hellish dimension in your tummy, learning self-control at an early age is probably paramount. Way of the Astral Self Monks also struggle with their magical ability (ki). To quote DNDBeyond, “They see their mystical energy as a representation of their true form, an astral self. This form has the capacity to be a force of good or destruction, with some monasteries training students to either temper their nature or embrace their impulses.“ We see Ben’s hesitancy to use his power at the bank robbery mission. He doesn’t just kill the perps, he annihilates them, and I’m sure it was not the first time he was forced to do it. Just think of the depressing internal despair that sensitive bb felt after every mission. I’m sure there are plenty of Trauma!Ben fics out there to explain it better.

Vanya - Sorcerer, no subclass choice at the moment. Sorcerers are supposed to be rare in the world of DnD, and if you look at the player’s handbook or do a little reading, you’ll get the gist why. Sorcerers have raw and unpredictable magic flowing beneath their skin. It can be frightening at first, much like Vanya’s discovery of her powers and their suppression, but maybe even intoxicating. Difficult to control when triggered by external forces. Sorcerers are akin to the rage ability of barbarians, and prefer to blast enemies into kingdom come. Sound familiar? I would imagine Vanya much like Klaus in DnD, reluctant to use her powers, especially after finding out just how sideways things can go when she uses them. Yet I also think she’d be excited to be *special* after a lifetime of being told she’s useless.

If you made it this far -- thank you! I am a DnD newbie so I’m sure more veteran players have better choices/ideas/explanations than I do.

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alexsfictionaddiction · 4 years

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10 Non-Binary Books Everyone Should Read This Pride Month

There is a lot of debate around gender issues right now and what it means to not conform to the gender assigned to your biological sex. Non-binary people feel that their gender falls outside of the male/female model. This is not to be confused with the term genderqueer, which is ever so slightly different. Genderqueer means non-normative gender expression and many people who identify as genderqueer also hold some kind of binary identity i.e. ‘genderqueer woman’ or ‘genderqueer man’. This is not the case for many non-binary people who predominantly use they/them pronouns and are not bound by any pre-conceived notions of gender. As a cisgender woman, I don’t pretend to know too much about the nuances between the two identities but I do know that they have different histories and connotations and that some non-binary people don’t wish to reclaim the slur ‘queer’. Gender is a topic that continues to fascinate me and therefore something I’m always looking for reading material on. Let me know if you have any recommendations! -Love, Alex x

1. I Wish You All The Best by Mason Deaver.

When they come out as non-binary, Ben is thrown out of the family home, moves in with their sister and starts a new school. It gets tricky to slip under the radar when the brilliant Nathan befriends Ben and feelings begin to grow. It’s a beautiful YA story with excellent depictions of anxiety as well as being a celebration of love and hope.

2. Mooncakes by Suzanne Walker and Wendy Xu.

Nova Huang helps out at her grandmothers’ bookshop and in the investigations of supernatural happenings. When her childhood crush, non-binary werewolf Tam Lang returns to town, an evil force is hot on their heels. I know I’ve recommended Mooncakes before but this cutesy graphic novel is full of whimsy, inclusivity and stunning artwork.

3. They/Them/Their: A Guide to Nonbinary & Genderqueer Identities by Eris Young.

Reflecting on their own experiences as a non-binary person, Eris Young’s manual is the perfect read for anyone wanting to learn more about non-normative genders. It talks about the history of non-binary genders, healthcare issues, neutral language and smashes misconceptions as well as touching on how gender is perceived in non-white cultures, which is vital to the discussions of today.

4. An Unkindness of Ghosts by Rivers Solomon.

Aster is eccentric and queer, living a life of oppression below the decks of a spaceship bound for the Promised Land, while trying to figure out what really happened to her mother. Although female pronouns are used for Aster, she explicitly states that she feels neither male nor female, much like many other characters in the lower decks of the ship. It’s an action-packed sci-fi that also manages to explore trauma, poverty, identity and so much more.

5. Sphinx by Anne Garréta.

Essentially this is a simple love story following a theology student and DJ who falls for a nightclub dancer within a heady, queer, party world. No first names or gender pronouns are used at all. Originally published in 1986, Sphinx is a literary experimentation by Garréta, who decided to take on the heavily-gendered French language and throw the rulebook out of the window.

6. A Darker Shade of Magic by V. E. Schwab.

Kell works as a smuggler who can travel between the four Londons but on one mission, he is robbed by the brilliantly ambitious thief Lila Bard, who forces him to take her on a magical adventure. The Shades of Magic trilogy is a fantastically diverse, pulse-racing series. The reason it’s on this list is because of Lila’s unmistakeable blurred gender. Schwab has previously said that should she have lived in our time, Lila would almost certainly identify as non-binary.

7. The Argonauts by Maggie Nelson.

Part memoir, part essay, part love letter, The Argonauts tells the story of the author’s relationship with non-binary Harry Dodge and their journey to raising a queer family. It’s unflinchingly honest, sensitive and touches upon several legal issues that non-conforming genders come up against as well as celebrating love without boundaries.

8. Freshwater by Akwaeke Emezi.

Ada is a young Nigerian girl, housing multiple selves which grow and blossom as she grows into a woman. While it isn’t explicitly about being non-binary, Emezi is non-binary themself and they have described Freshwater as semi-autobiographical. It’s beautifully written, incredibly strange and illustrates a life that contains multitudes, so I can see how non-binary readers could easily relate.

9. Ancillary Justice by Ann Leckie.

The mind inside the woman called Breq used to be known as Justice of Toren, a powerful AI system that controlled a battleship but now Breq is reduced to a single body and is out for revenge. This immersive sci-fi trilogy doesn’t have language for gender and there is no real importance in pigeonholing anyone, which makes for a wonderfully refreshing reading experience.

10. The Brilliant Death by Amy Rose Capetta.

When Teo’s mafia boss father is poisoned, they enlist the help of Cielo who can effortlessly switch genders to help unlock the truth of their own magic and save their dad. Both Teo and Cielo are non-binary as well as Teo’s true coming-of-age and acceptance of themself all wrapped up in a thrilling fantasy adventure.

#nonbinary books #pride month #lgbtq #book recommendations #books #bookworm

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bookswithelli · 4 years

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a darker shade of magic: review

synopsis:

Kell is one of the last Antari—magicians with a rare, coveted ability to travel between parallel Londons; Red, Grey, White, and, once upon a time, Black.

Kell was raised in Arnes—Red London—and officially serves the Maresh Empire as an ambassador, traveling between the frequent bloody regime changes in White London and the court of George III in the dullest of Londons, the one without any magic left to see.

Unofficially, Kell is a smuggler, servicing people willing to pay for even the smallest glimpses of a world they'll never see. It's a defiant hobby with dangerous consequences, which Kell is now seeing firsthand.

After an exchange goes awry, Kell escapes to Grey London and runs into Delilah Bard, a cut-purse with lofty aspirations. She first robs him, then saves him from a deadly enemy, and finally forces Kell to spirit her to another world for a proper adventure.

Now perilous magic is afoot, and treachery lurks at every turn. To save all of the worlds, they'll first need to stay alive.

review under the cut!

stars: ★★★★☆

First of all, although I rated this book 4 stars, there were some issues with it (mainly involving representation and characterization). I rated it 4 stars because I enjoyed reading it despite its issues, but I recognize that the mediocre representation may turn others away from this book.

characters & representation

Before I begin this section of the review, I would like to say that I am not visually impaired and therefore do not have any authority on that subject. My comments on the treatment of Lila's missing eye are merely based on my own observations and what I have heard from visually impaired people on the topic.

Lila:

A cross-dressing thief and aspiring pirate with a penchant for knives, Lila Bard brings to mind the likes of Inej Ghafa from Leigh Bardugo's Six of Crows and Elizabeth Swann from Pirates of the Caribbean. There were times when I really liked Lila; she can be sassy and morally questionable which is always interesting to see when well done. However, her character had a few issues that I wanted to address.

“Delilah Bard looked like a king. No...she looked like a conqueror.” pg. 289

When will fantasy authors stop romanticising conquerors and colonization?! This may be a smaller issue since aside from White London (which is villainized) there is no mention of it in the overarching plot, but this line just really bothered me. It makes me think that V.E. Schwab is a fan of adult and YA fantasy authors like Sarah J. Maas and others who write their main characters to be colonizers and romanticize it in the process. I don’t think this line was necessary at all, and I wish the second sentence had been removed or modified to something a little less problematic (e.g. she looked like a pirate/captain/etc.)

"How did you lose it...your eye?" -Master Tieren, pg. 327

It is revealed near the end of the book that Lila has been missing an eye for as long as she can remember, and she wears a glass eye as a replacement. This is all well and good, but the consequences of her impaired vision are never explored. The only reason the reader knows that Lila is missing an eye is because the author tells them. The narrative never discusses how Lila's lack of an eye affects her day to day life, and it's only brought into the story when it is needed for the plot.

It’s also worth mentioning that Lila is the only female character with a large role in this book, and no matter how “feminist” her character is, there’s not a lot of women in this book that are portrayed positively and with depth.

Rhy:

I actually really liked Rhy and I loved his relationship with Kell. I love sibling love in books and we so rarely get positive sibling relationships, so this was nice to see! It’s also really important to have queer people of color in books. However, I don’t think Rhy’s character is good bi/pan representation (I will refer to him as bi in this review for the sake of brevity, but it’s worth mentioning that neither term is mentioned so Rhy could canonically identify as either).

“He would flirt with a nicely upholstered chair, and he never takes anything seriously.” -Kell, pg. 254

As a queer girl who has identified as bisexual in the past and may in the future, this is bad bi rep 101. Schwab is perpetuating the stereotype of the “promiscuous bi”, or one who flirts and/or sleeps with everyone and everything. This is not a bad characteristic in itself, but it is harmful bi rep because that is the way every bi character is portrayed in media. It reinforces the idea that bisexual people in real life are all like this, and it also reinforces biphobes’ points of view when they say that bisexual people are more likely to cheat because they sleep with more people. This is pretty much the most common stereotype of a bisexual person, so while I doubt that Schwab intended to be harmful in her portrayal of Rhy, it shows that she did not do much research on LGBT+ rep when writing her characters. I do know that some bi people were not bothered by this; however, I believe that writers should stay away from stereotypes, especially when writing characters that are marginalized. Even though promiscuity is not an inherently bad trait, it is harmful when applied to bisexual people because it reinforces real peoples’ beliefs and affects real life bisexuals. This is especially important here because Rhy is the only narrative-confirmed LGBT+ character in the first book. It's not the worst representation I've seen, since Rhy does have a personality outside his flirtatiousness and promiscuity (in fact, it's confirmed that this is a coping mechanism for him) but it's certainly not the best, and I'm just tired of seeing bisexual people represented this way in fiction.

Kell:

I know a lot of people who didn’t like Kell very much, and that is understandable. However, I found him really compelling. It’s refreshing to see a male lead in this genre who’s not jacked and a brooding asshole whose only redeeming quality is his dick size. He’s definitely moody, but not to the point where he becomes an abusive alpha male type guy (yes, I am aware that this is a very low bar). I genuinely enjoyed his character because he’s flawed. He’s stubborn and moody but he’s incredibly caring and he genuinely wants to help people. He feels alienated from his family so he rebels and gets himself in trouble. His character is written well because he’s not perfect by any means, but he’s still likeable and you still root for him.

Holland:

Holland is what every YA love interest wishes they were. Honestly. He’s given no excuses for his actions, and yet he is still sympathetic. You understand that he is under the control of Astrid and Athos, but you also understand that all he has done for years is carry out their orders, and that changes a person. His story is heartbreaking, but that doesn’t change what he has done. He knows it, Kell knows it, Lila knows it, the reader knows it. Honestly, if he were in a YA fantasy romance, I bet Holland would be the love interest; his female “mate” would change him for the better, and he would never face the consequences of his actions. That makes his arc in this story all the more enjoyable. Holland is one of my favorite characters of all time, and not because he’s a perfect “book boyfriend” or whatever, but because his story and character are genuinely interesting and executed well.

worldbuilding

I loved the worldbuilding in this book. There was a bit of an info-dump in the beginning, but I’m willing to look past that because the world was so engaging and interesting that I forgot about the dense first chapter once I got past it. Each London has a distinct feel, and they are all almost tangible. The descriptions of each made me feel like I was in the Londons along with Kell and Lila. It seems like the system would be complicated, but Lila sums it up well:

“There’s Dull London, Kell London, Creepy London, and Dead London.” -pg. 198

After the initial info-dump, Schwab weaves information about the magic system seamlessly through the book, leaving enough mystery for the reader to wonder at what might happen in the next books, but never leaving out so much that the reader is confused. I really appreciated the rules that existed around magic. It’s draining, and Antari magic requires blood, which means there is a limit to how much you can perform at once. Magic is seen to affect the world beyond the characters and their main conflict, which I was very happy about as well. There are too many fantasy novels where the magic system has no rules and only exists to further the plot, but in this world you can see it everywhere. The politics of Red London and White London are affected by magic, even where it is not necessarily relevant to the plot. You can see small amounts of magic being performed in the streets of Red London: spells to protect from thieves, etc. Magic is normal for the people in Red London, and it is treated as such in the text.

pacing & plot

This book flew along. I’ve read it multiple times now, and every time, I can’t stop until I finish. And then I want to move along to the next book immediately. It manages to keep up a great pace and still build up to an exciting climax. Schwab’s lyrical writing is not flowery, but it draws the reader in and carries them along the story effortlessly. It’s very engaging and accessible language, which makes it a good stepping stone into adult fantasy (especially if you’re coming from YA).

Overall, I really enjoyed this book. The representation that it gets praised so highly for is disappointing, but aside from that I enjoyed most of the characters and the writing was beautiful. The plot and world were engaging and made me want to read the second book immediately (even though I’m on my 3rd or 4th reread). I would recommend this book for fans of YA fantasy who want to get into adult fantasy - this book is categorized as adult, but I found it a lot easier to read than other adult fantasies. For me, this book is a reminder that you can recognize the flaws in a book and still enjoy it, so remember to stay critical, even of your favorite books :)

#adsom #a darker shade of magic #kell maresh #lila bard #rhy maresh #holland vosijk #ve schwab #booklr #review

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