#no genre boundaries

[blindrapture]

In 2011, I started writing a thing, on a whim. In 2013, I finished it. A lot of people seemed to love it? Then over the next decade, I put a lot of work into expanding and editing it, with plans for a complete physical book release that didn't happen. Well, here it is again. As an internet novel. A finished novel, this time.

I will start posting the story on May 21st, 2024. May 22nd will be a day of rest. And then, from May 23rd until October 21st, every day will see a new chapter-- a new log. ("F-Five months?? How long is this novel?" Oh yeah, good point. That won't actually get us to the end. There may be another eight, ten days of chapters afterwards. It is important, however, to emphasize the May 21 - October 21 model.)

I will make sure to put the bulk of the contents under "Read More" breaks, so each log won't clutter your browsing experience.

The logs will have art in them. Not as much as in the original draft, but there will still be some. As of May 1st, I expect art by Rappu, RealaChao, Wiratomkinder, and Vis.

I plan on supplementing the logs with the occasional post talking about the making and intention of the story. I dunno, it's gonna be a five-month distribution period, I'm gonna get antsy during that and am gonna want to ramble. That'll be separate content, though.

And when the story is fully and completely posted on tumblr, I will release the full novel on my Website, where I like to keep the rest of my creations. Both the tumblr novel and the Website novel will be free reading, forever. I reserve the right to try again at a paid physical edition afterwards.

So! That's it. Rapture is coming. OH GOD THE RAPTURE IS BURNING is coming.

Trigger Warnings: Sex, Gods, and Rock & Roll. (violence. some swear words. teenage angst, cringe. death. insects. surrealism. symbolism. unpredictability of what will be explained and what won't. sexual acts with dubious consent-- you will be able to skip that part. religious iconography. and so much prog rock.)

Get ready for it.

[utilitycaster]

I am very excited for Unend and I have absolutely no insight into what it will entail but I do want to offer a gentle warning regarding what I'd like to call, for the CR audience anyway, the Campaign 1 to Campaign 2 problem.

I found in the early-ish days of Campaign 2 there was an immense focus from some parts of the fandom on what previously seen characters were doing, rather than the current cast of characters, and at times a bitterness that we weren't just showing the same characters 25 years down the line. Which was silly, because we got a great story with new great characters and saw the world grow before our eyes, and there were even some small nods without them overshadowing something new and exciting.

I feel this way about Unend: again, I know nothing, but I don't think it will be heavily focused on characters introduced in Midst or Moonward at all. I think it's an opportunity for a new cast of characters to explore new things in the same world. While I suspect the islet of Midst may show up simply because it's a strategic location for an exploration vessel to stop given how the cosmos work, the story is explicitly going to be taking place as far away from Midst as possible, since they're trying to find the extremes of the cosmos, not the middle. I don't think we're checking in extensively with past characters, and I think that's great! Get excited for new ones!

[lloydfrontera]

why did bkmoon make Lloyd and Javier so infuriatingly gay. like what was the reason ??? and then he made Lloyd marry Alicia???? what ???? i want to dissect his mind and thought process because what the hell ????????

i am on the exact same boat as you nonnie i wanna take a peek into his brain so bad. gimme ten minutes in the same room as him and google translate i can get it out of him i know this.

of course it could simply be that he's a straight author raised in a misogynistic amatonormative culture that places higher emphasis on the importance of the male pov who simply didn't consider how giving the relationship between his two male protagonists more depth and relevance to the plot than to the actual romantic relationship between the main character and his love interest could be misconstructed and interpreted. i mean. that's very much a possibility. wouldn't be the first time unfortunately lol

[skitskatdacat63]

I hate booktok, is it not literally the exact same as when we(as in people like me lmao) read 'x reader' stories on wattpad back in the day?????

[pharawee]

The Hell Guard pilot (what's it with the recent trend of calling trailers pilots even when the series is already funded and shooting?) will release tomorrow on youtube. 🎉

The Hell Guard is part of the same universe as Chains of Heart (and Art Adore En and Love Puzzle - but those are produced by different companies and likely cancelled 😭) which is why there's a huge ensemble cast and an overlap in plot and characters. I love love love this series of novels and I love Chains of Heart even more so expect this to be my Roman Empire until the end of this year.

[k-i-l-l-e-r-b-e-e-6-9]

Slayer - Evil Has No Boundaries

[goat-boy-sounds]

one of these days I feel like I should watch an actually really scary horror movie like blair witch or skinamarink or that new maika monroe movie but idk.

[onewomancitadel]

I had a hell of a time the other day and I ended up reading some slashfic out of distraction and honestly I've come back around to being an apologist to it... it was very interesting because the characters were really psychologically small, the question of misogyny which normally infuses hetfic was totally absent (by virtue of what it is) but even the question of gender was relatively minimal, a lot of it was sexless and when it was sexy it was weirdly - juvenile? - genuinely like smushing Barbie dolls together. I almost feel like the word I'd use to describe it all was 'innocent'; it was innocent psychologically, socially, sexually, in narrative consequences.

It's interesting because the much-maligned fujoshi - even I have partaken in the sport - is usually termed as an oversexed A/B/O nightmare busy getting men pregnant. And it's true that they exist, but in their own way I kind of find them quaint: the sex they always have is outlandishly perfect and bereft of all psychological complexity. Even pregnancy, in this case, is turned into something even if difficult, always beautiful and nongendered, not the experience it is in the real world (even hetfic at its happiest is not ignorant of the implicit place pregnancy has cultually).

I find the angle of psychological simplicity a surprise because the way it is normally termed is that male characters are capable of psychological complexity women lack (or lack in writing). Whereas I think the thesis is actually kind of the opposite: it can be simple because it is not painful. There's something existentially deeper here which is that I think what we find is that we believe the other gender(s) has it easier; existential meaning is located along the border of it. It's very human. Simplicity seems desirable. (It's not to devalue feminist analysis in any way).

And I think that this generally speaks to the issue that I have with a lot of storytelling atittudes - the desire to escape that complexity - for people who really do just seek out storytelling as an avenue for fluffy pleasure. For me, the idea that the full spectrum of human experience is elided from something very fully, deeply human - literally narrating someone's perspective of the world - is essentially existential horror to me, the worst of all kinds of horror. I don't think this is an issue found simply along slashfic/hetfic lines (and indeed femslash, for similar reasons), but is more apparent in slashfic just because it really offers the optimum escapist experience.

There are surely exceptions, but you find this in the genre of whumpfic; even that sort of melodramatic pain is played out in a nearly childish, thumping-the-toys way. You'll notice that I've pretty much ignored the question of sexuality - it's beyond the purview of this post, but also because I don't think it's really that straightforward. And there is slashfic which isn't 'childish', to be sure; there's a difference between simplicity and childishness, and I think you can surely make the case that this applies to the mainstream romance genre. The two have a lot in common.

But the thing I find valuable here is that there is something essential, maybe even deeper than any other argument put forward about why slashfic draws such an overwhelming audience, to be found here.

The most valuable thing to me was considering that it is not about male characters being more complex than female characters - it's the exact opposite. What they profess, I think, is not true, and to take it at face value - that male characters (with one line? With none?) are simply universally better written than women as a consequence of nebulous misogyny which can simply not be contended with - is a grave error I've made in the past. I would dispute that complex female characters scare people; not that they can't understand them, but that it is precisely the sort of thing a lot of people really aren't looking for. It's not safe, it's not comforting, it's not reassuring. And this crosses over with all the people afraid of conflict, afraid of any narrative complexity whatsoever. The issue was not, as it happens, poorly written women.

[poebrey]

gonna write a whole thing someday about how characters of color who clearly have a history of trauma or mental health issues aren’t given consideration or acknowledgement in the fandom imagination

[ghostlypawn]

hi i think i want to start reading this year so if you have any recs pls slide into my ask box (or just reply/rb) <3333

[bat-besties]

Batgirl #39 - Dylan Horrocks

This page alone is just so much proof about how Barbara is Cass' best guardian and the adult figure who cares about her most. She isn't afraid to call out Bruce and deadpan antagonise him ("Ha." is such geninus. He hates being laughed at.)

Also Bruce's insistence that Cass is old enough to be forced to fight but he won't let her even consider dating Superboy is so interesting. It's the same possessiveness he has over Tim with Steph. He doesn't think someone is good enough for his kid - and he makes his kid and the person MISERABLE because of it. He actually destroys property because of how mad he is at Babs for this. It's controlling and toxic.

And the worst part of all this?

Barbara actually thought Bruce had listened to her. She was trying to give Cass a teen experience complete with cute beach clothes, letting her have a little alcohol for the first time, and even encouraging some summer flirting.

Cass is uncertain Bruce thinks this is alright, and look at how happy Babs is to reassure her that no, he actually had the idea! He paid for everything as a treat.

And then the rug is pulled out from her, and because of her paralysis she can't even take over for Cass, she has to watch every small scrap of progress be ripped away.

It's not the most cruel thing Bruce does to Cass, but at least at other points he doesn't pretend to be kind, to let her hear she deserves a holiday before proving he doesn't think she's good enough (he engineers the situation because she hesitates in a previous fight).

(Also Tai'Darshan was absolutely right in calling out the willingness of American business to ignore murder if they can get oil and making Cass' hesitation about him purely about his looks and not his politics and kindness was a sexist writing decision.)

Bruce engineers a situation to force Cass to atone for her hesitation or else be responsible for murders happening on her watch, and also puts her up against a metahuman when Babs explicitly says that their current advice for her is not to face them. It's Superboy who wins the fight, not her - if he hadn't been there she could have been in real danger.

Barbara setting a boundary for Cass, and Cass failing for one single moment, is reacted to with a cowardly trick to make them redeem themselves to him.

Unfortunately, it's not an unusual Bruce play for his bats.

And Barbara knows exactly what he's doing, and is powerless to stop him by design.

She's allowed to raise Cass, but not to protect her, and it makes me so angry. Both of them deserve so much better.

[neonsblanketfort]

I'm feeling salty today and I need to complain about people who say "a comedians job is to push boundaries and make you think" because a) people always say that about bigoted comedians, and it's annoying as hell.

and b) literally, no. A comedian's job is to make you laugh. Thats it.

Now, I am absolutely not saying comedians can't push boundaries and make you think. I have had my mind expanded and my biases exposed and been very moved by comedy. It's basically my favourite genre and I feel like it's an absolutely wonderful medium for all sorts of things. Comedy is sacred to me, genuinely.

But if you're going to a comedy show, at the end of the day, you're there to laugh and anything else is a bonus.

Bigots hiding behind this edgy idea of "comedians are supposed to make you uncomfortable" is so infuriating to me.

[mooned-knights]

was it "quite the orgy scene" or was it a splash page full of people who have horns and clawed feet but are still very much conventionally attractive doing a normie's idea of Weird Sex

[sollucets]

sigh i guess it's less about "it should have happened earlier" and more "it doesn't feel like there's going to be enough time to resolve this"

[sarcasticsra]

So imagine you’re Rue, and you meet someone you instantly click with, who you recognize as a fellow outsider in their circle. You’re so inspired by this feeling of possible connection that you reveal your true self, and when you do, you see him only marvel at it, at your bravery, at you.

You also see the way his behavior earns him scorn within his court, even as he dedicates himself to their service, the way you have dedicated yourself to service with the Bloom. At the conclusion of the meeting in the tailor’s shop, you ask him to consider himself, pointing out that no one else around him seems to be doing so. He doesn’t disagree, says he can’t disagree. You think maybe you’re getting through to him. He gives you his medal of courage. You implore him one last time to take care of himself, to protect himself.

Then, at the masquerade ball, you see him, in an instinct, when fireworks go off unexpectedly, leap to protect you, not his court superiors, those he has a duty to. You exchange flirtatious words and dance cards, and watch him very deliberately eat his own dance card in front of you. The tension is there, palpable, humming in the air. You dance all night. The rest of the world fades away. He whispers to you his full, true name.

You write him a letter, your whole heart laid bare on the page. You tell him you love him, that you wish to know him, to be with him, always and forever.

And, as far as you know, he simply doesn’t respond. Not even to politely decline. The next time you see him, he’s been wounded, but won’t even consider his own comfort and safety, still wholly concerned for the reputation of his court, and apparently he’s recently been promoted. You ask him his thoughts on the dismantling of the courts, and all he can say is, “where would the orders come from?” and your heart sinks, as you begin to realize he is not who you hoped. Once again you ask him of his own happiness, and find no real answer, just a deflection consumed with obligation. Still, you do wish him happiness, and you tell him so.

Then at the theater you see him with a Lady of the Seelie Court on his arm, the picture of a political arrangement, and ah, of course. It all does make sense now. You fully did misread him, and the situation. His station and reputation are all that truly matter to him after all. Your feelings could not help him with that, so why would they be worthy of a response?

You don’t push, though, or confront him, you simply excuse yourself to be alone, to think. You find BINX, who tells you he has deep feelings for you, and you want to believe them, but how can you? She has no reason to lie, but you’ve told him how you felt, and he’s made his choice, hasn’t he? Perhaps the feelings are real, then, but his duty to his court is still more important, in which case, what does it matter? You’ve spent your entire life hiding, an outsider in a court that kidnapped you, entertaining others as a way to survive. Do you really want to continue putting your happiness second place to obligation?

And still when he finds you, and Andhera and BINX scatter, you allow yourself one final moment of hope… and he has the unmitigated nerve, after all the moments you’ve shared, after you’ve confessed to him your honest feelings, to confront you about the dissolution of a nonsense political marriage. You attempt to disengage, but he doesn’t let you, once again focused on the stupid reputation of his stupid court. So you tell him why you did the things you did, admit that you were foolish to think what you did about him, and again all he can speak of is service, accusing you of manipulating him on behalf of your court, as if it has ever been about that. You told him how you feel, and he still accuses you of this?

So you tell him again, foolishly maybe, but love has apparently made you a fool. Still, maybe he will, at the very least, finally understand that your actions were not out of malice, were not to malign or elevate any court, that none of that even matters to you. That it’s irrelevant.

Because at the end of the day, all you’ve ever wanted is to make others happy, just like he has… all but for a few beautiful moments, where you allowed yourself to think that maybe, together, you could finally, perhaps this once, enjoy a taste of that same happiness, just for yourselves.