#the regency short on patreon

[eatingyarn]

i had regency era on my mind since forever and finally decided to draw ella wiseman in a cute regency-inspired dress.

[duckprintspress]

Calling All Artists!

In celebration of January 1st, 2024, and Public Domain Day, Duck Prints Press is thrilled to announce that we are doing open recruitment for artists to contribute to our next fanfiction and fanart anthology A Truth Universally Acknowledged: Queer Fanworks Inspired by Jane Austen’s “Pride and Prejudice”!

Are you an Austenite? Do you love Regency romance but lament how, well, straight most of it is? Do you wish Mary Bennett found a partner? Are you positive Charlotte Lucas deserved better? Do you pity Miss de Bourgh? Do you dream of Darcy and Bingley OT3s? Well you are NOT ALONE! We at Duck Prints Press are right there with you, and we’re here to say: this is your moment to shine! We want your wlw pairings, your new happy endings, your P&P ot3s and ot4s, your “but what if they’re trans,” your queer art and fanart inspired by this beloved story! This story has such a lovely main and supporting cast, the possibilities for taking Pride and Prejudice and MAKING IT QUEER are endless!

This is the third in our Queer Fanworks Inspired By… series, publishing legal fanfic and fanart inspired by popular works in the public domain. It builds on the success of our first two, And Seek (Not) to Alter Me (inspired by Much Ado About Nothing) and Aim For The Heart (inspired by The Three Musketeers). This is a paid arting opportunity; artists will be asked to complete one full-page (A4/210 mm x 297 mm), full-color piece, and we may have space for some artists to complete more than one page and/or short comics. Base pay is $50 per page, with the potential for raises up to $400 per page depending on our success during the eventual crowdfunding campaign.

Want to Learn More? OF COURSE YOU DO!

A Truth Universally Acknowledged Rules and Guidelines

A Truth Universally Acknowledged FAQ

A Truth Universally Acknowledged Schedule

Sample artist contract

Ready to apply? YAY! Follow this link to the sign up form! Applications close at midnight, January 15, 2024!

Interested in writing for this anthology? Unfortunately, author applications are only open to writers already involved with Duck Prints Press. Sorry! If you’re on our private Discord server, be on the lookout for the announcement with sign-up forms there.

Interested in buying this anthology once it’s available? Make sure you follow us on social media and/or sign up for newsletter so you hear the latest!

Eager to see how this project develops, read sneak peeks and see art previews, and more? Back us on Patreon! Patrons also selected this anthology theme – you can have a say in our future anthology themes, too, just by backing us at any level!

Please signal boost to help us spread the word!!

[shepherds-of-haven]

hi i hope you're having a good day! this may be quite silly but i'm curious, what are some typical dances for the peoples of blest?

Hi there! This was actually sent in for the Patreon Q&A in April, but something horrible has happened to Patreon's site in the last several months, where after a certain amount of text, the text editor becomes horrifically laggy and crashes constantly, meaning I did all the work (i.e. watching so many medieval and ancient dancing videos and reading all about various cultures and their dances) to answer this question, but the website stubbornly would not let me type up my answer in the existing Q&A post... 🥹 So I kept losing all my progress on this one and ultimately ended up giving up, but I still wanted to answer it, so I hope it's okay that I answer here!

The short answer: the typical dances for the people of Blest obviously are going to vary widely between cultures as well as classes within those cultures. People from the southern isles dance quite differently from people in the Eastern Continent, who in turn dance differently from people in Jalis. I'm not going to cover too much of the kinds of dancing that we don't see much of in the game, though I will note that Ket and Hunter cultures tend to favor dancing more as a form of story-telling or individual expression (often seen in plays or festival rituals where specialized dancers are playing specific roles or parts), with elaborate costumes and dance techniques being employed in each culture (some traditional Ket dancers use fans and masks, Hunter dancers often dress in swirling costumes with rattling beads and employ hand-drums), rather than the communal dancing we might envision in, like, ballrooms or barnyard line-dancing. The Elves have a mix of both, with dance as "performance" as well as dance as "socializing" utilized in equal measure, and performative dancing is seen as a high art form that deeply utilizes perfectly synchronized music, color coordination, and movement to create mesmerizing group displays, almost like synchronized swimming or Cirque de Soleil type experiences. Mage culture, in general, doesn't put a lot of emphasis on dancing, as many Mages tend to trend introverted, solitary, or unathletic, so as a society it's not viewed as a really vital skill or even a part of their larger culture outside of the usual school/festival dancing, which isn't so much taught as it is just stumbled into.

Anyway, the two primary forms of dancing we seen in the game are what the nobles do and what the commonfolk do. I imagine dancing among aristocrats (formal balls, the Trade Minister's gala, parties at the Sun Court) to be pretty similar to what you'd see in Regency-Era dancing, with waltzes, quadrilles, and cotillons being the most common style.

However, it should be noted that the "English country dance" that was typical of the Regency era (where men and women form two lines, facing across from their partner, and are not permitted to dance alone as a couple, but side-by-side alongside others) is not something that is present in Blest. If you've seen any Austenian movies like P&P 2005, you know what I mean.

^ So not this!

It may factor into a dance a noble has to do once or twice in their lifetime, but it's pretty unusual, and a guest without a noble background (like Riel or the Shepherds at the Trade Minister's gala) wouldn't be expected to know it.

Among the commonfolk, dancing typically takes place during festivals and holidays, in the streets or on the village green or town square, not within a formal venue such as a ball. As such, there are really no formal moves or styles ascribed to this kind of dancing--it's primarily dictated by what kind of music is playing, and you basically just jam out to it however you want, in a group, couple, or as an individual--but the closest real-world equivalents I could liken it to would be the medieval carole or free-style polka. But there are no formalized rules other than basic proprietary/decency, and even then that can be pretty lax once the drink is flowing.

However, while I don't have any formal name for it, mostly I just imagine the dance scene from A Knight's Tale. :)

[zorlok-if]

I'm graduating soon (yay!) and that's very exciting but I'm looking ahead and thinking about how much more time I'm going to have and how it'd be amazing to dedicate most of that time to writing. So, I was thinking about potentially (and eventually, not anytime soon) launching a patreon. Wanted to get people's reactions to that and share some of the exciting ideas I had for different tier perks.

First, there are some that I think are pretty standard: early/beta access to all my projects, exclusive shorts/art, lore posts, thorough frequent updates, tutorials, patron-only discord channels and roles, Q&As (as myself or as the cast), maybe some steamy scenes, we'll see.

But the main idea I've thought of—and which I actually have a bunch of ideas for already—is to do interactive D&D games with members of the Zorlok cast. For example, play through a supernatural regency one-shot with Danny, Lucía, and Rose, or a horror sci-fi game with EJ, Tommy, and Ciel, or a spicy fey drama with Dev, the Celestial, and Adam/Eve, or something else (as I said, I have a lot of ideas for this already, hehe). Maybe with special characters joining the table from time to time—characters like Adonis, Jovy, Cecil, Max, Hero, Laðe, etc.? Who knows? Could be anything!

Additionally, maybe with one of the tiers you'll be able to vote on which cast members or which one-shot idea you want to have in the next installment. Or maybe there's a longer campaign that is published every other month with shorter one-shots in between? Either way, I think this could be really fun to write and create as a group. If you have any thoughts on this, I'd love to hear 'em!

Some other ideas for patron rewards include custom templates made for all patrons or specific commissions for individual patrons, short stories for people of their MCs/OCs, the same kind of individualized scenes but as add-ons you can unlock with a passcode or secret word or something and play with personalized stuff in the D&D episode, interactive short stories set in the universe (about topics like characters backstories, side-characters exploring niche aspects of the world's lore, or non-canon adventures), etc. There are more ideas, but this block of text is already getting too long, so if you'd like to hear about those or if you have an idea/suggestion, let me know!

So, yeah! Just some ideas I'm playing with. Again, a patreon would be a while off, but wanted to see people's reactions to that idea now so I can plan accordingly moving forward. Thanks for reading all this and hope you have a good day!

[sweetfirebird]

Patreon post is up for patrons... Two short snippets: the Regency AU that became an Austen AU that became a modern Persuasion AU with Ian and Martin

[thebibliosphere]

[ID: a gif of John Oliver the comedian splaying his hands wide and saying, “Welcome to whatever this is…”]

Hello! My name is Joy Demorra, I’m an official 2x International Best Selling Author, Vampire Romancer and Shitpost Producer Extraordinaire, and yes, I am the vampire nipple erotica editor who just wants to rest , thanks for asking!

You may know me from such posts as the infamous Crucifix Nail Nipples (x), Robin Williams Punching Death Eaters Dream (x) or one of my many, many, many vampire shitposts, chronic illness/advocacy posts, or my ADHD posts. However you found me, I hope you enjoy your time here. Please have patience if you are sending me messages either here or somewhere else on the Internet. I am but a humble smut peddler, peddling my weres. I am also multiply disabled with at least one genetic disability and several chronic illnesses and mental health issues that make keeping up with a high traffic blog very difficult. I never expected to become a hub for shitposts and chronic illness/ADHD resources, but here we are!

If you ever get tired of seeing my personal health posts, you may wish to blacklist the following tags: ‘#chronic health tag’ & ‘#chronic health tag: teeth’, that way I can bitch and moan into the void and you don’t have to read it if you don’t want to.

Due to Tumblr successfully tricking me into becoming a professional author, I have several hundred ongoing projects at once, most of them vampire themed. 

My international best selling debut novel, Hunger Pangs: True Love Bites is available for purchase on Amazon, iTunes, Kobo, Barnes & Noble and several other places still updating as I type. It was supposed to be a short paranormal polyamorous satirical romance featuring a vampire, a werewolf and all other manner of creatures that go bump in the night, but has since morphed into a paranormal polyamorous gaslamp fantasy romance series with potentially 5-6 books planned. Don’t ask how, I do not know. Also yes, ha ha, I’m so bisexual I couldn’t even pick a genre. 

The series follows the antics of three main characters, a disabled and partially deaf werewolf known as Nathan Northland, a 400yo mad-scientist-dandy-styled vampire named Vlad Blutstein, and Ursula, who goes only by the mysterious moniker, The Lady Ursula. It’s set in a pseudo-regency-steampunkish gaslamp era, and the characters inhabit a world much like our own, excepting of course the fantastical ideas of magic being real, vampires living among us, and government bodies being held accountable for their actions.

The book will also be available in paperback, and will also come in two editions: one with the sex scenes for those who like a little bite with their fangs, and one without, for those who like a little bit more fluff. Links coming soon! There’s also already a fandom tag, which is #Phangs and #Phangdom and because I’m a weak creature and easily lead, AU fanfic on my Ao3 under original works, most of which is Adult 18+ in nature.

You can read more about my other ongoing works by clicking on my blog Welcome Page (x), and also at www.joydemorra.com for any upcoming news and announcements. Alternatively you can subscribe to my Newsletter (x) which I do promise I’ll update soon.

Given the nature of my work, if you are under the age of 18, I do ask that you respect my boundaries and refrain from interacting with anything on my blog that is labelled 18+

I try very hard to keep my blog as safe for everyone as I can and respect your boundaries. No mean feat when you’re known across the Internet as “the crucifix vampire nipple lady” :P

If you need me to tag something for trigger purposes, no matter how silly you think I might think it is, please let me know, I will be more than happy to do so. Also while I do try very hard to be conscientious of the things I do and say, sometimes I will inevitably make mistakes or misspeak, and it is important to me that it be brought to my attention so I might correct my behavior and apologize. So please don’t be afraid to tell me when I’ve got my head up my ass. I make no pretenses at being a good person. I’m just trying my damnedest not to be an awful one.

Other places you can find me on the Internet include:

Patreon! (x) where things are about to get a drastic shake up.

Twitter (x) where I occasioanlly yell at clouds and retweet all the funny and poignant things you lot say.

Facebook (x) where I mostly hide and don’t interact with anyone because it’s Facebook, but will be more active once book stuff starts going live.

Twitch (x) where I occasionally stream surviving the apocalypse in the frostbitten world of Frostpunk.

Ao3 (x) where I post my fanfic, sometimes even of my own work because I am weak-willed and easily led astray.

I also have a Ko-fi (x) where I cross post my Patreon work for anyone who doesn’t like Patreon. It also functions are my general tip jar, so if you like what I do here and would like to help me keep doing it, tips are deeply appreciated though by no means expected. I do what I do on tumblr primarily for love, and I’ll keep doing it for as long as I can, for as long as I’m capable.

Thank you for reading this far, and remember, take care of yourselves and each other. You’re more important than you’ll ever truly know. 

[bookgeekgrrl]

My media this week (21-27 Nov 2021)

📚 STUFF I READ 📚

😊 Hale’s Modern Encyclopedia of Playing Cards (and Dating Humans) (thepsychicclam) - 49K, Sterek, full HS AU

😊 Love That Journey for Me: The Queer Revolution of Schitt’s Creek (Emily Garside) - a short collection of essays about Schitt’s Creek

🙂 Anne of Ingleside (Anne of Green Gables #6) (L.M. Montgomery, author; Barbara Barnes, narrator) - it did warm my completionist heart to bring the series to a close. I absolutely did love that they had a giant cat they named The Shrimp. And I was left a little breathless at the very end by the casually dropped info that Anne’s 2nd son will die in WWI. 

😊 The Rowdy Renegade (The Adventures of Nick & Carter #3) (Frank W. Butterfield) - I just continue to love watching Nick & Carter progress through the years

😍 The Compact (astolat) - 64K, HP - loved this expanded worldbuilding Arthurian transformation with political marriage and ambiguous choices

🙂 Cited to Death (Jamie Brodie Mystery #1) (Meg Perry) - perfectly satisfying cozy; I like that it’s queer and protagonist is an academic librarian; there’s the usual amount of background copaganda so ymmv

😊 The Wolf and the Sparrow (Isabelle Adler) - arranged marriage tropetastic romance fantasy

💖 +193K of shorter fic so shorter work shout out 💖

Bumpkin (bibliosexual) - Schitt’s Creek: Patrick x David, 2K - suuuuuper cute first meeting AU

Everything About It Is a Love Song (pocky_slash) - X-Men: Erik x Charles, 19K - Erik turns 79 and finally decides to retire with Charles to a small town in upstate NY and it’s both wonderful and takes a lot of adjustment. The series is called Old Retired Dudes and it’s delightful and feels very real.

Ten Kinds of Grateful (Speranza) - MCU: Stucky, 3K - a 4 Minute Window Thanksgiving fic. I legit got teary when I saw the notification for this. 

The Courtship of Mr. Bond (marlowe_tops) - James Bond: 00Q, 29K - reread; I just love this very loose P&P/Regency AU

[Podfic] So Loud & So Clear (quietnight) - MCU: Stucky, 3 hrs - great podfic of a great fic

[Podfic] sneeze disease (quietnight) - MCU: Stucky, ~45 min - absolutely love this hilarious so very married fic

📺 STUFF I WATCHED 📺

Modern Persuasion - more entertaining than I expected tbh. Wentworth the cat is the real star though.

Elementary - s1, e18-20

The Road to El Dorado - which I had never actually seen. 

Golden Girls - s1, e4

Frasier - s1, e1-2

Living Single - s1, e4

Schitt’s Creek - s4, e1-2;  s5, e13

Station 19 - s1, e1-4

🎧 PODCASTS 🎧

Strong Songs - “Space Oddity” and “Starman” by David Bowie

The Atlas Obscura Podcast - The Forgotten Songs Sound Sculpture

The Atlas Obscura Podcast - The Office of Collecting and Design

Strong Songs - “God Only Knows” by The Beach Boys

99% Invisible #466 - The Weight

Stuff The British Stole - Strange Fowle

Shedunnit - Whodunnit?

Shedunnit - Surplus Women

Ologies with Alie Ward - Booster Coronasode: Shots & Holidays with Vaccine Infodemiologist Jessica Malaty Rivera

Richmond Til We Die: A Ted Lasso Podcast - Ted Lasso S2E2: Like Tall Yodas

Strong Songs - Bonus Episodes: The Bridge On Olivia Rodrigo’s “Driver’s License”

Shedunnit - Crippen

You’re Wrong About - True Crime w. Emma Berquist

99% Invisible #467 - Cute Little Monstrosities of Nature

Shedunnit - Queer Clues

The Atlas Obscura Podcast - International Cryptozoology Museum

The Atlas Obscura Podcast - Sunny Jim Cave

The Atlas Obscura Podcast - The Jagannath Temple

Shedunnit - The Lady Vanishes

Shedunnit - Crime at Christmas

Shedunnit - Adaptations (with Sarah Phelps)

FILMS TO BE BURIED WITH Patreon Crew! - Brendan Hunt - The Resurrection!

The Atlas Obscura Podcast - Looking for Pawpaws

This is Good for You - Ep 20: Puzzles Are Good For You

Shedunnit - Edith Thompson

Shedunnit - Dining with Death

Strong Songs - "The Chain" and "Dreams" by Fleetwood Mac

Shedunnit - The Rules

Shedunnit - Nurse Daniels

Shedunnit - The Other Detectives

Shedunnit - Round Robin

🎶 MUSIC 🎶

Presenting David Bowie

Presenting The Beach Boys

Yo-Yo Ma Plays Bach [Yo-Yo Ma]

Presenting P!nk

Presenting Pet Shop Boys

Christian Kane

Crying On My Keyboards

Presenting Lenny Kravitz

Presenting New Order

[mindblindbard]

Jo, if you offer short stories as patreon milestones, it will be a dream come true. I mean, I know that there's a good few of us 18+ readers who are hoping for a Saucy Tier of some kind too, but short stories? Here have my bank card right now dfgggh

Nothing will be 18+ on my Patreon (which opens tomorrow!), since Mind Blind itself is PG-13. That being said, some of the side stories for certain tiers will be a somewhat scandalous. At least, writing them makes me blush 👀 

(I’m going to call those stories ‘Saucy Sides’ like they’re cranberry sauce or something.)

Despite asking y’all to stop me from tumbling down the rabbit hole that is my current Regency AU kick, I was instead enabled (not that I’m complaining!) The first Patreon reward will thus be a short story featuring the Earl of Wacker and the Marquis of Hyacinth. The first Saucy Sides will feature Regency-Era Kent and Kenna (there’s a version for each). K’s stories might cause some dowagers to clutch at their pearls.

Snippet of Kent’s under the cut because I had WAY too much fun writing these.

But make no mistake: Kent Zarneki was definitely not a gentleman.

Thank God for that.

After all, a gentleman would never have cornered you in Lady Cowper’s library. A gentleman would never have pinned your arms above your head against a bookshelf, thrust his leg between yours, and proceeded to take (very welcome) liberties upon your person. And no gentleman’s lips could ever feel as hot as Kent’s as they trailed down your neck.

[officialleehadan]

To Distant Stars

Today’s story was brought to you by Larry! We don’t talk much, darling , but I’m always delighted to hear from you!

Prompt: The first time Blaec and Evelene left Earth

+

The ship trembled around them, almost imperceptible under the roar of the engines, but still there as the ship lifted away from the ground. It was new and polished and enchanted against every possible harm.

But Evelene, wrapped in the arms of her dragon, felt a curl of fear. It wasn’t a frequent feeling in her life. There was little she was afraid of, on the whole. Almost nothing could harm her, none of her loved ones were mortal, and the few mortals she was fond of were all reliably in the company of deities who would make sure they were cared for.

So fear, while not new, was unusual.

“Are you ready to leave Earth?”

Blaec’s eyes were on the window. It was strange for him, too. Not that he was afraid. Evelene could feel him in the back of her mind as always, and his anxiety was based on something other than danger.

Dragons, after all, hated to fly under anything but their own power. Evelene sometimes flew on human craft, but Blaec would rather sleep on a glacier than trust someone else to do his flying for him. All the same, even his wings weren’t enough to carry them to Luna Base for the very first time.

“Do you remember the first moon landing?” Evelene asked rather than answer his question. She remembered that day. Staring at the little television and the brave, mad humans who strapped themselves to a bomb and trusted it to carry them away from the little rock they called home. She and Blaec had watched with fascination and bated breath as the little ship touched down, and the men aboard stepped onto the moon for the first time. “back in 1969?”

“We watched it from our suite at the Regency,” Blaec said. Evelene could feel his smile against her hair. “I was impressed they made it. More impressed that they made it back.”

“Fortunately, things have gotten more sophisticated since then,” Evelene told him. The ship they were in was a fine one, designed for comfort during travel. It might be the first time they had left the planet, but humans had been doing it for several centuries and they were good at it by now. There were bases on or near every planet in their solar system, and more being established around their nearest astral neighbors. “Are you sure this is the right decision? We never talked about leaving Earth.”

It was a big step, this single flight to the moon. Soon there would be other steps moving forward, to distant planets, and then to distant stars. Someday, maybe, even to a distant galaxy or beyond.

“Hoshi will protect it,” Blaec said. Together, they watched as the Earth drifted away below them. Their home for thousands of years. The place she was born, and he broke shell. “I’m not even the first dragon to leave Earth. Azu lived on Luna Base for the better part of a decade before joining on the early mission to establish Centauri Base at the next nearest star to Earth. He was still there. Blaec heard from him once a year or so. “Al’Mudhib is waiting for us at Luna Base. Something about the observatory and one of those big mining ships they built for traveling the Kuiper Belt.”

The ships were impressive feats of engineering. Evelene had seen pictures of them often enough. Huge, hollow orbs designed to carry the materials needed to carry humanity to the stars. Between magic and ingenuity, the stars were, for the first time, in reach.

Evelene looked forward to seeing each one. After all, it wasn’t like they were short of time, and humans did incredible things given enough time and enough resources. She remembered looking up at the stars with her mother as her father told her and her sisters the name of every one of them.

Perhaps she would have stories even her godly family didn’t know when she returned. Her cousins were a wide-spread bunch, and they all had adventures to share. She held her own, of course, but this might very well win her the first bottle of Great-Aunt Hestia’s yearly garum production. It was the small things that motivated her.

“Are you asking me on an adventure, First Dragon?” Evelene said, intrigued and charmed. Blaec loved to spoil her, but he was inherently overprotective and didn’t like to take chances with her safety. He must be very confident indeed. Then again, between his magic, hers, and the company of one of the Djinn Kings, there weren’t very many chances for terrible consequence. “How scandalous of you. People might mistake us and think we are married.”

“I can think of no one I would rather adventure with, First Mermaid,” he replied and kissed the top of her head. Evelene turned in his arms and stole a proper kiss from her dragon. He rumbled happily at her and they traded little kisses as the Earth turned into a glowing blue marble behind their ship. “Well, my Great Treasure? Shall we explore the stars?”

+++

HGE - The Others

Tales of before the Human Galactic Empire became what it would one day be.

Sea and Sky

Triton’s Daughter (Subscriber Only!)

Blast and Burn

The Oldest of Friends (Free on Patreon!)

Forward to Treasure (Free on Patreon!)

Sky Battle

Particular Particulars (Free on Patreon!)

+++

MASTERLIST

+++

[wynnakang]

the au sounds rlly interesting! do you plan on writing that instead of the original u are writing now bc i’m already so invested in the story now ahahha

thank you! regency au would probably be fleshed out in short stories here and as tier rewards for my patreon. That might not happen till the next update is up, and until some elements of the ROs are revealed because it could be spoilery. I’m glad you like it though 🥺 ✨ 

[ivendarea]

The Kessem

The Traitorous Descendants

Banner art based on and supported by my Patrons ♥

The Kessem of north-western Atrana make up the majority of the Assadin population of Ivendarea. Led by Zerenda onto the shores of the Nyr’s homeland a little over 500 years ago, the peninsula has become their home as much as it is for the Nyr. Many came not only to conquer, but ironically to also escape the political instability in their homeland Astairus, which shortly after their settling down here fell and broke apart during a civil war. While it is true that war and battle lie in the Kessem’s blood, maybe the Assadin’s as a whole, a great majority of them are not in favour of most past battles fought on Ivendarea’s grounds and violent actions by the Omrai Omvalis.

Table of Contents:

Culture and History

Cultural Heritage

Historical Figures

Language and Dialect

Shared Values

Common Etiquette

Fashion

Art and Architecture

Ideals

Beauty Ideals

Courtship Ideals

Relationship Ideals

Continue reading below or on World Anvil

[Support the Ivendarea Project on Patreon]

Culture and History

Before the fall of Astairus the Kessem were the most influential monarchy of Atrana, with a large nation under their rule and great power over their neighbouring countries and vassals. The Kessem of Ivendarea who never got to know modern Atrana, where Astairus no longer exists and Zerenda’s bloodline has long died out, hold on to this memory of glorious days, striving to recreate this glory in their present. At the same time, they also keep in mind constantly how fragile power can be - and to what great responsibility it is tied.

Cultural Heritage

Kessem children are brought up with the virtues of great warriors and leaders, which go far beyond just physical and mental strength. To move forward in the eternal fight, one needs the ability to think and plan critically and strategically, to be determined and passionate, and to not back down in the face of peril. They are taught to become the best, strongest version of themselves. Conflict, fighting, and war are present in Kessem culture even in comparatively peaceful Ivendarea. Duels are commonplace when one party severely wronged another - in Atrana these duels can be fought to the death depending on the severity of the insult. More commonly though all participants are unarmed or only carry blunt weapons so that pure physical strength and willpower make the difference in the outcome of the fight.

Symbolic fights are also carried out as a coming of age rite. Even in Atrana they are evolving into more of a symbolic ritual with no real stakes, but in ancient days actual fights were carried out between young adults who had to challenge a seasoned warrior to prove that they were ready to face the responsibilities of adulthood.

The outcome of these ritualistic fights wasn’t and still isn’t what mattered though. It was important only that the young adult was ready to face this intimidating challenge on their own, demonstrating initiative and the capability to make tough decisions. This is one of the main reasons why the arena of Westpoint is particularly popular among young Kessem. While battles to the death are forbidden, many young people love to fight to demonstrate their strength on these proving grounds, earn decent coin in tournaments, and bathe in the cheers of the watching crowd.

Historical Figures

Within Ivendarea’s borders Zerenda is without a doubt the most famous Kessem: he is the conqueror of Ivendarea. As the youngest of three siblings and prince of Astairus he always felt misplaced and not in his father’s favour. Rebelling a lot against the king’s authority he received an ultimatum: to conquer Ivendarea for Astairus. Zerenda though had his own plans, and instead of handing over the conquered nation he decided to keep it himself, renouncing his father’s authority and the continent Atrana as a whole. He is an outcast, a rebel, and a symbol of hope and new beginnings to those who followed him.

Since then Zerenda’s descendants sat on Ivendarea’s throne, the current ruler being Leoros. He is the first Ivendarean ruler to marry a foreign monarch, in this case princess Therstina of the neighbouring nation Darthonis. Leoros’ older brother Alund was actually his predecessor, but he died when Leoros was still an infant. Alund led the Assadin forces against Iovana Rava during the the Revolution War and emerged victorious, securing his people’s regency in Ivendarea. 

Ulden, father of Alund and Leoros, was famously murdered by the Omrai Omvalis led by Erraia and Aella Panthil’y; his murder in the long run caused the Revolution War and Maan Garth’s split from the mainland of Ivendarea.

Language and Dialect

Like all Atraneans the Kessem’s native language is Azash. The majority of Kessem in Ivendarea are also fluent in Trade, but only people coming from an educated background speak more languages than that.

Shared Values

Coming from a continent shaped by war, many of the Kessem’s traditions and customs revolve around the so-called “eternal fight” that must be fought. In Ivendarea war is much less commonplace and so much of the Kessem’s old rites of passage involving fighting and physical strength aren’t as commonly practised anymore. They have evolved into symbolic, ceremonial rites signifying important steps taken in their lives.

The “eternal fight” is, in the simplest way, life and survival. The struggles an individual faces growing up, taking on new responsibilities, facing challenges in the shape of people with clashing opinions, personal tragedies, disasters, disease, but also the many small victories in everyday life are part of the eternal fight.

The Kessem are sometimes seen as very stubborn, but also immensely enduring of even the worst of peril and challenges, because every setback they treat as a means to test their strength, an obstacle they are willing to overcome at all costs.

Common Etiquette

Kessem are open and upfront, they are not in favour of intrigues and secrecy. Their keen sense of honour is reflected in the way they lead their interpersonal relationships and the way they fight their battles. Winning a Kessem’s trust is difficult, but once it is earned, they will honour and hold on to it - they are the most loyal friends and allies one could wish for.

Fashion The Kessem stem from a portion of Atrana dominated by desert, with little water and vegetation but rich mineral veins buried in the earth. Since most of them are at home in Ivendarea’s warm south, their clothing is light and airy. Colours are bold and warm, and their clothes often feature sharp geometric shapes reminiscent of their bold attitude.

Similarly their jewellery clashes with the long, airy tunics, resembling armour almost, as it is forged from shards of metal, woven from fabric scraps, and then pieced together to create a varied mosaic of shapes and textures.

Notably, many Kessem also wear body- and face paint or are tattooed. Body paint is often applied for religious and other ceremonies, or simply for aesthetic reasons. Common symbols are forces of nature, such as the sun, or paints are layered thickly on top of each other until they crack, resembling the dry earth of their old homeland Astairus. Tattoos, being permanent changes to the body, often bear much deeper and personal meaning, such as overcoming a grave tragedy or achieving a great victory. They might also show allegiance to a certain family or faction, but those tattoos are more commonly seen on Atrana nowadays, not in Ivendarea.

A middle-class Ivendarean Kessem donning face and bodypaint depicting a radiant; an inhabitant of Maan Ganyr or a surrounding village as her lightweight clothes suggest.

Art & Architecture

The Kessem are not necessarily known as artists or scholars, but instead as outstanding engineers. The love for mathematics is reflected in geometric patterns found on clothing, in floor tiles, roofs, paintings, or tattoos.

Ideals

Beauty Ideals

Like many Assadin the Kessem pride themselves to be talented warriors. An athletic and strong physique is commonly promoted and favoured, no matter the gender. Most Kessem have thick hair, from straight to pronounced curls and everything in-between, and they prefer to wear it long while putting a lot of care and effort into keeping it healthy. Long, natural hair to them symbolizes nature’s beauty - and they honour how nature created them by letting their hair grow freely.

Reasons to cut one’s long hair short may vary overall. According to legend, Zerenda cut off his hair, even shaved his head, after renouncing his allegiance to Astairus and Atrana. Similarly, after severe changes in one’s life people may symbolically cut their hair - the more impactful the event, the more hair is cut off. Another reason can be the donation of one’s hair at a temple. Hair as a religious sacrifice can express the hope for a good harvest, giving up a part of oneself to show allegiance to the forces of nature, or might be an expression of gratitude for great personal luck or accomplishments. Depending on which temple the hair is donated to, it can be treated differently. A Sun Temple might simply burn it in a sacrificial ritual. The priests of a Rain Temple often offer the fabrication of wigs for people who lost their hair due to accident or illness. In a Stone Temple or Tree Temple items of everyday use are created, for example fine brushes, rope, fabric, and so on.

Courtship Ideals

An aspect of business and social standing is an ever-unchanged part of Kessem courtship. It isn’t unheard of that parents find partners for their children and arrange unions for them, but in Atrana this is much more common than in Ivendarea. Courtship is polite and never too personal, honouring personal space. To outsiders it may sometimes appear stiff or cold, but it is considered common courtesy to not get too personal until both parties involved have agreed to deepen the relationship.

Relationship Ideals

In Atrana and Ivendarea alike it is still common practise to pursue long-term relationships that further an individual’s own social standing and connections. Particularly when it comes to marriages, they are mostly treated like a business relationship rather than an emotional bond. Both parties must gain something from the marriage that brings them further in life - love can be a part of a marriage, but it isn’t essential. Hence, even if it isn’t common, it is socially accepted even for married partners to have one or several lovers on the side.

In Ivendarea marriages out of love are more common than in Atrana, but they also mostly occur among people of lower social standing with less influence. A marriage is always a bond between two people, a contract is written beforehand and signed by both parties who have equal rights and standing in the relationship - hence why it can be used as a steppingstone to a higher social standing for the socially or politically lower-ranking partner. It is not completely unheard of that individuals are married to several partners at once - all with their separate contracts - but it is a rare occurrence tied to a lot of bureaucratic effort. Terms and conditions in marriage contracts vary - they might revolve around politics, number of children (if any) to result from the union, business relationships, money, worldly possessions, and so on, and are as individual as the people involved themselves. Also, if desired, marriages can be agreed upon for only a limited amount of time, until a specific goal is reached - e.g. a certain amount of children has been born or a specific wealth has been reached, etc. - and then end with the partners going their separate ways or extending the contract. In the same manner both partners have the right to annul a marriage at any given point and by this divorce their partner.

Thanks so much for reading ♥

Read more about Ivendarea on World Anvil

[Support the Ivendarea Project on Patreon]

[bomberqueen17]

persuasion

So it was a busy day at work but it being online work, I was at my desk, and had a lot of those moments where I have to click a thing, wait for it to respond, then change a number, and wait for it to take, and then click another thing, so.

I read an ebook of Jane Austen’s Persuasion that I had checked out of my library using the Libby app, which I recommend to everyone. (it’s amazing how much reading you can get done with a Kindle just lying on your desk while you’re working on bullshit that doesn’t take much attention. I should do this more, but somehow I usually fritter it away on trying to write something, which, well, it’s harder.)

Yes, somehow I had made it through two different extremely competitive high schools and a bachelor’s degree in literature and also 39 years of life without ever having read Persuasion, and since I’ve only watched like ten movies in my life, I hadn’t seen any adaptations of it, but a while back somebody had a gifset from some movie-or-TV adaptation of it (i’m sorry, I don’t know which), and someone had commented that it would be really well-suited to the Raksura books, the way their colonies work with a whole court structure, etc., and I like, got it, but I didn’t get it get it, so I read it today and oh now I definitely get it get it.

So, I don’t have time to write it either, but. I’m going to self-indulgently and in too much detail outline it, since I won’t get to write it.

Of course Raksura have more than two genders really (though Wells only uses male and female pronouns, clearly there are at least three or four genders given their physical castes; she lightly touches on this in the short story Adaptation when Chime mysteriously changes from Arbora to Aeriat-- his biological sex changes, from fertile Arbora male to infertile warrior male, as surely as his status in the court changes). But, roughly, as described in Persuasion, a consort is very much like a Regency-era noblewoman, in that their travel is highly circumscribed, and they’re very tied to their birthcourt. 

I could see it being a good future story for Frost, actually-- Frost would be Wentworth, in this. Her status would be uncertain, in Indigo Cloud, should Moon and Jade, and also Pearl and Ember, produce royal clutches of their own-- and we do see Moon and Jade do so, in The Dark Earth Below, and clearly Pearl is working up to doing so with Ember-- so while she remains the third-oldest queen in the entire court, she would by no means be guaranteed any particular place. Now, Indigo Cloud is a small enough court, and closely-enough knit (especially once Moon’s place is secure, and he is extremely protective of Frost and her brothers) that there’s no way she wouldn’t become a sister queen as soon as she was old enough-- and yet, because of Moon, Indigo Cloud’s alliance to Opal Night makes them important all out of proportion to their actual size, so Frost would be pretty well sought-after, but-- 

it’s not that there’s no scandal or hint of insecurity in her past, especially from the perspective of someone not that familiar with Indigo Cloud’s inner workings, and one could project a story wherein she visited a distantly-allied court and was struck by a young consort there and took it upon herself to court him, and he was struck by her in return and responded favorably, but some protective older relative objected to the match (probably on the grounds that Frost was too young, too hot-headed, and not guaranteed any particular place within her court, being an adopted survivor instead of born there) and he was obliged to turn her down. And it’s easy enough to imagine how much this would wound the pride of any hot-blooded Raksuran queen, especially one as volatile as Frost. (I think much of her characterization is actually from the extras on Patreon, but she has been fleshed out quite a bit as a hot-headed but reasonably intelligent and amenable to reason young person who takes her role within the court as seriously as can be expected for one of her age. Her propensity for drama is more benign than Pearl’s, and born largely out of trauma.) 

And so, turns pass, and perhaps she takes another consort, and our unnamed protagonist who plays the role of Anne in this adaptation resigns himself to his fate and turns away the few other queens who notice him, and then at some future juncture they are thrown into contact again. And Frost is older, fully-mature, maybe she has a clutch with this other consort she took in the meantime (ah, but remember, Raksura are poly; though, to smooth the story for the sensibilities of human readers, we could give that consort a story like Ember’s sire’s, where he was short-lived and taken mostly out of pity to keep his bloodline)-- and she has an important place in her colony, perhaps she visits on important business, she is not much concerned with flirting or social nonsense, but is cool and competent and beautiful. And our protagonist has faded into the background of his colony, untaken and mostly useful for diplomacy, childcare, teaching the youngsters etiquette and such, seeing to interior matters of the colony, and much taken for granted by everyone. 

She sees him, and he her, and each of them is awkward, cool, trying to be self-possessed and perhaps overcompensating. They avoid one another; he withdraws, various of the other, perhaps younger and prettier consorts of the court are eager enough to be noticed by her, and perhaps she notices them; Anne-the-consort is dutiful, pained, nobly-retiring, and manages to avoid ever being too close to her.

Perhaps some small calamity befalls, and they are forced into proximity to deal with it. (It could be something like a faction splitting off from a large court and going elsewhere to settle, and Anne-the-consort is among those left behind, but some larger drama is unfolding within the Reaches that Frost is involved in dealing with. I imagine that Indigo Cloud would remain unable to be uninvolved in ongoing drama, it’s not in their nature.) 

And Frost catches his scent, and realizes he’s unmarked, untaken. It quite throws her out of what equanimity she’s managed to attain-- and he notices her noticing it, and is in an agony of simultaneous embarrassment and excitement. Of course she had felt herself wronged, spurned, all those turns before, but to find that he clearly hadn’t just been waiting for a better offer-- but surely, it is too late, he has lost his chance. 

More plot happens, of course, and Frost is much in the company of others, especially one of the young pretty consorts. Somehow the plot contrives that another small calamity befalls, and said young pretty consort is injured, and Frost rescues him, and Anne-the-consort is helpful post-rescue but makes himself scarce to get out of the way-- perhaps he has to go to the new split-off sister colony, and reluctantly makes his home there, among the wider-unfolding drama. And of course the small colony affords more prominence to him, and a queen is, perhaps, courting him now, and he is being encouraged to it by the same helpful older relative that, turns ago, put him off Frost. But he also reconnects with an old friend who now lives in the new colony, and is not well-placed there, and after some time he manages to coax the old friend into revealing some terrible history of the queen courting him, that she terribly mistreated another consort some time ago, that she has done some thing that has gone against the colony’s interests to improve her own standing, and the old friend has been kept ostracized by it in some obscure way. 

Anne-the-consort sets his heart against this queen, but dares not speak out, dares not openly reject her, for it would be too rash and would upset the fragile colony. Into all of this, Frost comes, again, ostensibly on a visit to seek alliance, surely not to see Anne-the-consort, and yet, see him she does, always in fleeting little meetings, an agony of hope and a torment of interest, but no one can speak out. Frost least of all; she believes him to be interested in the rival queen’s suit, and does not want to upset the fragile balance of this delicate new colony. 

Into the midst of this, I somehow want Moon to show up and be Admiral Croft, though probably it can’t be Moon and would have to be Ember-- Ember, who actually understands court etiquette, and actually understands diplomacy, and wouldn’t just cause a huge fight. Ember, who understands and loves Frost, and is going to have to have been the one to teach her most of her manners, because Moon straight-up doesn’t know them. 

And Ember is talking to Anne-the-consort in Frost’s hearing, as Frost is engaged in writing a letter for him, to help resolve the main plot issue, and Ember skillfully draws Anne-the-consort out in talking about the constancy of affection and the different ways of making a match, perhaps Ember is coyly arguing that all matches should be arranged, and Anne is arguing that sometimes it is better to remain forever unattached than to make an inferior match, which is precisely what Ember hoped to goad him into saying in Frost’s hearing. And-- it’s a test of Frost’s temperament, or really a display, since Ember knows already how capable she is-- she drops the pen, but picks it up, and keeps writing, and takes the letter with her but leaves one behind, and Anne-the-consort sees that it is addressed to him. 

So we get to have the beautiful written confession, and Anne-the-consort must contrive some way to get to talk to Frost without the entire court overhearing, and there’s a bumbling but well-meaning relative intruding but of course an unattached consort can’t be left unchaperoned with an unrelated queen, and then something comes up and the well-meaning relative must dash off-- but Frost, you know Anne, surely you can see him safely back to the other side of the colony, and Frost is of course solicitious-- and then they finally get to have a frank conversation in private, and all is finally, finally resolved.

I can’t really believe I’ve spent quite this long summarizing this but it is very painful to me that I can’t actually devote the time to writing it, so. Here y’all go. 

(For bonus excitement, some of the underlying drama is related to Consolation’s flight getting a tree of their own, and Frost is probably one of the people who dedicates herself to seeing that through, because Indigo Cloud is going to (not really reluctantly) be involved, and as a survivor of a Fell-destroyed colony, Frost is sort of unimpeachably invested, and much of her reputation has been gained in standing up to much older and more powerful queens who are being bigots about it and throwing her entire bloodline’s demise in their faces and asking why they get to be more upset about it than she is, and such. She’s gained a reputation for being both very brave and very steady, and surely Malachite has offered some example, if not tutelage, in how to be the stone-coldest of badasses at all turns. Frost has gone from uncertain nobody to being extremely well-respected. This could be an entire novel, and one that would be lovely to write, but I quite simply don’t have the time, I’m sorry y’all.)

[mogseltof]

New short story up on the patreon! It's vampires, with a fun, hip, regency twist

https://www.patreon.com/posts/64247627

[jasminebecket-griffith]

I'm varnishing all the "Tiny Treasures" - new 3x3" original paintings that will be at DragonCon! I will have these little beauties with me at my Artist Bazaar Table located in the DragonCon Art Show at the Hyatt Regency Atlanta's Grand Hall West starting at 1pm Friday. These are highly sought after, exclusive to live events, come early (but be courteous and don't run!) if you'd like to purchase one. They are (gasp!) $195 each, special show price. Any leftovers will be given away as prizes to my Patreon patrons ( join at Patreon, search Jasmine) after the show! We cannot pre-reserve these, they are first come, first served. Again, these will be at my personal booth (not hanging on the wall) inside the Art Show - I'm in the same spot as always, the far back left hand corner along the back wall of Grand Hall West in the Hyatt. DragonCon is in Atlanta, Georgia and runs from September 1-4th. I've got tons of new art & merchandise & exclusive freebies and I'm happy to sign autographs. My booth will be open there all day every day, I will be there in person 95% of the time (excepting short bathroom breaks, a scheduled meeting Saturday afternoon/evening, and during the programming panels I am hosting). Come see my panels - both are on Sunday for some reason, 11:30am and 5:30pm - both programs located in Grand Hall C at the Hyatt. (at Dragon*Con)

[atopfourthwall]

State of the Wall: 6-2-17

You know the drill! A bunch of stuff coming up, some questions for you guys, and a few general announcements!

Schedule of Upcoming Episodes 6/5 – Babylon 5 #1 6/12 – The Star Wars #5 6/19 – PATREON: All-New Ghost Rider, volume 2 6/26 – Miller Time: Robocop vs. the Terminator #2 7/3 – Superman vs. the Terminator #2 7/10 – Tandy Computer Whiz Kids: News By Computer Foils Kidnappers 7/17 – Ultimate Power #4 7/24 – PATREON: Delicious in Dungeon, vol. 1 7/31 – Batman: Odyssey #1

As always, the schedule is subject to change for any reason I see fit, particularly if it is not funny, though the Patreon-sponsored episodes are a pretty safe bet (although Delicious in Dungeon may only be a chapter or two depending on length).

Storyline 90% of the remainder of the storyline is written, it just comes down to filming it. I’m trying my damndest to get this all together and barring real-life emergencies or unavailability of actors, I should be able to start pumping out more storyline stuff over the next several episodes, hopefully concluding ASAP. There are about 10-11 more storyline segments if I counted correctly (some of which will be both beginning and end of episodes) and getting them done is my highest priority aside from just making videos.

Player Changeover Progress As you may have noticed, there are currently A LOT of videos still down. The problem is really just that I have to collect the embed codes for those videos… and there are over 1,000. The good news is that most everything has youtube links, so there IS still a place to view them. The first 300 or so Atop the Fourth Wall episodes have been updated and while progress is slow, it IS happening. However, there’s a new snag there.

I replaced the History of Power Rangers embeds… and they are now not viewable. About twenty of the videos have been taken down from Vid.me by DMCA takedown notices. These are a real thing and different from a youtube copyright strike. The good news is that, from all accounts, Vid.me is MUCH better about talking to content producers about resolving these things, so I will work on getting them back… but I promise nothing – they may be unwilling to restore the videos that were taken down and frankly I’m not exactly enthusiastic about utilizing MULTIPLE video hosts on the site JUST to accommodate History of Power Rangers… and any other platform that hosts them may just have the same issue. I haven’t had a chance to try contacting them yet – just been too busy with other projects, mainly finishing the DVD and Event Comics Month, but I will be doing so and I’ll try to update you all when new information becomes available.

I might need to simply go with the youtube versions for the videos simply because the old videos don’t hold up to scrutiny for players. I’d LIKE to keep the old versions up for posterity’s sake, but the simple fact is that if they’re just going to keep getting taken down off of other platforms, there’s no point it continuing to try to save them, especially when the youtube versions have (for the most part) worked fine.

Longbox of the Damned I regret to announce that there will be no Midsummer’s Nightmare this year for Longbox of the Damned. I considered all my options, but simply put the kind of work I WANT to do with it would occupy a great deal of my time and distract me from getting other work completed, most especially the storyline. October will indeed still have regular Longbox videos, but this year we have to cancel the additional summer theme ones. My apologies to anyone who was looking forward to it – I hope to be in a better place to do it again next year. I’m also planning on having another bumper contest for this year’s Longboxes, so feel free to start thinking up ideas for that early!

History of Power Rangers It’s probably going to be a while before I get to the In Space youtube videos, mostly because of other the other projects. And of course you won’t be seeing a Ninja Steel video until that’s all done and released on video. That being said, Dino Charge’s views are… pretty low right now, which I ascribe to the fact that it, much like the Samurai and Megaforce videos, are Unlisted on youtube. A lot of my audience has shifted to mostly youtube-based stuff and because the videos are unlisted, they don’t get viewed as often.

I’m going to ask for you guys’ opinions here. The reason they’re unlisted is because I want stuff to be released in order, just as much to avoid people constantly asking “why is THIS being released and not In Space/whatever other season is next?!” However, as I continue to build more of an audience and get more revenue, there is something to be said about just having the videos out there anyway. So here’s the question: should I just make them all public anyway, even though we’ve still got a dozen series to be revamped for youtube?

Let’s Play Pokémon Omicron The next Pokémon Omicron stream will be Monday, July 17th at 7 PM Central time! We’re nearing the end and while the sessions will probably start consisting more of grinding than anything else, we might have something special in store for when we get to the Elite 4 – which I’m considering the end of the Let’s Play simply because of how long it’s gone on. I’ll try to get back to work releasing more episodes ASAP, since I’ve certainly got plenty of footage now to work with.

DVD Volume 3 Released! In case you somehow missed the announcement, Atop the Fourth Wall vol. 3: Character Reboot is now available for sale! As a reminder, volumes 1 and 2 have now gone down in price!

You can buy the DVDs via credit card HERE!

You can buy the DVDs via Paypal HERE!

Release Date/Time Change? So Event Comics Month finally concluded… aaaand the videos were late. All but Secret Wars came out late… but only just, because Secret Wars finished up a minute before 10 AM Central time on Monday, which has been the official release time for new episodes for the last several years. To be perfectly honest, I’ve been slipping when it comes to getting stuff finished ahead of time. I don’t know if I’m being lazier, if it’s a matter of taking on too many projects and thus continually rushing to finish stuff later, or simply that Atop the Fourth Wall ITSELF is growing larger and larger, with more and more episodes getting longer and thus TAKING longer to finish.

While of course I know my fans are very patient with me in releasing episodes, I take great pride in getting episodes out on time and I want to see that happen again. As such, I’d like to open the floor to the possibility of changing the release day and time. Why would this affect thing? Well, sometimes stuff in my personal life is what prevents me from getting stuff out on time – I have to go somewhere, meet with people, etc. And the fact is that a lot of the time this happens on the weekend, when that’s also supposed to be crunch time trying to get the video done with. As such, shifting the release date to later in the week might help. On that same note, changing the time of release. Originally, the videos were released at 4 PM on Mondays. That changed a short time later because ThatGuyWithTheGlasses needed their videos scheduled by 10 AM to be up that day on their site. That’s still the case, but I could simply have it released there the next day instead of on the same day it’s uploaded.

The original logic of Monday at 4 PM was that Monday was the most stressful time of the week, since it’s the beginning of the work/school week, so releasing something around the time people generally got home from those made sense to give something to people to de-stress with. Do you guys prefer things the way they are, with occasionally lapsing release times, or would you prefer another day of the week and time for videos to be released?

Conventions Sadly, Wausaubicon has been cancelled, so I will not be making an appearance there.

Anime Midwest – I’ll of course be at Anime Midwest again at the Hyatt Regency O’Hare in Rosemont, Illinois on July 7-9!

Conbravo – I will of course be attending ConBravo again in Hamilton, Ontario on July 28-30! Doug Walker will also be there and a slew of other people!

Geek.Kon – I’ll be going to Geek.Kon in Madison, Wisconsin for the first time on August 25-27! Other guests include Brad Swaile, Jeff Nimoy, and Robert Axelrod!

That’s it for this time! Tell me what you think of all this in the comments and I hope you enjoy the next two months!

[thebibliosphere]

Another month another huge milestone: 37,000 Followers! Thank you! Last month’s popular post was: How depression affects your ability to read.

Or as I like to think of it, “Healthline had no need to come for me like this, but damn I’m glad I’m not alone.”

Hello and welcome!

[ID a gif of John Oliver spreading his hands wide as he says, “Welcome to whatever this is …”] 

This is my welcome/navigational post for new and old followers where you will find helpful links to everything I’m currently up to, as well as any important updates. My name is Joy but most of you likely know me as, “the vampire nipple editor who just wants to rest.” I’m a Scottish born, author, editor, and chronic illness/disability advocate currently manifesting in the American Midwest with my cryptid husband, Mothman.

In the event of a Tumblr purge, you can find me hanging around on: Twitter, Facebook, Ao3. I do have a Twitch account where I sometimes stream things. Mostly Skyrim. I also have an FAQ and live in the perpetual hope that someone will read it someday.

Please have patience if you are sending me messages either here or somewhere else on the Internet, I am but a humble smut peddler, peddling my weres. I also have several chronic illnesses and conditions that make keeping up with a high traffic blog very difficult. I never expected to become a hub for shitposts and chronic illness resources, but here we are!

Due to Tumblr successfully tricking me into becoming a professional writer, I’m usually working on several projects at once. Most of them vampire-themed.

[ID: a screenshot of my desktop containing cover art from my work, and a humorously titled folder called “Siri How Does Tumblr Keep Tricking Me Into Writing Vampire Novels” containing subfolders that include such titles as: '@ god why', 'A Highlander’s Tail', 'more Tumblr shit', 'random ideas', 'The Devil Went Down of Georgia', and 'The Vampire Wedding Thing'.]

The most well known is Hunger Pangs, often shortened to Phangs by the self-proclaimed #Phangdom.

Phangs is a queer, polyamorous, paranormal, satirical romance novel set in a pseudo-regency-steampunk-ish era featuring vampires, werewolves, creatures of unspecified origin, and the odd occasional human. Oh and punching undead fascists. It wasn’t intended to be politically relevant, but the world took a nosedive into Hell since I started writing it.

You can read more about the project here, as well as read the first four chapters on my Patreon for as little as $1 a month. If you’d like to know when the book will be available for pre-order, you can subscribe to my newsletter here!

My first official short story Crewel Intentions, A Hunger Pangs Short, is also available for pre-order as part of the Weird and Wonderful Holiday Romance anthology being published by @roselarkpublishing on Nov 5th, 2019. Pre-orders start at $0.99 and are available now!

Also on an important note: if you are under the age of 18, I do ask that you respect my boundaries and refrain from interacting with anything on my blog that is labeled as either NSFW or 18+. I try very hard to keep my blog as safe for everyone to view as I possibly can. No mean feat when you’re known across the Internet as “the vampire nipple lady.”

If you need me to tag for something, please ask. Also if you don’t want to read about my chronic health conditions, of which there are many, please feel free to blacklist and block the tags #chronic health tag, and #chronic health tag: teeth. Also please refrain from sending me unsolicited health advice or attempt to diagnose me. Unless you’re a geneticist willing to work for free, in which case hmu! <3

I also have a PO Box listed in my FAQ for if and when anyone would like to send me something random, such as a book they’d like to see me review, or y’know the occasional Death fucking skeleton statue. I only half wish I was kidding.

All of this rambling aside, welcome to my little corner of the Internet I like to think of as family. I hope you’re having a good appropriate time zone, and whatever made you click on me was worth it. Take care of yourselves and each other. You’re more important to the universe than you’ll ever know. <3