#theme: magic realism

[always-a-joyful-note]

Revue Starlight is just ORV but what if it was theatre instead and what if we told you that a tragedy can always be rewritten? What if the end of the story, the end of the play, your defeat onstage - what if all that doesn't mean everything is over because you can always make a new play, always become better, always rebuild the stage and stand on it again? What if there WAS death but what if rebirth was also possible?

What if this tragic tale that always ends the same had new actors, you know? How would they play it? How would they spin the story a different way? Will they try to outshine the past, outshine others? Or will they find their own unique brilliance instead and join the stars that shine in the night sky?

[toughpaperround]

Magic Fic Recs (2)

Feels like magic in the air ... more 911 fics with a spiritual edge, coming up!

'One Golden Glance of What Should Be' by UisceOneLove | @wolfnprey (G, 3k, 8k in series) in which Omega!Buck meets Witch!Eddie

'today, yesterday, everyday, and tomorrow night' by @trippedandfell (T, 4k) in which Eddie's not like most people.

'The Curse of Sleeping Buckley' by @corgiqueen14 (T, 2k) in which Buck's family has a curse on it and Eddie just wants to help

'My accidental happily ever after' by @lamardeuse (T, 7k) a magical realism fic in which Buck's day is both bad and weird.

'Feels Like Magic' by 42hrb | @exhuastedpigeon (T, ~30k, WIP) in which Buddie are a witch and a psychic.

'Choral Chant for Practicing Witches', ch 7 in a series of one-shots, 'The Monsterfucker's Symphony' by @letmetellyouaboutmyfeels (rated E) in which Witch!Buck uses his powers for good

'Buck's café (take my heart, just not my order)' by MonsterRae1 (E, 10k) in which probationary Firefighter!Eddie meets Barista!Buck.

'collectively unconsciously composed' by Rianne | @rianneeyre (E, 47k, 72k in the full series, 'let it pour out of your soul'): a great series with fun world building.

Part 1, 3 | Rec list Masterlist

[silvascribble]

Nighttime cup of tea

[lucy-ghoul]

finished one hundred years of solitude, now on with winter prince and a dune reread 👀

[qbdatabase]

Welcome, readers and writers! The theme this month is Lawless Librarians–or any other historian, archivist, book binder, or secret romance novel enthusiast 🤠 📚 👀

Full list of titles, authors, and blurbs below the cut!

The Sound of Stars by Alechia Dow

YA Sci-Fi Dystopia; fat black demisexual female MC with anxiety goes on a road trip with an alien to save her illegal books

*The Perks of Loving a Wallflower by Erica Ridley

Adult Historical Romance; nonbinary grifter teams up with a demisexual High Society lady to rescue a priceless manuscript and decode a military cipher

The Binding by Bridget Collins

Adult Fantasy / Historical; a gay book binder who seals painful memories in the pages of his books falls in love with a Lord seeking his services

Meet Cute Club by Jack Harbon

Adult Romance; a black man with anxiety running a romance book club can’t afford to turn down new members–even his obnoxious bookstore rival

*Dead Collections by Isaac Fellman

Adult Paranormal; a Jewish vampire archivist falls in love with the genderfluid widow donating new papers, but strange things start happening within the collection …

Sorcery of Thorns by Margaret Robinson

YA Fantasy; a library warden guarding against magical grimoire-beasts must team up with a hated bisexual sorcerer when a monstrous book is accidentally set free

The Deep by Rivers Solomon

Adult Fantasy; an autistic mermaid must serve as the Historian for her people, the descendents of slaves tossed from ships–but instead she flees to the surface, forming a bond with a human woman

The Starless Sea by Erin Morgenstern

Adult Fantasy; a gay man discovers an ancient library hidden beneath the surface of the earth …

The Library of the Unwritten by A. J. Hackwith

Adult Fantasy; a pansexual woman serving as the Head Librarian in Hell must track down a Hero who has escaped from his book in search of his Author

*Archivist Wasp by Nicole Kornher-Stace

Adult Fantasy / Sci-Fi; an aro-ace woman fights to remain the Archivist of ghosts in post-apocalyptic world, until she discovers one that can talk …

Upright Women Wanted by Sarah Gailey

Adult Western; a pansexual woman stows away in the Librarian’s book wagon to escape marriage

*titles with an asterisk have been featured as a Daily Book on my wordpress blog, and the link leads to that post

[southotheborder]

🎨 Roberta Lobeira , Mexican artist

"There is something unique and special about creating the illusion of life."

[howdoesone]

How does one compare and contrast different sub-genres within science fiction or fantasy literature?

Science fiction and fantasy are broad literary genres that encompass a wide range of sub-genres, each with its own unique characteristics and conventions. Understanding the differences between these sub-genres is crucial for analyzing and appreciating science fiction and fantasy literature. In this article, we will examine some of the most popular sub-genres within science fiction and fantasy,…

[lorebled]

the raven cycle, american gods, and the sandman take place in the same universe in my head and i would KILL to see the characters interact.

[lesamis]

Hi Lilli! What are you reading nowadays and what do you have on your tbr for the year?

hi anon! you've asked this question at a very opportune time as i was recently gifted an entire stack of books that i'm very excited to read, and my favourite bookshop had a flea market earlier this month. so there's lots to share!

i've been reading a lot of nonfiction lately, so to switch things up, i'm currently in the middle of the adventures of amina al-sirafi by shannon chakraborty. it is, so far, a very fun romp of a pirate story, but what i'm enjoying most is the realism in its relationships, the relevance of family and of interpersonal conflict and affection. there's emotional meat on these (delightful) quest-based plot bones. highly recommend this one if you're in need of a bit of an escape.

more assorted books from the tbr pile:

sing, unburied, sing by jesmyn ward - a somewhat magically realist novel about childhood and death and family; the reason i picked it up was that the couple of sentences i read in the bookshop were stunningly written, lyrical and gentle. can't wait to continue this.

eric by terry pratchett - i feel like i'm overdue to read this one, but i'll know when the time is right to pick it up. with discworld novels, you always do.

alec by william di canzio - this is a prequel, slash parallel story, slash sequel, to maurice by e.m. forster, focusing on alec scudder.

stories from the tenants downstairs by sidik fofana - what it says on the tin; the stories of residents in a house in harlem. fragmented narratives that interlock are always interesting to me, so i'm looking forward to this one.

waslala by gioconda belli - a long novel about a journalist, a lovestory, and the search for a utopian space known as waslala; thematically, i think it's principally concerned with the environmental injustices enacted on the global south.

ghost music by an yu - i'm pretty sure this is a novel about mushrooms, music, and a weird house. beyond those three elements, i have no idea what to expect. i'm so excited to read this.

[pseudepigraphic]

BLACKWOOD BOOKS.

When Alicia Blackwood steps into her late mother’s bookstore for the first time since being willed the business upon her 22nd birthday, she doesn’t expect a thriving clientele to be waiting for her to re-open its doors. She is especially surprised to find that many members of the local community visit the store in search of books that are often outside of the norm, or even downright magical. Bronwyn Hawthorne has always dreaded the day that her favorite bookstore closes, or worse, is taken over by a non-magical owner. After the passing of her mentor and Blackwood Books’ founder, she worries that the new face of the store won’t be able to supply the books necessary for her catering company’s survival. Luckily, the late owner of Blackwood might have a few tricks left in her sleeves to help the store’s legacy extend for generations to come.

ABOUT.

Stage: writing, first draft Genre(s): low fantasy, ya, romance POV: first person, past tense Tags: magical realism, lgbtq/queer themes, female mc, lesbian mc, witches, small towns, low fantasy, small business, parent death, strangers to friends to lovers, age gap romance, wlw, etc.

CHARACTERS.

Alicia Blackwood | Owner of Blackwood Books, 22, Lesbian Bronwyn Hawthorne | Catering Company Owner, Queer, Witch Ivan Tetherton | Tailor, 37, Trans, Vampire Maria Blackwood | Dead, Past Owner of Blackwood Books, Witch

LINKS.

page | tag | inspo | pinterest coming soon!

EXCERPT.

When I stepped out of the backroom, I was greeted by an ethereally beautiful person with curls twisting halfway down their back and brown skin dappled by sunlight from the cracks between boards covering the windows. She turned toward me and frowned deeply. “Who are you?” She said in a raspy voice. I gaped a little at her rude tone. “Um...I’m Alicia. Blackwood. My mother used to own this store?” My words became questioning even though they were true. “Er, sorry, who are you?” My eyes flickered between her hands, holding a stack of cookbooks with odd names, and her face, which had become less icy upon hearing my last name. She sat the cookbooks on the counter. “I’m Bronwyn Hawthorne. I run a catering company down the street. Have you...are you taking over the shop?” “Nice to meet you. Um...I’m thinking about it. My mom left it to me. I don’t know how to run a business, but I just felt like I needed to take over.” I looked down at the books under my hands. The top one was called “Magical Plants: Herbs and Fungi for the Average Witch.” I looked at Bronwyn again and laughed a little. “Wow, I didn’t know they made fictional textbooks. Um, you want to buy these?” Her face twisted slightly like she didn’t know what to think of me or I’d said something wrong. “Yes.” I swallowed and turned toward the register next to me to get away from the awkward tension that had suddenly erupted between us. My earlier retail experience came in handy, and I quickly navigated to scan the books. “Um...that’ll be $62.94.” I turned back and she handed me a stack of bills, then picked up her books and left without waiting for a receipt or any change. I started to call out but was cut off by the door slamming shut behind her. “How odd.”

[chantireviews]

The 2023 SOMERSET Book Award WINNERS for Literary and Contemporary Fiction

The SOMERSET Book Awards recognize emerging talent and outstanding works in the genre of Literary and Contemporary Fiction. The Somerset Book Awards is a genre division of the Chanticleer International Book Awards (The CIBAs). Chanticleer International Book Awards is looking for the best books featuring contemporary stories, literary themes, adventure, magical realism, or women and family themes.…

[mindrottinglystupid]

AND I'M DONE

CHAPTER 3 IS FINISHED AND LIVE

[aislynndmerricksson]

Akata Woman by Nnedi Okorofor

Akata Woman by Nnedi Okorofor Akata Woman by Nnedi Okorafor is the stunning finale to the mystical Nsibidi Scripts trilogy that blends African folklore, and Nigerian culture/ traditions with contemporary life.  Themes of friendship, identity, and personal growth take center stage, as Sunny and her Leopard Knocks friends navigate complicated magical politics and face immense battles. The…

[what-even-is-thiss]

I don’t think that a story needs to literally make sense in a nitpicky cinema sins type way. Like I write magical realism for gods sake, but I do think a story needs to consistently follow its own type of logic for the most part or else an audience will pick up on that.

I think the reason that something like “Somehow, Palpatine has returned” went over so badly was not because it’s impossible in the Star Wars universe for someone to come back from the dead or something. It’s because so far the new trilogy had a theme of the new generation being allowed to take over. Yoda burned the ancient texts, Kylo Ren continued the sith cycle of the apprentice replacing the master, the old heroes were dying off one by one. Solidly establishing itself as a new thing.

And then, oh no the old bad guy from the last two trilogies was secretly the bad guy in this one too! Oh no!

Like in some stories that would make sense. Not really in this one though.

In some stories there’s a giant elephant in the bathroom just because there’s a giant elephant in the bathroom and we don’t need to question that. In other types of stories you’re gonna need a damn good explanation for how and why the elephant got there.

If your movie has been established as a cheesy stupid martial arts comedy and your goofy protagonist kills a bunch of ninjas with breakdancing moves, that’s fine. I get that. But if you’ve been making a serious cop drama with intrigue, realism, and minimal amounts of gun combat and your hardened old detective kills people with breakdancing, your audience will be lost and confused.

You don’t have to get a degree in physics and fully understand the properties of magnets to put a big magnet in your story, but make sure it’s the type of story that would have a big magnet in it.

[swampjawn]

Dungeon Meshi episode 21, being heavily dialogue-driven, was pretty straightforward animation-wise and let Ryoko Kui's stunning art speak for itself for the most part, but that doesn't mean that there aren't still some GENERALLY-INSIGNIFICANT-DETAILS-TO-SCRUTINIZE-AT-ARGUABLY-UNNECESSARY-LENGTH.

There was a strong emphasis on hands in this episode, particularly the second half, starting with this cut of Laios resting his on the Minotaur's snout.

The animators have taken this simple little panel (on the right) from the manga (btw, people who know more about this than I do, is there a name for this type of panel, which in film would be called an "insert shot"?)

and turned it into this highly detailed tracking shot that heightens the emotional impact of this moment for Laios. It feels very similar to the shot of Kabru bringing a piece of fish to his mouth that introduced him to the series!

The theme comes up again when Laios does a little bit of blair-witching in the corner after being rejected by house-kitty-pilled Izutsumi,

and once again a few seconds later with this added close-up of Marcille's hand when she tries to read the magical aura of the area.

This one clearly makes heavy use of reference footage, to the point that it almost looks rotoscoped until you notice little details like this line that warps unrealistically at the heel of her palm.

But with smooth, realistic motion like this, little details like that are much less important than the overall feeling of authentic shape and movement. This can be seen in a lot of Masaaki Yuasa's work, which often favors consistent motion and more frames over super polished individual drawings. Here's a thematically appropriate cut from Ping Pong for example:

(This one might actually be rotoscoped, I'm not sure)

If you pause on any individual frame, the lines look wobbly and inconsistent, but it comes together as a whole to create something that feels authentic - real.

The heavy detail in the hand anatomy and the way the skin wrinkles around the knuckles in these cuts feels like a hard departure from Studio TRIGGER's signature heavy stylization, but these realistic cuts have popped up here and there since the start of this show, and I think they fit Dungeon Meshi really well! It can be jarring go straight from wacky bombastic cartoonsmanship to realism, but while it is a show about the hungriest hungriest himbo and his family of weirdos, it's also simultaneously a show about anatomy, ecology, and the horrors of the human mindbrain.

This was expanded from an excerpt from this video where I break down the whole episode, so if you want to continue wallowing in the sludge with me, consider checking out the video!

Thanks for reading.

[fakerobotrealblog]

Providing a deep analysis of all Studio Ghibli films would be an extensive undertaking, considering the studio's rich and diverse catalog. However, I can highlight key themes and elements that are often present in their films.

1. **Spirited Away (2001):** Explores identity, environmentalism, and the spirit world. The bathhouse setting is a metaphor for societal structures.

2. **My Neighbor Totoro (1988):** Focuses on the innocence of childhood, the connection to nature, and the acceptance of mystery.

3. **Princess Mononoke (1997):** Tackles environmentalism, the clash between industrialization and nature, and the complexity of human relationships with the environment.

4. **Howl's Moving Castle (2004):** Examines themes of war, love, and transformation, set against a backdrop of magical realism.

5. **Grave of the Fireflies (1988):** A powerful anti-war film exploring the impact of conflict on two siblings during World War II.

6. **Kiki's Delivery Service (1989):** Focuses on self-discovery, independence, and the challenges of growing up.

7. **The Wind Rises (2013):** Tells the story of an aeronautical engineer against the backdrop of historical events, reflecting on creativity, passion, and the moral implications of invention.

8. **Porco Rosso (1992):** Explores themes of identity, war, and redemption through the tale of a World War I flying ace transformed into a pig.

9. **Castle in the Sky (1986):** Features an adventurous tale with themes of environmentalism and the consequences of human greed.

10. **Whisper of the Heart (1995):** Focuses on adolescence, dreams, and self-discovery, emphasizing the importance of pursuing one's passions.

These brief insights into a selection of Studio Ghibli films highlight their exploration of diverse themes, including environmentalism, identity, and the human connection with nature. Each film is a unique artistic expression that often combines fantasy with deep, thought-provoking narratives.