#unnamed urban fantasy story

[antlerlad]

working on a lil character design

[tundraechos]

[Image Description: Art of my OC, Clara. There are three drawings: In the top left, she is shown in her werewolf form from the shoulders up. In the bottom left, she is drawn in her human form in a chibi style, smiling and waving, surrounded by sparkles. On the right, she is shown partially transformed, wearing just her t-shirt and leggings. She's propping herself up on her cane and grimacing. The art is signed "Tundra Echos 4-2023." End Image Description.]

I've been developing her a lot lately

[eggbagelz]

this is my new boy otis he likes falconry and graffiti and is plagued by visions

[trans-cuchulainn]

What do you think about using Irish as a stand-in for a dying Indigenous language in a Gaelic-inspired fantasy story? It would be spoken by sí, but also just be the native language colonialism has done a lot of damage to. If you don't have the time/spoons to answer this, completely understand and I appreciate you just having your ask box open and taking the time to read this. No ill will meant, your earlier post is just making me reconsider things. I am am Irish person, but I've been living abroad most of my life.

i am not the irish police or anything but i think it is worth considering the impact of continuing to use irish in fantasy as an unnamed magical or dead language that belongs to the distant past without naming and acknowledging it as a real language that real people speak everyday in the real world

because a lot of people will see this unnamed language and think "this is a fictional language" or "this is a dead language" and then when they see irish IRL it will seem magical and mystical and they won't think about it as something entwined with politics and language rights and funding and people's everyday existence

and a lot of them will also not realise it is irish at all. it is obviously difficult in a fantasy setting to refer to things by their real names but you can often tell the difference between an author with knowledge of irish who has deliberately chosen to use it to evoke certain real world parallels, and an author who has borrowed it because they think it's mystical and none of their readers will be able to understand it (and part of the difference comes from how the reader is cued to experience that language and indeed whether it appears to occur to the author that the reader might well understand every word of it)

there are certainly ways to use Irish in fantasy that are respectful and whatever, but i would caution that having otherworld beings be the speakers (i assume this is what you mean by "sí" although usually the word needs a person word with it since it refers to the place not its inhabitants, hence aes sidhe, daoine sidhe etc) and presenting the language as a "dying" language feels like it falls into some of those harmful tropes

(irish in the real world is a minority language, but it is also language with a growing number of urban speakers, new words being coined all the time, influencers and social media as gaeilge, growing support for language rights in the north, etc. that doesn't mean it's not endangered. but it does mean it is not a relic of the past found only in forgotten villages that haven't changed in 100 years, and the popular depiction of it hasn't really caught on to that fact)

but also i'm not the irish police. i'm not even irish. the language is not in my blood, i just went out and chose to learn it bc it interests me (maybe this is part of why i resist the Magical Language Of Our Ancestors spiel so much)

[oddmawd]

The Most Coveted of Thrones (Part 1)

SYNOPSIS: All she wanted was to make a deal with a demon. The assholes at her office needed to pay, you see. But the pink-winged devil she just summoned hardly looks like a demon at all, and with a name like "Joker," it's hard to take little things like supernatural safety precautions seriously.

Alas, Joker is not a demon to be trifled with. Especially if you don't know his true name.

TAGS & CONTENT WARNINGS

PAIRING: Doflamingo x Original Female Character, Doflamingo x Reader (no names or descriptions are given, so reads like a third person reader-insert story)

RATING: This intro is PG-13, but the full fic on AO3 is Explicit, Mature, FOR ADULTS ONLY

WORD COUNT: 16.8k total

GENRE: Smut, Horror

FANDOM: One Piece (Alternate Universe - Modern Day Urban Fantasy)

TAGS: Monster F*cking, Monster P*rn, Demon F*cking, Demon Summoning, Demon Deals, Demon/Human Relationships, POV Third Person, Reader-Insert, Original Character(s)POV, Original Female Character, Religious Imagery & Symbolism, Religious Guilt, Inhuman Anatomy, Seven Deadly Sins, Magic, Virginity

WARNINGS: Virginity discussions, implied workplace misogyny, DOFLAMINGO IS HIS OWN WARNING, this first part doesn’t need many warnings beyond “dealing with demons,” find the comprehensive tag list on AO3 (THERE ARE A LOT OF WARNINGS FOR THE FULL STORY, PLEASE BE CAUTIOUS)

NOTES: The second half of this fic is EXTREMELY GRAPHIC. Please heed the tags if you click the AO3 link and read the last half...only the first half/lead-up is posted here on Tumblr because the rest might get me banned LMAO

UNNAMED PROTAGONIST. SHE/HER PRONOUNS. READER (or the OC) has a VAGINA/BREASTS. NO PHYSICAL DESCRIPTIONS OF HER ARE GIVEN, but she works at a marketing firm or something idk

This CAN be enjoyed fandom-blind! 

enjoy, all you Doffy Degenerates out there...

According to the spell book she’d purchased from the sketchy goth dude at the occult supply shop she’d found on Google, the demon’s name was Joker, and he didn’t look anything like a demon at all. Or at least that’s what his summoner decided when the clove-scented smoke cleared and she beheld the creature’s shock of short blond hair, rippling abs gleaming like polished copper, and the cape of pink feathers hanging from his broad shoulders.

But then he flexed that cape and it turned into a pair of enormous, cotton-candy colored wings so huge they brushed basement’s opposing walls many feet apart, and she reevaluated her opinion of his demonic nature...slightly.

 What kind of demon had pink wings, after all?

She imprisoned the demon in the middle of a large summoning circle drawn in silver chains, a bit of blood, and some other fluids she’d had a hell of a time obtaining and didn’t want to remember with any degree of detail, thanks. Instead she focused on the demon. (The demon, the demon, the demon! she reminded herself. Don’t forget you’re dealing with demons.) Hard not to focus on the demon when he rose to his full height, because his head nearly scraped the basement’s dank rafters. The man (demon, demon, demon! she repeated like a mantra) was at least ten feet tall, utterly dwarfing her perfectly human frame. A huge figure, a colossal man, a giant of a guy. No wonder the book had said to draw such an enormous summoning circle. If he sat down on folded legs, his spread knees would probably brush the myriad candles flickering at the circle’s edge.

But honestly, he wasn’t all that intimidating. If it weren’t for the height and the pink wings (or so she told herself in an effort to weaponize logic and bully herself into a placid frame of mind) he’d looked totally human. Nose, lips, sexy abs, eyes (what little she could see of them, anyway) were all in the right places. It further helped that he wore white sunglasses with reflective red lenses, frames shaped liked curving wings cupping his face and hiding his eyes from view. Sunglasses on a demon? Yeah, apart from the wings, he just looked like a human with bad taste. Nothing like a demon at all.

...or so she thought until she spotted the horns, curling and golden, sprouting from his forehead. They caught the candlelight when he dipped his head to look at her, and — yup, that was definitely a demon, all right. The tiny horns curved up and back out of the fringe of his hairline, tiny gilt protrusions no longer than her index fingers curing over his skull like an ibex’s, but once she caught a glimpse, she couldn’t take her eyes off them.

Joker’s wide mouth split into an even wider grin. He bent at the waist to get a better look, and the cavalcade of necklaces on his chest jingled and glinted in the candlelight, slowly swinging in the air. Medallions hung from gilded chains, festooned with arcane symbols undecipherable. Closer up, more tiny horns the size of her fingernails dotted the skin along his hairline. They looked almost like...sequins, maybe. Or like a dusting of glimmering scales in diamond patterns.

“Hello, little human.” He spoke in a deep, rich purr, sound like a gloved hand tracing letters on her shivering nape. “Is it you who dared to summon me?”

She swallowed. “Yup.”

He regarded her for a time, expression somehow inscrutable despite his enormous, many-toothed grin. She fidgeted beneath its weight. Though his glasses were fundamentally ridiculous (and totally unbecoming of a demon) she had to admit they were effective. This was a demon of deal-making, as she understood it. The glasses and smile were a variation of a poker face, she was sure, elaborately over-performed to keep her guessing. She’d need to be on her guard no matter what he looked like, that was for sure.

“Interesting.” His head tilted, muscles in his neck gliding under bronze skin. “You do not cower in fear before me.”

She frowned, but — wow. He was telling the truth. Her knees held steady, her palms remained dry, and the beat of her heart plodded along at a measured pace. But perhaps her lack of panic was to be expected. This wasn't the first time she’d successfully summoned something, after all. While she was not a witch by any means, she’d performed some basic spell-work over the past few months — practice rounds, basically. She’d been shocked when those worked, sure. But the novelty had worn off fast, because the imps cavorting in her summoning ring couldn’t give her what she wanted. They weren’t powerful enough, and the bastards at her workplace had persisted on making her life a living hell.

This demon, though? Calling forth Joker was calling out the big guns...literally. Guy looked like he could bench press a semi-truck. Muscles for days, each abdominal carved from stone, forearms corded with power and strength. Just looking at him, she knew that if anyone could give her what she wanted, it had to be a demon like him. The spell book in her arms had told her so, too. This demon granted desires to the prideful, it said — and at this point, all she had left was her pride.

It was high time to get what she was owed. And fear would not stand in her way. Not anymore.

So maybe that’s why she wasn’t scared. It had been a particularly bad work day, too. She’d been debating summoning Joker for weeks, but the assholes at the office had finally pushed her over the edge. She needed the spell to work after everything they put her through. She was too hungry for triumph to allow herself to fear.

Thus, intent on the goal before her, she shrugged and informed the demon she’d summoned: “You’re just not that scary, I guess.”

Pink feathers rattled like chains. “Not that scary?” he hissed between the blades of his teeth — which now looked a tad sharper than before. “Are you a fool, or merely ignorant? The impertinence.”

One massive hand rose, pressing toward her — but just as fear spiked her blood, a flash of light stopped Joker cold. Sparks fizzled against his skin with the scent of burned sugar, sickly sweet and nauseating. She released a tense breath. The summoning circle did more than merely summon. It also kept Joker locked within, keeping her safe and unafraid without.

And Joker understood this, because he lowered his hand from the barrier, fist clenching. “You should fear me, little witch. I am powerful beyond your wildest dreams. You are incapable of conceptualizing my immense might, my sway over the realms of Hell, my seat on the throne of the Dreaded Seven. You should fear — ”

“You look like an oversized twink who wandered out of a Miami gay bar,” she interjected. “I ain't scared of you.”

A beat of silence — and then Joker threw back his head and laughed. He laughed long and loud and lusty, hand on his horned forehead, chest heaving. It wasn’t a nice laugh. It made her feel small. Although she’d been the one to levy insults, he was laughing at her — she sensed that, felt the truth of his disdain in her bones. But it hardly mattered. So long as he gave her what she wanted, so long as he did as he was told, she could put up with being laughed at.

She’d had practice, after all. Her office was full of demons of a different stripe.

But, just like at work, her pride wouldn’t let her back down without a fight. She crossed her arms and looked him up and down, hip jutting out, feet shifting into a stance of lazy confidence (a posture she knew projected power — they’d told her so at the workshop for young professionals she’d attended last year).

“So. Your name is Joker. Fan of Batman, huh?” she asked.

His laughter faded to a mere chuckle. “Joker...is that the name your spell book gave you?”

“Yes.”

His glasses glittered with mirth. “Interesting.”

“Don’t pretend I got your name wrong,” she spat. “You wouldn’t have shown up if it were wrong.”

“How very logical of you.” He grinned all the harder. “I’m impressed.”

Joker applauded her, then — palm on palm ringing out in the candlelit basement, every slap of flesh a patronizing thunderclap. Bracelets chimed like church bells on his desecrated wrists. She wanted to slap him, wipe that smirk off his handsome face...but he looked rich, damn him, with all those necklaces and that gold skin and that chiseled jaw a model would envy, and the spell book said he could grant boons to those seeking their own fortunes. Joker’s attitude, his pride...it’s why she’d picked him out of all the other demons in the book. His arrogance was as good a sign as the gold on his wrists. It gave her hope — but she didn’t let that hope show on her face, instead scowling up at him, one foot tapping the creaking floor.

“Neither trickery nor flattery will work on me, actually,” she said, tossing her head, “so you can save the ingratiating act.”

He chuckled again. “Noted, little witch.”

“I’m not a witch.”

“Oh, no?” A huge, pink tongue poked from the corner of his mouth, lascivious and indolent. “You look like a witch to me.”

“Well, I’m not.”

“Then what are you?”

“I’m a digital marketing manager.” The title grated like sandpaper on her tongue, as ill-fitting as her boss’s cheap suits. “But that’s not all I want to be. What I know I can be.”

“And that’s where I come in?” Joker said.

“How’d you guess?”

“Why else would you summon a demon? You want something.”

He drawled the world ‘want’ as if savoring its flavor. She suppressed a shudder.

“Yes. I do,” she said. “And I want you to give it to me.”

“You want me to give you what you want...” he said, still drawling that one particular word. “Is that right?”

“That’s right.”

“Would you say it for me, pet?” he purred, voice simpering and sweet despite its deep tenor. “I do so love hearing my assignments in plain language.”

It sounded like a simple request — but she didn’t grant it right away. The book had warned her about giving demons even the littlest leeway. But after analyzing the request in her head, she didn’t see any fault in it. There wasn’t any monkey-paw-wish-twisting happening that she could discern. So she shrugged, and squared her shoulders, and took the plunge.

“Sure,” she said. “I want you to give me what I want.”

He let out another long laugh. “Excellent.”

“As for what I want... well, let me start at the beginning.”

He hadn’t asked, but she figured he’d need to know in order to make good on their soon-to-be-discussed deal, so she explained: Her ungrateful bosses. The two-faced guys at work who sucked their metaphorical dicks to get the best projects. Late nights spent working for no recognition. Ideas sniped from under her by assholes who gave her zero credit. The way her workplace nemesis mocked and belittled her when her back was turned but played nice to her face. The petty minutiae, the annoyances, the burning hatred she felt for that one asshole in particular who did not deserve his success — the success that should be hers, dammit.

She should have been given the office when it opened up. She should have been recognized and promoted. She should be given the high-profile accounts with better bonuses. It should be her, dammit — but instead it was him. The man who treated her like garbage. The man sabotaged her at every turn. The man who didn’t deserve any of it, but the man who got it because he played the right kind of game, and played it dirty besides.

She went on for longer, perhaps, that she should have, but Joker didn’t tell her to stop — not with words, anyway. She’d launched into her fourth (fifth?) anecdote about her supremely shitty coworker by the time he heaved a sigh and rubbed his temple with a fingertip. His other hand prodded the barrier, idly coaxing forth sparks with every flick. She flinched the first time, but she ignored it the second, and the third. The barrier was impenetrable. She wasn’t worried; let the demon sulk. She needed to vent. Luxuriate in her anger before taking her revenge.

And her rage-marinated revenge, when she had it, would no doubt taste sweet.

“So you’re dissatisfied with your occupation,” Joker said when she paused for breath. The demon yawned, smile sleepy and wry. “How very dull. Humans are so tedious.”

“Sorry my problems seem so trivial to you,” she grumbled. “Now, about what I want — ”

Joker raised a finger and wagged it in her face (or as close to it as he could get, anyway). “Ah ah ah, little witch.”

“I told you, I’m not a witch.”

“You are, though. Anyone who can summon me must be a witch. And a clever one, at that.” He tutted, horned head shaking. “Although you seem woefully uneducated. Allow me to rectify this oversight.”

Wait. Was Joker being helpful? Oh, now that was suspicious as hell. She’d be damned if she’d blindly trust him after everything the book had told her. This demon “pulled the strings of the world to make destiny dance,” it said. Joker was a known wish-granted, a known deal-maker, a known bargainer of legend...but all demons hungered for human souls, and demons weren’t exactly known for their senses of fair play. Since her soul was the only price she wouldn’t consider paying to get what she wanted, she’d need to be on her guard through every last word, especially if he was pretending to be helpful. She’d hear him out but not take anything he said at face value lest she accidentally grant him ownership of that which she did not wish to give away.

Yeah. No genie tricks tonight, no sir. Just good ol’ fashioned bargaining. That’s what she was after, and that was all.

“Demons like me can give you what you want, whatever that may be, so long as you can command us,” Joker was saying in the same suspiciously gracious tones as before. “And you command us by knowing our true names.” He gestured at himself — at his powerful jaw, sculpted physique, and brilliant smile. He chuckled when she stared just a little too long; she ripped her eyes away, face flushed. “You summoned me. That is proof enough you know my true name and can command me as you like.”

“I knew all of that already,” she said, unimpressed.

“But I am willing to bet you didn’t know we still require payment for our services.”

She smiled. “Actually, I knew that, too.”

“Clever little witch!” Joker crowed. “Oh, but I am impressed.”

“Remember what I said about flattery?” She shook her head. “I suppose you’re about to ask me for payment. Gonna ask for my mortal soul?”

But Joker surprised her when he heaved a heavy, bored sigh. “Hardly. I have no use for a soul flitting about. Human souls are ever so tedious.” He laughed again, another derisive barrage of mirth that set her teeth on edge. “And besides. The worth of a human soul is hardly as costly as you humans tend to think. You hold yourselves in laughably high regard.” Another laugh, even louder than the one before. “And they call me prideful.”

“We’re not worth much? Really?” she said, not quite believing him.

“Oh, yes.” He grinned like a shark, pink feathers rustling like clinking scales. “Trust me, little witch. Of all the sins, I understand pride most intimately of all.”

And then he was laughing again, condescending and demeaning and mean — second verse, same as the first. By then she was used to feeling like Joker got off on telling jokes he had no intention of explaining; no sense getting offended. She rolled her eyes and tapped her foot, impatient.

“So my soul isn’t worth anything,” she said. “What do you want from me, instead?”

“Nothing you cannot live without.” He gestured vaguely at nothing. “But it must be equal in value to whatever you ask for.”

“I haven’t asked for anything yet.”

“Of course you haven’t.” He hummed. “You must first pay my price.”

“A price you, once again, have not told me,” she reminded him. “Shouldn’t you hear what I want before naming your price, anyway? How can you know how much to charge me without knowing what I’m buying from you?”

He grinned like a waning moon. “What I desire will no doubt pay for whatever petty want you care to name.”

“And what do you desire, Joker?”

“Your virginity.”

Joker said it so bluntly, so confidently, she thought she’d misheard him. But then perception caught up with reality and her face caught fire, shame and shock setting every last nerve ablaze. Even the candles near her felt too hot, all of a sudden, the acrid tang of smoke cloying in her throat.

“H-how — ?” she stammered. “How do know I’m a — ?”

“I can smell it.” His tongue darted out, wetting his lips. “You’re pure. Untouched. Tantalizing. Demons can smell it for miles — that scent ripe for spoil. And virgins are so rare these days. There’s really no mistaking it.”

Both enormous hands lifted. His fingertips raked across the barrier — trying to touch her, but unable. A shower of sparks caught his golden horns where they curved upward, lifting away from his skull toward the heavens he had long been banished from.

“To be summoned by one as beautiful as you, as pure as you, as eager as you...” Joker’s laugh rumbled in his chest, razor sharp and velveteen. “This is a rare opportunity, one I do not intend to squander.”

She coughed into her fist. Virginity — of all the things he could’ve asked for, that particular bauble hadn’t ranked high on her list of payment possibilities. It wasn’t like she cared about her virginity. She’d happily prioritized studying (and then working a thankless job) over finding someone to fuck her. And besides, it wasn’t like virginity was real. It was just a misogynistic social construct meant to keep her from asserting her sexuality in a patriarchal society that feared powerful women. It meant nothing to have sex the first time. In fact, she’d debated many times the merits of finding a random hookup through a dating app just to get her “first time” over with, but she’d never quite found the opportunity to follow through.

Suffice to say, giving up her virginity didn’t mean anything to her...but she’d be damned in she told Joker as much. If he thought her useless virginity was valuable — well, she’d let him think so. She wasn’t about to cheapen what, to her, seemed like the biggest bargain ever.

Speaking of biggest: Would Joker even, y’know...fit? Inside her, that is? Because he was probably ten feet tall, horns scraping the rafters, and that meant he had to be packing, right?

Oh, god. If she hadn’t been praying for mercy before, now felt like a good time to start.

She didn’t let any of her misgivings show on her face, however. She didn’t have glasses, but her poker face was still pretty great after sitting through so many infuriating meetings without flinching. She pretended to mull it over, looking at Joker’s broad shoulders and trim waist as if considering his proposition. Not that thinking of him in such a context was a difficult task. Full lips framed Joker’s endless grin, his broad shoulders tapered to a narrow waist with a gorgeously cut Adonis belt, and that washboard stomach...well. She could lose her virginity to a lot worse, at least in the looks department. And at least she’d be losing it by candlelight! According to movies, candles were necessary (even if these candles smelled like outdated incense — a gift from the guy with the weird eyebrows at the occult supply shop, not that it even mattered).

“Virginity...that’s a big ask,” she said eventually.

“Indeed, considering.” He gestured at his hips like he’d read her mind, grin taking on a simmering heat. “But it is my price.”

“Why virginity, anyway?” she said — trying to ignore the way his smile set off fireworks in her belly. “How could that possibly be more valuable than my soul?”

“You have heard of an incubus, haven't you, my little witch? Demons who feed through sex?” he asked. “Sex is a mingling of essence, of energy, of pure power. A perfect conduit for magic.”

“I guess that tracks.” She looked him over with new understanding. “So you’re an incubus, then.”

His smile grew. “Incubus use the energy of intercourse to power themselves.”

To her, it seemed he spoke from a place of authority — which made sense. He was an incubus. Funny the book hadn’t mentioned that, but... “Makes sense.”

“Indeed,” he said with another of his knowing chuckles. “When in the mortal realm, demons such as incubuses are cut off from the fires of Hell, our homeland. We retain certain abilities, but we lack true power here. It is ever so dull.” She got the sense he’d rolled his eyes, though she couldn’t see them. “In order to give you what you want, I must have power. That power must come from the summoner, and that power must be enough to grant the summoner’s request — an exchange, equivalent and equal.”

“Still seems like my soul would be worth more than my virginity.”

“Perhaps — but to take your soul would kill you. How can I grant you what you want if you are dead? I trust you would need to be alive in order to enjoy whatever it is you intend to ask for.” A growl resonated in his chest, heavy and heated. His obscured eyes remained fixed on her. “And the first bite of a virgin is potent magic indeed. More than enough to place you on the most coveted of thrones.”

She frowned. “The most coveted...?”

“That is what you want, isn’t it?” he asked — but before she could reply, he held up a hand, bracelets on it ringing. “You needn’t say. You’re hungry for power. The scent of that ambition is nearly as strong as your virginity.” Again he licked his lips, tongue broad and hot and huge. “Pure and tainted all at once...oh, how delicious you’ll taste.”

“Don’t get ahead of yourself.” His eager stare was doing things to her, thighs pressing together tightly, but she wasn’t about to admit it. Instead she backtracked, picking apart his language to focus on: “The most coveted of thrones...?”

It was a peculiar turn of phrase, but an evocative one. The job title her shitty coworker had usurped from under her, complete with a promotion and a raise and a huge oak desk with a leather top like something straight out of Mad Men over in the vacant corner office...that should’ve been hers. She should’ve had that metaphorical throne, not him. Joker had acted like her story about her workplace had bored him, but clearly he’d been listening well enough. That, or his demonic powers granted him knowledge of her world. Whatever the case, she was (grudgingly) impressed.

“So you know what I’m after,” she said. “I want — ”

But he lifted his finger and tutted again. “Not yet, little witch. Not yet. Payment comes first, fulfilled before services requested and rendered. Only once I have my payment may you tell me what you truly want.”

“I still think it’s weird. Like you’re doing this backward.”

“Perhaps I am.” His nose lifted, haughty as a preening flamingo. “But I wouldn’t expect a pretty little mortal to understand the ways of an infernal demon like me.”

“...I suppose that’s true.”

For a time, she sat in thought. He watched in silence, patient. Was that a predatory glint she spied behind his shades? Did the glasses hide the eyes of a hawk circling prey, perhaps? But no, that couldn’t be right. She knew Joker’s name. She had the power here, and she had been careful.

She was in control. Not him. And that meant she was safe.

Thus, confident in herself, she steeled her spine, breathed deeply of the smokey air, and asked: “Well, Joker. How would this work?”

One blond brow lifted. “Hmm?”

“You’re trapped in that circle. How could you even touch me?” She glared, daring him to contradict her as his smile grew and grew and grew until she feared his face might crack. “And before you tell me to let you out, I’m not stupid. I’m not about to loose a demon on the mortal realm.”

“Read your spell-book carefully, my dear. I am sure there is a solution to our dilemma within. I will hardly be the first demon to attend to his summoner’s sexual appetites.” His voice had adopted a simpering tone, low and cajoling, sticky and slick. “Does this mean you have accepted the terms of my bargain?”

“My virginity in exchange for the most coveted of thrones...I’m thinking on it.” She plopped down on the floor and opened her spell book on her lap. “Let’s see about this spell, first.”

Slowly, the demon named Joker lowered himself to the floor, too. And as predicted, the spread of his folded knees brushed the edges of the summoning circle, the barrier there humming with proximity-fueled power that hummed in her molars. Gosh, Joker was absolutely enormous — but the weight of his stare intimidated her far more than the size of his body. The shades obscured everything but the smile that told her nothing at all. What kind of demons wears shades? she found herself wondering again. Such a weird dude, this Joker. And he had a weird name, too. What kind of dude was named Joker, anyway?

No. Not a dude. A demon, a demon — never forget that. Especially not when he was acting almost docile.

Errant thoughts like those wouldn’t help her solve her problems, though. She focused instead on flipping through her book and reading the section on summoning circles all over again — and soon, in the footnotes and by the light of her many candles, she found something.

“‘If the demon need interact in corporeal fashion with the mortal realm but not be loosed upon it with infernal agency intact,’” she read aloud to herself, “‘the summoner need only add another layer to the barrier of...’” She flipped a page. “So I just need to...?”

She wouldn’t need to do much, it turned out. It would take only a few minutes to follow the book’s guidance and draw a second, larger circle outside the first, one the book claimed both parties would be able to enter freely — but one it claimed only the summoner could leave. The current circle kept the summoner out as much as it kept the demon within, it said, to ensure the summoner’s safety. The new circle would not allow the demon to escape, but the summoner could physically access the demon at will without worry of being dragged to the underworld.

In short, it seemed...safe. Suspiciously safe, in fact.

“This new circle is like a one-way barrier that won’t fully release you, but it allows me entry if I want,” she said aloud, mostly to herself. “It would still keep you trapped.”

“A pity,” Joker told her. “I do so long to be free.”

“Fat chance.” She glanced at the book again. “It would keep you trapped, but I could enter it without fear. And you wouldn’t be able to pull me into the inner circle and hurt me, either. Or pull me down to Hell through the portal that brought you here.”

“Drag a human to Hell?” he asked with a scoffing laugh. “How archaic! What would I even do with a human, anyway?”

His annoyance at the very idea of dragging her to Hell was oddly reassuring. “Plus it says you can’t drag anyone to Hell without their consent, so I’m safe,” she went on. “And if you hurt me, it says you’d be banished at once. And there’s a dispelling word I can say, or even think, at any time to send you back inside the main circle, where you’ll be trapped again.” Was she trying to convince Joker or herself that this was a good idea? In a show of fake-it-till-you-make-it confidence, she declared: “Looks pretty foolproof to me.”

“A foolproof annoyance,” he returned with a grumble. “But it serves our shared desires well enough.” That smoldering look from earlier returned; Joker rolled to his knees, sitting back on his heels with thighs spread wide. He ran his palms up and down them in slow pulses, from groin to knee and back again. “Does this mean you have accepted — ?”

She yanked her gaze away. “Still thinking on it.”

And she did think on it — long and hard, which was probably a pun considering what she was about to (potentially) do with the demon before her. Virginity was such a small price to pay to make her dreams come true, wasn’t it? And she’d definitely ask for revenge on those who’d wronged her as part of her rise to the throne she coveted most...

What were a few minutes of sex in the grand scheme of things?

What was virginity in the face of her future?

Not daring to look Joker in the eye, she stood. She moved the candles back a few feet from the first summoning circle. She went to the bucket of paint in the corner (the one mixed with those fluids she didn’t want to think about) and grabbed the brush resting beside it on a painting tray. Still not looking at Joker, she went to the edge of the circle and began to draw.

But she needn’t speak for Joker to understand. “So you have accepted,” he said, watching her work with a simmering intensity she felt blazing against her skin. “I knew you’d see it my way, little witch. Soon I will give you what you want.”

Again, he drawled the word. Again, she shivered. Again, he laughed at her expense and at an unspoken joke only he understood.

“Yeah, yeah...” she grumbled. “Hold on, just let me concentrate...”

She painted the circle in what felt like both hours and seconds, both long and short, both infinite and finite time at once. Joker watched mostly in silence, though occasionally he chuckled to himself. He only moved once she finished painting and stood back to admire her work, which he tested by pressing a hand to the barrier of the inner circle. It sparked briefly against his palm...but then it gave way like a membrane under pressure, admitting him into the outer circle with a fizzle and a pop of deflated pressure.

She expected him to step into the outer circle at once, which afforded him at least a few more feet of space, but he surprised her. He stood without moving in the center of the inner summoning ring, grinning, rotating his head atop his neck as though preparing for some physical feat. The new circle gave him more room to maneuver, but although his wings rustled in anticipation, they did not stretch wide just yet.

“The time of our bargain is upon us, pet,” he said.

“Pet, again...” She rolled her eyes at the name.

“You know better than to tell me your real name, so my terms of endearment you will have to endure.” He licked his lips. “So...”

“So,” she repeated.

“Let us forge the pact.” He drew himself up, voice deepening. “You give yourself — ”

“Not myself. My virginity,” she said, on guard against the Monkey’s Paw he’d so clearly tried to instigate.

And he didn’t argue the distinction. “You give your virginity to me,” he readily amended, “in exchange for what you want — a prize to be named upon completion of payment rendered.” His head cocked to one side. “Do you agree to these terms?”

Again, she thought about it. Turned the wording over in her head. Analyzed and picked it apart until semantics blurred into loose sounds and unrecognizable shapes. But she could find no loopholes, and so she nodded.

“Yes,” she told the demon she called Joker. “I agree to the terms.”

Something passed between them. A solidity, a pressure, a connection — it snapped into place like magnets crashing, like a key entering a lock, like gravity snatching an apple from the air as it fell from some forbidden primordial tree. She shivered. A sharp crack of laughter boomed from Joker’s long throat, zealous and full of promise.

“Wonderful!” he said — and that booming laugh dropped low, like fire dwindling to coals burning beneath heap of satin ash. “Then let us begin.”

Part 1 - END. Continued on AO3.

THE FULL FANFIC IS AVAILABLE EXCLUSIVELY ON AO3

CLICK HERE TO READ THE FULL STORY

(It is filthy. PLEASE HEED THE TAGS!)

[seafoampages]

Writeblr Intro

hi, welcome to my writeblr! my name is cam, i’m a 20-year-old english lit and publishing student, and i’m creating this new blog because posting about my wips motivates me to work on them!

i’ll be posting info about my wips including character aesthetics, playlists, excerpts and memes, plus updates on what i’m currently reading

pronouns: she/her

hobbies (besides writing): cooking & baking, reading, painting, video games (pokémon, sims, minecraft)

favourite books: the book thief (marcuz zusak), roots of chaos series (samantha shannon), practical magic series (alice hoffman), when women were dragons (kelly barnhill), the lunar chronicles (marissa meyer), the scholomance series (naomi novik), the school for good and evil series (soman chainani) and the miseducation of cameron post (emily danforth)

audience: ya / new adult

genres: high fantasy + urban fantasy, sci-fi, romance

common tropes in my writing: grumpy sunshine pairings, protective siblings overcoming conflict (50% chance the sister is a scientist, 100% chance both of them are queer), faeries, unapolagetically affectionate couples, very tall hot people, defrosting ice queens

my wips include:

WE ARE THE BURNED 🔥⚔️🌊

main wip, high fantasy, new adult,multiple pov, mediterranean-inspired setting

in a world where words are magic, and breaking a promise could take your life, nations battle for territory and glory. avary and ronan must fight to stay together while escaping the country they love, tariq struggles to live between the cruelty of his city’s cartel and the gentle wisdom of his teacher, and abilenne weaves through her responsibilities as a crown princess, eldest sister and future bride

themes include overcoming other people's expectations and found family

UNNAMED HARPY WIP 🕊🗡☀️ 

high fantasy, ya, fairytale retelling, sapphic romance

thayde’s favourite story as a child was the one about an ancient princess who could see the future, locked in a tower prison by a warlock. but it was also her least favourite, because it didn’t have a hero. now a fully grown harpy, thayde wants to win the queen’s tournament and prove herself worthy of finding the kingdom’s best kept secret.

themes include discovering self-worth and enemies to lovers

MAGES 🌃✨💀

urban fantasy, ya, alternate earth

kad’s mother was a murderer, a terrorist, a villain. the whole world is hell-bent on reminding her, despite being taken in by the Dupuis foster home for gifted mages and doing her best to be a normal pyromancer. but her magic refuses to grow and the dangers that ended her old family are threatening her new one. can kad uncover what’s happening and make up for her mother’s atrocities?

themes include found family, magical coffee shop and science-fantasy mashup

[sagesilentfire]

I FINISHED A SKETCHBOOK! Every page is drawn upon. It only took me... eight years. Wow. I only started working on it in earnest about six months ago, though, so... yeah. 

TO CELEBRATE: I want to take one of these sketches and develop it into a full rendered digital painting. I will make a fun little quiz and we'll narrow it down to one drawing. Quiz and logistics coming later, but will be posted here.

A lot of this is me figuring out designs for characters I haven't even written about yet, so look out for that. I'll elaborate one every sketch if you're interested, so keep reading if you want to know who's who. The sketches are generally in reverse chronological order from top to bottom.

1. Alice, a new character in Star and Marcie and the Forces of Evil, my latest project. She's fighting. She's a fighter. She's a love interest, but I hope I make her interesting on her own.

2. Cinder, wearing a shirt Kowari and Kultarr got for her. He will never take it off.

3. Various faces for Iako, a character in my next project that I'm 90% sure on the design for. She lives in a world of kitsunes who accidentally got addicted to gaining their nine tails through murder. Also magic powers are cursed. Iako wants to make magic better, so she goes on a trip to a mysterious island that holds the key to ending the curses... and their lives. Also it's based on the original premise of Lightlark. Hehe. Prologue can be found here. It's part 2.

4. lorge Sílthéy and small derg. 

5. Practicing SilkWings and playing around with dragon faces, plus their defining attributes.

6. ANCIENT Sílthéy expression practice. This is years before the eye redesign, but you can still get the essence of her character and how she's born out of my religious trauma.

7. ANCIENT Sílthéy expression practice cont.

8. SilkWing practice with face shapes.

9. Alice fullbody. My second drawing of her, getting her design down.

10. a. Evelyn, the protag of a story I'd like to tell someday. I can't say much more than that, except that it's a tragedy of epic proportions. b. Human Sílthéy

11. Alice and Shinjai. Shinjai is a main character in SAMATFOE, and she and Alice have an almost-thing going. 

12. Iako and a still unnamed... side character? They're studying the book Iako gets in the prologue.

13. This is [NAME REDACTED]. They're from a universe inspired by Star Wars, but if it was animated and also deeply weird. [NAME REDACTED] is [TOP SECRET INFORMATION]

14. First drawing of Alice. Figuring out her cheekmarks, and what I wanted to keep in her show design (she's based on a one-off background character).

15. More Iako drawings. Left out her hair in a, can't remember if it was intentional or not.

16. A dragon from a Wings of Fire inspired sci-fi world.

17. RPG species. They're aliens who are eusocial, and females are split into four "genders"/roles in society. This gender is soldier, distinguished by their massive claws and size. Their job is everything that requires strength.

18. An early Tethalaos, and also an entirely plausible form for them to take.

19. Above mentioned RPG species. This gender is gatherer, distinguished by their small body and delicate hands. 

20. Another dragon from above mentioned Wings of Fire inspired sci-fi.

21, 23-26. More sketches of [NAME REDACTED]. As you might guess, I quite like them. I just think they're neat, and I wanted to get their design down solidly.

22. Wasp friend :D

27. Shinjai's new crown, as seen in the latest chapter of SAMATFOE.

28. Funny Christmas Carol-inspired AU of SAMATFOE that I drew after being bludgeoned over the head with Christmas music for hours in a holiday sale I was working at.

29. Sílthéy being big mad.

30. RainWing. Not sure who this is.

31. Toffee's Mewberty wings.

32. More Evelyn.

33. LunarWings, but in my sci-fi world.

34. Yet another species in my sci-fi world.

35. Star and Marcie from SAMATFOE

36. Espina, a character from an urban-fantasy boarding school story about being bonded to animals people often find disgusting and repulsive. Espina controls wasps.

37. All the they/them nonbinary characters in SAMATFOE at the time of this drawing. From left to right: Nova, Toffee, Necahua, Dr. Edevane, Mayhem and Miette Maizley, Higgs, and of course, Tethalaos. Drawn at a nonbinary people meetup.

38. Sílthéy again

39. The oldest drawing in the book, Darkstalker from before we even knew what he looked like. An old doodle, but it proves how dedicated I was to Darkstalker being a good guy back in the day.

40. A design for an old idea I had of a hollow mountain filled with outcasts from society. Might revisit it, there's enough there to make at least a novella.

41. Toffee fashion sketches.

42. An old drawing of Sílthéy in her Wings of Fire dragon form, a hybrid named Liminal (nicknamed Lin). I'm pretty happy with how it turned out, honestly.

43. Sílthéy even BIGGER mad

44. More from the hollow mountain. The outcasts are protected by these guys, and in exchange they're cleaned and fed.

[blysse-and-blunder]

In lieu of a travel journal

2am my-time, monday, july 24, 2023

Awake and giddy and trying to calm down after completing what I think may accidentally actually be a decent conference paper, a few short hours before I need to present it—some thoughts on the things that have kept me entertained and sane while on necessary breaks from writing! writing this on my phone so there’s no read-more, apologies.

reading

having a very good time alternating between after Sappho, selby wynn schwartz, and an angela carter short story collection called the bloody chamber. both very ~feminist~ but in ways that are subtly distinct—you can tell which came out in 2021 and which did not—but both so interesting. I think I may DNF this other unnamed spy-urban fantasy, unfortunately, which sucks because the premise was good, the execution is just very grating. assorted other libby holds include italo calvino’s the baron in the trees, ty @morrak and carmen maria machado’s in the dream house.

listening

yws gwynedd and the resulting welsh pop / rock mix on 24-hour lockdown repeat. it’s been extremely good to me, high energy, low engagement, except I’m also getting better at listening comprehension slowly but surely, there’s no downside. Stuck in my head currently, perpetually:

watching

the first episode of d20’s starstruck odyssey, which despite all the potential for getting bogged down in new mechanics and bad stats and dysfunctional team dynamics was really lovely? It is filling the sweet spot right between being in the mood for fantasy high and being in the mood for Neverafter, and plus I like! just getting to hear them play! I also watched the first few minutes of disn*y’s strange world on this airbnb’s d+ account, and will hopefully be able to go back—I was looking for something I could have on in the background and ended up getting interested, so, task failed successfully! I also watched, and slept through, amsterdam (2022) on a plane recently.

playing

fallow week. shoutout to the game I tried with friends a few weeks ago and forgot to mention, genesis noir, which was so gloriously atmospheric and moody and interesting, right up until it was slightly too buggy and/or unintuitive to get past the first fifteen minutes or so. though that could have been the fault of the internet connection, which had been slow that whole night and did crash immediately thereafter. we laughed ourselves to absolute fucking tears over gangbeasts again, afterwards. but I’m still thinking about the celestial noir vibes and hope to get back to this one soon.

making

fallow week! making plans and achieving them, making memories and taking pictures, making virtual friendships into realities. making more homecooked meals, hopefully, now that I have real kitchen access! making some professional connections??

working on

the last week has been all about either working on said paper, or getting a mental refresh by getting as far from it as possible. it’s been hard to get back into work mode after some of these full days off, but also, I did budget my time and I *did* put enough in, early and often, that by the time the eleventh hour came around it was possible to actually finish. i don’t think i could have gotten to this version, which i’m pleased with, with any less effort—but spending all day thurs at the library, working in the morning or an hour before bed, or between lunch and dinner tonight—and a lot of time the week prior—it all added up. it all contributed something. this is my memo to myself: the long boring slog leading up to the exhilarating last minute is just as necessary. it helped that I have other (dissertation-based) uses for every idea and sentence and quote I had to cut tonight, and I still think this paper is stronger without them.

[author-a-holmes]

Happy STS! How many different genres do you write/have ideas for? Which one is your favorite?

Hello! Happy STS, thank you for the ask ^_^

I guess it depends on how niched down you want to take it. Generally speaking I only write Fantasy or Science Fiction.

But if we niche is down further then I write, or have idea's for;

Portal Fantasy (Changeling/Darkling/FeyTouched)

Contemporary Fantasy (FeyTouchedTrilogy & Faith of the Grim)

Urban Fantasy (Faith of the Grim)

Fairytale Retelling (Robin Hood Retelling)

Epic Fantasy (Stolen & Chronicles of Verald)

Romantic Fantasy (Stolen & Chronicles of Verald)

Space Western (Scifi) (Unnamed project; Voodoo Priestess meets Firefly/Serenity)

Soft Science Fiction (Intergalactic Bounty Hunters)

Animal Fantasy (Childrens Books) (Tale of the Shadowfox, and other stories.)

Then it's about nine (9) genre's off the top of my head Lol.

My favourite/s are Epic Fantasy/Romantic Fantasy. There's something about the combination of epic worldbuilding underpinning a love story for the ages that just gets me :D

Stella and Reilly in Stolen are my darlings forever, and as soon as I can outline Chronicles of Verald, and think Mallory and Nik are gonna get way up there on my list too.

Bribing myself with permission to answer asks, my fourth sprint of the day today netted me 761 words.

[sapphiredragonprincess]

what stories do you have? I have seen you mention some of your characters names in the past, but I haven't seen the stories and I am curious

!! HI!!! Thanks for asking about my OCs!!! I have a number of stories, let me talk about the ones I mention most:

Of Crowns and Songs: (Or the mermaid story. Link to chapter 1.) It's about princess Ayden meeting a curiously shy and anxious mermaid living alone in a lake hidden in the forest behind her family's castle, how in her journey to help Nerissa overcome all the things that hold her back trapped where she doesn't belong (much to her sister's worry), Ayden realizes she's compromised part of her own identity (heir to the throne) to get recognition of another one (being a girl, yes she's trans). In the story Ayden fights against her own insecurities and the prejudices of her noble court to build up the courage to demand what was always rightfully hers to remain so. Meanwhile, Nerissa learns to balance the setting of her own boundaries with accepting the help the ones who love her want to give her, allowing herself to actually recover from her trauma instead of punishing herself for what happened to her.

Heart of a Warrior: Andrés and Clarisa's story (link to the one-shot where I created them)! This one is about pride, duty and love. Clarisa has goals, ones that do not align with what society expects of her. Through the story she struggles with balancing who she wants to be with what she has the responsibility to be, learning not to disdain that which is known for the glory of the foreign. For that, her greatest help and obstacle at the same time is Andrés, the general whose squadron she's sent to the first time she tries to participate in the fight against the monsters that invade her country. He's friend, teacher and guide, but also forces her to face part of herself she does not enjoy thinking about and eventually he's the one who takes her opportunity away from her hands when things go wrong. After their time apart, their reunion is not the happiest, but it restarts something that Clarisa had almost given for lost, giving her a second chance at making herself who she wants to be, even if there's new bumps along the way.

The unnamed Magic & Royals story: This one is Armando, Patricia, Carmine and Horace. So basically a king and his fiancée get attacked while on the way back from visiting a foreign country, meet a demon (literal) and a gargoyle, team up to return home without getting killed for politics. The demon and gargoyle are not altruistic, though, they're taking part on a supernatural treasure hunt for a powerful magical artifact that and their clues suggest that one of the keys is at Armando's kingdom. Having a king on their side when they search for it sounds like a good deal, so they make a pact. Of course, things aren't exactly simple along the way and the artifact is more than Carmine and Horace had first thought. (Somehow, despite the plot, what I focus most when I talk about them is the demi4aro relationship between Armando and Patricia and that's why I don't have any link to their story yet.)

The unnamed urban fantasy one: The story of Pamela, Danny and co. This one is a mostly slice of life story of a phoenix and a werewolf who moved to a normal university outside the territory of the supernatural community they grew up at. They struggle with finding their own places in the outside world, making lasting connection outside their community (both with humans and other supernaturals) and university itself. (I was supposed to write more about Dan, but Pamela always steals the show. The link to their origin story may explain why.)

Okay, so that's a lot, so I won't talk about the other stories I don't have developed as much as these, but there are many. Most are in my My OCs tag which also has trivia about them from answering ask memes or reblogging tag your oc posts. I also have a writing tag, but it has more OCs then the ones I mention in my tags (and also really bad fic).

Woa! That was long! Sorry for the rambling, thanks a lot for the ask! It made me really happy to receive it! *bunny hugs if you want them*

[arson-09]

Yeehaw a WIP tagging game

thank you @achaotichuman for the tag :D

Ive never done one of these before so yippie something new🧍🏻

Rules: Post the names of all the files in your WIP folder, regardless of how non-descriptive or ridiculous. Let people send you an ask with the title that most intrigues them, and then post a little snippet or tell them something about it! and then tag as many people as you have WIPs.

my asks are already on, it just says doodle requests but you can drop anything in it

Original Stories-

Unnamed Urban Fantasy

The Altered Lands (writing with besties)

True Vision (writing with besties)

ACOTAR-

A court of Bones and Dust (guess this is how i reveal my fics name lmao)

Sleeping Beauty au/rewrite

Star Wars-

Rise of Skywalker Rewrite

Art related WIP-

Character sheets for ocs for A court of bones and dust

rough drafts for Tamlin week :D

tags- uhhh i cant think of anyone to tag specifically but if you wanna you can say i tagged you <3

[tundraechos]

[Image Description: Two original characters named Clara and Rick. Clara is a teenage girl dressed in scene clothing, and holding a rainbow colored cane. Rick is a college aged boy wearing glasses, a black jacket over a gray shirt, jeans, and boots. The image is signed "Tundra Echos 8-2023." End Image Description.]

I decided to give Clara an older brother. The two had a good relationship that became strained after Clara was turned, because Rick's online research led him to believe some not-so-great things about werewolves.

[breninarthur]

WIP Title Ask Game

Thanks for the tag @theluckywizard! I swear I cut this down 😅

Rules: reveal the titles of the documents in your WIP folder and tag as many people as there are documents. Let others ask questions about the ones that interest them and post snippets or explain the contents as you see fit!  

Dragon Age

- when darkness comes - Kallian's longfic! Eventual Alistairmance. Currently working on the Korcari Wilds chapter, and the Joining too.

- Knight My Heart - Urban Fantasy Actor AU

- Stories of Thedas: Tabris Tales - Drabbles following various Tabris ancestors

- Dots and Blanks - the next entry in my Nobody Dies* AU

- The Romantic Misadventures of One Maz Hawke

- A WIP for a friend that's taken an embarrassingly long time

- Codex: Kallian Tabris - Kallian as a companion faux wiki page

- Elf Names of Thedas - a list of Elvhen names created using canon words

- Thedas Astrology

My Hero Academia

- All I Want - cringe is dead but is it tho

- best worst coffee in japan - KRBK

- Untitled Christmas KRBK fic

Avatar

- Unnamed ATLA Book 4 fic

- Unnamed Pro-Bending fic - post-Korra, all OCs

Supernatural

- The Reunion - An ancient Destiel fic but it's still in my mind

Original Work (All Working/Redacted Titles)

- Shadows WIP - my main focus, a Celtic fantasy

- Superhero WIP

- To Hell With It - a sort of theological paranormal

- Grief WIP - a play about someone who dies and their sibling and partner who pick up the pieces

Tagging: @ziskandra @bog-mummies @kurgy @rosella-writes @doomhippy83 @cleverblackcat @dreadfutures @liza011 @wildbasil @popcornjoejoe and anyone else who wants to! Please do tag me if you do it ❤

[mysunfreckle]

First Ten Lines game

Rules: Share the first line of ten of your most recent fanfics (edit: or original fiction) and then tag ten people. Don't have ten? Not to worry, just share what you have.

@starkey tagged me, quoting the beginnings of 10 original works I have not all read and am very curious about, but I've been writing a mix, so here is some fanfic, some un-fanned fic, and some purely original stuff:

1) "It had been his intention, whatever foolishness he might have been led to commit afterward, to dance with her only once."

From: "The Vampires of Northanger", a vampire AU for Northanger Abbey.

2) "When Mr. Charles Bingley rode into Hertfordshire to acquaint himself with Netherfield Park it was on a purely accidental recommendation."

From: "Conceit and Concilliation", a retelling of Pride and Prejudice from the perspective of Bingley and Darcy.

3) "As the [REDACTED] crept closer, the [REDACTED] and REDACTED] every door."

From: "On the [REDACTED]", a retelling of [REDACTED], for the Once Upon a Fic Exchange.

4) "Two voices, rapid and impulsive in the comfort of familiarity, bounced off the stone walls of the otherwise empty cellar."

From: "Accidental Harlequin Romance" (working title, alternatively: Runaway Noble/Smirking Smuggler), a multi chapter original work that is going to cause me trouble.

5) "It was late, well past two in the morning, and Rebecca sat on the fire escape of her building."

From: "Vampires of Amsterdam", an urban fantasy novella/triptych that started out as fanfic.

6) "In a land so far away that the names of places and people were all forgotten on the way here, a kind and responsible merchant once lived in a fine country house with large windows."

From: "The Fox at the Window", the latest original fairy tale for @patchworkfairytales podcast.

7) "For someone who had, in a span of one hour, managed to do their first magical fire spell and acquire their first serious magical injury, Violet thought little Hümeyra was doing extremely well."

From: "Magical Accidents", an urban fantasy piece I wish I could finish.

8) "As far as assignments went, keeping an eye on the boss’ spendthrift son was very tolerable."

From: "Bodyguard", a setup for an abandoned story that was polished to an open-ended ficlet.

9) "It was peculiar how names stuck."

From: "Or Iron Heinrich", a polyamorous take on the Grimm's "The Frog King or Iron Heinrich".

10) “Why a temple? Why now?”

From an unnamed ficlet about a forgotten goddess.

I tag @burntblackfeathers, @feyland, @williamvapespeare, @adorablecrab , @fishandchipsandvinegar and @theblazeofmemory, and double down on the tags for @rosesutherlandwrites and @desperadore , for any kind of writing, including poetry~

[sangfielle]

nadeem cassander tower (/n.c. tower or any other shortenings). 22. (s)he/it/whatever you see my friends using. broadly (i'm special) nonbinary transmasc and bisexual. mixed swa+na & white. shi'ite and reform jewslim. multiply disordered and disabled. did-having autistic schizo freak and i act like it on all fronts. communist bastard.

NO ZIONIST SHITHEADS, NO DEFENDERS OF THE AMERICAN EMPIRE. DEATH TO AMERICA AND TO ISRAEL. no minors. i will block you for the crime of: being annoying politically, being a transmedicalist or a transmisogynist ("transandrophobia" believers falling under this label), gendering me if you don't know me personally, making fun of my typing problems or my issues with articulating myself, and whatever else i deem worthy of a block, which is a lot of things. i am a petty despot and this is my kingdom.

i am an AUTHOR and a POET, and talk frequently about my current projects (listed below). other than that, i am here to HAVE FUN ONLINE and COMPLAIN ABOUT MY LIFE. i have a lifelong love for comics (especially kamala khan, webcomics, batman's rogues gallery, shadowpact, x-men, and assorted minor characters from mainstream comics), star trek (especially ds9), friends at the table (especially counter/weight and sangfielle), video games, ttrpgs, and genre fiction generally (science fiction, fantasy, and horror; i don't care for crime fiction and i don't care about romance). i talk about these as well, sometimes. i am not a fandom blogger, and i like things outside of media, but this is tumblr. i'm not talking about my love of stage tech work here.

AMGtDiC/NNY is an urban fantasy setting where sapient monsters and witches have largely, but not entirely, replaced humans as the dominant type of person on the planet. The bulk of the stories in this setting, including two on-and-off TTRPG campaigns I run; WEBWEAVER, a story cycle taking place over the course of one evening; LAST NIGHT HERE, a CYOA murder mystery game; and other unnamed projects are set in present day New York City & New Jersey.

PRICE OF POWER is a near-future superhero story focused in present day southern California about a group of interconnected "heroes" and "villains" who are largely either new on the scene or approaching the ends of their careers.

FAITH HOUND is a high fantasy story following a centuries-old changeling searching for a way to die and its relationship with the being who has offered it one.

USW is a space western story following two outlaws - Adelaide Fischer, a freelance interplanetary fisherman and Wraith, a famous bounty hunter with a stolen police ship.

NMPH is a science fantasy setting focusing on a peasant class on a planet with mostly medieval technology, with some key differences.

[ink-flavored]

for the ask game: 1, 21, 26

thank you! I answered 1 in this ask.

21. How do you come up with titles? Do you use placeholders or tend to change your titles while writing the first draft?

Great question. They come to me in oracle-like visions.

Most of my titles are placeholders (Pride & Justice is way too close to Pride & Prejudice for me to want to keep it, Henry & Priscilla isn't... good, Unnamed Dream WIP, Unnamed Urban Fantasy Anthology) because the titles haven't come to be yet. Usually when I have a title I really like (The God-Dragon's Wife, Firesoul) it's in my head from the beginning.

26. What do you feel like you need to work on as a growing writer? How can you improve?

Editing. I need to improve my editing skills they are so rusty. I have a short story that's been stuck in the 3rd draft for like 5 years because I hate editing so much.

Honestly I need to finish more things (second thing I need to work on) so I can edit them and that will be my practice.

[send me a unique writers ask]