#women of Prydain

[highqueenofprydain]

WIP: Teleria

This character gets shortchanged in the one book she’s in, I think. She comes off as a well-meaning but airheaded busybody, with her fluent chatter and constant self-interruption to issue prunes-and-prisms criticisms of Eilonwy’s general unladylikeness.

But there’s a key line Eilonwy drops in The High King that indicates the Queen of Mona is shrewder than she appears. She mentions that Teleria teaches her that a lady never insists on her own way and yet things seem to work out for her in the end.

This is telling. It sounds like Teleria is that woman who is actually running everything and everyone pretends not to know it.

It makes a lot of sense. She herself is not a daughter of Llyr but she’s related to them and their women are powerful. She’s come from a matriarchy, married into a patrilineal clan, but Mona is a mix of Llyr and Prydainian culture and she navigates a power balance halfway between the two.

I’m depicting her with a spindle in hand not only symbolically as a domestic goddess but literally; she seems like the type who multi-tasks through everything, and I imagine her casually spinning thread while she marches through the halls of Dinas Rhydnant, organizing the budget and planning banquets and keeping track of which foreign dignitaries are visiting and when, and who shouldn’t be sat together because of family feuds, and what Rhun’s latest ceremonial achievement is and the interview for his next tutor. Servants and courtiers dance to her bidding. There’s not a thing happening in her household she doesn’t know about. Except…

Magg. Why. Because Magg has taken over everything Rhuddlum used to do, and she doesn’t realize it because she’s used to leaving that boring King stuff up to her husband, even though he’s never been super great at it; it’s his stuff and she leaves it to him because you have to let the men think they’re good at something, you know, bless them.

Meanwhile Rhuddlum is slowly sliding into early dementia and she doesn’t realize it because Magg is hiding his machinations so well. The king will be dead in a couple of years but Teleria is like Rachel Lynde; she sees everything going on except the thing at her shoulder, or maybe she’s just in denial because she’s been doing the emotional labor of her household for decades and she just. cannot. take anything else. And yeah I just made this up but it’s working for me right now.

[book--brackets]

The Liveship Traders by Robin Hobb (1998-2000)

Wizardwood, a sentient wood. The most precious commodity in the world. Like many other legendary wares, it comes only from the Rain River Wilds.

But how can one trade with the Rain Wilders, when only a liveship fashioned from wizardwood can negotiate the perilous waters of the Rain River? Rare and valuable a liveship will quicken only when three members, from successive generations, have died on board. The liveship Vivacia is about to undergo her quickening as Althea Vestrit’s father is carried on deck in his death-throes. Althea waits for the ship that she loves more than anything else in the world to awaken. Only to discover that the Vivacia has been signed away in her father’s will to her brutal brother-in-law, Kyle Haven...

Others plot to win or steal a liveship. The Paragon, known by many as the Pariah, went mad, turned turtle, and drowned his crew. Now he lies blind, lonely, and broken on a deserted beach. But greedy men have designs to restore him, to sail the waters of the Rain Wild River once more.

Dragon Rider by Cornelia Funke (1997-2021)

With lonely Ben aboard, brave dragon Firedrake seeks mythical place where silver dragons can live in peace. Over moonlit lands and sparkling seas, they meet fantastic creatures, summon up surprising courage - and cross a ruthless villain with an ancient grudge determined to end their quest. Only a secret destiny can save the dragons and bring them the true meaning of home.

The Once and Future Witches by Alix E. Harrow (2020)

In 1893, there's no such thing as witches. There used to be, in the wild, dark days before the burnings began, but now witching is nothing but tidy charms and nursery rhymes. If the modern woman wants any measure of power, she must find it at the ballot box.

But when the Eastwood sisters -- James Juniper, Agnes Amaranth, and Beatrice Belladonna -- join the suffragists of New Salem, they begin to pursue the forgotten words and ways that might turn the women's movement into the witch's movement. Stalked by shadows and sickness, hunted by forces who will not suffer a witch to vote -- and perhaps not even to live -- the sisters will need to delve into the oldest magics, draw new alliances, and heal the bond between them if they want to survive.

There's no such thing as witches. But there will be.

The Bone Season by Samantha Shannon (2013-present)

In 2059, Scion has taken over most of the world's cities, promising safety for all the citizens it deems worthy and wiping out clairvoyants wherever it can find them. 

Paige Mahoney, though, is a clairvoyant--and a criminal just for existing. Paige is determined to fight Scion's power, and as part of the Seven Seals, Paige has found a use for her powers: she scouts for information by breaking into others' minds as they dream. 

But when Paige is captured and arrested, she encounters a power more sinister even than Scion. The voyant prison is a separate city, controlled by a powerful, otherworldly race. These creatures, the Rephaim, value the voyants highly--as soldiers in their army. 

Paige is assigned to a Rephaite keeper, Warden, who will be in charge of her care and training. He is her master. Her natural enemy. But if she wants to regain her freedom, Paige will have to learn something of his mind and his own mysterious motives.

Iron Widow by Xiran Jay Zhao (2021-present)

The boys of Huaxia dream of pairing up with girls to pilot Chrysalises, giant transforming robots that can battle the mecha aliens that lurk beyond the Great Wall. It doesn’t matter that the girls often die from the mental strain.

When 18-year-old Zetian offers herself up as a concubine-pilot, it’s to assassinate the ace male pilot responsible for her sister’s death. But she gets her vengeance in a way nobody expected—she kills him through the psychic link between pilots and emerges from the cockpit unscathed. She is labeled an Iron Widow, a much-feared and much-silenced kind of female pilot who can sacrifice boys to power up Chrysalises instead.​

To tame her unnerving yet invaluable mental strength, she is paired up with Li Shimin, the strongest and most controversial male pilot in Huaxia​. But now that Zetian has had a taste of power, she will not cower so easily. She will miss no opportunity to leverage their combined might and infamy to survive attempt after attempt on her life, until she can figure out exactly why the pilot system works in its misogynist way—and stop more girls from being sacrificed.

Kushiel's Legacy by Jacqueline Carey (2001-2003)

The land of Terre d'Ange is a place of unsurpassing beauty and grace. It is said that angels found the land and saw it was good...and the ensuing race that rose from the seed of angels and men live by one simple rule: Love as thou wilt.

Phèdre nó Delaunay is a young woman who was born with a scarlet mote in her left eye. Sold into indentured servitude as a child, her bond is purchased by Anafiel Delaunay, a nobleman with very a special mission...and the first one to recognize who and what she is: one pricked by Kushiel's Dart, chosen to forever experience pain and pleasure as one.

Phèdre is trained equally in the courtly arts and the talents of the bedchamber, but, above all, the ability to observe, remember, and analyze. Almost as talented a spy as she is courtesan, Phèdre stumbles upon a plot that threatens the very foundations of her homeland. Treachery sets her on her path; love and honor goad her further. And in the doing, it will take her to the edge of despair...and beyond. Hateful friend, loving enemy, beloved assassin; they can all wear the same glittering mask in this world, and Phèdre will get but one chance to save all that she holds dear.

Beauty by Robin McKinley (1978)

Beauty has never liked her nickname. She is thin and awkward; it is her two sisters who are the beautiful ones. But what she lacks in appearance, she can perhaps make up for in courage. When her father comes home with a tale of an enchanted castle in the forest and the terrible promise he had to make to the Beast who lives there, Beauty knows she must travel to the castle, a prisoner of her own free will. Her father insists that he will not let her go, but she responds, "Cannot a Beast be tamed?"

The Immortals Quartet by Tamora Pierce (1992-1996)

Thirteen-year-old Daine has always had a special connection with animals, but only when she's forced to leave home does she realize it's more than a knack--it's magic. With this wild magic, not only can Daine speak to animals, but she can also make them obey her. Daine takes a job handling horses for the Queen's Riders, where she meets the master mage Numair and becomes his student. 

Under Numair's guidance, Daine explores the scope of her magic. But she encounters other beings, too, who are not so gentle. These terrifying creatures, called Immortals, have been imprisoned in the Divine Realms for the past four hundred years--but now someone has broken the barrier. And it's up to Daine and her friends to defend their world from an Immortal attack.

The Chronicles of Prydain by Lloyd Alexander (1964-1968)

Taran wanted to be a hero, and looking after a pig wasn't exactly heroic, even though Hen Wen was an oracular pig. But the day that Hen Wen vanished, Taran was led into an enchanting and perilous world. With his band of followers, he confronted the Horned King and his terrible Cauldron-Born. These were the forces of evil, and only Hen Wen knew the secret of keeping the kingdom of Prydain safe from them. But who would find her first?

Seven Realms by Cinda Williams Chima (2009-2012)

Times are hard in the mountain city of Fellsmarch. Reformed thief Han Alister will do almost anything to eke out a living for his family. The only thing of value he has is something he can't sell—the thick silver cuffs he's worn since birth. They're clearly magicked—as he grows, they grow, and he's never been able to get them off.

One day, Han and his clan friend, Dancer, confront three young wizards setting fire to the sacred mountain of Hanalea. Han takes an amulet from Micah Bayar, son of the High Wizard, to keep him from using it against them. Soon Han learns that the amulet has an evil history—it once belonged to the Demon King, the wizard who nearly destroyed the world a millennium ago. With a magical piece that powerful at stake, Han knows that the Bayars will stop at nothing to get it back.

Meanwhile, Raisa ana'Marianna, princess heir of the Fells, has her own battles to fight. She's just returned to court after three years of freedom in the mountains—riding, hunting, and working the famous clan markets. Raisa wants to be more than an ornament in a glittering cage. She aspires to be like Hanalea—the legendary warrior queen who killed the Demon King and saved the world. But her mother has other plans for her...

The Seven Realms tremble when the lives of Hans and Raisa collide, fanning the flames of the smoldering war between clans and wizards.

[filmnoirsbian]

Hi !! I was wondering if you had any book recs/favorite books? Things that you think of as inspiration or just plain like? Genuinely curious. <3 im in love with your work btw i spent the other day binging your patreon

Some favorites that deeply impacted me from a young age up into teenagedom: the Animorphs series by K. A. Applegate, Where the Sidewalk Ends by Shel Silverstein, Oddly Enough by Bruce Coville, The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, Little Sister by Kara Dalkey, The Enchanted Forest Chronicles by Patricia C. Wrede, The Tale of Desperaux by Kate DiCamillo, A Series of Unfortunate Events by Lemony Snicket, The Chronicles of Prydain by Lloyd Alexander, Something Wicked This Way Comes by Ray Bradbury, the Septimus Heap series by Angie Sage, Piratica by Tanith Lee, the Inkheart series by Cornelia Funke, His Dark Materials by Philip Pullman, Holes by Louis Sachar, The View from Saturday by E. L. Konigsburg, Shizuko's Daughter by Kyoko Mori, The Sea-Wolf by Jack London, Walk Two Moons by Sharon Creech, Criss Cross by Lynne Rae Perkins, Everything on a Waffle by Polly Horvath, Surviving the Applewhites by Stephanie S. Tolan, The Last Book in the Universe by Rodman Philbrick, The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes by Arthur Conan Doyle, Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe by Fannie Flagg, The Iliad and Odyssey (allegedly) by Homer, The Táin by many people, Harlem by Walter Dean Myers, Esperanza Rising by Pam Muñoz Ryan, The Wall and the Wing by Laura Ruby, The Lord of the Rings by J. R. R. Tolkein, The Hainish Cycle by Ursula K. Le Guin, Till We Have Faces by C. S. Lewis, The Ethical Vampire series by Susan Hubbard, The Howl Series by Diana Wynne Jones, the Curseworkers series by Holly Black, The Turn of the Screw by Henry James, Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov, The Raven Cycle by Maggie Stiefvater, Frankenstein by Mary Shelley, The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson, Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep by Philip K. Dick, Android Karenina by Ben H. Winters, An Autobiography of Red by Anne Carson, Beloved by Toni Morrison, A Stir of Bones by Nina Kiriki Hoffman, the Mistborn series by Brandon Sanderson, Deathless by Catherynne M. Valente, World War Z by Max Brooks, This is Not A Drill by K. A. Holt, Fade to Blue by Sean Beaudoin, Carmilla by Sheridan Le Fanu, The Moth Diaries by Rachel Klein, Leaves of Grass by Walt Whitman, Crush by Richard Siken, Hopscotch by Julio Cortázar, The Hunchback of Notre-Dame by Victor Hugo, Devotions by Mary Oliver, The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde

Some favorites read more recently: The Expanse series by James S. A. Corey, Engine Summer by John Crowley, Lovecraft Country by Matt Ruff, The Princess Bride by William Goldman, Heart Berries by Terese Marie Mailhot, My Best Friend's Exorcism by Grady Hendrix, Reprieve by James Han Mattson, House of Leaves by Mark Z. Danielewski, Sharp Objects by Gillian Flynn, Kindred by Octavia Butler, Reading Lolita in Tehran by Azar Nafisi, Station Eleven by Emily St. John-Mandel, The Crown Ain't Worth Much by Hanif Abdurraqib, The Refrigerator Monologues by Catherynne M. Valente, Convenience Store Woman by Sayaka Murata, Tender is the Flesh by Augustina Bazterrica, The Girl with All the Gifts by Mike Carey, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson, The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison, She had some horses by Joy Harjo, Bright Dead Things by Ada Limón, The King Must Die by Mary Renault, Books of Blood by Clive Barker, Rosemary's Baby by Ira Levin, Cassandra by Christa Wolfe

Plays: The Oresteia by Aeschylus, Electra by Sophocles, Los Reyes by Julio Cortázar, Angels in America by Tony Kushner, August: Osage County by Tracy Letts, The Bald Soprano by Eugène Ionesco, The Trojan Women by Euripides, Salome by Oscar Wilde, Girl on an Altar by Marina Carr, Fences by August Wilson, The Glass Menagerie by Tennessee Williams, M. Butterfly by David Henry Hwang, Our Town by Thornton Wilder, Sweeney Todd by Christopher Bond

Graphic novels: The Crow by James O'Barr, DMZ by Brian Wood and Riccardo Burchielli, Eternals (2021) by Kieron Gillen and Esad Ribić, Watchmen by Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons and John Higgins, My Favorite Thing is Monsters by Emil Ferris, Maus by Art Spiegelman, Tank Girl by Alan Martin and Jamie Hewlett, Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi, Through the Woods by Emily Carroll, Anya's Ghost by Vera Brosgol

[starsallalight]

"Lift your eyes and see the glory. Where the circle of life is drawn; See the never-ending story, Come with me to the Gates of Dawn."

Indie, highly selective, mutuals only, & private multimuse. Featuring canon and oc muses from Chronicles of Narnia, Chronicles of Prydain, Disney, Ever After, Little Women, Mythology, Original lore, Phantom of the Opera, Sanditon, & War and Peace.

Medium activity. Triggering and adult themes present. Please check muse bios for a list of all triggers present for each one.

Template

[cassettesocialism]

A quick and dirty worldbuilding drabble for a blades in the dark game

The entire world is governed by the Tetrapolar Union. There is no lever of power, be it economic or technological that they don not have their hands on. Where their constituents might have once been rapacious empires gorging themselves on resources and labor, the Union slowly chokes the life out of the world to feed itself. Below are the four poles that comprise the Union The Serene Thalassocracy of Velata- Oldest, strongest city-state, founder of the Tetrapolar Union. The economic and military beating heart of the Union. Heavily aristocratic, with ship captains and admirals as nobles and royalty. Their culture venerates the ideal of the masculine sailor, rugged and unflappable, men and women alike are expected to live up to this ideal. Velata has largely transitioned from an industrial economy to a service one, the delicate work of creating magitech along with all of the most prestigious magical academies reside here, their students all becoming part of the Apparati dela Mare, the state magician corp. All its people grow fat on the implicit imperialism of the Union. The Industrialist Republic of Prydain - Similarly aged and venerable as their Veletese counterparts, the Prydains have focused instead on metalwork and resource extraction. In the past Prydain was an empire to rival Velata, and had once warred with them but recently have found cooperation and compact to be the more profitable path. Immense foundries and mills crowd Prydain cities, filling it with them stink of work. Prydain is also well known for their industrial automata, largely totally obedient and capable of feats of immense strength and durability. Few outside of the magnates are aware of their inner workings. Ruled by captains of industry which while elected by the people, do little for their sake.

The Pharusian Futurist State - Founded by a group of scientists, engineers, poets, and theorists from all across the world for the sake of advancement no matter the cost. Work involving everything from development magitechnical flying automata to the biological analysis of paranormal entities is conducted here. They are infamous for their various failed experiments and accidents. Most famous of these is Pharusia itself, a massive aerostatic city that hovers over the ocean. The Futurist State provides economic security for its people so progress can be achieved free from distraction, but imposes no moral or ethical restrictions on their research. The Shinano Federated Republic - A relatively new inductee into the Tetrapolar Union, Shinano was once a military stratocracy that was overthrown by the Unitary Communist movement , headed by the now legendary Ariane Sun-Kowler known among the communists as 'Mother Revolution'. However, the social democratic and moderate wing of the revolution had betrayed the communists and purged them before aligning the newborn Republic with the Union. While less dictatorial than many of their counterparts, power and wealth remains distant from the average person. Discontent with the moderates and incrementalists burns, and while the UniComms may have failed here, they have spread far and wide throughout the Union.

image source: https://bethesda.net/en/article/3VITzlfbNCm4gks4w8MA0a/dishonored-2-karnaca-art-gallery

[smalltownfae]

Genuinely curious which long fantasy series you checked out to solidify that taste in?

I can't say it was one series in particular, just something I noticed.

When I look at my top favourite series: Realm of the Elderlings, First Law and Discworld - they all have a variety of characters that are distintict from one another while I feel like making everyone white and straight makes everyone look very samey and in a big world is less believeable.

Maybe The Chronicles of Prydain helped me realize that too because even though I really enjoyed it it didn't became a favourite. It did have a nice message of sewing and house chores not being just women work in one of the books, but the books were published long ago and it shows. I didn't have as much problems with it as the people that complain about the fate of the two major female characters because some stuff I interpreted in a different way and 3 of the most powerful characters in that world are women. Still, that is what I mean. The books need to give me enough variety if they are going to be a thousand of pages long and part of a series.

I might enjoy a fantasy series with an all white cis straight cast, but if the books are too long I will probably end up giving up on it since it never before reached the 5 star level either way so why bother? The Chronicles of Prydain and Lord of the Rings are both 4 stars to me. There is stuff I really like in both, but I always feel like they are lacking something and I come to the conclusion that that something is that the characters are too similar in terms of core beliefs and background even if they are on opposite sides of a war. How come that in a big world everyone is cis and likes the opposite sex romantically? I don't even ask for much and I certainly don't want to be hit in the face by morality and authors using characters as mouth pieces for their beliefs like a lot of modern fantasy seems to be doing, unfortunately. But, I do want to see different characters with different experiences that are just living and bring different enough perspectives to a story. LOTR and Prydain have characters that act vaguely enough that I might not see them as straight and therefore I don't hate it, but those series that end with everyone in an heterosexual marriage are unbearable.

Unfortunately, I like the old school writing style of fantasy way better than the modern direct style so finding a new fantasy series I love will be harder but I am sure it exists. Probably being very underrated.

One of the main reasons that made me read Realm of the Elderlings so fast was the fascinating nb character I have never seen the like before, for example. It all comes down to being unique since I am old and saw most of the same old stuff before in one way or another 😆

[humanoidtyphoons]

finished book 3, the woman who rides like a man

maybe my fave so far bc it’s got biiiig taran wanderer energy (my fave book out of the prydain chronicles)

lot of it was just… dedicated to world building and i really like that. yeah, i think the author’s note from 2014 where pierce admits that tho she meant well she made some mistakes too helps. but it felt like alanna kinda had a gap year where she learns how to be a teacher, which was an informative experience, and get more comfortable with women in general?

i am so sad thom is super peripheral bc the idea he’s going evil necromancer is just great and i’m into it!! but i’d have been more into it if thom was on page more… but this is a story about alanna, not thom, and they’re not dual protagonists. still, the snippets gleaned are intriguing…

ohhhh i liked the cracks between alanna/jon tbh, the differences really setting in. not that i preferred alanna/george more bc… i’m not really that into pierce’s romances, emotionally? they’re a bit clinical/cold, tho better here than the previous books, but i can see why alanna is gravitating towards george more so than jon, even if she is in love with jon. but the increase of arguments about what alanna wants out of the relationship with jon, their future, was soso good to read. how it slowly built up into being an issue for them.

like wtf jon. but also… i enjoyed that his spoilt side came out, and he became real petty choosing someone over alanna, to serve her right to give him up. he was soooo convinced that alanna would be his queen and bear his heirs and he knew best and no… he didn’t listen to her at all!!

so i liked that alanna remained uncertain and true to herself in spite of the relationship conflict unfolded.

i do think alanna/george is fun tho, and they’re friends and fwb on top of alanna not quite returning george’s feelings for her and both knowing that and being okay with that. they have a nice easiness together.

miles adopting alanna was sooo cute!! it was unexpectedly sweet and i liked it so much!!

[wraith-of-thiodolf]

And John Green. I don't think there really is a line anymore. I think it's all blurred. Kids go from reading Dr Suess to Harry Potter in a month. I really loved books like James and the Giant Peach (pretty much anything written by RD), Romana and Beezus series, Little Women, Chronicles of Narnia, etc

ngl i know nothing about john green save his purported flavour preferences or his inability to imagine apples.

id consider most of those kids books but the line is pretty blurry. i was a big animorphs fan in my youth and those are of debatable child appropriateness despite being aimed at 5th graders or so. i read them in college but chronicles of prydain was fantastic. also of course theres youth literature like the jungle book or treasure island from of old. but once i figured out that reading thing i jumped to the normal adult fantasy series. cut my teeth on dragonlance mostly

[very-grownup]

Book 67, 2023

Lloyd Alexander is best known for his coming-of-age Welsh-inspired Prydain Chronicles but one of the great things about older children's authors is if they weren't shackled to a ghostwritten forever series, they could just follow their bliss. I read one of Alexander's French revolution inspired books earlier this year and "The El Dorado Adventure" is from yet another series which has nothing to do either either of those.

The Vesper Holly books are historical fiction about an orphaned Philadelphian heiress in the 1870s.

Who goes on wild film serial and pulp novel adventures with her anxious guardian.

And has a evil genius arch nemesis.

It's everything a ten-year-old girl could want.

"The El Dorado Adventure" finds Vesper the inheritor of mysterious land in made-up-central-American-country and there's roguish riverboat captains and daring train escapes and untrustworthy land developers and a VOLCANO and feminism and how if your choice is between white guys and Indigenous people with firearms you should support the Indigenous people AND A VOLCANO.

It's a fast little book, almost every chapter ending in a cliffhanger, with an attitude towards Indigenous people that are nuanced and respectful, considering this is a children's novel by a white American published in the 1980s.

You know what else was a popular children's novel in the 1980s (and into the 1990s because I know I read it)? "The Indian in the Cupboard".

Vesper's enthusiasm and openness to the native-people-of-made-up-central-American-country, her instant empathy and certainty that their land belongs to them and shouldn't be taken from them by anyone, feels like a big deal, even if she does end up saving the day. I think some of the edge is taken off the potential white saviour vibe by the fact that it's made clear that Vesper exists in a society where she's constantly underestimated and her opinions aren't taken seriously by most people. She brings up the idea of women being equal members of the tribe with the chief and she's very frank about the fact that America hasn't figured equality out yet either.

Alexander also lets Vesper have the children's novel version of worldly/exotic love interest that the hero gets to have in the male version of these stories which feels incredibly progressive for, well, now, although I see that Alexander published a Vesper Holly novel in 2005, just a couple years before his death. Maybe Vesper has acquired a token boy companion and love interest by then.

It's just nice when a children's author lets a girl have wild and dangerous adventures with a devil-may-care attitude without any kind of moral or instructional subtext.

Let girls break windows and smash people over the head with random items of furniture.

[emries-library]

Children's Fiction: The Dark is Rising by Susan Cooper. Macmillan. 1973.

Winner of a Newbery Honor in 1973, The Dark is Rising tells the story of eleven-year-old Will, who, after beginning to manifest magical abilities, becomes caught in a struggle between the forces of Light and Dark. The text and language is more dense than much of children's fiction, but is suitable for 9-12 year olds who enjoy fantasy, for whom this language will be familiar. Cooper incorporates Arthurian legends into the story, making it an ideal text for children interested in the topic, whether they are already familiar with the mythos of Camelot or not. The book is not without its weaknesses, depicting struggles between good and evil as literally black and white/Dark and Light, removing many opportunities for nuance. Some young readers may also be put off by how much the lessons of the book parallel Christianity. There is also a noticeable lack of major female characters, despite the large ensemble cast - a gap that only grows more apparent as readers move on to other books in the Dark is Rising Sequence.

Readalikes:

The Book of Three by Lloyd Alexander. Henry Holt and Company, Inc. 1964.

Assistant Pig-Keeper Taran accidentally embarks on a quest when the oracular pig he cares for escapes. Based on Welsh mythology, but set in the fantasy world of Prydain, Taran's adventure is of a comparable genre to The Dark is Rising but is different enough to engage young readers with something new.

Rowan Hood: Outlaw Girl of Sherwood Forest by Nancy Springer. Scholastic Inc. 2001.

After losing her mother, a young girl journeys to Sherwood Forest to join Robin Hood's band, assembling her own group of misfits along the way. Based on the legends surrounding Robin Hood, Rowan Hood adds young women who can look out for themselves to a narrative that lacked them.

Sandry's Book by Tamora Pierce. Scholastic Inc. 1997.

Four young misfits are brought together by a mage. As their magical powers blossom, the four become close friends. Although Sandry's Book takes place in a fantasy world, Pierce incorporates a variety of well-researched cultural mythologies to create the world of Emalen.

[dr-drckken]

Day 30: Character Wishlist

1. Dr. Doofenshmirtz: ALSO putting doof on my list because i think having him on multiple lists really speaks for how much his ass needs to BE HERE. begging, pleading, down on my knees. look people, what do I need to do to convince someone to get Doofenshmirtz!! He’s literally the best cartoon dead known to humanity AND he’s a mad scientist. We could be the best of friends, chopping it up on the block. Talking about lab safety! Complaining about how hard it is to find a good lab assistant! I’m not Anya, I don’t have his daughter to entice you with, but I do have his predecessor in funny little cartoon scientists in a beloved children’s show. The point of a disneyrp is for the crossovers and this could be THE crossover.  AND if you use nick cage his could be us: https://thyla.tumblr.com/post/702286691264872448/pedrohub-the-unbearable-weight-of-massive-talent

2. Jackson Storm: i know he was voiced by armie hammer and that’s weird, but like pls. Join that Cars hive! I think he could be a fun addition. We’ve seen the mean girl trope before but let’s talk about a mean GUY! which….yeah we have also seen before, but since it’s being done for my personal benefit i think that’s totally fine and welcome and im giving you permission. I know the mean jock boy has plagued the world, but I ALSO KNOW that with the world that has been created here at swynrp, that the cliche could actually be fun instead of annoying.

3. Mike and Sully: putting them back on here because they have not left my mind since last year kids and at this point they probably never will. Only thing keeping me from getting one is that fact that they wouldn’t have their buddy and thankfully my brain won’t allow one to live while the other is not there. 

4. Eda Clawthorne: The only thing keeping me from getting Eda at any given point is that I would love to write with her, but like I would also love to WRITE her and fjdskajfdksl it’s a very frustrating position to be in you know. She’s just such a good character!! I love her! She adopts people left and right! She’s funny! She’s powerful! She’s got a funny little demon deal to grapple with! Her sister is here!! AAGHH! Begging someone to get her before I give in besties. 

5. Cruella de Vil: I just think she’s neat. And by neat I mean unhinged and possibly one of the worst Disney villains out there lmfao. but that’s what I like about her. I think more women should be able to be mean and evil and commit atrocities. We’ve had our time with the Order Boys (and knife girl) in the hunting ring, but I just think it’s time that a new villain clan takes the spotlight. 

6. Arawn Prydain: ….that being said, I also think we need some less than nice sorcerers hanging around. There’s a few in the open characters tag, but since we’ve got Eilonwy and Taran hanging out I think Arawn would be a good addition to the ranks. Plus with all our #spooky gang characters, a baddie necromancer would be fun to see adding to the mix.

7. Granmamare: I think we should have more merfolk in GENERAL so I’m going to advocate for a QUEEN because, like, come on now, how fun is that. An ethereal lady wandering the town and trying to find like minded people to bring back home to run off the poachers? That’s a fun plot. I like it. I think she should be here, being everyone’s mom. 

8. Scuttle: We’ve got a lot of business owners around town! Some new, some old, but who we do NOT have is the antique shop owner with all his little merfolk friends. I SIMPLY THINK it would be fun to have the kinda kooky, very fun, very well meaning, very bad singer, Scuttle come join us down in Swynlake Town. both because that’s my boss! he could have some really cool stories/shit to say about the stuff he sells! and another business owner to spice things up! what’s his perspective on everything? if he EVEN HAS ONE

9. Winnie the Pooh: I just think this one is really funny. COULD BE TRAGIC IDK, there’s always something a bit tragic about winnie the pooh but still. let’s get this cutie in here! a guy who used to be a literal stuffed animal?? must give the best hugs in town. and this town could use them. and if he doesn’t wear crop tops then idk maybe you shouldn’t be playing him actually. just a thought.

10. The Recess Gang: doing a 5 in 1! I really like the recess kids’ skeletons and think they should all be here, having a grand old time. Whether that be in secondary or even in the uni. There’s nothing like a core group of friends just making their way through life together despite the different paths that they came from to this point. They’re all different but that’s what makes their dynamic work baby!! 

[princess-ibri]

The Horned King Villain Backstory

I'm taking some liberties with the set up here as the movie-verse is noticeably different from Lloyd Alexander's novels in several big ways, so I'm trying to give homage to the novels while still building off of the different set up of the Black Cauldron movie

There's gonna be some backstory build up stuff for Eilonwy here too

The Horned King was originally a mortal man named Cern, a great servant of the Arawn Death Lord, a Demon who laid waste to the land of Prydain in ancient times

When he pledged himself to serve Arawn he was given some of the secrets of Dark Magic, with which he started the process of becoming a demon lord himself, growing the horns he became famous for

When Arawn was defeated by the old High King Gwydion--his mortal form boiled away and his spirit bound into the Black Cauldron-- Cern suffered terribly upon his master's physical demise and binding, causing him to almost die himself, but his power was great enough he clung to life in skeletal lich form, escaping into the dark corners of Prydain where he began to build up his magic and might once more in a slow return to power

Eventually he gained enough power both magically and physically to send the country of Prydain into war once more years later, driving the local Fairy Folk underground and taking over even the ancient castle where his old foe High King Gwydion was buried, making it his seat of power.

He stole Princess Eilonwy as he knew she was the last descendent of Gwydion, and that she possessed magic (which appeared to her outwardly in the form of her Bauble, as she was still learning to control it) which could lead him to discover where Gwydion had hidden the Black Cauldron (not knowing it had long ago fallen into the hands of the Witches of Morva, who kept it hidden from his sight with their magic)

When Eilonwy's bauble refused to cooperate (a result of her own internal desire not to aid him in anyway) he would have killed her, but she managed to escape into the old hidden tunnels with the help of her Bauble/inner magic, which also helped shield her from his efforts to find her until she met up with Taran.

It was Eilonwy's ancestral link to Gwydion that caused her magic to lead them to Gwydion's hidden tomb, where Taran discovered the sword Dyrnwyn, a sword which could only be given, never taken, which is the Horned King never tried to take it for himself, content to let it rot away with its owner. But Dyrnwyn/Gwydion's spirit recognized the inherent worthiness in Taran (would have worked for Eilonwy too if she'd taken the sword herself) and allowed him to take it from Gwydion's tomb.

He sought for the Cauldron as he knew it contained the last vestiges of Arawn's powers, which included powers over Death itself. With it under his control not only could he create an unkillable army to sweep the land with, but he could also complete his transformation into a true Demon Lord, ascending from his half-dead existence to become a god among men.

But ultimately he was still bound to Awarn through his ancient oaths, and when he failed to provide a new sacrifice to slack the Cauldron it called upon those oaths and pulled him in to suffer his master's demise as well

[book--brackets]

Future Competitions

In light of recent requests and submissions, once this competition is over, we'll be starting back up again with a whole new set of books! If you'd like to submit a title, check my pinned post and the list below to make sure your submission is eligible. I can no longer add to this list. Any further titles are being kept privately by me, but there are there, I promise! I am now tagging asks with the titles submitted.

A to Z Mysteries

Abhorsen

A Dog's Life

Adventure (Blyton)

Adventures of the Bailey School Kids

Adventurers Wanted

Alcatraz VS the Evil Librarians

Alex Rider

All-of-a-Kind Family

The American Girl Books

Amulet

Anne of Green Gables

Animal Ark

Animorphs

Applewhites

The Babysitter's Club

The Bartimaeus Trilogy

Beacon Street Girls

Beatrice Bailey

The Belgariad

Bella Sara

Betsy-Tacy

Black Beauty

The Black Stallion

The Blackwell Pages

Books of Bayern

The Borrowers

Bridge to Terabithia

The Boxcar Children

Captain Underpants

Casson Family

The Cat Club

Catwings

Charlotte's Web

The Chronicles of Ancient Darkness

The Chronicles of Chrestomanci

The Chronicles of Dragon

The Chronicles of Prydain

The Circle of Magic

Clementine

The Clique

The Cloak Society

Cobble Street Cousins

The Cooper Kids Adventures

Coraline

Damar (McKinley)

The Dark Hills Divide

The Dark Is Rising

Dear America

Dear Canada

Deltora Quest

The Divide (Kay)

Dork Diaries

Dragonbreath

The Dragonfly Pool

Dragonhaven

Dragon Rider

Dragon Slayer's Academy

Earthsea Cycle

East (Pattou)

Echo (Ryan)

Edgar & Ellen

Emily (Montgomery)

Emily Windsnap

The Enchanted Castle

Encyclopedia Brown

Esperanza Rising

The Ever Afters

The Faerie Realm

Fablehaven

Fairyland (Valente)

The Faraway Tree

Ferngully

First Light (Stead)

Five Children and It

Flat Stanley

From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler

Gallagher Girls

Geronimo Stilton

The Girl Who Drank the Moon

The Giver

Goddess Girls

Goosebumps

Graceling

The Great Brain

The Greenglass House

Gunnerkrigg Court

Half Upon a Time

The Hardy Boys

Hatchet

Heist Society

Help, I'm Trapped...

His Dark Materials

Holes

How to Train Your Dragon

The Hunger Games

Igraine the Brave

The Immortals Quartet

The Incorrigible Children of Ashton Place

Ingo (Dunmore)

The Inheritance Cycle

Inkheart

Iron Hearted Violet

Island of the Aunts

Island of the Blue Dolphins

Ivy & Bean

Journey to the River Sea

Julie of the Wolves

Junie B. Jones

The Kane Chronicles

The Kid Who Ran for President

Kiki Strike

Killer Unicorns

Kingdom Keepers

The Last Apprentice

The Letter for the King

La Quête d’Ewilan (in French)

Legend (Lu)

Les Chevaliers d’Émeraude (in French)

Leven Thumps

Liesl & Po

Little House on the Prairie

A Little Princess

Little Women

Lockwood & Co.

The Lost Conspiracy

Macdonald Hall

The Magic Thief

Magic Treehouse

The Magisterium

Magnus Chase

Malory Towers

Matt Cruse

Maximum Ride

Melissa (Gino)

Merlin (Barron)

Michael Vey

Miri and Molly

Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children

The Missing (Haddix)

Mister Max

The Mistmantle Chronicles

Misty (Henry)

Molly Moon

The Moorchild

Mr. Lemoncello's Library

Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH

The Music of Dolphins

My Secret Unicorn

My Side of the Mountain

My Teacher Is an Alien

Nancy Drew

Nevermoor

The Neverending Story

Nimona

The Ogre Downstairs

Out of My Mind

The Penderwicks

Pendragon

Peter and the Starcatchers

The Phantom Stallion

The Phantom Tollbooth

Pillage (Skye)

Pippi Longstocking

Pixie Tricks

Poison (Zinn)

Pony Pals

Princess Academy

Protector of the Small

Rainbow Magic

Rain Reign

Ramona

Regarding the...

The Roman Mysteries

Rose (Webb)

Rowan of Rin

The Royal Diaries

Running Out of Time

Sammy Keyes

Savvy

School of Fear

The Search for Wondla

The Secret Garden

The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel

The Secret Series

Septimus Heap

A Series of Unfortunate Events

The Seventh Tower

Shadow Children (Haddix)

Silver Brumby

Silverwing

Skullduggery Pleasant

Song of the Lioness

The Spiderwick Chronicles

Stardust

Stargirl

The Strictest School in the World

Swallows and Amazons

Sweet Valley High

The Swiss Family Robinson

A Tale Dark & Grimm

The Tale of Despereaux

Tales of Alderley

Tales of Magic

Ten Kids, No Pets

The Thief Lord

Tiffany Aching

Tillerman Cycle

Time Hunters

The Trumpet of the Swan

Tuck Everlasting

Tuesday McGillycuddy

The Two Princesses of Bamarre

Uglies

Un Lun Dun

Undertow

Unicorn Chronicles

Upon a Marigold

Upside-Down Magic

The Vengekeep Prophecies

The View from Saturday

The War That Saved My Life

Wayside School

The Westing Game

When You Reach Me

Where the Red Fern Grows

Wildwood Chronicles

Windsingers

Wings & Co.

Winnie the Pooh

The Witch of Blackbird Pond

The Worst Witch

You Be the Jury

[old-volantis]

Sigh. So many book series to read before I permit myself to re-read ASOIAF, so little time.

[starsallalight]

"Lift your eyes and see the glory.

Where the circle of life is drawn;

See the never-ending story,

Come with me to the Gates of Dawn."

Indie, highly selective, mutuals only, & private multimuse. Featuring canon and oc muses from Chronicles of Narnia, Chronicles of Prydain, Disney, Ever After, Little Women, Mythology, Original lore, Phantom of the Opera, Sanditon, & War and Peace.

Medium activity. Triggering and adult themes present. Please check muse bios for a list of all triggers present for each one.

Template & Coloring

[cityoftheangelllls]

Entry 4 in my historical Disney Princess series: Eilonwy from The Black Cauldron!

I know Eilonwy is not part of the official Princess lineup, but The Black Cauldron is very dear to me, and I love Eilonwy’s character, so I just had to do her. Her time period was difficult to figure out, but I ended up going with early medieval Wales, since the Chronicles of Prydain series has a ton of inspiration from Welsh lore and mythology. We have very little, if any, extant sources that tell what people wore during the earlier Dark Ages, all we really know is that clothes were pretty straightforward and simple and that women wore pretty much the same things as men. I gave Eilonwy the standard medieval Gaelic garments, the leine (over tunic) and brat (cloak).

Commissions info