zutara fanfic idea:

its an arranged marriage trope thing, but katara is a spy and she waits for the full moon to bloodbend ozai into offing himself, she may or may not succeed, but either way let the game of thrones-esque politics ensue

Do you think Eureka would be suitable for a story where PCs are agents for 1 of 2-3 political rivals? Are there any mechanics in the game that you think would lend themselves well to the kinds of political intrigue and campaigning the story would involve?

As much as I love saying that our game is good for certain things, I have to admit that it has no mechanics for political intrigue beyond its existing mechanics for mystery intrigue (which are extensive). In the rules itself, we say that the PCs are not supposed to be agents of any larger organization rules-as-written, but we do give a few pieces of advice for how to do it if you want to buck that rule and use Eureka for your secret agent game.

From our experience it does do *undercover spies* pretty well, despite having no rules-as-written mechanics for the party being supported by state resources. This is probably because being an undercover spy is not 100% different from being an amateur detective. You’re trying to carefully uncover secret information, without drawing too much attention to yourself. The difference is just who you’re working for and who you’re trying to conceal your identity from.

However, @horseabortion69 I know is working on some kind of secret agent centric sci-fi adventure meant to work with Eureka, and I implore her to share more about it on this post.

Cybernetics Girl

I have torn thoughts on Red Robe's characterization in Mother of Learning.

On the surface, one can draw a parallel between his villainous motivations and those found in lazy action movies. "The bad guy is the radical extremist trying to destroy an unjust system instead of doing nothing like the good guys." But as I thought about the protagonists, Zach and Zorian, I found the parallel isn't the same. Zach and Zorian really aren't defenders of the monarchy, the noble houses, or the status quo. Zach ends the story fighting a legal battle to right a wrong done to him and Zorian ends up as the ambassador to the aranea to help them establish official diplomatic relations with Cyoria. Sure, neither character is specifically politically ambitious, but that seems to be from a sense of humility or desire for rest than actual satisfaction with the status quo. So, what is the actual foil between ZZ and Jornak?

We don't get a lot of specifics with Jornak's characterization, but two details stand out to me. 1) Jornak discovered the deepness of eldemar's/ikosian empire's corruption during a time loop that he had to cheat to retain awareness of. 2) Quatach-Ichl betrays Jornak partially by revealing his plan to hold Zorian's friends and family hostage because Jornak believes that the first ikosian emperor used the time loop to ascend to power and wants to use the same power to conquer the continent. Let's start with the first detail. Jornak discovers in his research that the injustice that happened to him was a result of systemic problems. He couldn't fix those in a month by himself in increments, which is the only time frame he had within the time loop. But he could support the invasion, he could leverage it to destroy *everything* standing in his way and be free to start over from scratch. The only way he could feel like he was making progress was by consolidating more personal power and perfecting the outcome of a horrific invasion. And he knew that the "boon" of the time loop was not designed with him in mind. It was made for Zach in mind and Jornak was terrified of being cut out of the picture and exploited like he exploited everyone else and was exploited. So he had to make a deal with Qautach-Ichl and Panaxeth, further committing him to the invasion as his only course of action. So, his actions are extreme but kind of understandable and sympathetic? But if we look at the second detail of Qautach-Ichl's worries of him we see he's making the same mistakes that he claims are the reason for the systemic injustices today. Jornak wants to "follow the cycle" as it were, and become emperor like Shutur Tanara with his boon of the time loop. He consolidated immense magical power, skill, and political/psychological insight of important actors in the world. All he had to do afterwards was become emperor and instead of being bad like him, be good. Easy, right? But for that to work he still has to conquer the continent which one can't and shouldn't do without committing so many atrocities and compromising so many morals. He may not establish the same systemic injustices but if he doesn't he will make different ones. Jornak sees the cycle of the time loop being an unfair advantage and allowing one madman to reshape the continent as they see fit and decides he's going to ensure he's the madman in hopes of making the world better. And here we see ZZ truly promising something different by not doing that. It is a repeated character motivation of Zorian's and Zach's that they wish to pay people back for the support they received in the timeloop. They consolidated power and then worked on ensuring others got the benefits of it too. The two of them aren't planning on being the singular most historically important people to culture and civilization, they want to give their own (partially) realistic contributions and help their friends do the same. Zorian isn't going to be the one that publishes revolutionary medicinal and alchemical techniques, but Kael might. Zach won't go down in history for single handedly hunting down and dismantling groups of necromancers and cultists, but Alanic and his sect of the church might. They are so committed to helping their friends, and Zorian especially seeks to achieve their goals not through dominance, but through diplomacy. Zorian and Zach's diplomacy and "political" intrigue are so integral to how they win in the end that I'm tempted to say the author read On the Origins of War: And the Preservation of Peace or something similar. Zorian secures an alliance with Spear of Resolve by proving his trust and alluding to helping a rival. Zorian gets important information out of Qautach-Ichl by making a cogent and good faith argument for him to not support the invasion. Zorian gets Oganji to flee the battle by giving up valuable artifacts in a bargain. And most importantly, the angels cut a deal with Zorian and Zach to not enforce certain clauses of the law if Zach and Zorian can skirt the letter of it.

I think if you really comb over how Zorian and Zach interact with antagonists, how others try to get what they want, and characterizations of conflicting people/organizations, politically speaking the story is about how important it is to compromise your goals in the name of results and your ethics as opposed to compromising your ethics in the name of your goals. ZZ break a cycle of exploitation by refusing to forget others and paying back debts. Jornak's bitterness and despair push him to make a deal with the "devil" (primordial) and fight for the short term, corrupt solution. I think this is the most good faith interpretation I can have about the character dynamics and themes of the book but who knows? I might be wrong due to projections.

The Hurricane Wars: A Stellar 10/10 True Enemies to Lovers Adventure In "The Hurricane Wars" by Thea Guanzon, the lush tale of a fantastical realm is vividly portrayed. Within this richly woven narrative, the story revolves around Talasyn, the last known light weaver on the continent, and Alaric, the formidable Prince of Kesath and an adept Shadow Weaver. Their world, torn apart by the devastating power of storms wielded by ships, is brought to life with intricate detail. As their paths collide and their magic clashes in unexpected ways, a tale of profound enmity, unexpected alliances, and the delicate balance between love and hate unfolds. Against the backdrop of a nation, Sarodivia, struggling under the oppressive rule of Kesath, these characters come alive, their complexities adding layers to a story that weaves together themes of identity, freedom, and the intricate dance between darkness and light. Join Talasyn and Alaric on a mesmerizing journey where the battlegrounds of the heart mirror the stormy conflicts of their world.

The story begins in the heart of Sarodivia, a nation ravaged by the power and greed of Kesath, whose ships wield the power of storms, giving rise to the name The Hurricane Wars. Talasyn, a Sardovian orphan, emerges as last known light weaver on the continent, her very existence a testament to a power believed long ago eradicated by Kesath. Her nemesis is Alaric, the Prince of Kesath, and a powerful shadow weaver, becomes joined in her fate. When their magic clashes, an unexpected confluence happens between light and dark, and their lives become intertwined in ways neither ever expected. This leads them to the secluded vibrant world of Nenavar, inspired by the Philippines, where even the dragons draw from South-Asian mythology. War-time weddings really are all the rage. Guanzon crafts a complex tale of identity, ancestral Mythologies, the fight for freedom, the nuances of nationhood, along with the passionate tension between love and hate that hinges the precarious balance of the fate of the world.

Guanzon's writing style is eloquent and lush, painting detailed pictures with her words. The pacing keeps readers engaged, although I found myself slightly thrown off by the absence of a world-changing cataclysmic twist in the final 100 pages. However, this might be due to my recent dive into Sarah J. Maas' books, which are known for their intense plot twists. The end of the book is still incredibly satisfying, as well as perfectly having set the gears in motion for epic twists and turns to happen in the following books of the series. The character development is subtle yet profound; both Talasyn and Alaric learn to navigate their brash hot-headedness and gradually understand each other. Themes of opposites, enemies to lovers, dark vs light, war, politics, and destiny intricately intwine throughout the narrative, creating a captivating tapestry.

The world-building in this book is extraordinary. While it began as an epic fan fiction, Guanzon has masterfully crafted a unique world with intricate political systems, customs, and mythos. Guanzon's academic background in international politics shines through, adding depth and realism rarely seen to the fantastical elements of the story.

The romance in "The Hurricane Wars" is a slow burn of the highest order. Guanzon expertly entwines romance and spice, making the reader cheer for these two oblivious souls falling for each other amidst the chaos.

This book is a treasure for fans of slow-burn enemies-to-lovers stories set in a meticulously crafted fantasy world of magic and politics. I wholeheartedly recommend it, rating it 10/10 stars. "The Hurricane Wars" is an excellent book, a testament to Guanzon’s exceptional writing. I loved it and greedily anticipate the next installment.

~ books read in 2023 ~

#19: Sweep of the Blade by Ilona Andrews

The hot wind flung brown dust into Maud's face.

Rating: 5/5

In the Shattering of Things, Ch. 73: Bound

Summary: In the day following the harrowing turn of events at the Winter Palace gala, Rose recovers and attempts to strike a bargain with Empress Celene.

Fic Summary: Lady Rose Trevelyan's idle, aristocratic life blinks out in a haze of irrelevance when the breach destroys the Conclave. She may be soft and coddled when she joins the Inquisition, but there's a fierceness inside her she's yet to fully recognize. Armed with only a few relevant skills and the mark that makes her a legend, she is thrust onto a path delivering hope where it’s long been scorched away and finds comfort in the grumpy, handsome stick in the mud charged with her protection and training. As she stumbles her way across southern Thedas, she begins to realize she's tangled at the center of machinations she barely understands, and she's not alone in that. Enter Hawke. Excerpt under the cut 👇

I awaken to the sound of knuckles rapping on glass. Moonlight illuminates a pair of familiar shoulders through the seeded glass of the balcony doors. A muffled entreaty comes through.

“Psst. Rose.”

“Hawke?” I answer, sleep dragging on my voice. 

He peers through the glass with cupped hands. I motion him inside, but the door requires picking which leaves me waiting for this ham handed brute for the second time tonight. My heart is raw with anticipation as he fumbles his way through the procedure. He finally trips his way in and crosses the distance between us in a second despite his obvious limp and drops to the floor beside my bed. We fall into a desperate kiss, sloppy and brutally uncomfortable, but we kiss. There isn’t any better evidence that we both made it: the chafe of his nascent stubble against my chin, the warmth of his lips, our mutual stink of elfroot and antiseptic. We clutch each other too tightly, yet much too gently and when I pull him closer suddenly for more he hisses in pain.

“Sorry,” I mutter against his lips.

“Don’t stop,” he answers, drinking me up.

I twist to reach more of him, truly an atrocious idea. “Ow, fuck!”

We both retreat a few inches. “We should stop,” he whispers on a huff of laughter. “Maybe. Before we tear something anew.”

He eases me back against the pillows, lips pressed to mine the whole way down and then pulls back, stroking my banged up face in the whisper of moonlight. His pitying, commiserative look nearly draws a chuckle out of me. And then bound together by our shared worry, our saved up words tumble over each other.

“I was so scared something happened—”

“I thought you were dead—”

He laughs and then winces, clutching his ribs. “Maker, same.”

I feel around the nightstand for the brass matchbox in the darkness. “Let me get a look at you.”

Obliging me, Hawke lights a lamp and puffs out the match before dropping to his knees again. The swelling around his eye has calmed but purple bruises flower all around it. His fingers graze my tender right cheekbone.

“We’re a matching set,” he says. By the glisten in his eyes, I suspect we are in more ways than our twin shiners.

I shake my head and flip down the blankets beside me. “Come here.” There’s no telling whether my body can take what I need, but I need it nonetheless. He stands and eases out of his usual jerkin and then winces as he pulls off his shirt and kicks off his boots and breeches. The glow of the lamp lights up the bandages all over him. One plastered down over a wound on his right shoulder with some kind of resin, his left forearm and right thigh are wrapped completely. His ribs are mottled in large shadowy bruises, one precision bash by the look of it. He slides carefully in beside me under the covers, opening his arms to me. I roll toward him slowly enough that I won’t tear the tenuously renewed flesh inside me. He handles me like fragile bloom, folding his arms around me in a gentle cage.

“I told the guards to let you pass, you know,” I say, the words catching on the knot in my throat as I fidget with the bandages on my forearms.

“You did?” he replies, genuine surprise brightening his face. “Well, climbing the drainpipe did the trick in a pinch.”

“It’s certainly more romantic,” I manage through the strain in my voice. “If a bit reckless given your state.”

I press my lips just beneath his collarbone as he does the same to the top of my head and we lie in silence. There’s so much to tell him but I can’t decide where to begin. He grazes his fingers over my wrapped up forearms in an inquiry.

“Defensive wounds,” I explain.

A nearly inaudible gasp catches above me. “They told me you took a knife for Celene,” he says, his lips skimming against my forehead as if to confirm I’m actually beside him.

“I did.” The words are barely a whisper, barely anything.

Read the rest here!

DAFF Tag List

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@breninarthur | @ar-lath-ma-cully | @dreadfutures | @plisuu | @ir0n-angel

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@leggywillow

But this was the first time Matt had been in the midst of a battle like this while on the bridge. His Admiral had just made a monumental decision and Matt could see that Piett knew it. He was carrying the weight of that on those slim shoulders. That lean jaw was tense as he stayed near tactical so he could see the positions of themselves, their allies and their enemies.

“How many small fighters can we muster?” Piett asked the captain of the Resolve—a towering Togruta with dark blue lekku. The height contrast was almost comical but no one was laughing.

Piett’s command ability was so great that anyone who served with him for five minutes took him seriously.

“Sir, if we use some of the small transports along with the X-Wings and TIEs we have about 150 at our disposal,” answered the captain.

Piett blew out a small breath.

“All right. That’s…not terrific, but if we use them effectively—-”

A bright green flash occurred outside the viewport and one of the few Cavsla light cruisers just—-disappeared.

A general cry of dismay went up around the bridge and Matt moved toward the Admiral immediately.

“Holy kark,” breathed the first officer. “What the hell was that ?”

Matt suspected he knew and he’d rarely seen Piett’s face so white as the Admiral gazed wide eyed at the fine debris sparkling where a ship had been a second before.

“Sir?” he asked quietly, coming to his side.

“I have not seen something that powerful since…” Piett trailed off and the hand in his sling clenched tightly.

Present for my D&D group! This is the Party of Tarot:Deception, a political intrigue game that keeps getting more fun to run!

Please have my second rbb inspired by @clarinda0110's gorgeous Zhuiling art --

darling, it's called a coming of age

Zhuiling gets together

amidst someone trying to usurp JL's sect leadership

Expect: h/c, shameless background WX, smut, political intrigue

Rated E, word count 18k

The Jasad Heir by Sara Hashem

The Jasad Heir by Sara Hashem is a beautifully textured Egyptian-inspired high fantasy book that rips your heart apart and puts it back together again. As an orphaned apothecary’s assistant in a small town, no one expects Sylvia to hide powerful magic and an even more powerful lineage. When the kingdom of Jasad fell to the kingdom of Nizahl a decade ago, everyone believed all members of the royal family fell with it, but the magically adept Jasad heir escaped, and she has been on the run ever since. Her magic has been dampened for years so typically there is little threat it will be detected, but one day Arin, the Nizahl heir, discovers her power anyway. He cannot imagine she is lost royalty, but Arin knows her magic is powerful and can tell her strength will serve his political goals. With knowledge of Sylvia’s powers and Jasadi background, he blackmails her into becoming his champion for the Alcalah, a deadly series of trials where each kingdom has one chance at selecting a future victor that will bring pride to their country. Now she must keep her identity as the lost Jasad heir a secret from the strict and inscrutable heir, even as they grow inextricably close. If she wins, Sylvia will have enough money and status as the Alcalah victor to hide for the rest of her life, but as Jasadi rebels and her own conscience demand she takes up her throne, she has to decide if she is willing to live a life of peace at the cost of her people. The book is filled with magic, political intrigue, friendship, enemies-to-lovers tension, and a magical competition to tie it all together. I could not recommend this book more.

I must say, Hashem’s debut is an impressive feat of the genre. The magic system and world-building are top-tier for those looking for fantasy with multi-kingdom political intrigue and well-developed characters. Everyone and everything introduced to the book is there for a reason and they all have well-developed backstories and interior lives. I believe the book follows an iceberg approach to fantasy where we see a fraction of the worldbuilding that goes into crafting such an intricate system where everything feels real. Small details from clothing, food, and value differences between kingdoms give life to the people and the places they inhabit.

Sylvia is a wonderful character. She is a believable traumatized 20-year-old. The book is a good recommendation for fans of New Adult-aged protagonists, but it is firmly adult fantasy. She is comfortable with murdering for survival and capable of doing so. Even without consistent access to her powers, she is clever and calculating and knows how to wield a bevy of weapons. It doesn’t stop her from caring about a select group of people including her two best friends Sefa and Marek who follow her throughout the book. They have their own story that I will not spoil but rest assured they are wonderful and Sefa is on the ace spectrum for anyone who wants to know.

Now, there is also an enemies-to-lovers subplot in the book between the two heirs, Sylvia and Arin but it is a slow burn, backburner, low-spice (but high-heat) romance. Both characters have a certain level of touch aversion one due to a magic curse, the other due to a traumatic childhood. They are also two people who don’t trust or love with any level of ease. Nonetheless, they care about each other, and the growing care leads me to believe in their chemistry. I can find no confirmation that Sylvia was written to be on the ace spectrum so please correct me if I am wrong, but I read her character as demisexual or somewhere on the ace spectrum. I am completely on board with this ship either way.

Training for the Alcalah and the Alcalah itself is so well done. Anyone who likes a good high-stakes fantasy competition will be satisfied with this storyline. The secrets and political intrigue create ongoing tension throughout the book and I cannot wait to see what is going to happen in book 2.

All that is to say this book is absolutely wonderful. Thank you Orbit Books for providing me with an arc for an honest review and I would highly recommend you preorder yourself a copy because when The Jasad Heir by Sara Hashem comes out on July 18, 2023, you will want to get started.

Describe your academic research with tags, but only ao3 tags.

Cybernetics Girl

The Sins on Their Bones review

4/5 stars Recommended if you like: fantasy, historical fantasy, LGBTQ+ characters, political intrigue, Russian Revolution

Big thanks to Netgalley, Random House, and the author for an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

TW rape/SA, spousal abuse

This definitely seems to be a book that you absolutely love or that you struggle with. I obviously thought this book deserved 4 stars, but I did struggle immensely with getting through the book. The pacing is very slow and it takes a while for the plot and the characters to really warm up. I do feel like a good portion of the first 50% could be cut without damaging the story.

Without a doubt this is a story about suffering and about healing. Dimitri, one of the MCs and narrators, is in terrible amounts of pain after what occurred with his husband and the revolution. He's the one we see suffering the most, but the book does follow his journey as he begins to heal and discover who he is on the other side of those things. Vasily, another one of the narrators, has pain in his past that is alluded to over the course of the novel. He's at a different stage of the healing process than Dimitri, but that pain and healing is still there.

I think part of the problem with the book's pacing is that Samotin strives to show a realistic journey of pain, depression, and healing, and that path is not a quick one. Dimitri does not recover over night or in the span of a chapter. He first needs to recognize that he can heal and then he continually needs to make that choice. I do think it's a realistic depiction, and I applaud Samotin for showing that. However, I think time jumps could have, and probably should have, been used.

Setting aside the pacing, I was fascinated by the setting of this book. It takes place in a fantasy, Jewish-majority version of Russia circa the Russian Revolution. The setting is rich with architecture and clothing and traditions. I liked the interplay of the different sects of religion in the novel and how that was used to create tension between characters who followed Ludyazist mysticism vs. those who followed the (not-so) Holy Science. I also thought it was interesting to read a book where a fantasy version of Judaism is the predominant religion instead of having it be a fantasy version of Christianity.

Dimitri is the main character, imo, even though there are three narrators. As mentioned above, this is very much a healing story, and Dimitri has a lot to heal from. He was the Tzar of Novo-Svitsevo prior to the revolution and he desperately loves his country. He also desperately loves his husband, who overthrew him and is just generally a not great (read: abusive) dude. Dimitri is grappling with the consequences of war and the feeling he let his country down, as well as the guilt associated with helping place his husband, Alexey, in a place to do that in the first place. But he's also recovering from the abuse Alexey put him through and coming to terms with the fact that it wasn't his fault. Beyond all of these things, Dimitri is extremely loyal and it's clear he loves his friends dearly.

Vasily might be my favorite narrating character. He's Dimitri's spymaster and fled with him into hiding after the end of the war. He blends humor and seriousness well and is able to stabilize situations fairly well. I liked seeing him work, I always think it's fascinating to see a character become someone else as a spying/manipulation tactic. He has his own past trauma that gets revealed a bit throughout the book, though he's further along on his healing journey than Dimitri is.

Alexey is the last narrating character and he was Dimitri's husband. Through experimentation with the Holy Science, Alexey has become immortal and is impossible to kill. He was already tempestuous and abusive, but post-immortality and post-war, he's only become more volatile. He strives to create and control an army of demons in order to make Novo-Svitsevo the strongest country in the world. But despite his delusions of grandeur, most of his court is terrified of him and he has little patience for what it means to run a country. Alexey is not portrayed as the good guy in any way, but his POV is one of an abuser, so keep that in mind.

I enjoyed the side characters on Dimitri's side of things. Other than Vasily, there are three other members of his court who fled with him and they are Annika, his general; Ladushka, his strategist; and Mischa, his physician. They each felt like well-rounded characters with their own pasts and idiosyncrasies. I would've liked to know a bit more about them but the pacing of the book makes that difficult.

Overall I think this book had a lot of potential. The pacing definitely got in the way of the plot and I think a good portion of the beginning of the book probably could've been cut. I liked the side characters more than the main characters as well, so that could've contributed as well. That being said, the characters have a lot of depth to them and the setting + magic system were interesting.

Chapter 27 Daughters of War!

A Wedding, a foot race, and a witnessing. Please enjoy. Tell me your favorite parts!

~ books read in 2023 ~

#7: Sweep in Peace by Ilona Andrews

When visitors came to the fine state of Texas, they expected a dry, rolling plain studded with longhorn cattle, oil derricks, and an occasional cowboy in a huge hat.

Rating: 5/5