okay sooooo rhetorical but

why does it bother people who don’t read/write fanfiction, AND/OR read/write original romance fiction, that fic authors are getting romance books published? why is it such a big deal for them?

like i’m CONSTANTLY seeing “you can tell it was fanfiction” or “you can tell they wrote fanfiction” levelled as an insult or criticism of the work, and i just want those people to know that popular romance fiction existed before and independent of fanfiction, and a large amount of fic “tropes” existed in published romance fiction first. if you don’t read published romance fiction and never have (i’m talking about popular romance, not what we might class as literary romance or classic romances) then i’m sorry, but i’m not sure why you care.

“you can tell they wrote fanfiction” well actually, what you can really tell is that it also has the hallmarks of popular romance fiction. because fanfiction often has the same hallmarks - it just hasn’t passed through an editing team.

i just truly do not get why people who don’t read popular romance care at all how or why an author got their start. fanfiction is just a form of writing - as a whole, it’s not special. it’s not uniquely good or uniquely bad. and yes, practically speaking, it is currently one of the easiest ways as a writer to get your work seen and to get feedback on it. writing fanfiction doesn’t preclude a writer from writing original work, and it doesn’t mean their original work will be “fanfictiony” because fanfiction focused on romance does not have an inherent quality that makes it uniquely different to popular romance.

for real, go and read the synopses of RITA or RoNA winners back to the 1960s, and tell me that most of them don’t “sound like fanfiction.” i’d argue that 95% of the time, the only difference between popular romance of years past and popular romance now, is that now queer books get lauded too, are being published by mainstream publishers, and break out of cult status - but people aren’t ready to confront why they immediately dismiss popular queer romances as being “fanfictiony.”

basically, fanfiction didn’t invent pop romance, and it doesn’t define it. the fact people seem to think that it does simply reveals that they don’t know much about the genre in the first place.

if you’re not a pop romance reader, maybe just continue not to read popular romance. if you think that pop romances are the only queer books getting published right now, maybe stop getting book recommendations just from tiktok or instagram and actively seek out some books in a genre that you prefer.

smaurent and damini❤️❤️❤️ (click for better quality bc tumblr sucks)

The Archeron sisters

Do you like goats? Have you ever wondered how many goats it would take to court Laurent of Vere Vask? Well, does @JosselinKohl have the fic for you:

Five Goats

For the 2017 edition of the Captive Prince Big Bang, which I had the privilege of drawing for one of my favorite fic authors! Have some bonus sketches.

Slowly getting back to my SJM tarot card project!

This time we got the first sketch of Hunt from Crecent City as the judgement card, because this scene absolutely broke me 🥲

Strongest Arguments For Why Elriel is Endgame.

This will be a long post. But rest assured that by the end of it you will have no doubt Elriel is endgame.

Not to mention Elain kissed Azriel on the cheek after he rescued her from Hybern’s camp! Also, I feel like not more is made of the fact that Azriel was willing to die to try to rescue Elain (which Nesta commented on). That’s behavior only mates have demonstrated in the series so far, for example, Rhys attacking Amarantha as she’s torturing Feyre or Nesta remaining with Cassian as they face off against Hybern.

Cuties. (And married, if the ring on Azriel’s finger is any indication?)

Let me say that I would much rather put my time and energy into writing my fic (you know--the thing that brings me joy and is the reason I'm here in the first place), but the selective comprehension in this fandom has seriously been grating on me.

Now, before anyone gets butthurt, I'm not here to tell you that you have to like Eris or think he's a good person. Whether you do or don't is totally your choice. What you believe, what you want to believe--that is your decision. I'm not here to invalidate anyone's opinion or the choices they make based on their personal experiences and feelings. I'm here to articulate the facts as Ms. Maas has written them, because I think there's some unecessary confusion going around.

Let's just get another thing out of the way now: I like Eris, I acknowledge that this makes me predisposed to bias. I will also tell you that I didn't like him at all when I first read the series, but several deep rereads since have enhanced my comprehension and altered my opinion--that is why I'm here.

Today I will be discussing the misconception that Eris had any direct involvement in the brutalization inflicted upon Mor by her family, by which I mean the act of driving nails into her womb. There's no question that Mor was significantly traumatized by his actions (and inaction) and none of the discourse to follow excuses anything Eris did, I'm just trying to complicate the conversation.

This is the point where I remind you that you have the choice to ignore this post and peacefully keep scrolling should you not want to hear what I'm about to say.

Cool? Great. Let's move on.

I'm going to lay out the textual evidence in the order it appears in the series, and then we can talk about it. All italics appear as they do in the text, except for Mor's flashback. I will be making some parts bold for clarity. All page numbers are referring to the kindle versions of the books.

It’s one reason I’ve really enjoyed reading ACOTAR fanfics and fan theories for how the story will go. There’s just enough ambiguity to imagine things happening or characters behaving in certain ways. On the other hand, it annoys me when people proclaim things absolutely (e.g., Elain is boring) based solely on the books that have come out. Like SJM hasn’t finished the series yet—the story we know so far has only been from certain characters’ perspectives so things may not be as they seem.

captive prince fanart for @carryonmylovelies bday!

I think I might have made it too dark?

Thought this was Azriel and Eris at first but, nah, it’s those other guys I love.

our bodies, possessed by light

chapter forty: have you passed through this night?

The disconcerting wind of the Hewn City drags across Azriel’s skin as he passes houses and carved stalagmite trees. The stones beneath his feet slant this way and that in a familiar pattern; his feet remember the cadences of his steps despite how long it’s been since he set foot here.

People occasionally stop and stare, and though their expressions aren’t kind, they’re not quite the fearful ones he remembers. He wonders how many of them know—about the beasts in the dungeon, about him, about the way he is a foreigner in a familiar land now.

It’s not long before the ruby-eyed snake knocker on Helena’s door is glaring down at him, the purple light making the jewels look like they’re moving. His fingers have just touched the ring when he pauses. He knows the sound will be eaten up by the heavy silence soon enough, but he can’t bear to hear it thudding like a phantom heartbeat, and so he knocks.

The final chapter 🥹

@houseofhurricane @yanny-77 @poisonivy206 @separatist-apologist @the-lonelybarricade @wellwhatisnttaken @givemethaturl @lady-riel @yourethehero @legionsofthehungry @foundress0fnothing @graycious-tea @theatrequeen (i know I’m leaving people off, i am dreadful at remembering who is on my tag list, I’m sorry)

This is a snippet from the comment I left on AO3 because I want Tumblr users to know how good this story is:

[Rusty as The Sun tarot for @huntergonerogue ✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:* ]

“Crazy Dion” Diamond at one of his sit-ins as a teenager in Arlington, VA. June 10, 1960

via reddit

All of those people around him are demons

hey guys! here’s some fun things i learned from this article about Dion Diamond:

hark, a hero of our times!

I Want To Brainwash You Into Loving Me Forever

I'm so in love that I might stop breathing

Summary: The newly crowned High Lord of Autumn receives a familiar visitor- one he's sworn to punish, should they ever be caught trespassing again.

Note: Happy holidays! This is a gift for the incredibly lovely @iftheshoef1tz. She has written the absolute MASTERPIECE that is Our Bodies, Possessed By Light. I could, in my wildest dreams, only ever put together something even half that gorgeous. If you've never read it, there is no time like now to start.

She is also the person who sent me this prompt for Azris, a pairing I never thought I'd write. The prompt was this piece of dialogue, "Oh, darling, if only I could love you." When I first wrote it, there was no smut, only feelings.

I hope I made you proud

Read on AO3

“Everybody out!” 

Eris Vanserra didn’t move as his court turned their backs to him, filing out of the open throne room until only one male remained. Eris, sprawled over his throne, one leg dangling over the arm as he examined the silver rings on his fingers, pretended his heart wasn’t leaping in his throat.

I haven’t read this yet but knowing it’s by @separatist-apologist​ (author of the steamy Elucien fanfic “Wonderland”) for @iftheshoef1tz​ (author of one of the best Azris fanfics I’ve read), I know this will be good.

our bodies, possessed by light

chapter thirty-nine: this world is only gonna break your heart

Another flurry of letters accompanies the next two weeks. The meeting will still be held in Dawn, though the impending summer solstice has thrown the timing into disarray. Summer and Day, of course, have days-long celebrations on either side of the longest day of the year, ones that cannot be rearranged for something as trivial as a meeting about trade.

Eris lounges on the chair in his study as he tells Azriel all this, one finger tapping on the back of his other hand. Azriel perches on the corner of Eris’s desk, reading slowly through the collections of letters that had arrived today. “No one has called this meeting trivial.”

“Not in so many words,” Eris grouses. “But I know they’re thinking it.”

So, so good. I can’t believe we’re nearly at an end.

Working on a “cover” image for posting Elriel comics on Instagram.

I want him to look so big and imposing, and unbelievably gentle, and her to look frail, dainty and just so eager to melt into his embrace.  How am I doing?

Thank you for giving us the kiss (and more) we’ve been waiting for!