Journeying for the Pompously Inclined @audaciouslyexcursioning - Tumblr Blog

I wish depression were an emergency. I wish someone could take one look at how sick I am and go “oh my god, we need to get you to a hospital!” and then when we get there I get rushed into surgery and the surgeons say “it’s a good thing you brought her here when you did, this is a seriously advanced case” and then they put me under and spend the next ten hours pulling metres of long, sticky black strands of gunk out of my body, throwing it immediately into an incinerator so that it can’t infect anyone else. And then they could stitch me back up and I could rest a few days, and when I leave the hospital everyone can see how much better I am and they congratulate me saying “well done, you’ve been so brave, I’m so glad you’re ok. I love you.”

the-uncanny-dag

Sister post to The Vitamin

thetrial

skygemspeaks

someone recommend me some good fantasy books that aren’t centred on a war, please, my crops are dying

ninja-muse

The Greta Helsing novels by Vivian Shaw - practical doctor to the undead defeats mildly ominous interdimensional threats with the aid of domestic vampires and a demon accountant.

Sunshine by Robin McKinley - practical baker is captured by vampires, escapes, reluctantly teams up with better vampire to kill the bad one.

Howl’s Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones - young hat maker ages 60 years overnight, proceeds to upend the life of a disaster wizard while learning self-confidence.

the Discworld novels by Terry Pratchett - hard to encapsulate, but equally funny and hard-hitting, tackling race and gender and corruption and other forms of inequality while also, like, making fun of post offices and Hollywood and Shakespeare. Three or four tackle war, true, but there’s something like 35 others to choose from.

the Accidental Turn series by J.M. Frey - recent Ph.D of colour lands in the Fantasyland™ she did her thesis on, goes off about agency and diversity while recovering from the Dark Lord’s attentions and learning the truth about her fictional crush.

Middlegame by Seanan McGuire - evil alchemist creates superpowered children to assist world takeover; children just want to be a family; family is complicated.

Spinning Silver by Naomi Novik - young woman takes over family business, must outwit fairies with a love of gold.

the Enchanted Forest Chronicles by Patricia C. Wrede - princess runs away to become a dragon’s housekeeper, fights off rescuers, solves problems large and small, melts wizards.

the October Daye novels by Seanan Mcguire - Half-fae detective solves murders, finds missing persons, develops found family, can’t stop self from upending the social order.

The Golem and the Djinni by Helene Wecker - A quiet golem, a tempestuous djinn, Gilded Age New York. Immigrants, identity, friendship, hope, and self-discovery.

An Unkindness of Magicians by Kat Howard - A witch from an outsider House enters New York’s magical Hunger Games, to prove a point. The problems of magic were not intended.

Zoo City by Lauren Beukes - Part-time con artist gets hired to find two missing pop stars, with the help of the magical sloth on her back. Noir ensues.

Child of a Hidden Sea by A.M. Dellamonica - Nature photographer lands on water-world, discovers lost family, tries to convince self magic is impossible.

Gods Behaving Badly by Marie Phillips - Greek gods, washed up in North London, curse Apollo to fall for the cleaner. Existential crisis, meet rom-com.

Among Others by Jo Walton - Loner teen sent to boarding school, discovers science fiction, might know fairies and do magic.

hermitknut

Tooth and Claw by Jo Walton - Austenesque story except all the characters are dragons.

Every Heart a Doorway (and sequels) by Seanan McGuire - the children of portal fantasy end up in boarding school coping with being kicked out of their various worlds, then some of them start getting murdered.

The Gracekeepers by Kirsty Logan - the world is flooded, there’s a lady who works with a bear at a circus that sails to different places to perform, and a lady who is sort of an undertaker, and they fall in love

Lud-in-the-Mist by Hope Mirrlees - there are fairies but no one talks about them anymore because That’s Just Not How We Are except this state of affairs cannot possibly last and people start getting lured to fairyland

The Goblin Emperor by Katherine Addison - fifth son of emperor who’s lived his whole life away from court abruptly becomes emperor when his father and older brothers are killed in an accident, spends entire book trying to make friends and figure how the fuck to do a) confidence and b) ruling ethically

The Various by Steven Augarde - girl spends summer at uncle’s farm, finds the group of “various” (no direct parallel, but think somewhere between gnomes and pixies) that live in the woods, mysterious history, flying horse, The Cat Is Evil (this is technically middle grade but it’s so good I can’t even)

Turning Darkness Into Light by Marie Brennan - working on the translation of an ancient text is complicated when it might have a huge impact on the public perception of a highly stigmatised group; subterfuge, found family, mythology, and the rejection of men who steal other people’s work.

vr-trakowski

So You Want to Be a Wizard or Stealing the Elf-King’s Roses by Diane Duane.

Tam Lin, Juniper Gentian and Rosemary, and The Secret Country by Pamela Dean (all different stories).

The Spellkey by Ann Downer.

Swordheart or Summer in Orcus by T. Kingfisher.

The Curse of Chalion or the Penric series by Lois McMaster Bujold.

Green Year Dragonfly by Kaye Bellot.

blueelectricangels

If by “no war” you mean “no or not focused on violence”:

The Terrier/Bloodhound/Mastiff series by Tamora Pierce Teenage former street rat aspires to and joins law enforcement in pseudo-medieval fantasy land, proves to have moral code forged of adamantium and more determination than an entire battalion. Also talks to unquiet ghosts carried by pigeons.

the Winding Circle books by Tamora Pierce (with the exception of Battle Magic) Four teenagers are snatched from the jaws of peril, discover they have incredibly strong yet overlooked magical powers, slowly become a found family, survive an earthquake, pirates, forest fires, plague, and puberty.

The Keeper Chronicles, by Tanya Huff Magic user accidentally gets roped into running a boarding house in Toronto. The decor is from the 50s, the handyman is an incredibly handsome and pureminded myopic Newfoundlander, and there is a (literal) portal to Hell in the basement. The third book adds lesbians and a mall that eats street kids to the mix. (Enchantment Emporium and its sequels are in the same world btw)

——————————————————————

If by “no war” you legitimately just mean that war is not the driving plot force:

the Hawk and Fisher books by Simon R Green Fairytale-destined prince and princess decide that destiny is bullshit, ditch their kindgoms, become the only honest pseudo-cops in fantasy-Gotham because strangely being a prince/princess doesn’t actually give you life skills that are not applicable to being a mercenary. Buildings eat people, gods are murdered, street drugs turn people into animals, Hawk and Fisher are so very tired.

Oath of Swords and its sequels, by David Weber

Guy from a species generally (unfairly) derided by “civilized people” as barbaric and evil thinks he’s going mad, but actually he’s been chosen as paladin by a god and he’s just stubbornly refusing to listen. Continues to go off and do heroic shit while doing the equivalent of jamming his fingers in his ears and saying “LA LA LA”. This does absolutely nothing to dissuade the god in question.

uovoc

The Thief, by Megan Whalen Turner A thief’s prison sentence is cut short when he is sent on a mission to steal an important (and magical?) object for the King. BIG plot twist at the end. Imagine going on a fun road trip through the fantasy pseudo-Byzantine Empire, except that all your fellow travelers have their own secret agendas.

The First Fifteen Lives of Harry August, by Catherine Webb In this universe, there are a handful of time travelers – people who are forced to live the same life over and over, retaining their memories with each rebirth. As Harry nears the end of his eleventh life, a little girl appears at his bedside with the following message: the end of the world is getting faster.

Dark Lord of Derkholm, by Diana Wynne Jones The citizens of a fantasy world are getting really tired of being overrun by non-magical tourists from our world. This year, the role of Evil Wizard falls to Derk, who wants nothing more than to be left in peace on his farm/magical genetic engineering laboratory. Derk’s 2 human children, 5 griffin children, and 1 enchantress wife feel much the same. Wouldn’t it be a shame if someone were to sabotage this planet’s shitty contract once and for all?

yggidee

(For personal records)

marzipanandminutiae

The Athena Club series, by Theodora Goss Daughters and/or female creations of mad scientists from 19th-century literature team up to figure out what their “fathers” were up to and what, exactly, the secret society that seems to control all such experiments intends to do next. Sort of an all-female League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, in the best way. Kind of an odd frame narrative, but you get used to it pretty quickly.

carry-on-wayward-sister

The Ruby Red Trilogy by Kerstin Gier

Love, Time travel, secret societies, and a dark secret at the heart of a prophecy.

Skulduggery Pleasant by Derek Landy

A hidden world of magic wielders in modern day Ireland, a skeleton detective and his associate solving crimes, a race of Gods trying to conquer the world, and a dark prophecy declaring the end of all things. This one does have battles in every book but it isn’t your classical war.

Chronicles of Ancient Darkness by Michelle Paver

Set in a time when the woods were still dark and dangerous (European Bronze Age, most likely Finland), a boy and his wolf friend have to survive beasts and other clans. Includes Demons, Soul Eaters, Spirit Walkers, and Changelings.

thomrainierskies

Dreams Lie Beneath by Rebecca Ross

For the last hundred years, a realm has been cursed so that people’s dreams come to life during the new moon. People called Wardens defend their territories from them. Novel has a very dreamlike, fairy-tale feel, is extremely full of magic and intrigue, and forbidden-love, hidden-identity romance.

The Assassin’s Curse and The Pirate’s Wish by Cassandra Rose Clarke

A young pirate runs away from her arranged marriage, only to become attached via curse to the assassin that was sent after her. Together they have to find a way to break the curse, while fighting old enemies, including the husband of the fiancé the pirate spurned, and inhabitants of a mysterious other dimension known as the Mists. There’s also a sequel duology set in the same world but different characters a generation later, called the Hanna duology.

An Enchantment of Ravens by Margaret Rogerson

In a village set apart from the normal passage of time, a young artist paints the portraits of the fey, who covet works of art. When she paints a commission for the mysterious Autumn Prince, things go downhill very quickly. Excellent forbidden romance, fairy-tale atmosphere, has high stakes but never stops feeling like an adventure.

Sorcery of Thorns by Margaret Rogerson

An orphan raised in a magical library who dreams of becoming one of the library’s warrior-guards is blamed for a magical attack, and must consort with warlocks and demons not just to clear her name, but to unravel the real plot behind the attack. Forbidden romance, Victorian-inspired fantasy, and magical, sentient spellbooks! Two main relationship arcs, one romance and one friendship.

The Diviners by Libby Bray

In 1920s New York City, a group of outcasts, some of which have mysterious psychic abilities, must come together to solve a series of brutal murders, which may have been committed by a ghost. Extremely dark - as in, does not fuck around when it comes to the real-life horrors of the past - fantasy murder mystery with a very diverse cast and can’t-tear-your-eyes-away tension.

certainly-april

Ragebaiting my fat dog? More like master baiting my fat hog!!!!!!!!

grimoiremanifest

❗️Great Hog is displeased by this.

The kingly pig looks taken aback by this statement. "You claim to be 'baiting' our kind?.. A master of it, no less - after all the trust we hsve placed in you?"

- Your relationship with the Hog Society 🐖 is now Unfavourable.

certainly-april

reineydraws

akaashi is so tired

mrsterlingeverything

I will do anything to be free

longnuts

Even escape?

mrsterlingeverything

I dont know. Can i do that

angelicdewdrop

ex-riddlecats

does anybody want to see this baffling drawing i did when i was like 8 and i assume just learned what gay people were

ex-riddlecats

what the fuck does this mean. the rest of this notebook is homestuck ocs

ableut-astratanica

You read Homestuck at 8??

ex-riddlecats

no but i did look at the pretty pictures of the characters on pinterest and take "what god tier are you?" personality quizzes

internal-screaming-into-the-void

OP, I regret to inform you that you seem to have been drawing a tumblr post in your childhood notebook

ex-riddlecats

WHAT

chuckywucky

bananatwinky

inspired by a friend's tiktok:

TikTok - Make Your Day

bananatwinky

BuT wOuLdN't ThE ChIcKeN bE aLiVe-- ok nerd

notfinancialadvice

This is so fucking embarrassing. This is one of the most embarrassing business quips I have ever seen in my entire vile career.

birdsareblooming

coat bath

estrogenesis-eeveeangelion

tag yourselves i'm the GREAT ROOM beside the GOURMET KITCHEN

pocket-deer-belly

i remade it in the sims 4

hg-anna

Why are there 9 sinks and 4 toilets??

kilncreatures

this one is called goose horse

what-even-is-thiss

Me when someone else has a heavy accent when speaking English: That accent is charming and I can tell they put in a lot of effort to learn English.

Me when I have a heavy accent speaking another language: They are going to shoot me the second I open my mouth aren’t they

khalilgaza67

"You might be reading this from an air-conditioned room, sitting on your couch, sipping coffee, maybe even planning a weekend camping trip… But in Gaza, camping is no longer a leisure activity. The tent has become the home."

More than 70% of families in Gaza are now homeless. Yes — thousands of families are living in tents after their homes were completely destroyed. The same tent once used for summer outings or celebrations is now the kitchen, the bedroom, the living room, the shelter, and the bathroom.

In summer, the heat is unbearable. In winter, rain floods the floors. No privacy. No comfort. No safety. A child sleeps next to his mother, his sister, his father — because the tent has no walls.

Some families have been displaced once, twice… even five times. And with each time, life collapses again. They rebuild their tent from the dust, again and again.

🏚️ Gaza — once a living city — has been erased.

Over 80% of the Gaza Strip is destroyed. Homes, schools, hospitals, mosques, power stations — all reduced to rubble.

And the world? It watches. It listens. It knows. But it stays silent.

📣 Share this message.

Let people know that Gaza’s people are not just living… they are surviving. The words you post now might be the only light that reaches a dark tent.

zuccnini

[oc] Cucumber in the Jammy enclosure

to00fu

doodle

dusttt

To the bold ff.net user in 2013 who tried to write Moby-Dick from the whale’s perspective, please get back here you were cooking

busket

"the worst part of being a trans man is wearing boring plain masculine clothes" skill issue, i look cool as fuck

busket

ok real talk I do actually want to talk about how you can dress masculine without feeling like you're stuck with jeans and a tee. this is very much based on my own personal tastes but I think you can incorporate these tips into other styles

personally I really love this Americana work wear style. it's cool, it's comfortable and versatile, and it's very popular right now.

its all about layering different textures and having just a few nice statement pieces that you can show off in coordinating but different colors. some jeans, some leather boots, a textured knit sweater, a nice work jacket like a carhartts or something. or for lighter weather, a vintage t with a flannel, (roll up those sleeves) maybe some corduroys and converse. im not a hat guy but a lot of guys accessorize with a beanie or a cap. personally I like jewelry too, simple gold rings or a cool pendant on a leather cord.

here are some pics of myself, I'm not claiming to be a fashion expert but I was feeling myself in these. just some tshirt and jacket combos cos it was spring and I didn't wanna be too warm

if you want an example of a big guy in this style, matty matheson is a great inspiration!

its about simple pieces, varying textures, and layering them in a cool as fuck way. even one little statement piece like suspenders, a sick belt buckle that you tuck your shirt in to show off, or any unique thrifted find can elevate your outfit. and dont forget patches, you can turn an otherwise boring jacket into an amazing statement piece with a back patch or some iron on patches. try some visible mending techniques if you find a secondhand piece with some damage. that handmade and custom element really stands out and can make your outfits so much more unique, and adds just another element of texture and visual interest

and obviously as a trans man you don't have to wear masculine clothes, wear whatever you want and you're still a man! but I know it can be jarring to want to make the shift from feminine to masculine fashion and feeling like your options are more limited but that's not true, you just gotta find some inspiration and figure out what makes a guy's outfit look cool and euphoric instead of just boring and plain.

nicenight

not to be obnoxious by adding a couple of my own recent outfit pics here, but this has been my approach to fashion as well! paying attention to things like layering, patterns, and accessories makes a world of difference if you want to lean towards a masculine style without looking "plain."

i'm personally a sucker for embossed leather belts, mid-to-high rise trousers and jeans, patterned button downs (many a trans guy's friend), and simple accesories like necklaces or bolo ties. it's just a matter of taking inspo from what you already think looks good on others and figuring out from there what feels good for you personally, style and comfort-wise. it ain't all cargo shorts and graphic tees and it doesn't have to be!

autumnimagining

@so-i-did-this-thing is a fantastic example of transmasc style not being "boring"

so-i-did-this-thing

Doing my part to wear suits/sportscoats and not look like a Business Bro.

Tagging @havinghorns for his wonderfully colorful throwback style

havinghorns

Hi! That's me!

My closet is a big old mix of "women's" and "men's" clothing--not that I really believe clothing has an intrinsic gender! It's all about finding what you like and what fits you well.

I straight up refuse to give up the color, pattern and silhouettes that *I* like even if they are not, in this moment, considered particularly masc. I spent 28 years not being who I wanted, I'm not going to go through transitioning only to make myself conform to a *different* idea of what I should look/act like lol.