Aurora C Kass

A writer. Follow for the shit she writes and the shit she likes!

[aurorackass]

I Create

I create

That’s what I do

All I can do

I observe.

And with those observations, I paint my world

Battered by winds of fury

I delight in the biting rage

Feel a joy that echoes in my bones-

All that was left when the pyre stopped burning

And my veins pulse with desire

For things I’ll never experience again:

Touch and taste and temperature.

The only heat I have now is observed affection

The only cold, the feeling of being forgotten.

So I’ll find joy where I can.

In dancing with the branches,

And the gently bobbing flowers

And the waves of the ocean

And my words.

Words that can never hope to express

The beauty I find in the world I do not quite inhabit anymore

But I can try.

[aurorackass]

Reading nook

Just finished Emily Wilde's Compendium of Lost Tales.

I loved the third instalment of the Emily Wilde books! Highly recommend to anyone who’s a fan of cosy fantasy and otherworldly depictions of fae. Also, Wendell might be my all-time favourite book love interest!

Themes- Love, Self-determination, friendship.

Writing style- Witty and personable first-person narrator

World-building- One of the book's strengths, I love the way the fae world is portrayed in these books

Favourite sentence- If Wendell’s stepmother has us slain before I have a chance to contribute to the scholarly debate, I will be very disappointed.

Character I’d call for help at 3AM- Poe, the real MVP of these books. Just a great magical little guy

[aurorackass]

Such an interesting tradition, I think.

[aurorackass]

Why?

“Why do you play with the child?” the north wind asked the forest god.

“Because she is lonely.” The god's voice was a hiss, almost drowned out by the creaking metal of the swing and the little girl's giggle.

“She is human. Humans are our enemy!” The north wind insisted. “They poison our air and our water. They chop down our trees, cull the creatures that sustain us- humans should be slaughtered!”

“Friend, you seem angry.”

“Of course I am!” The wind insisted. “Are you lulling her into a false sense of security, is that it? Make her feel safe with you, then throw her from the swing?”

“No. My intention was just to let her swing.”

“Why?!”

“Because she has no one else to push.”

“The humans are our enemies!”

“She did not poison the air. Or the water. She did not kill the trees or the animals. She is young.”

“She will when she grows. When she is an adult, she will be like all the others-”

“Unless we show her another way,” said the god. “This child is the future. And maybe, just maybe, my kindness to her will show her a different way than those that came before her.”

“Humans don’t change.”

The god laughed, and the child laughed with it, even though she couldn’t hear the conversation. “Humans always change. They have changed for the worse.

But that means they can change for the better. If we let them.”

“You are a fool!” said the north wind.

“I am… hopeful,” replied the god as the wind whipped away.

[aurorackass]

When God Blinks

“You can’t go out, Jeremy,” Mother said- she said it every night- as she pulled across the top lock on the door. “You endanger the world if the light of the moon touches you.” She pushed the dead lock into place. Then the chain lock. “So. Promise you’ll stay?” She turned the lock beneath the handle. Then locked the padlock.

“Why?” I asked, awkwardly fidgeting on my wooden chair, positioned in the corner of the room. “Why do I have to hide?”

She turned to glare at me. “Because God doesn’t like you. He knows the truth in your heart. Knows your wickedness. So wicked you break the world. And He

can not bear to look at you. In the light of day, he can tolerate you. But at night, you force him to look away.

“And that lets them creep out of hell.” She shuddered at the thoughts of the things- the things that appeared when I was out at night.

“But- but why?’ I said. “What have I done to be like this?“

“You are wicked, child. As we all are. The best thing you can do, is pray. Pray until the light of God once more touches the earth.”

So I bent my head. Clasped my hands together, and began to pray.

She watched me for a few moments. Then turned and climbed the stairs.

I knew she expected me to keep praying, all through the night.

But I only said one prayer before I fell silent.

Thanking the Lord for the fact that she did not notice that unlike every other night, I didn’t promise to not go out.

Tonight, God will blink.

The devils are all so beautiful.

[aurorackass]

Kass's Read

What am I currently reading?

Emily Wilde's Map of the Otherlands by Heather Fawcett. The first book did not last long.

Have I read it before?

Yep.

What do I think of it?

Definitely more tense than the first instalment, I love how these books grab your attention and drag you into the story's world, much like the fae characters our heroine is obsessed with. And the romance is so sweet!

[aurorackass]

What’s watching you from the shadows? A Brownie!

Imagine if, from time to time, you hear a scuffling from inside the walls of your home. From the chimney. From the attic. A scratching, scuttling noise. At first, you think it's rats.

But then you find all your washing up is done. The button that fell off your jacket is now back in place, bound with perfect stitches. Your clothes are clean. And you start to wonder if these rats have some very odd talents- or it's not rats.

Some fae, you really don’t want in your home. But a brownie- an invisible little helper that does all your chores, only asking for milk and bread in return- I don’t know about you, but I’d kill to have one. But if you get lucky and one makes its home in your walls, never give it clothes. You’ll insult it, it’ll leave your home and never be seen again.

[aurorackass]

Kass’s Read

What am I currently reading?

Emily Wilde’s Encyclopaedia of Faries by Heather Fawcett.

Have I read it before?

Yep. But I recently got the third book, and I am binging the trilogy!

What do I think of it?

These are some of my favourite books. The vibe goes between cosy and academic and tense fantasy, and it gives us a fun and compelling main character, and one of my all-time favourite love interests.

[aurorackass]

The not-quite-human’s travel guide to Gwynwood- Miller Walk Street market.

One of the best things about the city of Gwynwood is that it’s a city that thinks it is made for humans, and yet it is very much made for creatures like us. A perfect example of that is Miller Walk market. To humans, this six-day-a-week market seems normal, if not a little dull, with 3D printed trinkets, baked goods and jewellery stands. But if readers of this book went there, they might notice that not all of the stallholders are human. If you find yourself in need of unusual ingredients, you’ll find luck with the hag at the pastry stall. If it’s magical trinkets that your heart desires, then inquire at the antiques stall with the twig-toothed man. If you want fae food, go to the fruit stall and talk to the feathered woman. And if you seek a craftsman, the moth-winged child at the woodworking stall is not half bad. But beware- like any non-human seller, you might find the cost is more than it might first seem.

[aurorackass]

Mama Always Said

Mama always said to never mix milkweed sap into food or drink. It’s nasty stuff. Irritant if it gets onto the skin. And if it gets into your body, it’s worse. Way worse. Heart-stoppingly worse.

But then he hurt my daughter.

Payed off the cops.

And the judge.

Sued her for defamation.

Doxed her to his rabid fans.

Got her fired from her dream job.

Sent goons to harass her.

Convinced her fiancé to leave her.

And now he’s in my restaurant. And he doesn’t know who I am. Why would he? There’s a lot of people whose daughters he destroyed. Our faces all blur together after a while.

And he wants me to feed him.

So, I’m sorry mother.

“Enjoy your soup, sir.”

[aurorackass]

My Third Grannie

I have tea with my third granny every Tuesday afternoon at 3 on the dot.

My first Grannie always likes to know about the romances of the town. My second likes to know about the children.

But my third likes to hear of the sins. Of the man who beats his wife. The woman who steals money from the blind beggar. The child who torments his schoolmates. Stories like that delight her.

She thinks I think she’s human. Which is silly. Her little scarf doesn’t do a good job of hiding her horns. Her fur is visible through the gaps in her dress and she doesn’t even try to hide her feet.

To be fair, I’m not sure what she is. Maybe a demon, cast out of hell. Some sort of fae creature. I’ve heard of Krampus, and I wonder if they’re related.

But whatever she is, she’s still my third grandma. And I love her very much.

And if the tea is brewed just as she likes it, if I get her favourite cakes, if the sun in the garden is at just the right angle and I tell her of a really good sin, she’ll do something about it.

So I made sure everything was perfect when I told her about yours.

Oh, listen! I think I can hear the tapping of her walking stick. The sound of her hooves on the floorboards. Her horns scraping against the ceiling. Can you hear her too?

[aurorackass]

A quote from one of my projects- Raymond Keller and the Town of the Damned

Molly: “Shut up, you little weasel!”

Benny: “You can't speak to me like that!”

Molly: “Just watch me, you human embodiment of a loose toenail!”

[aurorackass]

What’s watching you from the shadows? The Each Uisge

Many people have heard of the kelpie- living in rivers and lakes, they appear in the form of a horse and lure people into mounting it, then run into the water so the unfortunate victim will drown.

Well, the kelpie might be well known, but its saltwater cousin, the each uisge, is a lot less talked about. But arguably, it's a far nastier beast! These creatures have a love of human flesh- except for kidneys, which they’ll let wash ashore.

They can also turn to humans, and the only way you can tell that they’re not real humans is that they’ll have seaweed growing from their scalp, with their hair! So if you’re by the beach and see a beautiful man with seaweed in his hair- don’t bother running. He’s too fast for you.

[aurorackass]

Passing the torch

There’s a city that hasn’t been there forever, although it sometimes thinks that it has. The lights from a million windows and a river of streetlamps block out the stars and have done for so long that the city has forgotten what the stars even look like. So buildings, taller than steel and glass and chrome and concrete have any right to be, they reach up and try and pull away at that night sky, like if they just reach high enough, maybe they’ll see the stars again.

Tonight, though, no one cares about the stars. Tonight, they’ll make their own, in a thousand colours.

In one of those stretching buildings, a party was in full swing. Boozy breath and hopeful smiles and wild dancing were all underlined by the words drifting out of a TV that most people were half paying attention to. “… just one minute left of twenty twenty five…”

Almost everyone at that party was lost in the alcohol and the excitement of the new year. Almost.

Standing against one wall were two individuals who were hard to notice. Eyes sort of slid over them, though their eyes examined every passerby.

If you did manage to get a good look at them, you would, at first glance, think they were identical twins, in identical outfits. Though, if you looked carefully, you might see that one had a face lined with wrinkles. Their clothes were crumpled, stained and torn in a few places.

“I’m going to be better,” the one with a smooth face said as they both watched a young woman puke into a potted plant. “Less bloodshed. Less fear.”

“I said that too,” said their companion. “I came into this with so many high hopes, so much determination that I was going to go down in the history books as the turning point. The moment when the world gets better. But in the end, it wasn’t down to me. I am only defined by the people that live through me.” They rubbed their eyes with the back of their hand, looking tired. “Maybe you’ll succeed where I failed.” They glanced over to their companion, who’d gone a little pale. The older one chuckled. “So many high hopes. But here’s the truth, my friend- you and I are just moments. Moments and moments and moments, all stacked together. We can not change the people who live those moments.”

“Hey, the countdown's about to start soon,” someone shouted, and guests rushed over- to the TV, to the windows, to each other.

“Then what’s the point of it all then?” The smooth-faced stranger said. “What’s the point of all the New Year’s resolutions-”

“Ten!”

“And the ‘new year new me’ thing-”

“Nine!”

“And the goals-”

“Eight!”

“What’s even the point of a new year?”

“Seven!”

The wrinkled one smiled. “Because we can offer change.”

“Six!”

“Not a change in the world, but a change in themselves.”

“Five!”

“A chance to be better.”

“Four!”

“That’s all we can be.”

“Three!”

“You ready?”

“No.”

“Two!”

“I wasn’t either. But you’ll do fine.”

“One!”

“You’re already all they need- a chance.”

“Happy New Year!”

“Good luck.”

Among a dozen sloppy kisses and raised glasses, and as the night lit up with artificial stars that blinked into existence for a moment and a bang and a thousand colours, the two smiled at each other.

“Goodbye.”

And then there was only one.

[aurorackass]

I wanted to introduce you all to a character from a project I've been working on- this is Raymond Keller, a gentleman and a supernatural detective, and the hero of my game 'Raymond Keller and the Town of the Damned'.

#Game #Indi #VisualNovel #RaymondKeller #RaymondKellerandtheTownoftheDamned #Fantasy #Mystery

[aurorackass]

I was researching folkloric traditions of the new year recently, and I found this. I thought it was super cool, and wanted to share! Definitely think this tradition will end up in one of my books one day.

[aurorackass]

Freedom

“He's so beautiful, mother. The way his skin pulls at his scars, the glittering of his eyes, those beautiful horns, his teeth like pearls and razorblades.” “Is that why you come here every night? Because you think he's beautiful?” “No. I come because he looks so sad! Those chains must really hurt, there's blood around his neck and wrists and ankles!” “He's chained up for you, my dear.” “You always say that. But you never explain.” “It's fate, my love.” “What do you mean?” “I have peered into the future and I saw that this creature will kill you, my dear. So I tried to kill him. And when that didn't work, I chained him up. So don't go near him my love. Don't let your heart bleed for him. Stay out of reach of his chains.” “Yes mother.” “I'll make your tea, then time for bed.” “Yes mother.” I watched her go. Then turned back to him. His eyes were so sad. And that sadness so beautiful. And I wondered what I wondered every night. Was his freedom worth more than my life? I reached into my pocket and ran a finger over the big brass key that mother thought was under her pillow. I couldn't say no to those eyes.