Alex is a speculative fiction writer and mountain of indescribable goo living in the PNW. When they aren't gluing pieces of metal together, they're reading from their arsenal of books, being a general menace, or playing video games. You can contact them via email at [email protected], or by howling into the woods when you're alone at night.
FROM UNDER A POISONED BOUGH is a sapphic ecological epic fantasy serial project about a world that clawed itself back from the edge of ruin and the skyclad empire that tried to destroy it. This is a project that will be told in parts and sent directly to your inbox, for free, then later packed and sold as complete novels. I'm very, very excited about this. I aim to start sending chapters out in August!
You can sign up for the newsletter here or click the read more to learn more about this project!
FROM UNDER A POISONED BOUGH, a WIP Intro by @authoralexharvey
GENRE — ecological epic fantasy
INSPIRATIONS — A Winter's Promise, Game of Thrones, Hollow Knight + Silksong, LoZ: BotW, Monk & Robot, Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind, The Priory of the Orange Tree, The Traitor Baru Cormorant
POV — multi-third person POV (2 to start, up to 4 in later parts)
TAGS AND TROPES — Animism, class divides and societal structures, ethical nonmonogamy and exploring polyamory, grappling with your savior complex, kaijus, naturalistic magic, rebuilding community from disaster, searching for purpose, solarpunk, watching the ruling class tear itself apart
WARNINGS — Abortion, death, domestic abuse, dubious consent, emetophobia/vomiting, mentions of past child abuse, misogyny, murder, violence
STATUS — drafting + preparing to serialize
GOAL — way too fuckin long
THE DETAILS
CHARACTERS
Lili has seen the worlds of the above and the below. She was there on the day the savior of worlds was chosen, and again when she was entombed. Centuries later, Lili herself awakens from arboreal slumber in the sky. Though everyone around her believes the surface has been destroyed and the Eidolons controlled by the Empire's Houses, she maintains her faith.
Ahelicia knows only of the Empire, and it is to this she stakes her loyalty. Nothing can sway her, not even a citadel slowly crumbling around her—until a devastating choice leaves her stripped of her livelihood and honor. Though she follows a lead to restore her status, it isn't long before she wonders if redemption in the eyes of the Empire is worth it, and if her loyalty to it even remains...
Myrtle was once a simple factory worker, but no longer. When her partner vanishes in the dead of night, she entreats the Empire's knights to investigate...and instead finds herself a pawn in a dangerous game played by twin siblings of a House cannibalizing itself.
Sorrel was once a savior. Blessed with the powers of the Eidolons, she was the world's last hope against an empire set on destruction. But when the empire turned her powers against her, she perished. At least, she thought she had.
SUMMARY
A woman lost in time. A knight longing for home. A peasant fighting for her life. A savior entombed in stone.
Once, the surface world flourished. Eidolons—massive, god-like beings—anointed a select few to enact Their will and were in turn worshipped for Their impossible magic. Then came the Empire with contraptions of fire and iron, intent on devouring all. And though a savior was chosen to prevent their onslaught, she was not enough. The surface was left in ruins, the Empire taking to the sky with imprisoned Eidolons in tow.
Centuries later, a world split in two tightens its bonds once again. After a chance encounter spirals the lives of four women irreparably out of control, it's up to them to stay the hand of a god-slaying empire. Otherwise, the world's careful stasis will crumple—for good.
Details of this post subject to change as the drafts continue.
FROM UNDER A POISONED BOUGH — The Ladies of Arc One
Recently, the lovely @catebees drew headshots of Lili and Ahelicia, the two POVs in BOUGH's first arc, "A Sundered Sky". Not just pretty to look at; b/w versions of the below art will be present at the start of every chapter of FROM UNDER A POISONED BOUGH, my free epic eco-fantasy serial.
Don't know what project I'm talking about? Read the intro here, or the arc one directory, or sub to my newsletter to not miss out when chapters go live! Our first chapter, "An Eidolon's Will", goes up August 7th!
If you’re reading this… congratulations, you survived Ray Bradbury’s Doomsday!
“‘Today is August 4, 2026,’ said a second voice from the kitchen ceiling…”
-Ray Bradbury, “There Will Come Soft Rains”
Today is August 4th, 2026–the day that Ray Bradbury’s short story “There Will Come Soft Rains” is based on. I have included the short story below for anyone desiring to read it. Please feel free to let me know what you think in the comments! Happy doomsday;)
Art credits: “House Fire” by beccastadtlander (Etsy)
FROM UNDER A POISONED BOUGH — The Ladies of Arc One
Recently, the lovely @catebees drew headshots of Lili and Ahelicia, the two POVs in BOUGH's first arc, "A Sundered Sky". Not just pretty to look at; b/w versions of the below art will be present at the start of every chapter of FROM UNDER A POISONED BOUGH, my free epic eco-fantasy serial.
Don't know what project I'm talking about? Read the intro here, or the arc one directory, or sub to my newsletter to not miss out when chapters go live! Our first chapter, "An Eidolon's Will", goes up August 7th!
FROM UNDER A POISONED BOUGH — The Ladies of Arc One
Recently, the lovely @catebees drew headshots of Lili and Ahelicia, the two POVs in BOUGH's first arc, "A Sundered Sky". Not just pretty to look at; b/w versions of the below art will be present at the start of every chapter of FROM UNDER A POISONED BOUGH, my free epic eco-fantasy serial.
Don't know what project I'm talking about? Read the intro here, or the arc one directory, or sub to my newsletter to not miss out when chapters go live! Our first chapter, "An Eidolon's Will", goes up August 7th!
Evil wizard tasteful pin-up magazine but it's all photos of like, skinny old goths coyly fingering cursed amulets, long-bearded sorcerers doing the 'oopsie' pose as their corrosive destruction spell destroys enough of their own robes to show some skin, naked desiccated lich king positioning his staff of human skulls just so it leaves something to the imagination, dark knights in full armor just holding their soul-eating blades out in front of their codpieces, orc chieftain who did not understand the assignment and is posing with a monster he killed like one of those guys-with-fish photos. Or maybe he DID understand the assignment. Hmm.
i mean this so sincerely if you are a man in 2026 you should expect to be on thin fucking ice with the women in your life and if this confuses or enrages you then you are part of the reason why
if you aren't even aware that we are right now all of us living in an ongoing worldwide antifeminist backlash, that is not a oh-no-cute-oopsie kind of ignorance. that fully goes past "complicit" and enters "actively part of the problem" territory. it makes me contemptuous of you. it makes me not want to know you at all. i doubt i'm alone in that.
i think we should start openly mocking male creatives who can't figure out how to write women. like actually i think it's embarrassing that it took elliot page transitioning for christopher nolan to give him a good role. why did it take like ten years to get the first female lead in a marvel movie? why is it a Known Fact that stephen king can't write women? why is 50% of the population omitted from large ensemble works? i asked my friend to name a movie directed by a man with a majority female cast and he said ghostbusters 2016. ghostbusters. ghostbusters. g
my problem is i think every character concept can be improved by making them a little nonbinary. this has created a comically unrealistic concentration of People With A Weird Gender Thing Going On in my stories and i will not be stopping any time soon. im genders georg.
