Stella's Got Moxie

She/Her - Trans illustrator, maker of things, RPG enjoyer. paypal.me/stellalarohart

[neonbreakfast]

Hi there!

My name is Stella and I draw things. I enjoy RPGs and gay shit. You can buy prints of my work here. *** Edit: This store page isn’t up any more. Maybe one day I’ll get standard prints for purchase set up again.

Until then, I also do commissions! Please reach out and we can chat. Thanks for taking a look, and I hope y’all are well. <3

[madi-konrad]

Stormfallow: A Mouse Adventure

Early this year I completed a short tabletop campaign with my local group playing Mausritter, an excellent game where you play little adventuring mice!

I fell in love with the system the moment I read it. It’s dead simple: based on the incredibly evocative and simple ruleset Into The Odd, which also powers last year’s smash hit Mythic Bastionland. Characters have three stats; a small dabbing of HP; no skills; ten slots for weapons, armor, and loot; and nowhere to go but up.

Death comes easily in Mausritter… but so does life, as creating a new character might take three minutes if you’re taking your time.

I spent the better part of a month before our game crafting a fun world for my players to explore: one filled with uptight legionnaires, ancient ruins, swashbuckling pirates, mysterious mages, and enough adventure and peril to keep my players hungry for more week after week. Once I finished the game—one of the best I’ve run—I had the idea to pull all my notes together, polish them up, fill in the corners my players didn’t explore, and publish it as a standalone adventure.

I call it Stormfallow.

Stormfallow at itch.io

Stormfallow at DriveThruRPG (forthcoming!) As a teaser, here’s Stormfallow's narrative introduction; the scene new player mice will experience right at the start of the adventure:

You flee the perilous Grimalkin Empire. The Iron Claws of the Empress have a long reach, indeed, and for mice who live under her paws, life is cheap. But across the sea, it is said mice live free of such oppression. Across the sea, whole communities stand together against their predators. Across the sea, endless possibilities await.

You took ship, then; you and four dozen mice refugees led by the fearless Mouse Captain Lanniford. You were packed into the lower decks of an aging merchant Galleon: the good ship Promise. Captain Lanniford said the passage would last two weeks. Two long weeks on the wild and merciless Sea of Serpents before you’d be cast onto a brighter shore, free to live as mice were meant to.

It was five days since you left port—five days of calm—before the storm found you.

It came from a clear sky; some of you were on deck when the cry went up. “Batten the hatches! Seek shelter below!” Captain Lanniford stood firm against the sudden onslaught of waves twice as tall as his good ship Promise. You hid below the deck as the mighty wind and waves tossed the ship about like a giant’s plaything.

Then, a cry of hope. “Land, ho!” There was a flash of white and a noise like the hammer of the gods as the ship sheared in two. In that instant, all safety was torn from you. Escaping the wooden coffin the ship had become, you emerged into night, but for the first time in nearly a week, your little paws bless you as they pad across firm, dry ground. Behind you, the good ship Promise lies broken against high cliffs. Ahead waits an unknown land.

The storm, too, is behind you. But the fearless Captain Lanniford is nowhere to be seen.

[madi-konrad]

[eldritchbauble]

You should be immediately suspicious when anyone tries to convince you to hate other trans people.

[armengoldira]

[moniquill]

Let's fall through the ceiling with mama.

[imsuchagoodfriend]

They really were like

[madi-konrad]

A Song of Silk... and Resistance

The Themes of Hollow Knight: Silksong

I want to talk about Hollow Knight: Silksong.

I recently finished the game (and before you congratulate me or anything—I used an invulnerability and infinite jump mod; I was interested in experiencing the story, not in destroying my controller in frustration before giving up at Fourth Chorus). Overall, I loved my time spent in Silksong, in the kingdom of Pharloom. And I found that, even more so than Hollow Knight, the themes of the story were both very on the nose and woven incredibly deeply throughout the world, the characters, and the narrative.

Spoilers for Silksong, including all three acts leading up to the “true” ending (along with the much-easier-to-complete “bad” or “neutral” ending), abound below:

[madi-konrad]

This morning, I heard more news about the itch.io / Steam censorship situation. Controversy. Stripping of rights from marginalized creators. Whatever you want to call it.

And then I realized… I sell books on itch. Two books; one novel, one 14k word novelette. Nothing explicit, nothing "objectionable," just unapologetically sapphic.

And yeah. I checked. They're both delisted from itch.io's search all the same.

I don't want to cast this as a case of "I was one of the good ones," or anything like that. My decision to not write pornography is just a case of, well, my lack of interest in that particular genre. Porn deserves to exist just as much as "safe for work" creative outlets. But we knew that the war on porn was really a cardboard disguise for a war on all queerness, whether or not it "qualifies" as being "safe for work". You can't separate the one from the other.

Anyway. This isn't an essay, I'm not a theorist, just a creative writer who really shouldn't be surprised that her work was caught in the latest fascist wave of censorship.

I don't support myself with my writing; I'm a high school substitute teacher, and my partner also works full time to support us. But I'd be lying if I said money hasn't been tight these last few months; subs don't get paid during summer vacation, and also aren't eligible for unemployment since they're just "on break" for those months. I still have a job come September. But this censorship has shone a spotlight on how precarious art really is. I made a deliberate choice to pursue a day job that would allow me to continue my creative writing. And now that writing is, in a small way, being excluded by virtue of its queerness.

And that sucks. Full stop. It just sucks.

Go support your favorite queer artist right now; even if they don't sell through itch (or Steam), I'm betting that they need the support now more than ever.

If you wanted to support me, I'll pull together a list below of links to my work available online below the cut. Thankfully the itch.io links still work; these titles are just not listed through the search, limiting their discoverability, their reach. And thankfully other storefronts still list them, for the moment.

My latest release, a sapphic fantasy novelette (14k words), The Sea:

itch.io (ebook): https://thepinkhydra.itch.io/the-sea

Books2Read aggregate link (paperback and ebook, all major storefronts): https://books2read.com/thesea

For thousands of years, the stars have been fixed in place, separating the sea above from the sea below. Sister Elegy remembers when the star, Ailta, fell to earth decades ago. Back then, things appeared so simple. It was Elegy's duty as Ailta's chosen guardian to ward her path to the tomb of the Queen. For it was foretold that a star would bring the Queen back to life, and usher in the glory of Her renewed reign. But along the journey, both Ailta and Elegy learned things are not so plain as they appear. Together, they faced the dangers of the road, the weight of Sister Elegy's regrets, the all too real shadows of her past, all while silently grappling with the uncertain purpose of their destination… Madeline Konrad's magical novelette, set in her fantasy world of Melodia, is a haunting, bittersweet sapphic romance about a star and the woman who loved her.

My sapphic fantasy novel, A Demon's Name Upon Your Lips:

itch.io (ebook): https://madikonrad.itch.io/a-demons-name

Books2Read aggregate link: (ebook, all major storefronts except Amazon): https://books2read.com/u/3nGjgK

Amazon link (ebook): https://www.amazon.com/Demons-Name-Upon-Your-Melodia-ebook/dp/B0CRNTHC1Y

Lucia is a succubus, a demon with the power to shape the emotions and passions of mortals. Summoned often into the world of Melodia, she takes pride in upholding her demonic contracts to the best of her abilities. She likes to think she does her job well… though a string of recent failures say otherwise. Talia, the recently elevated Duke of Fallmire, summons Lucia for a simple reason: to pose as her wife and fulfill marital obligations to the satisfaction of Parliament. All to say, just a few weeks of walking around the estate and playing nice with the neighbors before a conveniently tragic death. Quick and easy. Immediately, Lucia smells blood in the water. Behind closed doors, the Duke plots vengeance upon those who killed her father—and the demon wants in. Revenge, after all, is much more fun… and more lucrative, to boot. But can Lucia predict how hard she'd fall for the Duke? (Not a chance). And can the Duke find it in her vengeful heart to love?

[scoutingthetrooper]

mark ferrari

[madi-konrad]

Me and @neonbreakfast

[neonbreakfast]

With you, darling, the answer is always an instant 'Yes'. Absolutely.

[madi-konrad]

My bittersweet sapphic fantasy novelette, "The Sea", is out TODAY! Grab it at the links below!

itch link: https://thepinkhydra.itch.io/the-sea

books2read (including Amazon, B&N, Kobo, etc.) link: https://books2read.com/thesea

Aaaaah, this is so exciting!

[madi-konrad]

My bittersweet sapphic fantasy novelette, "The Sea", is out TODAY! Grab it at the links below!

itch link: https://thepinkhydra.itch.io/the-sea

books2read (including Amazon, B&N, Kobo, etc.) link: https://books2read.com/thesea

Aaaaah, this is so exciting!

[esmevirgo]

Today's the day!!! I couldn't be prouder of my partner's book - it's a stirring tale of sapphic love that unfolds over the course of a perilous journey, remembered fondly and sadly many years on. It's beautiful and charming, and I can't say enough god things about it.

This story means a great deal to me personally, and is my favorite thing Madeline has ever written (though she is constantly putting forth steep competition). If you're looking for a lovely queer romance with a delicate touch and emotional depth, you'll enjoy this book.

[madi-konrad]

So my sapphic fantasy novelette (14k words), "The Sea" is being released on May 9th!

We're sending out ARCs of it right now, so if you wanted to give it a read and a review, here's the form!

Get your free copy of our ebook in exchange for an honest review

[madi-konrad]

A books2read page of links for my forthcoming sapphic fantasy novelette, The Sea, is up! You can preorder it now from a few storefronts including my favorite, Smashwords! It releases May 9th!

(the dreaded Amazon page to follow...)

Available now at your favorite digital store!

The Sea by Madeline Konrad

And the cover for The Sea is so, so good! Emmy Kotze at Pink Hydra Press handled the typography, and my wonderful fiance Stella did the art!!

(You can see more of Stella's work at @neonbreakfast!)

[madi-konrad]

I've gotten in the habit of writing a poem at the beginning of each prose work-in-progress. This one I wrote yesterday; it's coming at the start of a sapphic fantasy, though it's more modern than usual for me.

I dreamed of you, but only just

To sell you for a silver quint.

The silver quint I swiftly bet

On winning players in the games.

That bet won me a dangling thread

Of gold and scarlet tightly twined.

The thread I traded for a kiss

Bought from a downtown sapphire witch.

And then I started from my sleep—

You were gone.

— scrawled on water-damaged parchment embossed with New Caledonia letterhead

Recovered and catalogued by the New Salem Historical Society, January 11th, A.C. 1473

[neonbreakfast]

I drew this a long-ass time ago in the dead of winter, don't think I posted it. It's the two OCs that've been kickin' around my brain the longest. Mal (L) is a recently out of the closet trans woman who got kicked out of college for art forgery reasons and has started seeing weird supernatural shit again. Martin (R) is a gay cinnamon roll and comic book enthusiast who has been friends with Mal for ages. He works at a frame shop in their hometown, and lets Mal crash with him when she comes back under weird circumstances. Anyway, they investigate spooky shit together or whatever. I've written the whole first section of a book about them that I'm actually kinda proud of. Maybe I'll post it at some point, who knows.

[neonbreakfast]

Some fun brush shit and a chunky sketch of Ol' Cobb from Not Another D&D Podcast, which I really oughta finish sometime. Love that old crick elf.

[neonbreakfast]

Some art from last year. My beloved fiancee @madi-konrad and I played these characters in a one-shot, and they've endured in our hearts ever since. She brought the wonderful Professor Penny Dreadful (top) to life in grand fashion, basing her on the premise of "What if Indiana Jones but lesbian", and I played the professor's long-suffering assistant Trivetta (bottom), who acts like she despises the work but is secretly really invested. There's probably some gay stuff going on in their dynamic too, who can say.

[neonbreakfast]

Reckon I've been gone from this blog too long, figured I'd start posting again. May as well start with the new profile pic I made. I just checked in and was astonished to find I hadn't posted in over a year. I took a big ol' mental health break, but have a big backlog of art I'd love to post. So I'm gonna start queuing some of it up, and just try to have fun with it! Thanks to anyone still following this blog. I hope the person reading this has a truly lovely day. 🖤