For the Month of Love challenge: ‘'Lost in Translation”
I picked the two main characters from Robin McKinley’s book about icky, gross, non-sparkly vampires. Sunshine is a baker whose magic comes from sunlight, and Con is an undead corpse. The two of them have to figure out a way to make their bizarre friendship work.
There has been a lot of speculation whether SJM is going to favor us with book/novella about Manon Blackbeak and Dorian Havilliard, recently I saw some fans doubting it, so here’s a list of logical reasons why it’s happening.
1. It’s SJM
This woman writes two 500+ pages books per year, for her it would be a piece of cake.
2. There have already been books focused on side characters
a) Chaol and Yrene - Chaol was one of the most unpopular characters before Tower of Dawn (which made me love him hehe) and she still wrote a 600+ pages long book about him, just imagine what she’d do with the most popular character (Manon) and one of the most popular ones (Dorian).
b)Nesta and Cassian - this is ship is the closest to Manorian equivalent in ACOTAR series, aka starting from a physical relationship that develops into a sentimental one. Also 6th ACOTAR book will be focused on a new characters (most probably Elain)
3. Favoritism
SJM has talked multiple times about her love for these two. When asked about her favorite TOG character, she said Aelin, but Manon was a close second place and she said that she absolutely loves writing her.
In another interview, when asked who she would go on a book tour with and a few similar questions, she answered Dorian.
Now, I haven’t seen all of her interviews ever and I’m not sure how much she loves Nessian and Cahorene (seems to love Nessian a hella lot tho), but it’s definite that Manorian are some of her favorite characters and it’s just logical that she would write about them.
4. Unfinished story/Unresolved feelings
Ships at the end of TOG:
Rowaelin - married
Elorcan- engaged
Lysaedion- engaged
Chaorene- married with a baby on the way
Nestaq- engaged
Manorian- hug and “we’ll see”
All the ships basically got engaged in the last chapter (it’s not like I didn’t like it hehe) and their stories, romantic-wise, were pretty much finished and they have no unresolved tension between them. Manorian on the other hand, have enough of it for all the ships lol.
KOA spoilers ahead!
Keep in mind, Manorian relationship was mostly a sexual one, and they don’t quite yet have a way of communicating their feelings properly. So there is a lot of unaddressed between them, even though they obviously care a lot about each other.
The unresolved things between Manon and Dorian:
““And if I asked you to stay?” / “I’d need a very convincing reason, I suppose.” / “Because I don’t want you to go.” -they just fucked and Dorian left for Morath later, which impacted Manon a lot but they haven’t discussed it
"I even care about you.” - Manon got up and left
“There is only one witch who will be my queen.” - Manon doesn’t know about this
Manon saved Dorian from Valg demon even when Aelin couldn’t. It was the worst thing to happen to Dorian and he still bears scars from it, yet he didn’t have an appropriate situation to thank Manon for it
Dorian knows that Erawan lusted after Manon, which got him pissed of course, and he didn’t have a chance nor time to ask Manon about it. It might be nothing, but if I were Dorain and my girlfriend who doesn’t show feelings was locked up with a crazy guy who has a thing for her, and have seen the way he treats women, I’d be concerned. Erawan was a Valg king, a tough opponent even for Manon. Ifhe had done something to her, and he had plenty of means and opportunities and wish to do so, Manon would never openly tell anyone (maybe Asterin) about it, because it would imply opening up and being weak, which is Manon’s worst fear. Again, SJM, as the Queen of Foreshadowing, wouldn’t just randomly throw in the main villain having a thing for an important character, everything in her books always has a meaning and purpose.
“Would you miss me if I didn’t [come back]?” - Manon didn’t reply
This is how SJM described Manorian marriage: “She would be his wife, his queen. She was already his equal, his match, mirror in so many ways. And with their union, the world would know it.” - and you’re telling me it’s not deserving of its own book? Not just that, Manon asked Dorian for marriage and they, again, just had sex, with Dorian loving the idea but deep down knowing that Manon would feel caged in a marriage. And that attitude won’t just change out of the blue. It takes time and development which is something SJM writes amazingly.
With the Thirteen gone, beside Abraxos Dorian is the only creature Manon cares about.
Dorian’s mortality (although as you’ll see in point #6 I’m sure he’s not human)
The dreaded “You could just marry each other.”/“We’ll see.” (Thanks Yrene :)
5. Foreshadowing
Listen here, SJM IS THE QUEEN OF FORESHADOWING. She thought of a detail (Dorian’s dad’s name) in the first book that would matter in the lastbook. Of course, there are many many many more examples of that, but if we got “We’ll see.” then we’ll fucking see it happen.
6. Unresolved things about Manon and Dorian as individual characters.
Manon and Dorian and both pretty broken at the end of KOA.
Manon lost the Thirteen, the only people she cared about. That is a huge trauma that needs to be addressed, especially with someone so reluctant to show feelings and heal like Manon.
Dorian can’t be human?? He has fae abilities due to his relation to Gavin and Elena even though he’s not even called a demi-fae. He possesses powers no one else does, phantom hands for example, which he didn’t steal like shape-shifting. And Maeve pointed out that due to his father being possessed by Valg when Dorian was sired, it’s possible he got some of the Valg abilities. (Also she said that he’s stronger than Aelin) The main villain, especially written by Queen of Foreshadowing, wouldn’t just let drop it there and that’s it. Also not to mention Dorian’s own struggle with depression and self-worth.
They have both just become rulers of their kingdoms, completely new to it. Dorian has spent a big part of KOA imagining what kind of a king he wants to be (one that will have a witch queen hehe) and it was a major point of his character. And addition to that affecting them as characters, the future of Adarlan and Witch Kingdom could make a good plotline.
7. Other TOG characters
Although pretty much all the readers would die to see Chaorene baby, Lorcan in Perranth, Aelin and Rowan ruling Terrasen, Lysandra and Adeion officially adopting Evangeline, Nesryn and Sartaq becoming Khagan and Empress of Antica, all of these don’t make enough of a plot on its own. They are great side-plots.
We know all of these characters love each other and are happy together, there isn’t that much to be added to their personal stories other than kids. (same way Feyre and Rhys got a baby in Nessian book) Manorian however, they haven’t even kissedwithout it leading to sex, they hugged at the end of KOA and it was the pique of their relationship. Their relationship is merely at the beginning, whereas others have pretty much reached their ultimatum (ofc SJM can decide to add some drama with betrayal, kidnapping, pregnancy etc. but for now everyone is good and settled beside Manorian)
Not to mention the way other relationships would affect them. Chaol, Dorian’s brother, and Yrene, Manon’s wannabe bestie and Manorian shipper, would bring their baby to meet his/her uncle Dorian and aunt Manon, and imagine Manon with a baby lol.
SJM loves Aelin and other characters way too much not to give us an insight on them as married couples, but since her books are huge and it’s her, it needs a plot with drama, addressing traumas, repressed feelings, worldbuilding, and sex, and Manorian’s got all of that.
8. Abraxos
We need more Abraxos, that’s just a fact.
Wow that was a long one. Anyways, in conclusion, we’re getting that Manorian book. Pretty sure it’s gonna a book rather than a novella (TOD was also planned as a novella but then guess what) because there is just SO MUCH possible content.
“frenemies” is a really good character dynamic actually
like it’s SUPER funny as a concept but also. it brings up this dilemma of “this person is my number one rival and i’ve made it my goal to defeat them etc etc but at the same time we’ve been doing this shit for so long that it’s become a part of our daily routine and neither of us really wants it to end because it’s so much fun and if one of us were to succeed in besting the other it would be devastating on both ends because we’ve formed this sort of bond and we give meaning to each other’s lives and oh shit i think we’re friends”. fuck dude that’s good shit
Truly the best collection of tags. i remain astonished that “frenemies to lovers” STILL has not been marked as a common tag since I wrote this fic 2 years ago ahaha
AO3 won the 2019 Hugo Award for Best Related Work!
Here’s the speech given by Naomi Novik when the award was accepted:
All fanwork, from fanfic to vids to fanart to podfic, centers the idea that art happens not in isolation but in community. And that is true of the AO3 itself. We’re up here accepting, but only on behalf of literally thousands of volunteers and millions of users, all of whom have come together and built this thriving home for fandom, a nonprofit and non-commercial community space built entirely by volunteer labor and user donations, on the principle that we needed a place of our own that was not out to exploit its users but to serve them.
Even if I listed every founder, every builder, every tireless support staff member and translator and tag wrangler, if I named every last donor, all our hard work and contributions would mean nothing without the work of the fan creators who share their work freely with other fans, and the fans who read their stories and view their art and comment and share bookmarks and give kudos to encourage them and nourish the community in their turn.
This Hugo will be joining the traveling exhibition that goes to each Worldcon, because it belongs to all of us. I would like to ask that we raise the lights and for all of you who feel a part of our community stand up for a moment and share in this with us.
Now I’m left with a conundrum. I definitely had the “the author will think I’m a weirdo stalker” mindset when I started reading fic, but I can’t tell if “hi I’ve read this seventeen times and finally realized I should comment!!” is overly weird. It feels weird. But that may just be my overly-active sense of anxiety. *breathes in, breathes out*
I get a lot of ‘this is my X time reading this,’ or ‘back for my yearly reread’ comments, and it’s nice, honestly, to know that someone liked something enough to come back to it.
Because I think I lot of people have, for lack of a better word, comfort entertainment. Maybe it’s a movie, or a book. Maybe it’s a particular band or singer, or even a single song or album.
When you’re sad, or scared, or angry, or hurting, a lot of people will seek out the same thing, over and over. Something that helps you, or distracts you, or just makes you feel better at a time when you’re struggling.
So when someone says ‘I’ve read this seventeen times,’ that means something.
You can say “I’ve read this seventeen times, it always makes me feel better on bad days,” or ‘I love that this fic is still here, I read it when I need a good cry,” or “I love these idiots, that’s why I keep rereading this story, you write them so well!”
The greatest compliments I’ve ever been paid is when people say, this helped me. This made my day better. This made me cry when I needed a cry. Thanks for giving me the happy ending I needed for these two.
But if all you say is, ‘I’ve read this so many times, and I’m back again,” that says so much more than you think it does.
A thing to keep in mind is if you’ve read this 17 times, the author likely has no idea.
Fics tend to get kudos the first few days they’re out and then only really a trickle after that. Same with comments. You can keep an eye on the hits, but honestly that’s just not healthy.
So all those fics I wrote in 2019 and 2020. It was a lot. Does anyone remember them? A few are my all-time favs I’ve ever written, and for all I know people looked over them the weekend they went up and that was it. But they’re all my little trash possums and I love them.
So having someone say “oh hey X is my favorite fic of yours” or “I like to read Y around the holidays” is just like… omg. You remember that fic?? You actually liked it? I never realized it connected with anyone. I never realized anyone cared but me.
I never even know how to respond. I’m just like… hiding behind my hands bright red and smiling.
So yeah. Comments like “I’ve read this 17 times” aren’t overly weird. A comment like that is really going to make some author’s day.
Hey everyone! Here’s this weeks addition to my Creator Shoutout Series (may 8 - may 15) ! For info about the series, I explained it in the first posthere, but generally, it’s to show appreciate to editors and their creations that i love from the past week. To track this series or look at previous shoutouts, please check out the tag on my blog*creatorshoutouts. Have a great week everyone!
Chim stops wiping the coffee table with the washcloth and straightens up. “What is it?”
“It’s Chris…” Buck doesn’t look at either of them. He walks over to the couch and sits down, his gaze transfixed in front of him. “He was so sleepy and I was tucking him into bed when he… he called me the D-word.”
Chimney chuckles at that. “Dumbass?”
“No.” Buck shakes his head slowly. He raises his head and makes eye contact for the first time since he’s come out of Christopher’s room. The expression on his face is bordering on terror. Was it an even worse curse word? It couldn’t possibly have been ‘douchebag,’ not with Chris. “It was, it was dad.”
“Huh,” Eddie says.
“Mmmmm.” Chim follows.
“Aaaah…” Buck sounds like he’s on the verge of a panic attack. Eddie should know.
Right, this conversation is off to a great start.
This was in my drafts for IDEK how long. I kept meaning to say thank you for the kindness, but I kept getting too emotional. But if you see this, I hope you know I’m ALWAYS grateful for every bit of kindness, and always amazed when anyone notices my fics, bothers to read them or remembers them, let alone recommends them to others! Thank you so much! I just… can’t explain how much this means to me. Just know that, to paraphrase Jane Austen, if it didn’t move me so much, I would have managed to find the words to thank you for this far sooner. Thank you again, hon! xoxox
Nine years of Sherlock … 30th October 2010 is my Sherlock Day.
By now I’ve produced over a thousand pieces of fanart, over a million words of fanfic, there’s a graphic novel coming up, two hand sewn Sherlock coats, many trips to the UK for Sherlock related events including cosplay sessions … the list goes on, and I’m still not done with the boys and their world.
I’ve made many friends in the Sherlock fandom, and would like to thank all the brilliant fanfic authors whose works have inspired many of the artworks above (you can find all my fanfic illustrations at my #fanfic tag, and those fics I particularly liked at my AO3 bookmarks), my fellow fanartists who constantly make me want to improve because they’re so good, the faithful readers who leave comments and kudos, and all my followers here and on Twitter for their support.
Those who have been following me for a while know the drill. To celebrate, I’m doing a giveaway for my followers on tumblr, twitter and wordpress, running from today until 10th November 2019, 22h GMT:
there will be three winners, picked randomly, who each may choose a Sherlock inspired item from my Storenvyshop
you must be following me, likes and reblogs both count
no giveaway blogs, I will check
I will ship anywhere, you must be comfortable with giving me your shipping address
Good luck, and thank you.
Happy anniversary! To you, and to us, the beneficiaries of your amazing, wonderful, beloved, art & fic!
okay so I just hit 300 followers!!!!! thank you guys so much for following me ily all so much!! I just did a follow forever so I’m just going to thank a few mutuals who I’ve gotten to know and who I’ve talked to this past year! these are just the ones I’ve really gotten close to the last few months please nobody take offense!!
I probably left some out but these are the ones I’ve talked to the most! I apologize if I left anyone out I just wanted to thank a few and not a lot lol I love you all!!
There’s fanfiction…. And then there’s FANFICTION. The kind of shit you happen upon at like 3am or some other ungodly time because you were trying to find a fix for ur fixation at the time and you are just SUCKED IN and every sentence feels like a line of cocaine and it has quotes and imagery that permeate your brain and it’s the shit that sticks around in your consciousness forever and it never goes away and it’s always going to be one of Those Fics.
I love-hate editing Fanlore articles, because on the one hand there’s something extremely soothing about repetitive writing that does not require anything new from me–but on the other hand, it’s hard to stay focused because I keep saying “oh, wait, that article I was going to cite doesn’t exist yet, better write that one first” so I end up zigzagging back and forth between tangentially related topics like a crazy person.
So, basically it’s Down the Wiki Hole every time except I have to write it first.
I love your little headcanons, even the craziest ones. Even the ones that make sense only in context of your work.
I love when you come up with unique names for characters that don’t have a proper name. I adore those fandom names.
I love your AUs. Your creativity and imagination are a treasure and a delight.
I love your cliche love stories. No matter how many times people have done them already it’s still welcome, and your take is unique because you made it. Give me those coffee shop AUs, or meet cutes, or “there was only one bed” tropes.
I love your edgy, uncomfortable, strange, out there, and unconventional content. It takes a lot of courage to share your own content, even more so to share something out of the ordinary. You guys deserve a place in fandom as much as anyone else.
I love you members of fandom who don’t create anything, but still partake in fandom by reading and consuming content. You guys are just as vital to the community. And your beautiful comments and interactions with fandom content is the life blood of the community.
Mostly, I just want you guys to know, no matter what you contribute to fandom you are loved and appreciated.
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