LINKDING

Summary: <blockquote>Nogorod is built of black rock and dull iron and pale ivory, a city of high towers rising like petrified trees beside the rough grey seas. The common folk are whale-fishers, hunting with harpoons from their ships, but the nobles are all wizards, and they hunt dragons from bone chariots drawn by captive winds, slaying them with darts of ensorcelled ivory and poison spells. How this tradition began is lost to dishonorable history, but now the nobles hunt out of self-preservation, for dragons are wise and the wind that is their mother and their substance whispers the names of those who would slay them, so that they come to Nogorod to hunt in their own turn.</blockquote> ➤ fantasy story about wizards and dragons and power, and being queer, and being horny for a dragon who is also your death ➤ deliberately written in a higher register, which can too easily feel stilted or cold, but here works to give the whole thing a sense of dignity and depth ➤ 5k words in length

Summary: <blockquote>Eshad was sown and grown to be a weapon. He does not suffer. He does not desire. The man who defeated him will show him otherwise.</blockquote> ➤ about a slave revolt

Summary: <blockquote>A young mage has risen to the pinnacle of her profession and inherited her predecessor's storied library, with all its contents. But the most precious thing she finds there is not hidden in any of the scrolls.</blockquote>

<blockquote>When Cody was growing up, he thought his parents’ decision to move to the middle of nowhere to raise him was a good one. They sidestepped all the problems of a nosy school system by homeschooling him. They avoided crowded places because there was nowhere they went that ever got crowded. There weren’t any kids his age, or even close to his age, nearby, so they didn’t have to worry about friends finding out. They had phones, and tv, and internet, and had family over, or neighbors who were older, and Cody was friends with them. He never felt especially lonely. Kids who lived in the city didn’t get to explore wilderness, or help with farms, or go places with no trace that other kids had been there before.</blockquote> ➤ the one about the rural homeschooled adopted-kid incubus who goes to college for the first time and meets the magical community and learns more about himself ➤ I feel like overall it didn't do quite enough with the power imbalance stuff it brought up, but overall cute and fun. and the power dynamics weren't actually a problem for me, it's just that once the narrative brings it up, you kind of have to do something with it.

<blockquote>“Those charms on the eaves,” Rugg began. “Some trouble here?” Pong nodded, grimly. “Sour conja trouble.” “That why them all out there were ready to gut me? They think I did it?” “We know you ain’t a witch, Mister,” Loop said. “It’s what else you is burns the blood.” Rugg gave him a steady look. “I know lot of soldiers brought awfulness to little vills like this. I wasn’t one of those. Served in the king’s guard. Never stole any woman’s chickens or goosed any man’s daughter.” “Was that before or after you became a spellbreaker?” Pong asked, refilling both of the men’s cups. Loop downed his in one gulp; Rugg only sipped. “Wasn’t one before the other. Daddy taught me to soldier, momma taught me about witches.</blockquote>

<blockquote>Raylie did not ask for the burden of her particular gifts and talents. Nor did she ask for the unwavering vigilance of her bodyguard. They just are, like rocks and trees and starlight, and she has learned to abide with them both. But if she were ever compelled to choose between them, she knows which one she'd keep.</blockquote> ➤ bodyguard/heiress, something that feels somewhere in between amtdi and marriage of convenience while being neither, fascinating world building

<blockquote>The birth of a twin is a special thing. Mama told us when we were young. "There are customs in every land," she said. "And our land requires sacrifice." So when our mare gave birth to twins, she told me. "Lily, one of these foals will be ours, but the other will be given to the land."</blockquote>

<blockquote>I only had three things going for me. Firstly, they didn’t know who I was yet. And secondly, that meant they didn’t know that I was a lowbinder, or that there were only two magic bindings I was any good at. One was how to find something lost. And the other was how to summon something small to hand from close by, or send something equally small. Perfect for card tricks. Not so good for knots around my hands. If one of them got close enough, maybe I could steal something to release myself. And thirdly, morning was coming. And then the show would start and maybe they would be distracted enough for me to break out from here. Aunty still wouldn’t have her wok, but I’d have to work that out later.</blockquote>

<blockquote>When the elitist institution of Ozymandias Academy and its headmaster, Vamon Kinctuarin, can’t find a solution to the city’s worsening drought, 2 self-taught magicians, Noah and his partner Manny, take it upon themselves to find a solution to the crisis.</blockquote>

<blockquote>Charming gay disaster Ezra is forced to move home to his small town to raise his siblings after losing his mother in a mysterious accident, only to discover that magic is real, the local millionaire is trying to kill him, and his old high-school crush might not be straight after all.</blockquote> ➤ it's like a murder mystery and a romance and an urban fantasy novel all smushed together and it was a little stressful for me but I very much enjoyed it anyway. And I want to know more about Marion Blackwater!

<blockquote>If you can't find a boyfriend, home-summoned is fine. All Shang Qinghua needs to do is pass this last exam and he’ll be home free. No more sleepless nights in the library poring over spells he’ll never need again! No more burning his fingers when he reaches for the wrong reagents! He’ll be done! Except! He can’t! Fucking! Summon! </blockquote>

<blockquote>So there was this jar, and it had so much peanut butter still in it, and when his fox nose scented it and didn’t catch any poison or spoilage, what was he supposed to do? Not avail himself of this gift? No. He shoved his delicate little snout right in there and got to licking, but, you know… Elegantly. Definitely not snarfing and making horrible little fox sounds and rolling around on the ground while he went ham on the jar. Sure, he had to work a little bit to get at the last of it, but anything good is worth working for, right? So finally, triumphant, no longer starving, and maybe a little thirsty now from eating half a cup of peanut butter in about two minutes, he’d tried to remove his head from the jar. Operative word tried. Or: Wei Ying gets stuck. Lan Zhan helps.</blockquote>

<blockquote>Max spent nearly an hour outside the shop, huddled under an awning that barely shielded him from the bitter rain, smoking one cigarette after another down until he nearly burned his fingers. He was desperate, that much was sure, but how desperate? That was harder to say. Desperate enough to walk into Adriaan Visser’s den was desperate indeed, especially since Visser wouldn’t need any of his family’s fancy weaponry or arcane knowledge. Any one of the guns lining the walls for display would be the end of Max in a single mundane trigger pull.</blockquote>

<blockquote>Eric has landed his dream job: social media manager for the Providence Falconers! Not only does he get paid to tweet, for an NHL team at that, but it’s a job where he’ll be able to make good use of his magic - when nobody’s looking, of course. Everyone on the Falconers is a joy to work with… with the notable exception of Jack Zimmermann. Eric understands that Jack doesn’t like social media, but he could certainly be a little more polite about it. Luckily, Eric has support from his Samwell buddies, as well as his best friend - a man whose face he’s never seen, and whose name he doesn’t know. They met on an online forum where witches can gather anonymously, since it isn’t safe for them to advertise their existence in a world where magic isn’t trusted. They’ve been friends for years now, but Eric is only just starting to realize that he might have deeper feelings for someone he can never meet face-to-face.</blockquote>

<blockquote>A novice forest witch wracked with self-doubt is sent to an icy land where she is inadvertently soul-bonded to a fearless silent warrior.</blockquote> ➤ loved the worldbuilding and the interrelationships and the main character, did not feel like the ending did enough to resolve things (especially the romance) but still really enjoyed the story overall

<blockquote>Aimee’s big trick is that she makes 26 monkeys vanish on stage.</blockquote> ➤ love the ending, reveals just enough to be satisfying while still leaving things mysterious

<blockquote>He had not even been allowed to keep his morningstar -- Mike Jackson, whose mastery of the instrument had been admired by all at Wrykyn! Here at beastly Sedleigh they would not even know what a morningstar was, probably.</blockquote> ➤ OH MY GOD

<blockquote>Five times Peter practiced magic on the Victorian farm (and one time the farm had a magic all its own)</blockquote>

<blockquote>My parents knew I was a witch before I was born. The signs were there, they told me. They were unmistakable. Well. Not all of the signs, or they never would have kept me as long as they did. </blockquote>

<blockquote>The witch had a favorite saying: where there’s life, there’s magic. There was a second part — where there’s magic, there’s death — but she usually kept that to herself.</blockquote> ➤ strange and creepy-sad and compelling

➤ someone reblogged my 10 captivating stories rec list with this one as an additional rec and I think it's one of my fave additions I've gotten yet. Described as a "latina lesbian werewolf witch" story in counterpoint to the canadian lesbian werewolf baby story I'd recced

<blockquote>"Now I do wish it, love it, long for it, And will for evermore be true to it." Four lovers come to terms with the aftermath of a wild night. Modern AU, with magic.</blockquote>

<blockquote>All the awkwardness of seeking a volunteer for an attempt, which every soldier was convinced was as good as asking a man to cast away his life to no purpose, naturally recommended Colonel Hamilton's offer; in any case, Washington allow'd himself to be persuaded, and the operation was carried out an hour later, in a deserted and fallow field some half a mile from the encampment.</blockquote> ➤ TOO INTO THIS OMG ➤ (though the attempt at historical apostrophes in place of the e in "ed" words was kind of a fail. Occasionally there was even an apostrophe in a word where the "ed" is DEFINITELY PRONOUNCED. How am I supposed to pronounce "frustrat'd", please? Oh well, I'm willing to overlook this for a brilliant magician au)

<blockquote>“Burning Girls” by Veronica Schanoes is a fascinating dark fantasy novella about a Jewish girl educated by her grandmother as a healer and witch growing up in an increasingly hostile environment in Poland in the late nineteenth century. In addition to the natural danger of destruction by Cossacks, she must deal with a demon plaguing her family.</blockquote> ➤ WOW THIS WAS REALLY GOOD

<blockquote>I don't even know. I wanted to write some trope-y drabble to entertain myself. Instead, have some "Javert becomes Valjean's possession by accident because Enjolras does blood magic" fic?</blockquote> ➤ yessss

<blockquote>Geoffrey Tennant made a career out of not allowing magicians to interfere with his productions. Darren Nichols, on the other hand, once turned his audience into grains of sand for a production of Beckett. The disagreement accidentally shapes their lives.</blockquote>

➤ The one with the illusionist-pyromancer and the dragon palace in the mountains in the snow

<blockquote>“Don’t heal me with medicine,” he wheezes. “Stitches—fail. They fail like doubt. Tell Aelana what you want... want done, and—if you truly want it, she will give you the power to forge it....” “Are you mad?” I scream, my nostrils filled with the fetid scent of blood and bowel-shit again, and oh my Goddess my father is just like the soldiers—</blockquote>

<blockquote>Not that anyone from the Guild is going to change their mind about Ray’s status after one night of fake smiles and handshakes, but. Well, it’s not like it could make things any worse. Ray meets Brad at a party, but things aren't quite as they seem.</blockquote>

<blockquote>While on a mission to the city of the Genii, Rodney McKay, master alchemist, is given a gift of a slave.</blockquote> ➤ An interesting and well put together AU https://web.archive.org/web/20160506210656/http://rhymer.org.uk/sga/slave.htm