#the book of the one thousand and one nights

[copperbadge]

Lately, it's felt like every time I've started to work on writing, I'll just be getting into the rhythm of it when I get interrupted, either by work or the cats or because the time I'd booked in the library study room is up (you can only do two hours at a time, and only four hours a week total). It was getting to the point where I kept re-reading the same chapter or so of previous work but never managing to add to it.

So I tried an experiment this past weekend -- I found a really cheap rate on a local hotel room, and on Friday I took an overnight bag and a very old laptop with limited processing power and checked into a room about a mile from home for a quasi "staycation". I unpacked and had a quiet night on Friday, as prelude to working Saturday-Sunday. The idea was to write uninterrupted by other people, pets, the presence of all my Stuff around me at home, et cetera.

I had snacks but I also bought meals out, which was nice; I don't often order in or buy out when I'm at home. The way I set up was that I would do fifty minutes of writing with do-not-disturb engaged on my phone and then ten minutes of checking email, texts, etc. since often what pulls me out of writing is a text or an email that needs answering, or the anxiety that I'm missing one that would. If I set it so that every hour I check, well, nobody's going to die if something doesn't get answered in an hour, so the anxiety isn't there, and neither is the distraction. (I found a nice app for this, review later depending on how functional it continues to be for me, but it's a like $4 app called Forest.)

It worked pretty well -- writing for an uninterrupted hour, as long as I know what I'm working on, is very functional for me. I average about two thousand words, that way, though there is a limit to the number of hours I can put in. I ended up doing two hours in the morning and one hour in the afternoon, then switched from fiction writing to clearing out my tumblr drafts and some correspondence for the fourth hour. So it went something like

Go out and get breakfast, bring back and eat in room

Change into lounging clothes and do two one-hour sessions

Go out and get lunch, eat lunch out

Bit of a rest break back in the room

Two one-hour sessions, one of writing; when tired, switch to something that requires less creativity

Go out and get dinner, bring back and eat in room

And then in the evening the plan was to watch movies or catch up on reading, but I ended up being mentally weary, so instead I did some simple tarot reading. It was less divination or even meditation than just messing around, keeping the creativity stimulated; I did a couple of Creative Writing spreads, some very brief divination spreads (I nicked a nice three-card spread here that I mentally call He To Hecuba, and just used it in general rather than for a specific question) and then invented a spread when I was starting to get irritated that the same like, five cards kept coming up, more on this in its own post.

Sunday I did one more writing session but it was less successful, I think partly because what I was writing required a lot of research and partly because the previous day I'd dumped eight thousand words into the file. (Research took longer because I brought the most garbage laptop known to man, and the browsers crash if you try to open Google Maps, but in other ways it was ideal since there wasn't much I could do on it other than write.) But I had a good breakfast, got some rest, packed up easily enough, and headed home just ahead of the rain storm.

I don't think it's something I'll be able to do in that format especially often, since the deal I got on the hotel was an anomaly and Chicago lodging, even just AirBNB stuff, is stupid expensive. But in addition to helping get some work done it was a nice break, so I'm going to look into ways I could swing it on a perhaps monthly basis, or some other way to cheaply spend an entire day alone with decent access to a bathroom/snacks and a way to come and go easily. I've looked into coworking spaces before but they tend to be prohibitively expensive and don't really have the setup I'd prefer; there's a hostel on the north side with private rooms that I might try out but it doesn't seem significantly cheaper than a hotel. I might just have to pick one weekend a month and watch last-minute hotel price cuts where they simply want to fill a room for a day or two.

Anyway, functionally I wrote almost a fifth of a novel this weekend, and one that I wasn't feeling super on fire about; I'm feeling much better about it now that I've got some established plot going and I feel like I "know" the newer characters a bit better. (Also I'm enjoying writing Simon as someone who is absolutely entranced by his love interest and clueless that what he's feeling isn't mild antipathy because they met while fighting over ricotta.) So it was a big help, although if I were to put a budget line item in the Extribulum Press ledger for "writing staycation" it would wipe out my royalties surplus very quickly.

#writing #shivadhverse

[catslilypad]

We're Cats on a Lilypad Studios. A solo run indie studio based in regional Australia and we make visual novels!

We aim to bring you rich and vibrant worlds, characters and narratives with a focus on fantasy, romance, and adventure.

(and cats)

See what we're working on!

GAMES

The Inn Between

Steam || Itch.io

Lead Artist: XianJin Publisher - Two and a Half Studios

A modern fantasy BL visual novel following Myka Riley, a young barista with a mystery on his hands.

He has no memory of his past, a sketch book full of creatures only he can see and a nightmare he can't shake.

A phone call from a stranger changes the course of his life as he's directed to a mystical inn on the outskirts of town.

A story of gods, demons and a world beyond anything Myka could have imagined as he seeks his past.

🏮Three love interests 🏮Incredible soundtrack + art 🏮Catboy, goatman, roommate! 🏮Free NSFW patch

Our full common route is now available in beta on our Patreon!

Heart Agency

Steam || Itch.io

Lead Artist: 6nii9

A model, an actor and an idol get assigned to a reluctant composer and brother of the agency head.

There's no punchline, there IS Heart Agency however, our BL idol visual novel in development.

A modern day BL visual novel about a composer from a famous family who isn't so keen on fame himself.

Not only are his parents world renown performers, they also own their own talent agency, which Adrian Heart is now compelled to work at.

Becoming the reluctant manager to one of three elite talents Adrian has his work cut out for him. All while maintaining his anonymity.

🎬 Three Love Interests 🎬 Original Soundtrack 🎬 Gorgeous art 🎬 All your favourite Idol themes

Heart Agency is getting a completely revamped demo via our Patreon!

Moonflower

Steam || Itch.io

Lead Artist: Tomomochi

The Moonflower...is dying...

Play as Nika Skylar, a royal alchemist with an aversion to nobility as he uncovers a century long plot, investigates a murder AND rescues a sacred and rare fae flower.

When a once a century festival is attacked, High Alchemist Nika Skylar is forced to take matters into his own hands. Accompanied by a mysterious stranger who ignites his very soul, he has one night to save not only the kingdom but the rarest and most powerful entity in the world.

The fabled Moonflower.

🌸 56 thousand words with multiple endings 🌸 Gorgeous CG 🌸 Bonus Chibi 🌸 Alchemy Minigame 🌸 Catboy

Moonflower

Steam || Itch.io

Lead Artist: Tomomochi Key Art: Fuyuure

One year after the disastrous Moonfaire all seems well in Ashmire.

But what of our fated fae?

While memories of the event are hazy to all others Captain Thane has remained vigilant, waiting for the promised return of their felinis alchemist.

With the arrival of a voiceless fox perhaps his wait is at an end?

🌘 Continue the love story of Skylar and Ender 🌘 New locations 🌘 New characters 🌘 Gorgeous art and breathtaking backgrounds

🍑Additional Patreon exclusive NSFW ending

ARTBOOKS and BUNDLES

The Art Collection Volume 1

Every month our patrons vote to decide our monthly illustrations themes and characters Illustrated by Mizu Yukiiro.

These votes include theme, SFW character and NSFW character.

A collection of select past patreon illustration and promotional artworks can be purchased in the Artbook Volume 1 on itch.io.

The Art and Lore of Moonflower

Steam || Itch.io

Delver into deeper into the world of Moonflower with the art and lore of Moonflower!

This book covers all the details of the game, from character concepts, to extended lore and even a comprehensive endings guide.

BL LOVERS BUNDLE

Steam

Three games, two developers!

Immerse yourself in three captivating stories: The Divine Speaker, an 18+ fantasy visual novel; Moonflower, a mystery fantasy visual novel; and start;again, a hilarious (yet somewhat heartbreaking) mystery visual novel.

And the best part? You can get all three games at a discounted price! Already own one or two of the games? No problem! Pay only for the games you don't have yet and still receive the bundle discount. Don't miss out on this fantastic deal!

If you'd like to follow along in real time and see other things from us as well our discord and twitter are the best places to find the studio, chat, and also see what other devs are working on as we collaborate or share.

You can find all of our links and socials on our Linktree

Find Us:

Twitter

Tumblr

Discord

TikTok

Instagram

BlueSky

Support us on our Patreon for multigame updates, exclusive illustration and more:

Patreon

Buy our merch, such a Keychains, prints and Dakimakura on Ko-Fi:

Ko-f

As well as making games, I also sometimes get to play them!

Catch me on Youtube playing games and sometimes singing!

Exclusive dev streams sometime? (づ￣ 3￣)づ

Youtube Twitch Ko-Fi Twitter Tumblr Discord

#visual novel #vn #the inn between #heart agency #moonflower #cats on a lilypad

[avocadorablepirate]

What Do We Call This? - 07

prev || mini masterlist || next

Pairing: Trafalgar Law x fem!reader

Summary: On a quest to find what you've been looking for, you acquire the help of the Straw Hat pirates, who've agreed to let you temporarily join them. There are however many challenges that come along with your temporary recruitment - an alliance with a certain Trafalgar Law being one of them.

Word Count: 1.2K

Warnings: fluff, angst, kinda slow burn, swearing, the occasional OP spoiler, they're both kinda mean to each other in this one

A/N: I don't know whether this series has a great flow, and honestly I don't know how well I've portrayed Law's character, but that's okay cause I'm very happy with how this chapter turned out <⁠(⁠￣⁠︶⁠￣⁠)⁠>. I hope you like it too!

—⁠☆✿☆—⁠

Having boarded Law's ship you trail behind him into the submarine, leaving his crew and the Straw Hats on the deck. While you mindlessly followed him, you took note of the stark difference between the Polar Tang and the Thousand Sunny. Although it seemed a lot more cold, the grey metal walls of the submarine also offered a sense of security in their own way, the faint beeping noises oddly comforting.

Shifting your focus from the walls back to the man walking in front, you called out to him when you realised he hadn't noticed you following, or at least hadn't bothered to acknowledge your presence. On hearing his name Law slowly turned to face you.

"So what did you need my assistance with?" you ask, tilting your head in curiosity. From the time you had spent with him, you knew that when it came to planning, Law was always two steps ahead of the rest. So maybe his plan required you to be in Wano, or maybe he required your assistance with something on his submarine.

"You'd only hurt yourself more if you went with Straw Hat-ya to retrieve Black-Leg. It's better for you this way."

Or maybe not.

"Really? So, that whole needing my assistance thing was a lie?" His lack of a response was enough of an answer.

"I can take care of myself Law. I don't need you constantly watching over me like I'm some child," you assert, ready to storm off before your frustration escalated. But before you can retreat, an all too familiar blue aura envelopes you. "Law-" you try to protest to his actions but your words fall on deaf ears.

"Room."

"Shambles."

The room shifts to what looks like the infirmary of the Polar Tang, and you find yourself already seated on the white matress of a surgical bed as Law shuts the door to the room. Before you can inquire about his intentions, he answers your unspoken question.

"You haven't changed your bandages since we left Dressrosa," he remarks, pulling out a gauze wrap from a drawer and positioning himself in front of you.

"I changed them yesterday," you counter, but this only leads him to roll his eyes, "Clearly, you didn't do a good job of it," he chides, gesturing at the gauze that had been haphazardly wrapped around your torso. In your defense, you were in a bit of a hurry. Robin had found some books in Zou that she thought you would like, and you were all too eager to read them (plus, lingering in the infirmary for too long risked someone seeing your wounds)

"They don't need to be changed. I'm fine. It's all healed." You once again try to convince him, but you're met with a stern look this time. "Just because filling yourself up with alcohol and sleeping every chance you get numbs the pain, does not mean you're healed."

You're caught off guard by Law's reply. Though you think to yourself that maybe you should have known that someone like the Surgeon of Death, who knew how your devil fruit worked would notice that your consumption of alcohol and constant need to sleep were clear signs of you trying to distract yourself from the pain. Evidently, you had no memory of what you had said to him a few nights ago.

"Law-" you once again try to protest, but he's already removing the bandages, and you wince as his hand lightly grazes your side. He looks at you confused, your wounds shouldn't hurt just from this, he thinks to himself, and quickly but gently removes the rest of the gauze. His expression changes from one of confusion to frustration as he looks from the fresh blue-black bruises spattered across your torso to you.

"How did this happen?" he asks, and you shift in your seat, biting down on your lip as you contemplate telling him or not.

"How did this happen?" he spits through gritted teeth, and you shift your gaze away from him, at the same time realising that he wouldn't relent until you gave him an explanation.

"Some of the Minks were still injured before we left Zou, and Chopper wasn't around, so I helped them."

You notice his fists clench and unclench in response to your answer, a sign that he was trying to control his emotions. You choose to slowly meet his gaze as he takes a deep breath before letting out a sigh, already anticipating your response to his next question, "Why didn't you call me?"

"You were meeting your crew after so long, I didn't want to bother you."

He tries to remain calm, but your answer only fuels his frustration. His fists clench once again and he bangs them into the table causing you to flinch. Law's hands now enclose you on either side, his head bent down, so that his hat just about covers the way he's clenching his jaw.

"Why are you always finding ways to hurt yourself?" he murmers, his voice barely above a whisper. But he doesn't give you a chance to repond, "Do you care so little about your life?"

"It's just a few bruises," you respond, and this time he meets your gaze, his grey eyes laden with emotion.

"I don't understand," Law pauses, his anger mounting. "Why!? Why do you not care about your own well-being!? Why do you insist on helping people who've never done shit for you!?"

His words strike a nerve, and you scoff. You can only assume that he's referring to the Straw Hats. Your own emotions are starting to get the best of you, and you throw him a glare of your own, "What the fuck do you know!?" you yell back. Law's taken aback by your outburst, but is quick to regain his 'composure'. However, you don't give him time to respond.

"You know absolutely nothing about me Law, and you have no fucking idea what I've been through and what these people have done for me! So stop trying to protect me!" You grab at the gauze wrap and try to push him aside, but he doesn't budge. His hands grip tightly at the white sheets of the surgical bed, but he doesn't say anything.

"Move Law," you command, but his grip only strengthens, his knuckles turning white.

"I know enough about you to know that you knew Cora-san, and that's enough of a reason for me to protect you."

Law's jaw relaxes, but he remains silent and unmoving, reverting to his stoic demeanour as he waits for some sort of reaction from you, or maybe deliberates over what to say next. You're taken by surprise at first, not knowing how to react to his revelation. But the emotions are quick to come back, and your frustration with him that has been unknowingly brewing over the past month refuses to back down from this confrontation.

"Then you know that he wanted both of us to keep living. Yet you were ready to give your life in exchange for bringing down Doflamingo. So, don't fucking come to me about not caring about mine," you retort with more spite than you intend, your words almost like venom to Law. But you're far too infuriated to take them back. With one final shove you manage to push past him.

"(Y/N)-ya," he calls out to you, attempting to sound firm, but the tremble in his voice is unmistakable.

"I think it's best if we keep our distance," you mumble more to yourself as you walk out the door, leaving Law behind.

_______________________________________________

A/N: This was actually supposed to be longer, but I decided not to include the next part cause it would kinda downplay this part and just lose the drama. So y'all are going to have to wait till next week for them to maybe make up :⁠-⁠P.

taglist: @trafalgardaria @deathsmajestysworld

#law x reader #trafalgar law x reader #law fanfic #one piece x reader #law x you #trafalgar law fanfiction #trafalgar law x y/n

[droughtofapathy]

"Welcome to the Theatre": Diary of a Broadway Baby

The Great Gatsby

April 27, 2024 | Broadway | Broadway Theatre | Evening | Musical | Original | 2H 30M

All the sparkly costumes and grandiose set pieces can't disguise this show's intellectually and musically filthy core. With a creative team that seems to have missed the entire point of Fitzgerald's book, Bad Gatsby is a Vegas spectacle best suited to theme parks and audiences bereft of critical thought. I have no loyalty to the source material. As a lesbian, I didn't much care for the book and its protagonist who seems disinterested in women, and spent pages waxing poetry about the male physique. But even I know it's a classic brimming with intellectual nuance, while this production is anything but. The relationship between Gatsby and Nick is now only ever a passing acquaintance, rather than the very foundation. The show's aggressive heterosexuality sees Nick and Jordan (a forcibly-feminized, pick-me girlboss type) romping about as Gatsby and Daisy, somehow even duller than the book (and how was that ever possible?) sing power ballads at and about each other that say nothing, and move the plot even less.

This adaptation of the beloved classic novel gleefully excises any and all purpose. Nick's idolization and homoerotic love for Gatsby drives the book's narrative. Here, he's doing basically nothing. My kingdom for a dramaturg who seems to actually like and understand the book, rather than someone who just wants to capitalize on it being newly public-domain. Why, oh why, do people keep adapting classics they clearly do not like? I don't like Gatsby, so I'd never bother to write a musical adaptation of it.

And speaking of music, it's ill-suited to both the period and the story. Everything is all contemporary pop ballad, and as someone who doesn't care about or know much of Jeremy Jordan, it's not working. Perhaps it's my blatant lesbianism and pretentious disregard for the allure of youth, but he's never seemed overly remarkable. He's a white male tenor. There are fifteen-thousand who look and sound just like him. But from the constant shrieking up in the mezzanine, you'd have thought the Beatles had come back for a one-night-only reunion. Thankfully, in my front side-orchestra section, I was surrounded by older patrons who politely clapped and refrained from any such screaming. Also, Jeremy Jordan's accent is all over the place, and I can't imagine why.

The shallow production that sits in the (possibly cursed, at this point) Broadway Theatre, has been robbed of its social commentary, its purpose, its depth. The characters are caricatures, the subtext is spelled out on a chalkboard (A song entitled "The Green Light"???) and is in some fascinating way, a meta commentary in and of itself. A massive budget allows for not one, but two working cars to drive around on stage. The glitz and glam blinded the creatives to anything...creative.

And don't even get me started on the baffling decision to cast a Mexican-Asian woman as Daisy, the quintessential image of white privilege. What are we saying by having Eva Noblezada in that role? It's such a thankless role that it's not like her talents are being utilized. And her character is so weak and dull, even more so than the book itself. And she's out here doing a hit-and-run, and yet we're just gonna...gloss right over that, I guess? And Nick's disgusted by Jordan saying they shouldn't tell the police what they know, but then immediately goes to plead with Gatsby to get out of town? Having done no work in the show to justify this loyalty, it's just inconsistency.

Also, and now I'm just jumping around to things I didn't like, the scene where Gatsby gets shot is staged so that Wilson is pointing and shooting that gun right at the front right orchestra section. And staring down the barrel of a gun is not what I want to be doing on a Saturday evening at 10:30 p.m. He shoots that thing twice while pointed at the audience, and no thanks.

Anyway, the Florence Welch Gatsby is at the ART now, so let's hope that one actually understands the damn book.

Verdict: Someone Put This Dumpster Fire Out

A Note on Ratings

#the great gatsby #broadway #welcome to the theatre: diary of a broadway baby #musical theatre #theatre #i'm so tired of bad musicals i just need to see kimberly akimbo today and have my faith restored #and my heart broken...final performance

[illustratus]

The Sultan orders to cut off Aladdin's head by Albert Robida

#aladdin #scimitar #art #albert robida #illustration #aladdin and the wonderful lamp #one thousand and one nights #1001 nights #arabian nights #folklore #folk tales #fairy tales #chains #sword #oriental #middle eastern #executioner #swords #folk tale #hanna diyab #china #chinese #the book of the one thousand and one nights #the arabian nights #antoine galland #mythology #asia #asian #sultan

[dragons-hoard-of-fandoms]

#How to Train Your Dragon #HtTYD #HtTYD Books #Toothless #Book Toothless #Dragons #Night Fury #Dogs #Doge #Cheems #Shiba Inu #For legal reasons this is a joke #Not saying one is better than the other #I love them both equally #Please laugh #Straight From the Dragon's Mouth #Posts Worth a Thousand Notes

[alifeoffairytales]

Léon Georges Jean-Baptiste Carré (1878 ~ 1942) 1926 illustration for 'The Book of One Thousand and One Nights'

#Léon Georges Jean-Baptiste Carré #Léon Carré #The Book of One Thousand and One Nights #Leon Carre #One Thousand and One Nights #Arabian Nights #1920s #Middle Eastern folktales #Middle Eastern fairy tales #folktales #fairy tales #fairytale #fantasy #folklore #fairy tale illustration #vintage art #vintage illustration

[stone-cold-groove]

Magic carpet ride. One Thousand and One Nights - 1906.

#vintage illustration #vintage art #vintage books #arabian nights #1001 nights #one thousand and one nights #maxfield parrish #book illustration #children’s book illustrations #magic carpet ride

[metvmorqhoses]

The hellsite has turned into a massive vampiric book club overnight proving itself once again the effortlessly superior form of social media, I’ve never been prouder in my entire life and that’s the paprika

#listen! the children of the night #what music they make #dracula daily #i’m flying #dracula #my favorite books #books #lit #text #history #one and one thousand stories lis told

[haveyoureadthisbook-poll]

#one thousand and one nights #book poll #have you read this book poll #polls

[lexxwithbooks]

📖: 𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝑾𝒓𝒂𝒕𝒉 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝑫𝒂𝒘𝒏 (𝑇ℎ𝑒 𝑊𝑟𝑎𝑡ℎ 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝐷𝑎𝑤𝑛 #1) 🏹🌅🦅

✍🏽: 𝐑𝐞𝐧𝐞é 𝐀𝐡𝐝𝐢𝐞𝐡

Get the book! 🌟

#the wrath and the dawn #twatd #reneé ahdieh #one thousand and one nights #one thousand and one nights retelling #retelling #modern retelling #enemies to lovers #arranged marriage #shahrzad #young adult #poc characters #historical fiction romance #historical romance #khalid x shahrzad #shahrzad al khayzuran #khalid ben al rashid #renee ahdieh #books recommendations #new books #books #books recs #libros recomendados #libros #tbr #book tumblr #frase libro #revenge plot #storytelling #book couples

[pickapea]

i need to quit my job for a year so i can consume every piece of media ive ever loved one more time

#need to go through them all in one sitting at a time #with no responsibilities or time limitations #i would like to alternate between drawing and lying on the floor and listen to the magnus archives and welcome to night vale #and clean my apartment whilst listening too #and exercise and work out and ride by bicycle while listening to critical role #and reread all of homestuck up late at night #and reread all the books ive bought bc i loved them so much i wanted to own them. out on the balcony or in my armchair #and rewatch all of inuyasha #and also reread black butler too #i would cook a thousand different types of porridge to survive. and also eat little biscuits #and every once in a while. i would cook a hearty meal. and i would listen to episodes of critical role then too #i need a full year without responsibilities to do this #i realise what i want is to retire #i will do all of this when i turn 67 #pickapost

[openbookchocolates]

Two brand-new flavors — The Count of Monte Cristo & One Thousand and One Nights — coming to Kickstarter, launching September 5th, 2023!

The Count of Monte Cristo: Porcini Mushrooms & Peach in Dark Chocolate.

One Thousand and One Nights: Pistachios & Apricot in Goat's Milk Chocolate.

#the count of monte cristo #one thousand and one nights #arabian nights #alexandre dumas #monte cristo #chocolate bar #books & libraries #books #chocolate #food #small business #pistachio

[maddiesbookshelves]

I just gave 5 star reviews to two books in a row, I'm scared the next one will be very bad. Please pray for me 🥲

#booklr community #booklr #books #in case you're curious the books are #spear #nicola griffith #the second one is #a thousand steps into night #traci chee

[rivermask]

Tumblr Book Club Suggestions, if anyone is looking to start a project:

- The Count of Monte Cristo

- The Thousand and One Nights

- Around the World in Eighty Days

The latter two could be scheduled to align with the in-universe timeline. Epic!

#tumblr book club #tumblr university #The thousand and one nights #arabian nights #count of monte cristo #around the world in eighty days

[kimartings]

A mini-series from my portfolio, these illustrations were envisioned as full book cover wraparounds for the Odyssey, Romance of the Three Kingdoms, and One Thousand and One Nights. These were all done using acrylic inks.

#my art #odyssey #romance of the three kingdoms #one thousand and one nights #book illustration #illustration #acrylic ink illustration #traditional art #2022