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livingindreams
( terrible show )
duckprintspress
Our July panel was during the last weekend of July, and now hot on the heels of that, our August panel for Patreon backers at the $7/month, $10/month, and $25/month level is during the first weekend of August!
Panel Description: No matter what genre you write, world building is essential for setting the scene, helping readers understand the when and where and why of the story, and framing the narrative. Some stories require a lot of worldbuilding, others very little, but no matter how much is necessary to help the readers navigate the characters’ surroundings, figuring out how to work that worldbuilding into the story is a perpetual concern. This panel, we discuss effective and ineffective ways of integrating the worldbuilding into stories, how approaches may vary depending on the length of the story and the genre, standard worldbuilding advice such as “show don’t tell” and “don’t infodump!”, and examples of stories we’ve read where we thought the worldbuilding was especially well or especially poorly integrated with the narrative.
Panelists: Nina Waters, Vee Sloane, Dei Walker, and Zel Howland
yuerstruly posting in baihe_mediaThe link to the novel on JJWXC can be found here.
You can also follow the novel through the audiobook on Himalaya, though there may be slight changes and ommissions from the original.
Please feel free to post chapter summaries if I'm not getting to them by the planned schedule (one for every weekday Monday to Friday).
Discussion for Chapter 1-10 here.
Discussion for Chapters 11-20 here.
Discussion for Chapters 21-30 here.
duckprintspress
The Kickstater to fund publishing our next anthology, Scholarly Pursuits: A Queer Anthology of Cozy Academia Stories, is almost 75% of the way to our goal! But regardless of when we hit 100%, this campaign will run through August 12 2025, and we have 19 more authors to introduce, so stick around and learn about all the stories.
Today, meet Maggie Page and Dei Walker, both returning to publish with Duck Prints Press after being involved in multiple past projects.
Author: Maggie Page (she/her)
Biography: Maggie Page lives in Texas with family, including her incorrigibly clumsy mom with a green thumb and two silly dogs. Her most recent publications with Duck Prints Press appear in He Bears the Cape of Stars and Add Magic to Taste. Previously, Maggie has published several poems and a piece of flash fiction with collegiate and independent journals.
Aside from writing, Maggie enjoys music, traveling, camping, creating art of both decent and questionable quality, and torturing her loved ones with ruthless board game victories. Befriending her comes with the hazard of being subjected to fervent media analysis, which is her true favorite pastime. Currently, exposure to Sherlock Holmes and Dishonored are risks upon approaching her.
Story Title: Fair Winds and Fortune
Excerpt:
“What do you think about their relationship?”
Bastian mulled over the question. Zara had undersold Emory’s charm, and Bastian wanted to make a good impression. “I appreciate their bond. Their willingness to protect each other is admirable, and their affection is so… clear. Relatable. I wish Barker would tell Cyrus the truth about what happened during the robbery.”
Zara made an emphatic noise. “Absolutely! If he doesn’t, I’ll find a way into the book and shake him, I swear.”
Bastian and Emory both grinned at her enthusiasm.
“He has to,” Emory agreed, “especially if they’re moving in together. I hope Glen makes them a couple.”
“Do you think he will?” Bastian asked, uncertain and intrigued. He had noticed hints of romance in the text but wasn’t sure if he was reading too much into the story, yearning for a similar dynamic.
Emory shrugged and tilted his head back and forth as though weighing possibilities. “There are indications that point that way. Subtle ones. But it seems more like purposeful foreshadowing than empty promises.”
“Unlike Farris Cline,” Bastian added.
Zara pulled a disgusted face. “Ugh, Cline. We don’t like him.”
Author: Dei Walker (she/her)
Biography: Dei Walker (she/her) is a queer New Englander abroad, having spent almost half her life overseas. She currently lives with her family in Beijing, China. When she isn’t writing, she can be found knitting, scuba diving, or playing games (video or tabletop).
Story Title: Field Research
Excerpt:
They pushed the sentimental moment away. The purpose of this venture wasn’t beauty or sentiment; it was cataloguing and analysis.
“It’s lovely,” Ailin murmured behind them. “And look—there at the edge. What is that?”
Yahui glanced behind, affronted by the interruption, then followed Ailin’s eyeline.
Paddling through the reeds was—
If asked, they would have been hard-pressed to answer properly. It looked like an overlarge duck or perhaps a juvenile goose, long-necked and sharp-eyed.
It was also purple.
“It’s new,” Yahui murmured. “I haven’t seen anything like that in the texts or heard about it from the masters. We need to get a sample of something—a feather, if nothing else—to bring back, or no one will ever believe us.”
Their heart pounded with enthusiasm and the bright, desperate need to get their hands on this bird and find out what it was, measure its wingspan and trace its feet and see if it had a goose’s tongue or something more sinister within. The sunlight flashed off feathers gleaming iridescent like the inside of an abalone shell.
“I’m going after it.”
adore
profiterole_readstinypinkmouse posting in sid_guardianNo one expects the Black Cloaked Envoy to show up with baby animals clinging to him. Yet somehow it keeps happening.
ldybastet posting in anime_mangazabimitsuki for beta-reading this for me! :)paradisedinermod posting in paradisedineramedia posting in sid_guardianleejooheonshadarasbattleshipex is, as ever, an experience. xD my team hit the victory condition this afternoon after blazing through the boards and bosses in a frankly terrifying way. I do not think we expected to go this fast. I do not think anyone expected a team to go this fast! The mods kept going UH SLOW DOWN WE AREN'T READY. hafnia has begun posting the novel that ate us to ao3, and I am delighted that other people can start reading the thing that we've been discussing incessantly for two months. xD This has been our mutual hyperfocus! It is the product of us gleefully following our shared ids and going "what if—" and also tormenting our blorbos. <3aurumcalendula posting in girlgayaurumcalenduladuckprintspressToday, we start our series of posts introducing the authors and sharing excerpts from their work! Meet Vee Sloane, Cassia King, and E. V. Dean.
Author: Vee Sloane (they/them)
Biography: Vee Sloane has authored a novel, several short stories, some poetry, and twenty-two years worth of fanfic. They live with one lovely spouse, one rambunctious clever child, and one sleepy cat.
Story Title: Escape the Stacks
Excerpt:
“Twiggs?” Quint called out. “Hello?”
They moved into the stacks, looking down for some hint or clue.
That’s when they were tackled from above.
“Back, fiend!” a small voice cried as arms wrapped around Quint’s neck. “You’ll never take me!”
Unfortunately for their attacker, Quint significantly out-massed them. Quint rocked back on their heels in surprise, catching their hand on a shelf to steady themselves. Their attacker hung limply around their neck, like a sad scarf.
“Twiggs?” Quint asked carefully. “I’m Detective Quint Guff. I was sent here to find you.”
Author: Cassia King (she/her)
Biography: Cassia King writes sapphic adult fantasy romance. When not crafting word magic, she enjoys collecting trinkets, reading tarot, and lifting weights. Cassia lives in Maryland with her herd of pets. You can connect with her on Instagram (@cassiakingauthor), on Bluesky (@cassiakingauthor.bsky.social), or at www.authorivyljames.com, where she writes queer contemporary romance and poetry as Ivy L. James.
Story Title: Partnered Up
Excerpt:
When it became clear Professor Urzoth wasn’t going to say anything else, Bridget huffed and stuck out her hand. “Let’s try this again. You can call me Bridget, if we’re gonna be in close quarters this week.”
Professor Urzoth hesitated, but then gripped Bridget’s hand with a gentle strength, her oversized purple hand practically swallowing Bridget’s slim peach one. The touch was warm but not clammy, firm but not domineering, and it lingered longer than Bridget had expected it to. The orcish professor gave Bridget a real shake, not a dainty, too-careful one like she might break. No, she treated her like an equal. Not many people thought of a petite elf that way, no matter how much she bulked up.
“You can call me Ismanna, then.” The orc dropped Bridget’s hand a second too late, and the warmth of her touch lingered on Bridget’s skin. She flexed her fingers in an effort to dispel it. She didn’t need that quiet strength clinging to her hand or any other part of her, thanks.
Author: E. V. Dean (she/her)
Biography: E. V. Dean is a writer with a decade of fanfiction writing under her belt. She’s embarking on her original fiction adventure with the angst tag kept within arm’s reach. Her favorite excuse not to write is watching Jeopardy.
Story Title: Late or Never
Excerpt:
If she overlooks the sea of gray hair and bald spots stretched before her, Janine almost feels like a real college freshman. Dr. Vamer’s magnetic voice fills out the uselessly spacious lecture hall, spinning tales of spirits plaguing misty moors. The chemical scent of a brand-new book of folklore wafts into Janine’s nose with each turn of the page as she’s trying to keep up with note-taking.
In nearly half a century, she’s gotten a little rusty at it—not scribbling fast enough. Some people in the hall have brought laptops, and they type away swiftly, as if they have a lifetime of office work behind them. Janine never learned that black-magic trick, so she’s stuck with pen and paper, and with the slender set of highlighters her daughter Mary gifted to her—a sort of olive branch—before Janine left. Mary swore they’re indispensable when studying. And she was right; they make the information pop up and settle easier in Janine’s ancient brain.
Janine can only hope that her son David’s parting words will not also prove correct.
Campaign ends August 12th 2025 at 1 p.m. Eastern time.
adore
fennectik posting in anime_manga
luckyzukky in livingindreams - sins we can live with ・ power rangers samuraiduckprintspress - August Patreon Panel: How to Work Worldbuilding into the Narrativeyuerstruly in baihe_media - Miss Forensics 我亲爱的法医小姐 Read Along: Chapters 31 to 40duckprintspress - Meet the “Scholarly Pursuits” Authors: Maggie Page and Dei Walkeradore - Sweethearteningprofiterole_reads - Korean practicetinypinkmouse in sid_guardian - Fic: Who We Really Areldybastet in anime_manga - Alone At Last [Haru/Ren; PG-13]paradisedinermod in paradisediner - New Music Monday - 28 July 2025ambien_noisewall in onesongaday - Holy Fawn - one of the bands that got me into metalamedia in sid_guardian - Fanvid: Galileo (gen)leejooheon - (no subject)shadaras - (no subject)aurumcalendula in girlgay - Just To Ask A Dance (The Old Guard movies, Andy/Quynh)aurumcalendula in passion_perfection - The Old Guard fanvidaurumcalendula - (no subject)duckprintspress - Meet the “Scholarly Pursuits” Authors: Vee Sloane, Cassia King, and E. V. Deanshipperslist - Friday five on Sunday: wishesadore - (no subject)fennectik in anime_manga - Watched Castlevania Nocturnecarisma_sensei
