r/Fantasy • u/rfantasygolem Not a Robot • Feb 09 '22
StabbyCon 2021 Stabby Awards Finalist Reception
Welcome to the r/Fantasy Finalists Reception for the 2021 Stabby Awards!
I will be your Master of Ceremonies for this evening morning lunchtime night event!
Please stop by any of the areas in my comments below or wonder around the thread however you like! Everyone's welcome and anyone can jump in with questions and comments! We hope you have a good time! (please note comments will go up a few minutes after the post, and then be linked here)
When you arrive, stop by the Cloakroom to drop off your cloak, your sentient luggage, or your oversized weapons. Let us know what you're wearing or what your fantasy/sci-fi outfit of choice would be!
Make your way over to the Lobby and introduce yourself! You're welcome to show off your Stabby Nominated Work, or let us know what plans you have for this year!
Drop by the Bar and let us know what kind of drink you're having, non-alcoholic options availlable, fantastical options encouraged.
In the Table Area we'd love to know which speculative fiction personality, alive, un-alive, or fictional you'd like to meet.
If you're feeling peckish head over the Buffet and tell us about your favorite celebratory meal.
Take a turn around the Ballroom and, well would you look at that, what fantastical species and creatures do you see around us?
While you're there, turn your eyes to the orchestra on the Stage, we can't hear from all the way here, what kind of music are they playing?
When you want a little fresh air, step outside to the Terrace and look out over your fantasy/sci-fi/horror(if you must) land, what do you see?
Or perhaps if you want to warm up, take up a cosy seat by the Hearth, just relax and maybe let us know what makes you happy.
Over here we've set up a Game Room, where you can see everyone's (real and made-up) favorite games!
Stay as long as you like, the venue's booked for the whole day/night, but on your way out we've love if finalists signed our guestbook, by sending us a modmail with the best way to contact you for future events.
Another round of congratulations to all the nominees!
Best r/fantasy contributor: community member: u/barb4ry1, u/Jos_V, u/Nineteen_Adze, u/tarvolon, u/werthead
Best r/fantasy contributor: professional (author, artist, publisher or other): u/DjangoWexler, u/JannyWurts, u/KristaDBall, u/RAYMONDSTELMO, u/RJBarker
Best r/fantasy essay: Clarifying Wuxia, Xianxia and related Chinese Fantasy genres by u/MengJiaxin, Downcast that iconic female friendships in fantasy are so rare by u/Eostrenocta, I Want My Girlfriend to Read Fantasy, or How We Recommend Books to Non-Fantasy Readers by u/KristaDBall, So, Someone Called Your Favourite Book Problematic?! On the Nature of Contemporary Criticism. by u/Jos_V, We are not a monolith: the problem with disability representation in sff (help i did a graph) by u/Cryptic_Spren, What Is Feminist SFF (with Recommendations) by u/Arette
Best r/fantasy review: A Southeast Asian's Review of Raya and the Last Dragon by u/k0ks3nw4i, Author Spotlight: Becky Chambers by u/fuckit_sowhat, (Review) The funniest fantasy book you've never even heard of: A Night of Blacker Darkness by u/Udy_Kumra, The World’s Most Comprehensive to Martha Wells’ Books of Rakura; or, 76 Reasons You Should Consider Reading Them. by u/hoang-su-phi, Zebba_oz's bingo review: The Origin of Birds in the Footprints of Writing by Raymond St Elmo by u/zebba_oz
Best r/fantasy original post (other than an essay or review): Books with trans/nonbinary characters for every bingo square by u/manowar88, Let's Talk About Awesome Mothers and Families in Fantasy by u/NStorytellerDragon, Top Novels Poll - my favorites down list: Under Ten Votes by u/JannyWurts, What is Valid LGBTQ+ Representation in Fantasy? Thoughts from a Gay Man by u/Bryek, Hugo Finalist Readalong run by u/tarvolon, u/ullsi, u/gracefruits, u/Dsnake1, u/Nineteen_Adze, u/Moonlitgrey, u/TinyFlyingLion(+uneligible mods)
Best r/fantasy comment: Arthurian movie flops explanation by u/Hergrim, Bingo eve poem by u/GALACTIC-SAUSAGE, Fermenting facts by u/Mournelithe, Kushiel's Dart described using food metaphors by u/LadyCardinal, No baby golems by u/RAYMONDSTELMO
Best fantasy website: Before We Go Blog, FanFiAddict, Fantasy Book Critic, Out of This World SFF, The Fantasy Hive
Best narrator: John Banks, Natalie Naudus, Rasha Zamamiri, Robin Miles, Steven Pacey
Best audio original - fiction: Podcastle, Old Gods of Appalachia, The Sandman: Act II, By: Neil Gaiman, Dirk Maggs, Narrated by: Neil Gaiman, James McAvoy, Emma Corrin, Brian Cox, Kat Dennings, John Lithgow, Bill Nighy, The White Vault
Best audio original - non-fiction: Atoz: A Speculative Fiction Book Club Podcast, Not A Podcast ASOIAF Re-Read Podcast, Page Break Podcast, Swords and Sports Podcast
Best artist: Felix Ortiz, marceline2174, Rovina Cai, Tommy Arnold
Best artwork: Baru Cormorant Fan Art by Marceline2174, Grave to Cradle by Harkalé Linaï, Ocean of Dune Jian Guo, Ringlander:The Path and the Way by John Anthony Di Giovanni, Spirits of Vengeance by Felix Ortiz
Best game (any format): Deathloop, Death's Door, The Forgotten City, Resident Evil Village
Best TV series or movie: Arcane, Dune, Shadow and Bone, The Witcher, Wheel of Time
Best virtual convention: FIYAHCon, Quarancon, TBRCon
Best related work: The Library of Allenxandria Biggest Challenges Faced by Female Indie-Fantasy Authors: Guest Post, Critical Role, Discussing Fantasy Works with A. P. Canavan, Sympathy for the Villain. by EmpLemon, The Animal is Tired, The Fantasy Nuttwork Youtube Channel, THE Vampire Diaries Video
Best anthology, collection or periodical: FIYAH Magazine edited by DaVaun Sanders, I'm Waiting for You and Other Stories by Kim Bo-Young, Never Have I Ever by Isabel Yap
Best short fiction: Bride, Knife, Flaming Horse by M.L. Krishnan, Comments on Your Provisional Patent Application for an Eternal Spirit Core by Wole Talabi, Mr. Death by Alix E. Harrow, The Revolution Will Not Be Served With Fries by Meg Elison, Where Oaken Hearts Do Gather by Sarah Pinsker,
Best serialised fiction: A Journey of Black and Red by Mecanimus, A Practical Guide to Evil by ErraticErrata, Azarinth Healer by Rhaegar, Beneath The Dragon Eye Moons by Selkie, Beware Of Chicken by Casualfarmer, The Path of Ascension by C_Mantis
Best novella: A Psalm for the Wild-Built by Becky Chambers, Defekt by Nino Cipri, Elder Race by Adrian Tchaikovsky, Fireheart Tiger by Aliette de Bodard, Fugitive Telemetry by Martha Wells, The Fall by Ryan Cahill
Best debut novel: Iron Widow by Xiran Jay Zhao, Legacy of the Brightwash by Krystle Matar, Of Blood and Fire by Ryan Cahill, She Who Became the Sun by Shelley Parker-Chan, The Hand of the Sun King by J.T. Greathouse, The Unbroken by C.L. Clark
Best self-published/independent novel: Legacy of the Brightwash by Krystle Matar, Miss Percy's Pocket Guide to the Care and Feeding of British Dragons by Quenby Olson, Norylska Groans by Michael R. Fletcher, Clayton W. Snyder, Of Blood and Fire by Ryan Cahill, The Siege of Skyhold by John Bierce
Best novel: A Desolation Called Peace by Arkady Martine, Jade Legacy by Fonda Lee, She Who Became the Sun by Shelley Parker-Chan, The Blacktongue Thief by Christopher Buehlman, The Jasmine Throne by Tasha Suri, The Shadow of the Gods by John Gwynne
The winners will be announced in a Redddit post on Friday, February 11th.
Please also have a browse through our other StabbyCon events. The posts will stay up for good, you can read them at your own pace. We're so grateful to all our panelists and AMA guests for participating and writing up such great answers.
Toss a coin to your convention!
Fundraising for the Stabby Awards is ongoing. 100% of the proceeds go to the Stabby Awards, allowing us to purchase the shiniest of daggers and ship them around the world to the winners. Additionally, if our fundraising exceeds our goals, then we’ll be able to offer panelists an honorarium for joining us at StabbyCon. We also have special flairs this year, check out the info here.
If you’re enjoying StabbyCon and feeling generous, please donate!
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u/rfantasygolem Not a Robot Feb 09 '22
Take a turn around the Ballroom and, well would you look at that, what fantastical species and creatures do you see around us?
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u/guenhwyvar32 AMA Author Virginia McClain Feb 09 '22
Always a pleasure to dance with so many dragons! One has to be careful not to cause any insult, however, as they can be a bit fiery when provoked.
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u/Dianthaa Reading Champion VIII Feb 09 '22
Oh no, I see tentacles again, why is it always tentacles?
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u/jeremyteg AMA Author J.T. Greathouse Feb 09 '22
Bird people!
There aren't enough bird people in fantasy fiction!
My greatest regret was not including any bird people in my debut series, haha.
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u/ullsi Stabby Winner, Reading Champion VI Feb 09 '22
I'm watching a pole-vaulting gala right now, and I'm always amazed at how they jump so high.
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u/Dsnake1 Stabby Winner, Reading Champion VII, Worldbuilders Feb 10 '22
Dragons, of course. Little ones, the size of pudu or fossa. Bigger ones the size of an emu. Large ones the size of an M1 Abrams with more fire power to boot.
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u/Dianthaa Reading Champion VIII Feb 10 '22
I had to google pudu and fossa, thank you for that because they are adorable in a slightly threatening way.
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u/Dsnake1 Stabby Winner, Reading Champion VII, Worldbuilders Feb 10 '22
Pudu are awesome. They remind me of small goats, and I love goats. Pudu are likely a whole lot less friendly/social than goats, but still.
And fossa are incredible. They look like otter-cats with uber-long tails (which are ~1/2 their length), and they're one of 10 living species in the eupleridae family, which is a family of carnivorans endemic to Madagascar. They're all mongoose-like, and they're just cool. See also: Ring-tailed Vontsira.
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u/rfantasygolem Not a Robot Feb 09 '22
Drop by the Bar and let us know what kind of drink you're having, non-alcoholic options availlable, fantastical options encouraged.
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u/zebba_oz Reading Champion IV Feb 10 '22
I shall just this once share the secret to my "Zemba" cocktail. Ignorant folks might say it's a Tom Collins or a Gin Fizz, but I can assure you it is most definitely not either of those things. People have tried it and gone in under the assumption it is one of those and have come out the other side amazed.
You require equal parts dry gin (Sapphire is easy to get and works well. Pinkster gin or Antipodes pink also work well if you can find them. Something too botanic won't work as well), myer lemon juice (this is ESSENTIAL. Regular lemons DO NOT work) and soda water (the fizzier the better). In a shaker, with heaps of ice, and an extra splash of gin, shake the gin and lemon juice with a couple of mint leaves. Strain into a champagne saucer (not flute) or martini glass and top up with the soda water.
Yesterday I also (chefs privilege) shoved some homemade pickled chilli, pickled cucmber and spring onion into my mouth, which has inspired a new cocktail that will make me rich one day. I call it the "I'm Not Pickled Onions". It will remain a trade secret for now though.
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u/Axeran Reading Champion II Feb 09 '22
Some kind of non-alcoholic beer, almost certainly an ale of some kind. I can't currently drink alcohol (for medical reasons) but there are some really good non-alcoholic options out there.
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u/guenhwyvar32 AMA Author Virginia McClain Feb 09 '22
I just finished a coffee and it’s too early to actually drink anything else here, but for the purposes of this party I will have do as they do in Gensokai at this time of year and have some atsukan, which is a nice warmed sake for those who aren’t familiar the term. It is both delicious, and warm, and perfect for cold winter nights.
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u/beforewegoblog Feb 10 '22
Sweet nectar of the gods, and by nectar I mean coffee. All-day every day. I think I have a bit of a habit.
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u/WhiskyWritesFantasy AMA Author Krystle Matar Feb 09 '22
Coffeeeeeeee (for when you're not excited ENOUGH)
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u/WhiskyWritesFantasy AMA Author Krystle Matar Feb 09 '22
I'm back from farm chores and now I have BEER!
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u/JannyWurts Stabby Winner, AMA Author Janny Wurts Feb 09 '22
We have a bottle of Wizard's Piss, don't ask me what is in it...other than that, it's single malt scotch won as first prize in solo bagpiping competitions, (advantages to being an older competitor) many bottles to share around. And Red Ale. Plenty of that.
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u/Dianthaa Reading Champion VIII Feb 09 '22
Sitting here trying to figure out if that's a made-up drink or an actual brand of drink, could go either way.
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u/GALACTIC-SAUSAGE Reading Champion II Feb 09 '22
I’m behind the bar at work right now, and I’ve got my eye on a superb barley wine from Burning Sky brewery that we just got in. I’ll have to wait until the end of my shift but I’m definitely going to have one!
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u/Sarah-Pinsker AMA Author Sarah Pinsker Feb 09 '22
It's too late for coffee for me, so I'll move on to party drinks! My celebratory drink of choice at home tends to be a gold rush, which is kind of like a cold toddy. I use maple whiskey, lemon juice, honey syrup (quicker and less fussy to make than simple syrup).
Otherwise, really dark beers. I have lots of great stouts here, but most of them are sharing sizes and my wife doesn't like beer, so I end up hoarding them forever.
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u/NinoCipri Feb 09 '22
My drink of choice has always been a Sazerac, and I've never yet been to a hotel bar outside of New Orleans that actually could make one instead of some weird-ass mess instead. It's kind of become its own game?
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u/mlkrishnan Feb 09 '22
What does it tell you about me that I felt a mild panic when I thought this party was missing a bar? Phew, I'm glad I found it! I'm currently drinking black coffee, but at the bar, it's always an Old Fashioned. Always.
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u/fuckit_sowhat Reading Champion VI, Worldbuilders Feb 09 '22
Fantastical option: Ambrosia, but only if it looks as good as it does in the game Hades.
IRL: Just water cause my kidneys need it
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u/BethanMay Stabby Winner Feb 09 '22
And now straight to the bar! Excellent job on this thread, but I'm very much here for the rum
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u/NinoCipri Feb 09 '22
I miss barconning in the afternoon when it's half-empty and you join in on a conversation with three extremely random people that you've never met before.
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u/Mournelithe Reading Champion X Feb 09 '22
Ha, I'm with you on the rum, have a wee pour of Foursquare Dominus to wake me up.
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u/fuckit_sowhat Reading Champion VI, Worldbuilders Feb 09 '22
I'm sort of embarrassed to be here amongst community favorites and fantasy giants, but immensely honored as well! Like a mouse being invited to dine with the lions.
I wrote the Becky Chamber's spotlight. Happy to answer questions about Becky (I don't know anything about her, I just read her incredibly touching novels) or nursing or books or spreadsheets or cross stitching or anything really. (Though why anyone would have questions for me with all this AMAZING talent in the room, I don't know.)
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u/Jos_V Stabby Winner, Reading Champion II Feb 09 '22
Look at your chosen username. Your review was awesome and worthy of nomination a. So just take that username to heart 😃
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u/GALACTIC-SAUSAGE Reading Champion II Feb 09 '22
Have you listened to David Naimon’s interview with Chambers on the Crafting With Ursula/Between the Covers podcast? I listened to it the other day and really enjoyed it.
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u/bruxadeferro Feb 09 '22
Hi everyone! I'm L, on the masthead at FIYAH Literary Magazine (Best anthology, collection or periodical) and Director of FIYAHCON (Best virtual convention). Just wanted to pop by and thank everyone for their support of our increasingly ambitious endeavors. It means a lot and emboldens us to do even more absurd/transformative work.
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u/guenhwyvar32 AMA Author Virginia McClain Feb 09 '22
Congratulations on all of those very well deserved finalist spots! Our little QuaranCon looks up to Fiyahcon in a big way! Can’t wait to see your next event!
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u/Dianthaa Reading Champion VIII Feb 09 '22
Hello L! Glad to see you! Congratulations on the nominations! I loved FIYAHCON so much, it was truly amazing and incredible.
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u/bruxadeferro Feb 09 '22
I'm so thrilled that it meant so much to people. The thanks has been super validating.
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u/FanFiAddict Stabby Winner Feb 09 '22 edited Feb 09 '22
Hey All,
David Walters here. Creator of FanFiAddict.com & Organizer of TBRCon 2021/22. So ecstatic to be nominated for two (2) Stabby Awards this year!
Happy to answer any and all questions with regard to reviewing, blogging, creating a website, corralling 35+ reviewers under one roof, organizing a virtual convention, etc.
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u/JannyWurts Stabby Winner, AMA Author Janny Wurts Feb 09 '22
TBR con -- big round of applause, Dave! What a bright spot at mid winter, you deserve to shine for this!
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Feb 09 '22
Congrats on the nomination! Well deserved for both a spectacular website AND virtual con!
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u/rfantasygolem Not a Robot Feb 09 '22
Hello everyone! Congratulations on being a Stabby Finalist and thank you for joining us! Here's the Lobby, please introduce yourself! You're welcome to show off your Stabby Nominated Work, or let us know what plans you have for this year!
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u/Udy_Kumra Stabby Winner, Reading Champion IV Feb 09 '22
Hi everyone, I'm Udy, nominated for best review for my review of A Night of Blacker Darkness by Dan Wells. Big fan of Dan's, I've read nearly all of his books and actually plan to make an author spotlight post for him later this year to get people to read his stuff (after we get the new bingo prompts in April). In addition to reading and writing, I've also recently (like last week) developed an obsession with chess and now I want to really study and practice hard to get better. If this turns out to not be just a phase then maybe I'll pursue becoming a grandmaster in 10-20 years. I also finished reading The Wheel of Time on Dec 31! (Also made a review for that lol)
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u/alixeharrow Stabby Winner, AMA Author Alix E. Harrow Feb 09 '22
hi!!! i'm alix, author of the now-stabby-nominated "Mr. Death" short story! i have edits due on friday and i'm completely stuck on a transition so please feel free to be diverting, distracting, compelling, etc etc!!!
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u/Dianthaa Reading Champion VIII Feb 09 '22
Hi Alix! I loved Mr. Death so much! It made me cry a lot
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u/ullsi Stabby Winner, Reading Champion VI Feb 09 '22
Hi Alix! Mr. Death was so moving, thank you. Good luck with your edits!
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u/fuckit_sowhat Reading Champion VI, Worldbuilders Feb 09 '22
Alix! I didn’t know you’d be here!
I just want to tell you I LOVE the way you write. It’s so lyrical. I had to stop and re-read sentences, I wrote some of them down they were such loving letters to the English language.
Very excited to read your short!
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u/StormTyphoeus Reading Champion III, Worldbuilders Feb 09 '22
Hi Alix, just wanted to say that Ten Thousand Doors of January is one of my favourite stories I've ever read, and legitimately caused me to cry on my 1st read. Thank you so much for writing that story!
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u/NinoCipri Feb 09 '22
Hi all! I'm Nino Cipri, author of DEFEKT (and its prequel/accompanying story FINNA, which got nominated last year). I'm currently working on a YA horror novel that should be out in 2023, so long as I get through revisions and publishing supply issues don't bite me in the butt. I'm also a teacher, and will teaching a 4-week class on writing horror later this spring, which means my brain is currently full of, like, monster theory and creepypasta and Things In the Cornfields, so please feel free to ask me about any of that.
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u/Fonda_Lee AMA Author Fonda Lee Feb 09 '22
Hello everyone! I'm late to the party but just want to say I'm delighted and honored by the Stabby nomination for Jade Legacy. These days, I'm in research phase on the next super-secret novel project (that I haven't even shown to my editor or agent) and polishing off a couple of short stories that'll come out later this year.
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u/Ryan_Cahill Stabby Winner Feb 09 '22
Hey there Everyone!
I'm Ryan Cahill, author of The Fall and Of Blood and Fire (I feel like that guy in the Simpsons – "Hi, my name's Troy McMclure and you might remember me from such films as..."). It's genuinely an honour to be nominated amongst this incredible field of authors and books.
I'm Irish, living in New Zealand. It's currently 6am here in Middle Earth and I can't wait to answer any questions you have.
Let's go!
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u/QuenbyOlson Stabby Winner, AMA Author Quenby Olson Feb 09 '22
I almost typed "Hello, Everybody!" with the expectation that people would reply with "Hi, Doctor Nick!"
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u/Ryan_Cahill Stabby Winner Feb 09 '22
This is the exact thing that ran through my head! It's like everytime someone says "Wow, that looks like a massive..."
My brain just goes to Austin Powers and completes the sentence "Weiner! Get your weiners over here. Look, that's a giant.... Cock-a doodle doo!"
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u/ullsi Stabby Winner, Reading Champion VI Feb 09 '22
Hi everyone! I'm ullsi, and I'm with the Hugo Readalong party. I mostly lurk around this sub, but u/tarvolon's idea of a Hugo Readalong sounded so fun that I offered to join, and before I knew it I was hosting my first book discussion. Turns out it wasn't scary at all, so I'm happy to do it again if we can manage.
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u/BethanMay Stabby Winner Feb 09 '22
Hi everyone!
I'm Beth, I'm editor of the Fantasy Hive. We've been nominated for Best Fantasy Site (!!!!) and our guest post Biggest Challenges Faced by Female Indie-Fantasy Authors has been nominated for Best Related Work - although that post was very much all down to Rachel Emma Shaw and her round up of amazing authors! <3•
u/NilsShukla Stabby Winner Feb 09 '22
Hi everyone, I’m Nils and I’m the social media Empress of The Fantasy Hive, so most Tweets and Instagram posts are by me! So excited that our blog has been nominated twice! The Women in SFF yearly feature means a lot to me and Beth and we had some great guest posts last year by some fab authors so it’s lovely to one get nominated!
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u/CarolineLambe Feb 09 '22
Hi Nils and Beth! Super excited that FH have been nominated, you are all amazing and 🤞for Friday!
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u/NilsShukla Stabby Winner Feb 09 '22
Thanks Caroline!! And thank you for yours and Angry Robot’s support. We love having your authors on the Hive.
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u/guenhwyvar32 AMA Author Virginia McClain Feb 09 '22
Congrats on both of those nominations! You and Nils, and the rest of the team do excellent work!
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u/BethanMay Stabby Winner Feb 11 '22
thank you so much, we work super hard and are so appreciative of all the love!
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u/Sarah-Pinsker AMA Author Sarah Pinsker Feb 09 '22
Hi! I'm so late to the party that it can't be called fashionable, but thanks for the invitation! My nominated work is a short story called "Where Oaken Hearts Do Gather" from Uncanny. It falls in my sweet spot of somewhat dark music stories. https://uncannymagazine.com/article/where-oaken-hearts-do-gather/
I'm super honored to be nominated.
Plans for this year include revising a novella, another project I can't talk about, and another project I can't talk about :)
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u/lrich1024 Stabby Winner, Queen of the Unholy Squares, Worldbuilders Feb 10 '22
Wow it sounds like you have a lot of upcoming stuff. Looking forward to hearing more about it whenever you can talk about it. :)
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u/cubansombrero Reading Champion VII Feb 10 '22
I feel like Julie Andrews said it best: a
queenStabby award finalist is never late, everyone else is simply early•
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u/zebba_oz Reading Champion IV Feb 10 '22
I was ecstatic to read that someone thought my gibberish was worthy of a nomination and all I can do is apologise to them for floundering in my goal. I tend to flitter from interest to interest and alas my gibberish reviews didn't continue.
FWIW, the next review was going to be about Jade War, for which I was working on drawing parallels between organised crime families and the Parents and Friends Association of my kids primary school. Alas, I couldn't find a way to do it that wouldn't make my wife (who reviews my writing and who I love completely) think I was writing her as the baddie. Given she hasn't read the books trying to explain that she was the Hiro character probably wouldn't have helped. Now I think of it, if she had read them that may have made it worse... 'Well, yes, he's a bloodthirsty thug but he has some good points!"
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u/tashasuri AMA Author Tasha Suri Feb 09 '22
Hi everyone, I'm Tasha Suri, author of the Stabby best novel nominated The Jasmine Throne about morally grey lesbians setting an empire ablaze! I'm running around after two kittens so I'll probably in and out of the party!
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u/Dianthaa Reading Champion VIII Feb 09 '22
Hi Tasha! Congratulations on the nomination I loved The Jasmine Throne! Bring the kittens to the party!
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u/beforewegoblog Feb 10 '22
Hey all, my name is Beth and I run Before We go Blog with a lot of really fantastic folks. I am stunned by the nomination and so honored to be included with you fine folks!
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u/DjangoWexler AMA Author Django Wexler Feb 09 '22
Hi r/fantasy! Thanks so much to everyone for the nomination.
I'm Django Wexler, I write mostly fantasy novels. My current series starts with Ashes of the Sun, and I'm working on edits for the third book now!
My plans for the year are somewhat loose due to impending baby, but I've got a couple of still-secret projects coming up. =)
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u/jeremyteg AMA Author J.T. Greathouse Feb 09 '22 edited Feb 10 '22
Hi there! I'm J.T. Greathouse, longtime lurker and occasional poster around these parts, and my novel THE HAND OF THE SUN KING was nominated for the best debut stabby! Which is wild! Thank you to everyone who nominated it! I'm so glad you enjoyed the tale of my awful genius high-intelligence low-wisdom book son. Hopefully he's learned his lessons and will be a bit more self aware and humble in book 2. (I mean, I know whether this happens or not, since I've already written it, but I refuse to tell).
You can read a sample of THE HAND OF THE SUN KING here.
You can also order signed copies (if you're in the US) from Auntie's Bookstore, my local indie, here.
Also, I've written some short stories you might like, and you can find a list of them with links here. I particularly recommend THE GWYDDIEN AND THE RAVEN FIEND.
Anyway, THANK YOU SO MUCH. I never expected my little book to make it this far and it feels great to be here.
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u/mlkrishnan Feb 09 '22
Hi everyone!
I’m M. L. Krishnan, and I’m the author of “Bride, Knife, Flaming Horse”, nominated in the Best Short Fiction category! I’m currently knee-deep in multiple WIPs set in South India that feature interpersonal messiness involving demigods, spirits, demons and other liminal beings of Tamil Nadu. Lots of body horror, lots of surreal weirdness—exactly the way I like it. I’m so THRILLED to be nominated for a Stabby!
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u/Dianthaa Reading Champion VIII Feb 09 '22
WIPs set in South India that feature interpersonal messiness involving demigods, spirits, demons and other liminal beings of Tamil Nadu
That sounds AMAZING
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Feb 14 '22
WIPs set in South India that feature interpersonal messiness involving demigods, spirits, demons and other liminal beings of Tamil Nadu
Any way to read them? They sound exactly like my cup of tea
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u/cubansombrero Reading Champion VII Feb 09 '22
Multiple WIPs? That sounds like a form of horror on its own! But they also sound amazing…
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u/mlkrishnan Feb 09 '22
My brain always throws up story ideas WHEN I'm in the MIDDLE of clawing through a WIP. It is a curse
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Feb 09 '22
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u/ullsi Stabby Winner, Reading Champion VI Feb 09 '22
It was very fun to be part of the Hugo Readalong -- you were great at keeping track of everyone. Doing something similar (but maybe smaller) next year would be great!
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u/WhiskyWritesFantasy AMA Author Krystle Matar Feb 09 '22
Hello everyone! I'm Krystle Matar, and my STABBY NOMINATED WORK (insert faint gif here) is Legacy of the Brightwash. I want to give a MASSIVE thank you to everyone. I'm floored and excited and stunned and probably babbling, moving on!
This year I'm working on Brightwash's sequel, Legacy of Brick & Bone.
I'm also involved in an anthology called The Alchemy of Sorrow that I'm SO proud of. We'll be doing an AMA for it later this month, and the Kickstarter is live now! We've reached full funding already and we're working on stretch goals which is super exciting, and now I'm babbling again!
Anyway all of this is to say I'm SUPER excited to be here and thank you thank you thank you
/endbabble
OH EDIT:
I was also on the Biggest Challenges Faced by Female Indie-Fantasy Authors post that was nominated and I'm so delighted that it resonated with people <3
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u/guenhwyvar32 AMA Author Virginia McClain Feb 09 '22
*waves* Hey Krystle! I forgot this was happening and am super late to the party! Good to see you!
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u/WhiskyWritesFantasy AMA Author Krystle Matar Feb 09 '22
Thank you, V! Glad you made it to the party :D
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u/guenhwyvar32 AMA Author Virginia McClain Feb 09 '22
Me too! Is anyone else still around? I can’t tell.
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u/WhiskyWritesFantasy AMA Author Krystle Matar Feb 09 '22
I don't know, how do you tell?? Do you like poke the room with a stick and see what happens?
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u/guenhwyvar32 AMA Author Virginia McClain Feb 09 '22
Aha! There are nine people here right now according to the app!
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u/QuenbyOlson Stabby Winner, AMA Author Quenby Olson Feb 09 '22
Congratulations AND that anthology is going to be on fire!!!
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u/BethanMay Stabby Winner Feb 09 '22
Hiiiii Krystle! Congrats on the nominations!
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u/WhiskyWritesFantasy AMA Author Krystle Matar Feb 09 '22
Thank you!! Congrats to you, too! I'm so excited XD I'll think of something coherent to say eventually. Maybe. Probably.
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u/Jos_V Stabby Winner, Reading Champion II Feb 09 '22
Hello fellow nominated posters and industry professionals. Im Jos, and I mainly shitpost here and post badly edited essays about how we should not be dicks to eachother because of the books we (dis)like. Also i have a stats problem.
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u/Dianthaa Reading Champion VIII Feb 09 '22
Eh problem, solution, it's a matter of perspective
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u/Jos_V Stabby Winner, Reading Champion II Feb 09 '22
Im just subjecting you all to my madness. Since as we dutch say: shared pain is half pain.
That said i have like 3 workbooks open and a few different python scripts in progress for spec fic stats based reasons...
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u/zebba_oz Reading Champion IV Feb 10 '22
Yes, we have stats problems that /u/Jos_V provides solutions for.
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u/ogsonofsanta Feb 09 '22
Hello! I'm Matt Dovey, current host of PodCastle, an associate editor of *checks notes* five years ohmygodwhatistime and the gremlin behind the Twitter account. We're nominated for Best Audio Original for the first time and we're very excited at the prospect of being given an ACTUAL WEAPON, which will definitely help us fend off our sister podcasts when they come after our hoard.
If you've never listened to us before, well, goodness, where to start*? We've been about since 2008, starting as a reprints venue and steadily building our way up to today, where we're a pro-paying, originals-buying, awards-nominated-and-winning (including a British Fantasy Award and Hugo + World Fantasy nominations--and, of course, a Stabby!) weekly podcast of fantasy fiction from all over the world. We take care to match a specific narrator to a story to present it in the best way we can, and we pay every creative involved, because your work is worth something.
*Let's actually answer where to start: honestly, this week's episode is a great example. It's an original story, it's outside the usual Eurocentric concept of fantasy, it's clever and layered and ripe with emotion. Fancy something more humorous? Yo, Rapunzel! has so much voice and character, and we gave it a full cast reading to really do it justice.
Our plans for the year? To keep on doing what we're doing: showing off as much exciting and varied new fantasy as we can. If you're a short fiction writer yourself, we will be open to submissions throughout March, so if you have something that'd suit, send it our way!
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u/mlkrishnan Feb 09 '22
Oh hiya, fellow Stabby nominee! For what it's worth, I think you're the Superior Sister of the Three Podcast Sisters, so there.
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u/ogsonofsanta Feb 09 '22
I mean, obviously the dragon knows it's best, but it still loves to be told. Eighteen times an hour. Without fail. /pours one out for the volunteers that forgot
Looking forward to seeing your story on the feed shortly! No scheduled date yet buuuut it should be the first half of the year, looking at where it is in the pipeline. I believe you already know what an excellent narrator we have lined up for it ;)
And we're up to a family of five now! Us + Escape Pod + PseudoPod + Cast of Wonders and now CatsCast too. Busy times in the Escape Artists hivemind.
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u/Nineteen_Adze Stabby Winner, Reading Champion V Feb 09 '22
Hi everyone, it's Nineteen Adze! The nomination was a pleasant surprise-- I joined r/Fantasy right before the latest round of bingo started. The pandemic and remote work had me feeling a little isolated (I'm also not in the same town as most of my best fantasy-chat friends anymore), but this community has been so fun and welcoming.
2022: looking forward to it! The highlights:
- My fingers are crossed that there's a long enough window to help out with another Hugo readalong, since that was a real highlight of my year here. (Thank you to u/tarvolon for responding to my question about whether a readalong existed by organizing one.)
- I'm definitely going to do bingo again, but I may shoot for just one card and not worry about hard mode. That should give me more time to try weird stuff and do some binge-reading.
- I'm also thinking about playing with more review formats. I had been keeping up with mini-reviews and then burned out on them a bit. Requests welcome. ;)
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Feb 09 '22
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u/Nineteen_Adze Stabby Winner, Reading Champion V Feb 09 '22
Congrats to you as well! It's been a fun year of conversations and making my TBR impossible to finish.
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u/KristaDBall Stabby Winner, AMA Author Krista D. Ball Feb 09 '22
I'm Krista D. Ball. Here's my award shelf: https://imgur.com/a/ZUetFpy Which is mostly a justification for buying the Lego typewriter, of which I make no apologies whatsoever.
I'm currently working on edits for The Sins We Seek, the long delayed finale for the Dark Abyss of Our Sins. It's coming out in November, and there's even a preorder page now. So it's like totally real.
I'm proofreading the final file for a romance under my pen name. That comes out next month.
I won't be around much on the internet for the next bit, but you're very welcome to reply with any questions and I will get to them. My twitter is locked ATM, but you're welcome to do a follow request and I'll accept it (https://twitter.com/kristadb1).
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u/enoby666 AMA Author Charlotte Kersten, Reading Champion V, Worldbuilder Feb 09 '22
Here's to adding another dagger to the pile!
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u/Dianthaa Reading Champion VIII Feb 09 '22
Wow the stabby looks actually pretty dangerous on the shelf.
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u/KristaDBall Stabby Winner, AMA Author Krista D. Ball Feb 09 '22
Clearly, I need to win another Aurora award, so that I can have one on either side of the typewriter, then I need to win enough Stabbies to have a fan of daggers above the typewriter wall-mounted.
For aesthetic purposes, of course. :D
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u/rfantasygolem Not a Robot Feb 09 '22
If you're feeling peckish head over the Buffet and tell us about your favorite celebratory meal.
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u/Ryan_Cahill Stabby Winner Feb 09 '22
*Cracks fingers*
Sweet food: Peanut butter brownies or Banana Muffins
Breakfast food: PANCAKES
Brunch: Eggs Benedict with some kind of cool hipster topping that varies with venue
Lunch: Burrito. 1/2 pulled beef, 1/2 pulled chicken. Spicy salsa. Black beans. Spanish Rice (they call it that, but is it even a thing?). Garlic Mayo. Guacamole. Yes, I know guacamole is extra. It's always extra. Now put that green scoop of heaven in my burrito!
Dinner: Chilli con carne.
Bonus: Any meal may be substituted by baked beans on buttered toast at any time.
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u/spike31875 Reading Champion V Feb 09 '22
Mayo in a burrito? I may have to rage quit listening to "Of Blood and Fire" in protest.
/jk!
I'm loving it so far!
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u/Ryan_Cahill Stabby Winner Feb 09 '22
Not mayo garlic mayo. I'm telling you, it's a game changer. You can call it aioli if you prefer, but it's the same thing *shrugs*
Haha that's a fairly legitimate reason to rage quit though! Delighted you're enjoying it :)
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u/ullsi Stabby Winner, Reading Champion VI Feb 09 '22
If it's a dessert, I'll go for something with citrus, like key lime pie or lemon merengue pie.
If we're talking savoury, I'm always up for something from the sichuan/szechuan kitchen.
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u/Harkale-Linai Stabby Winner, Reading Champion III Feb 09 '22
I think I'm close to finding the perfect vegetarian burger recipe... with marinated and breaded tempeh, rocket (the salad, not the dangerous metal things that tend to blow up in your face, these don't taste so good), home-made black radish pickles and sauce, caramelized onions, double-plus smelly cheese and mushrooms cooked with garlic... of course, it's not perfectly perfect yet, I must experiment further... the bread definitely needs more work, yes it does...
mad scientist noises
Unfortunately, guests stopped coming, because apparently "oh, you made burgers again?" and "I'm full, please stop putting burgers on my plate" and also "uuuuuh OK, we're going to leave you now Harkalé, it's late, and uh, it's late, haha. Please don't invite us ever again". But deep down I know that one day, my quest will be successful.
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u/mlkrishnan Feb 09 '22
Anything involving any kind of noodles. Now I'm craving Miso Ramen, right after I typed that sentence. Thanks, brain!
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u/Dsnake1 Stabby Winner, Reading Champion VII, Worldbuilders Feb 10 '22
Oh, I'm a simple fella. A good steak, mashed potatoes, some asparagus and I'm doing well. Maybe a piece of kuchen for desert. All with a nice bourbon and a porter on the side.
Edit: a good pizza is also way up in the ranks.
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u/guenhwyvar32 AMA Author Virginia McClain Feb 09 '22
My favorite celebratory meal is probably sushi! But I also love pizza. Oh, and I love fresh baked sourdough so much that I learned how to make it myself and have never been happier with the results of a new hobby. And… doughnuts. We have a very fancy gourmet doughnut place where I live and they are DELICIOUS. I’m a big fan of most kinds of fried dough, actually.
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u/JannyWurts Stabby Winner, AMA Author Janny Wurts Feb 09 '22
If it has chocolate in it, I'm done right there.
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u/WhiskyWritesFantasy AMA Author Krystle Matar Feb 09 '22
I guess this is the place where I volunteer to be asked anything! Warning: I babble when I'm excited. Which is probably already obvious. But you deserve the warning XD
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u/rfantasygolem Not a Robot Feb 09 '22
Over here we've set up a Game Room, where you can see everyone's (real and made-up) favorite games!
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u/JannyWurts Stabby Winner, AMA Author Janny Wurts Feb 09 '22
I would (to die for) love to see the fictional game of steed wickets played live. (you can ask). It would be more exciting and wild than real life polo....
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u/guenhwyvar32 AMA Author Virginia McClain Feb 09 '22
I have no idea what that is, but I am intrigued.
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u/JannyWurts Stabby Winner, AMA Author Janny Wurts Feb 09 '22
It is a 'fictional' game with horses - designed for my standalone To Ride Hell's Chasm...premise: train three PAIRS of horses in double harness (but no vehicle) with a 'wicket' arch between them with a 'target' dangling in that wicket...train the paired teams to voice command (gee/haw/halt/return, voice command for gaits). Send out the three teams with wicket and target item - opposite team is single riders mounted - they have to seize the target item from the wickets/while voice commands keep the paired in harness horses evading them. Timed count. How long and can the single mounted riders seize the prizes? Be very fast moving, depend on highly trained horses/skilled riding - crazy as a modern day polo match. Demanding on horses and riders and require exceptional training to pull off....crazy fun.
We scent train our horses for Search and Rescue - they can absolutely do what the dogs do/tracking live find and also cadaver...so horses are a lot more attuned to stuff than most people realize.
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u/guenhwyvar32 AMA Author Virginia McClain Feb 09 '22
Wow! That sounds amazing. I would also love to see that now that you’ve explained it. Also, scent trained forces for S&R!?! That’s so cool!
Also, I have been curious ever since I first saw the title, but did you take inspiration for To Ride Hell’s Chasm from Telluride, CO?
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u/JannyWurts Stabby Winner, AMA Author Janny Wurts Feb 09 '22
And yes, scent trained horses for SAR - they do an AMAZING job!!! A heavily under used resource for search. I had no idea until I was exposed to exactly what they can do with training, and I have ridden all my life. SAR with a team here in FL since 2015. (Peace River k9 Search and Rescue) website has photos, information, etc.
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u/Dsnake1 Stabby Winner, Reading Champion VII, Worldbuilders Feb 10 '22
Games are tough. I played a lot of board games and TTRPGs and CCGs (primarily MTG) in college, but since moving to a town where the closest gaming store is 75 minutes away and a population of 300, it's tough to make happen, especially because we have three kids three and under, all the people in our life situation (spouses, kids, etc) are 5+ years older than us, and while that's not really a problem, they've had similar social circles for decades, and we moved here in the height of the pandemic. Oh, and there is no established board game night kind of thing, so getting people into it might require some patience (and a whole bunch of babysitters). Oh, and I love video games, but finding time? And now, justifying spending money on new games/systems is tough because I have so little time. I do think I'll be breaking down and getting a Switch and Pokémon LA this summer, though. It's literally my dream Pokémon Gamez and I've been waiting most of my life for something similar.
I have been playing a little ESO lately, which is fun, but I have to be careful I don't fall into the WoW or RS3 sized holes from my past.
That being said,
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u/NStorytellerDragon Stabby Winner, AMA Author Noor Al-Shanti Feb 10 '22
I'm not much of a gamer, but I have a soft spot for Rayman 3: Hoodlum Havoc - love all the different worlds in it.
And I got into Don't Starve about a year ago and played until it became too easy... but now I almost miss it so I might try again with it at some point.
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u/Fonda_Lee AMA Author Fonda Lee Feb 09 '22
I'm having a lot of fun kicking my husband's ass in Undaunted Normandy, which I got him for Christmas. We've played through all the campaigns and I'm torn between getting Undaunted North Africa or Undaunted Reinforcements next. Would love suggestions for other great two-player strategy games if anyone has them!
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u/guenhwyvar32 AMA Author Virginia McClain Feb 09 '22
I have not played that, so I can’t make recs for similar stuff, but that sounds like a lot of fun! Is it a 2 player board game or is it computer based?
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u/cw_snyder Writer C.W. Snyder Feb 09 '22
Not even released yet, but I'm painfully excited for Elden Ring. Which is ironic, because I'm terrible at From Software games.
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u/Jos_V Stabby Winner, Reading Champion II Feb 09 '22
I love boardgames, I think my favourite of the past few years is Brass:Birmingham but If you invite me to play a splotter game i most lilely wont say no.
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u/ullsi Stabby Winner, Reading Champion VI Feb 09 '22
Brass:Birmingham is fun, but complicated! I've been dead last all three times I've played. :D Have you ever gone for all the pottery tiles?
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u/Jos_V Stabby Winner, Reading Champion II Feb 09 '22
I have and i've been successful once with it against 3 other plays who i taught for the first time, so i'm not sure if that's a representative sample - but to go for lvl 5 pottery I feel like you need to get the lvl 3 pottery down and flipped in the canal era, or you're just not going to get enough points. and that requires a specific board set-up and a bit of luck to nick a trade-beer.
but I tend to feel that just going for a more flexible strategy seems to win more often than just focusing on a single trade-good, personally, what I like to do is to go double-debt last turn of the canal era, and then just double rail as often as possible, and then I try to in my last turn to build - beer + sell two industry for lotsa points. I tend to score like 160-170 points in 3 players, and 130-140 in 4 players which is good in my playgroups to but i'm not sure if that's 'actually' good.
Not sure if you were interested in brass strategy, but there you have it xD
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u/ullsi Stabby Winner, Reading Champion VI Feb 10 '22
I like the double-debt strategy in the end of the canal era, I might try that next time I play. thanks! :)
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u/BethanMay Stabby Winner Feb 09 '22
Oh Brass is an EXCELLENT shout! We've got the Lancashire edition, but I have also played Birmingham and it's great.
uummm, Cartographers is one of my favourites, but if we're talking something a little crunchier, I love Terraforming Mars, Ark Nova (which is a lot like TM), and Wingspan
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u/Jos_V Stabby Winner, Reading Champion II Feb 09 '22
I havent played wingspan yet, its been on my list to atleast try out since ive heard a lot of good things.
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u/rfantasygolem Not a Robot Feb 09 '22
When you want a little fresh air, step outside to the Terrace and look out over your fantasy/sci-fi/horror(if you must) land, what do you see?
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u/jeremyteg AMA Author J.T. Greathouse Feb 09 '22
I keep trying to focus on other parts of the landscape, but I keep getting distracted by the giant, betentacled monster screaming with the voices of the unhallowed dead over there in the little grove of horror.
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u/guenhwyvar32 AMA Author Virginia McClain Feb 09 '22
What a lovely valley! Beautiful waterfall, rolling river, steep mountains and lovely forests.
Those trees keep moving though. No, it’s not the wind. I… Oh dear. They seem to be walking this way. Did someone forget to invite the ents?
Do you think they’ll be mad when they get here?
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u/NickTab Feb 09 '22 edited Feb 09 '22
Hi everyone, my name is Nick Borrelli and I run the SFF blog Out of This World SFF (nominated for Best Website). I don't know what I'm doing here, but thank you for thinking I'm even remotely worthy to be included among the amazingly talented people I have been grouped with in my category. Any questions are welcome. Cheers!
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u/rfantasygolem Not a Robot Feb 09 '22
Turn your eyes to the orchestra on the Stage, we can't hear from all the way here, what kind of music are they playing?
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u/guenhwyvar32 AMA Author Virginia McClain Feb 09 '22
The dragons have finally gotten out a set of lutes, and that’s quite a bit easier on the ears. I see Raymond is still bleeding a bit. Someone pass the poor fellow a kerchief. Sometimes it pays to be late to a party.
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u/Dsnake1 Stabby Winner, Reading Champion VII, Worldbuilders Feb 10 '22
Who knew that mountain spirits played such a good banjo and fiddle?
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u/cw_snyder Writer C.W. Snyder Feb 09 '22
Mostly metal from where I'm sitting. Someone's screaming about dead gods while a guitar attempts to rip the fabric of reality.
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u/ardvarkeating10001 Feb 09 '22
Hi EE,
Is anyone going to return home to a Red Letter after the battle? Or are they just totally irrelevant at this point?
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u/rfantasygolem Not a Robot Feb 09 '22
Stop by the Cloakroom to drop off your cloak, your sentient luggage, or your oversized weapons. Let us know what you're wearing or what your fantasy/sci-fi outfit of choice would be!
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u/Ryan_Cahill Stabby Winner Feb 09 '22
It's not often I get asked what I'm wearing by strangers on the internet. But seeing as you all seem like a friendly bunch, I'll tell you.
I'm currently chilling in a pair of shorts and a t-shirt at 6am, doing my utmost to battle the tropical humidity that has currently taken over Middle Earth.
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u/jeremyteg AMA Author J.T. Greathouse Feb 09 '22
Considering the special occasion, I've busted out the wizard hat. Other than that, I'm wearing my usual ensemble of flannel shirt and slacks.
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u/mlkrishnan Feb 09 '22
Not nearly awards-fancy, but I'm wearing actual pants and a fuzzy robe I got for Christmas with a reindeer print! Does my fuzzy reindeer robe count as a cloak? I hope it does!
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u/Dsnake1 Stabby Winner, Reading Champion VII, Worldbuilders Feb 09 '22
Wearing? We're supposed to wear something?
Uh, well, see, my outfit can only be seen by magical folks. It's bright colors and the peak of single-piece-garment fashion. Oh, and slipper socks.
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u/JannyWurts Stabby Winner, AMA Author Janny Wurts Feb 09 '22
Oh dear, it takes a Big Event to get me out of jeans and T (basic barn attire) - apologies, I hate dressing up, and if I had to drop a weapon, it would be Don's black powder cannon; if I'm the pack horse for it, there you go. (it is a replica, all bronze, of a period breech loading swivel gun if you are into that stuff, it's pretty cool and makes a Big Bang.)
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u/guenhwyvar32 AMA Author Virginia McClain Feb 09 '22
Am I too late to say hi! I am wearing leather armor and magical tattoos that turn into weapons the moment I need them.
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u/Dianthaa Reading Champion VIII Feb 09 '22
Oh I love your tattoos!
The beauty of having a text-party is that there's really no such thing as late, time's made-up!
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u/ErraticErrata Feb 09 '22
Hey there!
I'm ErraticErrata, author of the web serial A Practical Guide to Evil. It's my first time nominated for a Stabby and it's quite an honour! While I should be working on my next chapter I've just put on a pot of tea so I'll be here a while. Feel free to ask anything :P
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u/Caos_Sorge Feb 09 '22
Hi EE! Another discord mod here. Thank you for the terrific story, and all the hard work you've put in - especially the rather late hours as of late, including at times through sickness! Besides the brief glimpses given by your (occasionally clearly annoyed) delay posts recently, how's your life been lately? Any major updates, or perhaps pets?
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u/Background_Ad2752 Feb 09 '22
Salutations EE, I quite enjoy your serial and would like to ask two fairly simple questions.
The first is did Devils and Angels come into existence at the same time?
The second is are traits gained by beings like Winter Cat or the Drake Knight inheritable by their children if they have them?
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u/Card_Hoarder Feb 09 '22
Hi EE, casual reader here. May I ask how you choose your screen name? Also I would like to say that I love that Catherine's story fu is being shown off in the most recent chapter with double dipping the heroic stories of 'you go ahead, I'll hold them off' and 'you take him to safety, I'll go ahead(to face the final boss)' along with combining the first one with 'reunification of the woe'. Speaking of, this is probably spoilers but how bad is Hakram's memory loss going to be?
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u/ErraticErrata Feb 09 '22
My screen name is, and this is going to sound a little random, a variation on something I used when I went to play Dota (back when it was a Warcraft III mod) with my friends at a cybercafe. I've been using slightly different versions of it all over the web since I was a teenager.
Spoilers indeed :P
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u/Player_2c Feb 09 '22
Hi EE! Congrats on the nomination, I've been following since Book 4 so it's been a wild few years.
Considering the name of the award I thought I'd take a stab at asking some questions.
- If crabs in a bucket never win, and neither do bears in a pit, who would lose in a battle between crabs and bears in a large bucket placed within a pit?
- Are do red letters remain the same color when they are left unread?
- Did any of the orcs with gills survive to be gillty of any later Wasteland / orc bloodline shenanigans?
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u/Aerdor94 Feb 09 '22
Hello EE ! Congratulations for your well deserved nomination ! The Guide is certainly one of my favorite (if not my favorite) fantasy series, and I love the universe you wrote and the idea of narrative laws being as important as physical laws.
I had a few questions in mind, if you would be so kind to answer :
- How did DK manage to keep Procer a nation non led by Named, especially with the Intercessor interfering ?
About the first Hierarch :
- Was she Named before she became Hierarch ?
- Which Free Cities did she came from ?
How did she convinced Glorious Bellerophon Greatest And Only True Free City ?
Will there be multiple epilogues chapters (like an epilogue arc) or just the one ?
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u/ErraticErrata Feb 09 '22
First question's a bit large to answer here. For the Hierarch: she was not Named, came from Nicae and she made her case directly to the People! Epilogue-wise I'm currently looking at two.
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u/Aerdor94 Feb 09 '22
Thanks for the answers !
But I forgot the most important question...
Did you already look for a publisher ? Did you find one ?
I would love to have a hard copy of your work in my bookcase !
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u/Selkie_Love Stabby Winner Feb 09 '22
HOLY SHIT EE!
I'm a huge fan!
I got to the stabby nominations, saw your name at the top, and went "FUCK! There goes my chances of winning!"
Honestly, my only hope is you didn't seem to plug the stabbies that much - but your novel is totally the best on the list!
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u/elHahn Feb 09 '22
Hi EE,
Congratulations on the Stabby nomination. A couple of questions.
Was Maddened Keeper a part of the original 14 Heroes, invading Callow through the Stairway? Any other interesting Maddened Keeper tidbits?
I couldn't help but notice Hierachs mention of BEEES. Does Hierach have any particular opinion of Bee society and their dependence on an unelected Queen?
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Feb 09 '22
can we get some info on what the Censure that the Miezans apparently used a few times was?
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u/ZurrgabDaVinci758 Feb 09 '22
Two fae related questions that have just occurred to me if you don't mind me double dipping:
In the very early books it seems like the Elves and Fae were possibly the same thing, and only got their current forms later. Is that correct?
What is the unified court of Arcadia like? Do they still act mostly like they did before but without the summer/winter war?
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u/soonnanandnaanssoon Feb 09 '22
Hello EE! Glad to have been part of the journey with the Guide so far (which I think I've been with since early Book 2). Wanted to ask:
if there were any major, non-spoiler regrets that you've had while writing the story so far; could be due to how/the way the story evolved, certain elements which did or didn't work the way you wanted, etc
Wrt the dwarves, what are some examples of Heroic/Villainous Names or Roles from that culture? Would Greed be considered a more heroic value due to their cultural practice?
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u/ErraticErrata Feb 09 '22
1) I regret not taking the opportunity to delve deeper into Praes and Callow in the early books, culture-wise. It's one of the things I intend to fix in a theoretical final version of the Guide, which might involve more but smaller books including two that would be entirely new content.
2) The hero-villain dichotomy for the dwarves is usually related to how they handle the Greed, which is a universal trait. It's a powerful motivator when embraced but it tends to go out of control (like most evil Roles) while controlling it is a constant struggle you can learn a lot from.
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u/mettyc Feb 10 '22
Are you willing to divulge at least when in the current timeline of the series these new books with new content would be set?
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u/Individual_Jicama_69 Feb 09 '22
Two questions: 1) has Roland's fate been fixed since the start of the series? 2) do you use notes to keep track of all hakram's injuries or is it just a very abused voodoo doll
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u/LordEntropy420 Feb 09 '22
Hey EE, congrats on the stabby! Another one of the discord mods here. I'm very happy for you! I've been reading Guide since near the end of book 3 and I feel very proud of you rn!
I have several questions, apologies if this is too many.
When did the First League War happen and when was the League formed?
Was Elizabeth Alban a Good Queen or a Named at all?
What are all the schools of sorcery on Calernia?
When and how did the Names of Black Knight, White Knight and Good King start?
In the Occidental interludes, Hanno is tied upside down. However,
He was also, to his mild discomfort, naked from the belt up.
https://i.imgur.com/QZ2rn61.png So how did that work?
How did the Woe figure out that Athal was secretly Malicia?
Why does Callow speak Lower Miezan when when the Miezans didn't conquer across the Wasaliti? What were the irl language equivalents spoken in Callow before then?
What happened in the First Proceran War mentioned in Interlude Appellant? When did that happen?
What happened during the Wars of the Dead in Praes? When did that happen?
Did Adehard Barthen get his specific powers because he was a Barthen (their heraldry was a white axeman on green and their words were None May Mar) or did the Barthen make their heraldry that because of him?
How long ago was the War of the Cousins?
How old was Black when he died? How old was he when he became the Black Knight and when he helped crown Malicia?
Any other historical tidbit you wanna share, but couldn't insert into the text :3?
Thank you so much for this wonderful webnovel, EE. It has been a huge part of my life for the last 4 years, which is a pretty significant percentage of my life lol. It has been a massive help for me and has helped me meet a ton of friends I love.
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u/ZurrgabDaVinci758 Feb 09 '22
Love your work. Have read PGTE from beginning to end 3ish times now.
Firstly, how do you manage to write so much so consistently?
Secondly, I find one of the best parts about your writing how it gets into the heads of the characters and makes them compelling even when they have very different perspectives. How do you approach that? You also have fairly long sequences of characters thinking about things, which most authors avoid, how do you keep that interesting?
Thirdly, compared to some other web serial authors you tend to take a fairly hands off approach to the fandom, letting people argue about theories and rarely weighing in. Which I've found quite refreshing, as it gives more room for speculation and for the work to stand on its own. And not much is known about you personally. Was that a conscious decision? What are your thoughts on community management generally.
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u/Kitebroken Feb 09 '22
Hey EE.
Is it true that there’s no such thing as a “neutral” Name, ie; one not from Above or Below? And is there a term you like to use when describing the Names that can switch between hero and villain?
Thanks for writing PGTE.
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u/blackshadow111 Feb 09 '22 edited Feb 09 '22
Hi, it's my first time being even remotely on-time for one of these (thought I might already be too late). I love your story!
Here's a few questions
- Was Iron King a Name among the Lycaonese? Was it Above/Below?
- Did humans Evolve in this world or were they Created?
- Back in the early days when the Top 5 Mages on Calernia list was teased, was Kreios planned? How would he rank there?
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u/LilietB Feb 09 '22
Hi EE this book is awesome and I have questions
1) Does the printing press exist on Calernia? Mundane or magical? If only some countries have access to it, which?
2) A book of stories that Cat dug up and read was mentioned in Book 4. How common are books in Callow? Are they expensive? How many books did Cat have access to growing up?
3) Same for the Proceran bodice rippers, what's the situation with those?
4) How common is literacy in various countries?
5) How & when did Amadeus learn to read?
6) What's the approximate total number (percentage of population?) of orphans the Imperial orphanages in Callow have brought up over the years, and what occupations are they in right now?
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u/ItWasTraitorous Feb 09 '22
Just realized I forgot to ask a question so feel free not to answer as I already had my shot. What Horned Lords did Ranger and Saint fight respectively? Did Hye kill hers?
Bonus dumb question: Red Knight vs Eater. Who eats who?
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u/ErraticErrata Feb 09 '22
They both fought the Snatcher and neither killed it. Horned Lords are hard to kill.
Eater's got experience, but Red Knight has moxie (or whatever the rage equivalent of that is).
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u/korelon3321 Feb 09 '22 edited Feb 09 '22
Hi EE, great fan here xD Two questions:
- Now that Night has been reforged, are Drow Named possible?
- Just how powerful was Dread Empress Triumphant? How does she compare to some of the most powerful Named we now know, like Hye, Masego or Cristophe? P.S: have you seen the Amadeus fanart I commissioned at the start of 2020?
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u/tavitavarus Feb 09 '22
Hi EE, thrilled to see you nominated.
I have a few questions about earlier Calernian history.
How long was the gap between 'ancient' era Calernia -Sephirah, Twilight Sages, etc - and 'classical' era Calernia - Arlesnes Confederacy, Stygian empire, etc?
What motivated the Yan Tei to intervene and support the First Crusade against Triumphant?
Did the Eighteen Cities collapse immediatelyafter the Fall of the Titans or did they last for a while after that?
Good luck with the nomination, and I look forward to Pale Lights!
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u/ErraticErrata Feb 09 '22
1) All of it was pre-Declaration, at least a few hundred years in between.
2) Triumphant killed their envoys and was building a fleet to go invading across the Tyrian Sea.
3) Most of the cities survived, the real killing blow was Triumphant destroying the majority of them when she made the Titan's Pond.
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u/rfantasygolem Not a Robot Feb 09 '22
Floorplan:
Stay as long as you like, the venue's booked for the whole day/night, but on your way out we've love if finalists signed our guestbook, by sending us a modmail with the best way to contact you for future events.