ART: Blue Stones, Black Fur

Bathed in Moonlight. I know there’s other stuff also going on in the seventh story in the Songs of the Amaranthine collection, but Char and Rinloo-dex are two of my favorite people. Have you read their story? If not, do! Bathed in Moonlight is on the must-read list before you dip into Pimiko and the Uncharted Island, which releases in less than a week!

Blue Stones, Black Fur | art by FoxOfTwilight

. . .

Bolder now, Char reached down and set the tip of one finger upon brown skin.
Warm.
There was a sudden clamor of impressions—dark and wild and strange. Snatching back his hand, Char scowled at the wolf for being so wolvish. He still didn’t see the appeal. But then … a smooth blue stone caught his eye. And another. And more! They were the most wonderful color and polished to a treat. They caught the shine of his happiness, which doubled until the wolf was bathed in moonlight.

Bathed in Moonlight
Songs of the Amaranthine, #7

A closer crop of one curious moonbeam.

::twinkle::

ART: Moonglade Tea Room

While in Keishi. In a fairly recent story arc in Lord Mettlebright’s Man, Jacques was in Keishi, which is notable for being the home of Harmonious Starmark, Hisoka Twineshaft, and Kikusawa Shrine. Since it will also be the setting for Kimiko and the Cycle of Moons, I decided (in my usual way) to sneak in a bit of foreshadowing. I’d always planned to have an Amaranthine-run tea room in Kimiko’s neighborhood, but I didn’t need it for Bk2. But Jacques needed a spot of tea, and I have a marvelous serial pending, so I pretty much invented Moonglade Tea Room (and its proprietors) on the spot. (It’s shocking how often I do this. Let’s call it authorial privilege.) THEN, (quite predictably), I got attached. Therefore … art!

Moonglade Tea Room | art by FoxOfTwilight

Cousin?” Sonnet called through an open screen. “May I beg a favor?”
Bare feet made no sound upon tatami mats.
Built and bronzed, this male had silver eyes and black hair arranged in a topknot. The flowered kimono hung open, suggesting wolf.
“Paltry!” Sonnet kissed the cousin’s cheek. “Help me warm this human?”
Jacques was past pride. “Have mercy on this poor wretch.”
Palms met. Nostrils twitched. Brows arched. Paltry remarked, “It’s raining cats and wolves today.”
In English.
Bless him.

LMM, Ch228, “Back Door”

. . .

Kimiko and the Cycle of Moons, you ask? If you haven’t yet heard, I’m going to be writing a full-length novel that follows (among other things) Kimiko’s courtship of Eloquence Starmark. The story will be serialized as a Patreon exclusive … and I’ve promised to begin the tale once we’ve reached the (admittedly daunting) community goal of 400 patrons. We’re about 30% there! “Loosely based on the old Amaranthine tale, ‘The Wolf and the Moon Maiden,’ this serial will involve three sisters, twelve pledges, and the long-awaited stirring of a sleeping landmark.“ + Paltry & Churlish ::twinkle::

forthright on Patreon >>