三人行，必有我师(焉)

Duck Prints Press’s monthly “created works round-ups” are our opportunity to spotlight some of the amazing work that people working with us have done that ISN’T linked to their work with Duck Prints Press. We include fanworks, outside publications, and anything else that creators feel like sharing with y’all. Inclusion is voluntary and includes anything that they decided “hey, I want to put this on the created work’s round-up!”

Visit our Created Works Round-Up Master Post to see all the works our creators have shared since September, 2022!

And check out what they’ve shared with us this month…

In the Heart of the Lake by Shadaras

art || original work || platonic or familial || teen & up || no major warnings apply || complete

summary: Any time he can skip out of work to hold his child, he does.

other tags: Father-Child Relationship, Underwater Setting, Non-Sexual Nudity

AO3

After the Moon Rose Anew by Shadaras

fiction || the spear cuts through water – simon jimenez || m/m || jun ossa/keema of the daware tribe || teen & up || no major warnings apply || 1,048 || complete

summary: After the curtains close on the Inverted Theater, there are still moments of interest in the lives of these two young heroes who are no longer gods but mortals seeking contentment in their second lives.

This is one such moment.

other tags: Post-Canon, Established Relationship, Introspection

AO3

I Am Haunting Your House by Mindful Wrath

audio || original work || no ships || teen & up || no major warnings apply || 00:25:17 || complete

summary: I AM HAUNTING YOUR HOUSE is a dark alternative concept album with deeply layered vocal harmonies and a rich but restrained palette of instrumentation, Evanescence meets Will Wood, equal parts manic and dreamlike. It’s a ghost story. It’s a confessional. It’s screaming defiance at the people who want you dead while knowing you can’t outlive them all. I AM HAUNTING YOUR HOUSE is a story of grief, rage, hope, and exhaustion, dredged from my heart and sung with my whole chest.

YOUTUBE – LINK

Long, long ago, in the faraway land of Deimos… by EvilToTheCore13

fiction || warframe || m/m || loid/albrecht || teen & up || no major warnings apply || 12,376 || work in progress

summary: A cursed sorcerer-prince. A clever and brave servant who becomes a prisoner in the beast’s enchanted castle.

Nothing is ever quite so clear or quite so easy as it is in fairytales. Can love truly break a curse? And even if it can–will Albrecht Entrati ever accept it?

other tags: Alternate Universe – Beauty and the Beast FusionAlternate Universe – FantasyAlternate Universe – Historical, Some Whump, Eventual Romance, Human/Monster Romance

AO3

If You Don’t Have Your Own Deathworlder, Homegrown Is Fine by Pherryt

fiction || witcher || no ships || teen & up || no major warnings apply || 22,317 || complete

summary:

Lambert’s gone missing and Geralt’s not going to let that go without an investigation. While chances are slim, there’s always hope his brother is still alive.

Meanwhile, Lambert wakes up in a strange metal cage, face to face with the largest cat he’s ever seen – and it’s wearing clothes!

Aka: Witchers in space – brought to you by the author getting inspired by multiple Deathworlder fics and all those humans are space orcs posts from Tumblr.

other tags: blood and injury (non graphic), imprisoned, impled past torture, nothing graphic

AO3

A Little Fun by Terra P. Waters

fiction || stranger things || m/m || jonathan byers/steve harrington || explicit || no major warnings apply || 7,808 || complete

summary: After their return from the Abyss, Jonathan takes Steve up on an offer to crash at his and Robin’s apartment.

other tags: Season/Series 05, Spoilers, Pre-Time Skip, Wound Care, Getting Together, Life-Affirming Sex, Anal Fingering, Anal Sex, Bisexual Jonathan Byers, Bisexual Steve Harrington, Steve Harrington Has a Big Dick, There Was Only One Bed, Come Eating

TUMBLR – AO3

To Lay Worship Upon the Altar of His Body by unforth

fiction || tian guan ci fu || m/m, poly (multiple genders) || hua cheng/xie lian, xie lian/anonymous others || explicit || no major warnings apply || 7,211 || complete

summary: Xie Lian realizes that the strange feeling that’s been growing within him presages a heavenly tribulation, one different than any he’s experienced before or heard about.

Now he has to figure out how to overcome the tribulation… but first, he has to figure out how to tell San Lang.

other tags: Canon divergent, gang bang, massive overstimulation

AO3

The Way of House Sparrows by Vee Dragonmuse

fiction || ted lasso || poly (multiple genders) || roy kent/jamie tartt/keeley jones || explicit || no major warnings apply || 147,736 || complete

summary: In which, Jamie continues his journey to be a better man while still embracing his inner prick and Roy whenever he stands still long enough. Keeley finds that kind of personal growth very appealing.

other tags: Post S3, domestic life, discussion of past child abuse, PTSD

AO3

Parallel Park by Linnea Peterson

micro-memoir || original work || m/nb || general audiences || no major warnings apply || 100 || complete

summary: A micro-memoir piece about re-learning to parallel park on a first date.

LINK

Mosaic Haiku, Chapter 20: Snow Days at the Mosaic by EliotQueliot
Mosaic Haiku, Chapter 21: Time Is an Illusion by EliotQueliot

poetry || the magicians (lev grossman, syfy) || m/m || quentin coldwater/eliot waugh || general audiences || creator choses not to use warnings || 1,565 || work in progress

chapter 20 summary: Have fun playing in the snow

chapter 21 summary: In this episode of Mosaic Haiku, Eliot and Quentin reflect on the very first smoldering days of their friendship. These moments are both their past—and their future, somewhere, since they’ve time-traveled to the past of Fillory.

The events we see in Season 1, Episode 1, include some of their favorite moments from their first days together, and they reflect on these and remember them to one another over the years at the Mosaic. (Being armchair time-travelers has become a favorite pastime.)

Please note: The Tumblr post has the photoscenes from the show in place. The AO3 chapter has some of the art (there will be more added over time).

other tags: Haiku, Poetry, Mosaic, Beauty Of All Life, Episode: s03e05 A Life in the Day, Mosaic Timeline (The Magicians: A Life in the Day), Watercolors, Drawings

chapter 20: TUMBLR – AO3 | chapter 21: TUMBLR – AO3

Mosaic Haiku (Art and Poetry), nine new paintings and a drawing by EliotQueliot

art || the magicians (lev grossman, syfy) || m/m || quentin coldwater/eliot waugh || general audiences || creator choses not to use warnings || work in progress

summary: Mosaic Haiku celebrates the lifetime of love between Eliot and Quentin that yielded the “key to greater magic” in “A Life in the Day.” For the Time Is an Illusion event held by Magicians Fanworks Extravaganza, I added nine paintings to Mosaic Haiku, in Chapters 5, 11, 12, 13, 15, and 16 on AO3 (specifics about which art are listed in the chapter notes). For links to the works of art as individual pieces, see @eliotqueliot on the creators list for the Time Is an Illusion event (the Tumblr link for this post) and click the titles of the artworks to see the individual Tumblr posts. Additionally, following the event, I added a drawing to Chapter 6. The Instagram link takes you to that drawing (with links in the post to the individual Tumblr post).

other tags: Haiku, Poetry, Mosaic, Beauty Of All Life, Episode: s03e05 A Life in the Day, Mosaic Timeline (The Magicians: A Life in the Day), Watercolors, Drawings

TUMBLR – AO3 – INSTAGRAM

The First Duty of All Magicians Is to Save Their Friends, Chapter 7: Soulmate Cards by EliotQueliot
The First Duty of All Magicians Is to Save Their Friends, Chapter 8: Soulmate Cards (Part 2) by EliotQueliot
The First Duty of All Magicians Is to Save Their Friends, Chapter 9: Striptease or Fashion Fight? (Or, Cats and Kittens) by EliotQueliot

fiction || the magicians (lev grossman, syfy) || m/m || quentin coldwater/eliot waugh || explicit || creator choses not to use warnings || 9,480 || work in progress

chapter 7 summary: In Quentin’s room, Eliot does his best to move the mission along (specifically: to bang one Quentin Coldwater). But he doesn’t want to hurt Quentin, and he actually has feelings for the boy that make him wish that other life Margo told him about could be real again. So the route proves more circuitous than one might expect from one Eliot Waugh.

chapter 8 summary: Eliot and Quentin choose to talk this time, and things go better. Part of that may be due to Eliot realizing how important it is to share his feelings… …and to a tiny, beautiful magic that lives in Quentin now. The magic which made the soulmate cards…

chapter 9 summary: Eliot’s mission: seduce one Quentin Coldwater to save his life. But really, who’s seducing whom?

other tags: Horomancy, Post-Mosaic Timeline (The Magicians: A Life in the Day), Fix-It, POV Eliot Waugh, Character Death Fix, Alternate Universe – Canon Divergence, Time Shenanigans, Episode: s03e05 A Life in the Day, Physical Kids Cottage (The Magicians), Rescues, Eliot Waugh Is Smart, Margo Hanson is a Good Friend

chapter 7: TUMBLR – AO3 | chapter 8: TUMBLR – AO3 | chapter 9: TUMBLR – AO3

…Baby One More Time, Chapter 12 to 15 by EliotQueliot

fiction || the magicians (lev grossman, syfy) || m/m || quentin coldwater/eliot waugh || mature || creator choses not to use warnings || 19,715 || work in progress

chapter 12 summary: “If at first you don’t succeed, try and try until you give up the ghost, because I’m not giving up on Quentin.”

chapter 13 summary: Quentin meets Quentin. Eliot confronts his truth.

chapter 14 summary: Eliot and Mosaic Quentin both need time to rest and reunite before returning to the quest to save Quentin 40. Of course, coming up with a new plan means reviewing a painful past.

chapter 15 summary: They’re both “his Quentin.” Please don’t make Eliot choose.

other tags: Time Loop, Alternate Universe – Canon Divergence, Quentin Coldwater Lives, Time Travel Fix-It, Implied/Referenced Character Death, Memories, horomancy, Mosaic Timeline (The Magicians: A Life in the Day), Age Difference, The Clock Barrens (Fillory), the mosaic, Post-Mosaic Timeline (The Magicians: A Life in the Day)

chapter 12: TUMBLR – AO3 | chapter 13: TUMBLR – AO3 | chapter 14: TUMBLR – AO3 | chapter 15: TUMBLR – AO3

Merry Christmas to my Dog by ShannonXL

video || original work || no ships || teen & up || no major warnings apply || 00:00:39 || complete

summary: Did you know that animals can talk on midnight on Christmas eve? Something about Jesus dying for capitalism makes them chatty.

YOUTUBE

Need by ShannonXL

fiction || the vampire diaries (tv) || f/m || elena gilbert/damon salvatore || explicit || creator choses not to use warnings || 4,373 || complete

summary:

Elena gets hit by a curse and Damon is the one who’s there.

other tags: fuck or die

AO3

Never Pegged You For a Good Guy by ShannonXL

fiction || the vampire diaries || f/m || elena gilbert/damon salvatore || explicit || no major warnings apply || 5,824 || complete

summary: Elena finds Damon’s strap-on harness and fucks him like he badly needs.

other tags: Pegging, Established Relationship, Fluff and Smut

AO3

Take Care of Me by ShannonXL

fiction || the vampire diaries || f/m || elena gilbert/damon salvatore || explicit || no major warnings apply || 3,375 || complete

summary: Alternate ending of the argument in S5E10.

other tags: Established Relationship, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Angst, Non-Sexual Intimacy

AO3

The first week of February is Children’s Authors and Illustrators Week! We pulled out nine of our favorite queer children’s books and middle grade books for the occasion. You can find more queer children’s and middle grade books on our Goodreads bookshelf and pagebound.co list! The contributors to the list are: Tryan A Bex, Nina Waters, E. C., and Puck.

M is for Mustache by Catherine Hernandez & Marisa Firebaugh

It’s Pride Day, and this big loving chosen family is ready to celebrate! See what they do to make their Pride Day special and so much fun–one letter at a time!

The Zero Dads Club by Aubrey Williams, Angel Adeyoha

It’s Father’s Day craft time in Akilah and Kai’s class, but they don’t have dads! So, they hatch a plan to create a special club. It’s for all the kids in their grade who don’t have a dad, but want to celebrate other family members instead. See what they make in The Zero Dads Club!

Is That For a Boy or a Girl? by S. Bear Bergman & Rachel Dougherty

Meet some awesome kids who have gotten pretty tired of being told that certain things are for girls and others just for boys. See how they mix and match everything they like to get what suits them best!

The Backstagers by James Tynion IV, Rian Sygh & Walter Baiamonte

All the world’s a stage . . . but what happens behind the curtain is pure magic—literally!

When Jory transfers to an all-boys private high school, he’s taken in by the only ones who don’t treat him like a new kid, the lowly stage crew known as the Backstagers. Not only does he gain great, lifetime friends, Jory is also introduced to an entire magical world that lives beyond the curtain. With the unpredictable twists and turns of the underground world, the Backstagers venture into the unknown, determined to put together the best play their high school has ever seen.

The Witch Boy by Lee Knox Ostertag

In thirteen-year-old Aster’s family, all the girls are raised to be witches, while boys grow up to be shapeshifters. Anyone who dares cross those lines is exiled. Unfortunately for Aster, he still hasn’t shifted . . . and he’s still fascinated by witchery, no matter how forbidden it might be.

When a mysterious danger threatens the other boys, Aster knows he can help — as a witch. It will take the encouragement of a new friend, the non-magical and non-conforming Charlie, to convince Aster to try practicing his skills. And it will require even more courage to save his family . . . and be truly himself.

The Moth Keeper by K. O’Neill

Anya is finally a Moth Keeper, the protector of the lunar moths that allow the Night-Lily flower to bloom once a year. Her village needs the flower to continue thriving and Anya is excited to prove her worth and show her thanks to her friends with her actions, but what happens when being a Moth Keeper isn’t exactly what Anya thought it would be?

The nights are cold in the desert and the lunar moths live far from the village. Anya finds herself isolated and lonely. Despite Anya’s dedication, she wonders what it would be like to live in the sun. Her thoughts turn into an obsession, and when Anya takes a chance to stay up during the day to feel the sun’s warmth, her village and the lunar moths are left to deal with the consequences.

Introducing Teddy: A Gentle Story about Gender and Friendship by Jessica Walton & Dougal MacPherson

Errol and his teddy, Thomas, are best friends who do everything together. Whether it’s riding a bike, playing in the tree house, having a tea party, or all of the above, every day holds something fun to do.

One sunny day, Errol finds that Thomas is sad, even when they are playing in their favorite ways. Errol can’t figure out why, until Thomas finally tells Errol what the teddy has been afraid to say: In my heart, I’ve always known that I’m a girl teddy, not a boy teddy. I wish my name was Tilly, not Thomas. And Errol says, I don’t care if you’re a girl teddy or a boy teddy What matters is that you are my friend.

Lumberjanes by ND Stevenson, Grace Ellis, Shannon Watters & Brooklyn Allen

Five best friends spending the summer at Lumberjane scout camp…defeating yetis, three-eyed wolves, and giant falcons…what’s not to love?

A Princess of Great Daring by Tobi Hill-Meyer & Elenore Toczynski

When Jamie is ready to tell people that she’s really a girl inside, she becomes a princess of great daring in a game she plays with her best friends to gather her courage. She’s pleased (but not surprised) that her questing friends turn out to be just as loyal and true as any princess could want.

See a book you just gotta have? You can browse these and other queer children’s books on our Bookshop.org list!

Join our Book Lover’s Discord server to chat books, fandom, and more!

1. What are you currently reading?

• I'm still on pause on The World We Make by N. K. Jemisin and The Baker Thief by Claudie Arseneault, tho I expect to resume The Baker Thief today, as I've only got about a week left on my current Libby borrow.
• 盗墓笔记 by 南派三叔
• Cooking with Monsters: The Beginner's Guide to Culinary Combat vol. 1 by Jordan Alsaqa and Vivian Truong: started this yesterday, it's fine but the pacing seems very slow, I wonder how long it'll end up being. It's definitely queer - there's an NB character and pronoun sharing - but I'm not sure beyond that yet. Otherwise, it's what it says on the tin, they're going to culinary-combat school to fight and kill and cook monsters.

2. What have you recently finished reading?

• The Apothecary Diaries light novel vol. 2 and 3 by Natsu Hyuuga: I haven't given up yet lmao. I think it's that when it's good it's really good but other times it drags. Anyway, I've got a hold on vol. 4.
• Spy x Family vol. 15 by Tatsuya Endo
• A Tropical Fish Yearns for Snow vol. 4 by Makoto Hagino: a little more happened than in last volume, I think we're actually inching toward a relationship now...
• Entangled Circumstances by Kikuko Kikuya: decent modern BL one shot. Era-typical pressuring the bottom for sex but I expect that.
• Flip by Ngozi Ukazu: this was interesting, if not what I expected. Based on stuff I thought it would have trans allegory stuff, but it was much more focused on race than gender.
• Return of the Prince by Junko: I'd give so much for these BL volumes to be clearer about when they're one-shots versus when they're short story collections, sigh.
• That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime manga vol. 7 by Fuse

3. What will you read next?

Novels: I've got A Drop of Corruption by Robert Jackson Bennett on Libby, so that. Gotta get through all the books I borrowed before they run out.

Physical Graphic Novels: next on my new from-the-library pile is It Rhymes with Takei by George Takei and others.

Libby Graphic Novels/Manga: I've got a couple due within the next week: Killer Queens by David M. Booher and Kase-san and Shortcake by Hiromi Takashima, so I'll start with those and go from there I guess.