Nerdology 101: Decision-Making for Characters

Hey there! Welcome back to Nerdology 101, the blog where no nerd is left unsatisfied. I'm your host, Maria Levato. This week, I thought we'd talk about writing the tough decisions.

Every writer comes across a point where their character must make a decision. They have to go down one road or another, but sometimes they refuse to cooperate. I recently had a character that remained indecisive from the beginning of the draft right up until the end of the story.

Of course, it made for an awesome character arc because the build up to this moment has been quite the journey. However, we reached the point where a decision had to be made. Presented with two options that had similarly good outcomes for her, but potentially devastating ones for those she cares for, my FMC finally had to make her decision about which one of them she was going to hurt. Yet, when it came down to the wire, she went radio silent on me.

It didn't surprise me when she went quiet. She's a stubborn character with a bit of a bratty side. I had expected that she might throw a tantrum when she had to make this decision. So, here's how I dealt with it. Let's get into some Nerdology!

My FMC is quite used to having her way. Not because she's spoiled, but because she's powerful. Quite frankly, most of the other characters are terrified of her! When she gets stuck having to choose between two things she wants, she doesn't know how to cope. As the author, it's my job to coax her back out and help her make the decisions without speaking for her (It works best for me when I see the character as fully autonomous. I'm not sure if all writers do this, but I do.).

To do that, I write everything. It all comes out. Every moment up until the statement declaring the decision gets written. All the emotions, all the things they say and do leading up to it, everything gets on the page. Then, I write the first part of the statement. To oversimplify it, "I choose ____." At which point, all the character actually has to do is give you one answer or another. One I get answer A or B, the why flows post decision.

My point: Don't let the characters decision paralysis stall the story. 

Let them make the decision on the moment because that's probably what's happening on the page. In most instances, you don't need their decision until very last moment. Give them all that time so they can answer intuitively.

Think of it like going to a restaurant. You know you want something from X place but you don't really know what until you get there and look at the menu. You might even order the same thing you always do, but you'll stare at that menu anyway, and you probably won't actually decide until the waitor/waitress walks up and asks if you're ready to order. It's a realistic and relatable thing for a character to do. Don't you agree?

Thanks for stopping by Nerdology 101. Check back next week for another segment. In the meantime, don't forget to pre-order my upcoming release, The Fate of Angels and Demons. Have a nerdy week!

Nerdology 101: The Fate of Angels and Demons

Hey there, Booksluts. Thanks for dropping by! For those who are new here, this is Nerdology 101, my blog. Here, I discuss all the nerdy happenings. My name is Maria Levato. I’m an indie author, anime-lover, self-certified kinklord, mythology obsessor, and more. This week, I wanted to talk a bit about my upcoming release, The Fate of Angels and Demons.

This post is spoiler free!

The Fate of Angels and Demons is a 94,000 word (388 page) romantasy featuring [the spicier] elements of a dark romance. The book comes out on April 1st, 2026.

Here’s the official blurb:

Lilly, a priestess sent to prevent a prophecy that foretold the death of her brother (angel), the heir to Oceanica's throne, from unfolding falls in love with the demon king that is said to be her brother’s killer—and goes even more insane than he is.
Michael, the demon king of Tendu, has long resented the royal family of Oceanica due to the part they played in his father’s downfall—little does he know, his obsession with this priestess might lead to his own.

The book will be available in 3 formats. Paperback and ebook, available at most major retail stores through the Ingram catalog, and a special edition hardcover that will only be available via direct purchase. Retail stores and libraries may purchase it via the direct wholesale ordering form at a discount if they are ordering 20+ copies, and it will be available for individual purchases on this website at launch.

The special edition will include the following:

1. Sprayed edges,

2. 2 pieces of character art, 1 NSFW and 1 SFW,

3. A ribbon page marker,

4. Head and Tail bands,

5. Bonus content.

For readers who just can’t wait to get their hands on a copy, though, I am currently accepting applications for e-ARCs. E-ARCs, for those who may not be aware, are advanced reader copies, a number of distributed copies of a book sent to readers prior to release in the hopes that they might review the book and help build buzz. My ARCs are distributed through BookFunnel as a PDF. The minimum requirements are that the reader must be at least 18 years old (in the U.S., if outside of the U.S., whatever the age of majority is in your country), I must also be able to confirm that you’re human (no bots), and finally, the reader must agree not to re-sell, share, or distribute their ARC. To apply for an ARC, fill out THIS form.

Now, time for the fun part!

What is the spice level in The Fate of Angels and Demons?

This book is on fire. It features 7-ish sex scenes, all of which include some form of kink. The love interests develop a switch dynamic (For the vanilla folk: Sometimes he’s dominant; sometimes she is. It’s about a 50/50 split). My favorite spicy scene is the one that got made into the NSFW piece of character art for the special edition. It’s based on a scene in chapter 5. Needless to say, this book is INTENDED FOR AN ADULT AUDIENCE. Even among adults, its content may be triggering to some readers. I do strongly advise that readers review the trigger list thoroughly prior to starting the books (provided on the ARC sign up form, in the front of the book, and in numerous other locations).

What inspired me to write The Fate of Angels and Demons?

Well, to start, Lilly’s character has been around in my writing for a while. If you’re new to my writing, I write The Islands of Rune universe so it can be read as a series or as standalones. The books are connected, but you don’t have to read them all in order to understand the latest release. In part, I do this because my craft tends to improve drastically from one book to the next (as with anything, even if you’re good, there’s always still room for improvement). I always want new readers to be able to start off reading my best work. So, I actually encourage people to always start with what’s newest.

As for this book specifically, Lilly was always intended to get her own book. I knew it from the moment I introduced her. Her character development, some of the things she’s been through, thinks, and feels, are all deeply personal to me in one way or another. In my writing, I tend to use the enthralling fantasy plots and intense romances to make palpable the more serious topics I address (as do most authors, at least the ones I read). Underneath the fun of the story is a lot of important commentary regarding what life after trauma actually looks like and why its okay if you never go back to “normal” (gag, I hate that stupid word), along with other topics surrounding racism, bigotry, forced labor, poverty, and more. This book came out of me when it did for a reason. With the state of the world being what it is, art and literature are more important than ever. It’s no secret that reading helps people develop a stronger sense of empathy and increases literacy, so I write to make sure people can accomplish those goals in a fun and accessible way. Lilly is the perfect character to help me accomplish that because she has such a unique perspective that allows for both a brutal rage and a kind heart.

Also, though, I love priestess characters.

What sorts of things are you doing to help boost yourself coming up to the release?

So, so many things. Of course, there’s the social media aspect. I hired a PA to help me with content creation. Her name is Jazmine (@jazzys_books & @apenandapromise on IG). She’s been great. Having her helping me out has done wonders in terms of freeing me up so I can A) focus on writing other books, B) focus on contacting bookstores (both previously partnered and new to me), libraries, planning events, and contacting book bloggers/influencers to seek partnerships, and C) managing and distributing ARCs, running ads, and connecting with readers directly. With all of that going on, I’m sure you can see how sparing myself that 3ish hours/week on making posts is actually so helpful (plus I literally suck at coming up with stuff to post. I’m still at that stage in being an author where I freeze up any time I’m asked what my book is about or am expected to speak out loud.) (If you happen to be a more popular author reading my blog, please let me know if and when that will go away? LMAO.)

Anyway, as things happen, you can hear all about them on any of my socials. Here’s my Instagram, my Bluesky, my Threads, and on the home page of this website, you’ll also find a form to sign up for my email list (I won’t spam, I promise).

That’s all for this week! I hope you’ll drop in again next week for another segment of Nerdology 101. Until then, have a nerdy week!

Nerdology 101: Fictional Crushes

Heyyyyy! How are all my nerdy peoples? If you’re new here, welcome! This is Nerdology 101 and I’m your resident nerd, Maria Levato. This week I wanted to dive into the topic of fictional crushes (from my experience, every nerd has them. No need to be shy about it). I’ll be sharing a few of my own, but also discussing them in a more broad sense. With that being said, why don’t we get started with some NERDOLOGYYYY?

Experiencing a romantic or sexual attraction to a fictional character is a pretty common occurence. From the “Hear me out” cakes on social media to the existence of BookTok/Bookstagram/Booksky a lot of people have come to terms with that fact. In fact, many of us have built entire communities around our fictional crushes. This phenomenon has been around much longer than these communities, though. Back in the ancient time of the millenial, those of us who embraced fictophilia were often outcasts and it was hard to find people who could relate. Do you know what I would have given as a kid to know I wasn’t the only one waking up at 5AM to watch Inuyasha because I had a crush on Sesshomaru… and Inuyasha… and Koga…? (I don’t have a problem, I don’t have a problem). Nowadays, though, my list of fictional crushes extends beyond anime and other cartoon characters. Characters from books such as Nikolai Sokolov and Rayne have also taken me by storm.

So, why do so many of us experience this attraction to fictional characters so intensely? It’s simple, really. Knowing they’re not real doesn’t change the fact that they fulfill a real need. The need is often for safe spaces to experience romance, partners who are emotionally open to us, and sometimes even to explore fantasies we can’t safely explore irl for one reason or another. In most cases, this is healthy and can have a positive impact in helping people better define their needs in a human-to-human romance. People who don’t know what they’re looking for tend to end up in bad relationships. These fictional crushes can help us to better understand ourselves, what we’re looking for, and learn how to communicate that to a potential partner. What many view as a form of escapism, I view as a potentially theraputic outlet for exploring ourselves and our desires.

Now that I’ve said as much, let’s talk about my top fictional crushes from each of my nerdy realms:

1. Anime - Vanitas and Noe (The Case Study of Vanitas)

   Yes, I count them as ONE fictional crush because I wouldn’t want to be with one unless the other was also present. While they’re both hot and I acknowledge some part of this has to do with an MMF fantasy, they also fulfill different needs. Vanitas is passionate, wild, obsessive, and capable of embracing my particular brand of insanity. He’d be the perfect partner for the enemies-to-lovers, banter-y arguing part of my desires. Noe, on the otherhand, is sweet, affectionate, and loyal above all else. I’d find that fulfilling in the moments that I just wanna curl up and cuddle. I can totally picture him letting me lay my head in his lap and read a book without interrupting me—just being glad to have me close. Together, they make a perfect boyfriend.

2. Gaming - Kaeya (Genshin Impact)

   Kaeya has a flirty nature, relaxed vibe, and a bit of a mysterious element while also remaining a safe guy. I think he has broad appeal that most people who’re attracted to men can get into. It’s easy to consider him my top gaming crush.

3. Books - Samkiel (Gods and Monsters by Amber V. Nicole)

   Samkiel is ideal in pretty much every aspect. I’d have zero complaints. If I listed every aspect of him that I love, this blog post would never go up because I’d likely spend the rest of my life completing that list.

4. Special Mention: Atem (Yu-Gi-Oh)

   What do you mean he’s an ancient Egyptian pharoah with a tiny ball of fur that can take out Blue-Eyes White Dragon?! Of course I love him. Lol.

   Anyway, who are your top fictional crushes? Let me know. As always, I’ll be back next Friday at 3PM EST for the next segment of Nerdology 101. Until then, have a nerdy week!

Nerdology 101: Rabbit Holes

There you are! Here to hear me rant about some Nerdology? Of course you are because you’re a good little nerd. Yes, you are. Such a good nerd.

Welcome back to Nerdology 101, I’m your host, Maria Levato, and this week I wanna talk about my beloved rabbit holes (they are sacred and necessary. Do not come for them or I will hiss at you). Rabbit holes are the centerpiece of all my best writing, so today I’m going to tell you about a few of my recent favs. Whaddya say? Wanna get into some Nerdology? Let’s gooo!

1. How I Define the Difference between Rabbit Hole and Regular Research

   Could I have effectively written what I was trying to write without knowing this? If yes, it’s probably a rabbit hole. I do note, though, that the fact that I could write something without the information doesn’t necessarily mean there’s no benefit to writing it with it. Oftentimes, I find that writing with the additional information is the difference between producing something that sounds right to someone with no familiarity and producing something that sounds right to someone who knows. For example, geography. I once wrote a short story where a majority of the events took place in Dublin, Ireland. I could have convincingly wrote some version of “We ate at a restaurant by the River Liffey.” and most American’s likely would have accepted that as enough detail. Instead, I wrote that the characters ate at PHX Bistro, a small restaurant by the River Liffey. That’s a detail that would help the story feel more like its truly happening in Dublin to someone from Dublin, or to others that have been there. It wouldn’t necessarily have been bad writing if I didn’t name a specific restaurant, but that little bit of detail made it a bit more tangible. Of course, that’s not a rabbit hole in and of itself because I didn’t research that so much as I just knew it from travelling, but it’s a great example of how a detail might make a big difference in how convincing the writing is. Thus, my argument that rabbit hole as sacred stands.

2. Recent Rabbit Hole - Demons

   (Note: For context, it’s useful to know that I write romantasy. Romance that is central to the plot based in a completely fictional world of my own making. However, there’s a paranormal and mythological element in the sense that my characters are often angels, demons, gods, priestesses, etc.. My magic systems and set ups are often based in a slew of different beliefs, taking elements from them to create something original. So, my research is often in finding those puzzle pieces from various belief systems, cultures, and periods of history to build it).

   For reasons I can’t explain without spoiling future releases, this one was extremely useful. So, did you know that the modern word demon comes the Greek word Daimon, which just meant deity? There was no evil connotation on the word until the Catholic Church came into the picture. Presumably, the word Daimon being used to refer to deities that weren’t their preferred deity and therefore it picked up a negative/evil connotation as they gained more power throughout Europe since they were monotheistic and viewed the worship of other deities as an evil act. But yeah, demons are pretty much just deities and whether they are a threat or not depends mostly on who you are and what demon you’re interacting with. Not every demon we see discussed in texts about them is necessarily hostile towards humans. The Lemegeton, for example, talks about demons, but it also goes into detail when classifying them. It speaks about their personalities, the danger or lackthereof in interacting with them, and more. This sort of implies that there was an understanding in medieval Europe, at least among those who sought out this type of knowledge, that demons weren’t necessarily evil. That understanding prevails today in some ways, though its became increasingly less prevailing for a few decades because of media portrayals, then took a turn in more recent years where that understanding started to revitalize itself. Needless to say, there are plenty of people who still cling to the evil connotation of the word, but it only really holds up when held under the lens of a monotheistic theology.

   Point being that etymology proves quite useful in writing fantasy. Knowing this helped me lead a character to a huge moment of self-discovery that I was able to write extremely well because I had gone down the rabbit hole to get the right information to make it work. It was also just fun because it set off a slew of personal research that really doesn’t have anything to do with what I’m writing, but I’m enjoying it quite a bit. I like learning about these things, and who knows? Info that isn’t relevant to my writing can occassionally resurface later as being exactly what I need. It’s sort of unpredictable that way.

3. Recent Rabbit Hole - Mesopotamia

   Another topic I recently had to do some digging on was Mesopotamia, the gods of the culture and time, and it’s geographic placement compared to modern maps. My findings were prettty cool. I hadn’t looked into Mesopotamia too much before this so I went in with very little background knowledge to base my research on, which is rare because usually these types of things are matters I’m led to write about because of an interest I already have. In this case, though, it was a bit more random. I liked that because it left so much room for inspiration since everything I was getting was new to me. It also gave me a path to learning about Iran a little more (when looking into museums and historic sites) and develop an interest in the culture.

   Because what I was looking into was so broad, I can’t go into all of it here, but I will talk about a point that I found particularly useful. Separating dynasties is an important point when discussing Mesopotamia. Mesopotamia was a region more than it was a reference to a specific civilization. Most information is a bit more specific to the empire that was ruling it at the time. There were quite a few changes in power, but for my purposes, I was focused on periods of Sumerian and Akkadian rules (probably what most people are thinking of when they say Mesopotamia. About 3,200B.C. to 2154B.C. for both dynasties). In the dates is a fact that took me a while to wrap my head around. The Old Kingdom era of Ancient Egypt was roughly from 2686-2181B.C. Which means there was a fairly decent overlap in dates where the Akkadian empire and the Old Kingdom of Ancient Egypt existed at the same time. The Great Pyramids of Giza were constucted a few centuries prior to the fall of the Akkadian dynasty. I’m sure you can imagine all the ways a fantasy writer could utilize that bit of information. Oh yeah… That alone was gold to me. Not to mention all the other great stuff I found while researching. I’m so excited with how its turning out on the page too!

   I hope you all enjoyed hearing about some of my recent rabbit holes. Have you had any of your own of late? Let me know. I’ll see you back next week for another segment of Nerdology 101. Until then, have a nerdy week!

   Sources

   https://www.history.com/articles/mesopotamia

   https://egymonuments.gov.eg/en/monuments/the-great-pyramid

   https://www.britishmuseum.org/learn/schools/ages-7-11/ancient-egypt/timeline-ancient-egypt

   https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/demon#word-history

Nerdology 101: Kink Safety for Beginners

This blog post is intended for adults. It is not recommeded for those under the age of 18.

Hiii! Welcome back to Nerdology 101. I’m your host, Maria Levato, and this week we’ll be going over some kink basics for those who may wish to explore bits and pieces of their smutty fantasies in real life. Let’s get into some Nerdology!

1. Consent

   The first and most important point is that when indulging in any form of sexual activity consent is key. Nothing you do not want to happen should be happening. For this reason, it’s best to define boundaries before any play begins. Talk to your partners. Be clear about what you’re looking for, what is and is not okay with you, what your expectations are, what kinds of aftercare you think you’ll need, and literally any other topics that will help define the situation.

2. Take it slow

   Kink is not something you just wake up one day and start exploring at full-throttle. Doing that is extremely dangerous and could result in harm to you or your partner(s). While I don’t consider any kink totally “off-limits”, I do think there are steps. For example, if your interest is in impact play, you should probably try some light spanking before you pull out a whip. Liking the way you imagine a kink or a concept of a kink does not always equate to actually liking the kink itself. Sometimes, you want to try something, you do, and then you hate it in practice. Slowly building up to more intense play is an important step. This is even more important with certain roleplay-type kinks like CNC and Primal Play because you and your partner(s) need to have enough experience, trust, and communication built up to prevent a fun and healthy exploration of a fantasy from becoming an assault.

3. Learn from someone more experienced than you

   First-timers are always welcome here, but experience is important. If neither you or your partner(s) have any, please find someone who does. You can do this by attending a munch, visiting a BDSM club as an observer, or discussing it with those at your local kink shop (in my experience, they are usually willing to help guide newbies—or provide them with resources that might help them). Many of the people you meet in these spaces have been doing this for years. They can give you general advice on safety, best practices, communication, questions you should ask that might not be so obvious, etc. They can also tell you ways certain tools should be used. Improper use of kinky devices can be risky.

4. Trust

   We touched on this a little in the first point, but there’s more to say in this area in particular. Kink requires an extreme amount of trust. I don’t care if you’ve known someone a month or 10 years, if you cannot say with absolute certainty that they will a) stop when told, b) adhere to any lines you have, c) understand that what you allow them to do during play does not equate to how they’re expected to treat you outside of it, I do not advise engaging in kink with them. If these elements are not present, there’s not enough trust or respect for a kink dynamic to be implemented in a healthy way.

5. Beware of the Internet

   The irony of telling you to be cautious about what you see/read/observe on the internet while speaking to you on the internet is not lost on me, but its also so important. Predators are abundant in the world, but they get amplified on the internet. Many of them use the words kink or BDSM as a broad cover for toxic, unhealthy, sickening behavior. The kink community does NOT condone this type of behavior. Don’t play with someone who uses “I’m a dominant” as an excuse to steamroll you. If you lean dominant, also don’t forget that subs should have lines and that being a dom/domme doesn’t mean you aren’t allowed to have lines too. In fact, you should have lines. If someone says something along the lines of “I’ll try anything”, they either haven’t thought this through or they’re making assumptions about what your “anything” entails. I’ve had people say that to me before, but when I question it and start throwing out kinks, they have to backtrack and think about it more. In order for clear communication to take place between partners, a certain amount of self-reflection also has to take place. No one should be okay with “anything”. Boundaries and lines might change as the dynamic progresses, but it should never be assumed to have changed, it should never be expected to change. Make sure that content you consume for the purpose of learning is coming from someone who cares about safety. The smutty books we read are FICTION. Understand that a healthy exploration of kink/BDSM doesn’t look exactly like it does in books. Sure, you can reenact some scenes, but you cannot skip these essential steps leading up to that point without incurring serious risk of harm.

   With that, I’m going to wrap this blog post up! I’m a bit short on time this week, unfortunately. But, please remember that these five points are a starting point, not a finish line. Kink dynamics require a lot of thought and effort. At the bottom, I’ll include a few other resources (I’ve vetted these, but I still enourage you to vet them so you can get some practice with questioning things before trusting them) that might help you on your journey. Thanks a ton for dropping by Nerdology 101. I’ll see you back next week for our next segment. Until then, have a nerdy week!

Resources for learning about kink:

https://bdsmtest.org/select-language - figuring out what dynamics might interest you.

https://www.gstherapycenter.com/blog/2019/3/8/kink-safety-what-you-need-to-know - general safety

https://www.thepomegranateinstitute.com/the-abcs-of-bdsm-safety-acronyms - acroynms commonly used

https://expansivetherapy.com/blog-detail/new-kink-therapy - safety + mental health

https://www.chattingwiththelightkeeper.com/your-ultimate-guide-to-exploring-bdsm-and-kink/kinkopedia-the-ultimate-bdsm-d-s-terminology-guide/how-to-navigate-understand-and-stay-safe-at-bdsm-kink-events/ - Practical safety tips and knowledge for attending munches and other kink events.

Nerdology 101: The “Smut” Convo

This blog post is not recommended for anyone under the age of 18. If you’re a minor, please check with a parent or guardian before proceeding.

We’reeee backkkk! Welcome to Nerdology 101. I’m your host, Maria Levato. This week we’re going to talk about the word smut. I’m not going to waste any time getting into it because this is already going to be a rant. So, let’s get into some Nerdology!

If you read this blog, my books, or my social media content, it’s probably no suprise to you that I love smutty books. I love reading them, writing for them, and today I love advocating for them because by now we’ve all seen the shift start to happen.

I’m going to say this loud and fucking clear: There’s nothing wrong with sex. Sex is normal. It’s healthy. It’s enjoyable. Therefore, there is nothing unclean, shameful, embarrassing, or wrong about reading smut. It’s a book. The fact that sex happens in a book doesn’t reflect whatsoever on its literary value or relavance. In fact, it adds value in the sense that it highlights ideas that push forward social movements such as sex positivity, feminism, and LGBTQIA+ rights—all of which I stand by firmly.

The word smut, in this context, is one the bookish community used to refer to these books when BookTok, Bookstagram, and other bookish social media tags started becoming more popular. It was used primarily as an inside joke that brought joy to the community. Anyone who has actually read these books is unlikely to see them as simply being pornography. Recently, however, we’ve started to see a rise in people who are using the word smut to diminish the books, the people who read them, and the people who write them. As such, the language has started to change. I’ve seen more and more people beginning to avoid the word smut altogether. In leiu of it, they’re leaning towards softer, less direct options like spice—which has been used for a while, but not in the way that it’s happening now where it’s being used to avoid stigmatization. With that being the case, many have begun to debate which words should and should not be used. In this post, I’m going to give my thoughts on why we shouldn’t let go of the word smut or otherwise soften our language.

1. What message are we sending?

   When we communicate, word choice matters. That’s why an author will some times spend hours searching for that perfect word. When I stop and ask myself what message we are sending with our word choices regarding sexual content in books, here’s what comes to my mind (I cannot speak for everyone. I’m giving my perspective and that’s all.):

   “I read smutty books.” - I confidently read sexual material with the critical engagement necessary to understand that books containing it often offer great stories, diverse voices, powerful social commentary, and that the act of reading it is a form of empowerment that affirms for me that my pleasure, autonomy, and needs matter both in and outside of the bed.

   “I read spicy books.” - This does NOT automatically imply that the person speaking doesn’t feel the same way as the one who says they read smut. It does however require more thought. In the bookish community, I’ve never seen anyone use a smut scale because of the implications behind the word, but spice scales are frequently used. The translations of these scales often vary widely. For one reader, Fourth Wing may be the spiciest book they’ve ever read. For another reader, it could be a one or a two on a scale of one to five. I think that matters because it means using the word spice allows a massive amount of interpretation that can lead to some misunderstandings. So, by using the word, you’re allowing the other person to judge your meaning based on their scale. Because of this broadness, the message you’re sending with your word choice is less clear. I can’t tell based on the sentence alone if this person is quietly capitulating to purity culture or if they are loudly and intentionally rebelling against it in their own way. Thus, I have to assume someone who loudly and intentionally perpetuates purity culture would be pleased by this because it leaves room for them to twist things in a way that may or may not align with the intention of the person saying it. I can see people using this type of soft language to make it seem like “Oh, so this is something you know you should be ashamed of” even though that argument is easily dismantled by anyone with a critical thinking skills. The danger of it, though, is that not everyone has critical thinking skills. Moreover, the crazies would rather not think critically if what’s being said inflates their false sense of superiority and makes them look justified in their oppression.

2. Infantilization

   We’re fucking adults. It is insane to me that a bunch of adults cannot speak about sexual content in a direct way. The softening of the language is reminiscent of arguing on a playground about who has cooties. This probably has a lot to do with censorship on social media platforms as well, but it has a real impact. This soft language and avoidance reaffirms stereotypes (particularly when it comes to women). It allows people to imply shame, lack of assertiveness, indecisiveness, innocence and corruption in accordance with whatever arbitrary standard they so choose, and other harmful ideas that make it sound like we’re unable to think and act of our own free will. Men talk about sex amoungst themselves. The fact that its considered problematic for women to do the same in regards to books often written with women in mind is a symptom of misogyny and the infantilization that comes with it.

3. Content

   Changing the language we use to discuss content could result in a change the content itself. I love these smutty books and a lot of you do too. So, let’s talk about how erasure of the word smut could lead to erasure of the content. Censorship is a tricky thing. It usually doesn’t start by saying “this type of language is banned”. Outright attacks on words like that are more likely to meet resistance. Convincing people to self-censor is a much easier thing to do, especially on social media platforms because it rewards self-censorship with reach, which leads to engagement, and to sales that a lot of bookish accounts might be depending on for their income. While I acknowledge how difficult it might be for people to cope with this loss of income, I’d argue that the benefit outweighs the cost. If we will self-censor on social media, we’ll eventually self-censor in other ways when that push for it expands. Bookstores and readers may eventually start to move away from carrying smut, which will push publishers away from publishing it, then agents away from representing it, and in the end push writers away from writing it. Even self-published authors have to consider the market and what will sell, it could even result in less smut being available from us too. The issue is bigger than one word. If we allow that word to be erased, we invite them to push for more.

   The impact of it could substantially setback conversations around sex positivity and feminism as I’ve addressed, but it could also setback conversations around LGBTQIA+ rights. I know recently there’s been a lot of conversation around straight women writing MM, but that’s the point—There’s conversation. Representation leads to conversation. Conversation leads to increased understanding of the communities perspective. Increased understanding leads to better representation. I read a fair amount of LGBTQIA+ books written by LGBTQIA+ authors, but I never would have found most of them if I hadn’t been reading smutty MM written by straight women that were already popularized. While I do agree that books by LGBTQIA+ authors should be the priority in LGBTQIA+ genres AND that staight people who write LGBTQIA+ stories need to do better, I think the point stands that without popular smut, I would know less LGBTQIA+ authors and that these conversations about what good representation and allyship look like wouldn’t be happening.

With all of that being said, I will continue to use the word smut because I think the benefits of it are worth protecting. That’s my two cents on this discourse and I hope it helps readers and writers alike think more about the language we’re using and decide for themselves what language they want to use.

Let me know in the comments what your thoughts are! See you back next week for the next segment of Nerdology 101. Until then, have a nerdy week!

Nerdology 101: Thoth

Hey, hey! You, you! It’s time for some Nerdology! No way, no way. You can’t be too excited!

[Clears throat] … Please excuse my outburst. I had to do it at least once and thought this would be a good week because [Insert drum roll] it’s my 10th post! Over the past 10 weeks of hosting and writing this blog, it has become the most visited page on my website. So, thank you all so much for sticking with me. It’s actually a huge help and is definitely boosting my visibility, so I appreciate it.

If you've been here for a while, you already know me. But if this is your first time visit, I’m Maria—the crazy, quirky kinklord of an indie author who runs this blog. I'm happy to have you all here and for that reason, this weeks post will be a bit special. I’ll be doing a bit of a deep dive on my favorite deity: Thoth. Most of you have probably heard the name before, but for those who haven’t, Thoth is the Egyptian God of wisdom, writing, science, the moon—pretty much everything a nerd could ask for, right? I thought so too. Let’s get into some Nerdology!

Thoth (originally called Djehuty in Egyptian) was an awesome god. I listed a few of the areas where he’s noted above, but there’s more. How Thoth came into existence is a bit debated. According to some sources, he was born from Ra’s lips asexually. Others say that the god literally created himself. What is clear, in any source, is that Thoth was revered and that Egyptian mythology placed him as a central figure. A lot of gods depended on him in some way or another. He had a hand in judging souls as they moved to the afterlife. He advised Seshat, Osiris, Horus, and other gods. Perhaps most importantly, though, is the fact that this god knew everything. Period. Every scrap of knowledge there was to know, he knew it. Now, I like to learn, but that’s a lot of stuff to know.

One of my favorite things about Thoth is that he’s so intersectional. Thoth is equally associated with science and math as he is with art and philosophy, literature—even mediation. He did it all. It’s nice to think of it that way. In the modern age, it always kind of feels like there’s this huge divide between the humanities/liberal arts/art and STEM where it’s constantly a choice between one or the other. Either we invest in STEM or we invest in the arts? If we prioritize science, non-STEM subjects become “useless degrees”? It’s all very black and white, one or the other. We seem to have forgotten the word “and”. Thoth, to me, serves as this sort of ancient reminder to place equal importance on all of it because they’re all important aspects of intelligence. It would probably seem crazy to such a god to place more weight on one form of knowledge than another.

Thoth was so important to the Egyptian pantheon that he was one of its first gods. We can trace him back to the 25th century BCE. Roughly, that places our earliest accounts of Thoth’s worship within a few centuries of the Akkadian rule of Mesopotamia, making this god pretty freakin’ old. Of course, that’s not to say Thoth doesn’t still have his following today. Many self-identifying witches seek his guidance. Here, you can see one such practitioner talk about their experiences with the deity, and here, we see that later pantheons recognized that their own god, Hermes, was an iteration of Thoth in their own culture. The Romans also had their own iteration of him in Mercury too, hence the planets astrological associations with communication, curiosity, and versitility. It’s the “messenger” of the astrological world.

As a writer and a lover of knowledge myself, I’ve always taken a great interest in Thoth. He’s one of the few deities I can identify with. Of all the tales various religions tell, not many of them register with what I’d see as god-like. Thoth makes a lot of sense to me as a god, though. Knowing things that mortals, and even other deities, are unaware of. Being a sort of vessel for knowledge, literature, and art sounds like something a god would do to me.

I’ve been known to embrace witchy concepts, although its worth noting that I wouldn’t call myself a witch (I just have a deep respect for them and think they could be closer to “right” about spirituality than most humans). For me, I view religion of any kind through an academic and/or culturally curious lens. But, I do hold certain ritualistic things that I do not necessarily because I believe a deity is on the other end of them, but because the practice is something that helps me psychologically. So, yes, you could say that on several occassions, I have connected with the idea of Thoth during those practices—if not the deity himself, then with the ideas the archetype embodies that I identify with on a deep enough level to consider it spiritual. These moments fuel the curiosity that comes to life when I write… or travel… or watch something that brings up a question… or just about anything because I tend to get curious often. I consider that, in and of itself, a form of honor to Thoth and deities like him, who, whether they exist or don’t, inspire humanity to pursue the creativity and knowledge they stand for. As intangible and unprovable as the concept of a god is, there’s no denying that the impact mythology has had on us as a species it. Ultimately, unlike many gods, I see the idea of Thoth and his iterations as one that has a net positive impact on the world and that’s not something I would say about many deities, modern or ancient. That’s why he’s my favorite deity and one I consider myself connected to.

That’s about it for this weeks Nerdology 101 post. I’ll see you back next week for the next segment of Nerdology 101! If you want to know what the topic will be, I post weekly topic reveals on Saturdays across my socials! (Meta: @malevato6 , Bluesky: @marialevato.com ). Until then, have a nerdy week!

Source List:

https://www.ebsco.com/research-starters/religion-and-philosophy/thoth-deity

https://egyptianmuseum.org/deities-thoth

https://www.metmuseum.org/essays/the-akkadian-period-ca-2350-2150-b-c

https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/700048

Nerdology 101: Self vs. Trad Publishing

Hi! Welcome back to Nerdology 101. I’m Maria Levato, your nerdy sensei who writes about kink play—and a bunch of other random stuff no one asked about.

Lately, I’ve been seeing a lot of discourse around the merits of self vs. trad publishing, so I’m using this week’s post to address that. Let me give you a hint: Both options are perfectly valid.

There are few industries where we judge the legitimacy of a business by who makes the initial investment. I have never heard someone say “Oh, this store is worse than a different store because the owner paid for it themselves instead of getting investors.” Why haven’t I heard that before? Because it would be insane and most people wouldn’t say it. So, why do we do it when it comes to books? Let’s dive into some Nerdology and find out!

Before the Printing Press

Long ago, there was a world without the printing press. A medieval time where books were—Checks notes, then gasps—made by hand!? Oh, the horror. As you may have guessed, they took a lot of time and money to make. The majority of them were made and collected by religious entities and universities. “Getting published”, as we know it today, didn’t really exist. What did exist, though, is the concept of patronage. Wealthy people, like nobles and royals, would find artists and writers they liked and bankroll them. Eventually, after creating some work, some of the artists and writers would start to get commissions from other wealthy people who wanted a work made by that artist or writer. Publishing houses are the post-printing press version of this, so you can call writers who became published this way early trad authors. On the other hand, you could call writers with the wealth to pay to have their writing produced themselves, early self-published authors.

Good Ol’ Gutenberg and the Printing Revolution

In 1454, we see Gutenberg’s printing press get put to commercial use for the first time where he prints a slew of stuff off for the church. Then, suddenly books (or at least those the church approves of) are more widely available. It’s magic. A ton of people were interested in this because it was a quick and easy way to replicate their ideas and distribute them to a wide audience. It was a Printing Revolution, literally, that’s what it was called. It was part of the Renaissance. You can learn a lot about it by viewing this page from Printing R-Evolution that explores it in depth. For our purposes, though, I’m just illustrating how this became the publishing industry. You see, whoever had a printing press could print and distribute anything. So, having one became a powerful way to distribute materials that would make people more likely to agree with your preferred idealogy. That’s a lot of power. It platformed people like Galileo, who was a radical thinker for his time. It also gave us texts that sparked social movements like the rise of Prostestantism, such as bibles written in languages that aren’t Latin, which were considered heresy at the time. Eventually, people realized that printing and distributing books could be lucrative. Enter: The Publishing Industry, entities who printed and distributed books on behalf of the writer.

Literary Agents

Three to four centuries and a lot of books later, literary agents come onto the scene between 1870 and 1930, depending on location. Their job was simple. Connect writers with publishing houses. This is really the start of traditional publishing as we know it today. From there, traditional publishing became more of a standardized process. Query agents (via snail mail, at the time), get an agent, have that agent submit the work to publishers, get published.

The Internet

With the internet came a revitalization of self-publishing. In 2005, Blurb, an online self-publishing platform was founded. In 2009, Amazon started Amazon Publishing. In 2013, IngramSpark came onto the scene. As with anything, some people got mad about it. They started bashing people who took that path because it went against their expectations of what becoming an author should look like. That’s where it started to get stigmatized.

Social Media

With the rise of Booktok/Bookstagram/Booktube/etc. came change. Self-published authors started to gain stronger platforms and their path became less stigmatized. This led us to the debate I’m seeing today about whether self or trad publishing is better. As I said at the start of this blog post, it doesn’t matter. The difference lies in who bears the initial investment, not the quality of the production itself. I’ve read plenty of trad books that I love and plenty that I dislike. The same applies to self-published books. Trad published books sometimes have editing issues, so do self-published books sometimes. Both formats have different pros and cons. Ultimately, the choice on which format is better depends on the writer and the piece they’re publishing. No matter what a writer chooses, they choose it because it is the best route for them and their work. Some writers choose one path at first and a different path later. Some are solidly on one side of the line or the other. So long as everyone respects everyone else’s decisions, there’s nothing wrong with any of it. It’s okay for people to achieve similar goals by different means. To say a trad-published author is a sell out or a self-published author wasn’t good enough to make it is ridiculous. No matter who bears the initial investment, the quality of the writing is what matters at the end of the day. Read books you like, no matter how they were published, and don’t read books you don’t like, no matter how they were published.

Let me know in the comments what your thoughts are! Did you learn something new about the history of publishing?

With that, I bid you all a good weekend. I’ll see you back next Friday at 3P.M. ET for the next segment of Nerdology 101. Until then, have a nerdy week!

Source List (This is a blog, not an academic paper. I’m just dropping the links so people can learn more, not making full citations).

https://guides.library.ubc.ca/historyofthebook/beforeprint

https://independentpublisher.com/article.php?page=1510

https://scarc.library.oregonstate.edu/omeka/exhibits/show/mcdonald/incunabula/gutenberg/

https://www.printingrevolution.eu/7

https://www.transatlantic-cultures.org/es/catalog/agents-litteraires

Nerdology 101: Working with a Character Designer as an Indie Author

Hello, and welcome back to Nerdology 101, the blog where I explore all things nerdy and you read it because you’re a good little nerd just like me. That’s right. Good nerd, you keep reading this blog like the little cutie you are. LOL. #PraiseKink - Nerdy Edition. I’m your weekly blogger, Maria Levato, a proud fellow nerd and indie author. Let’s get started!

This week, we’ll be talking about character design! I chose this topic because I’ve been seeing a lot of discourse around it—particularly from other indie authors who keep getting ghosted by people they hire. It’s no good, so I figured I’d do a deep dive and talk about my experieces with it. Hopefully, this helps someone weed out the AI slop and false artists to find that ever-elusive perfect match. At the end, I’ll also name a few character artists I know to be legit.

What are your experiences working with character artists?

I’ve worked with two of them. The first was in 2023. I hired this one off of Fivver. He did great work, designing art for my whole original cast in The Islands of Rune universe. The price was affordable at $75/piece for 6 characters, full body, single pose, no backgrounds. I loved the pieces and it was a great time. Unfortunately, though, we eventually went our separate ways. It’s worth noting, though, that AI wasn’t as much of an issue on the platform a few years ago as it is now. I cannot speak to what searching would be like on there today. If you have worked with someone on Fivver or a similar platform recently, please share that experience in the comments to elaborate on this. However, for the time being, I will say that my experience hiring someone off of the platform was positive and that, if nothing has changed that makes it more complicated, I would recommend using it.

The second time I worked with a character artist is right now. A few weeks ago, I put a call out on Threads asking artists to drop their work in the comments. As you can imagine, a mass of them flocked to the post and I was left with the task of sorting through it all. It was a wild ride, but a good idea. It boosted my engagement and profile signifcantly while also offering an opportunity to people that allowed them to display their work. There were a ton of great submissions, but ultimately, I found my artist. As of now, I’ve commission two pieces from them (one NSFW and one SFW). These two are slightly more expensive than the original two, but this time I also wanted full, exclusive rights to the work and for the pieces to reflect scenes from the book they’re associated with—meaning there we’re backgrounds and more than one character in the images which makes it more complex. Given that, the additional cost makes plenty of sense and is still great for what I’m getting. I paid 50% of the price upfront via PayPal—this is where it goes wrong for a lot of authors—but I wasn’t ghosted! Ever since, I’ve recieved a few updates per week from the designer—which is a huge help in making sure they aren’t using AI—and communication has been consistent. This is mostly the experience we’re going to be talking about for the rest of this post because there’s a lot to learn. We’ll discuss: How I made sure I wouldn’t get ghosted, how I checked for AI on the original post, and a few other key topics that may help someone hiring a character designer for the first time—especially if, like me, they’re still learning how to spot the less obvious AI.

1. Does follower count matter?

   Sometimes, but it’s not an end all be all way of making a judgement about whether you’re dealing with a bot or not. While this can indicate that the profile is bot-run, I’d call it a yellow flag because there are a lot of other things that this could mean. For example, since Meta and TikTok favor white, western, eurocentric content, sometimes someone who doesn’t speak perfect English or has a style that doesn’t fit into that narrow box can struggle to gain a following. Also, there’s new people. Maybe the artist just opened their commissions for the first time or just started pursuing it as an income stream. There’s also the possibility that they’ve been doing this for a while, but haven’t found quite the right combination of hashtags that work for them. Social media is hard. Trust me, I will struggle with it because I’m video shy (I start stuttering and get anxious every time I try to record one). For someone who doesn’t post reels, growing a following is a slow process. So, make sure that you aren’t knocking a perfectly valid artist because of something that isn’t necessarily indicitive of their humanity or talent.

2. Okay, then how do I find the bots?

That’s a layered process. First, give instruction. Tell people to drop their work in the comments. Those who DM you anyway are either bots or people who don’t listen well. You don’t want either because even if they are real, an artist needs to be able to follow the specifications provided in the commission. It’s the same reason those of us who are pusuing trad publishing have to follow the guidelines provided by lit agents/agencies when querying. So, this step will weed out some of the bots, but also some of the people who exhibit signs that they might not be suited for your commission. Next, watch language. One thing I continuously saw that registered as a red flag for me is this one phrase that came up in multiple submissions: “I look forward to your positive reply.” It’s not all that often that I hear a human say something like that, so to see it in multiple subs put me off. Most of people understand that’s manipulative and shifts unfair pressure onto the commissioner to hire. It’s especially weird for an artist to say because it makes the assumption that they’re getting a commission over every other interested party and most true artists respect the work of other artists. Thus, I see that as either a bot or a narcissist, so again, it’ll weed out more bots and people with undesirable traits that might make them hard to work with. Once you narrow it down, DM 3-5 artists. TALK TO THEM. Ask questions. Discuss rates. Talk about the commission. Anything. It won’t take too long for you to notice if the conversation feels manufactured, as if you’re speaking to a bot. This functions as a vibe check and a bot check.

3. And what about the people who are actually people, but are using AI?

Spotting AI is becoming increasingly difficult as the technology continues to invade creative industries, but there are still things you can do to spot it. Lines are a big one. Humans have distinguishable lines around their drawings. Think of a coloring book. Each object in the photo has a clear outline even after its colored in. If we removed that, the picture wouldn’t look quite right to us. AI usually doesn’t have these lines. That’s one way you can spot it. Of course, there’s ways slop generators get around that too. It’s easy to do, especially if they do AI-assisted art. This is where AI checkers come in. There’s more than a few sites that offer this service free. My advice: Use more than one. Some are good at catching certain things, others excel at catching other things. It’s always good to have more than one source. Another helpful tip is that AI is no good at mimicing extremely unique styles. What it generates typically fits into a more generic version of what its prompted to create. If an artist has a style you don’t see all the time, they probably didn’t use AI to make it.

4. That’s good to know, but now, how do I protect myself from people who are just out to scam me?

As with everything, written agreements are the best way to protect yourself. I used Jotform to create mine. Set it so the form is private and only those you send invites via email can access it. Add signature fields and a recaptcha—and if you’re really suspicious, add a second check in the way of a “Select all that apply” question to be extra sure the bots don't get in. Define your terms clearly. Define what the total payment is, what the deposit is, when it will be paid, and when other payments will be made based on your discussion with the artist. Make sure you state clearly that the artist must work within the specifications, not use AI in any capacity, not be affiliated with anything that would have affected your decision to hire them, etc. Make sure it’s clear that violation of terms will void the contract, that they’ll owe you a refund, that any legal recourse available will be pursued, etc. You should also address rights to the work in there. There’s levels to them. For most authors, you either want commercial use or full, exclusive use. Commercial is fine for most authors and will allow you to sell, but it leaves the artist the right to reuse designs made for your characters as long as they aren’t selling them. This isn’t an issue most of the time, one rarely interferes with the other, but in my case, I particularly wanted the designs to be synomous with my book. That comes with an upcharge and most artists don’t default to it. I was lucky to be in the position to pay it when I hired this time. Don’t stress too much if you aren’t, just be sure you know what your liscence includes.

Name your obligations as well. Write it all out. Then, even if you get ghosted, the payment platform will be inclined to reimburst you—or your bank will via a dispute if the platform refuses. Most payment platforms will do it without this, but on the off chance you run into an issue, this is good to have because it acts as evidence that you are owed the refund. The character artist I ended up hiring had no issue signing the agreement and I doubt many legitimate ones would, so long as the agreement is fair and reflects both sides because then, it protects them too. This is a perfect final line of defense. By this point, you’ve weeded out bots, jerks, and most problematic people. The artist you’ve chosen is a vibe match and you get along. You can see yourself working with them and you’re confident in them. This agreement is just there because sometimes even the best of us can make an error in judgement and something slips past us. It never hurts to have something in place just in case. The right artist won’t be insulted by this. If they are, most of the time that’s a them problem. Unless they provide some type of legitimate complaint or are suggesting a reasonable ammendment, don’t fall for the “Oh, you should just trust me.” Real artists are well aware of the struggles indies face when it comes to this and are glad to see that more of us are learning to protect ourselves.

5. I finally have my character artist. Now what?

Congratulations! You made it to the part of the process that’s actually enjoyable. Now, you get started. If you haven’t already sent it to help the artist quote you accurately (some will want you to, others have standard rates), send the artist a document addressing the specifications for your project(s). Go into full detail about what your characters look like, what size you need the images to be, if you want them in scene and if so, what that scene looks like, reference photos, etc. For reference on how much information you should include, my document was 6 pages long for 2 characters, 2 scenes, and there were still holes I had to find reference photos for after the fact because I hadn’t thought of it (positioning for the NSFW scene. Lol. We spent a whole morning exchanging hentai pics to get it right). After that, if you defined a communication frequency with your artist agreement, which I did, you should hear from them with about that frequency unless they have questions. They should send you progress updates so you can see the work as it progresses, reassuring you that its not AI, but also giving you the opportunity to give additional feedback and let them know your thoughts along the way. Feel free to ask questions. Unless you draw too, it’s normal to have things you don’t know or need to ask in order to make sure the art is coming out as you want it to. Enjoy the process, it’s rewarding and is a huge part of bringing your imagination to life. Hopefully, if all goes well, you can return to this artist for future projects and continue to work together.

6. Artists I Feel Comfortable Recommending?

This is the one I’m working with now. As you can tell, I’m enjoying working with them and have zero complaints.

https://www.instagram.com/sincerrio/

This artists was one of my top choices. While I didn’t end up hiring her, she does amazing work and has worked with plenty of other authors, including some very prolific ones.

https://www.instagram.com/whet.paint/

This artist was also one of my top choices. Again, he wasn’t my final, but his work is still awesome and works he’s done for other authors are included in his portfolio.

https://www.instagram.com/officialichigo7/

So far as I know, all of these artists are accepting commissions at this time.

I hope you enjoyed this weeks Nerdology 101 segment. Make sure you let me know in the comments. Share your experiences, ask more questions, recommend topics for future posts, etc. I’ll see you back next Friday at 3PM ET for the next one. As always, have a nerdy week!