Since finding the Pond, you realise that you haven’t really had the opportunity to talk to Varian the Toadshifter yet. Last you saw them, they were busy sewing away and didn’t look like they had much time to talk. “Varian wants to get better at making costumes,” Xiaolong says when you ask her about them. “Sewing is their favourite kind of magic, especially when they see other people love what they create.”

And so you approach Varian, who doesn’t look as busy as before. In fact, they seem to be having tea!

“Hello friend, it’s good to finally meet you,” Varian says when you near. “Xiaolong talks about you non-stop, so I was looking forward to meeting you. Would you like some tea?” Before you can answer, Varian mutters a few magical words, and the teapot levitates and pours you a cup full of tea. “As you may know, my name is Varian, I use they/them pronouns, and I am a Toadshifter.”

You ask Varian what a Toadshifter is, and what they do. Varian takes a long sip, mulling over your question. “You see, Toadshifting is a delicate art, one that requires centuries-” centuries?! “-of study and mastery of various magical or physical arts so we can fluidly move from, say, a paladin of light to a necromancer. My hundreds of siblings and family have thus endeavoured to become masters of all crafts, but I was never satisfied with that.”

Varian puts down their tea, and looks at you with a bemused smile. “I was a good toad though, and I studied. But I later learned that my calling was creation; not emulating the arts of old, but creating something tangible and new. You can imagine the sort of drama this sort caused when I told them so. It was all, ‘Varian, we are Toadshifters! Toadshifters uphold the magical arts by learning and imitating! Not by creating something new!’ And so I left, not on unpleasant terms mind you, I just wanted to pursue my calling in peace. Xiaolong and the Pond gave me a new home, a place where I can create but also pass on my knowledge accrued from my education as a Toadshifter.”

“It was Gen, actually, who suggested that I pursue sewing-magic. The idea that I can pay homage to the magic that already exists by creating something new, something of my own creation, and has the potential to inspire others to be the best and most true versions of themselves? That sounded like a fine calling to me. Thus, that is my purpose as a Toadshifter.”

You nod slowly. You notice that Xiaolong had plopped herself next to you sometime during Varian’s story, and she smiles up at you. “Isn’t Varian the coolest?!” she asks. Yes! you say. Varian is very cool.

“Now,” Varian says, rising from their spot. “I’ve just finished putting together my first costume and I quite like how it turned out. Would you like to see it?” Of course, you say, you’d love to see it! (Xiaolong, meanwhile, is bursting with energy and excitement!)

Varian hops behind a big rock, and you notice their legs are a little wobbly – it looks like Varian is a little nervous to show you. But, when Varian emerges, they don’t look like a toad at all – they look like a rainbow!

“It’s a little simple, and I’m still trying to improve,” they say, adjusting their rainbow costume. The stitching is a little uneven and the fabric doesn’t seem entirely aligned, but you can tell that Varian put a lot of love into their costume. “But I just need to be patient with myself and I’ll get better with time.” Right! you tell them with, what you hope to be, an encouraging smile.

“Also, I thought what I’d do is share the inspiration of my costume. I think sharing things that inspire us is a powerful sort of magic, don’t you think?”

Welcome back to the Pond, friends, and welcome to the Pond’s first book recommendation post. I hope you all are having a lovely day so far and are reading some wonderful books!

One of the things that I loved doing in my old blog was to write book recommendation posts. So I decided to add a twist at The Quiet Pond: Varian, the Pond’s Toadshifter, will be at the forefront of the book recommendation posts! As you might remember from the Meet the Inhabitants post, Varian has a lot of knowledge of all things books and magic and is currently learning how to sew. Now, you know a little bit more about Varian’s story and why they do what they’re doing! (Varian is still very new to making costumes, so be sure to watch how they improve over time!)

Today, Varian is going to share with you four anthologies filled with diverse stories. Read More »