Diabolical Plots #126, August 2025

“Will He Speak With Gentle Words?” by A.J. Rocca

“Skin as Warp, Blood as Weft” by Lilia Zhang

Reviewed by László Szegedi

“Will He Speak With Gentle Words?” by A.J. Rocca

The story starring a Leviathan and a fisherman who caught it resembles the classic The Old Man and the Sea by Hemingway, but set in a fantasy world, focusing on what might have happened after actually catching the beast. The villagers show up, foreigners show up, all having their own agenda and purpose in this strange situation.

Even though we get hardly any background of the storyteller, we can feel her being drawn to both the beast and the fisherman. The short format doesn’t contain too much about how their decisions were made, but it feels like a nicely written tale about human greed and our insensitivity to our environment.

“Skin as Warp, Blood as Weft” by Lilia Zhang

The heroine of this fantasy is Zhinü, the “weaver maiden” who has a most unusual encounter with a stranger which changes her life completely. The details are left in a balladic shadow. Unfortunately, the largest decision she makes just ends the story, raising so many questions, leaving a huge plot hole and many open opportunities. Thus, this text felt more like a dreamy vibe than a real story.