The Quiet Power of Magical Realism
The Manifesto 🌗 20 May 2025
I’m glad you’re here.
This is the moon that lets us shift direction without losing the thread. It favors slow adjustments. Quiet returns. A truth that was always there, waiting until we stopped naming it. That’s the kind of clarity I’m writing toward now.
House of Small Woes is the next roleplaying game. You almost got to see it today, but you’ll still see it this week. It’s set in a version of the present that already understands magic. Not as power, not as spectacle, but as memory. Grief that lingers. Doors that open because someone still wants them to. The book isn’t about rules; my books never are. It’s about how the rules already knew.
Practical Magic is one of my comfort books. So are others by Alice Hoffman, stories where the magic isn’t hidden or dramatic but stitched into ordinary life. The movie is a comfort, too. Not because it’s light, but because it knows how to carry sorrow without losing its shape. It holds the same tone this new work is reaching for, quiet strength, inherited burdens, and the everyday weight of wonder.
The world doesn’t feel like that right now. Everything’s loud, sharp, and quick to rot. We’re not encouraged to believe in anything unless it shouts, sells, or stings. But stories like House of Small Woes pull in the other direction. They let us live where the magic is already present, if bruised. They offer a kind of realism that doesn’t erase pain but insists on meaning.
This game isn’t structured around objectives or conflicts. It’s built around pressures. Small ones, steady ones, the kind that pile up until a story appears. It’s quiet, but it doesn’t flinch. House of Small Woes holds space for the kind of play that feels more like living with something than solving it.
You’ll start seeing more pieces on magical realism soon, on the blog, in new books, and maybe in stories that were already headed that way without naming it. House of Small Woes is where that intention begins to take shape. Quietly. Permanently.
I hope you’re doing well today.
Berin
New Releases
This phase supports releases that arrive without noise. If a new title appears here, it means the timing felt right. These are the books shaped by quiet effort, the ones that hold up when the pace slows. They’re not here to make a splash. They’re here to stay.
5/12 Epistulae Daemonicae (Occult Sourcebook)
5/13 Mountain Omens (Fantasy Sourcebook)
5/14 River Omens (Fantasy Sourcebook)
5/15 Sea Omens (Fantasy Sourcebook)
5/16 Black Omens (Fantasy Sourcebook)
5/19 Backup Directives (Modern Sourcebook)
Upcoming Releases
Some projects are still taking shape. The work is moving, but without pressure. This phase helps with editing, alignment, and redirection. If something’s in progress, it’s finding its true shape now.
5/20 Black Signals (Modern Sourcebook)
5/21 Blue Omens (Fantasy Sourcebook)
5/22 House of Small Woes: Magical Realism Roleplaying Game
5/23 Practical Sigils (Occult Sourcebook)
5/26 Buried Records (Historical Sourcebook)
5/27 The Service (Espionage Faction Sourcebook)
5/28 Ash Sigils (Occult Sourcebook)
5/29 Broken Directives (Science Fiction Sourcebook)
5/30 Cold War Signals (Modern Sourcebook)
In Case You Missed It
This is a good moment to return to what’s already been said. A few recent posts still hold value and remain part of the conversation. They weren’t urgent when they were written. They’re still steady now.
If This Meant Something to You
Share it with someone who would understand. That’s how this work grows. Quietly. Deliberately. One reader at a time.
For the full list of current titles, visit lightspress.com/discover
