
The lotus blossom rises above the muck and remains pure.
The carp swims in circles around the lotus.
Through the silt suspended in the water, its scales flash in the sun.
Once, there was a tiger who became a goddess after she heard the melody of a lone wanderer. But this story isn’t about them. Not anymore.
In the mountains of eastern China, a county clerk named Li Zanghong offers her services to a passing traveler who wears a tiger skin. The clerk does not know it yet, but Zhang Suming is a tiger yao who has spent the last twenty years preparing to wage war against the gods who tried to destroy her home. And Zhang Suming does not know it yet, but Li Zanghong is actually a bodhisattva—and the sage of compassion is her key to victory.
1000 Lotuses is a lesbian-focused queer historical fantasy set during China's Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period (907-979 AD). It is a tale of revenge, of imperfect love that stays raw and bleeding across lifetimes, of crawling to a salvation you cannot see but you have no choice but to believe is waiting for you.
Projected length: 15 parts totaling 600,000 words. Volume I will be comprised of Parts 1, 2, and 3. LotusCarp Studio has a ko-fi goal for hiring professional proofreaders and artists for the Volume I print edition.
Part 1 - Feather Lotus is free to download forever! All other 1000 Lotuses files can be accessed for FREE if any one of the following apply to you:
Email thepond@lotuscarp.com (with receipt of your donation if applicable) to receive your itch.io code(s). Linking to your social media so I can verify your status is NOT required but appreciated, especially if you have any fundraising links you would like me to boost for you.
Click here to learn more about 1000 Lotuses.

LotusCarp logo and Li Zanghong art by @paintbrushdjinn