#9/10 stars

[braywright]

Envious Casca: Never Disregard the Classics

One day in December, while scrolling through various book-related articles, I came across a list of holiday murder mysteries. Always a fan of whimsy and camp, I looked through it, not really expecting anything to catch my eye. On the list was Envious Casca by Georgette Heyer with a brief description of what sounded like a classic locked door mystery. I was confused--why would this website recommend such a cliché sounding novel as one of their mystery picks of December? Then I looked it up.

Envious Casca (or A Christmas Party: A Seasonal Murder Mystery) was published in 1941. It follows the story of the Herriard family, and good old Uncle Joseph's attempts to throw a happy Christmas party for them all. Problem is, the Herriards are a bunch of bitter, temperamental, snobby rich people (aside from good old Uncle Joseph, of course). In addition to the Herriards are Joseph's passive, dull wife; an ugly spinster cousin who is nearing the age of (gasp!) 30; the Herriard heir's gold-digging fiancé; a poor playwright just trying to get funded; and an old family friend and business partner. Of course, the whole enterprise falls completely apart when Nat Herriard, the head of the family, is found murdered in his locked bedroom.

Is this the first locked door mystery? Definitely not. Is it one of the first holiday murder mysteries? I can't say for certain, but it's possible. Regardless, I was amazed when I first found the original publication date. A cliché mystery premise from the 1940s still being recommended in 2023? Consider my interest piqued.

I am not going to say that this is high literature. It's a paperback mystery novel, and a holiday mystery on top of that. I am also not going to say that it has some great, universal truth for all readers. It is about very privileged people dealing with the specific problems of a privileged lifestyle. And despite being published in 1941 and set in early 20th century England, no one, not even the London cops or the lower class servants, makes a single mention of either World War. But for a cliché holiday murder mystery about privileged people dealing with privileged problems, it's a pretty good book.

The Herriards all feel like real, deeply flawed people. They are rude and nasty and downright despicable at times, but there are also moments when you can understand their rudeness, even sympathize with it. I also would not want to spend my Christmas Eve listening to a dramatic reading of a play about a prostitute, especially not if my back was hurting and my niece was demanding money for said play. The rest of the party guests are similarly fleshed out. The only characters who felt a bit forced or unnatural were the main police investigator (who only appears for the last half of the book anyway) and good old Uncle Joseph. But given that Joseph's overly cheery manner is important to the plot, I leave it up to you to figure out why.

The mystery itself is.... interesting. I certainly did not predict who the culprit would be, but looking back, it is well foreshadowed by the narrative. The murder method seemed implausible, but it was based on the historical assassination, so it gets a pass. I was not a fan of how they figured out the method, though. It was circumstantial and a bit contrived, as if Heyer got toward the end of writing and decided she wanted to be done already. If it had been handled even a few pages slower, I might have been more satisfied. The last few chapters did wrap everything up nicely and I was fine with where everyone ended up.

Ultimately, I'm glad I read this novel. It kept me occupied during some boring hours at work and did, surprisingly, lift my Christmas spirit a bit. And, frankly, the fact that this short little novel has enough cultural capital to be recommended and available 80 years down the line is amazing to me.

9/10 stars ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

[hollis-art]

is this anything

[littlekhada]

Headshots Artblock is not real, I am consciously choosing to draw simple things to gain quick dopamine.

.......

That is what artblock is

[tealgoat]

✌️✨

[an-actual-floof]

broke out the ol’ ink markers for a quick Garak

[aprilblossomgirl]

Woah, a shooting star! What do we do? Make a wish? // I'm taking you to see shooting stars. You can make a wish for a speedy recovery on your knee.

[incorrectskywalkers]

more disaster lineage cal au incorrect quotes because i really want to write a fic about this but writer's block be damned so i'm doing this instead

~~~

Anakin: I lost Cal. Obi-Wan: How did you LOSE Cal?! Anakin: To be fair, he is very small.

~~~

Obi-Wan, watching Cal do something stupid: Anakin, you're officially only the second highest risk here. Anakin: Hell yeah! I'm gonna— Obi-Wan: Don't finish that sentence, you'll move back up.

~~~

Obi-Wan: Cal, please get that hideous thing out of the living room, would you? Cal, to Anakin: Obi-Wan wants you to get out of the house.

~~~

Anakin, to Cal: Okay, I get it. You've had a really hard time lately, you're stressed out, seven people died- Cal: Twelve, actually. Anakin: Not the point. Look, they're dead now and really whose fault is that? Cal: Yours. Anakin: That's right, no one's. Also don't tell Obi-Wan about this.

~~~

Anakin: What’s wrong? You look 10 seconds away from ripping someone’s throat out. Obi-Wan: Cal and Ahsoka were trying to invoke one of the minor gods again last night. I didn't get an ounce of sleep, thanks to their bloody chanting.

~~~

Cal: Could you guys at least try to see this from my perspective? Ahsoka: *crouches down* Obi-Wan: *kneels down* Anakin: *sits on the floor* Cal: Cal: I hate all of you.

~~~

Anakin, driving and singing to the Little Einsteins theme song: We’re going on a trip- Cal: In our favorite piece of shit! Ahsoka: Doing 95! Obi-Wan: We’re going to kriffing die!

[starswallowingsea]

so i did end up making his silly little doily. it's not terribly difficult but i'll put what i did under the cut

chain 4, slst into first chain to create a circle

chain 3/chainless dc/stacked sc (your choice, i do chainless dc personally i think it looks best) in the ring. 11 more dc in the ring. slst into 3rd chain/first stitch

chain 1, sc in the same stitch, ch3, sc in next stitch around, slst into first sc

slst to the middle of the next space, ch1 and sc in the space. ch4 and sc into the next space all the way around

continue to repeat the previous rounds adding one chain to each space until you reach 8 chains (slst to the middle of the space, ch1 and sc in the space, chain x, sc in the next stitch around, slst into first sc)

slst one into the next space, ch3/chainless dc/stacked sc to begin the first petal, 7 more dc in the space, slst into next sc, 8dc in next space, slst into next sc around. slst into the final sc from the previous round and tie off.

[meteorherd]

i am so thankful emily gwen gave us such a pretty lesbian flag like it’s still wild it gained such prevalence…i have never been happier with any other visual symbol of my identity ever it’s just so distinct and pleasing to look at 🥲🧡🤍💗

[braywright]

The Last Smile in Sunder City -- A Fantastically Dark Debut Novel

This book was another birthday gift from a few years ago. The Last Smile in Sunder City is a fantasy neo-noir novel. It is the debut novel of Luke Arnold, a movie and television actor. Like most noir stories, the novel focuses on a morally grey, jaded detective investigating the crimes of a dark and gritty city. Unlike most noir stories, Arnold’s novel takes place in a world where magic used to exist but no longer does.

I am not a big fan of noir stories—I tend to prefer fun, lighter-hearted mysteries—but I do love stories that take traditional ideas and spin them on their head. This book revamps not only the traditional noir mystery, but it also has an interesting take on magic. It tries to imagine what would happen if a fundamental aspect of the world suddenly disappeared over night. How would a society built on magic continue without magic? How would magical creatures and species survive and thrive when their bodies are breaking down?

As you can imagine, this book is dark, and it stays that way throughout. Pretty much every character is mourning someone or something that disappeared with the magic. The main character, Fetch Phillips, is incredibly depressed and passively suicidal for most of the book. He is thoroughly hated by most of the magical figures he meets, yet he insists on working for them anyway. Multiple characters die throughout the plot, and a chunk of Sunder City ends up destroyed by the end. It’s not a book for a faint of heart.

It also leans very heavily into it’s fantasy elements. This is not simply an urban fantasy that slaps werewolves and witches into an existing city. Arnold does plenty of his own world building, creating new backgrounds and explanations for every magical element in his world. The setting is familiar to readers, but unique in its own ways. And it never pulls punches. It gets pretty weird at points, but you just have to roll with it.

Trust me, it’s worth it. The book is a bit exposition and flashback heavy, but it is a debut novel and the first in a series. As for Fetch, even at his lowest, worst moment, I was still deeply invested in his story. I always wanted to know more and read the next chapter.

In general, it’s a fantastic novel. Exposition heavy, and very dark, but fantastic writing and plotting. I’m interested to see where the rest of the series goes and how Fetch’s story continues.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 9/10

[totally-china]

”oh my fandom is so small that it only has 2 works in ao3-“

MY FANDOM IS SO SMALL THAT IT DOESNT EVEN HAVE AN AO3 TAG. My fandom’s so small that it only has 1 fan and it it ME.

[trekkie-polls]

Nutrek has a received a lot of criticism but you have to admit the newer shows have done a much better job of showing more female characters, a wider range of female characters, and more women in leadership. And I’d say more positive women in leadership. We saw a lot of antagonist female admirals in the 90’s. If I had made this poll in 2005, most of the options would be characters we only saw for an episode, or brief scenes.

1. Philippa Georgiou

2. Michael Burnam

3. Kathryn Janeway

4. Seven of Nine

5. Carol Freeman

6. Killy

7. Cassidy Yates

8. Marie Batel

9. Rachel Garrett

[arcadeplayer-nickonz]

hand injuries suck but Fionna & Cake doodles are a must

[stardestroyer81]

But what if Sheep Man from Mega Man 10 was transfeminine? 🏳️‍⚧️✨

(I'm not projecting, I swear. /j)

[bunabi]

the way Sabine sometimes rubs against my leg before eating her wet food as though saying thank you uuuuaaa polite young lady 🥺

[constellation-skirmishes]

leia time yippie