#WE'LL PUBLISH A GUIDE AT SOME POINT

[team-avia]

How do I know which ending I get, or if there is anyway to tell?

On another note, dear wowza this game was good. I expected it to be like a fun lil quick hour or 30 mins but wow was I wrong

It is long and very well written and just shdhbfbd

thank you!! pissing off characters generally leads you to ??? endings. as for the others, you can't really tell 😭

my advise for getting romantic endings is to put your entire bussy into romancing them!

finch

[crossdreamers]

A guide to chromosomal variations

Over at Instagram Melly the Science Geek has published a mind blowing video about how chromosome decide (or do not the decide) the sex of a person.

The world is a a very complicated place, indeed.

And at this point we have not even begun to talk about gender identity.

The Science Vet on XX, XY and all the other variations

Melly's video reminds us of the very popular twitter thread made by the Science Vet back in 2018.

We take the liberty of republishing that thread here:

So. Hi new people! Apparently, we're gonna talk about sex. Like physical sex! Because... there's some confusion.

First, sex defined: We're talking physical sex here, not gender. Body parts, hormones, and genetics (and more).

BLUF: BIOLOGICAL sex is a spectrum

Ok, everyone's super familiar with the XX/XY dichotomy, right? Yeah, what we all learned in like... 4th grade? And that's great, it gives you a starting point. But it's... well it's only the very starting point.

The IDEA is, XX is girl, XY is boy, right?

Welllll... that's not totally right. There are XY people, who have ovaries! And give birth! AH! And XX people who have male bodies and functional sperm! Double AH!

These are usually written off as "abnormalities" and indeed, some cases have medical issues. But many don't (like the XY woman giving birth). And this is really only the very very tip of the iceberg of "wait, that doesn't fit into our M or F box unless we make it bigger"

There's a WHOLE HOST of things that can cause all sorts of "weird" things to happen, ranging from genetic (XXY, XYY, Y, X, XX with translocation, XY with deletion) to hormonal (Androgen Insensitivity, Estradiol failure), and disruptors like dioxins

So, you're a scientist, and you want to research stuff, right? Which means you have to categorize stuff. Without categories, data is hard! So you take allll these people, including the "weird" ones and you plot them on a graph. Logical!

You use all the differences there are, different genetics, different responses to hormones, different effectiveness in signalling pathways, different sizes in Aanteroventral periventricular nucleus (AVPV) (yeah that's a thing) and give everything numbers, add them up.

You get what's called a bimodal distribution (mostly, we'll get to that later) Which looks like this. Those two big peaks are what we call "male" and "female" (even conveniently colored pink for boys and blue for girls - we are using victorian gender colors right?)

/8

Now, when you're trying to look at data, we often group stuff. When we do that with a plot like this, it's called a "histogram." Basically we're breaking down a curved line into discrete "bins." Like this (image stolen from the web).

/9

Traditionally, we've used REALLY BIG bins for this when talking about sex. Basically you either group everything vaguely near a peak into the peak, or you just pretend there's nothing else but the biggest peaks. This makes it super easy, because 2 is simple to do data with.

However, as we've gotten to know more and more about signaling and brains and hormones and started to pay more attention to the outliers where standard stuff just didn't seem to work, we discovered that this isn't a great model to use.

Now I'm not talking feelings here. I'm talking about data. As you start to look at anything interesting, like say the effects of 2,3,7,8-Tetrachlorodibenzo-P-dioxin on animals, you start to realize that a 2 bin model doesn't predict your results well.

At first you say, "Well it was just weird." So you redo it, and it still doesn't work. So you look at your model and you say, "Well ok, what if the model's wrong?"

But the model sort of... almost predicts a lot of things, and it worked for years, so...

Some enterprising soul says, "Hey, remember that histogram where we said we'll just model using the peaks?" And everyone goes, "Uh, yeah?" And they say, "What if we... USED that data?" And everyone groans, because complicated data is hard.

But someone sits down and does the work, and lo, wow the model starts to work again. Where TCDD was "randomly" turning some boys into girls but then some girls into boys, now you can see there's a subgroup of what you'd called "female" that responds like the "male"

What's important here is that you haven't MISLABELED males as females. These are functional "females" who can do all the usual "female" things like gestate babies. But they respond to this one endocrine disruptor in a "male" way.

So you add another two categories, call them "Male2" and "Female2" and go on, happy that your model works! You've got 4 sexes now, but you don't really have to tell anyone that, right?

Exceeeept then you remember you've got those XY people that gestate babies. So you add "Intersex1" And then the XX people with penes... and ovaries? Ok, "Intersex2" because all these groups respond differently with signalling and brains when you get into the weeds

And the more you look, the more we LEARN, the more we're able to separate out those fine differences. Depending on what we're doing, we may not care. If a doc is giving you aspirin, it probably isn't a big deal.

But if they're using a steroid on you? Or treating dioxin poisoning? THAT SHIT COULD BE IMPORTANT. It's like saying, "the light's off so the power must not be flowing." It really matters if the light's off because the bulb blew.

If we go back to that histogram plot, we can keep breaking down your biological sex into smaller and smaller differences in brain areas, hormone levels, signalling differences, genetic variances. There's nothing stopping us from binning EVERY INDIVIDUAL into their own bin.

Technically, this wouldn't be "infinite sexes" but 7.4 billion sexes is functionally close for our brains. Now, our medicine isn't advanced enough for THAT level of detail to make any difference. BUT IT MIGHT BE in the future. Individualized medicine!

The thing to remember is that this isn't "new." We're not 'inventing sexes' here. Sex has ALWAYS been this curve. We were just using REALLY BIG bins. And now we're realizing that that's not representative of biology, it's inhibiting understanding of medicine and biology

In case anyone's curious, this isn't ideology. This is because I had to figure out why my data didn't match the prediction. Those rats I mentioned? Yeah, my lab. And lab rats are a really pure genetic monoculture, and they STILL don't fit the two peak model well.

So, since it's come up, an addendum!

Yes, we looked at other things we could do to make our data fit the existing model, that's how science works! The ONLY way the data fit was if we let "sex" be more than just those two narrow peaks.

Models purpose in science is to predict. If they don't predict correctly, first we check if we've measured the data correctly, and repeat the experiment a couple more times. If it still doesn't fit, we have to look at the model.

Intersex! Because I didn't specifically mention this.

"Intersex" is a grouping bin used for a lot of the "middle ground" of the spectrum between the "male" and "female" peaks. Any situation where easily assigning the person to one of those two peaks is challenging.

Intersex! Because I didn't specifically mention this above.

"Intersex" is a term used to collectively speak of the "middle ground" of biology where people can't easily be binned into those two big "male" and "female" peaks. It can include a large range of biology

It is worth noting that I never talk about transgender in this thread. Intersex is not the same as transgender. You can be one without the other, or be both.

For people who think this is just "outliers"

Current estimates are that the intersex population is at least 2%. We know that's low because there are a lot of "invisibly intersex" people. That means AT LEAST 150 million people in the world.

I apologize for the failure to use the word "intersex" higher up in the discussion. Many people in the middle ground (including the XY person who can carry a child, for example) use this term. I cannot go back and edit the thread, and apologize for my overly clinical description. 

Part of the purpose of the thread, which may have failed, was to point out that "intersex" is not a condition, it is not a disease. It's natural with a bimodal distribution. Science not only supports this, it suggests that ignoring intersex people makes your conclusions wrong 

References at the end of this page.

[maribatserver]

Tag Team Tournament 2024

We're back for another year of good old fashioned fandom fun! This year the Tag Team Tournament will take place from Sunday, July 28th - Saturday, August 3rd, so make sure to save the date and get started on your projects early!

We've got some fun things planned this year, but we're also making some changes to how we're running the event this year! For the full rules and guidelines, check out our Event Guide Document, now newly revised for 2024! The short version is that we've changed some of our scoring to remove certain exploitable flaws that were exposed last year, clarified submission guidelines, added new ways to earn bonus points, and changed our team lineup!

Now, last year we had a very popular Shipping Bracket to determine who our eighth team would be, but this year we decided that we wanted out lead up event to better help you all prepare for this year's event. Also, @nottesilhouette asked really, really nicely for last year's runner up ship to get a chance in the Tournament, and how could we tell them no?

This year, our teams are:

Seamless Spin - Cassandra Cain x Marinette Dupain-Cheng

3's Company - Any Poly Ship

Rare Flair - Any Ship Without A Team

Lucky Shot - Roy Harper x Marinette Dupain-Cheng

Spandex Flex - Dick Grayson x Marinette Dupain-Cheng

Art Couple - Damian Wayne x Marinette Dupain-Cheng

Java Junkies - Tim Drake x Marinette Dupain-Cheng

Book Design - Jason Todd x Marinette Dupain-Cheng

We are super excited for this year's Tag Team Tournament, and we hope that you're excited too! To help you get in the creative spirit, and to hopefully inspire you with ideas, @newdog14 assembled playlists for each of our teams, which will be published one by one over the next few months. She got the idea for this after assisting with this year's Jasonette July Calendar Playlist, organized by @mochegato & @izanae, which we also encourage you to participate in.

Oh, and one more thing. We have heard that for some folks, particularly those who are responsible for small humans, the summertime is apparently not filled with an abundance for free time. So we thought we'd go ahead and give you all a little more to go on for your prep work this year, and as such we'll be publishing all of our prompts early this year, so be sure to keep an eye on our blog on Sundays going forward.

Many thanks to @newdog14, @nottesilhouette, and @izanae for their hard work in preparing this event. From brainstorming prompts to designing team logos to coding spreadsheets to tolerating certain people's tyrannical playlist standards, there's a lot of work that goes into an event this big! And thank you to everyone who has participated in this event, and to those who plan to participate this year. We could never pull this off without you!

[leonaquitaine]

Sights of Eorzea Alpha is live!

Fellow sightseers, we are thrilled to announce the alpha version of the Sights of Eorzea website, a tool to help us explore and share the breathtaking landscapes of our beloved Etheirys!

Sync with the Sights of Eorzea Discord Server

The site seamlessly integrates with our Discord server, where you can share discoveries and chat with fellow adventurers! Posts to our gpose-locations forum will be synced and available on the public website; no Discord sign-in is required!

Tag Search

Searching for that special place just got a whole lot easier! Whether finding gorgeous nooks and crannies within instances or uncovering those mesmerizing Open World shots, the tagging system got your back.

By creating a forum post with the in-game <pos> information, the tag engine accurately determines the associated zone, patch, and expansion - making it much easier to look for that perfect location!

You can also add search tags to your post to help fellow adventurers locate specific features, like grass, wood-floor or stone-building:

Or search for Photo Studios by Data Center, Server, and Location - and even publish your own!

Known Issues

Keep in mind that this is a very early alpha release!

Our gallery tiling has a few missing spots, where we plan to feature captivating callouts that showcase tag combinations like Studios, Instances, and Hidden Places, to name a few.

Occasionally, some scenes may have their locations mistagged. We'll get that fixed Soon™!

Most of the UX work up to this point was focused on a functional desktop experience. We'll be tackling mobile next!

Caching large images is hard, and we're still fine-tuning it. You may experience some lag because of that, but rest assured we'll be working on optimization.

Future Plans

This is only the beginning of our journey; our plans include synchronizing other sections of the server, like Guides, Community resources (including Preset Collections and Tools), and eventually the Gallery itself - so public, non-Discord users can enjoy everything our community put together.

Improving navigation and stability is next on our list. We understand that this alpha release will inevitably encounter bugs and downtime; we'll be working on stabilization next.

I hope you enjoy what we made so far; suggestions and comments are more than welcome!

Oh, I almost forgot! Here's the link to the Test version: https://test.sightsofeorzea.com/

And with that - happy exploring!

(P.S. - If you made it to the end of this post, you might as well join our discord server!)

[risu5waffles]

the Streaming Pile

Working on a new project to keep me busy for, honestly, probably a decent while. Had that idea of chopping the level play out of the old streams, and publishing those as individual videos. Went pretty quick from "oh, that might be fun" to "well, now i'm tits deep in this fucker, so i guess we'll have to see it through."

Big thanks to @soupum , by the by. They pointed me in the direction of some programs i'd need, and tutorialed me through them, and that's been such a massive help. While it's certainly possible i'd have gotten where i needed on my own, having a kind hand to guide me has reduced the stress, as well as the pre-production time, immensely.

Here's a little level info card Soup helped me make. i really like it. Thinking of making a couple so i can switch them up, but that might take a minute. Time and energy are, as always, at a premium.

It's been a trip going through this first VoD (from way back on July 14th, 2019!). As much as, or honestly more than, a level archive (which this series will likely succeed in only tangentially and through situational necessity alone), these videos stand pretty solidly as a document of my personal growth, and the growth of my community (as people growing, that is. our numbers and membership have always been pretty stable), over these last five years.

As told through the medium of playing LBP community levels.

Often quite badly.

Or certainly wivout enough sleep.

So, it's neat, but also kinda frustrating? There's the voice thing, but at least i've gotten used to it quickly enough. But also, just, like, we didn't have an offical ableism policy until 2021, yeah? And while we weren't, you know, arguing for eugenics, or dunking on people wiv disabilities, there's still a lot of language that i'm not super happy hearing coming out of my mouth.

The double-punch of covid (and gov't's/society's response to same), and the George Floyd murder (and the police's response to same) really rocket-sledded my positions from unconsidered, soft-squishy lefty-lib to "the only reason i'm not advocating immediate widespread arson is because if things aren't dismantled right, people who are suffering now are just going to be suffering more, but really nationstates and the global north need to not be a thing and soon."

Which means, at least pre-2020, there's a decent chance i'll stumble across myself saying something along the lines of "well, sure, the police are shite, but they're kind of necessary, and surely some reform would help the issue."

i am already preparing the cringe-unto-death as we speak.

Anyways, that's the new big thing. i don't know how many videos we'll get out of this. i know at some point we started splitting streams between create mode and level play, and there are gaps from when my laptop was busted and i had no way to upload VoDs to YouTube. On the other hand, i pulled 23 usable clips from just the first VoD, so... wiv one-a-day publishing that'll keep something on the channel for a pretty good while to come. And that's nice. i've really missed doing this kind of stuff.

[wordrew]

Artefact: Pendacour, Testament of the Phoenix (Tome) Session 1

Lately, I have been increasingly interested in the world of solo RPGs as a way of exploring game design and as a creative outlet. Over the years, I have managed to collect a number of solo RPGs, but I have never actually played any of the games I own. I decided to finally start by picking up the one I have been most intrigued by, Artefact, a game created by Jack Harrison and published by Mousehole Press.

In Artefact, you become a sentient magical item exploring the item's history from creation through its line of Keepers - what a fucking rad idea! So I grabbed some candles and my new soloRPG journal and dimmed the lights down really low - this was going to be some intimate gaming time sans interruptions from the fam.

To start your journey in Artefact, you must first decide on what type of item you're going to play as - for this first experience, I decided to be a Tome based on its tagline - "A receptacle of knowledge, lost or forbidden." If you've ever gamed with me, you know that I love the trope of lost or forbidden knowledge. My characters are always seeking.

After choosing your item type, you follow a creation process which is unique for each item. For the Tome, you give the item three Traits, draw a picture of it, and name the chapters within. This happens before you start answering the Artefact Questions (which includes giving yourself a name), but I went right into naming since one had already manifested itself.

I was now Pendacour, Testament of the Phoenix. I was penned in the stale air of the now-lost temple of Saint Melacour, by the fanatical monk, Pendax. Since I skipped the three Traits portion, I will stop here and return to what I was supposed to do first.

As an aside, I (Drew) am finding that soloRPGs are a bit of the Wild West in terms of how they are intended to be played or used. From the information I've gathered on social media and places like itch.io, soloRPGs are meant to provide a general guide on how to play the game but openly allow for players to deviate whenever and however they like. For me, naming comes first. Almost always. Names have power, and they serve to help me really embrace whatever character I am writing (even if said character is, in fact, a magical Tome). Often times, I will have a character's name in mind before I begin "rolling them up."

Back to me, Pendacour, and my Traits, though. Artefact gives each item type a list of suggested Traits, which is a useful starting point. In fact, reviewing the list now offers some other intriguing options outside of the three that I embraced. My first trait is Blessed, followed immediately by Divine. In the end, I decided that they were synonymous enough for me to combine these traits. I then embraced Loyal and ultimately decided I was loyal to Saint Melacour and those who embraced His path. Finally, after synonymizing Blessed and Divine, I embraced Eager as my final Trait. We'll get to Eager in a later post...

Then I outline my chapters:

On Saint Melacour

His Blessings Upon Us

Invocations for Channeling

Offerings, Rituals, and Prayers

To Know His Presence

How to Live to Honor Him

Remembrance of Those Before

The final step before diving into the Artefact questions is to draw a picture of myself and give it some brief descriptors.

So my styling is a purple-dyed leather tome with a fiery silvery-orange/red ball of flame. The flame has stylized wings and tail of a phoenix embossed in gold. I have metallic corner protectors made of ornate, filigree gold, and several ribbon place markers. I am colorful and regal and of superior craftsmanship. I am a labor of fanatical love, but that story will have to come later...

[booksandchainmail]

re: recent posts, would you recommend starting Guide now or try and catch up to Pale Lights?

That depends, how much do you like reading a serialized work as it publishes?

I really enjoy getting weekly chapters, and the way a serialized release schedule builds investment. But I also have friends who really dislike having to wait for more every week, and won't read a serial until it's complete.

Pale Lights is currently in a place where there's enough of a backlog that there's an initial binge to get you deep into the characters and world, but IMO not so much that it's too intimidating to catch up. Book 1 wrapped up a few months ago with ~300k words, and book 2 is only around 10 chapters in. Despite the lengths, I find web serials really manageable to read as they come out: keeping up with ~6000 words a week isn't a huge timesink.

On the other hand, PGTE is around 3 million words, which is a hefty chunk of time to commit. Those words are absolutely worth it, but it does take a while.

From a story perspective:

PGTE is rougher at the beginning, since it's the author's first work. It's also more accessible to get into, since it's built on top of a standard fantasy world template, so there's less immediate worldbuilding to wrap your head around. It has a single protagonist, plus frequent interludes from outside perspectives. Pale Lights throws you into the deep end a bit in terms of setting, but also more meaty worldbuilding in a way it takes PGTE a bit to work up to. It has multiple POV protagonists, but no regular outside interludes (aside from an epilogue).

Practical Guide takes place in a world built on deliberately-generic high fantasy tropes, and then plays around with them and builds on top of them. It features a lot of battles and army movements and fights between people with vast amounts of personal powers. Pale Lights is a much weirder setting, has less outright fights, and features more small-scale conflicts (so far) between characters closer to baseline human with one specific power each.

tldr:

My personal advice would be to read Pale Lights first, if only because it's the one where when you start reading matters now. PGTE isn't getting any more or less finished, so if you read it a year from now you'll get the same experience. I think PGTE is an amazing piece of work, but Pale Lights has the potential to be even better, and is currently a smaller commitment to start with. Practical Guide is one of my favorite works of all time, and I've probably spent more time thinking about it than any other work. I can't say Pale Lights has reached that level yet, but I think it will given more time.

That said, they are very different in setting and premise, so I'd recommend reading the little summary blurbs for each, and seeing if one really grabs you (since I think those convey genre well).

blurbs and a few extra notes under the cut:

the one caveat to "PGTE is complete" is that it's currently being rewritten on an app called Yonder, which is unfortunately paywalled and on a weird subscription model. Hopefully we'll get the complete rewrites of individual books available for purchase at some point, but who knows. It will also theoretically get a webtoons adaptation as the rewrite goes, but no details have come out yet. When this was announced it was also said that the PGTE website would be taken down, but that decision was postponed, there's no new deadline, and if it does go down there are... ways to acquire a copy.

PGTE blurb:

The Empire stands triumphant. For twenty years the Dread Empress has ruled over the lands that were once the Kingdom of Callow, but behind the scenes of this dawning golden age threats to the crown are rising. The nobles of the Wasteland, denied the power they crave, weave their plots behind pleasant smiles. In the north the Forever King eyes the ever-expanding borders of the Empire and ponders war. The greatest danger lies to the west, where the First Prince of Procer has finally claimed her throne: her people sundered, she wonders if a crusade might not be the way to secure her reign. Yet none of this matters, for in the heart of the conquered lands the most dangerous man alive sat across an orphan girl and offered her a knife. Her name is Catherine Foundling, and she has a plan.

PGTE prologue epigraph:

In the beginning, there were only the Gods. Aeons untold passed as they drifted aimlessly through the Void, until they grew bored with this state of affairs. In their infinite wisdom they brought into existence Creation, but with Creation came discord. The Gods disagreed on the nature of things: some believed their children should be guided to greater things, while others believed that they must rule over the creatures they had made. So, we are told, were born Good and Evil. Ages passed in fruitless argument between them until finally a wager was agreed on: it would be the mortals that settled the matter, for strife between the gods would only result in the destruction of all. We know this wager as Fate, and thus Creation came to know war. Through the passing of the years grooves appeared in the workings of Fate, patterns repeated until they came into existence easier than not, and those grooves came to be called Roles. The Gods gifted these Roles with Names, and with those came power. We are all born free, but for every man and woman comes a time where a Choice must be made. It is, we are told, the only choice that ever really matters.” – First page of the Book of All Things

Pale Lights series blurb:

Vesper is a world built on the ruins of older ones: in the dark of that colossal cavern no one has ever known the edges of, empires rise and fall like flickering candles. Civilization huddles around pits of the light that falls through the cracks in firmament, known by men as the Glare. It is the unblinking stare of the never-setting sun that destroyed the Old World, the cruel mortar that allows survival far below. Few venture beyond its cast, for in the monstrous and primordial darkness of the Gloam old gods and devils prowl as men made into darklings worship hateful powers. So it has been for millennia, from the fabled reign of the Antediluvians to these modern nights of blackpowder and sail. And now the times are changing again. The fragile peace that emerged after the last of the Succession Wars is falling apart, the great powers squabbling over trade and colonies. Conspiracies bloom behind every throne, gods of the Old Night offer wicked pacts to those who would tear down the order things and of all Vesper only the Watch has seen the signs of the madness to come. God-killers whose duty is to enforce the peace between men and monsters, the Watch would hunt the shadows. Yet its captain-generals know the strength of their companies has waned, and to meet the coming doom measures will have to be taken. It will begin with Scholomance, the ancient school of the order opened again for the first time in over a century, and the students who will walk its halls.

Pale Lights book 1 blurb:

Tristan Abrascal is a thief, one of many making their living under the perpetual twilight of the greatest city in all of Vesper: Sacromonte. Quick wit and a contract with a capricious goddess have always kept him one step ahead, until one night he crosses a line by accident that burns all the bridges he had left. But not all is lost, for his mentor offers a way out of peril that turns out to be more than a simple escape. It is also an opportunity to get even with the infanzones, the nobles he’s lived under all his life, and it so happens that Tristan has a full ledger’s worth of scores to settle with them. Lady Angharad Tredegar has fled halfway across the world, leaving behind a ruin of a life: her family butchered by a ruthless enemy, their estate torched and their nobility revoked. Yet no matter how far she flees the blades of assassins follow, and she finds herself growing desperate for any protection. She has one relative left to call on, her estranged uncle in Sacromonte, but she finds that the safety he offers comes at a cost. Angharad has sworn revenge, however, and her honour will allow for no compromise. She will do what she must to survive so that one day bloody vengeance can be visited upon her enemies. The paths of the two take them to the doorstep of the Watch, but for desperate souls like them enrolment is a lost cause. They will have to do it the hard way instead, by surviving the trials on the isle known as the Dominion of Lost Things. Where every year many go, and few return.

[nyerus]

Hey, I'm not up to date on any of the recent translation news etc since I left twitter. Has 7seas mentioned anything if they will publish the revised version of tgcf at some point? I have all the physical books but would like to have mxtx final design on my shelf, too.

Also, do you have recommendations on fan translations of the revised parts? Haven't seen much about that on here

Thanks!!

Hello! I'm really sorry to have put off answering this ask for so long! I was working on a guide for the new translation updates, which would have helped answered your questions. But life has happened and it's been sitting in my drafts for far too long. I hope to still have it out soon, but I want to answer you in the meantime, anon!

So far, it seems that there hasn't been any word on future licensing for the revised edition. Whether this means MXTX is simply not interested at this time and may be later, or if she never intends to release the rights -- we don't know. We'll just have to wait and see! So far the only way to read it is via the physical mainland CN edition (censored), or via the webnovel on JJWXC (uncensored). I really do hope we'll get a re-translation of this version too, though, one day!

For now, a fan by the name of ClearNoodle has doing translations of select chapters. You can check that out here! They're great fun!

[thewriteadviceforwriters]

How To Write a Good Book Review for Any Fiction Novel

How to Write a Good Book Review for Any Fiction Novel

Introduction

Have you ever finished reading a great book and wanted to share your thoughts with others? Writing a book review is an excellent way to do so. It allows you to express your opinions about a book and help others decide whether it's worth reading. However, writing a good book review can be challenging, especially if you don't know where to start. In this guide, we'll show you how to write a good book review for any fiction novel.

Section 1: Understanding the Purpose of a Book Review

Before you start writing a book review, it's essential to understand its purpose. A book review is more than just a summary of the plot; it's an evaluation of the book's strengths and weaknesses. The primary goal of a book review is to help readers decide whether they want to read the book or not.

When writing a book review, you should consider the following questions:

1. What is the book about?

2. What are the author's main arguments?

3. What are the book's strengths and weaknesses?

4. Who is the target audience?

Answering these questions will help you write a comprehensive book review that provides readers with valuable insights into the book's content.

When writing a book review, it's essential to be honest and objective. Your review should be based on your reading experience and not influenced by personal biases or external factors. Be respectful of the author's work, even if you didn't enjoy reading the book.

Finally, always keep in mind that a book review is not a book report. While it's essential to summarize the plot, your review should focus on your evaluation of the book's content.

Section 2: Writing a Book Review

Now that you understand the purpose of a book review let's dive into the process of writing a book review. Here's a step-by-step guide:

Step 1: Introduce the Book

The first paragraph of your review should introduce the book and provide some context. You should include the book's title, author's name, and genre. You can also mention the book's publication date, if relevant.

For example, "The Hunger Games" by Suzanne Collins is a dystopian novel published in 2008.

Step 2: Summarize the Plot

The second paragraph of your review should provide a brief summary of the book's plot. Keep in mind that this is not the main focus of your review. You should avoid giving away too much information and focus on the main events that drive the story forward. Remember to avoid spoilers!

For example, "The Hunger Games" follows the story of Katniss Everdeen, a sixteen-year-old girl who lives in a post-apocalyptic world where the government forces teenagers to compete in a televised battle to the death.

Step 3: Evaluate the Book

The third paragraph of your review should be the most critical part. This is where you evaluate the book's strengths and weaknesses. You can discuss the book's themes, characters, writing style, and structure.

When evaluating the book, it's essential to provide evidence to support your claims. For example, if you think the characters are well-developed, provide examples from the book that demonstrate this. If you think the writing style is weak, explain why.

It's also important to consider the book's target audience when evaluating it. A book that's written for children will be judged differently than a book that's written for adults.

Step 4: Conclude Your Review

The final paragraph of your review should be a conclusion. You should summarize your main points and provide a final evaluation of the book. You can also recommend the book to readers who might enjoy it.

For example, "Overall, I enjoyed reading 'The Hunger Games.' The characters were well-developed, and the book's themes of survival and sacrifice were compelling. However, the writing style was sometimes choppy, which detracted from my reading experience. I recommend this book to readers who enjoy dystopian novels and action-packed stories."

Section 3: Dos and Don'ts of Writing a Book Review

Here are some dos and don'ts to keep in mind when writing a book review:

Dos

- Do read the book carefully before writing a review.

- Do be honest and objective.

- Do provide evidence to support your claims.

- Do consider the book's target audience when evaluating it.

- Do proofread your review for spelling and grammar mistakes.

Don'ts

- Don't give away too much information about the plot.

- Don't be disrespectful of the author's work.

- Don't use offensive language or personal attacks.

- Don't write a book report instead of a book review.

- Don't rush the process. Take your time to write a thoughtful review.

Conclusion

Writing a good book review is not an easy task, but with the right approach, anyone can do it. Remember to focus on the book's content and provide an honest evaluation of its strengths and weaknesses. Consider the book's target audience when evaluating it and always be respectful of the author's work. With these tips in mind, you'll be able to write a compelling book review that helps others decide whether to read the book or not.

[milesonthenet]

Fusionfall: Cartoon Network's BIZARRE thought experiment!

Welcome back to the House of Milesverse, focused on some things comics, some things Transformers, and some things uh - other things.

Today we'll be talk about a special part of my childhood. I've always considered myself a CN kid more than any othr network. Nickelodeon just did not interest me, and i wasn't into Avatar or anything. But i did like Invader Zim. And my 'love' for Disney only came from the movies, and Kingdom Hearts.

But Cartoon Network? That was a different story. I loved Cartoon Network, and it was the network i watched the most. It just had a lot of fun stuff that kid-me was into.

Kid-Me loved Ben 10, and he really did enjoy Dexter's Laboratory. He'd sit down and watch Powerpuff Girls, or Cow & Chicken. He used to watch Scooby-Doo with his grandma. He even enjoyed early Adventure Time, Regular Show, and Steven Universe.

Total Drama, Johnny Test, The Secret Saturdays, Generator Rex, Teen Titans, Johnny Bravo. There was no limit to the amount of stuff that I'd watch. My entertainment wasn't just playing games or on the computer. It was sitting in front of the TV and seeing what I enjoyed.

But you know what Kid me loved that had - probably most of these things in them?

Well if you weren't clued in by the opening title, I'll show you;

This game got me into playing later MMO games like Elsword and DC Universe Online. It was familiar, it had all sorts of cartoon network characters in it. It remains a big point of my childhood because of it.

So today? Put on your nostalgia lenses. As House of MilesVerse presents it's own miniature REVIEW of;

CARTOON NETWORK UNIVERSE: FUSIONFALL

Making of Fusionfall

Fusionfall's story begins with Cartoon Network and one of their first 'big' forays into gaming. The game was published by Cartoon Network, with a business model planned out by Turner Entertainment. Its developers were Grigon Entertainment, a south korean studio chosen for their art style.

Speaking of? Fusionfall's art style is definitely interesting. It portrays the setting with more anime-esque styling. Characters still retained some of their cartoony looks, however, so while it was different, it still worked.

In the game however, it uh, was an interesting experiment.

Admittedly? Eddy isn't the weirdest looking one here. THAT award goes to;

That's Jake, as in Jake the Dog. He looks like that and is one of the only NPCs with no animations. He's just static, his eyes boring deep into your soul...

Jake knows what you did.

Anyways, Fusionfall is an MMORPG where you play as an avatar. You have some limited but still versatile customization options. Your character uses many weapons, including rifles, pistols, rockets, and melee weapons.

Original? Academy?

The game had two different versions, with one ultimately replacing the other. The original was available from 2009-2011 and gave you a simple story. Your character was a hero testing out a time machine, who wound up trapped in the future. You begin a quest to come back to the past, and eventually you return with the knowledge needed to create nanos.

Don't worry about that, we will get into that bit later.

After the birthday bash, the game's tutorial and introduction was overhauled. Newer characters were added - or at least new for when the game was out. For example? Finn, Jake, Generator Rex, and the Sym-Bionic Titan were all new additions, alongside Chowder, flapjack, and the Saturdays. In addition? Mordecai, Rigby, Gumball, and Darwin were all represented through Nanos.

This version of the game is Academy, which lasts from 2011-2013 when the game inevitably shut down its servers. Academy gives you two bonuses for your character: gliding and dodging. Your multidirectional dodge lets you move from front, back, or side to side.

The overhaul changed your origin story too. You train in the null void (it's a Ben 10 thing), and then Providence. Eventually after completing enough missions, you're sent off to get your guide, completing the tutorial.

Your Guides:

The game had four guides available to you at the start. The good thing about them is that you could change missions. You could swap from one guide to another, but you would start at the first level. If you chose to swap back, then you would be able to resume from your initial position.

These four guides are:

Ben Tennyson

Edd, aka 'Double D'

Dexter

And Mojo Jojo

The guides all have different missions too. Dexter wants to find out where the missing heroes from the world are. Ben Tennyson wants to make sure Lord Fuse (We'll get to that) doesn't get his hands on alien technology. These two are pretty simple.

Mojo Jojo wants to build an army of super-monkeys powered by Chemical X and fusion matter to defeat Lord Fuse. Naturally, the player foils his schemes each time - thanks to Mandy, and Dexter, - because he's evil.

Edd is... not what I would have expected, but he wants to stop Fuse from gaining buried candy and treasure maps. I'm surprised at his inclusion, especially compared to the others. But I think he also helps appeal to the comedic leanings of Cartoon Network.

What's the story?

Now we get to the FUN bit!

Fusionfall's story centers on a connected setting between the TV Series. The events of Powerpuff Girls, Dexter's Laboratory, Ben 10, and Ed, Edd n Eddy are all connected. All the characters know each other, and everything is united.

The main 'threat' of the series is Planet Fusion, a large gooey planet that's assimilated other worlds. This time it wants to assimilate Earth, breaking it down like it's done to many worlds. The various heroes of the Cartoon Network universe unite to stop Planet Fusion from taking their planet.

This isn't just an easy fight for the heroes, though. Planet Fusion creates dangerous monsters made out of fusion matter to terrorize the people. Worse, they've created evil doppelgangers of our favorite CN characters, named Fusions!

It's a big war between two sides, and your character's caught in the middle. As mentioned above, your character is accidentally sent to the future. He returns to the past with the nano blueprints, so that the resistance may have a fighting chance against Fuse.

Now? It's you, the legendary hero, helping take down Fuse's forces across the world. You lose, Fuse.

The Fusions, and the Nanos

This has been stated above, but it would be easier to hop through it again. The Fusions are evil doppelgangers of your favorite Cartoon Network characters. They may look similar, but they are not nice, and exist to help Planet Fusion move his goals along.

Fusions are always found in fusion lairs, which are in infected zones. Infected Zones are the areas most communicated with fusion matter. There are many infected zones, and they all require you talk to a Dexbot to get in.

In these infected zones, you will usually find more than one fusion lair. This is where the Fusions lurk - are you tired of hearing the word 'fusion'? Don't be, we've got a long way to go. Entering the fusion lair usually requires you fight your way through a horde of monsters, and then the fusion itself.

When the fusion finally dies, you get a nano, made from a personal item of the character, fusion matter, and your own imagination energy. This is just the story reason though, the video game reason is just "kill this fusion, and get a nano". It's adorable, by the way.

Nanos have special abilities, which come in a set of three. With a nano you can get bonus fusion matter from missions, have extra money, make monsters fall asleep, sneak past monsters, and more. You only get to pick one ability, but don't fret, you can change it later.

I always look back and think the Nanos are a refreshing gimmick. Imagine being able to carry a chibi-fied version of Mojo Jojo around. They come with their own voice lines too, with higher-pitched voices.

The base game had around 36 nanos which you gained for each level. Academy added a few notable bonuses, with nanos themed off of more-recent CN characters. In addition, you could use a code to gain access to a nano.

The inevitable shutdown (and potential successors):

August 29, 2013, saw Fusionfall close its servers and shut down. I didn't understand it at the time, but I moved on. It was a sad moment for many fans who had gotten attached to the game series.

Other successors have tried to follow the game series. Fusionfall Retro was released as a revival of the original game before the Academy relaunch. Fusionfall Legacy was going to be released as an upscaled version of the original game with additiona l content.

Both games were struck down by a DMCA issued by Cartoon Network. Retro was removed entirely, and Legacy was canceled before release. Retro is playable through 'Retrobution', a modified spin on Retro.

In addition, both the original and academy games are playable after years of being 'gone'. This is through OpenFusion, an unofficial server that preserves both original iterations of the game. Retrobution is also made using this server.

Conclusion:

Fusionfall was a big part of my childhood, especially as a CN Kid. I'm glad i got to make those memories while playing it. However, I never got to beat the original game because i stopped playing.

Things are different now, and after playing on Openfusion, I managed to beat all 36 levels. I was happy to finally see that through. If I could time travel, I'd go back, and fist-bump my younger self. We finally did it, and we saw it through to the end.

Fusionfall was a cute idea, and the strength of its concept alone could prove useful. However, I don't think it could find an audience in today's market. Outside of old fans, I'm not sure if 'new' kids are as attached to cartoon network as the past few generations were.

Regardless? It could be cool to imagine what it would be like now. Better game engines combined with better controls. Newer cartoon network series like Steven Universe, We Bare Bears, or Craig of The Creek. You could even throw in some oddballs, like Scooby-Doo.

I sure hope you all had fun reading this one. I'll be back later on with another dig. Maybe I can show you guys why I love the Cybertron Transformers games so much. After all, they are also a part of my childhood!

The time is now. The hero is you.

[thefudge]

Maybe some people get their utmost thinking and feeling from things that you would think are trash. I appreciated most of your response but some of it is borderline concern troll-y. Most adults only have so much time in the day, why should they devote that time to your or anyone else's idea of "beautiful things"? It's fine to try to guide people if you think they need guidance or if they ask for it, but I think if it's clear they aren't gonna change, it's cool to just let them be trash baskets and keep it moving. Especially when the "problem" is ships and romance novels.

fair enough. i think i tend to come off as concern trolly- because i'm a teacher in real life so that's my knee-jerk reaction sometimes.

"maybe some people get their utmost thinking and feeling from things that you would think are trash." - i hope they do, and if they do that's great. my concern here is that some material will make them turn against actual bold and interesting stuff. a lot of bad trash in romance is actually very bland and safe . ironically, when those readers are faced with smth less mainstream "dark" but more uncomfortable and challenging, they might shrink from it. and that's also fine. i'm not *that* worried about it, but i'm not indifferent to it either. because it's these readers/consumers that play a big part in what gets published or not, what trends are popular, what is tolerated etc. as a side note, i worry less about trash and more about very bland stuff that is being sold as "trash" but is actually completely numb and smooths out human emotion.

"Most adults only have so much time in the day, why should they devote that time to your or anyone else's idea of "beautiful things" - true. and yet, i don't entirely agree. yes, adults don't have time and they work all day. but i think capitalism encourages us to have this exact attitude. it makes us think we don't have time for anything other than the most effective form of escapism. and idk man. something rubs me the wrong way about this. as if we're conceding that we'll never have time for beautiful or difficult things.

i do think you're right that no one should chase my idea of beautiful things. but they should chase their idea, at least from time to time, and not always settle. i know i sound like a pretentious twat, and you can call me that, but the idealist in me says we should strive anyway.

that being said, "it's cool to just let them be trash baskets and keep it moving" is a pretty good way of putting it. i've raised my points, but yeah, ultimately, everyone is free to do as they like, and i'm cool with that. i may be over-exaggerating my concern here. it's the internet after all lol

(and i once again want to stress that i am a trash basket too. yall have known me for a while now, you know i'm a trash auntie. but as a senior lady, i just sometimes worry about the "youths")

[palant1r]

Hi! Just letting you know that Rusty Quill has already published a statement on their website (at "latest news"). I'd love to hear your opinion on that, if you have time and would be willing to write about it! The statement also briefly talks about the "false pretense" of the author's approach to RQ in November, namely "to assist in 'a comprehensive guide to fiction podcast networks'".

Oh yeah, I saw that statement! I'm happy to give some of my thoughts.

This is the kind of statement I'd HATE to see a company give in response to an article of mine — that is, it's well-written, even-handed, and doesn't have obvious disputable flaws. That doesn't mean I think everything in it is true, just that if it isn't, it would probably take a more trusted and experienced investigator that Newt to refute it. (Makes sense that RQ would be good at writing statements, amirite?)

Of course, this statement was written for RQ by RQ to paint them in a good light. Because they haven't provided concrete evidence of their own and Newt didn't attach the contracts in their article, at this point it's their word versus Newt's for a lot of this. But when it's two people's words against each other, inevitably the one that acts more professional is going to come out looking more credible, and that's RQ in this case. So now we see the tangible damage that not following journalism best practices does to a story.

I'm inclined to believe Rusty Quill on several of the points, particularly the ones pertaining to GDPR guidelines.

As for RQ talking about how Newt reached out, that part's interesting. They say that Newt reached out under the guise of writing a guide to fiction podcast networks, and did not provide a copy of an article or any allegations, so Rusty Quill didn't respond. That's weird. If RQ thought it was a guide about fiction podcast networks, why would they even know there were allegations they weren't given a chance to respond to? If it was an article still being written, why would they expect to be provided a copy? I think there are a few possibilities here. Maybe RQ just didn't want to be in the story they were told it was, and didn't realize Newt had misrepresented themself until later, so lack of journalistic practice wasn't the real reason they didn't respond. Or maybe RQ actually knew what story Newt was doing from the beginning. Or maybe RQ is misrepresenting the situation. We have no way of knowing without seeing the actual text of the email Newt sent them, which I've advised them to publish. But let's say that everything RQ says is true. What would that mean?

Well, first off, it is NOT "common journalistic practice" to provide sources with a copy of an article before it goes to print. I have no idea why RQ and others think that. It's the complete opposite — journalists are NEVER supposed to provide sources, or even anyone outside of the newsroom, a copy of their article before it goes to print. If a source demands it, the biggest concession we'll make is sitting down with them before the article runs and going over everything we used from our source to make sure they're okay with us including it.

However, "right to reply" IS common journalistic practice, and it's especially important in investigative pieces. Basically, if a journalist is doing a piece like this that makes accusations against a person or group, they have the responsibility to inform that person or group of the accusations they'll be printing and give them an opportunity to respond.

Additionally, it's bad practice to misrepresent oneself while reaching out like this. If Rusty Quill is accurately conveying what happened, then Newt is in the wrong and hurt their own story.

But I am like 90% sure that, if Newt did misrepresent themself, it was out of inexperience, not malice. Because I've done it before.

My first investigative piece was on a corrupt individual. I won't go into details. When the time came to reach out to him for comment, I wasn't sure how to word that email. A more experienced professional journalist advised me to be intentionally vague and misleading. I had misgivings, but I agreed — the thing about stories like this is that you end up with a healthy caution about whoever you're reporting on. I had a fear that tipping my hand too soon would keep him from talking, and I don't doubt Newt had the same fear. But the opposite happened — he asked for clarity on what I was doing, I told him the truth, and he said he wouldn't talk to me because I'd misrepresented myself. I don't think he would have talked anyway, but it was galling to know he was right. I believe we disclosed part of what happened in the text of the article itself.

What I learned from that experience is that some instincts run deep, and it's hard to get yourself to come out of the gate swinging at a very delicate story you've poured your heart into for a while. Those instincts can be overridden by experience and a firm grounding in journalistic ethics. My instinct was to not misrepresent myself, and that instinct turned out to have been the right one, so I've learned to stand firmly in what I know to be ethical. So even though Newt made a big blunder here by misrepresenting themself if what RQ says is accurate, I don't think it was malicious. Just a giant mistake. But I don't think it's fair for the article to say that Rusty Quill didn't respond to requests for comment so many times and even use that as evidence of their slow communication if Rusty Quill wasn't given the allegations to respond to.

As an investigative journalist, I see in this statement a treasure trove of facts to check and rabbit holes to follow. There's a lot here to address and a lot of work to do, especially looking into what exactly "standard practice" means in the areas Rusty Quill cites. But I'm not sure I trust Newt to do that work well.

[zerogptus]

Examples for Summary Writing: Mastering the Art of Condensing Information

Summary writing is a crucial skill that every student, researcher, and professional should master. It involves the ability to succinctly capture the main points of a text, article, or document while maintaining its essence.examples for summary writingWhether you're summarizing a novel, a scientific paper, or a business report, the goal remains the same: to provide a concise overview without losing important details. In this article, we'll explore some examples of summary writing across different genres and offer tips on how to craft effective summaries.

Literary Summary:

Example: "To Kill a Mockingbird" by Harper Lee Through Scout's eyes, we witness her father, Atticus Finch, defending a black man falsely accused of raping a white woman. The novel explores themes of racial injustice, moral growth, and the loss of innocence.

Scientific Summary:

Example: Research Paper on Climate Change

Summary: A recent study on climate change published in "Nature" investigates the impact of rising global temperatures on polar ice caps. summarize my articleThe researchers analyzed satellite data and concluded that ice loss in the Arctic has accelerated significantly over the past decade, leading to rising sea levels and changes in weather patterns worldwide. The findings underscore the urgent need for mitigation strategies to combat climate change.

Business Summary:

Example: Quarterly Financial Report for Company X

Summary: Company X's quarterly financial report reveals strong revenue growth driven by increased sales in emerging markets and successful product launches. However, rising operational costs and supply chain disruptions have impacted profitability margins. Despite these challenges, the company remains optimistic about future growth prospects and plans to focus on cost optimization and innovation initiatives.

Tips for Effective Summary Writing:

Identify the main points: Before you start writing your summary, carefully read the text and identify the key ideas, arguments, or findings.

Keep it concise: Aim to condense the information into a brief, coherent summary. Avoid including unnecessary details or tangents that detract from the main message.

Use your own words: While summarizing, paraphrase the original text to demonstrate your understanding. Avoid copying verbatim to prevent plagiarism.

Maintain the original tone and style: Adapt the tone and style of your summary to match the original text. Whether it's formal, academic, or casual, your summary should reflect the author's voice.

Focus on clarity: Ensure that your summary is easy to read and understand. Use clear language and logical organization to guide the reader through the main points.

In conclusion, mastering the art of summary writing is essential for effectively communicating complex information in a concise manner. Whether you're summarizing literature, scientific research, or business reports, practicing this skill will not only enhance your academic and professional writing but also improve your ability to extract and comprehend key information from diverse sources. By following the examples and tips provided, you can hone your summarization skills and become a more efficient communicator in any field.

[karalynlovescake]

2023 writing list

Not exactly a New Years resolution, as those don't often pan out, but more of a personal checklist. Please feel free to stroke my ego by asking me about any of these. If I remember I'll update with links as I finish.

I did not expect to start writing again in 2022, and the fact that I did is completely because of Sandman and the amazing tumblr fandom for it. So. Things I would like to write/finish in 2023:

1.) Black Unicorn AU: it has languished while I put off rereading the source material and write other things. I know HOW it ends but I don't like the ending scene I've written and until I do it won't click. But no one else is going to write this one so we'll keep working on it.

2.) He Would Not Say That: which has expanded to the point where I'm overwhelmed by it and overthinking the morality of fucking your boyfriend's dream subjects, which is a buzzkill because it was supposed to be very un serious sex comedy. Hob would give Chidi Anagonye a massive stomach ache if I could justify the crossover.

3.) Crack one-shot: Come Live With Me and Be My Cat - a spin-off of love to Avelera’s amazing fic and inspired by that great picture that @twottie-m8 did of Hob throwing Cat!Dream at the Corinthian

4.) Some kind of SandOmens side piece PROBABLY attached to Least of These so we can have a good fun "you built a what to whom" reaction from Aziraphale and Crowley.

4a.) The Next Level - wrote this instead, a very soft fluffy little piece where Dream asks Aziraphale and Crowley for advice on being the type of friends who hold hands. We'll see if that scratched my itch to write SandOmens.

5) Actually, let’s throw The Least of These on this list. Didn’t include it before because I started it in Nov/Dec, but it was SUPPOSED to be a soft smutty 5k and now it is 25k and is more plot than smut, and has taken up more of my time than I anticipated

6) As of yet untitled longfic #1: if published will be two separate works, part one a setup of "Dream shows up every couple of years for sex, but in a different disguise every time because he thinks he's smart" and part two is your standard fishbowl rescue/let's rewrite season 1, because we like them. I want this to be better than I feel I'm capable of writing but I keep plonking away at it, and it's 16k words already, which is too much for me to give up on.

7) A Secret Third Thing: (not actual title) where I come to terms with the fact that in killing off Morpheus by having him put half his soul in the Corinthian I accidentally made an OC that I'm kind of interested in.

8) Honeymoon piece: I don't want to write the wedding, that sounds exhausting, but Hob wants to honeymoon somewhere he hasn't been where they can just be themselves, and Dream takes him to a little side project he, Delirium and Destruction started a few centuries back: a friendly desert community where the sun is hot, the moon is beautiful, and mysterious lights pass overhead while everyone pretends to sleep. The King of Nightmares is a minor celebrity in Nightvale, and he gets to show off his new husband. Silly.

8a) I did, in the end, write a wedding, if a rather hasty one, so we have: Then maybe, maybe, maybe you'd stay which was written almost entirely in 72 hours in a tiny hotel room in a foreign country 6000 miles from home, after my husband's passport got stolen 15 hours before we were supposed to fly home, thus turning the end of our dream vacation into nearly a literal nightmare. Apparently I stress write. You learn things when you travel.

9) The Financial Crimes of Hob Gadling, only of I can think of a way to do it that shows off my special interest without publishing a "How to crime" guide.

10) Longfic #2, working title "All the Things That Lie Undone" - loosely based off the plot of a favorite out of print smutty historical romance novel. Basic plotline is worked out, but so far all that's written so far is the first two chapters and one sex scene.

11) Longfic #3 which has eclipsed all desire to work on Longfic #2, which will hopefully be my Centennial Husbands Big Bang entry.

12) Anything I want, there are no rules, I have permission to have fun and make myself feel happy.

[wajjs]

As was promised if this post reached 200 notes (it did!), I shall begin my journey through Frank Miller's comics. Specifically: Batman Year One, The Dark Knight Returns, The Dark Knight Strikes Again, and The Dark Knight III: The Master Race.

Originally I was not going to include Batman Year One, but I decided to add it to the list last minute. This way we'll go through Bruce's life in its different stages: from his beginning as Batman, to his retirement.

But before I get into the actual reading of the comics, I thought it would be nice to start with a little bit of an introduction! So without further ado, let's get to it:

Frank Miller is, to say the least, a controversial figure in the world of comics and superheroes. His stories are politically charged and his portrayal of politics is often myopic, often due to his inability to separate his belief in stereotypes from his writing. This makes it so that the way he writes political arguments is less than nuanced or subtle.

(Take as prime example of this his extremely criticized comic Holy Terror, which is known as a reactionary propaganda comic with anti Muslim / Islamophobic sentiments after 9/11. Miller does not even try to disguise in any way whatsoever these sentiments and reduces everything to insulting stereotypes.

It is perhaps relevant to point out that Miller has gone on record to say that while he does not want to erase the comic from his publication history —in a what's done is done move—, he would not be able to write something like it again.)

His writing has also been accused of being misogynistic, sexist and needlessly violent. Some people even link his works (in particular, 300) to an uptick of white nationalist ideas in the USA.

Being as much of an influential figure as he is, Miller is often tactless (or, perhaps, careless) in the way he expresses his opinions. His comments against anti capitalist protestors (more than 11 years ago!) have led to pushback and criticism from fellow writers in the comic book world, with Moore calling him out on his views and his preference for violence.

However, regardless of how his statements are reproachable, it's impossible to deny that his Batman comics are a before and after when it comes to the character. What's more, Miller's comics are also a before and after for the industry and the superhero genre as a whole.

The Dark Knight saga is considered globally by many as one of the most influential comics of all times. It has not only changed the course of how Batman would be depicted in the years to come after The Dark Returns was first published, but it has also spearheaded a whole new era of comics being darker, edgier, aiming for more mature adult audiences.

In many ways, Frank Miller's writing and art have become a blueprint that, to this day, many still follow.

ABOUT THE DARK KNIGHT SAGA: WHY IS IT A BEFORE AND AFTER?

Up until the first part of this saga was published, the character of Batman in the public eye had become an equivalent to that of a clown, a comedy relief that starred in whacky stories with even whackier antagonists. Many blame the 60s show for this, but the censorship of the 50s cannot be left aside so easily.

During the early 50s, and following a moral panic caused by a book titled Seduction of the Innocent, the Comics Code of Authority (CCA) was established. The purpose of this code was one of control and censorship, with strict regulations on what was permitted to be depicted within comics and what wasn't.

(While the CCA was not explicitly mandatory, many editors and publishers still followed its guidelines and forced their writers and artists to do the same.)

Why did Seduction of the Innocent cause a moral panic? In summary, the book attempted to trace and pinpoint the source of teenage and juvenile delinquency, finding it in comic books and superhero stories. An interesting thing to come from it is the analysis of comic stories and how they (for the author) carry hidden themes.

For example, the author of the book found in Batman and Robin "hidden homosexual themes", in which their interactions could be read as that of gay lovers. Similarly with Wonder Woman, who had more evident bondage and dominatrix themes, and who could be taken as a lesbian for her independence and her strength.

An important thing to keep in mind is that during this point in history, queer identities were considered illnesses or mental disorders. Hence the moral panic, as comics were still viewed as meant for kids.

With the forceful changes that happened after the CCA was first implemented, and with the whacky 60s show, by the 80s Batman's image was mostly innocent and simple. So when in 1986 Frank Miller published the first issue of the Dark Knight Returns, the shift of Batman's public perception began.

This Batman was jaded, gritty, disillusioned and restless. This is a Batman that went off the deep end and did not come back quite alright. One could say that Miller attempts to write a story that's not about redemption, but about realizing one shouldn't have given up and thus one starts to take the steps to correct this mistake.

The subsequent popularity of the comics caused a paradigm shift that allowed other writers and artists to follow in his footsteps. Characters were reinvented to fit a more skeptical view of things, and the worlds in which superheroes lived turned more dangerous, more merciless.

The Dark Knight saga is still influential to this day. It's been used as inspiration for most of the Batman movies, as well as the way his character is still written in comics and tv shows, among other things.

-

Some links to read if you're curious:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Dark_Knight_Returns

https://www.theguardian.com/books/2011/dec/06/alan-moore-frank-miller-row

https://www.theguardian.com/books/2018/apr/27/frank-miller-xerxes-cursed-sin-city-the-dark-knight-returns

https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-features/a-rare-interview-frank-miller-871654/

[davidmariottecomics]

Tools of the Trade

Hello hello! 

I'm *hoping* this'll be a pretty quick blog today because I have a lot of ideas kicking around my head and want to focus on trying to write some of 'em! But inspired by the new Creator's Guide to Comics Devices (we'll get to that in a sec), I want to talk about some resources that I've accumulated over the years that can help with everything from the fundamentals of comics storytelling to good reference to software and fonts and printers and distribution platforms and more! 

As a disclaimer right up top, some of these resources I have not personally used--I haven't done a lot of crowdfunding, I haven't worked with some of these smaller printers, etc--though I will say that these are things that're coming recommended to me and I'm passing along that recommendation. If you've had a really bad experience with one of these, or know some dirt, let me know! I'm always happy to stand corrected on this sort of thing. 

Lastly, a number of these things I'll point out specifically as an alternative to other software or expected resources. Alright, let's boogie! 

Making Art Not being an artist, I can't speak exactly to what tools will work best for you! The good news is, as an artist, you probably already know that and don't need me to tell you what sort of pencils, pens, brushes, inks, etc work best for your style. However, I will say, I've seen some glowing recs for Eon paper. If you're working traditionally in any way (I know some people work hybrid), good paper is important. 

If you are working digitally, I think the two sort of biggest contenders outside of Photoshop right now are Procreate and Clipstudio. Becca uses Procreate and really likes it. The downsides are that I believe it is Apple exclusive (and not on desktop) and while I've seen plenty of pages come out just fine that were in part or fully produced in Procreate, it does sometimes lack some of the functionalities for what you might need--I know folks who've had trouble doing clean flats, for example. I know a lot of folks use Clipstudio with great success, but I also know there's a bit of controversy around some of their 2.0+ updates including only working on a subscription fee if you want to use it on a tablet or non-desktop device (and/or want the updates they release) and something about like, it not working if you aren't on wifi? 

I personally have had good experience with Affinity's Designer and Photo. But I am not an artist, so while I think they're good for doing some of the production side of art--I've used them for lettering and prepping files and making little social graphics and stuff--I can't speak to how helpful they are as a full art tool. I will also say, as long as I'm talking about Affinity, their Publisher tool is pretty good too and with the Affinity suite, you can get a lot of what you would want out of the Adobe suite. 

Art Reference

Look, you're smart. You don't need me telling you where and how to find reference. It's all over. There are hundreds of books and websites and resources for artist reference. You can go find some live models or pose one of those weird little wooden dolls or turn around a toy or whatever. 

But! With that said, here're a couple big ones. Blender is itself an art tool! It's a lot less common for comic art to be fully produced in Blender than, say, animation, but Blender can be a really helpful way to put together thumbnails or consistent backgrounds. You can build a room and move it around for what you'd need to see in a panel and have that as a base when doing your art. You can use it for lighting studies. Lotta possibilities! 

If you can be cool, you can maybe get access to Fat Photo Ref. It's what the name says, an archive of photo reference by and of fat people, who unfortunately are often not included in your standard art reference collections and books. I'll also plug that the Morpho art book series has a very well regarded Fat and Skin Folds volume. Linking specifically to that one, but you can find the whole series from the link and get it from an indie bookstore! 

And as someone who has long pointed people to things like Wally Wood's 22 Panels that Always Work and Steve Lieber's 12 point portfolio critique without even looking (which I riffed on for writers here and also talk about like... finding agents) and all the thoughtful analysis on the craft and creation of the medium from Scott McCloud (I'm not linking Understanding Comics... you probably already have it), I think that the aforementioned Creator's Guide to Comics Devices is the logical progression of all of that. It is a free collaborative resource about the way comics storytelling works. 

Writing, Lettering, and Additional Craft 

I believe I've shared this before, and have said it's not my actual preferred format when I write, but Steenz and Camilla Zhang created a standard script template for comics. I think this is very helpful for people who don't know what a script looks like and, obviously, if you find yourself wanting to modify it to better suit your needs, you can! But this gives a really clear picture of what the general form will look like for maximum sharability with your collaborators. 

Comicraft and Blambot are two of my favorite font houses (and lettering houses)! They have fonts that you see in your favorite comics for reasonable prices, including often big discounts or fonts that are free for indie use (though obvs read the terms and conditions). They have packs including like premade balloons that can help ya get started easier. Both of their books on comic lettering, Comic Book Lettering the Comicraft Way and The Essential Guide to Comic Book Lettering, are excellent and should be considered the tomes they are. Sara Linsley's fonts are also great, particularly if you're doing more manga or webcomics inspired books.  And if you don't want to be a person who has to spend a lot of time thinking about fonts and getting MainType or another font management software (I don't do a lot of it, but I've gotten really into teaching myself lettering and I do think it's pretty fun), do us both a favor and just hire a letterer. 

But if you want to learn more about lettering, Todd Klein also has a really amazing blog! 

Printing

There are a lot of professional printers that print comics. Many of them that are printing for publishers have a very high threshold for minimum orders. If you aren't printing 2K copies, they aren't going to print your book at all because that's how they have to ration their paper and run their business. 

But I know of a couple of printers that do smaller print runs for indie comics. I've heard really good things about RA Direct and about Comix Well Spring. Something I'll flag right here and now is that whether it's one of these or another printer, early in the process--before you pay for anything--you should take some time to email the printer about any potential issues you might have. This can be anything from confirming your specs are correct and you've got the right overprint on your blacks to checking if the printer has any sort of issue printing 18+ sexual material or dismemberment or if you have anything that might be on the line of fair use. Like, it'll help you both out to get that sorted early and easily. 

As a brief detour, I've also heard good things about both Alibaba and have used Vograce with Becca, if you're looking for merch for shows--y'know, keychains and pillow covers and pens and pins and whatever else you may want to create with your art that is not strictly comics themselves. 

Distribution - Subscriptions

I'm talking specifically digital subscription platforms that are not webcomics hosting sites and that are subscription sites of any sort, not just stores/places your art lives. So no like Webtoon or Artstation or Shopify or whatever. Basically, your Patreons (you know Patreon, but you could sub to mine) and uhh... Substacks. But maybe better than those options... 

I host this blog on Patreon, that's true. I also have it on Tumblr and on my website. And I sent it out as a newsletter through Buttondown! They are super friendly and concerned with making the service work! It's awesome and I highly recommend it over Substack which, as you may recall, I have some issues with. My Buttondown is free, but you can have paid subscriptions. I've also heard some folks say good things about Ghost as a similar sort of alternative. I can't speak to that the same as I can Buttondown, which, again, I really like, but I know some people who use Ghost. 

In terms of Patreon alts, options are not great, TBH. Kofi has memberships (plugging mine which is membership-less). But I believe Kofi is also a lot stricter about what sort of content you can post and host--similar to the sorts of questions I was suggesting you ask a printer about earlier. Fanbox through Pixiv is something I see some folks use. I think it's largely international folks. I also, again, think it has some content restrictions though I'm not entirely sure how enforced they are. I feel guilty enough using Patreon (lol this being posted there), but I really can't recommend Subscribestar. I've heard good things about them as an alternative--like, I hear they're maybe the closest in practical functionality and are a lot more adult material friendly than some competitors, but I have a lot of the same problems I have with Substack and Patreon with them. Like, Patreon isn't perfect, but some of the more horrific elements of humanity that cannot operate on Patreon have found a home there and that stinks. 

The one non-subscription option I will highlight is, and again, I don't think it's perfect, but I know people who have had good experiences with itch.io. If you're looking for a place to sell some digital comics outside of your own website, there are far worse options. 

Crowdfunding 

I think we've all ceded IndieGogo to the worst parts of comics. Obviously, Kickstarter is still the big one that people really think of and like many of these prominent versions of the service, it has its good and bad. There is name recognition and a track record of projects getting funded and paid and completed, and there are criticisms. But that's true of lots of things. 

There are also a few options that're a bit newer in the space. Backerkit has been a part of a lot of fulfilment of Kickstarter campaigns for a long time and now operate their own crowdfunding platform. I know Iron Circus uses them. I've heard a little bit about Crowdfundr and am pretty sure I know some folks who've given that a shot. And I know one of the co-founders of Zoop and they've been helping get a lot of really cool projects made recently. 

Final Recs

BLEH! This ended up taking a lot longer than I expected! Oh well. You don't know. You're reading this and it is not happening in the realtime it took to write it. So, final resources I'm going to throw your way as jumping off points for more! 

1. Cartoonist Cooperative! Guess what, for basically everything I just said, they have EVEN MORE RESOURCES! They also do mutual promotions and support and are a really great community based initiative! 

2. Creator Resource! Similarly, they also have even more resources! Their database/articles include a lot of stuff like more about finding agents and publishers and page rates and marketing and this that and the other thing. Between the two of those, you're going to have a lot of whatever you would need to get started and have not just a rounded out knowledge, but access to a knowledgeable community. 

3. Curiosity's Corner from Wildstar Press! Wildstar's mission is really cool. They're an indie publisher that focuses on helping new creators get their first publishing credits and work they can share to get more jobs. And they've recently started a guide that's not dissimilar to this blog on how to get started on having a comics career. 

4. This is just a general reminder. Make a website that has a way to contact you. Make an email that maybe can be public facing but that you're comfortable using for work and dedicate it to that. If you're going any place where you think you might make industry contacts, bring business cards. We live in the future and you can put your portfolio or samples on a QR code on your card. Find or make communities. I'm not great about it myself, TBH (and that's a little intentional because being an editor, working at a publisher, there are reasons on both sides to create this distance), but like... I dunno. Get on Discord or something. Have a group text. Like, have a way to reach out to your peers. 

Like I said earlier, if you have corrections to be like "nah, this thing sucks, don't recommend it" or if you have additional recommendations, please share them! Don't DM me because I've been very bad about answering those because I am going to be shuttering Twitter soon, but y'know, if it's something you can share publicly, reply on post where you saw it or on the website (comments in a rare move are open on this unless something happens). If you want to share anonymously (or like... invite me to a Discord or something), there's always my contact page. 

Okay, I'm off to write fiction now! And should probably reach out to some folks to draw it soon. 

L8rs!

What I enjoyed this week: Blank Check (Podcast), Solve This Murder (Podcast), One Piece (Manga), Sonic Superstars (Video game), The Archive Undying by Emma Mieko Candon (Book), Reverse 1999 (Video Game), Yu-Gi-Oh: Duel Links (Video game), Last Week Tonight (TV show), The Simpsons (TV show), I said Thirsty last week, but I meant Steamy, the last book in the trilogy from Space Between, but it did make me go back and read Thirsty and Cheeky again too (Comics - Adults only), Five Nights at Freddy's was fine but like... I don't think I'm the target audience and we only saw it because we pay for Peacock and didn't give additional money to the bad man creator (Movie), Phantom of the Paradise (Movie), Scream 3 & 4 (Movies), Batman: The Brave and the Bold (Cartoon), Joe Pera Talks with You (TV show), Witch Watch (Manga), Halloween, Godzilla Day, Spooky's Jump Scare Mansion (Video game... well, until I got too spooked), wanting to write. 

New Releases this week (11/1/2023): No new books from me this week. Don't worry, next week makes up for it. 

Final Order Cut-Off next week (11/6/2023): Godzilla Rivals: Jet Jaguar vs. Megalon (Editor)

New Releases next week (11/8/2023): Godzilla Rivals: Round Two (Editor on most of it) Sonic the Hedgehog #66 (Editor) Sonic the Hedgehog: Knuckles' Greatest Hits (Editor) Sonic the Hedgehog: The IDW Art Collection (Editor)

Announcements: I might be done for the year? If you'd like to have me on your podcast, Twitch stream, at your convention, signing at your store, talking to your students, whatever, feel free to hit me up, but I don't think I have anything else public for the rest of the year, though knowing us, Becca and I will probably a local market or something. 

Wanna support me? Visit my webstore, the previously linked Patreon or Kofi, or my eBay. And you can always visit Becca's portfolio/shop/Patreon/Twitch streams too. Streams will be returning soon. Been having technical difficulties of late. 

And of course, things are bad. Call for a ceasefire and urge your reps to stop the Palestinian genocide. Fight back against whatever terrible policies are currently up in your local or national area--from trying to ban books to criminalizing transness to further criminalizing homelessness to whatever. Support SAG-AFTRA as they're still on strike, and support all the other strikes and union actions happening across the country and across the world. Just be kind to people. 

Pic of the Week: It's my favorite green heroes, the Warrior Mans!