#bEYONDERS

[lizlovespace]

if I had a nickel for every time a white, male, Mormon, fantasy author named Brandon created a magical, interconnected universe of different series that I was completely obsessed with at some point in my life…I’d have two nickels which isn’t a lot but it’s weird that it happened twice

[enigma-the-mysterious]

Saw @wingsofhcpe doing this so I wanted in on the fun too

Tagging @hag-lad @luxshine @riverroan @lucyinroses @atlinmerrick @jezebelgoldstone @idlebirdsparagon @taigamerlin @reyoftarth @belligerentmistletoe @timetravellingkitty @animanightmate @regionalpancake @zyrafowe-sny @midnights-dragon @kestrel-wylde @larry-sherbet @eowynlyra @highfunctioningflailgirl @yrrtyrrtwhenihrrthrrt @walrus150915 @nie-narzekam @eldriwolf @amar-hiyar-majhe @ambidextrousarcher and anyone else who wants to participate. No pressure though!

[ofliterarynature]

TBR TAKEDOWN: Week 17 (September 22)

TLDR: I have too many unread books, and I’m asking tumblr to help me downsize. Pick one or none - it doesn't have to be something you've read, just the one you think sounds the worst! Comments and reblogs welcome, book descriptions below the cut. See my pinned post for more info.

Boneshaker by Cherie Priest

In the early days of the Civil War, rumors of gold in the frozen Klondike brought hordes of newcomers to the Pacific Northwest. Anxious to compete, Russian prospectors commissioned inventor Leviticus Blue to create a great machine that could mine through Alaska's ice. Thus was Dr. Blue's Incredible Bone-Shaking Drill Engine born.

But on its first test run the Boneshaker went terribly awry, destroying several blocks of downtown Seattle and unearthing a subterranean vein of blight gas that turned anyone who breathed it into the living dead.

Now it is sixteen years later, and a wall has been built to enclose the devastated and toxic city. Just beyond it lives Blue's widow, Briar Wilkes. Life is hard with a ruined reputation and a teenaged boy to support, but she and Ezekiel are managing. Until Ezekiel undertakes a secret crusade to rewrite history.

His quest will take him under the wall and into a city teeming with ravenous undead, air pirates, criminal overlords, and heavily armed refugees. And only Briar can bring him out alive.

A World Without Heroes by Brandon Mull

Jason Walker has often wished his life could be a bit less predictable--until a routine day at the zoo ends with Jason suddenly transporting from the hippo tank to a place unlike anything he's ever seen. In the past, the people of Lyrian welcomed visitors from the Beyond, but attitudes have changed since the wizard emperor Maldor rose to power. The brave resistors who opposed the emperor have been bought off or broken, leaving a realm where fear and suspicion prevail.

In his search for a way home, Jason meets Rachel, who was also mysteriously drawn to Lyrian from our world. With the help of a few scattered rebels, Jason and Rachel become entangled in a quest to piece together the word of power that can destroy the emperor, and learn that their best hope to find a way home will be to save this world without heroes.

Siddhartha by Hermann Hesse

A bold translation of Nobel Prize-winner Herman Hesse's most inspirational and beloved work, which was nominated as one of America's best-loved novels by PBS's The Great American Read

Hesse's famous and influential novel, Siddartha, is perhaps the most important and compelling moral allegory our troubled century has produced. Integrating Eastern and Western spiritual traditions with psychoanalysis and philosophy, this strangely simple tale, written with a deep and moving empathy for humanity, has touched the lives of millions since its original publication in 1922. Set in India, Siddhartha is the story of a young Brahmin's search for ultimate reality after meeting with the Buddha. His quest takes him from a life of decadence to asceticism, through the illusory joys of sensual love with a beautiful courtesan, and of wealth and fame, to the painful struggles with his son and the ultimate wisdom of renunciation.

[book--brackets]

Summaries under the cut

Fairyland by Catherynne Valente

Twelve-year-old September lives in Omaha, and used to have an ordinary life, until her father went to war and her mother went to work. One day, September is met at her kitchen window by a Green Wind (taking the form of a gentleman in a green jacket), who invites her on an adventure, implying that her help is needed in Fairyland. The new Marquess is unpredictable and fickle, and also not much older than September. Only September can retrieve a talisman the Marquess wants from the enchanted woods, and if she doesn’t . . . then the Marquess will make life impossible for the inhabitants of Fairyland. September is already making new friends, including a book-loving Wyvern and a mysterious boy named Saturday.

Beyonders by Brandon Mull

Jason Walker has often wished his life could be a bit less predictable--until a routine day at the zoo ends with Jason suddenly transporting from the hippo tank to a place unlike anything he's ever seen. In the past, the people of Lyrian welcomed visitors from the Beyond, but attitudes have changed since the wizard emperor Maldor rose to power. The brave resistors who opposed the emperor have been bought off or broken, leaving a realm where fear and suspicion prevail.

In his search for a way home, Jason meets Rachel, who was also mysteriously drawn to Lyrian from our world. With the help of a few scattered rebels, Jason and Rachel become entangled in a quest to piece together the word of power that can destroy the emperor, and learn that their best hope to find a way home will be to save this world without heroes.

The Missing by Margaret Peterson Haddix

Thirteen-year-old Jonah has always known that he was adopted, and he's never thought it was any big deal. Then he and a new friend, Chip, who's also adopted, begin receiving mysterious letters. The first one says, "You are one of the missing." The second one says, "Beware! They're coming back to get you."

Jonah, Chip, and Jonah's sister, Katherine, are plunged into a mystery that involves the FBI, a vast smuggling operation, an airplane that appeared out of nowhere - and people who seem to appear and disappear at will. The kids discover they are caught in a battle between two opposing forces that want very different things for Jonah and Chip's lives.

Do Jonah and Chip have any choice in the matter? And what should they choose when both alternatives are horrifying?

The Hundred and One Dalmatians by Dodie Smith

Pongo and Missis had a lovely life. With their human owners, the Dearlys, to look after them, they lived in a comfortable home in London with their 15 adorable Dalmatian puppies, loved and admired by all. Especially the Dearlys' neighbor Cruella de Vil, a fur-fancying fashion plate with designs on the Dalmatians' spotted coats! So, when the puppies are stolen from the Dearly home, and even Scotland Yard is unable to find them, Pongo and Missis know they must take matters into their own paws!

Tales of Magic by Edward Eager

Four children wish on a Half Magic coin that gets their mother Alison half-way home, rescued by Mr Smith. Mark's wish zaps them to a desert without island, where half-talking cat Carrie gabbles to a camel. Romantic Katherine battles Launcelot. Eldest Jane rejects siblings for another family. Stubborn youngest, Martha, causes a riot downtown.

Bambi by Felix Salten

Bambi's life in the woods begins happily. There are forest animals to play with -- Friend Hare, the chattery squirrel, the noisy screech owl, and Bambi's twin cousins, frail Gobo and beautiful Faline.

But winter comes, and Bambi learns that the woods hold danger -- and things he doesn't understand. The first snowfall makes food hard to find. Bambi's father, a handsome stag, roams the forest, but leaves Bambi and his mother alone.

Then there is Man. He comes to the forest with weapons that can wound an animal. He does terrible things to Gobo, to Bambi's mother, and even to Bambi. But He can't keep Bambi from growing into a handsome stag himself, and becoming...the Prince of the Forest.

Ballet Shoes by Noel Streatfield

Pauline, Petrova and Posy are orphans determined to help out their family by attending the Children's Academy of Dancing and Stage Training. But when they vow to make a name for themselves, they have no idea it's going to be such hard work! They launch themselves into the world of show business, complete with working papers, the glare of the spotlight, and practice, practice, practice! Pauline is destined for the movies. Posy is a born dancer. But practical Petrova finds she'd rather pilot a plane than perform a pirouette. Each girl must find the courage to follow her dream.

Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm by Kate Douglas Wiggin

Rebecca’s father had died three years before and the family farm had become heavily indebted. In order to ease the burden on her widowed mother, Rebecca is sent to live with her lonely aunts at their farm and there she spends the next seven years till she becomes an adult. Rebecca brings her youthful enthusiasm and imagination to their quiet life and often clashes with her stern Aunt Miranda. Yet, Rebecca finds love and acceptance with her Aunt Jane and she grows up to be a proper and intelligent young lady who never loses her sunny outlook and kind heart.

Just Ella by Margaret Peterson Haddix

Being a princess isn't all that...

You've heard the fairy tale: a glass slipper, Prince Charming, happily ever after...

Welcome to reality: royal genealogy lessons, needlepoint, acting like "a proper lady," and—worst of all—a prince who is not the least bit interesting, and certainly not charming.

As soon-to-be princess Ella deals with her new-found status, she comes to realize she is not "your majesty" material. But breaking off a royal engagement is no easy feat, especially when you're crushing on another boy in the palace... For Ella to escape, it will take intelligence, determination, and spunk—and no ladylike behavior allowed.

The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate by Jaqueline Kelly

Calpurnia Virginia Tate is eleven years old in 1899 when she wonders why the yellow grasshoppers in her Texas backyard are so much bigger than the green ones. With a little help from her notoriously cantankerous grandfather, an avid naturalist, she figures out that the green grasshoppers are easier to see against the yellow grass, so they are eaten before they can get any larger.

As Callie explores the natural world around her, she develops a close relationship with her grandfather, navigates the dangers of living with six brothers, and comes up against just what it means to be a girl at the turn of the century.

[zannolin]

beyonders: chasing the prophecy

life is too short & love is too long.

wikipedia // no time to die (2021) // "good grief" bastille // the transformers: last stand of the wreckers // @/lookoflove // the beatrice letters, lemony snicket + distant, holly warburton // "odysseus to telemachus" joseph brodsky // @/skinnytuna // @/metamorphesque // @/screenshotsofdespair // @/inanotherunivrse // consolation, edvard munch // @/theolddivorcedzukka // star trek ii: the wrath of khan (1982) // faithful and virtuous night, louise glück // nona the ninth, tamsyn muir

[carolinelikesdinner]

Brandon Mull after making fruitcakes of characters then giving them straight love interests

[giveamadeuschohisownmovie]

Pitch for a one-off, MCU movie/miniseries: “The League of Losers”

Plot:

The Beyonders are omnipotent beings who exist in the Beyond-Realm, which is located outside of the Marvel Multiverse. These all-powerful beings observe the events of the multiverse and, from time to time, conduct experiments in their own constructed dimension known as Battleworld. For their experiments, they periodically pull characters from the multiverse and put them in Battleworld to see how they’ll react to the scenarios they come up with.

Two Beyonders - let’s call them A and B - have just finished observing the events of “Deadpool and Wolverine”. The two are fascinated by how Deadpool was able to redeem the supposed worst version of Wolverine to exist in the entire multiverse. Curious to see if they can recreate Wolverine’s redemption arc, the two Beyonders form an experiment.

The experiment is that they will gather/kidnap the supposed worst versions of established Marvel superheroes and put them in a situation that requires them to work as a team (hence, the League of Losers). Beyonder A believes that, when push comes to shove, the team will come together as one unit and save the day. Beyonder B is more pessimistic, believing that the team will fall apart because of their numerous flaws and differences from their more respected variants.

And the result is…Beyonder B is proven right.

The reason why this is a one-off is that the entire team fails to save the day because they fell apart. This is less of a superhero team-up and more of a cautionary tale of what would happen if the worst of the worst were brought together and told to get along. In the end, Beyonder A hypothesizes that perhaps the reason why the “worst” Wolverine redeemed himself was because he had Deadpool and X-23 by his side. That even though Wolverine chose to redeem himself, he only did so because Deadpool put him on the path of redemption and X-23 believed in him.

So…yeah. Kind of a dark movie/miniseries, about the same tone as the darkest episodes of the first season of “What If…?”

Cast:

1. Imelda Staunton as Beyonder A

2. Morgan Freeman as Beyonder B

[plate2]

Sometimes I'll just think of insane crossovers with characters I like despite fully knowing no one has read any of these combinations of books, nor would they ever interact. Like, I could go on and on about the similarities between the Bailey and Sorenson siblings (Land of Stories and Favlehaven) or I could go on about three different Jacks from different books (Half Upon A Time, Mighty Jack, Jack Blank). I could look at Nova Artino and Alex Knight (Renegades and The Cloak Society) and while they're for very different ages there's similarities. Alex from Alex Rider and Carson from Codename Zero would likely never interact but by God do I think about it. I could name so many: The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel, Seven Wonders, Revenge of Magic, Beyonders, The Lies of Locke Lamora, etc, etc, etc. I am going insane over so many different books that have little semblance of connection, saying they each have pieces of one another within. And these fanbases (if there are even a fanbase for each of these books) would rarely ever interact.

So I'm just left here, reading books in my pajamas, deranged

[blanks--pace]

Craziest way I've ever had a characters death spoiled, tbh

[duparoberto]

I feel a jashalee phase deep inside me that will probably reveal itself in three days or so but I'm not sure I've never had jashalee brainrot before.

[brookiedaaroacecookie]

HEY EVERYONE!! FOR PRIDE MONTH, GIVE ME ANY CHARACTER AND AN LGBTQIA2S+ IDENTITY!!

I WILL DO:

-canon identities

-headcanon identites

-therian/kin with LGBTQIA2S+ identities

-traditional art w/ watercolor

-digital art

-canon characters

-OCs and AUs

-ships

-oc x canon

-selfships

I WONT DO

-MAP/pedophilic flags

-gore

-cis and straight and allo. (Nothing against, just wanna do pride things for pride!!)

-identities that go against or erase canon (for example: Charlie from heartstopper is canonically gay, so I won’t draw him as bi, straight, or any other identities.)

-proships

HAVE FUN!!

(I’ll tag fandoms I’m in that I’ll draw characters for :>)

[totallynotadisplacer]

Beyonders characters as text posts/tweets

Jason

Rachel

Nedwin

Ferrin

Corinne

[zzyzxtourguide]

One of my schools buildings has a wall of books, and look who I found!

[tildeathiwillwrite]

What made you start writing?

Ohhhhhh boy. It was absolutely the portal fantasy genre that first sparked my interest. I think I was eleven or twelve with a sparkly pink notebook and an obsession with Brandon Mull when I first started writing. My first WIP was fanfiction for a video game series I was also obsessed with at the time, before I knew what fanfiction even was. It will never see the light of day.

Most of my early writing was in my notebook horde, including early versions of the first scene for Trials of the Six, written when I was fourteen. That one is my first WIP, and far from the last. It has come a long way since then, with a skeleton plot, but it is nowhere near completion. I also dabbled in D&D-style fantasy in that time, relying heavily on the Player's Handbook for inspiration.

Basically you can blame Brandon Mull's Fablehaven, Beyonders, and Five Kingdoms for why I'm a writer. He was my first introduction to fantasy, and his books hold a special place in my heart to this day. I think eleven-year-old me would be very excited to see how far we've come :D