#fifth quarter

[nellasbookplanet]

Book recs: possession, bodysnatching and bodysharing

Demons, ghosts, aliens, sentient bacteria, artificial intelligences - isn't there something fascinating about the idea of sharing a body with another being like a giant get-along t-shirt? No? Too bad, because I'm going to tell you about books featuring this trope anyway.

A note: multiple of these books are sequels where the bodysnatching/possession aspect plays little to no part in the first book. In all these cases, I still recommend starting with book one. I also in one case chose not to include a certain sequel that I loved as even mentioning it in this context would be a huge spoiler, so, uh, sorry about that.

For more details on the books, continue under the readmore. Titles marked with * are my personal favorites. And as always, feel free to share your own recs in the notes!

If you want more book recs, check out my masterpost of rec lists!

Brain Plague by Joan Slonczewski*

Chrys, a struggling artist, agrees to become a carrier for a sentient strain of microbes. With their help, Chrys breathes new life into her career and becomes a success. But every microbe society is different - some function as friends and brain enhancers to their carrier, while others become a literal brain plague, a living addiction taking over the life of their carrier. And like every society, the microbe community is in constant flux - including the one inside Chrys's head.

Children of Ruin (Children of Time series) by Adrian Tchaikovsky*

Sequel to Children of Time. Millenia and generation spanning scifi. After the collapse of the Earthen empire, a project to terraform various planets and use them to uplift other species to sentience in left unfinished. However, both species and planets continue evolving on their own, and when what remains of humanity flees the dying Earth millenia later, these planets might be their only hope of survival. But the uplifted species aren't the only intelligent life out there, and are far from the most dangerous as the survivors encounter something capable of terraforming the human body itself.

Leech by Hiron Ennes*

Unbeknownst to humanity, a sentient hive mind has taken over the entire medical profession to ensure the health of their host species. One of their doctors is sent off to an isolated location where they’re cut off from the rest of the hive mind, only to realize they’re faced with a rivaling parasitic entity. Leech hands you only just enough information to get by, and whether its historical fantasy, an alternate timeline, or futuristic post apocalypse is hard to determine. It’s spooky and a bit weird and wildly creative.

A Memory Called Empire (Texicalaan duology) by Arkady Martine

Mahit Dzmare is an ambassador sent to the center of the multi-system Teixcalaanli Empire, where she discovers that her predecessor has died. Trying to protect her home, a small independent mining station, from being taken over by the empire, Mahit struggles to find out the truth of her predecessor's death while carrying the voice of his ghost in her head, guiding her as best he can. Features a sapphic relationship but focuses more on world-building than romance.

Ninefox Gambit (Machineries of Empire trilogy) by Yoon Ha Lee*

Military space opera where belief and culture shape the laws of reality, causing all kinds of atrocities as empires do everything in their power to force as many people as possible to conform to their way of life to strengthen their technology and weapons. It’s also very queer, with gay, lesbian and trans major characters, albeit little to no romance. Disgraced Captain Kel Cheris is given a second chance by allying with the undead Commander Shous Jedao, who in life never lost a battle, but also went mad and massacred his own army. Now, Cheris must decide just how far she can trust him, with her forces as well as with her sense of self.

My Heart is Human by Reese Hogan

Nine years ago, all complex technology was made illegal. This complicates life for Joel, young transgender single father, as a bionic just uploaded itself into his brain without consent. Scared of losing his daughter, Joel tries to keep the bionic secret while using it to fix his life, but things quickly get more complicated as the bionic gains more and more control of his body. A bit simplistic in writing style but makes a lot of cool parallels of bodily autonomy to Joel’s experiences as a transman.

Bonus rec: if you like the general concept of struggling for physical control over one’s body with an AI, may I also suggest the (much grittier and gory) movie Upgrade.

The Host by Stehpenie Meyer*

The Host follows Wanderer, an alien part of an invading force on Earth. Humans have been defeated and are being used as host bodies, but Wanderer's host Melanie is being difficult and refuses to fade away. Instead she fills Wanderer's mind with images of Jared, the man she loves and who's still in hiding. With Melanie's feelings bleeding into Wanderer's the two reluctantly ally to find and keep safe the man they both love. While The Host does feature Meyer's trademark romance - of which I'm not the biggest fan - the more interesting and arguably more central relationship is that between Wanderer and her human host.

Needle by Hal Clement

1950s classic. A small island in the pacific ocean and a fourteen-year-old boy have just become the center of an interstellar chase between an alien Hunter and the criminal he’s pursuing. Robert is a regular boy, but he has a very special passenger: an alien symbiont hiding inside his body. The alien became stranded on Earth as he pursued a criminal of his own species, and now they are both trapped on the same island, playing a game of cat and mouse as Robert and the Hunter struggle to find their prey before it finds them.

Malevolent by Harlan Guthrie*

Lovecraftian horror mystery. Private detective Arthur Lester wakes up in his office, his partner dead, memories fuzzy, vision gone, and the voice of a malevolent entity in his mind. Unable to see, Arthur is forced to rely on guidance from the entity as he attempts to solve the mystery of what it is and where it came from. Is this a book? No. But as someone who reads mostly audiobooks, the difference between a book and a fiction podcast is negligible, and also I love this story and its characters and want all of you to do so too.

Goddess of Filth by V. Castro

Novella. What starts as a drunken seance between friends ends with one of them chanting in Nahuatl, the language of their Aztec ancestors. Following that night, the formerly shy Fernanda has changed. While her family calls for priests, claiming her possessed by a demon, Fernanda's friends believe what has taken up residence in her is something decidedly older. A quick read featuring female rage, desire and empowerment, this is a different twist on the typical possession story.

This Alien Shore by C.S. Friedman

Space opera in which humanity found a way to faster than light travel and began establishing colonies all over the galaxy, only to belatedly realize the method of FTL caused irreversible mutations and disabilities and leaving their nascent colonies to die. Much later, many of the colonies have survived and thrived, and one has found a new method of FTL travel, allowing an interconnected space society to grow. However, Earth is on the hunt for their method and is prepared to do anything to steal it. Trapped in the middle of all this and forced on the run is young Jamisia, who is little by little coming to realize that not only might she be the very solution Earth is after, she's also not alone in her own mind and body.

Touch by Claire North*

Kepler should have died long ago, beaten to death in an alley. Instead, a switch happened as Kepler leapt into and took control of the body of the killer. Since then, Kepler has lived in body after body, having gained the ability to inhabit anyone with a touch and stay for anything from a few minutes to an entire lifetime. Kepler cares much for the host bodies, and when one of them is brutally assassinated, Kepler must find the killer, avenge the host's death, and stop it from happening again. You want a fucked up main character with fucked up morals who still genuinely cares for people? Then boy do I have the book for you!

The Midnight Bargain by C.L. Polk

Fantasy romance. Beatrice Clayborn is a sorceress, but if her family gets its way she won't remain so for long. Married women are forbidden from practicing magic, and Beatrice's father is intent on marrying her off to save them from destitution. Beatrice has a different plan: become so powerful a sorceress that she can herself save her father's business and becomes too valuable to marry off. To achieve this, she strikes a bargain with a minor spirit of fortune. In return, the spirit demands to be present in Beatrice's body as she experiences her first kiss... a kiss with a man who might jeopardize all her plans.

Pandemonium by Daryl Gregory

Del Perce's world is almost indistinguishable from ours, the only difference being the presence of possessing entities that can strike with little to no warning. When he was young, Del was possessed by one of these demons, which was eventually exorcised. But now he’s experiencing a resurgence of symptoms, a voice in his head demanding to be freed. To save himself, Del races to find out the truth behind the possessions.

The Thousand Eyes (The Serpent Gates duology) by A.K. Larkwood*

Sequel to The Unspoken Name (please read that first, I promise this duology is very worth it). These books have a lot going on: portals, flying ships, orcs, elves, creepy snake gods, possessions, cults, immortal evil mages who traumatize teens as their hobby, gay and lesbian frenemies, the works. Csorwe, born and raised in a cult and meant as a sacrifice, escapes her intended death with a mage who becomes her mentor. But he has dangerous motives of his own, and Csorwe must decide where her loyalties lie.

A Skinful of Shadows by Frances Hardinge

Young adult, historical. All her life, Makepeace's mother has been teaching her how to defend herself from the possession of ghosts, until one day her guard drops and a wild and fierce spirit slips in. When Makepeace's mother dies and she is sent to live with her father's family, this spirit might be her only defence. Because her family is harboring dark secrets, and they have plans for Makepeace... plans which do not care for her well-being. Unlike most other YA I've read in terms of vibes and plot, A Skinful of Shadows is a unique and intriguing read.

Vespertine by Margaret Rogerson*

Young adult fantasy. Artemisia prefers the dead to the living, and is training to become a Gray Sister, a nun who helps the souls of the deceased pass on to the afterlife rather than remain as dangerous spirits. To defend her convent, Artemisia accepts the help of a dangerous revenant, a powerful spirit which grants her great power but also could possess her the moment her guard is lowered. As evil threatens her homeland, Artemisia and the revenant must find a way to work together.

A Psalm of Storms and Silence by Roseanne A. Brown

Young adult fantasy. Sequel to A Song of Wraiths and Ruin. To save his family, Malik has made a deal with a dangerous spirit with equally dangerous demands - the death of the princess. Meanwhile, princess Karina is seeking her own power, meaning to resurrect her assassinated sister no matter what the prize. As their paths intertwine, the consequences of their pursuits keep getting higher, both for them, their nation, and the entire world.

Grey Sister (Book of the Ancestor trilogy) by Mark Lawrence

Sequel to Red Sister. Fantasy with sci-fi flavor. Nona is being raised to become a killer at the Convent of Sweet Mercy. But dangerous classes aren’t Nona's only problem: her planet is slowly dying, and her own inner demons whisper in her mind. As the sun grows weaker and ice creeps ever closer, Nona and her allies race to save themselves from extinction.

Fifth Quarter (Quarters series) by Tanya Huff*

Sequel to Sing the Four Quarters. Fifth Quarter is only loosely connected to the first book in the series so you could read it as a standalone, however I still recommend starting with Sing the Four Quarters as it is very good. Bannon and Vree are siblings and highly skilled assassins, but they are put to the test when a failed assassination finds them sharing a body, their intended victim having stolen Bannon's. Now, they must choose between remaining loyal to their Empire, or helping their supposed victim find a new body to steal - and he doesn't want just any body, he wants the royal prince.

The Nein Eyes of Lucien by Madeline Roux*

Recommended with the caveat that you're unlikely to get the full experience unless you have also watched Critical Role Campaign 2 (which is quite the time investment, but very worth it). It follows the antagonist Lucien, first owner of the body we know as Mollymauk Tealeaf, both before Lucien lost his body and after he regains it in the ultimate struggle against Mollymauk's old friends, the Mighty Nein.

Bonus AKA I haven't read these yet but they seem really cool

The Scratch Daughters (The Scapegracers trilogy) by H.A. Clarke

Sequel to The Scrapegracers. Sideways Pike used to be able to perform only party tricks, but in finding new friends and starting a coven, the four become powerful witches. But not everyone wants witches around. After having gotten her spectre stolen and losing her ability to perform magic, Sideways is forced to rely on Mr. Scratch, a book demon taking the place of her spectre to keep her alive. Now she must struggle to get her magic back before it’s too late.

Riding the Odds by Lynda K. Scott

Sci-fi romance. Tara Rowan is a spaceship captain with secrets - a past she wants to leave behind, and Zie, an organic symbiote which grants her greater strengths and reflexes. But when sexy Holy Knight Trace Munroe blackmails her in an attempt to rescue a missing princess, Tara's secrets are in danger of being revealed.

What Doesn't Break by Cassandra Khaw

Like The Nine Eyes of Lucien, you're unlikely to get the full experience of What Doesn't Break unless you're also a viewer of Critical Role. It follows the backstory of Laudna, undead sorceress and warlock with the ghostly presence of the necromancer who once murdered her keeping residence in her mind and tugging at her strings.

Every Day (Every Day trilogy) by David Levithan

Every day, A wakes up with a new body and a new life. A has rules on how to deal with this existence - don't get attached, don't get noticed, and don't interfere. But when A finds themself falling in love, all their established rules no longer apply. This one has also been adapted as a movie!

This Body's Not Big Enough for Both of Us by Edgar Cantero

A. and Z. Kimrean are twin siblings and private eyes - they also share the same body, calling themselves A.Z. When someone starts murdering the sons and heirs of a ruthless crime boss, it falls on A.Z. Kimrean to solve the case and find the killer before all out gang war breaks out.

A Madness of Angels (Matthew Swift series) by Kate Griffin

Two years ago, sorcerer Matthew Swift was killed. Today, he woke back up. And he isn't alone in his body... Now, he seeks vengeance not only against the one who killed him, but also against the one who brought him back.

Honorary mentions AKA these didn't really work for me but maybe you guys will like them: Bone Rider by J. Fally, The Lives of Tao by Wesley Chu, What's Left of Me by Kat Zhang, Hunter of Demons by Jordan L. Hawk, Odder Still by D.N. Bryn

[dapurinthos]

lucasfilm story group i have some questions for you regarding timelines and the tenacity of a person who has been dealing with the debate surrounding precision dating of the 'minoan' eruption for a decade and a half.

- yoda, issue 10: the cave

yes, it's the cave on dagobah, infamous for fucking with whoever enters it. but! yoda didn't know yaddle was dead until this point. regarding the veracity of the cave's visions: yoda's previous encounter with the cave showed him the fall of the jedi temple; luke's vision regarding vader was what would have happened if he had killed vader in anger—he would fall to the dark side, become sidious's apprentice, not the literal expression of himself in vader's suit but truth nonetheless; in the aphra comics, madelin sun also visits the cave and is also given truths.

and not just 'from a certain point of view'. the narrative pushes these parts of the visions as objective truths. the additional bits (yoda drowning in the skeletal remains of the victims of order 66, vader as the expression of the empire as he's the face of it to luke) are the baggage you bring with you.

so, after that little detour into what counts as truth and what counts as inference, the timeline, prior to the release the living force should be:

32BBY, c. PM: Valorum dispatches Sifo-Dyas and Silman to Oba Diah.

PM - 1W*: Trade Federation blockades Naboo. [QP]**

PM/0: Invasion begins; Obi-Wan& Qui-Gon on Naboo by twilight that evening [NA]***.

PM+1: Arrival in Theed the next day; flee Naboo; hyperspace jump to Tatooine takes a little over an hour****; arrive in Tatooine at midday [NA]; reach Mos Espa before mid-afternoon [NA]; meet Anakin & Shmi.

PM+2: Boonta Eve Classic; leave for Coruscant in afternoon (~3 hour trip****). The implication is that a night is passed while travelling to Coruscant, shown by night on Naboo and Anakin having trouble sleeping on the ship [NA].

PM+3: Arrival on Coruscant (day); Senate shenanigans; Dooku deletes Kamino from Jedi Archives, talks with Qui-Gon (assuming concurrent with Senate shenanigans, mid-afternoon if the light is from a window and not a glow panel); High Council tests Anakin (sunset - twilight) departure for Naboo.

PM+4: Chancery election; Battle of Naboo; Qui-Gon killed by Maul.

PM+6?: Dooku kills Yaddle.*****

PM+7: Qui-Gon's funeral, evening [NA].

PM+8: Parade in Theed.

PM+????: Sifo-Dyas shot down on Oba Diah moon.

* pm: phantom menace; +/- indicates the time, in days, in relation to the beginning of the film, unless otherwise noted (w for week). ** [QP]: information gained from queen's peril novel. *** [NA]: information gained from novel adaptation. **** how do i know it was 3 hours? i did the assigned homework. ***** this one is a bit squiffy, as we don't know exactly which day the council departed for naboo. the novelization says qui-gon's funeral was three days after the battle, and there hasn't been anything stated elsewhere to change this. it's the next day, at the very least, as the battle of naboo took up the whole previous day, but it could also be the same day as qui-gon's funeral, depending on when the council departed.

Meanwhile, the other sources:

Star Wars Timelines: he totes died 32BBY, after the Invasion of Naboo. The Living Force: timeline what timeline lol?

this is not helped by the reasoning behind the Coruscant reckoning system, canon's new calendar, being based on 'vibes' until they decided to do actual dates for Andor. because the date for the 0 point of the B/ABY calendar is now about 127 days into the Coruscant reckoning year because they ~vibed~ Leia's arrest warrant going out/the Battle of Scarif as happening on 7977.331.3.

I miss the old calendar. It was nice, and simple, and had lovely intercalary holidays. none of these decimals, none of these 'yeah it's totes a 365-day calendar like ours. no leap years. no we're not telling you about months. no, ignore the previous thing we said was canon, it's definitely not 10 months of 7 weeks of 5 days, 3 fete weeks, 3 extra holidays, adding up to 368 days. i have spent too many hours of my life trying to figure this out.

[zytes]

9.16.24 / 9.17.24 - september supermoon

[frodo-with-glasses]

In the Barrow, Part Two

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[monstrouscrew]

the reason, irrelevant

the colours, bright.

it's a hug for the merryman.

will you freeze or fight?

because the reason's irrelevant,

and the colours are deep,

just a hug for the merryman

to get them to sleep.

(ID in the alt text)

as tmblr likes to eat quality, some crops, w/o IDs, below the cut.

[bogkeep]

maybe wrangling this new pen for pages and pages is what finally gets me to finish this sketchbook

[malo-mart]

Don't know if people will agree with this, but I felt Nintendo missed a huge opportunity not using Paya as the fifth sage. It would have been impactful in linking the Sheikah to the main body of the story, as well as adding depth to her character that isn't revolved around meek woman + infatuated with main boy character. I know they were instead trying to highlight the Zonai more by using Mineru, but I felt Links arm and the story of Sonia and Rauru got this across. It was also hard to connect as a player with mineru when she is present in just a few scenes and has no relationship to Link. I think what infuriates me the most is that they just completely erased the Sheikah influence from the first game instead of using it to continue expanding on the concepts and reminding us of breath of the wild. Majora's mask had no issue giving us nods to ocarina of time, but for some reason tears of the kingdom felt much more distanced as a sequel............anyway Paya deserved better

[hikayunas]

i'll never get over how horrifically ugly the tart manga horses are

[whocanbelieve]

FIFTH HUNGER GAMES BOOK

FIFTH HUNGER GAMES BOOK

FIFTH HUNGER GAMES BOOK

FIFTH HUNGER GAMES BOOK

FIFTH HUNGER GAMES BOOK

[citrusandsalt]

So was anyone going to tell me Michael Lutz, Cameron Kunzelman, and Austin Walker have a new pod on genre fiction or was I supposed to find it out doing my semiannual google of the wizard's quarter in an attempt to remember what length of a work it refers to

[imjustli]

Kaho Kondo is my favourite person on earth

[hyacinthsdiamonds]

I know I jokingly compared this nov 5th in f1 today (Max calls Charles Charlie) to nov 5th 2020 aka destiel is canon anniversary but the Brazilian gp said hold my beer and decided to unleash utter chaos

[vents-anon]

should i buy some edibles and watch apocalypse now: redux for like the third and four-fifths time

[sluttyten]

After I eventually finish this Haechan fic (s2g I don’t know why it’s getting so long 😂) and after I finish the rest of unholy, I’m gonna force myself to keep to a word minimum and just write something short because I can’t keep doing these long fics 😭

[watchingtennis]

I had so much hope an hour ago but now I’m in agony

[thinkingnot]

watching slime cycle backflipo pov of qsmp this is good 👀!!!