#i love brennans imagery. i love his worldbuilding

[electricabsolution]

im rewatching starstruck odyssey and this narration really stuck out to me…… big comedy season but the themes of isolation vs. connection are sooooo special and beautiful <3

[starknjarvis27]

Best Reads of 2018

This list is entirely subjective and includes the best of the best I read in 2018, not necessarily things published this year.  I had some very fun medical issues this year that meant I listened to a LOT of podfic and audiobooks, and I’ve asterisked those below when they’re worth checking out.

Books:

The City of Brass by S.A. Chakraborty* - Magic and adventure and politics and romance! This is my favorite book of the year. This gorgeous Middle Eastern fantasy absolutely swept me away. 

Scythe by Neal Shusterman* - How can I possibly describe this book and do it justice? The set-up seems to be a classic YA trope (a boy and a girl are put into competition for a single title-- in this case, to become one of the few people in this future society allowed to kill people), but then it gets SO much more complicated. 12/10 worldbuilding.

Hullmetal Girls by Emily Skrutskie - Badass, complex girls bonded to terrifying murder robot shells mind-sharing IN SPACE. YA sci-fi with all sorts of great rep.

In Other Worlds by Sarah Rees Brennan* - Come for a hilarious subversion of the usual fantasy trope of a normal (bisexual) kid being swept into a magical world, stay for the exploration of the ways neglect fucks you up, how first loves also can fuck you up, and how to value yourself both alone and in relationships.

Fanfiction:

World Ain’t Ready by idiopathicsmile - Enjolras and Grantaire fake-date FOR JUSTICE. This fic is 180k of pining and friendship. I can’t recommend it highly enough. *Podfic link.

in cayenne and honey, in vinegar and lime by alby_mangroves and Nonymos - M’Baku is curious about the one-armed white boy T’Challa is hiding. This is a perfect character study of M’Baku. Warning: though M’Baku and Bucky get together in this fic, they’re not endgame. *Podfic link.  

Foreign Object by audreycritter - Bruce Wayne gets a brain tumor. His family has to learn to deal. - The fic that started it all! This gorgeous series made me fall headlong into Batfam. I entered only loving Bruce and Alfred, and left with a new family of faves.

Stargazer by LemonadeGarden - My favorite Jason Todd angst fic. After he’s injured, Jason realizes that most of his bucket list involves Bruce. He thinks they’ve lost their chance, but then they go on a road trip full of painfully awkward moments, panic attacks... and bonding.

Third Wheel by Unpretty - Everything I love about Lois Lane, Clark Kent, and Bruce Wayne. All told from Lois’s POV, the dramatic irony of this brilliant journalist not realizing that Bruce and Clark are also actually Batman and Superman is delicious.

Gotham Banksy by LananiAO3 - A detective story as each of the Batkids slowly realizes that the new graffiti artist covering Gotham in graphic scenes from Jason Todd’s life is Jason himself. The imagery is just so gorgeous and vivid.