#love you horror sci fi mystery comic

[waterimark]

ocposting on main sorry

I’ve been redrawing these guys since 2021! Oh how the time flies

Sketch + All the versions in order under the cut!

[xiaq]

Favorite fantasy series: The Folk of the Air. I do NOT understand the hate this series gets on booktok/IG. The world-building is immaculate, the politics are juicy, the writing is engaging, and the romance is a slow burn that’s secondary to the plot and character development. I will read anything that Holly Black writes.

Favorite sci/fi series: The Murderbot Diaries. These are quick, quippy, and satisfying reads. I would die for Murderbot.

Favorite romance series: Not sure if they count as a series since they’re all standalones in the same universe, but Ali Hazelwood’s books ft. Women in STEM having unrealistic romances gets an A+ from me. If you need easy beach reads with happy endings, go for one of these (Also, the first book started as Star Wars fic; neat!).

Favorite graphic novel series: I’ve been following the Heartstopper webcomic for years, but I finally purchased/ re-read the print books this year. If you want sweet, nostalgic writing with diverse queer representation and whimsical art, Heartstopper is for you. If you want a historical/educational story, I highly recommend the Marchseries, which is an autobiographical view of the civil rights movement by John Lewis. 

Favorite historical romance: I know I’m not supposed to judge a book by it’s cover, but I put off reading A Lady for a Duke despite rave reviews because I simply did not vibe with the cover. This was a terrible choice. I read this book in one euphoric sitting and then re-read it two additional times this year. The banter! The pining! The drama! 

Favorite fantasy: A Taste of Gold and Iron and its follow-up short novella Tadek and the Princess. These books may have changed my brain chemistry. I loved this world and its characters and the novella made me cry like a baby.

Favorite science fiction: The Martian. I’d read this before but I re-read it on a work trip and fell in love all over again. Such an excellent science-y sci/fi book that nonetheless feels very approachable and fun.

Favorite non-fiction: They Were Her Property is the driest book I read this year but the content was fascinating (and horrifying). If you want to interrogate your perception of white women’s role in slavery (and, to a lesser degree, the role of Christianity therin) — take your time, and be ready to adjust your worldview—especially if you think Gone with the Wind was an accurate portrayal of the south. How to Survive a Plague, on the other hand, is less dry—you can tell a journalist wrote it—but it’s very detailed. It’s rare that I don’t finish a book in one or two sittings, but this took me over a month. If you’ve ever wondered about the social history of the AIDS epidemic and how a diagnosis went from a quick death sentence to an easily manageable condition (and how hard grassroots movements had to work to get some fucking help to make that happen), this is for you.

Favorite comic: Infidel. Damn. The art. The narrative. So short but so impactful. This is horror, so be mindful.

Favorite graphic novel: This is a tossup between If You’ll Have Me, a sugary-sweet sapphic romance, and The Prince and the Dressmaker which is an equally adorable story about expressing ones true self regardless of social expectations.

Favorite WTF: Butcher and Blackbird and Bride. I’m still not sure how I feel about B&B but it was certainly an interesting way to spend two hours. Bride is on the list purely because reading the word “knot” on a print page instead of an AO3 tab felt illegal.

Favorite feel-good/comedy: Monstrous Regiment. I’ve read this book so many times and, after the election, I read it again. I doubt any other book will surpass what has become an emotional support story for me.

Favorite YA: Cemetery Boys (Magic! Mystery! Queerness!) She Drives me Crazy(Athletics! Misunderstandings! Enemies to lovers! Queerness!), and A Little Bit Country (Country music! Thinly veiled Dolly Parton references! Queerness!) (Hm. Seems to be a theme here).

Favorite Sports Romance: Icebreaker (the Graziadei one, not the Hannah Grace one). You know how a lot of hockey books (my own included) can be light on the actual hockey? Not the case with Icebreaker. The character development was lovely, but the hockey was divine. Graziadei clearly knows and loves the sport.

Favorite historical fiction: What the Wind Knows (Mystery! Time Traveling! Love! Ireland!) and Kindred (Mystery! Time Traveling! Love! The Antebellum South!).

Favorite Space Odyssey: Gideon + Nona the Ninth. I had to make a special category because neither sci/fi nor fantasy feels appropriate for this yet incomplete series which is as rollicking good fun as it is completely confounding. I still have no idea what’s happening but I can’t wait to read the next one.

Favorite pleasant surprise: A Court of Mist and Fury. I waited so long to read the ACOTAR series because I got such conflicting reports from folks. I took the advice of a reader I trust and powered through the first book. ACOMAF was worth the contextualizing journey. I loved it. I’m still working through the rest of the series but this book was an unexpected joy.

Least favorite book: Lol, no. We don’t play that game here.

[pagesandpothos]

Hidden Gems of 2024

I read a lot of new releases in 2024 and many of those are really great books that have been getting a lot of well-deserved attention. There are a few however that I think deserve some more hype.

Here are a few underrated gems that I think deserve even more readers and much more praise. All of these are LGBTQIA+ and most are romantasy since that is what I enjoyed the most this year.

Sorcery and Small Magics by Maiga Doocy: As I've said many times, this is my favorite book of the year. If you love fantasy, queer slow burns, spells gone wrong, or the forced proximity trope then this is a must-read. There's no release date yet for book #2 but I'm hopeful we'll get a date soon! I can't wait to continue Leo and Grimm's story!

Running Close to the Wind by Alexandra Rowland: Alexandra Rowland is an author that most fans of queer books love, so this might be less of a "hidden gem" than some of the others on this list, but I'm still including it because I think it deserves even more attention. This is truly the funniest book I have ever read. I don't think I have ever had so much fun reading a book!

Shoestring Theory by Mariana Costa: This was one of the biggest surprises of the year for me. This is an excellent queer romantasy that has complex characters and relationships with an exciting time-travel plot. If you love complicated enemies-to-lovers stories, you should check this one out.

This Will Be Fun by E.B. Asher: is a sweet and funny cozy romantasy about a group of heroes who once saved their realm. Now, they're on a second mission after a decade of estrangement. This is a silly and fun time with two second-chance romances (one is sapphic). There's a great friendship storyline as well.

All The Hidden Paths by Foz Meadows: is a followup to the popular queer romantasy, A Strange and Stubborn Endurance. This is just as good as the first book with an exciting political plot, great development for Vel/Cae, and good new characters.

Someone You Can Build a Nest In by John Wiswell: A delightful and dark fairytale that somehow manages to be both gruesome and feel like a cozy fantasy at the same time. There's a sapphic monster romance with an asexual human woman that is incredibly sweet.

The Crack at the Heart of Everything by Fiona Fenn: Is a terrific redemption story about two men who fought for the villain's side in a devastating war. Orpheus and Fenrir have an amazing rivals-to-lovers story that starts as a little comic relief and grows into something truly heartfelt. The world-building feels like a cool blend of high-fantasy, post-apocalyptic, Dystopia, and even horror. This is a unique and adventurous addition to the queer romantasy genre.

Spitting Gold by Carmella Lowkis: A historical mystery that focuses on two sisters with references to Charles Perrault's The Fairies. It's about the two siblings' complicated dynamic and how every story has two sides. There's also a Sapphic love story involving one of the sisters.

The Sins on Their Bones by Laura R. Samotin: A dark and queer fantasy based on Jewish mythology. The last half of this book is so riveting and shocking. I truly had no idea what would be happening next.

Key Lime Sky by Al Hess: is a sci-fi romance about a non-binary character who witnesses an alien invasion. The main character is memorable and the plot is delightfully weird and fun. The romance is fantastic, with a seriously charming and funny meet-cute.

[mysticstarlightduck]

Late Writeblr Intro!

Hello, friends!

I figured it was about time I made an actual blog intro of my own since I forgot to make one when I started this blog last year. Better late than never, lmao!

Pls, reblog, like, and/or reply to help boost the blog! 💕

Let's get started:

Personal Stuff! 💜🩶🖤

My name is Anna/Anya but you can call me Mystic, Ducky, or just Anya on this blog! My personal nickname is Ani and I adore it (:

I am an Asexual woman (my pronouns are she/her!) and I'm also personally an atheist who puts my faith in the spirits of Mother Nature, though I respect all other religions equally!

I'm Gen Z and Latina (Brazilian). I was raised bilingual (Brazilian Portuguese + English) and I love learning languages - currently, I'm working on learning French and Spanish! Career-wise I am studying in college to become a character designer and hopefully animator, as I want to pursue a career as an artist and writer! I also wish to have my WIPs published in the near future (:

Some fun facts about me!

My favorite shows are Critical Role, Game of Thrones, Castlevania, The Legend of Vox Machina (animated series), Star Wars, Voltron, The Dragon Prince, Avatar the Last Airbender, Legend of Korra, and DC Comics content, as well as many more lmao. I love watching movies and series!

My favorite Vox Machina characters are Vax'ildan and Percy (:

I am a younger sister 💖

My hair is short and curly (pixie style, similar to the haircut Rapunzel has at the end of the Tangled movie!)

I adore listening to music, especially songs that can inspire me to write my WIPs! Playlists are a huge part of my writing process and something I really enjoy making.

I'm currently rereading Shadow and Bone (+ Six of Crows) and I am always looking for more good dark fantasy/historical fantasy books to read so book recs are always welcome! I also am a huge fan of the Percy Jackson series and Trials of Apollo (by Rick Riordan), though I'm usually more of a gritty/dark fantasy fan (like Game of Thrones)!

I have three dogs and two cats!😺🐶

I know how to play the piano, though I haven't done that in a while because things have been chaotic for me, but I'd like to start playing regularly again in my winter vacation.

I have worn glasses since I was 5 years old and have terrible eyesight without them (and some days with them, lol, so bear with me).

My friends and I are doing a DnD campaign every Sunday, where I play as a half-elf rogue named Aeryn (he/him). I'm adoring this adventure so far, it's so fun!!!

I love to bake and am rather good at it, but am a painfully average cook lmao (some specific recipes I make are actually rlly good, but it depends a lot on my mood and the 'alignment of the stars' lol)

I want to learn how to knit/crochet! 🧶

I'm a theater nerd and love musicals (:

About my Writing!🏹⌛

I write fictional works mostly in the genre of fantasy (high fantasy/epic fantasy/dark fantasy/historical fantasy/urban fantasy, etc. You name it!) and science fiction (space opera/cyberpunk/superhero, etc).

My works usually revolve around themes such as epic quests, secrets, adventure, rebels fighting an oppressive system, sibling bonds, acceptance/respect, outcasts, and much, much more! I love fluff and whump equally, and though my stories tend to focus on serious topics (or at least darker/heavier themes) within a fantasy/sci-fi setting, I like to have a good bit of humor, lighthearted fun, and comedy to my stories to lighten up the mood!

My main WIPs:

Song of Thorns

🌹WIP Intro: (here)🌹

Genre: dark fantasy, medieval fantasy, adventure/mystery, dark fairytale, eldritch horror (mild)

Style: Standalone (possible Trilogy)

Tags: #wip song of thorns #song of thorns

Short Summary/About: "A peasant girl moves with her siblings from her struggling seaside village to the kingdom's glittering floating capital, but after her older brother is kidnapped, she ends up discovering the dark, bloody secrets hiding behind the long-lasting royal family of the town and must team up with a young dhampir thief, the exiled prince, and a lonely druid girl to save the dying kingdom from this web of lies".

Supernova Initiative

🎇WIP Intro: (here) 🎇

Genre: space opera, adventure, exploration, laboratory whump, heist, thriller/mystery

Style: Episodic book series with an overarching plot (each chapter/group of chapters equivalent to an episode in a TV series)

Tags: #wip supernova initiative #supernova initiative

Short Summary/About: "A young intergalactic thief and his crew are captured after a heist gone wrong and forced to accept a strange deal - complete a mission for the Junction, retrieve important missing files, and get their freedom back. All the while that is happening, Jack Tithus, the protagonist, finds himself trapped as a test subject to an immoral, and elusive, man known as the Director."

Enchanted Illusions

💀 WIP Intro: (here)💀

Genre: Victorian fantasy, adventure, mystery, gothic fantasy, dark fantasy, crime-solving

Style: Possibly a trilogy

Tags: #wip enchanted illusions, #enchanted illusions

Short Summary/About: "On a magical setting inspired by Victorian times, a group of strangers and outcasts must work together to thwart a powerful secret organization and stop a murder spree that could lead to another civil war between myths and humans."

Of Starlight and Beasts

✨⚔️WIP Intro: (here)⚔️✨

Genre: medieval fantasy, epic fantasy, adventure/quest, dark fairytale, sword and sorcery, prophecies

Style: Book Series

Tags: #wip of starlight and beasts, #enchanted illusions

Short Summary/About: "A young knight in training and an amnesiac star mage embark on a quest to prevent an ancient prophecy from coming to fruition as a vengeful sorceress queen's army marches relentlessly onto their land with the intent to destroy all their kingdom has built."

The Last Wrath

🔥⚔️WIP Intro: to be made...⚔️🔥

Genre: dark fantasy, warfare, political intrigue, espionage, adventure/quest, medieval fantasy, whump

Style: Book Series (currently on hiatus)

Tags: #wip the last wrath, #the last wrath

Short Summary/About: "In a land torn by an ancient war between two sides of a continent, a mageborn girl finds herself trapped amid the bloodshed after her past comes back to haunt her and her family. Now, stopping the war may be the only chance she still has to survive."

Tales of Wilted Flowers

🥀WIP Intro: to be made...🪻

Genre: RPG-inspired fantasy, high fantasy, adventure, fairytale, epic quest, heist story, whump, light fantasy

Style: Trilogy (currently on hiatus)

Tags: #wip tales of wilted flowers #tales of wilted flowers

Short Summary/About - "A group of youths rejected and betrayed by society in many different ways come together due to unexpected circumstances and must rely on each other to prevent the kingdom's corrupt Head Sorcerer and the King from reviving an ancient evil."

Realms of Loss

🍂WIP Intro: (here)🍂

Genre: dark fantasy, warfare, medieval fantasy, high fantasy, ancient times fantasy, Viking-inspired, prophecies & curses

Style: Book Series (currently on hiatus)

Tags: #wip realms of loss #realms of loss

Short Summary/About - "In a continent destroyed by the fall of the Old Gods, and trapped in an endless toil for survival, a cocky young prince discovers his role in an ancient prophecy after his brother, the King, is murdered and assassins come for him too. Running away into the forsaken land beyond the walls of his kingdom, he'll have to learn to be a leader and save his people as a dead, murderous God awakens."

Mutant Inquiries/Open Secret Files

🤖 WIP Intro: to be made..🤖

Genre: superhero, cyberpunk, futuristic, dystopian, science fiction, urban fantasy

Style: Episodic Series, still in development

Tags: #wip mutant inquiries #wip open secret files #mutant inquiries #open secret files

Short Summary/About: "In a dystopian, high-tech future, a group of mutant teenagers become vigilantes and crime fighters to rebel against the oppressive government regime and survive their crime-ridden city."

I have a few other smaller-scale WIPs I occasionally, less frequently work on, such as Lies Untold and Jade Ruins, but those up above are the main ones that I wish to publish. I've also got a big, secret extra WIP I'm working on for fun and will share it with you guys soon!

[the-bar-sinister]

Fandom History | Media Literacy | Anti Censorship Whump | Self Ship | Villains, Monsters & Criminals Polyshipping | Shipcest | Age Gap | Enemies to Lovers Fandom Old | Fictive System | Fictionkin

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Bad person alert! This account is run by bad people! If you don't like bad people don't follow this account!

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Our drawings are for our own entertainment only. We do not take commissions or trades. You are free to repost our drawings or use them in any non-commercial way (avatars, phone backgrounds, etc).

Frequent tags:

Selfship

Villain f/o

whump prompts

blog updates

friend mail

villain posting

drabble

fanfiction

our art

Archive of our Own account

👉 he/they | queer | married | adult | elder millennial

👉 plural | fictionkin (serious/spiritual) 

👉 Muti shipper | Poly shipper

No DNI we block at will 🫡

Please do not send us asks about babies, pregnancy, or raising children.

Source fandoms: Resident Evil, Final Fantasy 7, One Piece, Metal Gear, Marvel Comics, Persona games, Slayers anime, GTA V, Great/Ace Attorney, Homestuck, Danganronpa, Fire Emblem Three Houses, Urusei Yatsura, Digimon, Girls Frontline, Steven Universe, Pathologic, Jem & The Holograms, Peter Pan, Welcome to Demon School, Disgaea, Sherlock Holmes media

non-source fandoms: Invader Zim, ABC’s Lost, Twin Peaks, Silent Hill, Star Wars, Star Trek, Lord of the Rings, Vampire Chronicles (books), Doctor Who Labyrinth, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Final Fantasy (4-6, 8,9), Pokemon, Black Lagoon, Miami Vice, Bioshock, Bioshock Infinite, Prey 2017, Dishonored, Call of Duty, Red Dead Redemption, Frankenstein, the Strange Case of Doctor Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, Gargoyles, Fallout New Vegas

Favorite genres: horror, mystery, thriller, noir, crime fiction, psychological thriller, supernatural horror, sci fi horror, gothic lit

Shipping, plurality and squick explanations under the cut.

Our ships: We are a polyshipper and a multishipper. We ship multiple characters together in the same context, in the same relationship, in the same fics etc.

A "ship" for us does not equal in OTP or an ideal relationship. We use the word "ship" to denote any romantic or sexual relationship between two characters, even when that relationship is unhealthy, toxic, twisted, and bad for one or both participants. Ships are a narrative tool, not something aspirational. 

Plurality: We are a plural system– many people living together in one body. We have been plural since we were children, and we have been blogging about our plurality for 15+ years.

Please do  not use psychiatric or pathologizing terminology for our plurality. We do not refer to ourselves with terms like DID, alter, or introject, and our system members do not have defined roles.

Our preferred terminology is: plural, system member, and fictive.

System members tend to sign or tag posts and refer to one another with a two emoji 'signature' rather than a name. Unsigned posts are understood to be a product of multiple members or a joint consensus. 

squicks / tropes we prefer to avoid

non-con of any kind (but especially underage non-con and non-con incest) 

pregnancy & babies (especially as the joyful and expected result of a romantic hetero-presenting relationship)

nonbinary or trans characters deciding it's better for them to perform their assigned gender at birth

Characters submitting to the will of a lawful aligned god.

Parental control and discipline being shown as narratively positive and correct 

characters giving up their careers and aspirations and 'settling down' when they fall in love

prophecies that are unavoidable and/or narratively depicted as inherently good and just

characters following the life-path set out for them by their parents/following in their parents footsteps

filial duty and filial piety in general

pretty much anything to do with traditional family structures, gender roles, and lawful aligned religion, honestly

wing whump / characters having their monstrous or inhuman traits harmed

monstrous or inhuman characters becoming human (especially when presented as positive)

soul destruction / soul death

characters being metaphysically kept apart for all time

any kind of 'conversion therapy' or metaphorical conversion therapy (especially being portrayed as positive)

We are: 

non-christian | magical practitioner | chaotic neutral

polyamorous  | largely aplatonic

trauma survivor | abuse survivor

Weird | Freakish | Monstrous

[monsters-conquer-the-world]

OOZEPUNK

WHAT IS OOZEPUNK?

Oozepunk is the term I'm coining for the microgenre of urban heroic sci-fi horror-fantasy that first exploded in the mid-80s with movies, shows, and comics like Ghostbusters, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, The Toxic Avenger, Who Framed Roger Rabbit, Hellboy, Street Sharks, and others. Lots of natural crossover with Biopunk and Cyberpunk, aesthetically and philosophically.

Your childhood trauma didn't let you forget Roger Rabbit heavily featured colorful nightmare slime, did it?

A ragtag gang of weirdos (often horribly mutated--more on that soon) band together to save a city that doesn't understand them. Grimy sewers, abandoned buildings and graffiti'd brick walls are lit up by neon lights, streams of mysterious, glowing goo and/or the unearthly lights of futuristic particle weapons--ideally all of the above!

Beyond the "cracked concrete and gutters full of liquid plutonium" aesthetic, Oozepunk prankishly asks "What if catastrophic aberrations of science, particularly DUMPING TOXIC FUCKING WASTE STRAIGHT INTO THE ENVIRONMENT created fucked-up monsters... but they're HEROIC fucked-up monsters!" These catastrophic aberrations of science grant the heroes incredible powers, but COST them their place in human society. (Ghostbusters and Roger Rabbit eschew character mutation in favor of discovering that the undead and olde tymey cartoons are real [and exploitable!], respectively. 'Busters and 'Toon sympathizers alike are treated like insane idiots and/or frauds in their respective universes.)

Oozepunk heroes are challenged not only by strange supernatural beings, but by human society itself. The Ghostbusters battle with local politicians as much as they do the undead. In the recent (and delightful) TMNT: Mutant Mayhem, Splinter warns the Turtles of humans and their obsession with "milking" mutants for their blood--on top of the villainous mutants they're trying to thwart!

Crank up the creep factor in Oozepunk and you get awesome anti-establishment goo-horror like 1988's The Blob, The Stuff, Street Trash, and probably a bunch more. Toxic Avenger is a batshit crazy splatter-comedy (i.e. classic Troma)... and still garnered sequels, a kid's cartoon and toyline!

And there's a Shredder's Revenge-style Crusaders beat-em-up coming out next year??

This looks dope as shit

Ghostbusters and TMNT are the only current, "evergreen" (or radioactive green!) Oozepunk franchises I can think of off the top of my head, but Oozepunk elements are buried in almost all of the stories and settings I love the most. Heroic kaiju like King Kong, Godzilla and Gamera paved the way for our freaky friends, but so did comics characters like Fantastic Four's Ben "The Thing" Grimm, The Hulk and Swamp Thing. Hell, I think I blame SESAME STREET of all things for starting me down the Oozepunk path.

Surprise! I've loved screaming trash monsters with secret hearts of gold since I was a fucking baby, and they've ALWAYS been there for me!

But it's not just Oscar, Sesame Street as a whole is a proto-Oozepunk utopia, years before the big Ooze-splosion of the 80s. Muppets, monsters, talking animals and chill humans all live and work together to scrape by with a little dignity in a gritty-but-wholesome urban world!

Sesame Street, a decades-long reminder that educational childrens' programming can and SHOULD be cool as hell looking and loaded with all kinds of friendly mutant freakuloids.

OOZEPUNK! Whaddya think?

[albaricomics]

These are, in my opinion, the main 4 movies in which Nacho Sama got inspired to create That's Not My Neighbor

⚠️ TW for slightly disturbing movie posters

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Listing them all down:

Rear Window (Alfred Hitchcock, US, 1954).

A professional photographer with a broken leg whiles away the time by spying on his neighbors through his window. However, his pastime becomes serious when he witnesses an apparent murder.

Us (Jordan Peele, US, 2019).

Adelaide Wilson and her family are attacked by mysterious figures dressed in red. Upon closer inspection, the Wilsons realise that the intruders are exact lookalikes of them.

The Thing (John Carpenter, US, 1982).

A research team finds an alien being that has fallen from the sky and is starting to hunt them down. Things take a sinister turn when they realise that the creature can take the shape of its victims.

Rec (Paco Plaza & Jaume Balagueró, Spain, 2007).

A reporter with her cameraman accompany a group of firefighters on an emergency call to an apartment building to discover an infection spreading inside, with the building being sealed up and all occupants ordered to follow a strict quarantine.

None of this is oficially confirmed, but I've enjoyed the game x100 times more now that I have this bit much of context or just knowledge of some similar stories that could potentially be the inspiration behind.

I like that in Rear Window we have a genuine look and depiction of a neighborhood life in the 50s and general dynamics, in Us is the very horror of having a thing that looks exactly like you in front and threatening to take your life and identity away, The Thing is the most alike to the game since it's explicitly a doppelganger problem where the crew constantly have to check on each other to make sure they're with real people, and last but not least, Rec has this tension and horror growing increasingly as the neighbors panic and turn into each other trying to figure out who started an infection that will allow them not only to mask but to also transform into a horrific monster ready to bite. From this last one I love that the biological team that gets in to check on the situation look exactly like the DDD in their suits, that one of the neighbors is behind everything, and that the apartment they have to reach is 02 on the THIRD FLOOR... I hope that's a coincidence, Nacho.

I'll wrap it up, these are amazing movies, to this point they're mandatory hw (first one is suspense, even comical at times, but the other 3 are sci-fi/thriller/horror so be careful on that).

[literary-illuminati]

2024 Book Review #33 – Rose/House by Arkady Martine

Several quibbles aside, I dearly loved A Memory Called Empire and very much looked forward to what Martine would write next. Unfortunately, my attempts to buy a copy of Rose/House were thwarted by it being literally impossible to buy through my local bookstore for reasons that I’m quite unclear on (comically small print run, maybe). So now it’s nominated for a hugo and I read the ebook for free. Probably for the best, really.

The book is a near-future mystery about the great masterpiece of a dead architect, a mansion in the desert which holds all his notes and plans, as well as the diamond made of his body – and one that is entirely governed by the AI embedded throughout it. Sealed on his death, the AI will only accept visits by one particular former (and now thoroughly estranged) pupil for weekly visits each year. The story is incited with the AI making a legally mandated duty of care call, 24 hours after a man died within its grounds. The story then mostly follows the small town detectives who get the case doing their best to unravel it.

I came into this with quite high expectations, very probably too high, but this was something of a disappointing mess. As a mystery, it was more than a bit confused and meandering – not to be a philistine, but the total lack of any real conclusion of denouement was just frustrating. Everyone’s motives and capabilities are vague, and Selene (the estranged student) especially acts in ways that make no sense with what we’re told and shown of her from her own POV. You’re left with the idea that the house is some kind of actively maddening eldritch location which breaks the mind of all those who spend any time within it. Which just isn’t very compellingly presented as mystery, science fiction or even really as horror.

The prose of the story is initially a real highlight, but you kind of get the sense is got away from Martine as she wrote. By the end it’s so heavy it’s almost overpowering. This is especially true as far as how everyone reacts to and describes the architecture that defines the book – the small tone detective and the professional architect discuss it in the same register and with the same intensity of emotion, hell even with the same vocabulary, in a way which just really does not feel particularly true to life.

The architecture itself is something of a disappointment too, really. It’s constantly discussed in terms that verge on the religious in terms of its effect upon visitors, and the actual building as describe simply own not live up to its own hype. A real issue, when it’s the centrepiece of the entire novella – the real takeaway you are left with is simply that no one should ever let an architect design anywhere people actually might live.

I’m assuredly being much too harsh here – there was a lot to like in this! The AI-as-character was fun, I did enjoy the prose and the sketched out setting was compelling (I’m increasingly fond of this style of near-future sci fi where climate change is going on in the background and making everything worse in boring mundane ways that never really touch the plot). I just went in really hoping for more from Martine, I guess? And the ending really was a mess.

[ask-spooky-manor]

The Manor Residents and Horror Movies

Talking about what kind of horror movies each of the characters like and why

Toby is someone that mainly just wants to have a good time. To him, a horror movie doesn’t even have to be scary in order for it to be good, it just needs to at least be entertaining. That’s why he tends to lean towards your classic slashers and has enjoyed that small wave of horror comedy movies we got a few years back.

- Favorite movies: Scream and The Babysitter

______________

Tim prefers horror movies that give you an uneasy feeling rather than outright scaring you. He goes for the movies that gives him a sense of dread and will leave him staying awake at night not because he’s scared but because he can’t stop thinking about it.

- Favorite movies: Skinamarink and Creep

___________

Most people would say that Brian is kind of a freak when it comes to horror movies because he likes the blood and guts and gore, but there’s a decent reason for it. He is someone who almost never gets scared, so most horror movies end up being pretty dull. That’s why he turns to the ones that have the most creative kills because the over the top manner is borderline comical for him.

- Favorite Movie: Terrifier

__________________

Jeff loves a good mystery more than anything, so he enjoys horror movies that really get his brain turning trying to figure out what is even happening. He loves it more when movies need that second viewing and all the small details he missed the first time come together.

- Favorite Movie: Get Out

__________________

Ben doesn’t really care for horror movies unless they tie into a special interest of theirs be it video games or general tech heavy movies. This leads to them really liking the blend of horror and sci-fi.

- Favorite Movies: Possessor and The Invisible Man (2020)

________________

Natalie is a little weird when it comes to horror. She likes challenging herself with the over the top shit. The stuff that would reach the bottom of those disturbing movie icebergs, but at the same time she doesn’t like mindless torture. She prefers disturbing movies that still tell a story over exploitation for the sake of exploitation. After all, she is an artist that loves to find meaning in some of the more disturbed content.

- Favorite Movie: V/H/S/94: The Subject

___________________

Jack isn’t really picky when it comes to horror movies. He just likes anything that tells a good story. He really likes books, and movies are like audiobooks to him since he can’t really watch them. Tell an interesting story, and he’ll be hooked.

- Favorite Movies: Midsommar and The Strangers

_________________

Jane loves a good, campy, over the top, ridiculous, fun horror movie. Horror movies that are actually scary are just such a downer to her. She wants mindless fun to turn to in order to relax after singlehandedly keeping the manor residents alive. She also just likes watching something as dramatic as her.

- Favorite Movies: Bodies Bodies Bodies and Cabin in the Woods

__________________

Nina talks a big game when it comes to horror movies, saying she can handle anything when she’s really a massive wimp. Despite being a true crime girlie (derogatory), the spectacles of horror movies like jump scares and suspenseful music freak her out. It’s probably why the only ones she can really handle are those subtle horror mockumentaires as they purposely mimic the style of all those true crime documentaries she likes to watch.

- Favorite Movie: Banned from Broadcast: Saiko! The Large Family

___________________

For obvious reasons, Sally can’t watch a lot of horror movies, but it hasn’t stopped her from trying. By trying I mean that she watches a lot of cartoon Halloween specials because she thinks that those count as horror.

- Favorite movie: Scary Godmother

____________________

Slender is a fan of the classics, and I mean the classics. Like black and white, super old school, really not all that scary by today standards. Frankly speaking, newer forms of technology freak him out as much as it fascinates him. He still barely has texting down, so when it comes to really any kind of movie, he’ll go for the old ones to relax with. They provide comfort to his overly anxious self.

- Favorite Movie: Frankenstein (1931)

[aroaessidhe]

read in 2024: shortbox comics!

I haven't really reviewed most of these anywhere (and I struggle with reviewing short comics sometimes) but I'll do that here, brief thoughts under the cut

Sacred Bodies

a human woman and a giant bird person have an arranged marriage, and come to understand each other. beautiful watercoloury art and interesting worldbuilding

Blade of the Fane

this is the longest comic here - more or less graphic novel length. a medieval fantasy. I loved it!  took me a second to get into it - the writing felt a bit rough/awkward in the beginning, though that's maybe just the medieval language. I got used to it.  such beautiful art! and hiding under the moody atmospheric exterior is a funny little shit of a protagonist and a sweet and extremely powerful slightly uncanny creature who is hopelessly devoted to him. gay rights

Death Fiddles and We Dance

a stowaway joins an immortal spaceship crew regenerating the war-torn universe. beautiful story. so atmospheric and all the background details are fascinating and create an interesting world & relationship in a short amount of pages

We Live Here Too

comic about a generation spaceship that is also a bomb. very short and moving and to the point.

Lapis Blue

scifi horror comic about a girl working on a spaceship - and happy to do so, unlike everyone else - whose reflection comes to life. about identity and fear of change and being alone. a bit freaky and so good!

The Collapse of Brine City

quiet comic about a deep sea worker returns to the ocean city to find an eviction notice in her shitty lower-level flat and is forced to confront her past and ex. poetic and minimalistic and a little sad

The Fool, The Absolute Madwoman

sapphic romance/thriller that starts off seemingly innocuous but slowly gets more unsettling. Some beautifully delicate art. I'll admit there are a couple places where I was like wait what's happening here? but also that adds to the unsettling vibe

Expiry Date

short sci-fi horror/erotica where people's bodies are valued for their productivity/labour over everything else. when you come home from your shitty job and find a calling card next to your neighbour's mutilated corpse and think yeah that sounds like a good idea, whatever it is. oof.

Clair De Lune

beautiful and sweet little comic about music and magic and hate-to-love sapphics. love the use of colour.

Curtain Falling

a woman with amnesia cycles through various fairy tale scenarios, trying to figure out who she is and who the other mysterious woman who keeps showing up is. short and with great storytelling!

A Pretty Good Wizard

little slice of life comic about a wizard attending a normal high school. very cute i love this wizard

Gnome Granny

a very sweet comic about hobbies and collections and finding community

Chrysalis

short comic about a little girl who can see through things, right down to their core. some beautiful black & white art.

Hometown

short but haunting Filipino horror comic about a boy who found his mother's dead body, and his life after.

Copellia Et Swanilda

sweet little comic about girls and dolls and jealousy. I'm not really familiar with the original ballet which I think would have made me enjoy this more but I do enjoy chatani's unique style

Felicity

true story about a goose who was at the centre of a social isolation experiment in the 60s. :(

[jessmindspace]

Parallels

Genre: Superhero, Fantasy, Sci-Fi, Spy, Mystery

Synopsis: A group of ordinary people who live mundane lives all wake up together in a dreamworld/other dimension where they have superhuman abilities. This other reality is parallel to theirs, just with scifi/fantasy elements thrown in that are typical of a superhero universe. Part of the mystery is finding out how they are all brought to this other reality, and why they were “chosen” to connect as dreamers/heroes, but it becomes more difficult since the dream picks up where it left off if they go unconscious in the Superhero Reality/Mundane Reality, which leads to realities blurring.

I haven’t really explored The Mundane Reality parts all that much yet, so this is mostly the superhero aspects that I’ve been developing/posting 😅

Tags: #parallels comic project | #parallels

Knightsbridge Hollow*

Genre: A mix of mystery, comedy, fantasy, spy, and slight horror

Setting: 1961-62, British Countryside

Synopsis: Set in the Parallels universe, immortals John and Muriel Traxton move to the little English village of Knightsbridge Hollow after a disastrous attempt at living in the city outside of the pocket dimension they had been calling home since their marriage. Muriel wants to attempt a “normal” life, and John is just going along with it because he loves his wife and wants to support this endeavor. This, however, comes to bite them when it turns out that Knightsbridge is a magnet for all sorts of mana-infused people and creatures…and it seems like all of the creatures are working under someone who has it out for Muriel…

*Current comic project I’m working on | you can follow the blog for more updates too

Tags: #knightsbridge hollow

Sci Fi WIP Universe (it has a name but you have to find out on Patreon hehe)

Genre: Sci Fi

Setting: Thousands of years in the future, after humanity has colonized the known galaxy

Synopsis: I have three stories (so far) in this universe, all at different points in time!

Main Story - The one that I hope to write in the future that serves as the introduction to the universe these stories are set to take place in. Thrust into the seat of power after her father was assassinated, Empress Ariadne Fenway II has to contend with a planet of people who have been under the heel of the Fenway Dynasty for far too long and are ready to revolt as she tries to enact reforms to help make reparations. Ultimately she is forced to flee when a charismatic member from the Priest Sect who calls himself “The Demagogue” joins forces with a rival noble house on the planet and enacts a coup.

Tags: #untitled sci fi wip | #untitled sci fi story

Assassin Story - Follows two genetically-engineered assassins–Taran and Renata–as they navigate their new lives after breaking away from their masters and deciding to do things on their own terms. They have to come to rely on each other to avoid bounty hunters and other mercenaries sent after them, oh, and the Death Squad the Assassin Makers send to liquidate their AWOL assets. Set a century or two prior to the Main Story.

Tags: #assassin story

Shadow Sector - Takes place about a hundred years after the Main Story. The setting is on a massive research station in what has become known as “The Shadow Sector,” following a widower, Shaw, and his three girls as isolationist genetically-engineered human societies start reintegrating back into the Imperium. This includes Representative deGrav'aine being sent to the Station as part of an exchange program for the GEs and Baseline humans to trade their knowledge. Unknown to the Imperium at large, there are some GEs and Baselines who are opposed to the commingling of races, and will do anything they can to put a stop to it, even perhaps starting a war.

Tags: #shadow sector

Thanks for checking out my blog!

[velvetjune]

Alan Wake Night Springs DLC spoilers and thoughts:

This is very vague, but this really was the most Remedy thing to ever exist. My brain exploded at some point from Everything. Good game—you can tell those developers had the time of their life making all this. looking forward to the Lake House as something more serious and similar to the main game/tone.

Episode one with Rose was the best! Stunning from the start until the end and had the funniest moments in any Remedy game. [Rose voice] “𝖎 𝖜𝖎𝖑𝖑 𝖕𝖗𝖔𝖙𝖊𝖈𝖙 𝖞𝖔𝖚”

That fanart was SO good and could’ve been drawn by any irl Alan Wake fan. I can’t even say another or act like it’s embarrassing because I also think Alan is hot. So. Same Rose.

Bad boy Scratch being a werewolf.. Cat boy Alan (and the fucking Nightmare on Elm Street crop top fanart of him) being comically weak and in distress.. Rose dipping him at the end was unbelievably hilarious. Reject alpha male Scratch and embrace wet cat Alan. Every few minutes I had to remind myself that Alan technically wrote this,, his mind,, his perception of himself is incredible

That episode also was fun all around to play. Endless ammo and fun effects with the automatic shotgun. Rose slowly getting covered in blood. She’s already one of my favorite characters after this—she’s cringey in the best (and scarily realistic) ways. I support her

Episode 2: wish this one was longer because I missed Jesse and her awkward and aggressive conversations with others. I thought Dylan would pop up at some point, but of course Alan wrote himself into this twist ending. Couldn’t stop laughing with that. It felt just like the Night Springs eps of Alan Wake 1 lol.

I had the most trouble with some of the sections of this game, but it was fun, mostly just felt like a fool for not initially understanding it. The secret agency and clear references to the Board and FBC were everything. It was just Control: Coffee edition.

Episode 3: Death Rally Tom !! I was beyond happy seeing this. Always nice to see more Zane.

I’m not very familiar with Quantum Break outside of the general story and beginning, so the last episode was So Much. Initial thought: Please no Jesse and Tim in Control 2. It’s almost certainly supposed to be because of Quantum Break, but that version of her waiting for Tim came out of nowhere for me lol (also 😔 because I either want her to be with Emily or not get with someone at all—Control Jesse is so far from Beth Quantum Break/Lisa imo). The “but maybe…” multiverse romance was. whatever. cheesy but in a more negative way.

Another thing that makes me somewhat relieved this is the whacky DLC is that it does address a lot of the vague unanswered questions of the game in the typical sci-fi way (and probably a big win for theorists), and I want to keep that away from most of the main games. I like not knowing things lmao. It’s not a huge deal and I love all the crossovers/realities, but I want future AW (if 3 happens) and Control games to still largely focus on the mysterious horror without anything too definitive or distracting. I’m mostly okay with it here because this is Also an episode written by Alan and hosted by Door, so it’s not reliable—even if I’m sure this is what Remedy envisions when writing these games.

^ something something “In a horror story the victim keeps asking why, but there can be no explanation and there shouldn't be one. The unanswered mystery is what stays with us the longest and is what we'll remember in the end.”

However looooved how the third episode changed the style of the game repeatedly. The very last scene where the words form the writers room and Alan before it abruptly ends was great and the standout of the ep.

I’m not going to try to unpack all this, but it’s interesting how Alan and Door present themselves as being these largely antagonistic forces in this DLC. They’re an underrated duo (the two Masters of Many Worlds). Everything felt like it was Alan purposefully trying to imprint on these realities and influence things in his writing, making certain things parallel his life and circumstances. Reminded me of him attempting to get the irl Koskela brothers to kill each other to get out of the Dark Place. Hard to tell what’s really the truth.

I like Door too much to be scared of him. The jump scares were nicely paced throughout and the echoes of Tim/Shawn/Jack fighting him were interesting.

The tribute for James McCaffrey at the end was emotional and lovely.

[geminison]

modern-ish things I would like to show dishonored characters

I got inspired by this lovely post by @dogg-teethh and kinda made my own thing but with dishonored protagonists and some side characters so, low and behold

Daud

blues music in general, he would enjoy brooding while listening, and Fleetwood Mac

thriller movies, can't abide the mysteries so would be glued to the screen until the very end. would get mad if it ends on unexplainable cliffhanger

radio dramas, something to fill the silence while doing paperwork

antidepressants, no comments

rope bondage, but not in a sexual way (yeah, I've seen it in ff and thought, yep, seems like his thing)

Corvo

90s fashion, a bit awkward but appealing somehow?

David Bowie, that's so specific? complex and diverse but funky

takeout food, he doesn't really cook, has terrible eating behavior and just plainly starvs when there no food around, so that would be helpful

absurdism, whole "acceptance without humility" thing? i dunno

Lord of the Rings, a small hero with a great burden and greater stakes, it would resonate

Emily

punk rock, 80s pop, industrial and Corvo would also show her "Rebel Rebel", she would vibe with it

Satoshi Kon's movies, great female characters and a bit of insanity

comics, variety of styles and stories to tell! she did enjoy drawing while she was younger, maybe it would inspire her to pick a pencil again

asian cuisine, a lot of different flavours, I wonder how she would like it

marine biology, so much info about whales and other weird ocean creatures, again little Emily would be so happy

headphones, she would feel even cooler while jumping from one roof to another and kicking asses

Billie

airplanes, speed, freedom and views! you are already a captain of the ship, time to tame the sky!

anarchism, yeah, fuck the government!

family therapy, grab your old man by the hand and fucking go, you need it, it wouldn't be easy but please

Killing Eve

heavy metal music and jazz, Emily and Corvo approve. Daud, well, tolerates, it's a bit too much for him

Outsider

video games, all kinds of it!

DnD, especially GM role, you don't have to be a god to feel a little bit like one, and he also has this dramatic side it would def suite him

sci-fi and horror genres

techno, ambient and modern classical music

programming and hacking, he's a nosy young man, he'd like to know all your secrets, and it's just fun ehehe

Delilah

big fashion shows for stylish and powerful lady

therapy, again, no comments

expensive cars that people own and don't drive

Florence + the Machine and MARINA

iPad, Apple pencil and some software for drawing digitally

social media

[minamorsart]

Happy holidays to you 🎄🎁🌟❤️

*whispers* , who do you think deserves better

Lotor or Ben Solo/Kylo Ren

First of all: thank you so much! Happy Holidays to you, too!! I hope you are enjoying this holiday season with your loved ones 🎄🎀☃️💖

And second of all: NOOOO Anon how could you make me choose??! 😭😂😂

My gut reaction is to say both of them, but that's not really the answer we're looking for here, is it? Hehe. So I have tried to seriously consider this and provide a sincere answer to your question.

A quick heads up, I will be mentioning reylo and lotura here and there throughout this little essay!

The most fun part about comparing Ben and Lotor I think comes from the fact that these two are suuuuper similar to one another. I covered this a tiny bit in this ask where I talk about how protective the two of them are, but to reiterate:

Both Lotor and Ben are from sci-fi/fantasy franchises that were released around the same time, both have troubled relationships with their fathers, both are great swordsmen and pilots and engineers, both murdered their fathers, have complicated childhoods, rarely show their true faces to others, killed their dads, fell in love with fierce and powerful women, kissed said fierce and powerful women before shortly dying afterwards, said bye-bye to papa by doin a lil stabby stab, became intergalatic leaders of the most powerful empires in the universe -- oh, and did I mention daddy issues? You tend to find that a lot with long-haired emo boys from fiction. It's just the way it is. And for these two in particular you can also sprinkle in a little "mommy issues" just for funsies.

But in all seriousness, Lotor and Ben share a LOT in common, which is pretty crazy! So who deserves better, really? In order to make a fair judgment my first thought was to take into account their crimes and if they were able to redeem themselves in the end. But this is also fiction. As soon as people slap the label "toxic" on a character or ship, I usually tend to tune them out. This is by no means a hot take, but fiction is a form of escapism. It is a way for people to experience a thing (e.g. horror, adventure, romance) without actually having to experience it. So if we have a couple of sad boys who murder and manipulate people but also want to find love, who's gonna stop us from rooting for them? Absolutely no one!

I digress, but my point is that I usually don't care which character did what and why they're a bad person for it. But even then were Ben and Lotor really all that bad? After all, we learned from "The Rise of Kylo Ren" comics that Ben was ultimately not the one responsible for destroying Luke's Jedi school, and in TROS we found out that he was being manipulated by Palpatine the entire time.

For Lotor, we never really got a clear picture of what exactly he was doing with that Altean colony. To this day I still don't get it! In S6E6 he says, "Many Alteans perished in my quest to unlock the mysteries of quintessence." But then in S8E13 Allura says, "Lotor may have been misguided, but ultimately he wanted to preserve life." Like, what does any of that mean?? There are cracks in the armor, Anon! Cracks!!! Not to mention all of the theories with very convincing evidence that there were a ton of changes made to season 8, and unfortunately I don't think we're ever going to get a solid answer from the showrunners as to what was really supposed to happen.

In the end, the complicated and morally gray choices that Lotor and Ben made throughout their lives are what make their characters so interesting! They did the wrong things for what they believed to be the right reasons. If they didn't come across as the mysterious and devious fellas as they did when we first saw them, we wouldn't be such big fans of them. We would've chosen someone else 😉

So any bad deeds aside, maybe we oughta take a step back and do one last comparison. Most notably, comparing how they died. Ben died saving the person he loved, while Lotor died fighting the person he loved. I would have to argue that Lotor's death was far more gruesome and superfluous than Ben's. Not only did he go mad from all of the raw quintessence coursing through his body, but we find out in season 8 that his body had remained in his ship for three whole years, decayed and melted (seriously whose idea was it to share that imagery? I'm scarred for life) and left to sit there by his own mother.

Ben's passing was also deeply upsetting. I cried in the theater. But you can't deny that it was a peaceful one. From the way his body faded into nothingness, leaving beind only his clothes, the audience is able to assume that he became a Force Ghost (or did he? 🤔). He was battered and beaten, but he brought the woman he loved back to life, and in giving his life to her and helping her defeat Palpatine, he redeemed himself. And not only did he redeem himself, but he was also able to reconcile with both of his parents.

Lotor didn't get to do either of those things. He never got the chance. He was manipulated by both of his parents, and he never had the opportunity to redeem himself on his own terms. You know, for someone who directly influenced the entirety of season 8's plot, Lotor is hardly in it! I suppose he sort of redeemed himself, at least in Allura's eyes, but he was long gone by then. He wasn't around to see any of the stuff going on in season 8, stuff happening specifically FOR him because his mother wanted him back. In season 6 he went out like your average cartoon villain--dying because of his own hubris while the heroes looked on. In season 8 we only get: a flashback episode, him showing up in Allura's bedroom ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°), and him copied and pasted into the background as a ghost in the finale, almost like something is amiss in this scene (cracks in the armor, Anon!!!). UGH. You hate to see it.

But at the same time, I'm not too upset that Lotor died if I'm being completely honest with you. At least not anymore, anyway. Don't get me wrong, at the time I cried when his death was confirmed, and then I cried again when Allura died. But at least they get to be together in the afterlife. Ben had a lot going for him. He was only 30 years old when he died, and that's still very young. He could have had a long, happy life with Rey, and to truly redeem himself in the eyes of the resistance, could have devoted his time to restoring peace and order to the galaxy, as well as teach the new generation of Force-wielders alongside Rey.

Lotor, on the other hand, was 10,000 years old. The idea of having lived that long is not only unfathomable, but the fact that he probably spent most of that time being completely alone is just... really, really sad. If I were him I would have been ready to kick the bucket, too. I think the kindest thing to do for him at that point was to give him a peaceful, as well as justified, departure in the series finale. Allura had suffered as well. She had lost everything, just like him, so the two of them finding peace in the afterlife would be the most merciful conclusion, I believe.

Soooo I'm gonna cheat again with my answer 😂 Who deserves better? I would say BOTH of them deserve better, but in different ways. Ben Solo deserved to live, while Lotor deserved a better death.

Thank you so much for this question, Anon! I really had to think a lot about this one, and even though in the end I couldn't actually choose between the two, I still enjoyed coming up with this long-winded answer haha! If you have any further insights you would like to add, or if you even disagree with any of the things I've said, please don't hesitate to say so! I am always happy to discuss anything Ben or Lotor-related 😁 My love for these boys knows no bounds 💖

[ladypepperofdavenshire-archives]

Stories Masterpost

Parallels

Genre: Superhero, Fantasy, Sci-Fi, Spy, Mystery

Synopsis: A group of ordinary people who live mundane lives all wake up together in a dreamworld/other dimension where they have superhuman abilities. This other reality is parallel to theirs, just with scifi/fantasy elements thrown in that are typical of a superhero universe. Part of the mystery is finding out how they are all brought to this other reality, and why they were “chosen” to connect as dreamers/heroes, but it becomes more difficult since the dream picks up where it left off if they go unconscious in the Superhero Reality/Mundane Reality, which leads to realities blurring.

I haven't really explored The Mundane Reality parts all that much yet, so this is mostly the superhero aspects that I've been developing/posting 😅

Tags: #parallels comic project | #parallels

Knightsbridge Hollow*

Genre: A mix of mystery, comedy, fantasy, spy, and slight horror

Setting: 1961-62, British Countryside

Synopsis: Set in the Parallels universe, immortals John and Muriel Traxton move to the little English village of Knightsbridge Hollow after a disastrous attempt at living in the city outside of the pocket dimension they had been calling home since their marriage. Muriel wants to attempt a "normal" life, and John is just going along with it because he loves his wife and wants to support this endeavor. This, however, comes to bite them when it turns out that Knightsbridge is a magnet for all sorts of mana-infused people and creatures...and it seems like all of the creatures are working under someone who has it out for Muriel...

*Current comic project I'm working on | you can follow the blog for more updates too

Tags: #knightsbridge hollow

Sci Fi WIP Universe (it has a name but you have to find out on Patreon hehe)

Genre: Sci Fi

Setting: Thousands of years in the future, after humanity has colonized the known galaxy

Synopsis: I have three stories (so far) in this universe, all at different points in time!

Main Story - The one that I hope to write in the future that serves as the introduction to the universe these stories are set to take place in. Thrust into the seat of power after her father was assassinated, Empress Ariadne Fenway II has to contend with a planet of people who have been under the heel of the Fenway Dynasty for far too long and are ready to revolt as she tries to enact reforms to help make reparations. Ultimately she is forced to flee when a charismatic member from the Priest Sect who calls himself “The Demagogue” joins forces with a rival noble house on the planet and enacts a coup.

Tags: #untitled sci fi wip | #untitled sci fi story

Assassin Story - Follows two genetically-engineered assassins--Taran and Renata--as they navigate their new lives after breaking away from their masters and deciding to do things on their own terms. They have to come to rely on each other to avoid bounty hunters and other mercenaries sent after them, oh, and the Death Squad the Assassin Makers send to liquidate their AWOL assets. Set a century or two prior to the Main Story.

Tags: #assassin story

Shadow Sector - Takes place about a hundred years after the Main Story. The setting is on a massive research station in what has become known as "The Shadow Sector," following a widower, Shaw, and his three girls as isolationist genetically-engineered human societies start reintegrating back into the Imperium. This includes Representative deGrav'aine being sent to the Station as part of an exchange program for the GEs and Baseline humans to trade their knowledge. Unknown to the Imperium at large, there are some GEs and Baselines who are opposed to the commingling of races, and will do anything they can to put a stop to it, even perhaps starting a war.

Tags: #shadow sector

Okay. That's it. THERE YOU GO

[another-lost-mc]

I know you have a few OCs that love to read. Could we get a glimpse at their bookshelves or a look at their favorite genres? 👀

Azra: sci-fi/fantasy, graphic novels, romance/erotica, poetry

Zee: historical fiction and non-fiction, mystery/thriller, reference books/hobbies (sheet music, cookbooks)

Tenebris: reference books/hobbies (magic/alchemy), memoirs/auto-biographies, fantasy, horror

Belial: comics/manga, true crime, mystery, horror, reference books/hobbies (cars, jewelry-making, gem + rock collecting), spirituality (collects books that reference him or mentions him by name, for fun)

Meta: yes. He reads almost anything, in several languages including common demonic. His favourite genres to write are poetry, romance and fantasy.

Gabriel: mystery, historical fiction and non-fiction, reference books/hobbies (photography, travel + tourism in the human world and Devildom)

Uriel: sci-fi/fantasy, romance, contemporary fiction (fluff or humor)

Seraphiel: historical fiction, sci-fi/fantasy, mystery/thriller, romance/erotica