#runaways worldbuilding

[ettawritesnstudies]

Etta! You were asking about other creatures! What about something similar to the bandersnatch???

OOOOOOO YESSSS THE LEWIS CAROL CREACHERS we gotta get those guys in this draft

So here's what I got the other night: There's a few Unseelie Nobles who are the heads of their various factions and each take their own changelings. The Piper's just one, and they've all got their gimmicks.

The Piper is lying, manipulation, and control. He takes names, distorts the truth, and gets creatures and his wards to follow him. He's the one that mostly takes children because they're easily swappable and he takes pride in being able to pull off the deception.

The Monster is a shapeshifter, the beasties that hunt you, any kind of story where the big bad is trying to eat the hapless children. He's behind werewolves and other... well. Monsters. The Jabberwocky and Bandersnatch would fit in well here.

The White Witch is the embodiment of the winter - relating to Jadis from the Narnia books, the Snow Queen, and the various female leaders of the Wild Hunt from old mythology. Her wards are mostly restless ghosts, and selfish/shortsighted people who came to her looking for a deal, kind of like Edmund or Kai.

(note. Jack as a winter spirit and a restless ghost is technically a part of her court, but he's a double agent and helps the Seelie using the information he gets from hanging around her. He pranks everyone equally lol)

(note2. I wrote a story about the Wild Hunt for Inklings a couple years ago)

The Shadow is the fear of what waits in the darkness, and she's here as an excuse to tell a Peter Pan retelling in the future, because the way she traps people is by stealing their shadows. She picks off the lost and lonely wanderers on dark nights.

[selkra-souza]

AF Attack for @jayrockin!

My headcannon is that Talita was taught how to read Portuguese in homeschooling, before choosing to switch to on-campus schooling and subsequently becoming very rusty in it. Here she's reading a reprint gibi* of Turma da Monica (featuring a scan of my own copy of the gibi I've had since childhood). I think Cebolinha would've been her favorite from the turma because she's interested in his meticulous "infallible plans".

*gibi means comic!

[ettawritesnstudies]

This was in a notes app for years and didn't make it into the final cut of the story but in my head Vampires, being unholy creatures of the dead, are members of the Unseelie Court. You have to want to become a vampire in order to be transformed into one, as it's an active choice to drink the vampires blood in return to complete the transformation. Being a vampire is extremely unglamorous and miserable but they are very powerful.

However!! Everything in the Unseelie court Can Be Redeemed! It's a big point of the book! If a vampire wants to go back to the Seelie and escape their fate of eternal hellish existence, one can sacrifice it's own lifeblood as an offering, self-sacrifice to save an innocent is even more effective. Once redeemed they don't entirely lose their undead shtick of being unable to eat food and looking like a (cleaned up) corpe, but they're still immortal as long as they drink lifewater from a well in the Seelie Court. (Fun fact: Jack died "broke his crown" trying to get lifewater from that well in the "Jack and Jill went up a hill to fetch a pail of water" part of his backstory, it's also called the fountain of youth, and it's a closely guarded secret.)

Transforming into animals is still fair game, and sunlight and holy symbols stop burning. These redeemed vampires are called Incorruptibles, and it's said that touching some of their clothing can bring blessings and protection. There's one in the Unseelie court who went back to find his family and they happily welcomed him back from the dead. He's been around since the early 1500s and he usually has a sidekick with him on his adventures who's one of his distant descendants. The current great (x7) niece that accompanies him is a member of the Powers and a friend of the Twins and Brigid.

Also I had an old stupid story called Vampire Plague Docs that I started during quarantine, I should rehash that and have Aleksandr and Cyryl make cameos at some point.

Theme challenge! 

Your characters encounter a classic horror movie monster! If your story already involves one of these, pick a different monster for this hypothetical. 

What monster do they run into? How do they act? 

You can use this as a character question, a chance to ramble, or a writing prompt. Just have fun!

[tangle-dragon]

Inktober Day X: Nomadic, featuring a Nightchaser centaur from @jayrockin 's amazingly designed universe. Go check out their work!

[15-lizards]

Any toughts or ideas for Pentosi, Braavosi and Lysene Architecture?

sorry this is late I'm intimidated by the sheer numbers of architectural styles that exist in Western Europe alone

For Pentos, I've always imagined the Iberian Peninsula. Romanesque Portuguese and Spanish influences, with maybe a hint of Romanesque Italy as well. Very open spaces: Large arches, wide courtyards, big windows. High vaults and ceilings, usually painted with frescos along with the walls. Basically 10th-13th century Iberian Peninsula.

This might be sacrilegious of me, but Croatia for Braavos even though I know they shot most of the Kings Landing Scenes there for the show. I know Braavos is fairly grey and muggy, while Croatia is a very warm climate...but the look of crumbling buildings leaning on each other, a city layout that clearly grew organically, and just the overall vibe of a fading yet still vibrant city...idk it just works for me

Classical Greek inspired architecture is my go-to idea for Lys. In a place where the climate is purportedly perfect, there would be a lot of open spaces and easy access to the outdoors, where most activities would take place. Tall columns and winding staircases made of marble, designs and figures etched and carved into them with painstaking detail.

[crowjack20]

RTTS OC by me. RTTS is a hard sci-fi setting by @jayrockin , and all the things depicted in this OC profile was made by them for that world. I am taking a bit of leeway, but it ain't nothin major I hope

Name(s): Cherry(in English, anyhow)

Age: 32

Gender: yes

Homeplanet: Bugferret Homeworld

Date of Birth: May 11

Nationality: BFGC

Type: Bugferret

Species/race/clade(if applicable): standard Bugferret(?)

Occupation(if applicable): delivery service

Clothing/accessories: pockets on arms for holding things, wears a winter coat for emerging to the surface, pair of glasses on stalk eyes

Special features: redhead fur pattern, very red eyes, bulky frame with fluffy coat(while still being a long noodle), particularly long snout/face, lots and lots of especially bushy and long eyelash and face whiskers, scruffy goatee

Family: polycule of 10(relatively small Bugferret family), the assorted 21 kids, and the birth family

Love Interest/Crush: spouses

Friends/Allies: most of the Bugferrets in their town

Enemies: their sire parent

Likes: going to the surface, exploration, seeing happy faces, chugging fine wine, putting on sticker jewelry, parties with a lot of food

Dislikes: live theaters, getting sick, eating vegan, the kids stealing what they deliver, ungrateful customers, heat

Trivia: their grandlayer parent was a semi-surface dweller, their marital family currently lives in a small town close to topside and mostly runs on being a port town, has once served 5 years of work on a spaceship back when they were an electrician, drags a sled when topside used to help carry cargo

[a-kind-of-merry-war]

HEY SO today I spent most of the day reading Tiger Tiger by @pepurika instead of writing Book Three and YOU SHOULD TOO*!!

It's about a runaway noblewoman-turned-captain who is extremely into sea sponges, the eldritch-horror-god who she's accidentally made into a pet, her brother who is Trying His Best while being terribly in love with his First Mate, and the First Mate who is very large and beautiful and foolish.

IT'S GREAT.

Go read it, the characters are awesome, the art is gorgeous, and the worldbuilding is extremely cool.

*You should read Tiger Tiger. Not write my book. That curse is mine to bear

[deminetly]

❥DR IDEAS (with an s/o)

……………………………………………

travelling the world together

treasure hunters searching for ancient artifacts

running a cozy bookstore cafe together

secret agents working together on dangerous missions

in a band together

you explore and document a magical world together (mythical creatures, landscapes etc)

fame dr where you and your s/o star in romantic movies together

you and your s/o are dream architects, creating personalized dreamscapes for people

you and your s/o are cursed to relive your lovestory over and over again in different time periods

you are a mermaid and your s/o is a pirate (a forbidden love story)

you and your s/o are planet creators, worldbuilding planets, landscapes, laws, etc for planets that creatures are soon going to move into

you and your s/o are the chosen ones that have to complete missions to save humanity

vanlife

be the princess who is saved by a prince (your s/o)

having to escape backrooms together

being runaways together

dr where you and your s/o are in charge of stealing stars from the sky to light forgotten lands

[keferon]

Ok so, this is a little embarrassing, but quick simple question bc I've once again been inspired to write more of my little ficlet of Prowl and Jazz on earth.

But, like, is there any character that you think could possibly help out in the escape act despite the orders to capture the runaways? Idk much of the worldbuild here to be sure, so i thought I'd ask the mastermind themselves

I thought of using characters you haven't given attention to yet, like Bee, who I'm more like acquainted with as a charater, tho I'd be open to any other you'd think would fit best

Ooohhhh

Well, I originally wanted Jazz to have a brother (also a pilot) named Ricochet. Not gonna lie, I wanted to add Ricochet mostly because I wanted Jazz to show off Prowl to him haha

Then there's human engineer Ratchet hiding from the organization with his Decepticon boyfriend Deadlock. Ratchet would be really helpful for fixing Prowl's..everything.

But other than them, I don't really know, I didn't think much about other characters and who would they be in the au🤔

You feel free to add and use whoever you want I think :D

[hsvh-hp]

Erised 2024 Fic Rec List!

I wanted to put this forward before @hd-erised reveals to maximize the blindness of my recs for this year’s fest!

These were my favourites among those up for offer, in order of posting (note, this is fic only - every single piece of art was gorgeous and is worth looking at it): 

✨ Runaway Train (18k)

This is a cool fic. I can’t think of a better word to describe it. Right from the get-go, the reader is strapped in alongside Harry and we are on a journey. The title fits the feeling of that perfectly. I was not expecting the end result of the mystery, and I mean that in a way that left me with a sense of wonder. It’s so incredibly original. 

I also love a Draco who isn’t afraid post-war of appreciating old magic. There’s nuance in his separation between that which is bad and good! Also, I’m a sucker for when the conflict or tension in a Drarry fic is Harry and Draco versus something else, not them against each other. They make such a great team when allowed! 

✨ At Night All Birds are Black (51k)

This fic put a lump in my throat at the end. The first thing I think about when I consider this fic is the resolution because it brought everything together so beautifully. 

I don’t want to spoil since this is a case fic, but it was just so captivating! The lore and worldbuilding were just incredible. 

✨ Body and Soul (22k)

I find myself rather fussy about both soul mark and creature fics. This one explored the comorbidity of two such things in such interesting fashion that it hit the notes for me! There was also just enough angst to hurt, and the happy ending made it very worth the pain. Bonus points for magical/Healing theory and using framing as a narrative device!

✨ The Pain From an Old Wound (30k)

When it comes to magical theory and case fics, this one continued the trend of me being fed this Erised season. The nature of inheritances and wizarding culture are more tropes that I am very picky about, although this fic did it in a way I enjoy. 

It delved into other tropes that I thoroughly enjoy but don’t see very often in fic, like including things about Malfoy Manor, a bigger role for Narcissa, and (because I don’t want to spoil) THAT SOLUTION to how Draco solves the blood curse placed on Harry. Also, I must mention that I very much enjoyed Ron as a socialite! 

✨ A Soft Place to Fall (142k)

Although the word count on this one was initially daunting, I became very quickly glad that it would take me multiple days to savour and enjoy this fic. It hit so many notes for me that I don’t even really know where to begin. 

The magical theory (again, fed) was incredible, and how it tied in with trauma and healing for Harry. I found it subversive in the sense that it touched upon trauma post-war that I don’t usually see, focusing more on his childhood than the war itself (although of course that is not forgotten). 

It also features a Professors-but-not-Professors AU, with Healer Draco and Harry teaching physical ed. I always enjoy Healer Draco anyway, but I loved seeing the non-explicit ways that he has changed his life since the war. He’s great with the students who end up in the hospital wing. He had a hand in physical ed being offered at Hogwarts, as well as the fact that Muggle sports were incorporated. When he realizes that something is off about Harry (following an incident), he puts aside their initial tension in order to fulfill his Oath. It’s completely organic that he truly begins to care. That is never brought into question for the reader (Harry takes some convincing, but what do you do lol). 

Other things I loved: ZACHARIAS SMITH (it’s possible!), the students (they are so cute), and Harry’s relationship to his trauma and how he learns to love himself. And, of course, it goes without saying, how Harry and Draco grow together. This will be a go-to comfort fic for me, in future. 

✨ Seven-and-sixpence (35k)

There are some tropes that are very difficult for me, infidelity (although it is NOT between Draco and Harry here) and open endings among them. HOWEVER, sometimes a fic will come along with those tropes on offer and I will be pleasantly surprised! 

This fic was that for me. There was something about Harry having such a deep need that going to Draco regardless of his current relationship that really spoke to me. And as for Draco, this is pretty much the only way I like him portrayed when he doesn’t feel worthy of Harry. He’ll still take him, and he’ll build him up, and then his sense of inadequacy only increases because if he didn’t deserve him to start, he certainly doesn’t now. I really enjoyed the complexity of that. 

✨ Prescription (2k)

In contrast to the previous one, very sweet! Also a perfect bite size. Draco is Harry’s favourite Healer, and they go from there. ❤️

✨ Old love don’t rust (20k)

A case fic, although the case (however interesting!) is merely the backdrop. I thoroughly enjoyed the non-linear narrative, and how Harry and Draco’s history was gradually built while they’re dealing with coming back together in a tense, high-stakes sort of way.

I struggle generally with ‘getting back together’ fics, since I have a hard time seeing them letting go of each other once they have a hold, although to me it’s very understandable that life gets in the way, especially when you’re young and just getting started. This was handled in a satisfying way to me. 

✨ Equipoise (88k)

More magical theory! And another case fic! I love case fics when magic itself has something to do with the solution, as well as magical creatures being included. The way magic itself as a quantity is handled in this fic had me spinning up theories and hitting Next Chapter through to the end. The secondary plot, based on a creative play with Unbreakable Vows, was also a nail biter. Poor Harry, but thank god Draco was willing to help him out. 

✨ Victory Lap (4k)

There’s a lot of story here for under 5000 words! The Wizengamot case that Draco was sequestered for is HELLA interesting, and seeing as I’m always a hungry sucker for Established Drarry, Draco and Harry’s reunion was a lovely (and hot) read. 

✨ As Luck Would Have It (12k)

I am very weak for canon divergence Drarry, especially in 6th year. Do you want Half-Blood Prince, but Draco and Harry are weird and unable to stay away from each other? Do you like it when the canon plot is changed in interesting and creative ways, and comes up to an exciting conclusion? Well, I do, so I loved this fic, and if you do, you’ll love it too. 

✨ Storm’s Eye (12k)

The chemistry is on point here, the lore/theory intriguing, and the race against time palpable. I’m a sucker for Draco being protective of Harry, and of calling him ‘love’ and ‘darling’ so naturally. I melted every time (and so did Harry lol). Extremely satisfying. 

✨ Kiss Me, Fuck Me, Love Me (5k)

Yay, more non-linear narrative! This is another thing I am being fed on this year. 

The fic balances being sweet, hot, and funny perfectly and creates an explosion as Harry and Draco ride out the last night of their mutual pining and the first night of their relationship on New Year’s Eve! I realized while reading this that my favourite kind of Drarry mutual pining is when it’s their friends who are suffering, not so much them, lol. Pansy and Ron’s individual theatrics about Harry and Draco was hilarious. 

So those were my favourites! I'm very excited for reveals to find out who the authors are! ❤️💚

[ettawritesnstudies]

Hi there! I was poking at your WIPs, and I would love to hear more about the worldbuilding in Runaways! :D I love the idea of the two courts warring against each other by dragging mortals into it.

Thanks so much! :D

The worldbuilding is inspired by many different folklore concepts which I'm mashing together so I hope this makes sense! (Scottish myths of the courts themselves, the legend of Tam Lin, Shakespeare stories, Grimm and Hans Christen Andersen's fairy tales, Aesop's fables, etc.)

The main idea is the Seelie and Unseelie courts - they're two groups of semi-immortal fae who live in hidden pockets in the wilderness around human life. The book is set in a modern day rural town and so most people (or at least adults) don't believe in the fae. The Seelie consider humans to be a quaint joy at best and an inconvenience at worst. They're powerful enough, so why bother meddling with mortal affairs? That's beneath them. They're not particularly nice but they're by far the less dangerous of the two courts. The monarchs are Lord Oberon and Queen Titania.

The Unseelie consider their counterparts in the Seelie court to be weak and uninspired, and think of humans as little more than livestock to be overpowered, used, and discarded. Their power structure is made of several archfae warlords who report to Queen Mab, who in turn gains power through a tithe to Hell Itself every 7 years. The Seelie keep to themselves, but the Unseelie go out of their way to antagonize along the borders and pick fights, so the two sides have been at war since the beginning of time. The catch? Neither side really wants to waste their immortal lives on fighting, so they both take humans as fighters.

The Seelie court will accept any human runaways that stumble into their lands and give them the choice to stay, grant them with boons of magic power or enchanted tools, and train them to be champions. Most folk heros of old belong to this group of Powers, which is run by the Lady Brigid. The Unseelie on the other hand, take changelings. The process involves finding weak faeling sprouts - kids that are infected with a blight that shortens their immortal lifespans to about 100 years, stealing them from their fae parents, and training them to be spies. Then the fae kids are exchanged with human infants through a Switching Spell that suppresses their memories of ever being fae, and locks in their glamour disguises. The Unseelie get to spy on mortal households that might be working with their enemies, causing general havok and despair, and they also get healthy human kids to train and use as soldiers.

In the story, Hannah is a normal human kid and she's got a younger sister Cecelia, who disappears one night after leaving cryptic messages about the Pied Piper. When Hannah puts together the clues, she goes stomping into the forest to demand the fae give her sister back. Only when she stumbles into the Seelie realm, she finds out her little sister was a changeling all along who ran away from her duties to protect her adopted family. The two of them make allies, and set out to rescue their lost Third sister, Cecelia's human twin who was taken.

Sorry this got so long! If you're interested in more, you can feel free to peruse the tag - I'll add it below :)

[copepods]

hello rainworlders. if you love rain world for its speculative biology and worldbuilding, and are a scifi fan in general, consider checking out runaway to the stars. it's a comic that's only recently started posting publicly, but the author has been working on the universe for a decade and the website has a ton of pages about biology and worldbuilding for different alien species. its so cool please look at it if that sounds interesting to you

[lu-is-not-ok]

In the roadmap of this season, the new .5 shown is one seemingly related to the sweepers. Given each of the .5s/second .5s were ones that setup for their next cantos I am wondering what sort of info you wish to glean from it?

I myself am rather interested in sweeper lore generally, so more about that, and perhaps the dynamics between them will again parallel Gong Lu's family. I wonder if Dante’s autotranslate for distortions will allow them to speak with the sweepers, they do seem to be standing in front of them in that teaser image.

I am. So excited anout that intervallo.

So here's a brief list of things I'm excited for, plus maybe a few silly predictions cause why not:

Since we're dealing with Sweepers, we're likely going to be in the Backstreets of whatever District Canto 8 is gonna take place in. I'm really excited to learn more about the worldbuilding for the Backstreets. Plus you fucking know Rodya is gonna have some shit to say about the class disparity, as is often the case.

Sweepers are in this interesting place of having Family-like structures, but having them work in a similar way to Bloodfiend Families - in that one can choose to become part of a Sweeper Family rather than being forced into being born into it. Considering how Fanghunt Hong Lu is the way he is, I hope facing that idea of choosing one's own Family so directly will elicit some sort of reaction out of Hong Lu.

An introduction to a new faction. I doubt they can make Sweepers into IDs (they're not like power armor where you can have the helmets be conditional, nor are they like prosthetics where you can only have a part of the face be replaced), so if they go with Event Identities we're gonna need something else for those. I'm personally hoping for a Syndicate because I like em.

Partially related to the above, I'd love to see a plot that at least partially parallels/references the Sweepers chapter in Distortion Detective. For those who don't know, there's a short arc in DD where Moses and co end up stuck out in the Backstreets during the Night and are forced to weather the waves of Sweepers while looking for shelter. Moses is able to tell they'll be unable to survive through all three waves of Sweepers, so they try to get the people already in hiding to let them in. Eventually, someone does - a group of Thumb members, causing Moses and co to have to make a deal with them to stay overnight. I'm hoping the Intervallo will have some sort of parallel to that, where the Sinners will be forced to make a deal with someone (potentially the faction used for Event IDs hopefully) to survive the night.

In general, some sort of Hong Lu nuclear bomb is inevitable. Something with the same dramatic impact as the Don Quixote being a Bloodfiend reveal at the end of Warp Express. My bet is on a proper reveal that he's a runaway, and that his previously stated reasons for leaving home (alongside perhaps some other things he's said) were a complete lie all along.

Which, speaking of Hong Lu being a runaway. Here's my silly prediction for what setup they could use for the Intervallo's plot that I've been rotating in my head for a bit now. Imagine, if you will, Hong Lu recognising that the District the bus is heading into is his home District. Imagine the panic that would stir within him. What if, in the middle of the night, Hong Lu does what he's tried once before and attempts to run away again. He disappears from the bus, and similarly to that one mini episode where Heathcliff almost got lost to the Backdoor, Faust is immediately concerned over retrieving him. Especially if being turned to liquid by Sweepers is one of those things Dante might not be able to rewind.

[yarrayora]

Idk how to explain properly, but I’m a really big fan of the dynamic you portray between Marcille and Falin. I’ve always loved . idk how to say.. divorce? trouble-in-paradise? arcs/portrayals that look at problems in otp, and yours is super interesting. Sorry if this is weird just wanted to say :)

not weird at all! im flattered, thanks!

i wasnt really into farcille at first, mostly i was just impressed an f/f ship managed to be the fandom's no1, basically proving that when two female characters in a mostly male dominated cast are allowed to bond with each others and be their own characters people will latch on to them

mostly though aro touden siblings is still my no1 and even back then i didnt care about shipping because any type of romantic relationship in dunmeshi is less interesting than the potential of political intrigue the worldbuilding set up (yes, even chilchuck's failing marriage is less interesting to me than how living in the dungeon was safer for the orcs than being neighbors to human civilization) (shocking, i know)

but it all changed when i saw the daydream hour about marcille thinking falin looks cute in feminine clothing while falin herself is obviously uncomfortable with it

i can't sleep. i have to think about this. i have to think about how it's their first love and their first relationship and one is going in blind while the other set up her expectations based on a harlequin romance novel. they are NOT in the same wavelength at all and neither of them are particularly good at communicating their intention, with falin who grew up a convenient kid because she thought it was the least she could do for her family and marcille who frankly speaking was used to being treated as someone superior back at the magic school

thank god kabru exists because who else is going to give them a real advice for their very real relationship? chilchuck will be like "okay just break up" while not seeing the mirror to his own relationship with his runaway wife. senshi, wise as he is, is never in a romantic relationship. laios would be like :((( you guys are fighting? and gets stressed out on his own which makes it even more stressful to the girls. namari is like. "i, uh, please talk to kabru."

anyway theres also the bonus comic about falin inviting marcille to watch daltian clan's opera adaptation and while there is something to say about marcille thinking the humans playing elves doesn't fit her aesthetic (and the difference of societal expectations of dressing up as a different race in dunmeshi universe compared to in ours) all i can think of is that in modern day au where daltian clan has a movie adaptation marcille has a tumblr blog where she posts Hate on the daltian clan movie tag and calling it criticism which it is but also not the place, girl, go to rotten tomatoes for that

falin also has a tumblr and she and marcille had no idea the other is a tumblr user. falin made a post like "just watched daltian clan with my gf i get why shes really obsessed with it now" and marcille, against her better judgement replies to the post like "really sorry that you were misled by your girlfriend like that, you should read the novels instead, it's way better."

laios who sees falin looking shocked at her phone asks whats up and then after receiving the answer says "wow sounds like a real jerk! just block them"

anyway thats my modern day farcille when there's no high fantasy problems involved

[literary-illuminati]

An Arbitrary Collection of Book Recommendations

(put together for a friend out of SFF I've read over the last couple of years)

Cli-Fi

Tusks of Extinction and/or The Mountain in the Sea by Ray Nayler. They’re pretty different books in a lot of ways – one is a novel about discovering a certain species of squid in the Pacific might have developed symbolic language and writing, the other a novella about a de-extinction initiative to restore mammoths to the Siberian taiga – but they share a pretty huge overlap in setting, tone and themes. Specifically, a deep and passionate preoccupation with animal conservation (and a rather despairing perspective on it), as well as a fascination with transhumanism and how technology can affect the nature of consciousness. Mountain is his first work, and far more substantial, but I’d call it a bit of a noble failure in achieving what it tries for. Tusks is much more limited and contained, but manages what it’s going for.

A Half-Built Garden by Ruthanna Emrys. In a post-post-apocalyptic world that’s just about figured out how to rebuild itself from the climate disasters of the 21st century (but that’s still very much a work in progress), aliens descend from the sky and make First Contact. They’re a symbiotic civilization, and they’re overjoyed at the chance to welcome a third species into their little interstellar community – and consider it a mission of mercy besides, since every other species they’ve ever encountered destroyed themselves and their planet before escaping it. Awkwardly, our heroine and her whole society are actually pretty invested in Earth and the restoration thereof – and worried that a) the alien’s rescue effort might not care about their opinions and b) that other interest groups on earth might be more willing to give the hyper-advanced space-dwelling aliens the answers they want to hear. Basically 100% sociological worldbuilding and political intrigue, so take that as you will.

Throwback Sci Fi

Elder Race by Adrian Tchaikovsky is possibly the only thing I’ve read published in decades to take the old cliche of ‘this generic-seeming fantasy world is actually the wreckage of a ruined space age civilization, and ‘magic’ and ‘monsters’ are the remnants of the technology’ and play it entirely straight. Specifically, it’s a two-POV novella, where half the story is told from the perspective of a runaway princess beseeching the ancient wizard who helped found her dynasty for help against a magical threat, and half is from the perspective form the last surviving member of a xeno-anthropology mission woken out of stasis by the consequences of the last time he broke the Prime Directive knocking on his ship tower door and asking for help. Generally just incredible fun.

Downbelow Station by C. J. Cherryh is, I think, the only thing on this list written before the turn of the millennium. It’s proper space opera, about a habitat orbiting an immensely valuable living world that’s the lynchpin of logistics for the functionally rogue Earth Fleet’s attempt to hold off or defeat rebelling and somewhat alien colonies further out. The plot is honestly hard to summarize, except that it captures the feel of being history better than very nearly any other spec fic I’ve ever read – a massive cast, none of them with a clear idea of what’s going on, clashing and contradictory agendas, random chance and communications delays playing key roles, lots of messy ending, not a single world-shaking heroes or satanic masterminds deforming the shape of things with their narrative gravity to be seen. Somewhat dated, but it all very impressively well done.

Pulpy Gay Urban Fantasy Period Piece Detective Stories Where Angels Play a Prominent Role

A Master of Djinn by P. Djèlí Clark stars Fatma el-Sha’arawi, the youngest woman working for the Ministry of Alchemy, Enchantments and Supernatural Entities in Cairo, a couple of decades after magic returned to the world and entirely derailed the course of Victorian imperialism. There’s djinn and angels and crocodile gods, and also an impossible murder that needs solving! The mystery isn’t exactly intellectually taxing, but this is a very fun tropey whodunnit whose finale involves a giant robot.

Even Though I Knew The End by C. L. Polk is significantly more restrained and grounded in its urban fantasy. It’s early 20th century Chicago, and a PI is doing one last job to top off the nest egg she’s leaving her girlfriend before the debt on her deal with the devil comes due. By what may or may not be coincidence, she stumbles across a particularly gruesome crime scene – and is offered a deal to earn back her soul by solving the mystery behind it. Very noir detective, with a setting that just oozes care and research and a satisfyingly tight plot.

High Concept Stuff That Loves Playing around With Format and the Idea of Narratives

Radiance by Catherynne M. Valente is a story about a famous documentarian vanishing on shoot amid mysterious and suspicious circumstances, as told by the recovered scraps of the footage she was filming, and different drafts of her (famous director) father’s attempt to dramatize the events as a memorial to her. It’s set in a solar system where every planet is habitable and most were colonized in the 19th century, and culturally humanity coasts on in an eternal Belle Epoque and (more importantly) Golden Age of Hollywood. Something like half the book is written as scripts and transcripts. This description should by now either have sold you or put you off entirely.

The Spear Cuts Through Water by Simon Jimenez is the only classic-style epic fantasy on this list, I believe? The emperor and his three demigod sons hold subjugated in terror, but things are changing. The emperor, terrified of death, has ordered a great fleet assembled to carry him across the sea in pursuit of immortality. The day before he sets out on his grand pilgrimage to the coast, a guilt-ridden guard helps the goddess of the moon escape her binding beneath the palace. From there, things spiral rapidly out of anyone’s control. The story’s told through two or three (depending( different layers of narrative framing devices, and has immense amounts of fun playing with perspective and format and ideas about storytelling and legacy.

I Couldn’t Think of Any Categories That Included More Than One of These

All The Names They Used For God by Anjali Sachdeva is a collection of short stories, and probably the most literary thing on this list? The stories range wildly across setting and genre, but are each more or less about the intrusion of the numinous or transcendent or divine into a world that cracks and breaks trying to contain it. It is very easily the most artistically coherent short story collection I’ve ever read, which I found pretty fascinating to read – but honestly I’m mostly just including this on the strength of Killer of Kings, a story about an angel sent down to be John Milton’s muse as he writes Paradise Lost which is probably one of the best things I read last year period.

Last Exit by Max Gladstone – the Three Parts Dead and How You Lose the Time War guy – could be described as a deconstruction of ‘a bunch of teenagers/college kids discover magic and quest to save the world!’ stories, but honestly I’d say that obscures more than it reveals. Still, the story is set with that having happened a decade in the past, and the kids in question have thoroughly fucked up. Zelda, the protagonist, is kept from suicide by survivor’s guilt as much as anything, and now travels across America working poverty jobs and sleeping in her car as she hunts the monsters leaking in through the edges of a country rotting at the seams. Then there’s a monster growing in the cracks of the liberty bell, an in putting it down she gets a vision of someone she thought was dead is just trapped – or maybe changed. So it’s time to get the gang together again and save the world! This one’s hard to rec without spoiling a lot, but the prose and characterization are all just sublime. Oddly in conversation with the whole Delta Green cosmic horror monster hunting subgenre for a story with nothing to do with Lovecraft.

Some Desperate Glory by Emily Tesh is a story about aliens destroying the earth, and growing up in the pseudo-fascist asteroid survivalist compound of the last bits of the human military that never surrendered. It stars a heroine whose genuinely indoctrinated for the first chunk of the book and just deeply endearing terrible and awful to interact with, and also has a plot that’s effectively impossible to describe without spoiling the big twist at the end of the first act. Possibly the only book I read last year which I actively wish was longer – which is both compliment and genuine complaint, for the record, the ending’s a bit messy. Still, genuinely meaty Big Ideas space opera with very well-done characterization and a plot that does hold together. 

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@dinobeates and I did an art trade, resulting in this amazing portrait of Noolii! Thank you very much for this, Beates, you did perfectly!