#sci fi ya

[hezzabeth]

The trumpets were old plastic souvenirs painted gold, so the off-key wailing was hardly surprising. A band of disheveled people marched onto the stage, still blowing on the plastic trumpets. Surprisingly, Isabeau was among them, her face displaying a bored, blank expression. They abruptly stopped once they reached the center of the scaffold, the wood creaking under their feet.

A man wearing green tights and a shirt reading "Medieval Christmas market 3345" on it walked onto the stage. His hair had been cut into a peculiar bowl shape with a blunt fringe, and someone had painted red circles on his cheeks.

"All hail Sister Morganna! Conduit of the one true god," the man bellowed in a surprisingly high-pitched voice.

“Did you bring your solar flare gun?” Dityaa asked.

“Of course I did! I never go anywhere without it,” Revati snapped back.

Revati had never seen Sister Morganna up close. During her childhood visits, Sister Morganna was a distant figure. Glimpses of her gloved hands could be seen waving from the castle windows. Every summer solstice, she would lead a parade across the park, carried by men in a gold and white carriage. Through the mesh curtain windows, her shadowy figure could be seen shifting about. Now, Sister Morganna was walking across the scaffold boldly and freely.

She was dressed in a sky-blue and emerald dress, with a thick red and golden scarf covering her scalp, the ends trailing down her shoulders. Slowly, she turned toward the waiting audience, and Revati gasped. Sister Morganna's skin was the same color as fresh lavender. A single round, circular eye glanced about—an eye that could see and understand everything, even things that had yet to be—an eye that could glance into the very nature of people.

“She’s an alien!” whispered Dityaa.

It was an eye that could read minds; no wonder she had successfully started a cult.

“Technically, she’s a human from a faraway planet,” Revati hissed back.

The "faraway planet" was the closest the solar system got to actual aliens. Over a thousand years ago, a group of scientists set off to colonize Pluto. Obviously, they vanished, the ship sinking into the darkness of space. Three hundred years ago, their descendants returned. They were, of course, different.

Sister Morganna calmly walked across the stage and raised her hand.

“Praise be to Marduk, son of the sun, radiant is he,” Sister Morganna said.

“Radiant is he,” the crowd echoed, their expressions blank.

“Who’s Marduk?” Hissed Dityaa.

Revati merely shrugged, completely confused.

“Today we bring forward two heretics, those who smother the great transition,” Sister Morganna said, gesturing towards Bridgadeiro and Aurora.

“Heretic? I don’t even understand what I did! All I said was 'Bless Goup' when my new friend sneezed,” Bridgadeiro argued, nodding at Aurora.

“And I didn’t do anything! I swear,” Aurora cried.

“Goup is a lie! A false prophet created by an ancient snake oil seller,” Sister Morganna said with a small, tight smile.

“False prophet? The rainbow mat of crystal light has been proven to work! It balances your mind, body, and spirit,” Bridgadeiro smiled, and Sister Morganna turned to him, her one eye slowly blinking.

“I can see you standing on that mat, praying to the dark,” she whispered. “Your brother, he drowned, didn’t he? On that hot summer night? You cried and prayed! You think it was her that brought him back,” she added, and the smile dropped from Bridgadeiro’s face.

“She did save him! Goup saved him,” Bridgadeiro said, and Sister Morganna shook her head.

“Oh, you’re a true believer... you poor little boy,” she sighed. “Some gods are lies, but Marduk is true and ancient. My people have lived on his surface! We have been blessed with his gifts! Praise Marduk,” Sister Morganna said.

“Praise Marduk,” the entire crowd screamed, including Revati, who found herself clapping her hand over her mouth. Sister Marduk had hijacked her vocal cords.

“Now repent and embrace Marduk or sacrifice your light to his glory,” Sister Marduk cried.

“I repent! All hail Marduk!” Aurora cried, bursting into tears.

“Well, I’m not repenting. Marduk is just another name for your home planet that blew up centuries ago,” Bridgadeiro said with a small shrug.

“Very well,” Sister Morganna said. Revati sighed, pulling out her solar gun and setting the final charge to maximum.

“Oh, you’re not going to…” whispered Dityaa, and Revati nodded, pulling the trigger.

The solar flare hit the stage in a blinding loop of ultraviolet light. Sister Morganna screamed, flying upwards and landing face-first in the crowd, her body twitching.

“Praise Marduk! This must be an omen!” Aurora smartly yelled from the stage.

The crowd, no longer under Sister Morganna’s control, began to scatter in all directions. Some stumbled towards the fallen leader, striking her with whatever they could find. Others pushed and shoved each other, stumbling over cobblestones.

Through it all, Bridgadeiro stood, completely confused, his hands still tied behind his back. People pushed and shoved, stumbling over each other and tripping on the slick cobblestones. Revati fought through the tidal wave of chaos until she reached the scaffold again. Bridgadeiro was staring down at her, completely transfixed.

“Did you just save my life again?” He asked.

“Yes!” Revati replied, climbing up to the scaffold.

“I didn’t mean for this to happen! He said it so quickly,” Aurora said as Revati began to undo her bound hands.

“It was pure instinct!” protested Bridgadeiro.

The crowd was starting to swarm towards the stage like ants around a sugar cube. From above, Revati could see the smoking, twitching form of Sister Morganna.

“What are they doing?” Bridgadeiro asked, and there was a faint creaking sound as Isabeau joined Revati.

“They’re probably going to kill her; none of them wanted to worship an ancient Babylonian god!” Isabeau said and then she smiled. An actual smile. “I can talk normally again! She’s really gone!” Isabeau cried with delight as Aurora pulled her hands free.

“She’s gone!” Aurora echoed, grabbing Isabeau. Revati watched them kiss for a fraction of a second before politely turning her head.

“Did she really control all these people with her mind? Why would she do that?” Bridgadeiro asked as Revati began to undo his constraints.

“The tornado and the second invasion messed a lot of people up,” Revati merely replied.

“You seem fine,” Bridgadeiro replied, and Revati chuckled.

“Trust me, I’m not fine,” Revati said firmly. Life on Baker Street before the tornado had been hard. But there had been drawing lessons with her father. There had been fairytales with her mother. There had been tea parties with Dityaa. Dityaa.

“Where’s Dityaa?” Revati said as Bridgadeiro tugged his hands free. There was no telltale flash of Snow White silk in the crowd. Everyone was dressed in shades of green and mud brown.

“She was out there before,” Bridgadeiro said, gesturing to the bottom left corner of the courtyard. Revati jumped swiftly off the scaffold, ignoring the pain searing up her ankles. People were pressing in from all sides, shrieking, laughing, and, in some cases, singing. A blur of purple skin and red fabric passed her head on outstretched hands.

“Did you see a girl in a white dress?” Revati screamed in general; no one answered, and the crowd pushed her forward. People were spilling out of the courtyard into the laneways. Someone had decided to start looting the shops. Revati felt herself thrown against a wall, crushed face-first into the bricks. A hand grabbed hers, calloused, well-worn fingers gripping her wrist.

“I saw her at the end of the crowd! This way!” Bridgadeiro ordered her.

“You’re helping,” Revati gasped; something hot and red was trickling down her cheek. Revati was bleeding.

“Let the crowd push you forward; don’t fight it and try not to stumble,” Bridgadeiro said firmly, still holding her hand. The crowd surged and pressed in. Revati could see nothing but gleeful faces, smell nothing but hot, foul sweat.

Then suddenly, the crowd began to break into pieces, trickling away like water. They had reached the back wall of Medieval Faire. There was a hole in the wall. A massive hole. Beyond the hole lay the freezing wilderness of Mars. People were climbing out of the hole, running into the cube-shaped snow. One of them was Dityaa, spinning around and dancing with the Duke of Io. Dityaa spotted them and waved happily.

“They’re all going to freeze to death,” Revati realized, marching to the hole.

“It looks like some of them had enough to steal jackets,” Bridgadeiro added. Revati and Dityaa rarely left the park. When they did, Amma always made them wear her old protective gear. Dityaa seemed oblivious to the cold. It was almost as if the Duke's love was covering her in a warm, sacred light.

The escaping people were beginning to join in with their dancing.

“Look! He was waiting for me outside the wall,” Dityaa yelled, resting her head on his shoulder. Revati stepped closer to the wall. Revati let go of Bridgadeiro’s hand and carefully climbed through the hole. The freezing winter of Mars blew around her, fighting against the park's atmospheric heating system. Snow began to blow around her chest, and Revati felt flushed and dizzy.

The Duke was dressed in the same outfit from the night before. The same thin jacket and trousers. Up close, his blue hair was a little too shiny. Up close, Revati could actually feel heat wafting off his body.

“The Duke was waiting for you… outside in that outfit?” Revati asked suspiciously. Dityaa’s expression froze for a moment as if considering this.

“Sissy’s right! Let’s get out of the cold, darling; I have so much to tell you,” smiled Dityaa. The Duke held up a hand. The tip of his finger turned blue.

“Ah, the sister,” he remarked, reaching towards Revati. His eyes glowed with the brilliance of true Ai, and darkness prevailed.

Here's the revised text with corrected spelling and grammar:

True, jet-black, soothing darkness.

For Revati, who spent most of her nights lost in nightmares, it was actually comforting.

In fact, Revati felt herself sink into it.

The darkness was as soft as the mattress she once slept on.

“Oh, don’t sink into it, Dimpy. It’s not time for that,” her father’s voice whispered in her ear.

Dimpy.

Revati was Dimpy, Dityaa was Rinky.

Jay would draw pictures of them flying across the stars with wings.

Dimpy and Rinky; the sisters were so close they could be twins.

“You’re not real. You died, and your consciousness is in a plastic box,” Revati muttered.

The darkness was warm and sleepy, lulling Revati into nothing at all.

“Some of me is in that box, but scientists don’t know everything. Some of me is also in you, in your sister, and in your mother,” her father’s voice said.

“And I’m guessing I’m dead?” Revati whispered.

“No, you’re just recovering from a traumatic brain injury. Someone has placed a standard issue healing pad on your forehead,” Jay’s voice replied soothingly.

“And how do you know that?” Revati groaned doubtfully.

A distant, tiny light had appeared in the dark.

A pinprick that seemed to strip away things.

“Dimpy, you know I was a nurse! Relax, your glia cells are busy repairing themselves. Look, they move like fireflies,” her father said.

He was right; more dots of light had appeared.

They buzzed around gently.

For a moment, one of them flashed, lighting up everything.

Revati, in that second, saw a much younger Dityaa handing her a doll.

“I remember that doll. I bought it the day Dityaa was born,” her father said.

“Dityaa tried to give it to me after we buried you. I told her I’d take the book of fairy tales instead,” Revati remembered.

“Once upon a time, in the ancient kingdom of Mithila, the earth yielded a miraculous gift. A baby girl was born. She was discovered in a furrow by King Janaka and named Sita. As she grew, her grace and beauty were matched only by her wisdom and strength of character.

One day, Rama, a prince known for his valor and virtue, won her hand in marriage by stringing the mighty bow of Lord Shiva.

Soon after the wedding, Rama and his best friend were exiled to the forest. Sita, full of devotion, followed.

The forest was dark and full of dangers.

The most dangerous being was the demon king Ravana,” a woman’s voice, the voice of the maternity droid, whispered.

The lights were growing stronger, and Revati remembered something.

“Dityaa’s in trouble,” Revati realized.

“Yes, she is,” her father replied.

Revati’s mind was so bright she could see her father.

He looked younger than what she remembered.

He was dressed in the blue protective outfit Amma kept packed away.

Standing next to him was a woman.

A familiar woman cloaked in a fuchsia and green saree.

“You’re the lost princess,” Revati realized, and the Princess nodded.

“Wake me up, wake me up, and I will find my daughter,” the Lost Princess insisted.

[yellodisney]

[this-is-cool]

The cool futuristic sci-fi-themed creations of Ya Yan - https://www.this-is-cool.co.uk/the-digital-sci-fi-creations-of-ya-yan/

[alexyquest]

i tried that ya book trend, how’d i do?

[bluheaven-adw]

SHUDDUP EVERYONE I HAVE DOOMSLUGS!!!

*MANIACALLAUGHTER!!!!*

A friend made one for me and I literally screamed when I opened the box because there were TWO OF THEM!!!!! HOLY SHIT LOOK AT HOW ADORABLE THEY ARE!

..... I might have named the blueish gray one J.....

No I will not change my mind on this.

[good-books-to-read]

Travel Destination: Nigeria

Onyeka and the Academy of the Sun by Tolá Okogwu

Onyeka has always been uncomfortable with her hair, people always stare and whisper behind her back, until her best friend nearly drowns and her hair comes to life and saves her.

Her mother reveals a shocking truth Onyeka’s psycho-kinetic powers make her a Solari, one of a secret group of people with super powers unique to Nigeria, where she’s sent to train, however she’ll soon have to put her powers to the test against a battle between truth and lies.

Noor by Nnedi Okorafor

AO has never really felt...natural, and that's putting it lightly. Her parents spent most of the days before she was born praying for her peaceful passing because even in-utero she was "wrong". But she lived. Then came the car accident years later that crippled her even further. Yet instead of viewing her strange body the way the world views it, as freakish, unnatural, even the work of the devil, AO embraces all that she is: A woman with a ton of major and necessary body augmentations. And then one day she goes to her local market and everything goes wrong.

War Girls by Tochi Onyebuchi

In a war torn futuristic Nigeria ravaged by climate change and nuclear disasters, where the lucky ones have left the planet and those left survive using mechs, bionic limbs and artificial organs to protect against the harsh environment.

Two sisters dream of more, peace, hope and a future together, and they willing to fight an entire war to get there.

Akata Witch by Nnedi Okorafor

Twelve-year-old Sunny lives in Nigeria, but she was born American. Her features are African, but she's albino. She's a terrific athlete, but can't go out into the sun to play soccer. There seems to be no place where she fits in.

And then she discovers something amazing--she is a free agent with latent magical power. Soon she's part of a quartet of magic students, studying the visible and invisible, learning to change reality. But will it be enough to help them when they are asked to catch a career criminal who knows magic too?

Lagoon by Nnedi Okorafor

When a massive object crashes into the coast of Lagos, 3 peoples life are intertwined, Adaora the marine biologist, Anthony a rapper famous through Africa and Agu a troubled solider.

In a race against time to save a country they love and the world itself.

[battyaboutbooksreviews]

💖 Sapphic Books Coming Out October 2024

🩷 Good afternoon, bookish bats. By now, you know that sweet, sapphic romance books have a special place in my heart. Here are only a few of the amazing sapphic books hitting shelves in October 2024.

💖 Which ones are you adding to your TBR?

Contemporary 💖 Stand Up! - Tori Sharp 💖 I'll Be Gone for Christmas - Georgia K. Boone 💖 Haunt Your Heart Out - Amber Roberts 💖 Most Wonderful - Georgia Clark 💖 Make the Season Bright - Ashley Herring Blake 💖 Make My Wish Come True - Rachael Lippincott & Alyson Derrick 💖 How Does That Make You Feel, Magda Eklund? - Anna Montague 💖 Turning Twelve - Kathryn Ormsbee & Molly Brooks 💖 Sweet Home Alabarden Park - T.J. O'Shea 💖 Lucy, Uncensored - Mel Hammond & Teghan Hammond 💖 New Horizons - Shia Woods 💖 Writ of Love - Cassidy Crane 💖 What It Meant to Survive - Mala Kumar

Fantasy 💖 Metal from Heave - August Clarke 💖 Whispers Most Foul - Emma MacDonald 💖 Fang Fiction - Kate Stayman-London 💖 House of Frank - Kay Synclaire 💖 The Ghostwing's Lie - Rebecca Mix 💖 This Dark Paradise - Erin Luken 💖 Chai Jinxed - Emi Pinto 💖 The Bloodless Princes - Charlotte Bond 💖 Skysong - C.A. Wright 💖 The Forbidden Book - Sacha Lamb 💖 Until We Shatter - Kate Dylan 💖 Witchwood - Kalyn Josephson

Paranormal/Horror 💖 Haunting Melody - Chloe Spencer 💖 All the Hearts You Eat - Hailey Piper 💖 The Bloodred Moon - H. Noah 💖 Strange Beasts - Susan J. Morris 💖 Feast While You Can - Mikaella Clements & Onjuli Datta

Historical 💖 Women's Hotel - Daniel M. Lavery 💖 I Shall Never Fall in Love - Hari Conner 💖 Outlaw Hearts - Lori G. Matthews

Mystery/Thriller 💖 Staying the Course - Rebecca K Jones 💖 Long Time Gone - Hannah Martian 💖 Johnny-Boy - A. F. Carter 💖 This Ends Now - T.M. Payne

Sci-Fi 💖 On Vicious Worlds - Bethany Jacobs 💖 Sargassa - Sophie Burnham 💖 Villain - Natalie Zina Walschots

[studiolemonboy]

Mutants of Cherry Creek (pt 2)

Some MORE mutated critters from my YA lovecraftian horror comic set in 90s New England.

Mutagenic ooze is seeping into the town of Cherry Creek and mutating normal New England wildlife into terrifying monsters. The Cherry Creek Middle School Paranormal Investigation Club sets out to discover, catalogue, and tame all of the mutated cryptids and hopefully find the source of the toxic ooze before it permanently infects everything (and everyone) in town.

Northern Short Tailed Shrew — one of only a few venomous mammals

Brown and Black Bears - walk on two legs, climb trees, intelligent

Eastern Crayfish - present in the fossil record for at least 300 million years Eastern

Moose - huge but stealthy

Eastern Newt (Red Eft) — can secrete a strong smelling chemical from glands in its skin

At first, the animals just seem weird, strange, a little “off”. Over time, exposure to the ooze causes these creatures to get bigger, meaner, and much more dangerous. (all the beginning stage creatures shown here are newly mutated, their final stages are after only a few weeks of exposure)

I also love folklore and cryptids and I really love the idea of this club of dorky middle school cryptid hunters assigning names like “bigfoot”, “mothman”, and “hodag” to these monsters so can try and contextualize something they don’t really understand. Soon the club realizes these aren’t fun isolated critters but symptoms much larger impending ecological disaster!

I picture it like pokemon evolution, going from a cute water turtle to a kaiju which is a lot for a ten year old to handle.

Which is your favorite? What cryptid would you wanna see? What animal should I “Cryptify” next? lmk what you think!

[qbdatabase]

10 Trans Sci-Fi Titles

Welcome, astronauts and stowaways! Here are 10 Science Fiction books with transgender and nonbinary characters to help get you started on Trans Rights Readathon 💜📚💜

[pinkeoni]

character is in danger =/= character is going to die

[hezzabeth]

"Really, Queen Victoria? You have some sort of AI in your breasts?" Revati asked, rolling her eyes.

"This human had nano beauty bots installed fourteen years ago, similar to the ones constantly cleaning your teeth," the alien AI voice stated, using the queen's vocal cords.

"Cute party trick. Is the queen still alive in there?" Revati asked.

"This body's consciousness has been removed," the AI replied.

"Is that your plan then? Are you here to steal everyone's bodies and use them as batteries?" Revati asked.

Normally, whenever the Queen spoke, her face was constantly shifting between annoyed scowls and semi-amused smirks. This creature, however, didn't seem to know how faces worked. The lips were expanding upwards, showing far too many teeth. The eyes were too wide.

"No, the spider is here for the weapon. Let us take it, and we shall leave your colony to die off," the AI replied, cocking its head to one side.

"Fine, take it and leave," Revati replied, throwing her solar flare gun at the queen's weapon.

"That is not the weapon. Give us the weapon, or we shall hijack your teeth," the queen said.

"My teeth don't have cleaning bots! My mother makes me chew fresh basil and peppermint," Revati snapped back before picking up her gun and aiming it at the queen's chest. There was only enough charge left for one more shot. Revati realized wasting it twice before was probably a terrible idea. Sometimes the best thing to do was run, and Revati bolted around the corner as fast as her boots could carry her. Every few seconds, she could hear the queen's heavy footsteps. Revati's breath grew ragged with fear. There was no real escape.

"Just give us the weapon! All will be forgiven," screamed the queen from two rows away. Revati skidded to a stop when she realized she had reached the Maze's glowing balloon stand. The balloon stand was nothing more than an empty gold cart covered in red playing card decals. Back before the tornado, all the children in the park would play hide and go seek. Revati hid so often inside the balloon cart that Dityaa would find her within seconds.

The footsteps were coming closer, feet crunching upon gravel. Revati hauled herself up onto the cart, and it wobbled dangerously under her weight. Carefully, she slid inside, closing the cart's door behind her. Years had passed, and she barely fit inside. There was a small crack in front of her, a hole that had once been used to attach the machine that filled balloons with glowing gas. Revati peered through it, breathing quietly, and watched as the queen's feet crunched on the pebbles in pretty stained slippers. Suddenly, the queen's feet stopped, her dress skirts falling and landing on the rocks.

"Do you have the weapon?" The AI voice asked. Revati slowly opened the top of the cart and peeked out. Dityaa was standing in front of the Queen, pretty and confused, still wearing her ballgown from the night before. Her carefully styled hair had fallen down her shoulders in chaotic indigo curls. Her shoulder still had a smudge of the peculiar moss on it. If Dityaa was anyone else, she would have looked like someone who had just rolled out of bed, or possibly a ditch. Instead, Dityaa looked like a lost woodland nymph.

"It's you, the weapon," the AI said flatly, and Dityaa glanced behind her shoulder.

"I'm sorry, Your Highness, but I have no idea what you're referring to. I'm on my way to meet the Duke," Dityaa giggled before trying to brush past the Queen as politely as possible.

"Dityaa, run!" Revati screamed, and the queen's arms moved with a flash. In a moment of sudden violence, the hands closed tightly around Dityaa's throat. The fingers, firm and unyielding, pressed relentlessly against her skin, constricting the airway with a ruthless intent. Revati crawled out of the cart, grabbed one of the pebbles on the path, and threw it at the queen's head. The queen barely reacted when the rock struck her temples. Instead, the knuckles on her hand grew white as Dityaa gasped violently, her eyes rolling back into her head. Suddenly, Dityaa blinked, and her eyes glowed an eerie blue.

The queen gasped, staggering backward, her hands flying to her chest. Black gritty sand was pouring out of the front of her cleavage, spilling down her white bodice. The queen's eyes widened with shock before she fell face-first onto the pebbles. Dityaa, meanwhile, sat down on pebbles, rubbing her throat, a terrified expression on her face.

"Did you do that?" Revati asked, and Dityaa nodded.

"How the hell did you do that?" Revati shrieked, and Dityaa shrugged her shoulders before bursting into dry tears.

"It's alright, Dityaa," Revati said absently, leaning down to pat her shoulder. Like most children born after the appliance war, Dityaa and Revati had their tear ducts genetically altered. It was done to prevent emotional crying, which was seen as a dangerous hazard. Dityaa still tried to cry all the time, however, his noisy crying with a dried-up red face.

Revati went to examine the queen. The queen's chest, which now looked blotchy and wrinkled, was rising and falling.

"Well, she's not dead! What is this stuff? Black mold? Did AI figure out how to weaponize killer mushrooms?" Revati asked, trying to make sense of the entire situation.

Dityaa crawled towards the queen, wiping her dry eyes.

"It's creatrix sand. You were too little to remember, but this was how we used to make everything in the city," Dityaa said, her voice whispery soft and croaking.

"Really? I thought creatrix sand would be prettier and glowing," Revati replied, checking her pulse.

"I could see the robots in her skin, I could see them made out of creatrix sand," Dityaa whispered, stunned.

Queen Victoria's eyes fluttered open.

"I was dead!" she screeched, sitting up.

"I don't think 'dead' is the right word. Your body was hijacked by an AI device," Revati said, helping the queen stand up.

"I know what I saw! I was floating above the infinite cosmic heart of space and time," the queen snapped back, still looking startled.

"Really? When Dad died, we put his soul in a storage drive," Revati said.

"I don't have access to one of those! I was floating through all of human history! It was ghastly," the queen cried, and she wobbled a bit as if getting used to her feet before walking off.

"Where are you going?" Revati demanded to know.

"I know where the crack in the walls is! I'm going to fix it before my guards with cyber hearing implants go on a rampage," the queen said before storming off.

That left Revati alone with Dityaa, who was rubbing her bruised neck.

"So, someone's tried to kill you twice in twenty-four hours," Revati pointed out, both horrified and amused by the entire situation.

"It's not funny! Someone must object to the Duke's feelings for me," Dityaa choked, and Revati shook her head.

[humanoidhistory]

June Brigman art from The Antimatter Universe, 1994, a Choose Your Own Adventure book by Edward Packard.

[shouldntbeaskingmyselfwhy]

Reading List 2024!!!

Trick Mirror* by Jia Tolentino

Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros

Bliss Montage* by Ling Ma

Iron Flame by Rebecca Yarros

All Systems Red* by Martha Wells

The Violin Conspiracy by Brendan Slocumb

A Touch of Darkness by Scarlett St. Clair

King of Battle and Blood by Scarlett St. Clair

Wild Women and the Blues* by Denny S. Bryce

The Revenge of the Radioactive Lady* by Elizabeth Stuckey-French

A Touch of Ruin by Scarlett St. Clair

A Touch of Malice by Scarlett St. Clair

From Blood and Ash by Jennifer L. Armentrout

Queen of Myth and Monsters by Scarlett St. Clair

A Kingdom of Flesh and Fire by Jennifer L. Armentrout

Rules of Civility by Amor Towles

One's Company* by Ashley Hutson

The Crown of Gilded Bones by Jennifer L. Armentrout

Daisy Jones and the Six* by Taylor Jenkins Reid

Severance by Ling Ma

The Other Half* by Charlotte Vassell

Sorcery of Thorns by Margaret Rogerson

The Martian by Andy Weir

The Liars' Club* by Mary Karr

Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir

Artificial Condition by Martha Wells

Sourdough by Robin Sloan

A Darker Shade of Magic* by V.E. Schwab

Beautyland by Marie-Helene Bertino

The Secret Life of the Universe: An Astrobiologist's Search for the Origins and Frontiers of Life by Nathalie A. Cabrol

My First Book by Honor Levy*

An Academy for Liars by Alexis Henderson

Faebound by Saara El-Arifi

Rogue Protocol by Martha Wells

Extremely Online: The Untold Story of Fame, Influence, and Power on the Internet by Taylor Lorenz*

When Among Crows by Veronica Roth

Fire Exit by Morgan Talty

Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno-Garcia*

* books for my zoom book club

my favorites are in bold :)

[sobcomix]

HEY I DREW A WHOLE DANG BOOK?!?

What a weird sentence to write, but it's true! I got to draw a really fun graphic novel written by Archie Bongiovanni, called Teleportation and Other Luxuries!

"In a cutthroat scientific competition, an oddball quartet—featuring an internet-famous teen heartthrob, a rebellious anarchist, a shy genius, and a small-town jack-of-all-trades—vie for victory while their clash of personalities and hidden agendas threatens to sabotage their chances to win, making them realize maybe victory isn’t what they truly seek." It's my first full graphic novel, and what a blast it was to do! ALSO, the whole team on this book is just knocking it out of the park at every turn, can't wait to get my mits on it when it's out <3 consider pre-ordering it here!

Release Date: 11/12/24 (bookstores) | 11/13/24 (comic shops)

[halfbakedspuds]

Thanks to @illarian-rambling for the tag!

OC assumption tag

Share one of your characters' name and a quote from them with zero context and let your followers (or other people who stumble upon your post) make assumptions about said character. You can post about more than one character but only one quote for each one for things to stay out of context.

I'll do this for the little unnamed WIP I've been writing scenes for that probably won't turn into anything.

Adam

"See this? This is a master directive disc. Simply put, I slot it into the master computer, flick the switch, et vóila: every Vellassian positronic matrix from here to Nordren gets updated instantly.

Now, you buggers have been a real big thorn in my side for longer than I realistically should've allowed, so I say we do something about that by pushing the following new directives: violence against thy neighbours; violence against thyself; violence against the very gods, art and nature!

Heark! The choir, and let. there. be. war!"

Wayn Vakasa

"Oh it's absolutely your fault, captain 'We cannot stop to hunt while on the run, Wayn'.

Oh look at me! I'm the big, scary man from Earth gods-know-what and I know better than the Kachatanu wild-woman who's survived off the land for seventeen years.

...Yeah, I've had my fun. You were saying?"

James Holden

"Hey. Hey! Look at me! This right here? This is full fucking tilt. If I push 'er any harder then our next stop will be five layers deep into hell, so why don't you take that little rifle of yours and make yourself useful while I focus on stopping the engine from turning into a pile of slag at whatever unholy speed we've achieved.

Come now, chop-chop,"

Mari Demouchet

"Right. Other worlds. Magic. I'm pretty goddamn sure I just saw a robot catcalling a toaster but I could be wrong.

Fuck man, I... I-I need to get some fresh air, 'cause this is either a drug induced psychosis and I'm actually lying in some dingey-ass storage container where some... thing is getting ready to root around in my noggin for whatever makes me different, or this is actually real and at this point I genuinely don't know which is scarier,"

Tagir Aslan

"Just breathe, moy drug, breathe. Crossing over is a massive system shock, I know, but you're not doing yourself or us any favours by working yourself up.

I am serious: adrenaline entering your bloodstream at this moment could actually make your heart explode.

Relax, it is a joke. No seriously, relax, I wasn't joking about stress still being incredibly dangerous to you at this moment."

Cerberus

"Get dressed. Do not step in front of me, and avoid mirrors so that you're not in my line of sight. Do not under any circumstances allow me to see you. You may speak, and ask questions. Do I make myself abundantly clear, child?"

Adair Holden

"Oh, and Eleven? If you see the boy, would you kindly kill him for me? Redundancy must serve a purpose, and he no longer does.

It's a shame though, his mind showed so much promise... but, Kazra deals all hands, and unfortunately he was dealt no spine for what is required of him,"

No pressure tag for @honeybewrites, @thatoneterrariaplayer, @oh-no-another-idea, @orion-lacroix and anyone else who wants in.

[surroundedbypearls]

Untouchable like a distant diamond sky I'm reaching out and I just can't tell you why I'm caught up in you I'm caught up in you. -Untouchable, Taylor Swift

“Stop moving. You’ll ruin it.” “Sorry.” Catherine’s voice was light and bubbly as she tried to stifle her giggles, a streak of dark eyeliner across her cheek. It was a little sparkly for Margot, but it was Catherine’s favourite, so Catherine got it. She reached for the makeup wipes and picked up her shiny coral compact mirror, wiping the black mark away. A half-full glass of white wine sat on her vanity, next to Margot’s stout glass of vanilla rum and ice. Margot was against the whole party idea from the beginning, but it beat staring at her family all night. Catherine took a delicate sip of her wine, her manicured nails drumming against the vanity when she put the glass back down again. “Okay, okay. I’ll behave.” She turned back to her, and her eyes were like liquid gold. Margot leaned in close as the light on the vanity flickered, tilting Catherine’s head to the left and stroking the liner carefully across her upper lid. She kept it slim, with gentle and delicate touches here and there, finishing with the tiniest of wings. Everything with Catherine had to be delicate, pristine. It had to be perfect for her.

The whimsy of this song is very Catherine-adjacent, even if the above excerpt is from Margot's POV. It's the same relationship.

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