#seven seas airship

[ahb-writes]

Book Review: 'I'm the Evil Lord of an Intergalactic Empire' #5

I'm the Evil Lord of an Intergalactic Empire #5 by Yomu Mishima, Nadare Takamine, Amy Osteraas

adventure

coming of age

military school

nobility

science fiction

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Finally, some legitimate castle intrigue.

Liam may act like a bit of an idiot from time to time, but he also shows flashes of considerable political fortitude and military badassery. I'M THE EVIL LORD OF AN INTERGALACTIC EMPIRE v5 fully delivers to readers an evolved Liam who is educated, experienced, and an uncompromising noble with plenty of money and influence behind his unpredictable interests. Forming trading alliances with other intergalactic nations? Fearlessly muscling into conversation with the Algrand Empire's top princes vying for the throne? Picking up waifish young women while out on a leisurely stroll? Challenging one of the empires most established warriors to one-on-one combat? If Liam isn't careful, he might actually live up his imaginary reputation of being a bad guy.

Following his tenure of military service, Liam enters another educational stint. But before he wraps up his schooling endeavors and returns to his domain to start ruling in earnest, the young man gets it in his head to start screwing around with the Empire's politics. And why not? Some opportunities are too good to waste. It turns out the quest for succession is tight. Crown Prince Calvin is on top, closely followed by the tempestuous second prince, Linus, and the all but forgotten third prince, Cleo. Liam, naturally, throws his weight behind the meek and disempowered third prince.

EVIL LORD v5 tracks the fallout.

Whether Liam can successfully install a puppet emperor is a question for another day. For now, readers must be content with the reality that Liam has joyously assembled a new rogues gallery for himself. Nobles despise him. Royalty dreads him. Knights panic at his name. Liam takes pleasure in staring down those who underestimate him, no matter their station ("You can't just summon me and force me to swear my allegiance to you," page 82). The funniest example occurs when he meets Cleo Noah Albareto, the third prince, and flashes a cunning smile to his personal guard. The female guard's blood runs cold.

Curiously, while these troubles are of Liam's own making, the author takes to validating Liam's paranoia with actual intrigue. The Empire's highest ranks are indeed scheming to run the young count into the ground with financial sanctions. Figures in the shadows are indeed hoping the the young man mysteriously vanishes through the work of assorted assassins for hire. EVIL LORD v5 skillfully meshes Liam's affection for expanding his political and economic influence with the rest of the nobility's unmitigated uncertainty and caution.

For example, Liam dispatches his various merchant buddies to neighboring nations: the Intergalactic Rustwarr Union (a democratic alliance) and the United Kingdom Of Oxys (a fragmented nobility system). Hard-bargaining and undercover work reveal some black-market shenanigans and a few easily corrupted officials, some of which may work in the young count's favor.

Altogether, EVIL LORD v5 is the payoff this novel series deserves. The current volume features a lot of fantastic, smaller narrative elements, which, in combination, drive the novel series forward with cleverness and alacrity:

A casual discussion on gender parity and gender expression is later validated by characters experimenting with transitioning. Commentary on individual character disposition gains greater clout when Liam learns he has yet another devoted knight with a "bad personality," in Chengsi Sera Tohrei, who adores violence as much as Tia and Marie. A brutal, extended fight scene turns even more chaotic when a so-called swordmaster shows up and starts tearing through Liam's personnel, only for the hero evil lord to step in at the last moment. And finally, Liam's perpetual calm, while under threat from the Empire, earns admiration among other planetary rulers in the outskirts ("I was a true villain, so it was natural that other villains would gather around me," page 157).

❯ ❯ Light-Novel Reviews

[engshoujosei]

The Most Heretical Last Boss Queen: From Villainess to Savior (Novel)

4 volumes in English as of 4/18/2023. Ongoing.

Licensed by Seven Seas

This award-winning otome isekai series stars a final boss who decides to ditch the whole "villainess" schtick and use her powers to protect--not destroy--the people of her kingdom! Don't miss the manga, also from Seven Seas, or the upcoming anime! Pride Royal Ivy is only eight years old when she realizes that she’s been reincarnated, destined to become the future wicked queen and final boss of an otome game. She’s got it all in this new life: razor-sharp wit, boss-tier powers, and influence over the kingdom as crown princess. Determined to sow despair and destruction across the land, she… Wait, what kind of a rotten future is that?! Princess Pride decides to drop the maniacal villainess act and protect the male love interests instead, cheating her way to saving everyone she can! Will this final boss end up earning the adoration of her kingdom? ��

Related Series

The Most Heretical Last Boss Queen: From Villainess to Savior (Manga, licensed by Seven Seas)

Status in Country of Origin

6 Volumes (Ongoing)

Tags:

Adapted to Anime

Adapted to Manga

Adoption

Age Gap

European Ambience

Fast Growth

Healing Power

Heroine/s

Isekai

Knight/s

Memories of Past Life

Reincarnated as the Villain/ess

Reincarnated in an Otome Game

Reverse Harem

Royalty

Scenario Deviation

Teleportation

Villainess/es

Web Novel

[toeydbootzandcatz]

Also…theme for my current October TBR area is spooky options! Haha. I definitely won’t start all of these (still have 2 of these novels in progress as well 😅) but I wanted to put anything Halloween-like that I hadn’t read yet on this nightstand.

I just happen to be on this next volume of Ranma for my re-read, which is orange, has a moon, and basically a costume??

I saw other people online leverage a random number generator to help pick things off their TBR, so I wanted to give it a shot. First hit was the Noragami omnibus 😂

[torpublishinggroup]

Celebrate Pride with Tor Publishing Group!

Rakesfall by @adamantine

They met as children in the middle of the Sri Lankan civil war. Later, in a demon-haunted wood, an act of violence linked them and propelled their souls on a journey through the ages. As they reincarnate ever deeper into the future, a truth emerges: Some stories take more than one lifetime to tell.

Running Close to the Wind by @ariaste

In this queer pirate fantasy, Avra Helvaçi has accidentally stolen the single most expensive secret in the world. To avoid capture, he flees to the open sea, where only his on-again, off-again ex aka pirate Captain Teveri az-Ḥaffār can help him survive, profit, and become a legend.

Cuckoo by Gretchen Felker-Martin

Something evil is buried deep in the desert. It wants your body and wears your skin. Welcome to Camp Resolution, a queer conversion center where everyone leaves a different person. In 1995, seven queer teens were abandoned here by their parents, but survived. Sixteen years later, they’re scarred and broken, but back to face an evil that threatens the world. 

Kinning by Nisi Shawl

In this alternate history where barkcloth airships soar and former colonies claim freedom from imperialist tyrants, the identity of the island of Everfair still wavers. Victorious in the wake of the Great War, a new threat looms. Can Everfair continue to serve as a symbol of hope for anticolonial movements around the world, or will it fall to forces within and without? 

Can’t Spell Treason Without Tea by @rebeccathornewrites

Can one of the Queen’s private guard and the most powerful mage in existence leave their lives behind to settle down in their new bookshop that serves tea? This cozy fantasy is steeped in sapphic romance and nestled on the edge of dragon country. 

The Fragile Threads of Power by V. E. Schwab

Once there were four worlds, nestled like pages in a book, each pulsing with fantastical power and connected by a single city: London. After a desperate attempt to prevent corruption and ruin in the four Londons, there are only three. Now the worlds are going to collide anew—brought to a dangerous precipice by the discoveries of three remarkable magicians.

Now available in paperback!

The Archive Undying by @emcandon

This is a story about misplaced faith, complicated love, so much self-loathing, and yeah—giant robots. Plugged into his AI god when its apocalyptic corruption renders him unfortunately immortal, sad gay disaster Sunai takes a die-again-or-die-trying approach to things. Unending life’s tough when intimacy is somehow scarier even than either of the warring police states set on turning you into a weapon or the rogue undead mecha-fragment of your old god that wants to eat you. 

Now available in paperback!

The Bell in the Fog by Lev AC Rosen

A dazzling historical mystery that dives into the shadowy, closeted world of the Navy, emerging in the gay bars of the city. It’s a whirlpool of missing people, violent strangers, and scandalous photos in 1952 San Francisco. 

Now available in paperback!

Celebrate Pride with more titles from Tor Publishing Group here!

[emhoover]

This is my fan translation of Kairi Seidouitusei Shougai no Chiguhagu na Hibi by Tokin! I love this manga so much. It’s a wonderful autobiography about DID and a representation with a tone we don’t usually get in English. Tokin-sensei gave me permission to translate the prologue and share it with an English audience because I know so many people would want to read it! I am not going to translate the entire text, but I do really really want to encourage people to submit it in this month’s Seven Seas interest survey!! Please help support Tokin-sensei’s wonderful work!

(Submitting with the Japanese title I wrote above or a link to this post would be best for clarity, my English title is not a literal translation)

[harocat]

Seven Seas has announced at Anime NYC that they’ve licensed for their Airship imprint Jiu Lu Fei Xiang’s Love Between Fairy and Devil ( x )

Absolutely insane news you all.

[selkie-tea]

Hey so seven seas is doing their monthly survey asking for suggestions for things to license and I’m just SAYING that it would be REALLY COOL if enough people requested the Suemitsu Kenichi’s TRUMP series so we could not only get physical editions of the manga but also the short stories and the new novel as well 👀👀👀

[doctorbunny]

Attention people who want the milgram novels to get official English Releases!

Seven seas entertainment have put out their 2023 licencing survey: They are a publishing company looking to see what manga and light novels (and danmei and webtoon and any non-English web fiction) people want to see published

If you fill out this google form (don't worry you don't need to fill out every box, I didn't have any comedy manga recommendations or know of any danmei at all) You can reccommend the two milgram light novels MILGRAM: The experiment prison and the guard girl (MILGRAM 実験監獄と看守の少女) and MILGRAM 2: The justified, virtuous murders (MILGRAM２ 正当な善なる殺人)

Obviously, just fill it out once, no need for spamming, but hopefully if enough of us talk about the series, they might look into translating it and making it available to buy in English

[whencyclopedia]

Dowding System

Britain's integrated air defence system in the Second World War (1939-45), known as the Dowding System after the air chief marshal of that name, included code-breakers, radar stations, observers, searchlights, barrage balloons, anti-aircraft guns, and fighter planes. Working together through a combined operations centre, these various elements ensured that the German Air Force could be better tracked and intercepted, and so, the Dowding System helped win the Battle of Britain.

Air Chief Marshal Hugh Dowding (1882-1970), commander-in-chief of RAF Fighter Command, had been determined to improve Britain's air defences in the interwar years, starting with the idea for a design competition for new fighter planes, the winners being the Hawker Hurricane and Supermarine Spitfire. In 1936, Dowding was appointed head of the RAF's Fighter Command. The position meant that Dowding controlled the operation of fighter planes, Anti-Aircraft Command (which operated flak guns and searchlights), Balloon Command (which handled anti-aircraft barrage balloons), a thousand units of early warning volunteer observers, and over 50 radar stations, a new technology Dowding had supported the development of. All of these elements would combine into what became popularly known as the Dowding System of air defence, which permitted the early detection and reception of enemy aircraft flying over Britain.

Integrated Defence

Britain's integrated air defence system (IADS) was created on 1 May 1936 after German aggression in Europe first became evident with the reoccupation of the Rhineland in March that year. The idea of pooling resources for air defence went back to the First World War (1914-18) when Germany had bombed Britain using such aircraft as Zeppelin airships. The Air Defence of Great Britain (ADGB) had lapsed in the 1920s but was now revived and expanded. The Dowding System eventually consisted of seven parts:

the fighter plane squadrons of RAF Fighter Command

the anti-aircraft artillery of Anti-Aircraft Command

the searchlights of the Royal Engineers

the lookouts of the Royal Observer Corps

static barrage balloons to deter air attacks on important sites

static and mobile radar stations

Ultra military intelligence

The first IADS covered southern England, the north and west of England, and Scotland. Volunteers of the Observer Corps scanned the skies for enemy planes and reported sightings by telephone to a local reporting centre, which in turn contacted the Operations Centre Head Quarters. Spotters at the sites with AA artillery and searchlight units did the same. With Britain's airspace divided into a massive grid, plotters at HQ could track home and enemy aircraft, making updates every five minutes. This was all well and good, but there were two fundamental weaknesses in the system. The first was that enemy aircraft would only be spotted as they approached the coast where the Observer Corps was positioned. The second was that in cloudy weather or at night, enemy planes would be able to enter Britain's air space unobserved. These problems now seemed very important to solve quickly. Britain had declared war on Germany in September 1939 following the latter's invasion of Poland. By 1940, Germany had marched through the Low Countries, British forces had abandoned the Continent in the Dunkirk evacuation, and France had fallen. A German invasion of Britain (Operation Sea Lion) looked imminent, and it would surely be preceded by the Luftwaffe (German Air Force) attacking Britain's airfields and strategically important industries as it tried to gain air superiority. Fortunately for Britain, technology came to the rescue with a new and highly secret 'weapon' that proved decisive in the coming air battle, the Battle of Britain, officially dated as 10 July to 31 October 1940 by the Air Ministry.

Continue reading...

[yupthatsoundsright]

Hey everyone participate in the Seven Seas licensing poll to let them know we want Love Bullet

[benchspkmnirlhub]

Obleta Basic Setting Info

A (relatively) short rundown of the steampunk-Great Ace Attorney-Pokemon Mystery Dungeon setting of @obletadetective.

There are seven main areas in Obleta: The Summer Continent, the Autumn Continent, the Winter Continent, the Spring Continent, the Monsoon Continent, the Harmatta Continent, and the Sea of Seasons.

There are sapient Pokemon-like robots known as "automatons", powered by Z-crystals. They used to not have the same rights as bio Pokemon, but around the time of the fourth model type of them was being produced, that changed, and now they have the same rights as any other Pokemon. The eighth model type of automatons is currently being produced.

Arceus is compeltely unknown to the world of Obleta. Instead, Volcanion is seen as the "head legendary" of the world, and is commonly referred to as the Great Inventor.

Most towns in Obleta are named after machine parts. Fulcrum City, Gear Port, and so on. Engine City is the largest city on the Summer Continent.

As it is a steampunk world, many, many things in Obleta are powered by steam, from airships to elevators to carriages.

Mystery dungeons exist, and follow the same rules as canon PMD, with my additional worldbuilding attached.

There are things called "Artifacts", that allow one to travel to other worlds. However, most of them are locked up in high security vaults. But if you know the right Pokemon, it's possible to get your paws on one.

There's two major criminal organizations on the Summer Continent: The Pizza Mafia and the Sandwich Mafia. Each prefers to only deal out their namesake's food, and if you find a pizza shop or sandwich shop, chances are that it belongs to one of the two mobs.

Time Gears exist in Obleta.

That's about all the major things I can think of off the top of my head.

If you want to make a character for Obleta, please let me know! I'd absolutely love to see more people using my setting!

[ahb-writes]

"I could take my subjects' hard-earned tax money and throw it around on whatever I so desired. If that wasn't evil, I don't know what was."

"Liam Sera Banfield" (I'm the Evil Lord of an Intergalactic Empire #3 by Yomu Mishima)

[engshoujosei]

7th Time Loop: The Villainess Enjoys a Carefree Life Married to Her Worst Enemy! (Light Novel)

2 volumes (in English as of 4/16/2023, ongoing)

Licensed by Seven Seas

Reincarnation drama gets sent into overdrive in this tale full of romance and scheming–and don’t miss the manga adaptation, also from Seven Seas! Being reborn once may sound impressive, but Rishe is already on her seventh time around! She has had all kinds of excitement in her previous lives, from peddling goods as a merchant to locking blades as a knight, so now she’s determined to kick back and enjoy. But to savor the high life, she first has to marry the handsome prince…the same one who happens to be her murderer! It will take six-plus lifetimes of experience and skills for Rishe to break the time loop and make her extravagant dreams come true!

Related Series:

7th Time Loop: The Villainess Enjoys a Carefree Life Married to Her Worst Enemy! (Manga Adaptation, licensed by Seven Seas)

Status in Country of Origin 

4 Volumes (Ongoing)

Tags:

Adapted to Manga

Aristocrat/s

Broken Engagement

Capable Female Lead

Emperor-to-be

Enemies Become Lovers

European Ambience

Fantasy World

Future Plays a Big Role

Intelligent Protagonist

Male Lead Falls in Love First

Marriage Proposal

Past Life/ves Play/s a Big Role

Repeating one life many times

Ruthless Male Lead

Smart Couple

Swordsman

Swordswoman

Time Loop

Time Rewind

Villainess/es

[richincolor]

New Releases

Just two books for this holiday week. Which look appealing to you?

Love & Resistance by Kara H.L. Chen

Quill Tree Books

Seventeen-year-old Olivia Chang is at her fourth school in seven years. Her self-imposed solitude is lonely, but safe. At Plainstown High, however, Olivia’s usual plan of anonymity fails when the infamous Mitzi Clarke (influencer, queen bee, bully) makes a pointed racist comment in class. Olivia knows what she must do: let it go. But Olivia is tired of ignoring things just so she can survive. This time, she defends herself.

That is the end of her invisible life.

Soon, Olivia discovers, and joins forces with, the Nerd Net: a secret society who has been thwarting Mitzi’s reign of terror for months. Together, they plan to unite the masses and create true change at Plainstown High.

But in order to succeed, Olivia must do something even more terrifying than lead a movement: trust other people. She might even make true friends along the way . . . if Mitzi doesn’t destroy her first.

Rebel Fire by Ann Sei Lin

The second in a pacy and lyrical fantasy adventure trilogy set in a world of flying ships, sky cities and rebel uprisings.

Kurara and her shipmates have escaped the grasp of the princess, whose wish to control and command them as her own human shikigami would be a fate worse than death. Travelling through the forests and across the seas of Mikoshima, they finally the Grand Stream, where their old airship – and old enemies – await.

Both parties seek the greatest shikigami of all: Suzaku, a paper phoenix. But will it be saved – or destroyed?

[gatheredfates]

SYSTEMS, ENGINES & RECONNAISSANCE SERVICE | Evelyn Rivers

Do you want to read all of my FFXIVWrite prompts? You can do that here!

CLEAR. free of cloud, mist, or rain.

The sun was shining, the birds were singing, and Evelyn Rivers was waking up from a stupor.

Or, if you were to ask her, a bender — to which she would sigh and say not a lot of people bothered, meaning they missed out on her pearls of wisdom such as a myriad of ways to people to fuck off and weird techniques on how to brew moonshine out the back of a boat. Nevertheless, when the announcement rang clear through Ul’dah’s airship hangar that they were expecting a record sandstorm, thus all the air travel was promptly grounded, she seriously considered just how long she might be banned for if she decided to bugger it and break the rules. One quick assessment of both her liquor cabinet and the weather both, a strange kind of common sense broke through that risked her liver rather than her life.

Yes, she knew her liver was connected to her life. Not the point. Something, something, lesser of two evils.

“SERS —” She croaked from beneath a small pile of glass bottles, sea-glass green and tinkling as she moved. When she received no answer, she wet her lips with her tongue and spoke louder.

“SERS! Oh for fuck sake, why do I have this stupid —”

“Hello, Designation Evelyn. How may I assist you?” A small screen to the right of her head illuminated, displaying the pixelated image of a fire. As the AI spoke, the flame wiggled back and forth in time with its tempo.

She tried to smash the first one, not realizing Firelight had installed at least six throughout her ship. Sometimes she liked to moon it, just in case someone was watching. 

“Took you fuckin’ long enough. What time is it?”

“It is exactly fourteen thirty seven.”

“Rhalgar’s fuckin’ nutsack — speak STUPID, SERS.”

“Ah! My apologies, Designation Evelyn. It is two thirty seven in the afternoon, if you’re going off local time.”

It was the afternoon? Huh. Last time she was awake she was singing along to her orchestrion and swinging around on her bed like she was a pole dancer. It was the little things. 

Eve pushed herself into a sitting position, smoothing jet-black hair out of her face as she squinted bleary-eyed at her surroundings. The interior of the Junker stared back, a hodgepodge of titanium, steel and carbon fibre; a physical and literal nest of blankets and shiny objects — most worth absolutely shit all. But they were her things, that was the most important, and she rubbed the sleep out of her eyes and let out a loud yawn.

“Fuck me, m’beat.” Though it felt weirdly still, all things considered. Her brow narrowed.

“SERS?”

“Yes, Designation Evelyn?”

“What’s th’ weather?”

“Today’s weather is warm with clear skies but, the evening should cool —”

“The weather is WHAT?” Her head snapped to attention to the pixelated hearth, not that it had the capacity to feel the knives in her stare. Oh no, SERS continued to speak amicably, as if though she had merely misheard or was unfortunately going insane.

“The weather is warm with clear skies —” “FOR FUCK SAKE, SERS!” Bottles went flying around her like dangerous confetti, clattering harmlessly across the floor as the woman staggered and bolted (as much as one could when they were hungover, though she still did have a bottle in her hand) towards the top deck. “Systems, Engines and Reconnaissance Service my fuckin’ ass cheek—”

“I am very sorry you are displeased with my service, Designation Evelyn. I sounded off the alarm every hour to try and inform you —”

Evelyn didn’t give a rats. Her hand slammed against the railing as she looked out towards the desert, where glittering sand stretched endlessly to a pale blue sky. Below, the multi-faceted jewel of Ul’dah reflected a thousand different colours like light caught in a diamond, and the highlander let out a loud scream of delight and threw her bottle clean off the side of her ship…

…And into a nearby window. Well, shit.

“Oops. SERS! SERS! IT’S TIME TO GO!”

[mangabookshelf]

Manga the Week of 9/25/24

SEAN: As September sinks slowly in the west, and our adorable children bring us all the fresh new colds they caught at school, what’s coming out? ASH: Fresh new manga! SEAN: Airship has the print debut of An Autumn in Amber, a Zero-Second Journey (Kohaku no Aki, 0-byō no Tabi), another book by Mei Hachimoku, Seven Seas’ resident “bittersweet sci-fi teen romance” author. Not sure if this is…