#there was this one really good steampunk series about exploration and i think the last one - or at least the third one?

[girlwiththegreenhat]

Do you have any fiction book recommendations?

One (1) (series)

[shinyzango]

So, about that "A Steampunk Carol" graphic novel...

I totally did not forget to make the post about it like I promised I am so sorry.

For those who are not familiar with it, long story short a while ago I came across a Kickstarter project for what seemed to be a steampunk adaptation of the Nutcracker story and was bummed that I missed out on it and wasn't able to support and secure a copy for myself, but a fella made me aware that it did actually get published in Italy a few years ago, and that it was sold on Amazon. And after discovering that there was literally only one copy left, I bought it on a whim to both read it and to hopefully attract more attention to it for reasons I'll discuss in just a bit.

I'm just going to say that I'm very back at writing reviews so apologies if this doesn't say anything at the end or if you didn't get the answers to your questions dkfjgn

Alright, now for the book itself.

First things first, the story. I won't go into details right now as I do not want to spoil folks in case this does get released in english to a wider public, but I can add a Spoilers section in the future where I explain in detail what happens if I get asked about it.

The story, like I said, is an adaptation of the Nutcracker And The Mouse King, but it is quite different in many elements, and spices things up quite a bit, especially after the introduction.

Sadly it feels quite rushed in its execution imo, I assume it's because they had to fit everything in a single volume. Which is a shame because there are many concepts and ideas that are very fascinating and interesting, both for the plot and for the characters themselves.

Speaking of the characters, they are quite unique and interesting.

The main kid, Caitlin, who is the Clara/Marie of the story, can be a little sassy, but she still feels grounded and has a good balance between putting down her foot and being nervous about the situation. I don't mind her character.

The Nutcracker, who is only called Schiaccia (just a shortened "Schiaccianoci" which is nutcracker in italian. I assume he's called Cracker in english if they kept that logic), feels solid. He's a loyal soldier, skilled but does show hints of insecurities. A good lad.

The mice are great as well, I'm really intrigued by the lore they cooked up for them, and the Mouse King is actually not bad, and I like what they did with his character.

There's also another supporting character, a tin soldier who goes by Sergeant Idle. He is basically a companion to the Nutcracker. He is basically a plot tool, helping with the backstory and moving the story forward, but not in a bad way. He's very enjoyable.

I would have loved to see them all explored further, but like I said it all feels rushed probably because it had to stick all in a single volume. I don't know if the authors ever considered this to become a series or if it's just a one-shot story, but I would honestly love to see this evolve into a series, if only because I love the characters and I would love to know more about the lore they cooked up for it more in detail, letting all the elements have the time to shine.

Moving on to the graphic...

I love Lorenza's art style. It looks very sketchy, with a clean roughness to it if that makes sense. And I really like all the designs of the characters.

(Apologies for the glares, I tried my hardest to limit them as much as possible. also ngl I'm giggling a little seeing how Schiaccia looks similar to my Hans skdfkjhn)

All in all, I really like this adaptation. It's unique and enjoyable, if only a little rushed.

Like I mentioned before, this was Kickstarted a while ago to get properly published in english. It was successfully funded and as far as I know, they're currently in the process of printing copies if not even shipping them for the backers. I still don't know if the folks at Last Ember Press are planning in making it available to purchase outsite the Kickstart, but I really hope so because I do think this deserves to be available to everyone.

[dinoburger]

Man, more magical wizard-y hijinks would've been awesome. Canonical magic is another piece of lore that gets overlooked often (imo) -- which isn't the end of the world, but there's so much untapped potential in it, yk? Lots of Halloweens to explore, magical misadventures to be had, WizardCons to crash, etc….

(To elaborate uninvited on the space stuff, just a smidge: the dubiously-canon existence of aliens in TF2's background lore -- namely with the True Meaning Comic, but also concerning the 2015 Invasion community update + Valve's early steampunk/sci-fi concept Invasion that eventually evolved into TF2 as we know it -- idk idk it haunts my brain. In a good, fun way. We've had so much time the explore all the mainline lore that I've gotten into picking at the scraps, lol. moving along)

… Admittedly (and from behind the veil of tumblr-anonymity), I've also felt kinda lukewarm at times about the comics' plot -- especially in these years following issue #6. I've been reserving judgment (somewhat) primarily because the story isn't done and it's hard to say whether or not opinions might change if/when issue #7 releases… but [imo] it really does feel like a string of disjointed action scenes and twists, somewhat at the expense of the characters' development?

Which, eh… considering Valve's signature brand of zaniness, as exemplified in both TF2 and their other IPs…… it's difficult [personally] to say what one "should have expected" out of a series of TF2 comics, ahaha. I just hope we all eventually see that seventh comic, at this point -- since Makani mentioned a while back that the crew still wanted to work on it.

Yeah, though, like you said -- different canons could've been hella neat (and a fun way to explore different facets of canon/in different directions). (I note that the game itself is said to be a ""documentary" video game" in the catch-up comic, which is an interesting way of hand-waving any lore snarls concerning cosmetics, voicelines, duplicate player classes, and all else.)

I'm still fascinated by your Administrator corkboard, by the way. I can't help but wonder if any of the characters that purportedly knew about her plans (Gray Mann + the senators at the Poopy Joe hearing, iirc) knew about the actual nature of what she was gathering Australium for, or if what they thought they knew was merely misinformation/misdirection. Not even Miss Pauling (or Dell?) seem to know what she's up to, and it makes her an absolute black box of a character, lmao. Like, if she used up all the Australium she'd gathered (while using the last of it to de-age herself for a grand total of an Hour, wow), then… was that it? Was that her actual intended goal, or is it an endpoint she's merely willing to come to terms with? Is there more of it stashed away somewhere that she simply cannot/will not access? She says she's craved whatever-this-all-is since she was a little girl, prolonged everything for as long as possible, and even thought she was done once (and evidently wasn't) -- but what does it mean? What does it all mean? (etc etc etc, and so the lore puzzling goes…)

… Anyway. I've been dying to talk about all of this for Actual IRL Years, so 😅 boom, multi-paragraph ask in your inbox, again,

-🍊

I've been trying to think of what to add to this except to say like, oh man yeah, I agree with what you're saying, absolutely

I think like, somehow having it wrap all the way back around to some of the established occult stuff would be awesome, especially considering the Mann family is at the heart of it all and there's lots of freaky magic stuff going on there - I kind of wish the Manns could've actually been more relevant too in some way (not biased at all)

and it is super interesting to learn about some of the other tidbits, I think the whole aliens thing completely slipped my mind but you're totally right

I really do appreciate it, I know like, God, it's easy for me to get stuck thinking in circles about this stuff so it's good to get fresh opinions, hahaha

[britesparc]

Weekend Top Ten #621

Top Ten Things I’d Like from the Next Civilization Game

So I think I’ve concluded my reminiscing for the time being, and now I can start just plucking ideas for lists from the ether instead. Back to business as usual, fun-fans!

This is a list that I’ve been planning to do for a little while, pushing it back from a pre-Christmas slot to, well, now. And yet somehow it’s become rather more timely and prescient thanks to our good friends at Microsoft.

So, Sid Meier’s Civilization VI has got to be one of my favourite games of all time. I say “got to” because it’s quite possible I’ve played it more than anything else in the world; certainly more than any game in the last twenty years. Maybe, just maybe, I spent more time with Lemmings 2: The Tribes or Duke Nukem 3D or Command & Conquer: Red Alert; but, y’know what, probably not. Between the Steam and Xbox releases I reckon I’ve clocked up close to two thousand hours playing this damn game, and I agree that’s slightly worrisome. As such – and because I’ve played, to a greater or lesser extent, every Civ game that came before as well as quite a few spin-offs or reinterpretations of the format – I’ve got quite a lot of ideas and opinions about what works well, what works less so, and what I’d like to see from a brand new Civ title.

Considering Civ VI came out in 2017, and they’ve released about two dozen expansions for it since then, I do think we’re getting very close to an announcement of Civ VII. If I had to put money on it I’d say the game will actually be announced this year for a 2025 (or very early 2026) release. As such, I did want to get ahead of the curve, so to speak, by doing this list; the things I really want out of a new Civ. I’ve tried to be quietly realistic, here, by suggesting new features or tweaks or gameplay modes, rather than reinventing the wheel (literally or figuratively) and wishing for something that wasn’t really a Civ game.

And like I say, all this is rather timely, because we’ve recently been given an extended look at Ara: History Untold, the Civ­-inspired 4X game from Microsoft that’s coming to PC later this year (and, I imagine, Xbox consoles next year). As a huge Civ fan, I’m really intrigued by new takes on the classic formula; what a brand new game can do that wouldn’t really be possible in Civ without breaking what people love about the formula. Here we see civilisations growing and evolving on what appears to be a dynamic, living world, coping with the natural world. We’re promised a bit more dynamism; they’re calling it an “alternate history” game, so I hope that means you can develop steam-powered rockets like some kind of steampunk Tony Stark, but I imagine it won’t go quite that far. All the same, it’s interesting to see what new wrinkles they’re going to explore within a relatively similar framework. I do worry, however, that however good it is I��ll just bounce off it, like I did with the broadly similar Humankind recently, just because it’s not quite enough like Civ.

Anyway, with one eye on the competition, here, then, are my Top Ten things I’d like to see them do in the next proper Civ title. Your turn!

Better interface: generally speaking I think Civ VI is about as user-friendly as the series has been – although I do miss a little bit the days when it ran in a window. However, it can still be fiddly to keep track of everything. I think refining the controls around people also using keyboard commands or even a touch screen would be great; let us use arrow keys to navigate, make shortcuts more accessible, use contrasting colours the menus, and make it play well with a controller, too. I’m going to extend this to making sure that every bit of info you’re presented with – each turn’s new events – can be easily zoomed to and dealt with, more options automated and commands stacked.

Better diplomacy: the different leaders are always a highlight in Civ and their design and animation in Civ VI is terrific. But dealing with them is a complicated, often arbitrary muddle. Streamline this whole interface; make it very clear who’s who, what’s on the table, and what you want in return. Allow the creation of different types of alliance; I want to get dragged into a war because I’m friends with Nigeria, or something! Maybe create different dialogue options or “stances” you can adopt; I used to like the way you could force a war by constantly threatening or demanding things from other leaders.

Better religion: religion is quite a big topic in Civ games. I like the way it divorces any aspect of religion from the name or symbol of the faith; and also how your national identity can become attached to that religion. But it’s not very nuanced, and it makes less sense in the later stages of the game. Perhaps they should dispense with real-world religious references altogether, and have you begin the game by choosing to worship different pagan deities, with some kind of associated benefit? You want your cities to grow, so you worship a fertility god; you want to churn out troops so you worship a god of war. You could choose to become monotheistic, and eventually have no religion. Certainly it’d make more sense than having opposing clerics going to war in the year 2050.

More control over Great People and Great Works: the method for generating Great People organically – the more scientific buildings you build the more points you get towards a Great Scientist – makes sense. But I think they should give you more control; perhaps generating a Great Person is sort of like a project you undertake. Or perhaps their bonuses are less random; maybe they can all do certain tasks, like furthering research or aiding construction or spreading culture. The same with the Great Works, where it all just feels so random; you get points for having a museum with matching works of art, but it’s pot luck, and excavating archaeological sites is even worse. I’d love it if you could commission specific works, and trade them more readily; it’d be great if you became known for classical music or pottery or – yes – movies and TV, because I think they should allow that too.

False flags: because the penalties for starting a war can be so great, there should be more options for trying to be sneaky about it. You should be able to bribe or hire third parties – barbarians? City states? Rival civs? – to go to war on your behalf. You should be able to have small-scale defensive skirmishes without a full-blown war. But most of all I think you should be able, with a spy, to create a false pretext for war. This could be an attack on an ally’s territory or even – easier but costlier – an attack on your own civilization. This would allow you to wage war without reputational harm… unless your deception is discovered.

Individual social policies: I’ve already said how religion could be more nuanced, and so could the social or political aspects. At the moment you select individual forms of government that have associated benefits or negatives, but I think you should be able to structure your civilisation more intricately. For instance, you could dictate that you had no death penalty, or that your citizens had the right to bear arms, or you had free religion or you wouldn’t burn fossil fuel or… you get the picture. This way you build up your own form of government that reflects your idealised nation.

Sci-fi endgame: for years – decades, really – one of the big bugbears of Civ has been how the game eventually ossifies into just managing what you’ve got. Once all the exploration is out of the way there’s not much to do. So how about allowing you to construct underwater cities? Or build space stations? Basically, add about another hundred years’ worth of advancements so the end of the game feels like there’s still exploration and construction to do. And maybe give us more fantastical units, like space fighters or something.

Improve transport networks: one thing that I think is unnecessarily complicated in Civ VI is how you create transport networks and trade routes. I don’t mind you needing units to build them, but I think you should just be able to select two points and have them construct a route in between. Quite often you’re sending out traders just to build a road; I say separate the trading and the route-building. Having “shipping lanes” that can be intercepted by hostile forces is quite a nice touch; but maybe they can be generated by trading directly with other civilisations? Also, once you build airports I think you should be able to fly to other airports – including in other civs – with massive ease, making trade simpler and quicker (but worse for the environment!).

More options for districts: one big thing I hope they don’t do away with is having districts separate from cities. Not only does it look cool as you get this sort of urban sprawl, but it allows you to micromanage these separate areas. I think they should expand on this. Cultural districts should allow for the creation of “cultural assets” like works of art; scientific districts could instigate specific research projects. Perhaps different districts in different cities could specialise? Military districts have the option of defending your territory and bombarding enemies; I also think airports could be equipped with anti-aircraft defences, and seaports with the ability to bombard approaching vessels. Basically, go deep on districts and give us lots of cool options.

Tweak barbarians and city states: barbarians have always been one of the most game-y elements of Civ, and one that gets increasingly problematic. The imperial undertones of the game are made worse by having these little camps still popping up late in the game, sending forth red-hued baddies to harass you. I’m not keen on turning them into entire city states like you can in Civ VI; but maybe that’s because I’m not keen on city states in general. Large independent cities that can give good bonuses if befriended, I tend to find they just get in the way. Maybe part of the game could be trying to entice them to join your empire? Maybe a peaceful resolution to barbarians could be to get them to disband voluntarily? Or allow them to live as independent units – or even an independent city – within your borders? I’d love to see little tweaks like this, rather than still have raging baddies or massive cities stopping you getting access to resources.

[angeliqueshelleyartist]

Storyboards

Research:

When I was researching storyboards, this one by Seung Eun Kim stood out to me particularly due to content and also the creativity of the shots. Though the character is in the act of creation, the angles and poses are dynamic and expressive.

Leif Jeffers story-boarding is also excellent, but more illustrative.His detailed frames particularly showcase the acting of the characters.

Development:

I wanted to create a story that had a peaceful narrative: Within a greenhouse nestled in an industrial and polluted city, a culinary botanist prepares and tastes one of her newest creations. The concept moves in grades from the large, noisy and intimidating to the delicate, beautiful and sensory.

I ran some of my ideas through the Bing AI generator as a starting point (see bottom of post) that could provide a starting point for some of the designs and also inspire me.

My first draft was pretty rough, but allowed me to explore the concept of the water being the main vehicle for carrying the narrative. Beginning at the on-site pump house along the river and going through a series of refinement before watering the exotic plants being grown by the culinary botanist.

I reworked the first and last panels, adjusting the angle to make it more dynamic.

Neal's Paint-over:

The feedback I received during my tutorial with Neal was that the sketch level was a good place to be for a storyboard, but to start thinking about describing shots, movement and adding a simple grading to highlight elements in the foreground, etc. He also recommended a clear numbering system and spacing out the panels to allow for annotations and directions.

I wanted to add a little more detail to each frame; for the establishing shot (panel 1) I modeled a 3D mock-up to use as an underlay to achieve perfect perspective and proportions for my greenhouse.

I made sure to create a lot of subdivisions as a guide for the panes of glass. Using the wire-frame as a guide, I was able to add as many architectural details as I wanted, all with the correct perspective.

I wanted to add more detail to some key frames, if I were to explore this concept further, I would create props for all the plant varieties, their habitats and also the pumps and other water apparatus. I would also explore more character concepts.

For the rest of the panels, I neatened the line work and added some basic tonal values to help sell the mood and give clarity to placement and other effects.

The Final Story Board:

I added direction for the videography, animation and sound effects.

I think my storyboard could be clearer as it feels a bit muddy in places, I could work on the depth and clarity of the piece and also work to create more dynamic angles and camera movement.

AI References:

I found AI particularly useful for this project as creating every concept from scratch for the storyboard in such a small time frame would have been difficult. It was really useful seeing a visualisation of some of my ideas for plant specimens and the special containers they would require in a steampunk bell-jar design. I also generated references for the greenhouse in the foggy city, some steampunk gardening tools, Victorian encyclopedic sketches of alien plants and water-pump designs. These images were all created using bing.com/create

Image References:

bing.com, (2023). steampunk_botany. [AI Generated illustrations]

Letters, J et al. (n/d). Beat Boards & Story Moments. [Ilustration]. https://www.leifjeffers.com/directing/: Leif Jeffers.

Seung Eun Kim. (2019). Storyboard. [Photograph]. https://www.artstation.com/artwork/ybEJGK: Artstation.

[qqueenofhades]

20+ Books That You (Might Actually Want) To Read During Pride Month!

Right, so. I got annoyed after seeing the list referenced in this post last night, told myself that my books are all packed up so I couldn’t do anything about it, and lasted all of a whopping 10 minutes before picking up my phone and attempting to make my own list instead. Behold, my from-memory attempt to present 20 books with strong LGBTQ plots, characters, and/or authors, that DON’T just rely on Suffering and Identity Politics and are... you know... fun.

Listed in alphabetical order by title. Links take you to Bookshop.org, where you can buy them from your local independent bookstore at a discount and NOT from the evil empire.

1. A Master of Djinn – P. Djeli Clark * author of color * steampunk Cairo in 1912 * djinn! magic! murder mystery! * butch Arab lesbian main character * devout hijabi Muslim badass assistant * anticolonial alternate history

2. An Accident of Stars – Foz Meadows (Sequel: A Tyranny of Queens) * trans author * bi, pan, trans, aro representation * racially diverse characters * all female POV characters * high-fantasy world adventures

3. Boyfriend Material – Alexis Hall * queer author * look I love this book SO MUCH and have absolutely screamed about it before but also I LOVE IT SO MUCH * contemporary M/M fake dating in modern London, complete with full cast of disaster found-family queer friends * it is. fucking. HILARIOUS. I almost died the first time reading it * there is a sequel called HUSBAND MATERIAL scheduled to be released in 2022; I am a normal amount of excited for this book

4. Gideon the Ninth – Tamsyn Muir (Sequel: Harrow the Ninth) * the book cover says “Lesbian necromancers explore a haunted palace in space!” * that is exactly what you get * slow-burn enemies-to-lovers F/F main romance * I cannot describe this book, it is dark, genre-bendy, science fiction-y, Hunger-Games-with-lesbian-necromancers-in space? Kinda? I have literally never read anything like it * also fucking HILARIOUS

5. One Last Stop – Casey McQuiston * queer author (who wrote Red White and Royal Blue) * bisexual fat girl from the South/lesbian-daughter-of-Chinese immigrants from the 1970s-riot-grrl main romance * time traveling mystery involving the Q train in Brooklyn (mentions Brighton Beach ahem) * magical realism * many more found-family chaotic queers including a trans Latino psychic and a Black accountant by day/drag queen by night and the mean little gay disaster who has a hopeless crush on them

6. Parasol Protectorate (series) – Gail Carriger * this is one of my favorite series, and there are five books: Soulless, Changeless, Blameless, Heartless, and Timeless * steampunk vampires/werewolves late Victorian London, like Jane Austen crossed with P.G. Wodehouse (they are all fucking hilarious) * pretty much everyone is queer; we got your flamboyantly camp gay vampires (Lord Akeldama ftw!) We got your gay werewolves! We got your lesbian French inventors! We got your big disaster idiot werewolf main male love interest! We got your crazy adventures! You name it we got it! * two spin-off novellas: Romancing the Werewolf (M/M) and Romancing the Inventor (F/F) * she has a ton more books in this same universe and writes sexy queer supernatural romance as G.L. Carriger

7. Plain Bad Heroines – Emily M. Danforth * queer author * historical horror-comedy set between a haunted girls’ school in early-1900s New England and in the modern day * all sapphic female main characters * plays with style/form/voice, a story within a story within a story

8. Red White and Royal Blue – Casey McQuiston * you’ve probably heard of it but here I am reccing it again * the biracial son of the first female POTUS falls in love with the Prince of England; shenanigans absolutely ensue * yes, the British monarchy still absolutely sucks a big fat dick * hilarious, heartfelt, reads like fanfic, just go get it, it will change your life

9. Rosaline Palmer Takes The Cake – Alexis Hall * same author as Boyfriend Material, this is his newest * bisexual female protagonist * absolutely perfect satire of The Great British Bake Off (you can tell this man has watched EVERY SINGLE SERIES and all of the holiday specials) * sweet and surprisingly thoughtful

10. Starless – Jacqueline Carey * genderqueer/transmasculine main character of color * almost all main characters are brown people! * lush Middle Eastern/India-inspired fantasy world * gods, prophecies, monsters * the best Oh God Why Me I Am A Horrible Mentor wise-old-mentor

11. The Future of Another Timeline – Annalee Newitz * nonbinary (they/them) author * time travel but make it The Handmaid’s Tale * will probably make your head explode * feminist, queer, subversive * diverse characters

12. The Gentleman's Guide to Vice and Virtue – Mackenzi Lee * queer author * technically YA but historical/magical adventure set in the 1700s * bisexual disaster main protagonist and love interest of color * (mis)adventures across Europe * has a sequel (see below) with the badass asexual sister of the protagonist

13. The Hate Project – Kris Ripper * nonbinary/genderqueer author * M/M enemies to lovers/sex with no strings attached (spoiler alert: strings attached) * HECKING HILARIOUS * sweet, escapist, and very low stakes * diverse characters, including fat protagonist with realistic anxiety disorder

14. The Lady's Guide to Petticoats and Piracy – Mackenzi Lee * PIRATES, obviously * sequel to Gentleman’s Guide * asexual female protagonist * strong queerplatonic f/f friendship * more historical/magical 18th century adventures

15. The Last Rune (series) – Mark Anthony * Imma be real with you chief, I haven’t read this series since I was a clueless teenager with no idea why I liked Gay Stuff so much, so if it does turn out to suck now, don’t throw rotten veggies at me * but especially since it was written in the NINETIES, this series was hella progressive?! * gay characters, disabled characters, characters of color, all playing significant and heroic roles in six-book epic fantasy cycle * people from Earth end up in high-fantasy world of Eldh * endgame M/M romance for the main character * books out of print, I think, but you can find them cheap somewhere like AbeBooks; first one (Beyond the Pale) linked above

16. The Library of the Unwritten – A.J. Hackwith * queer author * heaven-hell-Valhalla supernatural adventures * The Good Place x Good Omens x Lucifer x The Librarians * Pansexual Black badass female heroine * Queer found families * The Sassiest TM Bisexual Villain Turned Reluctant Hero (is he my favorite? Why on earth would you think that.)

17. The Priory of the Orange Tree – Samantha Shannon * epic doorstopper science fiction/historical fantasy set in a vaguely 16th-century world * main F/F romance between a queen and her sorceress bodyguard * sassy old gay alchemist whose backstory will give you Feelings * so many strong women and characters of color * no homophobia! marriage is fully gender-neutral, spouses are called “companions”

18. The Song of Achilles – Madeline Miller * likewise one you have probably heard of but still * a little light on the myth/historical part imho, but the writing is beautiful and will give you many feelings * M/M romance between Achilles and Patroclus  * reimagining of The Iliad (her other book Circe is also really good)

19 The Stars are Legion – Kameron Hurley * all-female apocalyptic space opera * messy messy antiheroines * grimdark war fantasy * queer sci-fi drama

20. Witchmark – C.L. Polk * author of color * M/M romance * main character is a veteran and a doctor dealing with his own hidden magic and repressed war trauma * gaslamp fantasy set in a world reminiscent of post-WWI England * strong sibling relationship

[fictionadventurer]

Can you recommend a few new books/series for me to read? My favorite genre is fantasy but I also like good fictional, good renaissance/Edwardian fiction and good scifi. > I like stuff written by Brian Jacques, Diana Wynn Jones, Patricia McKillip, Tolkien, Lewis, some Jonathan Stroudt, Timmothy Zahn ( I love his star wars books <3) and a lot of other stuff, but those are my big authors. Got any ideas for me? (for fiction I like things like Gary Scmitd, Jean Little, and Georgette Heyer) You can also just shoot off some stuff you like it doesn't have to be related to my list.

Thanks for your time!

I can give it a try. I'm not too familiar with some of the authors, but since many of them are authors I also love, I feel relatively confident just recommending certain books within the categories that I like, and trusting that you can vet which ones appeal to you.

Fantasy

Creatures of Light trilogy (Woodwalker, Ashes to Fire, Creatures of Light) by Emily B. Martin: Non-magical adventure/political fantasy set in a world inspired by North American environments. Excellent characters and amazing setting.

Galleries of Stone trilogy (Meadowsweet, Harrow, Rakefang) by C.J. Milbrandt: Children's fantasy series about a sculptor who makes magical statues, the boy hired as his servant to make sure he remembers to do things like eat and bathe, and the family and community they build around them. Excellent small-scale domestic fantasy that I feel like would hit some of the homier Redwall vibes (especially since the races in this world have animal features). Writing's a bit rough--you will go nuts over her use of epithets--but I love it with all my heart, and I need someone to join the 5.7 of us who are in the fandom.

The Emperor's Soul by Brandon Sanderson: Novella about a prisoner who uses a stamp-based magical system to rewrite identities. Much shorter than Sanderson's usual work, with a solid plot and characters and (of course) worldbuilding, plus some fascinating discussions about art and identity.

City of Masks by Mike Reeves-McMillan: The last book I finished, and very much enjoyed. Set in a roughly Renaissance-ish city where everyone must wear masks and follow the rules of behavior for the characters assigned to those masks. Follows a diplomat sent to the city who has to learn the Byzantine rules of identity while helping to find a killer and stop an assassination attempt. Very old-fashioned writing style, but I think it really enhances the work. Worldbuilding is complicated, and I'm not sure it totally holds together, but you really do feel like you're exploring a whole new culture, and there are some excellent twists.

Brine and Bone by Kate Stradling: Novella-length Little Mermaid retelling from the POV of the "other woman" that actually follows the original story. Excellent romance and magic system, beautiful story. One of my top favorite retellings.

The Heir and the Spare by Kate Stradling: Non-magical, political-focused fantasy about a princess who finds out the man who tormented her at boarding school is about to marry her psychopathic older sister. Feels a bit underdeveloped, and some of the ending reveals are a bit over-the-top, but it's very easy to read, with some interesting dynamics. I liked it even more on reread.

The Electrical Menagerie by Mollie E. Reeder: Easily one of the best indie fantasies I've read. Set in a stardust-powered steampunk-ish Edwardian universe where islands in space are linked by trains. Follows an idealistic, shy middle-aged stage magician and his shrewder, more worldly twenty-something manager, who enter a competition hoping to save their show, but get caught up in intrigue that puts them in danger while strengthening their friendship.

A Spy in the Silver Palace by Jordan Rivet: In a world where people are commonly born with one of four superpowers, a shapeshifter gets assigned to be decoy for the princess and gets caught up in intrigue. Actually a three-book series, and I don't much like some things in the last half of it, but it totally captures that midlist adventure fantasy vibe that you don't often get from books these days.

The Glamourist Histories by Mary Robinette Kowal: If you like fantasy and you like Regency, these are the books for you. The first one, Shades of Milk and Honey is a Jane Austen book with magic, and the others branch out into other genres, with my favorite being the fourth book (Valour and Vanity), which is a magical Regency heist. (Bonus points: Each book has a stealth cameo from one of the Doctors from Doctor Who)

Science Fiction

Revenge of the Sith novelization by Matthew Stover: If you like Star Wars stories and somehow haven't read this one yet, I'm begging you to do so. Easily the best thing to come out of the prequels. It manages to make the character arcs of the prequel make sense, while providing beautiful writing that will tear your heart out.

Ahab by E.B. Dawson: Moby Dick in space, where they hunt down murderous AI-driven spaceships. Fascinating worldbuilding and good characters.

Arabella of Mars and Arabella and the Battle of Venus by David Levine: Alternate-history science fiction where Regency-era sailing ships fly to colonies on Mars and Venus. I prefer the second book, but they're both fun adventures. (Bonus: taking a page from Mary Robinette Kowal, the second book has a Ninth Doctor cameo).

Master of Formalities by Scott Meyer: P.G. Wodehouse in space. Been a while since I read this, but I remember it being as funny as the concept suggests.

Edwardian Classic/Historical

Beau Brown by Nina Clare: If you love Georgette Heyer, please read this. Closest thing I've ever read to her work that wasn't by her. About an aristocrat who escapes the French Revolution, becomes a tailor, and winds up going to London to be personal dresser for a wealthy but vulgar family. Funny and sweet, with some great characters.

Sanditon by Jane Austen and Another Lady (Marie Dobbs): Completes the story from Jane Austen's last unfinished novel. It's like this book has a dial with two settings: Austen and Heyer. It's starts totally Austen and gets more and more Heyer as the book goes on, until it cranks the Heyer up to eleven. In a rare move for Austen fanfic, I feel like the hero and heroine can stand beside Austen's originals.

Psmith series (Mike and Psmith, Psmith in the City, Psmith Journalist, and Leave It to Psmith) by P.G. Wodehouse: Edwardian series about one of the most interesting trickster characters in fiction. Not as polished as Wodehouse's later work, but has an actual character arc from Psmith. First book has a lot of cricket, so you may want to start with the last book, which is more like Wodehouse's usual work, to decide if you're interested in the characters before digging deeper.

[asleepinawell]

Book Recs

I was gonna do one of these at the end of the year, but I’ve somehow managed to read 26 books this year already (12 novellas, 14 novels), almost all featuring queer authors and/or characters so this is already a long list.

Note: There’s a few on here I was kind of meh about, but in most of those cases it was a ‘book might be good but it’s not for me so i’ll mention it to put it on people’s radar anyway’ type of thing. Insert the usual necessary tumblr disclaimer about all of this being only my opinion and your opinions are valid too etc etc.

In order of when I read them:

Princess Floralinda and the Forty-Flight Tower by Tamsyn Muir - Fantasy novella from the author of gideon the ninth that’s a twist on the classic princess trapped in a tower waiting for a prince story. Quite fun. (novella)

The Monster of Elendhaven by Jennifer Giesbrecht - Dark fantasy about revenge and magic. m/m couple but like I said it’s pretty dark and twisted all around so definitely not a happy queer romantic story. My opinion was interesting premise that could have been executed better and probably should have been a full novel to embellish on the world building potential. (novella)

A Memory Called Empire & A Desolation Called Peace - Arkady Martine - Probably tied with murderbot as the best things I read this year. Scifi, f/f couple, wonderfully done exploration of what it means to fall in love with a culture that is destroying your own. More of the many queer anti-imperialist books that have come out recently and certainly some of the best. The second one is a direct continuation of the first. (2 novels)

The Tyrant Baru Cormorant - Seth Dickinson - This is the third in the Baru Cormorant series (The Masquerade) and was my favorite so far. The second and third book were originally one book that got split I believe and the second book didn’t stand alone as well (though was still great), but the third book really made up for that. Dark fantasy world starring a queer woc whose country and culture is destroyed by the imperial forces of that world colonizing and assimilating them. She vows revenge and decides to work her way up within her enemy’s ranks to enact it from within and bring an empire to ruins. Really really fascinating study of so many different aspects of our own world and the systems which enable and allow bigotry and how bigoted and violent narratives are used to control minorities. This is definitely a darker series and I was particularly impressed with some of the commentary on the racism prevalent in non-intersectional feminism as depicted through a fantasy world. Can’t wait for the last one to come out! (3 novels, 1 forthcoming)

The Murderbot Diaries - Martha Wells - There’s six of them--5 novella and a novel--and the first is All Systems Red. Told from the point of view of a self-aware droid/android that is rented out by a corporation to provide protection in a dystopian capitalist hellhole future that isn’t that unlike our current capitalist dystopia but is in space. Muderbot hacked the chip that controlled it and instead of going rogue just wants to be left alone to watch its favorite tv shows. Murderbot is painfully relatable and the books are both funny and poignant. Highly recommended. (5 novellas and a novel).

Winter’s Orbit - Everina Maxwell - This was a m/m romance novel with a scifi backdrop of royal intrigue. Generally I’m more into scifi with a queer relationship in the background than vice versa, so it wasn’t my favorite, BUT I think it was still well written and someone looking for more of the romance angle would enjoy it. Has all your favorite romance tropes in it, especially the yearning. (novel)

The Divine Cities - Robert Jackson Bennett - Three book series. I’m very conflicted about this one. Set in a fantasy world where an enslaved nation overthrew the country enslaving them and now rules over them. It’s a story of what happens after the triumphant victory and within that it’s also a murder mystery tied into the dying magic of the conquered nation. It also has a six foot something naked oily viking man fist fight a cthulhu in a frozen river. The second book was by far my favorite, mostly due to the main character being brilliant. My conflict comes from the fact I don’t feel like the story treated its women and queer characters well. Like it had really great characters but it didn’t do great by them overall. That and the third book didn’t live up to the first two. But still definitely worth a read, can’t stress enough how cool some of the world building was. (3 novels)

Into the Drowning Deep - Mira Grant - This might be the only one on here I disliked. It’s got a doomed boat voyage and creepy underwater terror and monsters and a super diverse cast of characters, but I just didn’t enjoy the writing style. While having a diverse cast is great, there were a lot of moments where it felt like characters were pausing to explain things about themselves that felt like a tumblr post rather than a normal conversation you might have while actively being hunted by monsters. I also bounced off all the characters. But a lot of people seem to have liked it so if you’re into horror and want a book with a f/f main couple then maybe you’ll enjoy it. (novel)

Dead Djinn Universe - P. Djèlí Clark - Around the early 1900′s, a man in Egypt discovers a way to access another world and bring Djinn and mysterious clockwork beings called Angels through. As a result, Egypt tells the British to get fucked and Cairo becomes one of the most powerful cities in the world. So Egypt, magic, djinn, a steampunk-ish vibe, oh and the main character is a butch queer woman who enjoys wearing dapper suits and looking fabulous while she investigates supernatural events. Her girlfriend is also mysterious and badass. And she has a cat. There’s three novella (one of which technically might be considered a short story) and then the first novel. You should absolutely read the novellas first (A Dead Djinn in Cairo, The Angel of Khan el-Khalili, The Haunting of Tram Car 015). Super fun and imaginative series. (3 novellas and a novel, more forthcoming)

River of Teeth & Taste of Marrow - Sarah Gailey - From the book description

“In the early 20th Century, the United States government concocted a plan to import hippopotamuses into the marshlands of Louisiana to be bred and slaughtered as an alternative meat source. This is true. Other true things about hippos: they are savage, they are fast, and their jaws can snap a man in two. This was a terrible plan.”

Queer hippo riders!!!! Very much a western but with hippos. Main couple included a non-binary character. Loved the first one. The second one I was more meh about due to one of the characters I was supposed to like having obnoxious man pain that a woman had to take the brunt of the whole time. Also there were less hippos. But queer hippo riders! Definitely read the first one, and they’re both novellas so no reason not to read the second as well. (2 novellas)

A Psalm for the Wild-Built - Becky Chambers - I may be the only person who hasn’t read the long way to a small angry planet at this point, but I did grab her new novella and I loved it. It made me want to go sit out in the woods and feel peaceful. The world it’s set in feels like a peaceful post-apocalypse...or diverted apocalypse maybe. Humans built robots and robots gained sentience, but instead of rebelling they just up and left and went into the wilderness with a promise that the humans wouldn’t follow them.The remaining human society reshaped itself into something new and peaceful. It’s the story of a monk who leaves their habitual monking duties to go be a tea monk and then later wanders into the wilderness and becomes the first human in ages to meet a robot. Very sad there’s no fan art yet. (novella, more forthcoming)

The March North - Graydon Saunders - This was such a weird book that I’m not sure how to explain it. The prose style is hard to get used to and I suspect a lot of people will bounce off it in the first chapter. There’s no third person pronouns used at all and important events get mentioned once in passing and if you blink you’ll miss them. Set on a world where magic is extremely common to the point that rivers sometimes run with blood or fire and the local weeds are something out of a horror movie and most of the world is run by powerful sorcerer dictators, one country banded together (with the help of a few powerful sorcerers who were tired of all the bullshit) to form a free country where powerful sorcerers wouldn’t rule and the small magics of every day folks could be combined to work together. The story revolves around a Captain of the military force on the border who one day has three very powerful sorcerers sent to them by the main government with the hint that just maybe there’s about to be a big invasion (there is) with the implication of take these guys and go deal with this. The world building is extremely complex and very cool...when you can actually understand what the fuck is going on. There is also a murder sheep named Eustace who breathes fire and eats just about everything and is a Very Good Boy and belongs to the most terrifying sorcerer in the world who appears as a little old grandma with knitting. It had one of the most epic badass and wonderfully grotesque battles I’ve ever read. But yeah, it is not what I would call easy reading. Opinions may vary wildly. I did also read the second one (A Succession of Bad Days) in the series which was easier to follow and had a lot more details about the world, but overall I was more meh about it despite some cool aspects. The chapters and chapters of the extreme details of building a house that made up half the novel just weren’t my thing. (novels).

The Space Between Worlds - Micaiah Johnson - In this world parallels universes exist and we’ve discovered how to travel between them, but the catch is you can only go to worlds where the ‘you’ there is already dead. This turns into an uncomfortable look at who would be the people most likely to have died on many worlds and how things like class and race would fit into that and what we would actually use this ability for (if you guessed stealing resources and the stock market you’d be correct). The main character is a queer woc who travels between worlds with the assistance of her handler (another queer woc) who she has the hots for. She accidentally stumbles on a whole lot of mess and conspiracy and gets swept up in that. Really enjoyed it. (novel)

Witchmark - C.L. Polk - Fantasy world reminiscent of Victorian England (I think?) where a young man with magical gifts runs away from his powerful family to avoid being exploited by them. He joins the army and fights in a war and comes home to try and live a quiet life as a doctor, but a murder pulls him into a larger mystery that upturns his life. Also he’s extremely gay and there’s a prevalent m/m romance. This one was a fun-but-not-mind-blowing one for me. (novel, 2 more in the series I haven’t read)

The Priory of the Orange Tree - Samantha Shannon - This was one of those that everyone loved but I couldn’t get into for some reason. I tried twice and only got about halfway through the second time. It’s got dragons and queer ladies and fantasy world and all the things I like, but I wasn’t that invested in the main story (which included the f/f couple) and was more interested in the smaller story about a woman trying to become a dragon rider. There are few things that beat out a lady and her dragon friend story for me and that was the storyline that felt neglected and took a different turn right when we got to the part I’d been waiting for. But, I know a lot of people whose reading opinions I respect who loved it, and if you like epic fantasy with dragons and queens and treachery and pirates and queer characters then I’d say you should definitely give it a try. (novel)

Bonus: I didn’t read these series this year, but if you haven’t read them yet, you should.

Imperial Radch (Ancillary Justice) - Ann Leckie - Spaceship AI stuck in a human body out for revenge for their former captain, but that summary does not come close to doing it justice. Another one examining imperialism and also gender and race.(3 novels)

Kushiel's Legacy Series - Jacqueline Carey - This is two series, six books total, and starts with Kushiel's Dart. Alternate universe Renaissance-y Europe in a fantastical world where sex isn't shameful and sex workers are respected and prized. Lots of political intrigue and mystery. A lot of BDSM and kinky stuff too (the main character is a sexual masochist, oh and also bi!). I first read this series when I was fifteen or sixteen and it definitely made a big impression on me. Same author also wrote the Santa Olivia series which I’d also recommend. (6 novels)

The Locked Tomb (Gideon the Ninth) - Tamsyn Muir - I mean, if you follow me, you know. If you don’t follow me you still probably know. I’d have felt remiss to have left them off though. Lesbian Necormancers in Space. Memes! Skeletons! Biceps! Go read them. (2 novels, 2 forthcoming, 1 short story)

Books On My To Read List:

Fireheart Tiger - Aliette de Bodard

The Order of the Pure Moon Reflected in Water - Zen Cho

Black Sun - Rebecca Roanhorse

This Is How You Lose the TIme War - Amal El-Mohtar and Max Gladstone

Ninefox Gambit - Yoon Ha Lee

Also, if anyone has any recs for scifi/fantasy books starring queer men (not necessarily having to do with a queer relationship) and written by queer men I’d love them. There’s a lot written by women, and some of them are great, but I’d love to read a story about queer men from their own perspective.

[insomniac-dot-ink]

Books I’ve Read in 2020

AHello! I’m trying to read as many books as I can during the quarantine, here’s what I’ve finished so far:

On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous by Ocean Vuong (literary fiction): a son writes a letter about his life to his illiterate mother. Breathtakingly beautiful with it’s way with words this book is lovely and real in the hardest and sweetest ways. The author’s combination of prose and poetry is dazzling and intricate, this book has stuck with me for days afterward. 4.5 out of 5 stars.

Spinning Silver by Naomi Novik (fantasy): a money-lender gets in trouble after bragging she can turn silver into gold and is kidnapped and ordered to do so by a fey creature. It may be that I am the perfect audience for this type of book, but it’s my favorite thing I’ve read all year. It’s a book that equally takes on the fantastical and real-world with compelling female characters at the center of the whole thing. A wonderful fantasy journey inspired by eastern-European Jewish folklore. 5 out of 5 stars.

Through the Woods by Emily Carroll (horror graphic novel): a series of short horror comics. Absolutely bone-chilling! This was a really fun type of scary story, especially the last one which made my skin absolutely crawl. Deliciously eerie, this was treat to read if not a little too short. 4 out of 5 stars.

The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake by Aimee Bender (magical realism): a young girl can taste other people’s emotions in their cooking and begins to understand her family in new ways. This was a weird book, but it has everything you’ve got to love about that combination of the surreal and mundane. It’s sense of character was electrifying and I had fun engaging with this type of off-kilter real world. I was a little frustrated in parts bc of some characters choices, but that too was true to life. 4 out of 5 stars.

Crier’s War by Nina Varela (steampunk fantasy wlw): about a Made automaton heir to a throne and her human hand-maiden that is trying to kill her. This was an easy read with a lot of tension between the two main characters that I liked, but the writing itself was very weak. There was waaay too much exposition in parts and the dialogue had some really hockey lines. I enjoyed the twists and turns in the middle of the book, but the beginning and end didn’t have much movement. 2.5 stars out of 5.

The Huntress by Kate Quinn (historical fiction): honestly, I’m a little disappointed. This book just did not hit my sweet spots, it wasn’t fast-paced enough for me to get immersed in the plot, and the characters weren’t real enough to be wholly invested in them. That said I adored Nina Markova and the Night Witches, so that did help. 3 starts out of 5.

The Dark Descent of Elizabeth Frankenstein by Kiersten White (horror sci-fi retelling): HAND IN UNLOVABLE HAND. A retelling of Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein from the perspective of Victor Frankenstein’s wife and my God! The characters! The plot was well-enough, but the characters took the whole show for being complex and compelling. The main character was breathtakingly layered and I was wholly invested in Elizabeth and her story and the triumph at the end of this story was tangible. 4 out of 5 stars! 

Uprooted by Naomi Novik (fantasy): A story of a young woman who lives in a valley where a girl must go live with a wizard for 10 years. She is certain she won’t be chosen, but ends up having to be “uprooted” herself. I enjoyed most of this book! However, I think I liked “Spinning Silver” a lot more just because the ending of this one somehow lost me. The characters were good and plot compelling, but (SPOILERS) the big battle at the end seemed to drag and didn’t interest me somehow. 3.8 out of 5 stars.

Gods of Jade and Shadow by Silvia Moreno-Garcia (fantasy): excellent read! A story of a young woman in Jazz Age Mexico who goes on an adventure with a Mayan death God who is trying to regain his throne. A romp across the country absolutely brimming with likable characters and fairy tale twists. My only complaint would be that most of it felt a little predictable due to the fact we knew where we were going throughout the whole story, However, it was still greatly enjoyable for the heroine herself, Casiopea. 4 out of 5 stars!

Little Fires Everywhere by Celeste Ng (literary): a story of two families in a progressive “planned” community, how their lives intertwine, their secrets, and a central question surrounding motherhood. Deeply empathetic to its characters and introspective, this is an every-day story of people in suburbia that reads like a thriller. I could barely put it down and felt deeply for its characters and situations, 5 out of 5 stars!

Wilder Girls by Rory Power (YA sci-fi suspense): a story of a group of girls at a boarding school on an island affected by the “tox” which alters their bodies in strange ways like giving them scales or an extra spine. This was an eerie, interesting read with a wlw romance! Watch out for the body horror in this one, but it was very gripping and held my interest. Some of the pacing was off in places (like the romance), but had a very creepy atmosphere that did it for me. 3.8 out of 5 stars!

If We Were Villains by M.L. Rio (thriller-mystery): A thriller about a group of Shakespeare actors in their last year of college and one of their classmates who turns up dead. I enjoyed the murder mystery part of this novel more than I expected despite the fact I had guessed who had “done it” pretty early on. I really enjoyed the James-Oliver dynamic with its growing homoeroticism, but I didn’t like how the character of Meredith was handled at all. She felt like a one-note aside. I might have given this book four stars, but the ending was EXTREMELY frustrating for me and I did not like the “open-ended” conclusion. 3 out of 5 stars.

A Man Called Ove by Fredrik Backman (literary humor): a weird character-driven comedy about an old grumpy man and a new family that moves in next to him. Warning for themes of suicide. Anyway, I don’t normally indulge in cliches like “I laughed, I cried, I loved one Cat Annoyance.” However, that’s exactly what I did. I laughed out loud, I cried my eyes out (THE CAT’S HEAD WAS IN HIS PALM), I loved this book. It was sweet and compelling and thoroughly immersive. 5 out of 5 stars!

The Ten Thousand Doors of January by Alix E. Harrow (historical fantasy): set in the early 1900s comes a story of a young girl and her experience with “Doors” that lead to different worlds. This book had a lot of great character development and really interesting descriptions, however, I didn’t like it as much as I wanted to. I found it hard to get myself to sit down a read it. There was just something missing with the push to “page-turn,” but it was still a really good book. 3.7 out of 5 stars!

Gideon the 9th by Tamsyn Muir (high fantasy, kinda gay): I AM FILLED WITH EMOTIONS. This was book was definitely a page-turner. I was very confused with it at the beginning, but the characters and their interactions were, forgive the expression, the life blood of the story and kept me wholly invested. The ending has CRUSHED my heart, but damn did I have a good time reading it. 4.5 out of 5 stars!

Harrow the 9th by Tamsyn Muir (sequel to Gideon the 9th): I really enjoyed this book. It was just as strange and twisting as the first book, though I think I enjoyed the first one a bit more since I love Gideon. It was fun ride overall, though the ending was kind of really confusing. So 4 out of 5 stars.

The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo (historical fiction): Overall, I really enjoyed this book! The writing style was personable and grounded in reality. I found myself really liking the main characters and the exploration of the life of a bi main character was really well done I thought. A solid book with drama and glamor to boot. 4.6 out of 5 stars!

The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah (historical fiction): A story of two sisters during WWII and their resistance to Nazi occupation. To be honest, this book wasn’t my cup of tea. It was compelling, but also wholly depressing and I felt like gloried in the pain of the two main characters too much. The history was wonderful and realistic, but it didn’t make me feel anything good afterward. It was just dark. 3 out of 5 stars.

Red, White & Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston (mlm romance): I finally finished this after the heaviness of The Nightingale. This is a story of the First Son of the USA falling for the prince of England. And it turned out to be a very fun and light hearted read! Some of it was kinda generic and too political, and it coulda been shorter, but I thought the romance itself made up for it. It just made me feel so sweet and lovely inside. 4 out of 5 stars!

Anxious People by Fredrik Backman (literary humor): I’m searching out heartfelt books and this one ticked off all the marks on my “sweet” list. A lovely book that made me cry more times than I would like to admit. Compassionate beyond belief, funny and heartfelt. I think I enjoyed A Man Called Ove slightly more, but this book was also dear to me and something I hope to reread in the future. 4.2 out of 5 stars!

Station Eleven by Emily St John Mandel (sci-fi): A post-apocalyptical story about a group of traveling Shakespeare actors and a symphony. Overall, an excellent read that somehow pictures a more realistic or even softer version of the apocalypse. At first, I wasn't happy with the jumping around of the story, but as I progressed I grew fonder and fonder of the interwoven characters and their journey. A very fascinating read about a world that hits a little too close to home. The appreciation of the arts and preserving humanity was somehow very hopeful and I was fully engaged with this story. 5 out of 5 Stars!

Up next: The Hidden Life of Trees by by Peter Wohlleben (nonfiction science), The City We Became by N. K. Jemisin (urban fantasy), The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern (fantasy)

[smokeybrand]

Endless Love

With another season of Love, Death + Robots in the books, i wanted to revisit the entire series one more time. I spent the last two days, running through the entirety of the franchise, all eighteen from the first season and all eight from the second, twice, because i absolutely love this series. From the bottom to the top, these are my absolute favorite entries into the franchise so far.

10. Ice

Ice was a real surprise for me. It’s the only entry in season two that is classically animated so it already got bonus points from me but, as an entire short, it was amazing! The second we got outside of that apartment and into the wider world, i wanted to live there. So much content could be embellished from that all-too-short time spent in that world. More than that, i loved he relation ship between Sedgewick and Fletcher. I’m not saying an entire show abut those two is necessary but i wouldn’t scoff at them being supporting characters in a more anthology or ensemble show about that world.

9. All Through the House

This one is just cute. It’s a genuine short and i i don’t think there is a ton of legs in exploring that world but i had a fantastic time with what we got. The animation was gorgeous and the premise was outstanding. Of course, I'm curious about the “Naughty” but we don’t necessarily need confirmation about that I think that little glimpse into the world was more than enough.

8. Three Robots

Three Robots is in the same boat as All Through the House. i loved the time spent in this world but i don’t think we need to to revisit it in any capacity. What we got was the perfect amount of time there. It was beautifully animated, ingenuously written, and executed perfectly. This was a surprise for me to be honest because, in my order, it came right after Sonnie’s Edge and The Witness so shifting thematic gears like that was a little jarring. Jarring and welcome.

7. Helping Hand

Helping Hand is everything i wanted Gravity to be. This one won me over with the sheer panic of it’s narrative. The storytelling was incredibly intimate but that tension was f*cking palpable! It was able to really instill the utter despair and unbridled dead Alexadria felt as she began to spiral off into the infinite nothingness. I was absolutely enthralled with the humanity and sacrifice she made in an effort to straight up survive. Like, how many of us could do what Alex did in that situation? How many of us would have the absolute balls to make that call? Absolutely brilliant storytelling.

6. Pop Squad

Pop Squad makes this list on the sheer potential of that world. Aside from the fact that the entire narrative revolves around straight up murdering children, something that rarely ever flies in the greater entertainment world, and i f*cking love it! Outside of the fact that this entry is easily one of the most beautiful submitted for season two, i absolutely fell in love with the scope of that world. There is a ton of stories that can be told there, so many characters we can follow. Hell, i wouldn’t mind a limited series just following Briggs up to his fateful demise. I’d watch the hell out of that!

5. The Witness

The Witness makes this list based strictly on the strength of it’s aesthetic. For me, the art design in this short was the strongest of the first season and i say that knowing it’s only the fifth entry on this list. As a narrative, it’s a closed looped so there is a ton of lacking substance but the way it’s executed is too f*cking dazzling to ignore. This thing smacks of that Spiderverse animation style but does it in a way that sends you into a surreal trip of colors, glitches, and nudity. I as completely in awe of what i witnessed in that entry.

4. Snow in the Desert

Snow’s adventure was my absolute number one of season two. It’s f*cking incredible. The animation, the character work, the plots, the world building; All of it is an absolute marvel of execution. It presented a complete universe in a matter of minutes and i found myself not wanting to leave. Indeed, of the eight new entries, Snow’s wold is one that i absolute need more of. I need to see his life before Hirald, before his balls got a bounty. I want to explore his very human life with his wife and why she did what she did. I want to see what that world looked like two hundred years before we got our fleeting glimpse, and what Earth looks like in present day. Snow in the Desert was so goddamn great, i was upset it was so short. That’s only happened to me with one other entry on this list and at the very top.

3. Beyond the Aquila Rift

Now, i just gushed, full tilt, about how much i loved Snow in the Desert so why is Aquila ahead of it on this list? Why are there three more ahead of it on this list? Because the remaining three left me with a complete feeling in their narrative while leaving the door open for deeper exploration in to their worlds. Plus, i mean, Aquila’s presentation was f*cking chef’s kiss. Watching that short felt like watching The Fifth Element. Between the space setting and the killer music, it definitely gave me Luc Besson vibes and we all know how much i enjoy Besson’s movie movie making. Aquila is rife for anthology storytelling, just the world Greta could fabricate in her mercy killing duties as a giant spider nest is prime for infinite narratives. Think Tales from the Crypt but sexy and full of Alien Spider Mistress.

2. Sonnie’s Edge

Sonnies Edge was my first glimpse of what would become the utter brilliance of Love, Death + Robots. I Was absolutely enthralled by the character designs and the overall world because, if you don’t know this about my, cyberpunk dystopias are kind of my thing and the world of Sonnie’s Edge it my neon drenched wet dreams perfectly. Watching this felt like watching those old, excessively violent, gratuitously sexy, Eighties anime entries i grew up on. I missed all of the blood and f*cking and gore and violence. Sonnie brought that all back for me, leaving me satisfied but with a nagging hunger for more.

1. Good Hunting

Of all the shorts submitted between these two season, Good Hunting is my absolute favorite. I absolute love every second of this entry. The animation is fluid and top tier, giving justice t the gorgeous art direction and character design. The mix of computer and classic animation mixed perfectly, never outshining one over the other. I’m not he biggest fan of Steampunk but this is the rare entry that really grabbed my attention with how intricate, how absolutely stunning, all of the the iron work is in that world. As i gush about every aspect chosen to present this magnificent world to us, the crux of my adoration lies with the relationship between Liang and Yan. That sh*t was a real pleasure to see and, even after the tragedy, their love for each other really resonated through to the end. I want more of this world than any other we’ve seen so far and i hate that all we got was this one short.

Look, this is just the top ten of my list and, in all honesty, this thing stays in flux. With the exception of the front three, any of these shorts can make my list on any day of the week. I really like Automates Customer Service, Zima Blue, The Tall Grass, Suits, and Shape-Shifters. I’m sucker for classic animation so Blindspot has a shot, even if it’s the weakest of the first season, and The Secret War is just a feast for the eyes. The is a lot of good to great in this show and i can’t wait for the third season. Love, Death + Robots is a bastion for pure creativity, something that mainstream Hollywood lacks. That, i think, is why i adore this series so much. I miss when cats took risks and created unique masterpieces. You see that with smaller studios like Neon and A24 but that spirit has long since vacated the major studios. Thank the stars for Netflix because without them, we’d never have wonderful little nuggets of pure inspiration like this show.

[blackbatpurplecat]

What do you think of Catwoman in the video games (Arkham City & Knight, Tell Tale, Injustice)? Which are you favorites and do you think TPTB would ever come out with a solo game of her's?

Yay, finally I get to say something NICE! XD Short answer: They’re (almost) all great! My absolute favorite is Catwoman in the Telltale games!

Very long answer incoming:

Lemme rank them from the one I like the least to the one I love the most. That’s probably the easiest way to answer this. There are many more games Catwoman is appearing in but they’re not really worth mentioning here.

3) Catwoman in Injustice 1+2

Unfortunately, there’s not a lot of Catwoman in those two but that’s no big surprise when the cast is bigger than the one in Avengers: Endgame. She’s fantastic in the tie-in comics but I can’t count those here.

So in part 1, she’s Bruce’s ex who ratted him out to protect him and after everything, she still wants to redeem herself and get back together with him. I liked her purple-gray costume (the weird steampunk one with the tail... not so much), I liked her voice-actress who also voiced her in the Arkham games, Grey DeLisle. I liked her cunningness, how she quickly figured out that Cyclops was a different Cyclops and made him blow his cover.

I understand that Selina would do something more selfish to protect the man she loves. She wanted Supes to spare Bruce and for that, accepted that many other people would die - BUT I will never understand WHY they wrote her arc like that. Why not write her as Bruce’s loyal partner and girlfriend? Why couldn’t she be on his side in the fight against Superman and the Regime? Even Harley and Luthor were! At least, they didn’t make her entirely evil, she did have good intensions but was misguided. And her ending had a feeling of hope in it.

Years later, she’s apparently reached her goal of redemption, found her way back to Bruce, and is now working as a double agent for the Insurgency. This time, she has more than only two scenes but we don’t learn much more about her, her relationship with Bruce, or her arc. You gotta read the comics for that... And again, not a huge fan of her costumes in this one but it’s cool that you can modify them to your liking. 

Her ending is the worst in this however. After what she’s been through with Bruce, after fighting with him, against him, redeeming herself, earning his trust again, and getting back to his side, she... just leaves him because she got bored. Wow. What fucking idiot wrote that?!

All in all, she’s a minor character in both games, her arc happens mostly off-screen, they don’t do anything new or outstanding with her but I enjoyed seeing her. Too bad, you can’t play as her.

2) Catwoman in the Arkham games

Now THAT’s more like it! ❤️Back then, I only bought Arkham City because you could play as Catwoman in it. I didn’t know much more about the game, I had never played its predecessor, I only wanted to play as Catwoman - and boy oh boy what a glorious purchase that turned out to be!

To this day, I still adore Arkham City, so much so that I bought it three times (CD + Steam + PS4). I can play it in my sleep! And it made me buy Asylum, Origins, Blackgate, and Knight, half of them were good and some also had Catwoman!

City - Her part in the game is a short side quest that’s not really connected to the main story: Catwoman wants to steal from Hugo Strange’s vault, convinces Ivy to help her break into it, then she leaves her loot behind to save Batman’s life, then tracks down Two-Face to get her stolen loot back, and after finishing him, retrieves her loot. She then decides to stay in Arkham City because it’s still dangerous there a.k.a. fun!

While it’s a shame that Catwoman and Batman only meet twice, they do save each other’s lives. The banter and flirting could certainly be better in this though. Her story isn’t anything new BUT it’s perfectly executed and it’s exactly what Catwoman’s like. She’s playful and seductive (they could have turned down her horniness about a few points - but you gotta please the fanboys *sigh*), she’s looking after herself, she only does what she wants (so she won’t return the plant to Ivy who had treated her so badly), but in the end, she does the right thing by saving Batman because she has a good heart.

While her side story felt tagged on, I really enjoyed it! I just love playing as her, beating up thugs, using the whip, and crawling on the ceilings. Also you get to wear the BTAS suit AND the purple Long Halloween suit! YAY!

Blackgate - It starts with Batman chasing Catwoman across the rooftops for the very first time, that’s just a fantastic intro! And I really liked their fight towards the ending for its very interesting execution. This time, Catwoman is not playable but both a suspicious ally who helps Batman with information and an enemy Batman has to defeat. Which I get because they’ve basically just met and don’t know each other yet.

The lack of trust is also the reason why Catwoman’s playing him like she is in the game. She figures him out rather quickly and cleverly uses his urge to save and protect others against him to get access to what she had been told to get from Blackgate. Manipulating Batman into helping her completing her mission is a real Catwoman-y move so the Arkham games continue the trend of “getting” her character. Well, except for having Catwoman lick herself like a cat.

Knight - Selina’s third and last appearance in the Arkham games. She’s kinda playable and she’s no enemy BUT she’s a damsel in distress... ... ... Okay, Knight, what do have for us?

Riddler, of all people, has captured Catwoman and uses her to play with Batman. Well, at least it proves that everyone knows about the relationship between the Bat and the Cat (yet Catwoman keeps saying they’re not close - oh honey, no one believes you). Selina’s wearing an explosive collar and Batsy has to find Riddler trophies and complete riddles (and for some fucking reason drive races!) to unlock the keys to set her free.

Catwoman’s kinda playable since you can’t explore the city with her but you can switch to her while you’re solving Riddler’s contraptions or fight his robots. The dual team feature in the game was magnificent in general. I would have loved to play more as her but at least, she’s not just sitting around waiting for Bruce to save her but is partaking in her own rescue.

The chemistry between Bruce and Selina is the best part of this Riddler mission. Neither fears nor takes Eddie seriously and especially Selina drops so many awesomely annoyed comments and jabs against him, but gets increasingly more worried. While we saw BatCat meet in Blackgate, in Knight they’ve known each other for years and it shows. There’s no other character in the game Batman talks to in the way he talks to Catwoman. It’s... casual, funny, flirty. Additionally, you can clearly hear his worry for her in his voice. In the end, Selina even comes back to help Batman with Riddler even though she didn’t have to - she wanted to! And offers more of her help, it’s so obvious how much he means to her.

I love Batman and Catwoman working together and flirting and bantering while fighting other Rogues but the only thing that’s holding this back from being perfect is the series’ idiotic insistence that Bruce is still mourning the al Ghul chick which we all know is bullshit. And Selina doesn’t know Batman’s identity?! Come on.

To sum it up, I really liked Catwoman’s attitude and portrayal in Knight but would have loved to have more of her in the game. What we got was passable enough to have fun with. Bonus points for the 90s Balent suit you can put her in!!! If only there was an Arkham game in which both characters were playable and constantly working together, now THAT would be my dream!

1) Catwoman in the Telltale games

Where do I start? The voice? The charm? The complexity? 

She’s not playable but that doesn’t make this game and her in it less perfect. We again meet a clever, confident, I-mostly-care-about-myself Selina who’s great at fighting and stealing and manipulating. She’s caught Harvey in her trap to get close to his buddy, rich boy Bruce Wayne. She instantly finds out that he’s Batman (same way he finds out that she’s Catwoman) and they form a rocky alliance which either blooms into something deeper or not, depending on your decisions.

The makers of the game understand her the way Rocksteady did but add a softer layer to her. She’s playful, seductive, and doesn’t take no shit from anyone and in episode 3 of the first season, we see a vulnerable Selina for the first time. A woman who doubts she could ever be more than a cat burglar. She does take pride in her skills and doesn’t apologise for what she does (she even says “you shouldn’t trust me”) but you notice that she’s longing for a connection, for someone who trusts and relies on her without weighing her down. 

I personally had the impression that she felt a bit honored that Batman would support her and have faith in her the way he did in my playthrough. It gave her a chance to prove to herself that she could do more, be more. And that it felt good to have someone she in turn could rely on and trust which proved to her that the world maybe wasn’t as bad as she’d thought, that she could let her guard down once in a while. There was also another side we don’t see often on her: She didn’t want to face Harvey at the hospital. Maybe due to cowardice, shame, you decide.

Her last scene in season 1 wasn’t the best, it was just her going back to her old ways, seemingly leaving behind her character development from previous episodes but she probably wasn’t at the point of staying and saving people yet. It was the usual move to save herself and telling herself that she’s a bad person who doesn’t have feelings for Bruce. Changing yourself isn’t hard, it’s not changing back to your old self that is, and I think that’s what happened there, she simply fell back into her old self. 

In season 2, she returns as the thief we all know and love. They didn’t change her, her actions and dialogue lines fit the character we met in season 1. This time, we also see her vengeful side as she’s trying to get revenge for her dead friend, Riddler, and she won’t let anyone get in her way, not even Bruce.

Later, she wants Bruce to tell her that he needs her and he can’t take down Harley and the rest without her, proving she wants to be needed and trusted as I’d mentioned before. Same goes for admitting that it means a lot to her that he lets her into his secret life. Season 2 shows us that everything from season 1 did leave an impact on her and her development is slowly moving forward. One lovely example is her being surprised by a hug in S1 and in S2, she hugs Bruce first.

To put lots of rambling briefly I LOOOVE Telltale’s Catwoman! She’s not just a cunning thief but a woman with feelings, hopes, fears, layers. I really hope we will get a third season someday, especially since we didn’t get any closure scenes with Selina, no matter which Joker we fought in the last S2 episode.

---

Now regarding her own game... She had one already with a 1999 Game Boy Color game. Nothing huge but I count it. Especially since she’s wearing her 90s suit in it. 😉

I would very much welcome a Catwoman game with her as the lead! An Arkham like game: open world Gotham, you get to meet many Rogues, you have to flee from Batman and/or fight his kiddies. Maybe you need to team up with Harley and Ivy, or with Batgirl! OR make it like a Lara Croft game with lots of breaking and entering, and stealing valuable artefacts.

Alas, I think the chances of getting a Catwoman game are very slim! DC are so focused on Batman and Superman, they won’t spend millions of dollars on the production of a game that’s... not starring at least one of those two. I mean there’s not even a Wonder Woman game so why would they make one starring Catwoman? A shame really.

[kendrixtermina]

Sigh. Chibnall.

Jodie Whittaker and demographic realism

So I want to make clear that I have no problems whatsoever with Jodie Whittaker’s performance - the character seamlessly kept walking across the screen, she has great energy, love the steampunk goggles. 

Honestly I’ve always believed that giving existing characters a demographic change is not really as revolutionary or helpful as ppl think; New characters and stories (esp. told by writers of those samedemographics) solve the problem much better. Keeping specificity is often better than losing it, and the character still has a background (from an “advanced” civilization that used to do dirty deeds and is still kind of uppity attitudes, a character who’s decided to be against that attitude but still needs to be knocked own from the occasional uppity moment; It makes sense for them to look like a british dude, and they have the freedom to go wherever problems like sexism and racism don’t exist so... ), and will be linked to its origin.  But at worst something that will look dated in a few years like the 80s outfits, the show’s done dated and crowdpleasing before; There’s no hard reason not to do it and I expected no quality dip. 

It certainly worked as as attention grab, the premiere drew a lot of attention but that only lasted as long as it took for the reviews to go sour. But one of the main good things its proponents said could come of it was to help the lack of female anti heroes. So far she really didn’t get to anti hero much; It’s not Whittaker, it’s the scripts. 

I want to make this clear: Varied demograpics are good; 

This is why I kind of hate the term “diversity” is one of those vague euphemisms if you mean “demographic representation”, “social equity” or “demographic realism” just say that. 

In a way this is a good thing, it used to be only the best boldest writers who could get away, noadays it has become acceptable to have varied casts. And that’s how it should be artshouldn’t have to have to pass some arbitrary quality standard to simply reflect reality. But as the rebootverse and star trek discovery should’ve proved realistic demographics can’t replace good writing. Sometimes lack of realistic demographis is associated with bad writing because both come from play-it-safe more-of-the-same consummerism focussed sameyness, often someone who goes against the formulas has a solid vision which makes them good, and focussing on ignored topics and perspectives can yield new ideas (consider stuff like Wonder Woman, Get Out, Black Panther... which were just good, novel movies) but you could have a super interesting memorable story where everyone is a medieval european monk, but the characters are differentiated by personality, attitude, beliefs, or something where the cast ticks all sort of all demographic boxes but the characters are 1D and the story trite and predictable

On the one hand you get those gamergate adjacent fanboys who make “diversity” and “good writing” out to be enimical opposites and then you have the purists/antis who treat any critique of writing to be founded in having something against realistic demographics. You need both! 

Series 11

There were good things about it: An attempt at leastto do more of your classic thought provoking space operas or going back to the shows’ pulp fiction roots, covering some historic periods/topics other than the classic historical fiction tropes (they got a pakistani writer, had Yaz and Ryan discuss social topics among themselves etc.), the emotional story centered around this family coping with a loss, having Ryan sort of be the “main” companion and the one the rest of the team is protective of

But overall the reason I didn’t rush to watch s12 as soon as it came out is that it was a bit... bland. The team interacted mostly with each other; The Doctor had more charge with one shot characters like King James or the Solitract than she really did with the companions. Graham was such a missed opportunity. Remember how everyone loved the dynamic with Wilfred? No attempt to strike a bond over how they’re the older party members, or the professional xenophile trying to nudge the bilbo baggins like reluctant hero? We’re told the Doctor really likes Yaz, and I believe it cause she always liked people like that, but are we shown?

For all that Moffat and RTD were very different writers with different strenghts and weaknesses, both were very character-driven writers, and that was really missing here a bit. 

Some ppl said they didn’t give Yaz enough screentime or personality - but the thing is, they did try. They just failed. They let her make little remarks here and there about her homelife, they just never really assembled into a whole beyond buzzwords and inspirational platitudes and the Standard Companion Traits. I didn’t get a read on what she’s about or who she’s like until the pakisan episode where she unlike Barbara, Donna etc. immediately accepted that the past can’t be changed. Ah, I finally thought, she’s a very responsible dutiful person.

Everything lacks edges and defining moments. 

So far, I didn’t sweat it. I though, ok, not everything can be the high-concept character driven spec fic epic type of story that is my personal favorite. Every time there was some addition to the mythos in any way someone cried ruined forever. When the time lords first appeared. When the time war was introduced. 

The classics too were lower on the character driven ness; Still good pulp fiction content. (imho the character concepts themselves were often pretty good, just not used to the fullest and some of the actresses were treated crappy backstage)

I thought “okey, it wouldn’t be good to break with the tradition of making the sussequent incarnations contrasting”

I did think that there was much liberty with the additions which the others did do only towards the end when it feltmore earned, but, the addition of say, sisters, isn’t too disruptive

Series 12 and the Timeless Child Nonsense

The frustrating thing about this is that it COULD have been good. 

The Master teaming up with the cybermen to try and take over Gallifrey is precisely the sort of story the classics would’ve done. 

“Your society is founded on a shady secret and exploitation of the innocent” is a good plot twist especially in these times. The Master finding that secret and using it to his advantage - also very him. 

Imagine what it could have been like if it had been approached from the perspective of someone who, for all that they were a rebel, still sort of profited from being part of that society, someone who wants to take responsibility for that past and would maybe have to make some tough choice to let the exploitation victim go because it’s right even if it has cosequences for themselves and their civilization. 

but then you ruin that by immediately taking the protagonist out of that society. They and they alone are the victim. 

like this plot could have been good except for the twist that the Doctor and the timeless child are the same. 

Not connecting it to existing lore about the earlier war game days, everything with Omega and Rassilon, that bit about the Time Lord becoming what they were through exposure to the untempered schism... that might be forgiven. Even if it does stretch the suspension of disbelief that every single piece of sci fi scanning equipment in the show didn’t pick anything up; Not to mention that it destroys the stake on every heroic sacrifice or death prophecy plot, every time a companion or oneshot character took the bullet, the whole “out of regens” plot...

This is not me being mad about things being added or changed, but this being done in such a way that undermines the philosophy, the whole flavor... 

Yes, the MC is mysterious, the 7th Doctor arcs did a lot with this etc. but doesn’t spelling something out this clear not deplete rather than add to that? It#s a definite answer even if the final origin isn’t clear. 

But they’re so much else.

The trickster hero accomplishing great deeds with planning, guile, improvisation and duct tape, the implicit value that ressourcefulness trumps raw power. 

The rebel, different because they chose to be or made themselves to be such through their adventures, sticking to their own values in a close-minded society - who embodies & encourages thinking for yourself in every situation and universal plot, who battles enemies like the Daleks and Cybermen that represent comformity

Yeah they have many names yeah they take out gods... but all this was the result of their actions & path in pursuit of knowledge, and also, as Moffat once stated, the funny part is that behind all the fearsome reputation is wit and duct tape. 

The fish in a small pond who started out a misfit, failed their tardis driving exam... etc. and often made a point that they didn’t want immortality or endless godlike power. That’s meaningless if they had it to begin with. 

The explorer who wanted to see more than their corner of the world. 

The ANTI HERO that’s made alltogether too tragic here, too absolved from their uppity civilization

All that is wiped away if they were this special creature to begin with.

Where WAS the philosophy, rly? The big humanist speeches that made me love the show. 

Going Forward

So I think - I HOPE - that this in particular will be treated like the “half human” thing from the TV movie or the now josses additional origin stories from the audios, or be handwaved under the “you cant get it wrong cause everything is in flux” carpet

It’s the Master effing with her to pay her back for the half broken chameleon arch thing. 

It’s possible the Child actually existed, long dead or trapped somewhere - again, dirty mystery at the bottom of a stck-up society is a good twist. but this shouldn’t be more than another maybe in the multiple choice past not a definite answer. 

Also, i hate this line of thought but I can’t stave it off: Why is is now that the MC looks female that we get this vulnerable, passively victimized tomato surprise rather than something with an ugly but definite choice in it. 

I will probably ignore it - parts of me resents this cause “your civilization is based on a lie” could be such a good plot twist (then again the existing twists to that end from the classics and End of Time do enough rly) but if i have to choose between that and the basic meaning of the character....

[dragon-kazansky]

Going North - Chapter one

NOTE: This is going to be a slow burn story. It will follow the plot of the series, but after Lyra part with Lee in the series, the story will then mainly focus on Lee and reader. The first 3 chapters are just of you, Lyra and the Gyptians. I'm not yet certain on how this will end following the end of Season 1, but I’ll make sure it’s got a good cliffhanger on it. Please enjoy!

Chapter 1 - A boy goes missing

Just outside Oxford your workshop could be found. You are an engineer who loves to tinker with gadgets. Nothing satisfied you more than taking things apart, seeing what makes them tick, and putting them back together again. You also had a deep interest in old cars and airships, looking out for the odd one that would fly over. You saw one yesterday.

Your daemon, Oliver, who settled with the form of a snowy owl, often says you work too much. As you sat at your desk and tinkered with the pocket-watch in your hand, you could feel his beady eyes on you. You put down your tools and turn to him, lifting your very steampunk-like goggles.

"Yes?"

"I didn't say anything." Oliver blinked slowly.

"You want to say something."

"Perhaps you should take a break?" He looked down at the watch, many of it's components were littered across the table. "Some food will do you good and a break is much needed."

"I had a big breakfast."

"Alright, but don't blame me if you're hungry later." He turned his head away and began to peck at his feathers.

You sighed as you pushed away from the desk and got up. Your boots began to click on the wooden floor as you made your way over to the fridge. You grabbed what you needed to make a sandwich. You placed everything onto the counter and grabbed what was left of your bread loaf. Oliver flew from your desk to a perch that you had built for him near the kitchen.

Most days were quiet. Your shop was small, only those who knew where to look could find it. Most of your customers were regulars because they knew where to look. You were always happy to provide for them and make their wishes come true in the form of wind up toys and cool gadgets. You made just enough to get by.

You were happy. Just lonely. Your only companion was your daemon, Oliver.

You gazed out the window and looked up to the blue sky. The weather was nice, perhaps you should get out of your workshop and go for a walk. Oliver will thank you for it, probably. Your adventurous side was eager to go out and explore. As much as you loved your little shop, you also enjoyed being outside.

You finished your sandwich and put it on a plate, taking it back towards your desk.

"I'll eat this and then we'll go out. Maybe we could make the journey to the Gyptians? I have a few things they might like." You looked over to a box full of trinkets you had put together. Every so often you would go down there and gift them with things you made. You considered them friends of yours, accepting no payment from any of them. Sometimes you would show the children how to take things a part and put them back together again. It was fun.

"I'm sure they would like that." Oliver cooed.

Before you were able to take a bite out of your sandwich, a firm knock sounded at the door. You lowered the yummy food back onto the plate and turned to the door.

"We have a visitor, lunch will have to wait." You gave a big sigh and got up, making your way to the door. You pulled it open ready to give your usual greeting to customers. You were stopped short when you saw who was at your door. "Farder Coram, what do I owe the pleasure of your visit?"

You let the man in and closed the door behind him and his daemon. He didn't often come up to your shop, so it must be important. The only times he ever came near your shop was to request you to visit. You got the feeling, judging by his expression, that it wasn't the case this time.

"We have a problem. We need all the help we can get." He looked at you, his gaze serious and unwavering. You knew something was wrong.

"What is it? What happened?" Your voice was laced with worry.

"One of our own has been taken. He's been missing since last night."

"Oh my goodness! Who is it?" You knew many of the children over there, you couldn't imagine the worry going through their families minds.

"Billy Costa."

You felt your heart plummet. You had made him a little wind up car for his birthday last year. He adored it so much he carried it around with him for ages. His mother told you he loved it. She must be going out of her mind right now. You would never be able to sleep at night if you didn't do anything.

"What are we waiting for?"

The Gobblers. believed to be a myth by most, would appear to actually be real. The Gyptians certainly thought so, and so did you after so many children were disappearing. The belief in a myth was better than having no answer at all to what was happening.

You grabbed your coat and hat and locked up the shop behind you all. You let Coram lead the way.

Your shop wasn't close to the Gyptians current location, so it meant a lot that he came all this way. He could have sent a letter or anything, but he came to you in person to ask for your help. It felt good to know they relied on you in dark time such as this. You would do everything you could to help them out.

When you arrived everyone was rushing about. There were people grouped up around tables, looking at maps. Some were grabbing gear, preparing to search in small parties around the area. Though you would be shocked if they found so close by.

Lord Faa was waiting for you both as you drew nearer. You bowed your head in respect, as many did while he led you the rest of the way.

It appeared no one had found anything as of yet, which only made you all the more worried.

"Where is Ma Costa?" John Faa asked, shaking hands with a young man.

"We told her to wait on her boat in case Billy returns there." He explained.

"And the rest of our people?"

The young man gestured to everyone else in the room. "State Police have shown no interest."

"Hmm. No surprises there." Faa said.

"So we're organising teams of our own. We've got a group that went North from Magdalen Bridge up the Cherwell. Nothing. We divided Jericho, we staked out the Airship Station."

"John, the Gobblers will have got him out of Oxford by now." Coram said. You could only nod. You feared that to be the truth.

"You think it's the Gobblers?" Tony, Billy's older brother, asked. He came over and stood on the other side of Coram. "The Gobblers haven't took my brother. That's just a children's story."

"No. The Gobblers are real. John Faa and I have visited six different Gyptian communities all having children taken, all the same way." Coram said, looking very serious.

"Yeah, but why? What can they want with them?" Tony asked, shifting his gaze to John and back.

"That we don't know. We don't know what they do, but we will find out." Coram replied. "We have word they are taking the children to London. Maybe it's the best way to hide them, but we must go and try!"

"Wait, leave here?" Tony asked. "No, no. Ma would never agree to that! Billy's lost, he's not been taken."

"Continue the search." John said. "Cover as much of this area as we can today. And if we do not find him here, we'll go to London and find him there."

The group parted. You gazed at Tony with a sorrowful gaze. You didn't know what to say. There wasn't anything you could say.

By morning there was no sign of Billy or any of the missing children reported. Any sightings of the Gobblers were either well hidden, or they were no longer here. You were there when Billy's mother needed to cry. Tony could only watch as her heart broke. Her son was missing and no one could find him.

This only left London. If rumours were true, then the chance of finding him there were much greater.

The discussion of London hadn't really been had. It was kept between yourself, Farder Coram, Lord Faa and a few others. Discussing this with Billy's mother would be a difficult task on the fact she probably wouldn't want to go. She believed Billy to still be near home.

The search for Billy continued continued.

The boats were brought to a stop while you discussed among yourselves on your next move.

Maggie, Billy's mother, climbed off her boat to see what was happening.

"Readying the boats?" She came over to you all. "Are you thinking of leaving, Farder Coram? My son's still out there."

"Farder Coram has done nothing." Lord Faa said from beside her. "I am halting the search."

Maggie gestured for him to come over to the other side of the boat so they could talk privately. You watched with baited breath as they talked quietly. You couldn't imagine how she much be feeling. Her world be feel like it's falling apart knowing her boy is out there somewhere, but you had good faith that the elders of the Gyptians knew what they were doing. The best chance of finding her boy was to listen to them. You wouldn't have agreed to help if you thought otherwise.

Lord Faa was telling her it was the Gobblers, but she didn't think there was any evidence to suggest Billy was with them. Unfortunately, that's the whole point. That's why they were mostly rumour. There was never any evidence to suggest they even existed.

"We are going to London, fighting those Gobblers, and getting our children back." He stated firmly, turning around and coming back to you all.

You didn't move your gaze from Ma Costa. You knew she knew he was right, but of course she needed to think.

If Billy was able, he would have come back. He has been taken. You know in her heart she knows that. Like any mother, she doesn't want to believe it.

You got to her side and take her hand.

"Come on." You don't look at her with pity. She doesn't want that. You take her, and Tony who had come to check on her, back to their boat, staying with them for a while. You make her sit down and put the kettle on. You can't soothe her mind, but you could distract her for a little bit. You wanted to ease her a little bit. At the moment that was the most you could do.

London.

A great city with many places. It's vast, therefore there's a lot of ground to cover. Luckily, rather than going in blindly and searching the city from top to bottom, you have a lead.

"A van has been seen leaving and entering here. We've not confirmed children on board."

"We've not confirmed? We need to be confirmed."

"The Gobblers are efficient, well-protected and well-funded."

"So good that people think they're a myth." You stated, looking up at the group. "It's how they operate. No one believes they exist."

"So you're saying we know enough?" Lord Faa asked.

"I'd state good odds that the van is Gobbler and it's being used to transport them." The young man said, confidence laced in his voice. Someone must have had a reason to believe as such. "We've been searching for days. This is the best lead we've got."

"So tomorrow we attack. In the morning we gather our best men. Go in fast through the front door. Take on whatever lies on the other side." Farder Coram said.

"Prepare the men. We strike with force." John Faa added. He grabbed his hat and got up, leaving.

You looked at the map in thought.

Within the next hour you all grabbed what you may need and headed out. You followed Lord Faa to the building where the Gobblers were supposedly hiding out. There wasn't any sign of life.

"Stop at nothing. We will rescue these children." Faa said.

Everyone headed in. You stayed with Faa as he asked you to remain by his side, his reasoning unclear, but you were not going to argue with him. When the others had managed to break in you followed him inside, keeping an ear out for anything. Oliver flew above your heads. You followed him all the way to the top, Coram staying close behind you.

You couldn't hear any other sound other than the Gyptians who had gone on ahead.

Faa opened the door at the top of the stairs, everyone lifted their weapons and prepared for a fight, but you peered in and gave a sigh. The room was empty. Not a soul in sight.

But someone had been here.

Bunks beds were lined up on the other side of the room. To the right was a long messy table. The children had most defiantly been here, and too long ago either if you had to guess. The Gobblers had moved them quickly. A gut feeling told you they would have been here yesterday, even this morning.

You could have missed them by hours.

You looked at Coram. His silence was enough of a message for you. You both followed Faa into the room and looked around.

The windows were boarded up, the place was mucky and disgusting. To even think they were staying here was enough to break your heart further.

"That's Billy's." Coram said, picking up a vest from the floor.

"Oh God no." You muttered. This would break his mother's heart. Knowing her son was here, but you all missed him.

"This proves they were here." Farder Coram stated. You nodded softly. You had all been on the right track. There was still hope.

"The Gobblers must have known we were coming and moved them." Faa said, walking past Coram. If they did know, that explained the state of the room and why it looked like they were in a rush to leave.

"What do they want the children for?" You asked. They wouldn't take so many without a reason.

No one said any more and with a silent look from Faa, you all headed back. There was nothing else here to look at. The journey back to the boats was made.

It was important to tell Ma Costa about your findings, but you didn't want to be the one to tell her. You weren't sure what she would do. As you climbed into her boat, the others following behind you, you interrupted her yelling with Tony. You looked at them both, trying not to show your worry. She turned her back on you all and faced her kitchen counter.

She knew you hadn't found him because he wasn't here.

"Can I help?" Faa asked her.

"You can find my son." She stated bitterly.

"We were so close, though, Maggie. If you would have seen..." One of the others said.

"We never should have left Oxford." She said. "He's probably still there, lost, looking for his ma."

"He's not in Oxford. He's in London." You told her, though warily. "The Gobblers took him and we'll find him."

"And if you're all wrong?"

"We are not wrong." Coram said, pulling the vest from his pocket. He handed it over.

Maggie took it from him gently, as if not believing what she was seeing. She began to sob, holding it up to her nose and embraced this little bit of Billy she had with her now. No one said anything as she walked past them, crying her heart out into the knitted vest. She needed time to gather her thoughts and come to terms with that billy was right there for just a moment.

Lord Faa stopped Tony from going after her and followed Maggie. You excused yourself from the scene, not wanting to overbear her emotions.

You wait and see what the plan is from here.

Tags:

@awyr @fandombeehive @charmed-asylum  @sigynbandraoi-blog@procrastinatingmurder  @beebofrank13 @gemellath @eagleandthebutterfly @kpopgirlbtssvt @raeofstarshine @melancholicsthings

[bex-pendragon]

Bex’s Book Corner #11

September started off as a slow reading month for me, but it picked up near the end. I was able to tick a few more boxes on my reading challenge, and read some other stuff as well. Overall: 3 YA and 2 adult titles, for a total of 5 books read.

1. Girl Squads: 20 Female Friendships That Changed History by Sam Maggs

The title says it all. I’ve been reading this book an entry at a time for several months now. It was really cool to read about all these historic women, many of whom I’ve never heard of. I like to read this kind of book an entry at a time.

I also got misty-eyed a bunch of times while reading this. So many amazing women. So much culture and history. Kinda makes me feel like I’ve done nothing productive with my life, LOL.

This book fulfils the “Book with a ‘20’ or ‘twenty’ in the title” category for the Popsugar Reading Challenge.

 2. The Falconer by Elizabeth May

I really shouldn’t have picked up a series starter right now because it ended on a very rude cliff hanger and I don’t have the next book damn it!

The Falconer is the story of Aileana Kameron. She lives in a steampunk version of 1840’s Scotland. She is the last of the falconers: legendary women who hunted the deadly fae. Still grieving her mother’s death by faerie, Aileanna trains with a lone fae warrior to hunt these creatures, with the intent of avenging her mother’s death. But she’s also a highborn lady, and her widower father wants nothing more than to marry her off.

I love that she got to be angry. Aileana is a deeply flawed heroine who had no problem flinging herself into danger. She’s also an inventor, having devised tools and weapons to help her in her quest.

One thing I didn’t care for was the relationship dynamic between Aileanna and her fae trainer, the mysterious Kiaran. I’m kind of over the whole dangerous bad boy thing, so I didn’t really vibe with them.

I’m not sure if I’ll continue on with this series. It has a lot going for it and it’s very well-written. I think I’m just… over fae stories maybe? I dunno. I might’ve just been in a weird mood when I picked this one up. It ends on a hell of a cliffhanger, but I’m not invested enough to read on.

This book counts toward the “book featuring one of the seven deadly sins” prompt. The main character’s got some serious Wrath.

Content warnings: parental death, violence, blood, injuries.

3. The Shadow of Kyoshi by F.C. Yee

Anyway, I love AtLA, you guys. It’s just one of those shows that’s damn near perfect from start to finish. The strong worldbuilding, character development, and wide-reaching plot are what other writers/creatives should aspire to, ok? It’s that good.

But y’know what else is good? The tie-in novels about Avatar Kyoshi! I’ve been side-eyeing Canadian Netflix for not snapping up Legend of Korra yet. I was still in the avatar state (heh) of mind after finishing my last re-watch of AtLA, so I thought it was the best time to read the second Kyoshi novel.

I read the first, The Rise of Kyoshi, back when it was released. (Last year? It seems like it’s been 84 years, tbh.) I liked it a lot, but I liked the sequel EVEN MORE. In the first book, Kyoshi wasn’t a fully realized avatar yet – in fact, the people around her didn’t even think she was the avatar at all. Another young earthbender named Yun was thought to be the avatar of the age. But they were wrong.

It’s such a great twist on the Avatar mythology: what if the wrong person was identified as the next avatar? What are the consequences of that? The Kyoshi novels explore this question in depth. The death of the previous Avatar, Kuruk of the Northern Water Tribe, left a power vacuum in the world. It was really interesting to see how this reflected in the different nations. At this point in time, the Fire Nation consists of dozens of squabbling clans. This is the main conflict in the Shadow of Kyoshi. The last Fire Lord had two sons: the charming but illegitimate firstborn, and the wimpy second born, Zoryu. The Nation is about to erupt into civil war as the elder son tries to make a play for the throne. As the Avatar, it’s Kyoshi’s job to fix political conflicts.

But Kyoshi is no politician. We see her get to be victorious in some places, but we also get to see her fail. The narrative lets her fail. She’s such a layered character. It would be amazing to see another novel in this series – or even a spinoff show. I’d also love to see a story about Avatar Yangchen, the Avatar who came before Kuruk. But there’s still more room for stories about Kyoshi. She lived to be 230 years old! Of course there’s also an air of tragedy to her long life: I have to assume that she outlives her girlfriend, Rangi. Unless Rangi also discovered the secret of longevity. One can only hope, because I love these girlfriends.

This book did not count toward the Reading Challenge.

Content warnings: violence, blood, injuries, mentions of parental abandonment.

 4. The Inheritance Games by Jennifer Lynn Barnes

They’re calling this the YA version of Knives Out. And it is. But it’s also so much more.

I finally watched Knives Out a few months ago and really enjoyed it. I always enjoy a good murder mystery. (Remember earlier this year when I was freaking out over The Seven Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle? Good times!) I really hope we get to see Benoit Blanc solve another murder someday.

The Inheritance Games doesn’t start with a murder – it starts with an eccentric billionaire dying of natural causes and leaving the bulk of his fortune to a girl he’s never met. This girl is our heroine, Avery Grams: a poor teenager who’s lived in the custody of her older sister since her mother died. Avery is introduced as a chess master who’s capable of getting high grades in school. Her life is completely upended when she’s named in the will.

The one stipulation: Avery must move into Hawthorne House and live there for a year, or she forfeits the money. The Hawthornes are an eclectic bunch: the old man’s daughters are distrustful and the four grandsons each have their own agendas. The house itself is a palatial puzzle. There’s a romantic element as well, but it doesn’t overshadow the plot.

If there’s one tiny criticism I can make, it’s that I wish the guy hadn’t been a billionaire. That’s an obscene amount of money. If he’d been a multi-millionaire, it wouldn’t have required that extra suspension of disbelief.

Going back to Knives Out for a second – I kept thinking that there was going to be another twist to that story. The Inheritance Games gave me the twist on top of a twist that I was looking for – and more. I am in awe of how well the author pulled this off. I’m gonna need the sequel ASAP.

This book did not count toward the Reading Challenge.

Content warnings: attempted murder, parental abandonment, parental/grandparental death, car accident, gun violence, mentions of past abusive relationship.

5. Animal Farm by George Orwell

This is another one of those classic books that I never had to read for school. I’ve read a lot of classics, and yet, there’s still a lot more that I’ve missed. Funny how that works out sometimes. Sometimes I’ll pick them up on my own. But sometimes… not so much.

I probably wouldn’t have picked up Animal Farm on my own if it wasn’t for the Reading Challenge. One of the prompts was to read a banned book during Banned Books Week, which fell on the last week of September this year. After careful consideration of the banned books list, I chose Animal Farm for two reasons: #1. It was short. #2. We had an old copy in the house somewhere.

Turns out, I’d given our old copy away during one of my book purges. Oops. Luckily I was able to get my hands on an e-book version.

But holy shit, this story is forked up. And bleak. But also VERY CLEVER. I didn’t know what to expect, but WHOA. I did not see that ending coming, but it made complete sense. Well played, George Orwell. This was a wild ride, my dude.

I’m lowkey terrified of pigs now. That is all.

Content warnings: animal cruelty, animal death.

[comicteaparty]

July 29th-August 4th, 2020 Reader Favorites Archive

The archive for the Reader Favorites chat that occurred from July 29th, 2020 to August 4th, 2020.  The chat focused on the following question:

Recommendation free-for-all!  Name every webcomic you think people should be checking out!

boogeymadam

Joe is Dead - https://tapas.io/series/JoeIsDead

When a pirate is found dead with a mysterious will, crewmember Cricket is sent away to do as his will asks

Heirs of the Veil - http://heirsoftheveil.fervorcraft.de/

An Urban Fantasy about a witch who is aided by the Magical Guardian (known as The Strayer) of the area in search of her missing mother

Xii: of Magic & Muses - https://xiicomic.com/

When Willow wakes from a mysterious dream with a magical amulet that can infect other girls with Magical Girl abilities, she begins to question their bizarre all girl's school

The Guide to a Healthy Relationship - http://tgtahr.spiderforest.com/

Upon discovering his now ex-childhood friend isn't dead, an emotionally immature alcoholic tries to make amends for ruining their friendship.

Wychwood - http://wychwood.sevensmith.net/

Tiara's alien ability to conjure fire is tested in a world set twenty years after the world was invaded and then rescued from a terrifying alien force.

O' Sarilho - https://sarilho.net/en/

A Scifi comic about future roman soldiers who travel into enemy territory to find a satellite... that isn't a satellite :')

Ghost Junk Sickness - https://www.ghostjunksickness.com/

An Action-Scifi about two space-facing bounty hunters with an unstable dynamic chasing a dangerous bounty known as "The Ghost"

Cunning Fire - https://www.cunningfire.com/

Young Witch Akiva Stein is recruited by a coven of Chicago witches to travel into the afterworld and create the Elixir of Life

Keyspace: A Winged Tale - https://tapas.io/series/KEYSPACE-A-Winged-Tale

A wingless girl and her feathered friends journey into an underground laboratory to look for her scientist mother.

The Sea In You - https://tapas.io/series/theseainyou `While trying to clean up the beach, Corinth meets a mermaid. In fact, she's nearly drowned by one.

Erin Ptah (BICP | Leif & Thorn)

Every webcomic I recommend would be over 100 of them, so I'm not posting all those separate links! But here's my recs page with completed comics, with some genre info and a little blurb for each: https://www.bicatperson.com/links/references/finished-comics/

And here's my ComicRocket reading list - a few of them are to-read bookmarks, but for the rest I'm deep into the archives and always ready for more: https://www.comic-rocket.com/users/SailorPtah/

Follow Erin Ptah and others on Comic Rocket to see what comics they're sharing with you!

Miranda (Into the Swell)

Ok. I didn't know Comic Rocket was a thing but that is hella handy!!

Erin Ptah (BICP | Leif & Thorn)

It is SO handy! If you want to follow lots of comics it is absolutely lifesaving.

Miranda (Into the Swell)

Ya. I'm now setting up a reading list for me haha

RebelVampire

Centralia 2050 - https://centralia2050.com/ About: The story follows Midori, who has no memories, Grey, the unwitting dude who winds up babysitting, and some scary conspiracies they find along the way. Why: It's a fantastically drawn sci-fi with some interesting themes about discrimination and plenty of mystery. Radio Silence - http://www.radiosilencecomic.com/ About: The story follows a band as they basically live life and deal with success, family, and the band life. Why: Lots of great and relatable characters and has a great mix of both comedy and drama in a very pleasing slice of life way. Voidchild - https://tapas.io/series/Voidchild/info About: Voidchild is the story of Mary who possesses supernatural powers and consequently becomes involved in supernatural happenings going. Why: The action is really nice, the supernatural aspects interesting, and if you like seeing people develop their skills over the course of the comic, this is a great example. Alethia - https://alethia.kstipetic.com/index.html About: Alethia is a sci-fi comic about robots where each city is plagued by its own dilemma that's up for one robot to try and solve. Why: I consider this very literally to be the best sci-fi webcomic available. It is exactly what the genre is supposed to be, beautifully drawn, and I could write you a 10 page essay about every reason you should read Alethia. Super Galaxy Deluxe Knights R - http://sgkdr.webcomic.ws/ About: This is a story about Mizuki who doesn't believe in the rules and fixes problems with good strategy and crazy magic. Why: One of the best comedy webcomics in my opinion. Great timing, great payoff, and creative fights. Also Sword Warrior. The Pale - https://tapas.io/series/The-Pale About: This is a story about a small town and what happens when murders start happening. Why: Another beautifully drawn comic, and really one of the few that fills the small town murder mystery niche few comics go for.

RebelVampire

Apricot Cookie(s)! - https://apricotcookies.net/ About: The comic is a comedy about Apricot who lives in a world where basically all school kids are magical girls and she is the only one who can't transform. Why: One of the best parody comics out there. Very smart writing, and lots to laugh and enjoy. The Carpet Merchant of Konstantiiniyya - https://reimenayee.com/the-carpet-merchant-of-konstantiniyya/ About: The story follows a humble carpet merchant who has an unfortunate encounter with a vampire. Why: This offers a double whammy with beautiful, detailed art and fantastic story-telling that pulls at the heart strings. Maiden of the Machine - https://maidenmachine.com/ About: A romance story set in a steampunk world where class divides and societal expectations are a problem. Why: Very nicely paced romance with interesting characters and an interesting world. Sombulus - http://www.sombulus.com/ About: An adventure fantasy comic about a trio of misfits who go to different places, cause havoc, but also somehow kind of fix things. Why: One of those comics where it's really about the journey and having a fun time experiencing that journey. Plus, the world and set up is interesting with just enough bait for theorists. Chirault - http://chirault.sevensmith.net/ About: A fantasy comic about Kiran, a demon hunter, and Teeko, the victim of a spell gone wrong, and how they whoops into a magical adventure that risks the entire world. Why: Chirault is beautiful with great and memorable characters, well-designed world, and just everything you could want from fantasy. Rainy Day Dreams - http://rainydaydreams.mariahcurrey.com/ About: A comic about a world of monsters where Tristin the oopsed into the world human, Mara the magic mature one, and Michael the regular ol' vampire becomes friends and navigate life. Why: A lot to offer in both fantasy and comedy, so overall just a really enjoyable, light-hearted read.

Ring Spell - https://ring-spell.com/ About: A fantasy, slice of life about witches, wizards, and something about rings. Why: Super crisp and beautiful art combined with plenty of mysteries to keep the brain thinking.

Many more I could add, but I will stop there with my walls.

mathtans

It occurs to me that I mentioned a bunch in the CTP talk but never tossed them in here. Some of them already are mentioned above, so for the others...

https://tapas.io/series/champs (Lesbians, wrestling, an interesting mix)

https://tapas.io/series/The-Cat-The-Vine-and-The-Victory/info (Real interesting world built here, engaging plot and characters, long runner.)

https://nattosoup.com/ (7" Kara, for anyone fond of watercolours and the idea that tiny people exist. Currently has a kickstarter going)

Enjoy, all the best, thanks for the memories. ^^

Comic Tea Party

And this wraps up our last #reader_favorites chat. We appreciate everyone for joining these chats and helping us explore tons of different kinds of comics. It’s been a blast not only learning about your personal tastes, but also finding out about new comics in general. Thanks for spreading the love! For this conversation, and all past #reader_favorites chats, you’ll be able to find them archived here: https://comicteaparty.com/readerfavorites

[fallingin-like]

november 17

above the clouds by @gluupor​ [requested by @fuzzballsheltiepants]

see which other fics i’m reviewing this month! / my review request post! 

this is an absolutely amazing fic that features airships, android!neil, and fantastic world-building. it’s a really fun and adventurous read, but still contains enough angst to break your heart. if you haven’t read this yet, drop everything and read it now. if you have read it, read it again.

okay i enjoyed this fic so much that i cannot put it in words. i remember when i first read it, i always get so excited when i see that you’ve posted and i read it in an hour, the time passing by so quickly. i couldn’t pull myself away and was reluctant to go back to real life after i finished reading. all your characters are so entertaining and as always, are integrated so nicely into this au.

things that stood out to me:

”over the khazak grass plains, year 1424 new era (ne), january” i just think that this adds a lot to the story so efficiently. we have a location and time and i just feel like this sort of title/header establishes a tone (makes me feel a steampunk/sci-fi kind of vibe). i’d be interested in how you came up with which locations and years to use?

”andrew shut off the engines and revelled in the silence. he could still hear the mechanical noises that resulted from keeping the gasbag at the appropriate pressure to maintain their altitude, but it was as quiet as it got aboard an airship.” i love this, mostly because i can relate to it? i’m really used to driving with music on, but lately i’ve been turning off the radio and driving in silence which is a really interesting experience, especially since i drive an electric car for work which is really quiet most of the time. also it introduces us to the airship!

”neil would eventually man the flight deck for night watch as he didn’t require any sleep” i am immediately invested in this version of neil and want to know EVERYTHING that he is capable of doing

andrew is wearing a scarf that nicky knitted for him!!! that is adorable! both nicky doing this for andrew, but also andrew wearing it!

your description of the monster is amazing. i would love to explore it. on the ground though (i am afraid of heights and not as brave as andrew lol) i saw that you were inspired by the mortal engine series and i can definitely see aspects of this both here and in later portions of the fic although i only watched the movie which was… interesting haha. were there any other sources of inspiration? i found that this reminds me a little of the films ‘alita, battle angel’, and a little bit of ‘castle in the sky’ as well

having little glowing things in their lamps instead of fire? woah that’s so cool

”neil was futzing around inside it with a tiny screwdriver” LOVE the word futzing. i’ve not heard it before, but it feels right. also it’s kind of cute that they are all helping each other out on the ship

algae bricks and beetle bricks? do they just,,, bite into it? because that feels so chaotic to me. lol mix into water and make it into mush? i am currently very grateful for the food i have

”jealous, aaron? don’t worry; i’ll come service you once i’ve got andrew settled tonight.” NEIL, YOU’RE GOING TO BE THE DEATH OF ME

”’better do it in the reclaimer,’ said kevin, taking him literally. ‘we need to preserve water if we’re headed to palmetto before our next resupply.’” one of the many things that i love about your writing is your amazing characterization of mr kevin day. what a legend 

”he wasn’t entirely sure why he wasn’t telling the others about wymack’s summons; there was something about it that put him on edge and he wanted to keep it to himself for now.” oh nO this is bad news!! you did a great job of introducing this undercurrent of worry into a scene that had just been so light and funny

“‘yes, i did,’ said andrew, keeping his voice steady. ‘last week before we headed into the plains.’” my stomach dropped at this point, memory problems are always so scary because it’s so hard to tell what the source of the problem is. andrew’s calmness is directly contrasting this, but it feels like it takes effort which is even scarier!

”andrew had spent his childhood shutting down any emotions. they’d been a liability in the type of life he’d led” and ”he had been destined for a short life with a brutal end. sometimes that seemed preferable to how much caring about other people could hurt. he often cursed those responsible for how his life had changed” ahhh this is so sad, but also really soft? because he’s come so far? and he’s opened himself up and let himself be vulnerable by caring

hearing the backstory of the twins is so interesting to me, you do a great job at both establishing this world that these characters are living in and how they fit in with it

”andrew was left with little choice but to do something nice to shut him up” i think this is one of the most andrew-like sentences to be ever written haha

”by all rights he should have died in the slums, but instead-and andrew was never sure exactly how he’d done it-he’d attached himself to andrew and aaron, like a barnacle that they couldn’t remove and grudgingly came to care about” cute!!! the tone is really andrew-like too

woah all these languages are pretty cool! i like the idea of having a common trading language, and the idea of having mandonese and spanglish is interesting.

”that seedy is mine” I DIDN’T UNDERSTAND THIS AT FIRST BUT THIS IS SO FUNNY. lowkey reminds me of the lego movie haha. also seems fitting of kevin to collect ancient artifacts, even if he doesn’t really know what they do

ANDREW AND AARON AS GANG LEADERS YES PLEASE. i absolutely love it when people have such a great reputation. very exciting to hear that drake is not going to be an issue in this fic!!! wait a second… andrew and aaron were 16? so small!

hmmm i am interested how kevin got stuck in shanghai?

bad news that wymack is asking neil to stay on the ship. all this mystery and hiding is making me feel like things are not looking so good

”he’d forgotten again that it was bee whom andrew wanted him to see” NOOOOO

ohmygoodness the usbee. do they pronounce it uzz-bee? because that’s definitely how i picture them saying it and it is so funny to me. 

”i informed you that people are after you because i actually care about what happens to you, you miserable little gremlin” i really can never say it enough, but i love the way you use affectionate insults like this so so much.

”’oh, you know,’ said andrew idly, ‘those that slay together slay together.’” NO BIG DEAL. 

”a nobody who got the drop on you. better luck next time” NEIL I KNOW THAT YOU REALLY CAN’T HELP IT BUT PLEASE CONTROL YOURSELF AROUND SOMEONE WHO YOU KNOW IS SO DANGEROUS

”’this time, it was eavesdropping,’ said neil brightly” he’s so enthusiastic!! cute!!

”how do you travel now?” i am also interested in this!! for all i know, he just slides through shadows and pops up wherever andrew is haha

”neil flicked his fingers dismissively. andrew’s eyes narrowed at the performance. he wasn’t this dramatic, was he?” i am very sorry to break it to you, but andrew minyard you are one of the most dramatic people ever

ooooh dang neil is good. does his android body not process poison? also where did he get the knowledge that andrew was going to be set up anyway?

”within a few hours neil had forgotten the whole conversation, but he retained the knowledge that andrew had forced him to see bee and wasn’t happy about it” noooo why is this happening, it’s so heartbreaking to see neil forgetting things (also feels extra-bad because alzheimer’s runs in my family and this could definitely be me in the future which is Scary) and i Hate when andrew and neil are fighting because andrew is just trying to take care of neil!!! ;-;

”mickey, the mouse-shaped god of old america” OHMYGOODNESS

as startling it must have been to andrew, hearing about the moriyamas previously owning neil, i’m curious what was going through neil’s mind during this conversation. it must be so disorienting, not remembering your past. all of a sudden, you just started existing

”’shoot them. escape on the monster,’ said andrew. that was their usual plan for hostility they didn’t want to deal with.” i mean, i guess that’s a pretty solid plan. LOL

ohmygoodness katelyn also having red hair and blue eyes? “andrew always pretended not to notice that he and aaron had suspiciously similar taste in people, gender notwithstanding” LOLOL

”neil’s tension was ratcheting higher the longer they stayed in the region, something which he wouldn’t explain to andrew’s satisfaction.” ahhhh we! need! better! communication! what is neil hiding?

I HATE THAT NATHAN IS GOOD AT ACTING. YOU MAKE ME WANT TO BELIEVE HIM SO BAD EVEN THOUGH I KNOW HE’S LIKE SUPER SUPER EVIL AND IS GOING TO HURT EVERYONE NEIL AND ANDREW KNOW. 

thank you andrew for knowing better and for always thinking ahead. i feel like i can really trust you to take care of neil (and you, gluupor to take care of these characters even if sometimes you break my heart while doing so)

andrew: mawp mawp mawp mawp mawp mawp (LOVE THIS)

”wymack had always said it was because andrew had a death wish but it was really just because he liked going fast” this is really cute! both in this fic and in the series, andrew is like this and he had so little enjoyment as a child, was forced to grow up so quickly, and i’m grateful that he gets to have these little things

”’’M not,’ muttered andrew, too hot to put any effort into lying” so cute!!!

”stop and take a look? sure, why not? i don’t think we’ve got anything else pressing taking up our time right now” I CANNOT GET OVER HOW FUNNY THIS FIC IS

”’old news,’ said aaron. ‘we’ve moved on. now we’ve decided to crash into the sea’” it turns out that sometimes i actually really like aaron! now is one of those times.

oh my goodness, neil speaking only spanglish and BITING. “neil spat several curses at him before literally spitting as well” the scary thing is, this is still in character for neil haha

that’s so sweet of wymack to give andrew his ship!! ahh he’s such a soft character and i’m glad that all the foxes have someone who is taking care of them

what a beautiful way to wrap up this fic! also i feel strangely glad that nathan wasn’t actually the one to invent the tech needed to create neil. he’s too gross and evil to create such an intricate and wonderful person like neil.

BURIED IN ASH FOR THOUSANDS OF YEARS WHAT

WAIT VALLEY OF SILICA LOL

oh dang yellowstone supervolcano. i’ve learned a tiny tiny bit about that and it’s actually pretty scary thinking about the consequences of it erupting and also knowing there is basically nothing we can do to stop that from happening and also very little we can do to predict it

andrew and neil are so so cute ahhh

also quick shoutout to the amazing art featured in this fic! so beautiful.

i love the flashbacks that you include. they provide valuable information and understanding of how the characters have developed, but it also gives a bit of a break from the intensity of the main plot. we get a little time to breathe and recover.

as the story travelled to different areas of the world, it was really interesting to see how you included history into it. i think my favourite story was the volcano and the ash-winter that followed. kind of scary to think of the possibility of that actually happening, because even though we have pretty cool tech, i don’t think things would go well. you do such a great job with your world-building, i never found myself confused about what was happening, the geography of it, the new tech, and the politics. i loved how you were able to smoothly include canon events/characters/things and have it work so well within this au.your descriptions are so so good and make this fic really immersive, i feel like i’m experiencing them with the characters.

definitely one of my favourite things about your writing is how you consistently do such an amazing job of incorporating humour and little character quirks into the fic. it really shows how much skill and talent you have because it’s always effortless and reads so easily. it fits well with the characterization and tone of your fics. i will forever be a fan of your dialogue and all the interactions between everyone seemed so realistic.

i’m continually impressed by your consistently marvelous storytelling. you manage to captivate me no matter what subject you choose. thank you so much for writing this!!