#urban fairy ellie
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lovely lovely blythe doll that my girlfriend named basil :) thank you sweetness!! @linkestlink @linkytea
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I love drawing magic.
OC doodles from 2021.
#magic#magical girl#magical girl oc#original characters#female oc#character design#fantasy#urban fantasy#magic drawing#fantasy drawing#fairies#fairy#modern fairy#magical battle#riina cantrelle#lili kaitz#elli salminen
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2025 Release TBR
🏳️🌈 - queer MC 🇨🇦 - Canadian author ⭐️ - BIPOC MC 📘 - have an ARC bold - new added
Audrey Lane Stirs the Pot - Alexis Hall (contemporary romance) 🏳️🌈 - January 1???
The Songbird - Stacy Lynn Miller (historical fiction) - January 7
Adrift in Currents Clean and Clear - Seanan McGuire (fantasy) - January 7
Rebellious Grace - Jeri Westerson (historical mystery) 🏳️🌈 - January 7
The Betrayal of Thomas True - A.J. West (historical mystery) 🏳️🌈 - January 14
An African History of Africa - Zeinab Badawi (history) ⭐️ - January 14
Emily Wilde's Compendium of Lost Tales - Heather Fawcett (fantasy) 🇨🇦 - February 11
Upon a Starlit Tide - Kell Woods (fantasy) - February 18
Greenteeth - Molly O’Neill (fantasy) 🏳️🌈 - February 25
Once Was Willem - M.R. Carey (historical fantasy) - March 4
May Contain Murder - Orlando Murrin (cozy mystery) 🏳️🌈 - March 11
The Tomb of Dragons - Katherine Addison (fantasy/mystery) 🏳️🌈 - March 11
Installment Immortality - Seanan McGuire (urban fantasy) - March 11
The Duke at Hazard - KJ Charles (historical romance) 🏳️🌈 - March 11
Malinalli - Veronica Chapa (historical fiction) ⭐️ 📘- March 11
Alterations - Kate Maruyama (historical fiction) ⭐️ - March 11
Love and Other Paradoxes - Catriona Silvey (time travel/romance) - March 11
The Hymn to Dionysus - Natasha Pulley (fantasy/retelling) 🏳️🌈 - March 18
Murder by Memory - Olivia Waite (cozy science fiction/mystery) 🏳️🌈 - March 18
The Chow Maniac - Vivien Chien (cozy mystery) ⭐️ - April 1
Vera Wong’s Guide to Snooping (on a Dead Man) - Jesse Q. Sutanto (cozy mystery) ⭐️ - April 1
The Ashfire King - Chelsea Abdullah (fantasy) ⭐️ - April 15
Saga, Vol. 12 - Brian K. Vaughan and Fiona Staples (graphic science fiction) 🇨🇦 - April 15
Great Big Beautiful Life - Emily Henry (contemporary romance) - April 22
Overgrowth - Mira Grant (science fiction/horror) - May 6
Austen at Sea - Natalie Jenner (historical fiction) 🇨🇦 - May 6
The Country Under Heaven - Frederic S. Durbin (weird western) - May 13
Strange New World - Vivian Shaw (urban fantasy) - May 20
Baking Across America - B. Dylan Hollis (cookbook) 🏳️🌈 - May 20
Everybody Wants to Rule the World (Except Me) - Django Wexler (fantasy) 🏳️🌈 - May 27
The Grimoire Grammar School Parent Teacher Association - Caitlin Rozakis (comic fantasy) - May 27
Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil - V.E. Schwab (horror/fantasy) 🏳️🌈 - June 10
The Mercy Makers - Tessa Gratton (fantasy) - June 17
A Far Better Thing - H.G. Parry (historical fantasy) - June 17
The Rushworth Family Plot - Claudia Gray (historical mystery) - June 17
Stone and Sky - Ben Aaronovitch (urban fantasy) ⭐️ - July 8
The Frozen People - Elly Griffiths (science fiction/mystery) - July 8
Algospeak - Adam Aleksic (linguistics) - July 15
Mayhem at a Halloween Wedding - Emmeline Duncan (cozy mystery) - July 29
Automatic Noodle - Annalee Newitz (cozy science fiction) - August 5
Hemlock and Silver - T. Kingfisher (fantasy) - August 19
Katabasis - R.F. Kuang (dark academia/fantasy) - August 26
Boudicca’s Daughter - Elodie Harper (historical fiction) - August 28
Hot Wax - M.L. Rio (fiction) - September 9
The Haunting of William Thorn - Ben Alderton (gothic horror) 🏳️🌈 - September 9
A Tangle in Time - Josiah Bancroft (steampunk/mystery) - September 9
The Summer War - Naomi Novik (fantasy) - September 16
Ladies in Hating - Alexandra Vasti (historical romance) 🏳️🌈 - September 25
What Stalks the Deep - T. Kingfisher (horror) 🏳️🌈 - September 30
Silver and Lead - Seanan McGuire (urban fantasy) - September 30
Cinder House - Freya Marske (horror/retelling) 🏳️🌈 - October 7
The Bakery Dragon and the Fairy Cake - Devin Elle Kurtz (cozy fantasy/picture book) - October 7
He’s So Possessed With Me - Corey Liu (YA horror) 🏳️🌈 🇨🇦 - October 14
The Keeper of Magical Things - Julie Leong (cozy fantasy) ⭐️ - November 4
Brigands and Breadknives - Travis Baldree (cozy fantasy) - November 11
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Psy's masterpost
Like my writing? Came here for a prompt and wants more? (update: 06.05.24/
I HAVE AO3! PsycholoGeek feel free to look. (I love comments. Just saying 😜)
Writing Tags:
"my additions" (adding to others)
"my writing" (og/long adds)
"my poems" (poems)
Not all my writing is there, of course.
Fic Recs (personal favourites)
Who am I (to disappear) - DC, Cass-centric, 22k words. Who am I (to disappear) - David Cain tried to create a weapon. Weapon forge themself into something new. (Many names, they\them Cass). Ft. Kid!Jason, Mayan mythology, and the many forms of communication. It also has an extended version. I highly recommend reading the fic first, and THEN going for.the EV, as it contains spoilers and lose the emotional damage and delight you may get.
Witwat and the Jin - Batman, 2,245 words. Damian had a brother, once. (H/C. Happy ending.)
Grave Promises - Batman, 2,111 words. Healing and recovery and disability isn't a tragedy.
Sing Me To Sleep - DP*DC 19k words. Tws in tags. Tim and healing (it gets worse before it gets better. But it gets better.)
A list of my fics (complete and WIPs) undercut:
Completed one-shot:
Who am I (to disappear) - David Cain tried to create a weapon. Weapon forge themself into something new. (Many names, they\them Cass). Ft. Kid!Jason Todd, Mayan mythology, and sign language. (Stand alone, technically prequel to "Sweet Dreams", but no need to read.)
Grave Promises (Batman, 2,111 words) - very important to me. Life, recovery, and disability is not a tragedy. Barbara kill the Joker, but it isn't the focus.(Barbara Gordon focused.)
Do You Understand? ( Encanto, 330 words).c
Witwat and the Jin (Batman, 2,245 words) - Dami-being-Dami and slowly understandings.
Just short of a fairy tale (I told myself that I wouldn't be scared) (Batman, 770 words) - urban fantasy. Jason Todd centric.
Sing Me To Sleep - DP*DC (19k words). After fired from Robin, Tim had enough. He's done with life. Clockwork said "not today, bitch" and got some good old ectoshot. Ft. Jazz Fenton as an older sister TM and the 3Ds as their usual chaotic selves. (I wrote the second half, chapters 2-6. A bit heavy, but I hope I did well with the subject.)
Hold Them Close -DP*DC (12k words). I wrote the first chapter+Fanart. Danny escaped Vlad and his experiments with bb!Ellie, and flew straight up-up-and above. In the watchtower, our heroes sees a monster and (what they think is) a child in distress. Misunderstandings and whump, with the last quarter of the fic as comfort and fluff :)
Main serieses:
Sweet Dreams - (DC, 3 works, 1 complete. ~17k words). Reverse Robins + Badman verse (inspired by @byrambles fic). Batboy's younger brothers were taken by the Batman who defeated his father. Trying to protect them, he promise his loyalty to the newcomer. But even though he assure him he is perfectly trained, and can properly punish the kids to surrender, the man isn't impressed. In which there's Misunderstandings and sadness (first fic). The series deals with trauma and the ongoing issues it causes, and shows how it changes you. TW: Include suicidality+mention of kid's suicidality, flashbacks, mentioned past child sexual abuse, dissociations, Whump and angst with eventual comfort. I don't go in details about their past, but it's important to notice that the first 2 fics contains HEAVY (but non graphic) themes.
Liminal Skills for the Living Dead - also known as "therapy verse". DP x DC xover. AKA Anger Management! Fake dating for fun and profit. Enter family, friends, and Wikipedia explanations of some necessary skills as titles. Jazz is her autistic with anxiety self. Jason is a crime lord with anger management issues.
Or: in which THERE'S THERAPY!! (6 works - 4 are complete. ~30k words)
Lost and Found (if this wings could fly) - also known as "FF AU". DP x DC xover. Jazz and Jason as childhood mutuals. (4 complete works, ~10k in total. more to come)
(also some other things. Feel free to look, ask and comment!)
#my additions#my writing#read more#psychologeek#psychologeek writing#ao3#batman#danny phantom#encanto#master post#masterpost#liminal skills#core Skills#core skills au#lost and found#lost and found au#barbara gordon#autistic jazz fenton#jason todd#jazz fenton#anger management#fanfic writer jason#Witwat and the Jin#damian al ghul wayne
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By popular request...or an anon commenting me last night about enjoying me creating posts about the flaws in TWST and wanting me to talk about the worldbuilding aspect specifically along with me having some free time between jobs, here it is!
Disclaimer: Keep in mind this is all personal opinion. If you enjoy the worldbuilding in the game and find zero problems with it, great! I don't care. You are entitled to your opinion and I am entitled to mine.
Where do I even begin? The shorter question would be, "What isn't wrong with it?" xD But seriously, oh, boy—there's a lot. Hell, this is pretty much my go-to example how NOT to write an urban fantasy world.
The closest thing I can compare the world of TWST to is the movie Bright—and that's NOT a good thing. For those of you who never had the misfortune of watching that late 2010s trainwreck, it's about a cop played by Will Smith teaming up with an orc to retrieve a magic wand. Sounds cool, right? However, like with TWST, the worldbuilding is something to be desired. It's an alternate universe where two thousand years ago there was a big war between The Nine Races where the orcs supported the Dark Lord, but an orc defected and lead an army that defeated him. Despite everything, it's pretty much exactly like real life with a few added fantasy elements. It even brings up real world pop culture references, containing such cringey and problematic lines like, "Fairy lives don't matter" after the Will Smith cop squishes a pixie that's on par with a raccoon in that world.
The worldbuilding in TWST feels like that. It's exactly like real life but with a few Disney and fantasy elements slapped on top, like magnets on a fridge. There is hardly any deviation from real life. Things like planes, cell phones, methods of measuring, days of the week, etc all exist just as they do irl. When you stop and think about it, half of these things shouldn't exist and the other should be a little different.
Yana also never thinks of the implications all of this alternate history. Magic always existing and the Greek gods being real should have a huge ripple effect, creating a completely different history compared to real life, but yet it doesn't. Hell, the whole idea of knowing that the Greek gods are real alone would massively change world history, since they would be a proven concept, snuffing out every other religion in existence! The world should be more massively different than ours with Disney sprinkled on top. There's no imagination about how a world like this would work. To quote Lindsey Ellis, "You cannot import elements from our real world without including all of the history that comes with them. You can, but it's lazy, and it sucks." xD Sure, you can write a fantasy world with cars and stuff, but the histories and the ways those exist in those worlds cannot be the exact same. There must be some divergence for it to make sense.
None of the new worldbuilding elements sense or feels woven in. It feels like Yana tossing out whatever idea she comes up up with at the wall and seeing what sticks. A lot of it starts to fall a part or even contradicts itself.
Take the whole Stitch or Tsums events. The existence both of these imply that aliens exist. That brings up a lot of questions like...
What is this world's policy for alien life?
Are aliens well known entities for this world?
What are other's reaction to this?
How did his story play out in this world if that's the case?
Everyone in this world has a Disney counterpart, right? If that's the case, wouldn't that mean there's some TWST version of Stitch running around Night Raven?
Is any of this ever addressed? Nope. That's stupid. World shattering shit like that should be addressed. While I know these are probably more than likely corporate mandates, especially since Tmus are a Japanese Disney product while Stitch is super popular in Japan, she could've added a disclaimer saying that it's a crack au that has nothing to do with the canon. The fact that these are both canon is mind boggling.
Plus, both of these events create a giant plot hole. If aliens are known to exist in this world, then why the fuck can't Yuu go home? If aliens exist, wouldn't there be portals and other ways for them to go home? It just makes Yuu and the rest of the cast look like total dumbasses for never thinking of this!
It goes beyond stupid events, but happens in general. The game routinely brings up similar elements without thinking of their implications on the game as a whole. Take the whole existence of STYKs. It was never once brought up or foreshadowed in the game, but brings about a lot of questions that are hardly explored. Like if this has existed for hundreds of years, how the fuck hasn't anyone heard of it? If STYKS is attached has a branch which is like our world's, someone should've blew the whistle eons ago. Surely, someone as smart as Idia or another mage should've been able to hack them and expose that to the public. Right? Wouldn't there be more of a public outcry for stealing people away, including royalty? Wouldn't there be government oversight about this? None of these questions are never addressed. Yet that element is slapped in without a second thought. Same also goes for all of the new lore in regards to Lilia's past, those pointless prophet dreams or how Playful Land works.
The magic system and how overblot works also fall apart the more you think about it. According to the light novel, only one out of ten humans is a mage. The percentage goes up in other races, but it remains about the same. But that makes no sense. TWST isn't like the HP universe where mages are isolated from the outside world, they are a part of society. Wouldn't it be the DOMINANT gene after over centuries of mages fucking mortals? I think it being more like the ATLA or BNHA universe where mages are the majority would make a lot more sense. That's what I did in my fic. Hell, it would make the world more unique, because usually fantasy stories have it where mages are a minority.
How overblotting works is never fully explained. All that we know, despite being on the seventh fucking story arc, is that whenever a mage uses Okay, sure. But there are times where that isn't the case. Characters who hard use up any magic like Leona and Vil overblot. Even if you argue that they were emotional during those bits or something, wouldn't the other part play a bigger role, since they used up so little magic in those cases? How in the fuck is that unknown concept to the general public? Wouldn't that be common knowledge? Diseases like Alzheimer's aren't something that everyone experiences, but this existence of those things are still common knowledge. Hell, why is it extremely rare in the first place? Wouldn't it be more commonplace? I feel like having it be a biological consequence of a mage using up too much magic and it being a well known down side to the world like how it is in my writing makes a lot more sense and is much simpler.
The lore around the fae also make zero sense. Common elements in fae lore like never thanking them or accepting gifts from them for you owe them a favour to cream and honey making them drunk are never brought up or mentioned. These are not random tropes brought up in shit like Baldur's Gate 3, but ingrained shit to the fantasy genre. You can't strip them out, because it is what makes the fae, fae. Hardly any types of fae from folklore are ever brought up outside of dragons and Tinkerbell style pixies. Characters like Vil who act very fae like are completely human. To be honest, I genuinely get the sense that Yana has done no research into this topic at all, because that's how out of touch they seem compared to how they are in folklore and other fantasy series. But if that is actually the case, then she should've looked into it more or consulted another writer who knows a lot about it.
Plus, the whole idea behind Briar Valley also makes no sense. They are completely isolated from the rest of the world...because…well, nothing, besides possibly vague hatred of tech. That's dumb. Countries don’t isolate themselves for no reason. There is always some sort of explanation for them to do that, whether it's manufactured for political gain like Panem or out of protection like Wakanda. Seriously, am I the only one that thinks that Brier Valley is just the fantasy Amish? As for the Spinning Wheel Wars, that will be explored in more depth as the fics go on.
If you want to see a world similar to TWST done right, watch The Owl House. That series, too, has a modern fantasy world. Unlike TWST, it seems like a fantasy world with modern elements instead of the other way around. Despite having phone-like devices and manga, it feels like stepping into another world.
Either way, if you wondered why I came up with completely different worldbuilding for my fics—this is exactly why. The worldbuilding in this game is pure dogshit. I wanted to create something leaps and bounds better than the bullshit we got. The fact that me, an amuetur writer, gets complimented and praised for the worldbuilding in my fics and it being better then the game is truly sad. Yana is a seasoned professional with a published manga with dozens of volumes under her belt, she should be better at this than me, not the other way around! Same goes for @stormkitty97, because she helps me brainstorm ideas for my shit and uses it in her writing, too.
The biggest sin of all is that there are some genuinely really cool ideas in TWST. The idea of turning into a monster whenever you use up too much magic is terrifying. The story could've done so much more with that if it made more sense!
As much as I might get hate for saying this, Yana reminds me a lot of Stephanie Meyers in the sense that she can come up with cool concepts and ideas, but has no idea how to execute them properly. I would love to see a better professional writer tackle a concept similar to overblot, because it would be cool and scary in the right hands.
I think one big lesson that amuetur writers like myself can learn from the worldbuilding in TWST is that if you are a "Pantser", aka someone who writes on the fly, like Yana, great, all the more power to you. Hell, I confess that I'm more like Brandon Sanderson in the sense that I'm a mixture of both a "Pantser" and an "Architect" Writer, and I came up with some elements of my worldbuilding on my TWST fics as I was writing like the characters being able to teleport. But for fuck's sake, have a solid plan for your worldbuilding and stick with it. Because constantly throwing ideas at the wall beyond the outlining stage will eventually make these contradictions arise and make your world fall apart. Also, if you are building a modern fantasy world like TWST, always think through the implications each element bring. Adding in elements from our real world will always drag along all of the history tied with it. Having your modern fantasy world seem like TWST or Bright is the last thing you want.
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Neo Blythe "Urban Fairy Ellie" 🌸
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Sheine Lende review
5/5 stars Recommended if you like: urban fantasy, mystery, Indigenous storytelling, historical fantasy
Elatsoe review
Big thanks to Netgalley, Levine Querido, and the author for an ARC in exchange for an honest review!
I really enjoyed Elatsoe so I was super excited to see there was going to be a prequel about her grandmother! This book ends with the suggestion that there's more stories from this world to come, so I'm hoping we get something from four/six-great-grandmother (more from Sheine Lende or Elatsoe would also be good, I'm not picky)
Much like with Ellie, Shane's story centers around a mystery, though this one is a missing person's case and not a murder. Shane's mother, Lorenza, utilizes her dogs and ghost dog to find people who are missing. More recently Shane has begun helping her and the two make a good ghost-calling, person-finding duo. I liked reading about how they tracked people down and how their work got spread around by word-of-mouth.
I was a little confused on when this story occurred, so I found the author's note saying it was the 1970s to be helpful. In this world at this point in time, fairy rings are still being implemented and they're a relatively new technology still. It was interesting to see how people talked about them and the various opinions and worries people had, especially considering they're so present in Ellie's time. The missing person's case is tied up closely with fairy rings, though in a somewhat unusual way, so there was some light dealings with the Fair Folk and, more interestingly, with an ex-academic who specialized in them.
When her mother disappears, Shane takes over both the investigation for the missing kid(s) and the investigation for her mother's disappearance. She actually finds the older girl pretty quickly, and by complete accident, and they have a chance to spend some time together and bond before they make it back to everyone else. I liked that Shane and Donnie became fast friends and were eager to help one another out. I also appreciated that Donnie's grandparents were more than willing to travel with the girls and Shane's younger brother, Marco, to various places in order to find Donnie's younger brother (the missing boy) and Shane's mom.
Despite having a few family members remaining, Shane has a good support system, from her friend Amelia, to their elderly neighbor, to her newfound friendship with Donnie and the help of Donnie's grandparents. Ellie has that too in her book, but she starts that way, Shane starts by feeling alone and I feel for this type of YA adventure, having a large support system of mixed teenagers and adults really breaks the mold. I also liked that the adults, particularly the newer ones, were willing to defer ton Shane's expertise and research and didn't just insist they were right.
Shane is confident in herself, though not to the point of ego, and is able to draw on her knowledge, what her mother taught her, and her own investigative skills to connect dots and come up with next steps. She's overall friendly but knows when to put her foot down and is more than capable of being firm and even intimidating when necessary. She's still coming into her ghost-raising power, so I also liked seeing her knowledge and experimentation in that area.
Beyond the mystery element, this book also deals with trauma, family, and the effects of colonialism. Shane, Marcos, and Lorenza definitely had a hard time for a while, are technically still having a hard time, and it's a direct result of historical and modern colonialist greed. The family also suffered some major losses when Shane was younger, resulting in there being only a few family members and the dispersal of their home community. Shane and Marcos both still have a lot of emotions about that, albeit different ones since Marcos was in utero when this was going on and only knows the aftermath. Shane also struggles with not knowing or misremembering traditional Lipan stories and has several moments when she deeply wishes there were community members around she could engage with. It was definitely heartbreaking to read about those aspects, but I did enjoy seeing Shane begin to set them to rights. I also think the loss of their original support system and the growth of a different one help mirror each other and the path of healing in the story.
Overall I liked this story and think it stands well both on its own and as an addition to the world of Elatsoe. Shane definitely has an interesting story, and I would say this book serves as both a mystery and a healing journey. I'm looking forward to whatever Little Badger writes next!
#book#book review#books#book recommendations#fantasy#bookstagram#booklr#bookblr#bookaholic#bookish#ya fantasy books#ya fantasy#indigenous authors#indigenous character#elatsoe#sheine lende#ghost stories#ya urban fantasy#urban fantasy#historical fantasy#mystery#ownvoice#darcie little badger
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remember bright? the netflix original movie lindsey ellis made a video essay about? no? that's understandable. according to her it's a shitty movie lol. anyways that movie is an urban fantasy where it's modern LA plus orcs and elves and fairies or something. everyone is racist towards orcs (a very obvious poorly done racial allegory where orcs are coded as Black) because the orcs sided with "The Dark Lord" 2000 years ago. this is a horrible "reason" because racism doesn't have reasons, that's kind of racism's whole deal. anyways, orcs are constantly blamed for everything bad and everyone assumes that they're all still sided with the dark lord. orcs can't be trusted, orcs deserve harassment. and this was stupid right? the movie is stupid.
but then take a look at right now. ever jew is being blamed with the acts of israel. just being jewish associates you with the actions of israel. an event cancels hanukkah candle lightings because they don't want to be seen as siding with israel. guess the real dark lord was netanyahu the whole time.
#I'm not tagging this#dang if only they put the orcs in yammies and tzitzit insead of durags and sports jerseys#idk maybe there's a point here to be made about the shared plights of jews and black people but that's beyond the scope of this post
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Episode 364
Comic Reviews:
DC
Batman Urban Legends 18 by Brandon Thomas, Tini Howard, Henry Barajas, Blake Howard, Greg Hahn, Chris Burnham, Mike Norton, Alberto Alburquerque, Max Raynor, Serg Acuna, John Kalisz, Dave McCaig, Nathan Fairbairn, Hi-Fi, Marissa Louise
Dark Crisis: Worlds Without a Justice League – Green Lantern by Phillip Kennedy Johnson, Jeremy Adams, Jackson Herbert, Fernando Blanco, Jordie Bellaire, Alex Guimaraes
DCeased: War of the Undead Gods 1 by Tom Taylor, Trevor Hairsine, Andy Lanning, Rain Beredo
Marvel
A.X.E.: Judgment Day 2 by Kieron Gillen, Valerio Schiti, Marte Gracia
Avengers and Moon Girl by Mohale Mashigo, Diogenes Neves, Salvador Espin, Bruno Oliveira, Rachelle Rosenberg
Ghost Rider: Vengeance Forever by Benjamin Percy, Mark Texeira, Juan Jose Ryp, Bryan Valenza
Giant Size Gwen Stacy by Christos Gage, Adam Hughes, Todd Nauck, Miguel Mercado, Nina Vakueva, JeeHyung Lee, Rachelle Rosenberg
Ms. Marvel and Wolverine by Jody Houser, Ze Carlos, Erick Arciniega, Federico Blee, Edgar Delgado
Predator 1 by Ed Brisson, Kev Walker, Frank D’Armata
X-Men Legends II 1 by Roy Thomas, Dave Wachter, Edgar Delgado
Infinity Comics
Marvel’s Voices 11 (Amadeus Cho) by Jon Tsuei, Lynn Yoshii
T.E.S.T. Kitchen 1 by Paul Eschbach, EJ Su
Image
Deadliest Bouquet 1 by Erica Schultz, Carola Borelli, Gab Contreras
Love Everlasting 1 by Tom King, Elsa Charretier, Matt Hollingsworth
Dark Horse
Hellboy and the BPRD 1957: Falling Sky by Mike Mignola, Chris Roberson, Shawn Martinbrough, Lee Loughridge
Creeping GN by Mike Richardson, Zack Keller, Doug Wheatley
Cold Bodies GN by Mags Visaggio, Andrea Mutti
Boom
Fence: Rise by C.S. Pacat, Johanna the Mad, Joana Lafuente
IDW
Dungeons and Dragons Annual 2022 by Jim Zub, Eduardo Mello
Dynamite
Red Sonja Fairy Tales by Jordan Clark, Andres Labrada, Kike Diaz
Vampirella Fairy Tales by Soo Lee, Emiliana Pinna, Ellie Wright
Abstract
Parker Girls 1 by Terry Moore
Titan
Blade Runner: Black Lotus 1 by Nancy Collins, Enid Balam
After Shock
Samurai Doggy 1 by Chris Tex, Santtos
Humanoids
Fraternity by Jon Ellis, Hugo Petrus, Lee Loughridge
Harper Collins
Up to No Ghoul by Cullen Bunn, Kat Farris
Comixology
Secret Headquarters by Christopher Yost, Simone Ragazzoni
Additional Reviews: Jedi: Fallen Order, I Am Groot, Prey
News: Ezra Miller arrested, Sonic 3 release date, Omninews, Thanos one-shot, Ivy series gets extended, new Deadpool ongoing by Alyssa Wong, Pennyworth series gets a new name, Valiant is done, more Riverdale nonsense, new Murderworld miniseries from Marvel
Comics Countdown:
Up To No Ghoul GN by Cullen Bunn, Kat Farris
Love Everlasting 1 by Tom King, Elsa Charretier, Matt Hollingsworth
Eight Billion Genies 4 by Charles Soule, Ryan Browne, Kevin Knipstein
Dark Crisis: Worlds Without a Justice League – Green Lantern by Phillip Kennedy Johnson, Jeremy Adams, Jackson Herbert, Fernando Blanco, Jordie Bellaire, Alex Guimaraes
Superman: Son of Kal-El 14 by Tom Taylor, Cian Tormey, Federico Blee
DCeased: War of the Undead Gods 1 by
Punisher 5 by Jason Aaron, Paul Azaceta, Jesus Saiz, Dave Stewart
There’s Something Wrong With Patrick Todd 2 by Ed Brisson, Gavin Guidry, Chris O’Halloran
Giant-Size Gwen Stacy by Christos Gage, Adam Hughes, Todd Nauck, Miguel Mercado, Nina Vakueva, JeeHyung Lee, Rachelle Rosenberg
Batgirls 9 by Becky Cloonan, Michael Conrad, Neil Googe, Rico Renzi
Check out this episode!
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Here it is. A Piece Of Borrower Content Written Entirely In Stream Of Consciousness:
AN: so this is incomplete and very…needs revisions to the timeline to incorporate some things I added later! It’s the original universe that Mira’s from! I edited it like Slightly to just change Ross’s name to Ross (if u see Max anywhere that’s his old one I just felt like changing it so that’s just him but different. Anyway) Everything's under the readmore tab, cheers!
The Library Fairy:
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Basic Plot (Chrono, comic starts from human perspective abt the ‘legend of the library fairy’ ig maybe. Nothing here is permanent cept the characterization)
Part A
1- Mira is borrower currently chillin in a college library
2- She lives off of the cafe on the second floor nd reads lots and lots of stuff about everything when the upper floors close (lower floor open 24/7 but upper floors r vacant p much after 12:00 AM)
3- she starts getting increasingly curious about human stuff cos she’s literate nd books r pry neat
4- it starts one night when she spots an unattended notebook and a half eaten blueberry muffin, nd it’s 12:30 so nobody’s coming back in atm (it’s the 80s so no laptops for the plebians quite yet)
5- so she goes ‘welp’ nd takes part of the muffin, then sees the work on the page and goes ‘hmmmm this is incorrect’ so she helps our and leaves notes here n there to point the kid in the right direction and puts down some book refs for further study bcos at this point she’s been there for 2 years and she knows where most things are
6- she stays behind to see if the human comes back for it, hidden in a hidey hole near the desk
7- human comes in, sees notebook, practically melts w relief nd stuffs it in his bag
8- next day human comes back nd leaves nother notebook and a cookie, along w a hidden camera
9- Mira goes ‘o boy, this a trap, innit’
10- Mira then decides ‘eh whatever I haven’t had contact w anyone in years now so I might as well’
11- she steals the camera film nd leaves a lil scrap of paper saying ‘nice try ;)’ on it
12- student comes back, sees paper, goes ‘dammit’, then leaves note addressed to the ‘library fairy’ and another cookie, as well as more of their work for her to help with
13- bout a decade goes by and now the “Library Fairy” is an urban myth, it’s currently 2003 so she’s also wound up on the school’s unofficial Wikipedia page under ‘local cryptids’
14- most library employees know of her but they don’t go looking out of fear stemming from superstitions bout her, somehow the legend grew from ‘can’t be photographed’ to ‘a student once saw her and died that day’
15- there’s now a small shrine devoted to her where ppl bring offerings hoping to get good grades in return, sometimes they will leave papers for her to proofread nd stuff
16- new prof (named Alexei) finds online article thinks he Knows What’s Up bcos he had a borrower friend as a kid, but they left when borrower’s fam found out about them knowing each other
17- he leaves note wedged in one of her secret entrances behind outlet, asking if she can meet w him at some point
18- Mira, already In it, goes ‘Okay. Alright. This has gone on for long enough. Time to go and never return’ but ofc she’s curious as all hell and like she decides she will at least honor the guy’s request for a convo b4 she goes, but on her terms and w/o speaking face 2 face
19- they Talk in the library after hours, bcos he paid off the janitor to let him stay after hours nd most of the student employees recognize him as a prof nd leave him alone
20- they talk again for every subsequent night
21- she uhhhh finally decides to reveal herself nd prays that her hunch was right nd he won’t try to grab her or anything
22- he doesn’t but she’s nervous so she winds up gettin caught in her own climbing rope like idiot, is now dangling from ceiling in tangled mess
23- he stifles chuckle nd she says smthn sarcastic
24- he moves closer and offers to untangle her
25- she’s like ‘please’
26- so he do, but her grip on the rope slips nd he has to catch her
26- so now she’s in his hand and he just sets her down and now he’s a bumbling embarrassed mess bcos he said he wasn’t going to hold her and he just did and o dear pls forgib him
28- nd she’s like ‘dude u just saved my life it’s fine ur fine chill’
29- internally she’s going HOLY FUCK AAAAAAA but externally, her human’s already worked up enough as it is so she’s gotta b the level headed one
29.5- after a while they both kinda get used to each other more, he gets tenure, they celebrate, some more stuff happens, Aleksei got married (not to Mira, Mira hasn’t actually rly thought about being in a relationship w anyone cos she’s laser focused on gaining as much knowledge as possible)
30- eventually Alexei’s like ‘hey so I’m dean of faculty for the biotech branch now uhhhh would u like actual job teaching students? Cos, uh, you can do it remotely thru online lectures n stuff, no in person interaction, and I uh was just kinda wondering—‘
31- she’s like ‘yes. Yes!!! LET ME HELP PEOPLE OFFICIALLY KINDA’
32- so now she’s a professor, and has revealed her Secret a few times here n there to a number of the faculty, nd she has recorded her own findings in a personal journal
33- ‘humans will treat u like a human if they think ur human first. The kids call it ‘catfishing’’
34- enter Ross, an mall goth who accidentally tripped headfirst into a premed program
35- Mira’s favorite field of study is bio so naturally she’s his prof for a majority of his classes
36- being the good boy that he is, he now knows Mira’s secret. There is an Entire Chapter on him finding out and legit just continuing their conversation as if everything was normal bcos he thought that was how he was supposed to handle the situation
37- then she says ‘u can ask questions, u know’ he’s like OH THANK FUCK CAUSE I HAVE SEVEN HUNDRED OF THOSE
38- and now he kinda knows what to look for in terms of ‘do borrowers live here check yes or no’
39-in his apartment, the answer is yes and he mistakenly kinda stumbles upon the mom one night when he wakes up in the middle of the night for Snack and opts to pretend like its not happening. Unfortunately the thing she was trying 2 borrow (piece of crumb cake for Son Boy’s birthday) is the thing he wants 2 eat so he’s like “uh. ‘Scuse me, ma’am.” and he peels back the saran wrap on the other side of the plate, takes piece, nd then leaves some there for her
40-so now the woman is like ‘welp guess it time 2 Leave’
.1- she and husband Talk
.2-they decide it best 2 go
.3-theyre Packing
.4-lil bab Ellie confused
.5-hawk attacke
.6-cut to Ross
41- Ross also happens to work at a bar and he goes outside for a break
43- he finds smal child—smol smal—on the sidewalk and said child is missing an arm, nd has lost a lot of blood, so he’s uhhhhh Losing It highkey
43.5-parents r nowhere 2 b seen, but the hawk is nearby and circling. Ross gets an idea of what just happened
44- he up and leaves work, thankfully his apartment is above the shop so he jumps up the fire escape w the child and
45- he make tourniquet
46- he calls Mira nd asks her 2 come over to ASAP. he’s A Mess at this point
47- it is Very touch and go, kid needs blood, Mira is the only viable donor so she’s just gotta pray that the blood type is fine and won’t kill him
48- and then eventually they manage 2 stave infection thru antibiotics properly dosed to his size, Mira does Math and Prays basically
49- ‘bout a month in, kid wakes up
50- kid doesn’t rember much since he’s only 3
51- hes v scared of Ross at first but over time he gets used 2 the human
52- kid (elliot) starts 2 call Ross ‘dad’ after a while
53- Ross: *internal screaming but in a good way*
54- the end kinda for now
Part 2
A- New Borrowers In The Building
—three of em. paranoid dad, mom, nd daughter that’s Elliot’s age so he’s pumped
B- Elliot offers them a place 2 stay briefly
C- he knows by now bout like, how borrowers don’t typically interact w humans and Auntie Mira’s a bit of a weird case so he just doesn’t tell em bout his dad being the human
D- the kid finds out first nd doesn’t tell the parents, but they figure it out later kinda and think that it’s a ‘o god he’s being kept as a pet’ sitch so they’re >:| abt it
E- they move out and try to take Elliot w them (by force bcos they think he’s brainwashed) but he escapes and makes it to Ross, who’s like “uhhhhhh”
F- and the mom come out the hole near the counter n starts yelling at Ross, who is…kinda used to it since Mira brings in ppl who need help from time 2 time and they typically don’t react well when they’re lucid enough to understand what’s going on. He’s just not used to being questioned about his own kid
G- so they’re like “WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU’RE DOING WITH HIM”
H- and he’s like “r…raising him???”
I- and Ellie steps up and he’s like “this is my dad. I decided he was my dad when I was three. He’s being a good parent”
J- and Ross is like “yeah what he said. I’m a good parent.”
K- Ross is riding that high til the end of fucking time but like back to the story at hand
L- this is when the husband comes out nd is like “lissen. wifey. ily but that is a very big human and he hasn’t grabbed us yet so let’s count our blessings and gtfo”
M- but she’s like “uh no we stay until I’m sure Elliot is Safe and fucking Sound”
N- so they stay for dinner nd stick around a little longer.
O- Val (the kid) gets closer 2 Elliot and also Ross a bit
P- Mira shows once or twice, first time she shows up they’re like “oh god it’s the crazy doctor lady this all makes sense now” (bcos Mira does check up on as many borrower families as possible in her free time so word has got around by now Of her, and the number by which to contact her in case her services r needed)
Q- After a month or so, then they decide to leave bcos they’re like “look we get that ur son is ur son and he only has one arm and in our profession that is kind of a death sentence but we can’t have our kid getting used to dealing w humans who know about our existence” so they go and leave on a kind of sour note bcos Ellie can do anything he wants to do just as well as any other borrower Thank You Very Much and Ross is ready to fite anyone who thinks otherwise
R- Elliot starts trying 2 b more independent, basically from now on he’s like ‘I can do everything my Damn Self Thanks’
S- but uh he does it to a point where he’s going out of the way to endanger himself
T- so they get into a fite about it and ross Yells and Elliot is like ‘kthxbye’
U- and the boi just. Fuckin bolts. Runs Away. Ross is a Mess, he starts smoking again (he quit cold turkey the day he took Elliot in) to curb the depression, he’s jus. Not doin good, worried that his son is dead and the last time they talked it’d ended badly
V- FREEDOM!!!1! Except Ellie doesn’t kno how to take care of himself so it’s a rough month or so and then he runs into some other borrowers livin in their own town in the wild ig, chillin, being hella independent, and he’s like “uh yes ofc I will join u, I was w my dad for a while but.........” he neither confirms nor denies that his dad’s dead but everyone kinda just assumes.
Part 3
W-anyway a year goes by and then the borrower group gets hit hard w some kind of sickness ig. Elliot gets it too he’s basically incapacitated n drifting in and out of lucidity. So. They contact the weird crazy doctor lady who hangs around humans, a.k.a. Mira, and she’s like “oh. fuck. I know this kid.” bcos she does, u kno, and she jus treats em all for their ailment and shows them how to make antibiotic poultice thing in case smthn like it happens again. Mold. Penicillin is basically what it is
X-she and Elliot hav a Chat (Mira basically yells at him a lot) once he’s fixed up and he decides he’s gonna visit his dad but he makes it very clear that he is a Grown Up (he’s not, he’s literally sixteen), and he is living on his own now
Y- he agrees to stay for a week tho since he misses his home a lot tbh and Ross is just. Over the fucking moon to know he’s ALIVE, he’s not gonna fuck up their relationship by insisting that he stay. Or like, by keeping him ofc he would never
Z- unfortunately the borrower community put two and two together and figured out his dad’s human so they have his stuff packed up when he gets back w mira, who’s ready to go the fuck off on them
End 1:
-Ellie is living at Ross’s place atm and hopeful about the future basically. He eventually will go off on his own but he’ll keep in contact w his dad and stuff
Part C.5
55- few yrs later
56- elliot is Adult now he does adult borrower stuff
57- he moves out
58- finds nice borrower gf (her name’s Tess)
59- doesn’t tell her about his dad being human but talks about his dad a LOT
60- so when she asks to meet said father he’s just like “uh. Maybe we don’t do that actually”
61- and she’s like “y tho”
62- and he’s like “bcos”
63- anyway she decides to look into it cos she knows he goes to see his dad nd keep in touch but his dad is allegedly “a recluse who lives in the big scary human’s walls to avoid other ppl”
64- which is. Not true in the slightest tbqh he’s def not an introvert he’s just a workaholic and he Is the big scary human
65- anywho they run into Val and her wife and she’s like “how’s Ross been?” And Elliot is acting Very Suspish so she, being Smart, calls it immediately and is like “oh shit u haven’t told her yet have u”
66- Tess: “told me what”
67- Val: “El’s dad is a human, bro.”
68- Tess: “I’m sorry?”
69- this results in a Big Fight and they separate for like, a month. Elliot blames Val bcos he’s being irrational and doesn’t wanna admit to the fact that lying to his girlfriend for over a year was Real Bad Actually, but over time he’s like ‘yeah it’s my fault sry for snapping at u’ cos he works thru his emotions n stuff
70- Eventually gf comes back cos she’s like “ok so. I understand why you lied to me about your dad. It was a dick move but I do get it and I still care about you a lot. I would like. To meet him.”
80- this is a lie she does not want to meet him she is doing this bcos she does not want to lose Elliot and that outweighs the fear of his dad
81- so they go to meet him but she’s just kinda. Behind the wall at first like “that’s a crazy big human this is crazy ur crazy it’s time to gO”
82- Val is also there bcos she hasn’t seen Ross in a while
83- they eventually coax her out of hiding
84- and by that I mean Val picks her up and drags her out into the open by force bcos she basically freezes up the second she catches sight of Ross and Val’s like “u didn’t come all this way for nothing, bich”
85- they have a Painfully Awkward First Meeting, Tess is trying her best but oh god he’s just too fucking. Larg. Ellie ur dad too big
86- tbh tho the ice kinda breaks after Ellie and Ross get into a fight over smthn stupid (im thinking Elliot grumbles bout Ross’s hair being unruly and he’s worried that mira’s using it like a personal storage system again and Ross is like “I’ve been keeping better track of that actually” and then like a little line of paper clips and a few hand-bound notebooks tied together w some string fall out of his fucking mane and he’s like “I can explain”
87- “dad you can’t keep letting her use your hair like a fucking NEST”
88- Tess is laughing now cos god damn this was not what she was expecting
89- that’s it the end it ends w Tess laughing at them being idiots good times r had by all
Uhhhh that’s it so far. I have More but it’s kinda jumbled rn and I need to fit stuff in places. Anyway.
#was gonna make this into a comic lawl#if I like actually manage to get off my ass over the coming weeks I probably will be able to do that! but yeah#also this was once posted b4 and I deleted it but it’s back now say hellow#Library Fairy#oc: Mira#oc: Ross#oc: Elliot#oc: Tess#oc: Val#oc: Alexei#anyway yeah here it is behold#the uhhhhh most slice of life thing I have ever created
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outsiders - a wip introduction
I’m an Outsider. If you don’t know what that means, then you’ve either had your head buried in the sand for your entire life or you’re just too cool for the idle fairy tales of the urban masses. Either way, I get it. It’s a tough crowd out there.
Like most things in life, the simple definition of an Outsider and the connotations attached to the label are two entirely separate things. Simply put, an Outsider is somebody who lives outside of the city walls. The name is about as misleading as it is creative. The connotations attached, however, are something entirely different. Outsiders are rejects, traitors, and sinners. They have turned their backs on all that is good and holy in the world. They are more disgusting than pig swill and more cursed than the lepers in the back alleys. Their souls will burn for an eternity in the afterlife.
So yeah, that’s me. Livia Romeo. A reject, traitorous sinner with a one way ticket to an eternity of fire and pain. And I wouldn’t trade it for anything.
I ran away when I was sixteen years old and I never looked back. Alright, that’s not true. It gets lonely out here in the Outside, so much so that sometimes even the cruel grasp of my mother begins to look appealing. But that was before Ellie came along.
Not that I like Ellie, don’t get me wrong.
I’ve never met somebody so incompetent and, frankly, fucking useless, in my entire life. She couldn’t tell the right way end of a sword if her life depended on it which, unfortunately, it often does. She has magic that she refuses to use and she managed to burn beans. She ruined my one and only pot. We’ve been cooking our food with sticks for weeks now.
I definitely don’t like Ellie. She drives me crazy. But she’s company, you know?
And more importantly, she knows where the mythical Outsider tribes are. She says she can lead me to them. And that’s enough to put up with any amount of idiocy because, at the end of the day, finding those tribes and proving they’re real is all I’ve ever really wanted.
Let’s just hope that we can make it there before Ellie gets us killed. Or before I kill Ellie.
in short - outsiders is a very gay fantasy wip about livia and ellie, two outsiders searching for mythical tribes that may (or may not) exist. it’s all about escaping oppressive religion and society and being very gay while fighting monsters. plus some high quality enemies to lovers shit and also did i mention the hot gay girls fighting monsters?? bc that is by far the highlight to take away from this
tagging @livvywrites (bc u love me) um pls reblog guys i need validation these are trying times
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The girls are SHOCKED!
I just spent so much time on this doodle in 2021 I decided I wanted to post it.
#fantasy character design#urban fantasy#fantasy#original characters#my ocs#female oc#fairies#magic#angels#doodle#doodling#drawing#traditional drawing#sketchbook#riina cantrelle#siiri levola#elli salminen#lili kaitz
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can you tell me about ur ocs??
WHY YES I CAN AHEM WHY THANK YOU FOR ASKING :D
-Ellis Clawthorne is my ramshackle prefect for the game twisted wonderland! She’s pretty much a self insert that took on a life of her own! Curious to a fault and has a flair for the dramatics, she’s just trying to enjoy this school year before she has to leave
-Victoria Le Fay is another twisted wonderland oc that I have! She’s a third year in diasomnia. Twisted from the three good fairies of sleeping beauty, she strives to have good prevail but most of the time comes off as proud and haughty but she’s working on it!
I also have a few other ocs but they’re more minor but I’m still talking about them! -Elaine is my genshin oc/self insert who is a pyro catalyst/sword user from Mondstat but has family in Fontaine. Elaine is a fashion designer and spends her days designing clothes and new styles! -Calina is a newer genshin oc but I still really like her! She’s a cryo catalyst from Snezhnaya who is the prima ballerina of the most famous ballet company in snezhnaya! I based her a lot of popular ballets such as swan lake and the nutcracker!
-I do have these two ocs that I didn’t really get to develop that much but I still want to use them sometimes! One is a demon girl with pink hair, horns, and a tail and the other is an exorcist boy with angel heritage! I planned they live in a urban fantasy world where demons, angels, etc all live together and just vibe
#asks!#I make a lot of self inserts sorry!#THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR ASKING YAYAYAYA#victoria le fay#ellis clawthorne#elaine primrose#calina vasiliev#oc asks!#id really like to develop demon girl and exorcist man because they were kinda my first ocs and I find them cute
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How to plan a small garden – make the most of a tiny outdoor space@|how to plan a small garden layout@|https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/APyRhBzGSJicPA5erFdSpN-1200-80.jpg@|21
If you are wondering how to plan a small garden, these expert tips and ideas are bound to inspire you. With clever planning and thoughtful planting, even the most compact courtyard can create an incredible impact that is just as striking as a larger lawn or terrace.
What constitutes a small garden is debatable to homeowners, yet chances are most of us have a more compact plot than we would like. However, there are countless small garden ideas and solutions to maximize limited outdoor space. And lest we forget – a small garden requires much less time and tools to maintain.
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To create the small and idyllic garden of your dreams, first think about how you want to enhance the outdoor space you have to suit your style of living without making it cramped or cluttered. Bold statements, vertical planting – particularly useful in courtyard gardens – beautiful boundaries and optical illusions are all key elements to incorporate into your small garden layout to make it perfect for your needs.
Photography/Mark Bolton
(Image credit: Future)
How to plan a small garden
1. Be inspired to find your style
To plan a small garden, in-depth research is required at the offset to construct an attractive and practical space that looks beautiful all year round.
Borrow inspiration by visiting as many open gardens and public grounds as you can, to get a feel of what you like. Yearly shows, such as the Chelsea Flower Show or the RHS Hampton Court Palace Flower Show, are full of small show gardens designed perfectly by landscape gardeners to get the most out of compact spaces, so you’ll be spoilt for choice with options.
Be it a cottage hideaway, urban balcony garden or family haven, once you’ve decided on your preferred garden style, making a mood board is a worthwhile idea to experiment with plant varieties, exterior paint colors and outdoor furniture options too.
2. Survey and measure your plot
Whether you are starting with a blank canvas or inheriting a mature enclosure that requires a makeover, start to plan a small garden layout with a wish list and any note problems you may need to overcome. For instance, would you like secluded seating as well as a dining area? Could you fit in a pergola to break up a lawn and patio? Do you need to rectify poor drainage, or find long garden ideas to make your space look less narrow?
Then, measure and survey your garden to assess its possibilities. Look to where the sun lands during the day, and take into account how areas might adapt throughout the seasons and years to come. Envisage how your planting plan might mature or expire over time.
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(Image credit: Future / Annaick Guitteny)
3. Pick out your small garden layout ideas
Depending on the size of your small garden, a distinctive layout will set the foundations. Most successful gardens fall into three basic designs – circular, diagonal or rectangular. These can then be customized with planting and variations of these themes to personalize your space.
Formal designs tend to have straight edges and symmetry, whereas informal gardens are looser in style with curvaceous and sweeping edges.
4. Put your plan to paper
It’s much less expensive to make mistakes on paper first, so make a scaled sketch of the garden as it is, and then add on your ideas as separate cutouts that you can layer up and move around. Or, search for an online garden planner that will allow you to input measurements and visualize your dream space with digital precision.
5. Create beautiful boundaries
Unfortunately, small gardens are often enclosed by walls and fences and generally overlooked, so ensuring hard landscaping and boundaries are planned right can be as important as greenery. Look to ways of overcoming this conundrum, including implementing one of these small garden decking ideas to provide a seamless finish.
If the view beyond the garden is attractive, make a feature of the boundary itself. Low-level fencing will reveal the outlook and create the impression your garden carries on and on. Traditional picket style or contemporary slatted fencing, rather than close boards, will let light stream through. And why not paint the natural wood a bold color to enhance the sense of space and make foliage pop out against it?
Arches, pergolas and trellises are useful for adding height and privacy from the outside world.
(Image credit: John Lewis)
6. Prepare a planting plan
Hard landscaping and boundaries provide a garden structure, but it’s the planting choices that offer character, shape and softness. Movement between foliage and boundaries will help your garden flow and bring the plants into the space rather than restricting them around the edges, which can enclose the space.
Research height, spread and soil preference before you buy. Stick to a single color palette for a coherent scheme. Choose one or two complementary shades and pick out petal colors with painted garden furniture or outdoor cushions and rugs.
How do you design a small garden?
With today’s busy lives, the garden is an extension of our homes no matter how tiny and so needs to be flexible. To create space for relaxing, entertaining and alfresco dining, choose outdoor furniture that is mobile and can serve more than one purpose – especially useful when planning roof garden ideas, where space is at a premium.
Ian Ellis, outdoor furniture buyer at John Lewis, explains: ‘If you are looking to make the most of your small space, buy foldable furniture for eating so you can easily put it away or cover it when not in use.
‘The alternative is to choose something compact that can be used for casual dining and lounging – for example, small lounge chairs and a coffee table.’
Look at creating a focal point or destination place; this can be a tree, water feature or seating that will give you a different perspective of the space once you are there.
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(Image credit: Lights4fun)
How do you make a small garden look nice?
Optical illusions will add interest and maximize the space you have. They cleverly trick the eye to make a small garden look bigger or more densely planted. Decorative mirrors will reflect light and create an illusion of more space. Beds filled with tall plant varieties will add height, and flowering climbers on trellis fencing and exterior walls will draw the eye upwards or outwards.
Enhance the ambience of your tiny retreat when you plan a small garden by adding beautiful outdoor lighting ideas, like the string lighting draped from the wooden pergola above. Garden lighting is an attractive and practical solution for changing the outdoor atmosphere.
Will Law, partner and home design stylist at John Lewis, advises: ‘Small gardens are a great place to layer lots of outdoor lighting, as you won’t need hundreds of metres of lights to make the space feel magical. Be inspired by outdoor string lighting ideas, such as hanging festoon lights overhead or wrapping trees in outdoor fairy lights, and have tea lights on any available surface to give a cosy glow.’
(Image credit: Future)
What are the best plants for a small garden?
Less is more when planning a small garden, so don’t be tempted to cram too much in. Instead, focus on a few larger pieces, such as a pair of space-saving trees potted in large planters, or grow a tall living wall on an obtrusive exterior wall to install height and lush colour.
‘Just because your garden is small, doesn’t mean everything in it has to be too,’ explains Lynsey Abbott, outdoor living buyer at Dobbies Garden Centres. ‘One very large pot will add more impact than lots of small ones because it will stop the space feeling cluttered.
‘A bigger pot will also house more plants, so you can mix and match with flowers and herbs that complement each other and your overall colour scheme.’ Pots can even accommodate a small vegetable garden with crops like tomatoes and herbs.
Thriving bedding choices when you look to plan a small garden scheme include those that are hardworking and offer striking color and shape. Award-winning designer and BBC Gardeners’ World presenter Mark Lane says: ‘Mix it up with shrubs such as vitex, hydrangea or cornus and you will have the perfect getaway. Small flowering plants such as bidens, tagetes, coreopsis, or crocosmia will add a splash of color.
‘Narrow trees, such as taxus baccata fastigiata robusta or the ornamental cherry amanogawa, are some of the best trees for a small garden. They will also draw the eye upwards to the sky, making your garden feel bigger. ‘ [external_footer]
source https://livingcorner.com.au/how-to-plan-a-small-garden-make-the-most-of-a-tiny-outdoor-spacehow-to-plan-a-small-garden-layouthttps-cdn-mos-cms-futurecdn-net-apyrhbzgsjicpa5erfdspn-1200-80-jpg21/
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Best New Horror Movies on Netflix: Autumn 2017
There's an overwhelming amount of horror movies to sift through on Netflix, so I've decided to take out some of the legwork by compiling a list of the season's best new genre titles on Netflix's instant streaming service.
Please feel free to leave a comment with any I may have missed and share your thoughts on any of the films you watch. You can also peruse past installments of Best New Horror Moves on Netflix for more suggestions.
1. The Void
Not afraid to wear its influences on its sleeve, The Void is a fun amalgam of genre favorites such as The Thing, Hellraiser, Prince of Darkness, The Beyond, and Assault on Precinct 13, along with a healthy dose of H.P. Lovecraft for good measure. The '80s inspiration is furthered by a plethora of practical effects and a pulsating, John Carpenter-esque synthesizer score. Set in the most understaffed hospital since Halloween 2, a small group of people fight to survive against Lovecraftian monsters and cultists. A lot of the plot points are familiar, but the astonishing effects are more than enough to make it feel fresh and exciting.
2. The Transfiguration
Like a modern take on George A. Romero's Martin, The Transfiguration is a subversive vampire film. It's also an urban coming-of-age tale with social commentary. The plot concerns an adolescent boy (Eric Ruffin, The Good Wife) who is a practicing vampire in New York City. Not just an avid watcher of horror films - although he name-checks plenty of them - he partakes in murder to drink blood. He begins to question his outlook on life when he befriends a girl who's also an outcast (Chloe Levine, The Defenders). Although largely a somber, dramatic film, there are a couple of truly shocking moments. Due to how raw and real it feels, this one will stick with you.
3. The Devil's Candy
Written and directed by Sean Byrne (The Loved Ones), The Devil's Candy combines elements of haunted house, demonic possession, and home invasion movies, all with a lean toward heavy metal music. It follows a struggling artist (a nearly unrecognizable Ethan Embry, Can’t Hardly Wait), his wife (Shiri Appleby, Roswell), and their teenage daughter (Kiara Glasco, Map to the Stars) as they move into a new home. Meanwhile, the house's disturbed former resident (the great Pruitt Taylor Vince, Constantine) returns, and he takes a liking to the young girl. It's akin to a 1970s slow-burner with modern sensibilities. The restrained approach allows the audience to become more invested in the characters, building toward an unpredictable and emotionally draining final act. Read my full review of the film here.
4. A Dark Song
A Dark Song is an engrossing slow-burn horror film predominantly told with two actors in one location. The story involves a grieving woman (Catherine Walker, Ferocious Planet) who seeks the aid of an unstable cultist (Steve Oram, Sightseers) to perform an elaborate ritual that allows you to ask a guardian angel for a favor. She wants her deceased child back, but this is far from a Pet Sematary retread. It's all about the build-up, with some genuinely creepy moments along the way before it culminates in a tense finale. Irish writer-director Liam Gavin makes a powerful debut anchored by strong performances.
5. What Happened to Monday
What Happened to Monday is set in the not too distant future, when a strict one-child policy is enforced in an effort to preserve the planet. Noomi Rapace (Prometheus) stars as septuplets, who hide from the government by sharing a life; each one only goes out during the day of the week for which they’re named. When Monday disappears, the other six siblings must track her down before someone else does. Rapace wonderfully diversifies the seven parts, and it's quite impressive to see them all seamlessly interacting with one another in the same shot. Willem Dafoe (Spider-Man) plays the girls' grandfather who raised them, while Glenn Close (Fatal Attraction) is the head of the agency stripping families of their children. Tommy Wirkola (Dead Snow) directs some superb action sequences in this sci-fi mystery thriller.
6. American Fable
American Fable is true to its name, often playing out like something of a dark fairy tale in the country’s heartland, but its fantastical elements largely take a backseat to a rural drama with mystery/thriller elements. Writer-director Anne Hamilton, who got her start as an intern on Terrence Malick’s The Tree of Life, makes a dynamic feature debut. Set in the 1980s, the story revolves around Gitty (Peyton Kennedy, Odd Squad), an 11-year-old girl with an affinity for storytelling. She finds herself in a real-life fairy tale upon discovering a man (Richard Schiff, The West Wing) imprisoned in a silo on her family's struggling farm. The picture is an admirable American complement to Guillermo del Toro's Pan's Labyrinth; not only are their stories thematically analogous, but they also share a similar horned creature. Read my full review of the film here.
7. Here Alone
Here Alone is a zombie movie in which the zombies are almost never on screen - and that's not a bad thing. It depicts the hardships Ann (Lucy Walters, Power) must endure and the elaborate precautions she must take in order to survive, weaving between two different points in time: early in the apocalypse with her husband (Shane West, A Walk to Remember) and their baby, and the present when she befriends a fellow survivor (Adam David Thompson, Mozart in the Jungle) and his teenage daughter. Director Rod Blackhurst (Amanda Knox) delivers a subtle, dramatic character piece with shades of The Walking Dead by crafting dynamic characters backed by engaging performances.
8. Little Evil
Tucker and Dale vs Evil writer-director Eli Craig returns to horror-comedy with Little Evil. Having perfected his deadpan delivery on Parks and Recreation, Adam Scott makes awkward an artform as a man who believes his new wife's (Evangeline Lilly, Lost) 6-year-old son is the literal Antrichrist. The supporting cast, underutilized as they may be, is also great, including Bridget Everett (Patti Cakes), Clancy Brown (The Shawshank Redemption), Tyler Labine (Tucker and Dale vs Evil), Donald Faison (Scrubs), and Sally Field (Forrest Gump), who is Craig's mother. The most obvious influence is The Omen - it's even name-dropped in the movie - but there are also references to the likes of Poltergeist, Ghostbusters, Children of the Corn, Rosemary's Baby, Child's Play, and The Shining. It's not always laugh-out-loud funny, but it remains entertaining throughout.
9. Patchwork
Patchwork is like a modern take on Frankenhooker with a dash of Re-Animator for good measure. It may not be as masterful a blend of horror and comedy as those '80s classics, but it's delightfully absurd just the same. It also offers a bit of social commentary, namely regarding the issues modern dating women face. Three girls - stuck up Jennifer (Tory Stolper), naive Ellie (Tracey Fairaway, Hellraiser: Revelations), and weird Madeline (Maria Blasucci) - are murdered, sewn together, and brought back to life by a mad scientist. They must learn to coexist in the same body in order to exact revenge. Cleverly conceived by director Tyler MacIntyre (Tragedy Girls), the girls are portrayed as one Frankenstein-ed creature in some shots and as three individual women in others.
10. Death Note
While purists decry the changes that Death Note made from the popular Japanese manga on which it's based, those with an open mind (or, like me, unfamiliar with the source material) ought to enjoy this Netflix original film. A book labeled Death Note literally falls from the sky to the feet of Light (Nat Wolff, Paper Towns), granting the high school student the power to take the life of anyone whose name he writes inside. Quickly realizing its power without fully recognizing the responsibility, Light dishes out vigilante justice remotely, killing criminals and becoming a worldwide phenomenon. Also mixed up in it are Light's love interest (Margaret Qualley, The Leftovers), his detective father (Shea Whigham, American Hustle), a mysterious man trying to catch him (Lakeith Stanfield, Get Out), and Ryuk (Willem Dafoe, Spider-Man), the monstrous keeper of the book. There's a definite sense that the story has been condensed, things may have been lost in translation, and the fast pacing takes away from the weight of the situation. It may not be a highlight of his filmography, but director Adam Wingard (Blair Witch, You’re Next) delivers a fun, stylish movie with some gory, Rube Goldbergian deaths a la Final Destination.
Bonus: Castlevania: Season 1
Castlevania is a Netflix original animated series based on the classic Konami video game series. Season 1 consists of only four episodes totaling around 90 minutes, resembling more of an anime film than a show, but it ends without a conclusion to the story. Thankfully, a second season is already in the works. Following the murder of his wife, Dracula summons a scourge of goblins to destroy the region of Wallachia and dismember every person along the way. Trevor Belmont, the last in an infamous family excommunicated for dealing in black magic while slaying monsters, leads the charge to bring down the legendary vampire. It's heavy on exposition, but each episode contains a couple of big action scenes to hold viewers over through the abundance of dialogue. Adult language, violence, and gore are on full display, looking great in old-school-style animation. The series is written by comic book scribe Warren Ellis (Red) and stars the voice talents of Richard Armitage (The Hobbit), James Callis (Battlestar Galactica), and Graham McTavish (Preacher).
#netflix#the void#death note#little evil#the devil's candy#a dark song#castlevania#best of netflix#list#article
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Sheine Lende release!
Shane works with her mother and their ghost dogs, tracking down missing persons even when their families can’t afford to pay. Their own family was displaced from their traditional home years ago following a devastating flood – and the loss of Shane’s father and her grandparents. They don’t think they’ll ever get their home back.
Then Shane’s mother and a local boy go missing, after a strange interaction with a fairy ring. Shane, her brother, her friends, and her lone, surviving grandparent – who isn’t to be trusted – set off on the road to find them. But they may not be anywhere in this world – or this place in time.
Nevertheless, Shane is going to find them.
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I really enjoyed Elatsoe, it's a great urban fantasy mystery, and so I was super excited to dive back into that world and follow Ellie's grandmother, Sheine Lende/Shane. I really liked following Shane on her adventures as she tries to find the missing kid(s) and her mother. Her investigative and ghost-raising skills are really put to use here and I liked reading as she and her companions pieced the puzzle together.
But this story isn't just a mystery, Shane is dealing with trauma from a past tragedy that resulted in most of her family dying and her community dispersing. It was definitely heartbreaking to read those parts and Shane's story and healing journey contend directly with the historic and modern colonialist practices that allowed, and one might even say encouraged, the tragedy to occur.
Looking for more in-depth opinions on the novel? Check out my full review!
If you're new to this book's world, you can also check out my review of Elatsoe here!
#book#books#book recommendations#fantasy#bookstagram#bookblr#booklr#bookaholic#bookish#book release#book birthday#ownvoice#indigenous authors#Indigenous storytelling#ya fantasy books#ya fantasy#ya urban fantasy#urban fantasy#mystery
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