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nilonne · 2 years

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Bello Legacy to The Key of Happiness

If you followed me before the great deletion, Kiara’s adventure was once a gameplay legacy. I didn’t have plan, was going with the flow - No thoughts just vibes - but when I started to switch to a more story vibe, I realized there was plot holes everywhere. I even regretted doing the big wedding. Apart from Kiara, other characters didn’t have personalities (except Venessa maybe ?) or a purpose, they were just sims to me if that makes sense. Even Kaiden, he was just Kiara’s supportive boyfriend no matter what she does and that’s it. Answering OC’s questions was impossible for me because I had no idea of who he was. It was so frustrating that one day I deleted the whole legacy on here except my favorite posts. Then my game got corrupt and I lost my save. I had to rebuild everything, a good thing because I could make the changes that were needed.

What’s up with the story now : Everyone got a past and a personality even zodiac signs lol and that’s how I realized that Kiara and Kaiden are not compatible 👁️👄👁️ Like... what was I thinking ? My girl is an only child and lost her parents before turning 18 years (we’ll deep into that later), self-absorbed, ambitious and stubborn. Kaiden was raised by conservative parents, is selfish, a bit possessive and on top of that a big mama’s boy and the youngest sibling, a match made in hell. There’s no way they could be fine hence Kaiden’s behavior very different from the gameplay. Also working on the timeline, they got married very quickly because in the gameplay they did (their meeting to the wedding = 6 months) so now their relationship is ~ 1y and half.

I also made some changes to the timeline and relationships to fit the narrative. (got inspired by my save actually lol)

Kat, Flora and Armstrong (???) do not exist anymore - who remembers them anyway ? - mostly because I lost them and I’m too lazy to redo them lol

Kion relationship : Don and Kiara were good friends and used to f*ck from time to time - city girlzz 💅🏾 - but when Kaiden found out (they were not official, keep that in mind lol) he asked her to stop and she did but stayed friend with him. Nothing wrong there, right ? Well, Kaiden was still bothered by Don (he stays on his mind he got condos in that b*tch head lol) he gave her an ultimatum and dumbass Kiara agreed to it (Don didn’t help either because he hates Kevin aka Kaiden and was bad-mouthing him all the time). They made up, went official and got married not long after.

Kainny relationship : Kaiden and Penny were neighbors and became good friends but the friendship turned into a situationship while he was in a thing-ish with Kiara (BOO ! BOO ! 🍅🍅🍅) and she doesn’t know about any of this (too self-centered to notice lol) because men always LIE !!! Penny got tired of it and also gave him an ultimatum and he chose Kiara but never closed the door with Penny and he’s the one who introduce her to Kiara btw 🤭

KeyxNessa relationship : In the gameplay they were neighbors and then became bbf. I changed that : they’re BFF since highschool and Nessa grandma took care of Kiara after her dad died. They’re basically sisters.

Brent and Kaiden are still BFF. Kasen and Ida are friends with everyone. Penny too but for how long ? 👀

I said Kaiden’s family was fine with Kiara because I didn’t want my girl to suffer too much but that make no sense here so they’re still not fond of her except Marcus who hates her guts lol

Let’s just say : What happened before the wedding day isn’t canon.

Outcomes will be influenced by the gameplay tho so who knows how it will end 👀

In conclusion : I don’t want peace, I want problem always

#inconsistent nilonne #i talk a lot i'm sorry 😖#hope it's clear lol #kainny = kaiden + penny #i'm also working on a characters page but tumblr won't allowed me to save it because of java something a real nightmare lol #i'm also thinking of changing the title of the story : happily ever after --> the key of happiness 🤔#i'm sorry for being this inconsistent i always change my mind 😩#also if i'm thinking about changing something usually i'll do it in couple of days lol

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tardis--dreams · 1 year

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Fuck yes the caretaker finally came and installed my new smoke detecor. I can finally feel free in my apartment again

#the past few days have been a nightmare #constantly on edge because there might someone come knocking and coming into my apartment no matter if i open or not #no cooking before evening #no bathroom breaks without anxiously peeking out my door to see if he might be near and coming to my apartment soon #always keeping everything somewhat presentable in my depression den because i don't want anyone to see the horrible mess #i live in #(that last point might be something positive lol. i should just always live like someone might come in any second #because i actually did the dishes immediately and kept my floor somewhat free of clothes and random papers the last few days #also i made myself look somewhat presentatable (i.e. i didn't keep my 'sleep hairstyle' which makes me look ridiculous #but most of the time i don't even bother because i know no one will see it anyway)#anyway #i didn't sleep one second last night #i have now 3 days left to write the entire theory part of my thesis‚ transcribe all the data‚ come up with a title and research questions #and write my exposé #but i will try to sleep for a few hours now anyway #my brain doesn't work #(also my body is in tremendous i s c o m f o r t because of my approaching period and i feel like dying lol)#shut up amy

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depresseddepot · 2 years

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once again losing my mind bc nobody I know reads the same things I do and I need to talk abt them

#anyway. strange the dreamer and muse of nightmares by laini taylor. holy god.#i didn't like her first series that much (fantasy wars always bore me) but this one. my god this one.#lazlo has every single trait i love in protagonists and the 'villain' (not really a villain but the one they have to fight again)#is so so so fucked up. the story is sooo fucked up. and its so good.#what the gods did to the people and what eril-fane did in revenge. jesus christ #it is super rare that a book can be fucked up enough (and have writing skilled enough to make me FEEL it) to shock me. like. i read a LOT #okay maybe im exaggerating a LITTLE but that first chapter in minya's perspective? my god #the gore and the horror and knowing what the gods did and the screaming #'they were all i could carry' haunts me.#anyways. read daughter of smoke and bone (awful title but the books have promise) first and THEN read this #bc there's a reveal at the end that is Important and will only make sense if you read the first series #anyways. lazlo is perfect in every way and i am taking notes. laini taylor please don't write any more fantasy war fiction please #i love your writing so much but grand novel-sprawling fantasy wars have been beaten to death #lazlo strange........my beloved.........the dreamer........... .#also the description of sarai screaming moths was chilling. you ever read something so masterfully done it gives you goosebumps #UGH ! I AM ALIVE TO READ AND THAT'S IT !!!!#GoodNight.

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mayonakano-archive · 2 years

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got one (1) Great while attempting to AP Valentine Eve’s Nightmare on hard. rip </3

#leoposting #this always happens... i just want the 5-star title for Valentine Eve's Nightmare at some point #i like collecting titles <3 #leo.plays!#enstars

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ohara-n-brown · 4 months

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As a late diagnosed autist I will say one of the most damaging but transformative experiences I've ever had was being misdiagnosed with BPD.

Everyday my heart goes out to people with BPD.

The amount of stigma and silencing they face is astonishing and sickening.

I took DBT for years. Therapists use to turn me away because of my diagnosis.

I would be having full blown autistic meltdowns, crying for help literally - but because I was labeled as BPD ANY time I cried I was treated as manipulative and unstable.

As if the only reason I could be crying was if I was out to trick someone.

95% of the books out there with Borderline in the title are named shit like 'How to get away from a person with Borderline', 'How to stop walking on eggshells (with a person who has BPD)'

I was never allowed to feel true pain or panic or need.

That was 'attention seeking behavior', not me asking for help when a disability was literally inhibiting my ability to process emotions.

There were dozens of times where I had a full meltdown and was either threatened with institutionalization or told I was doing it for attention.

My failing relationships weren't due to a communication issue, or the inability to read social cues. No, because I was labeled borderline, my unstable relationships were my fault. Me beggong nuerotypicals to just be honest and blunt with what they meant was me pestering them for validation.

Borderline patients can't win.

And the funny thing is - I asked my therapist about autism. I told her I thought I was on the spectrum.

BPD is WILDLY misdiagnosed with those with autism and I had many clear signs.

Instead - she told me 'If you were autistic we wouldn't be able to have this conversation'. She made me go through a list of autistic traits made clearly for children, citing how I didn't fit each one.

And then she told me that me identifying with the autism community was the BPD making me search for identity to be accepted - and that I wasn't autistic, just desperate to fit in somewhere.

I didn't get diagnosed for another ten years. For ten years I avoided the autism community - feeling as if I were just a broken person who wanted to steal from people who 'really needed it'.

Because of my providers - I began to doubt my identity MORE, not less.

Ten years of thinking I was borderline and being emotionally neglected and demonized by a system meant to help me.

To this day, I still don't trust neurotypicals. Not fully.

I know I'm not borderline now - but my heart aches for them. Not for the usual stuff. But for the stigma. And the asshole doctors. And the dismissiveness and threatening and the idea of institutionalization hanging over their head.

I love Borderline people. I always will. I'm not Borderline but if you are I love you and I'm sorry.

You're not a bad person. You're not a therapists worst nightmare, you are a human with valid feelings and fears.

Borderline people I'm sorry.

#autism #bpd #borderline personality disorder #actually autistic #neurodivergent #neurodivergency #neurodiversity #cluster b

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tealquills · 4 months

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mmmmm i feel like i want to change the title of i still taste you on my lips but i’m not sure what i want to change it to

#first thing that came to mind was ‘never another dream? / always another nightmare.’#but i’m not sure #i’ll keep the original title for now #i still taste you on my lips #istyoml

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todayisafridaynight · 10 months

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LITERALLY SO FUCKING REAL ABOUT FABLE it's not the worst movie I've seen with him by any means but. Good God. Bear with me. Picture This: I'm super excited to see Tsutsumi and Okada co-star again because I really liked them in Fly, Daddy, Fly and SP [Security Police] is like, top five Tsutsumi Characters [Soichiro Ogata I'm kissing you on the mouth], top ten Tsutsumi Media overall [the show is slow to start but Ogata's arc and the finale movie ESPECIALLY are some of my favorite things ever]. Watched that shit five times, whatever. I also liked the first Fable movie!

The promotional material starts coming out. It generally portrays Utsubo as he portrays himself to the public. So at most I'm expecting the usual Morally Gray Parent angle. CALL ME STUPID ALRIGHT BUT THAT'S HOW IT PLAYED OUT. Anyway. Movie comes out, pick a time to watch with friends who don't know each other that well, start off in a bad mood for various reasons. And then. ON TOP OF getting blasted with Scenes That Make Me Want To Flay My Skin Off with no warning at all. One of my friends comments on said scenes saying the MOST For The Love Of God Read The Room shit like this is NOT the TIME to THIRSTPOST

IT WAS SO OOOUUUUGGGGGHHHHHHHHH like my absolute favorite Tsutsumi film is perhaps on-par with regard to some of the subject matter but I was fine for that... The Viewing Experience is make-or-break sometimes... so if nothing else, I'm glad you had fun watching! And Hey I mean, the performance was sick [all definitions]

Also reminds me two of the guys outside Hoshino's office for the second boss fight are called Tsutsumi and Utsubo that was fun

what godforsaken parasite is in the air that makes us go 'oh this looks like it'd be a fun movie to watch with a friend :))' LIKE PLEAAASSEE IT WAS MAD AWKWARD i genuinely didn't know what to expect when i initially read the summary but it definitely wasn't. All Of That ☠️☠️☠️

#snap chats #NETFLIX WAS SO VILE FOR PUTTING TSUTSUMI SMILING AS THE THUMBNAIL #AND THE WORST PART WAS THAT IT WAS IN THE WOODS AND SO IM JUST SITTING THINKING #'oh i wonder what this gon be <3' AND ESP WITH A TITLE LIKE FABLE I MEAN. WHAT CAN I EXPECT.#AND THEN WE GET TO THE WOODS SCENE AND IM LIKE OOHHHH SO I SHOULD THROW UP NOW #at least bestie and i joke about... death by excavator now... the least we can take away ☠️☠️#SOOO awkward i THINK that was her first tsutsumi movie and im just sitting and screaming here like #bestie please i promise he doesnt always play characters like this i SWEAARRR #i mean she said she'd watch mole song with me so.... she didnt check out after that at least <3 #BUT GOD THE BAIT AND SWITCH FOR YOU CAUSE AT LEAST I WENT IN TOTALLY BLIND #YOU HAD /SOOOME/ EXPECTATIONSVLKAJVLKAJ IM SO SORRY #absolute nightmare of an experience that mustve been #god watching it mightve been the most uncomfortable thing imaginable but i at least can laugh about it still #just for how Left Field it was.. lol.... but also. actually burned into my brain and it wont leave #on a lighter note.... i'll be happy to check out SP once i finish priceless :) i just finished the first ep today SORRY #im almost done with metroid.. i think... so once i finish that then i can blaze through priceless and THEEEEN i can see SP #priceless is cute so far so im excited to see what it goes ♪(´▽｀) if moai doesnt somehow pull through for kindaichi im gonna scream

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possamble · 22 days

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Needlessly close reading and long commentary on chapter 57 and how the audience actually has an extremely limited view on what Marcille has been like over the course of her life.

I am once again thinking about how pre-dungeon Marcille is so quiet and stoic that she seems like a completely different person. How jarring chapter 57 is for the audience. Like you have Marcille, who has been just the most blindingly expressive person with resting baby face

And then the chapter drops a title page of Marcille hearing from Falin for the first time in four years and it's like.

Who is that. Genuinely. Would you even realize that's Marcille without the context clues?

And then the chapter just keeps coming in with the sucker punches.

We have SEEN Marcille meet strangers. It was never with this understated of a smile.

literally who the hell is this. the few times the audience gets to see some Signature Marcille Faces that they're used to is when she finally gets to see Falin again

when she's testing out her new spells

(and when Laios and Falin are fantasizing about her being their damsel in distress, funnily enough)

And then finally. Finally you get to a fully recognizable Marcille when she fucking DIES and comes back to life to geek out about necromancy.

We know she loves magic. We know she loves Falin. So it's not so surprising that she wouldn't be able to keep a mask up when thinking or talking about the things she loves. But why the mask in the first place? Where does it come from? It's tempting to think that, maybe, Falin's departure just hurt her so much that it turned her into a quiet person.

But that's only half true. If you go back, the first instance you see of this incredibly mild personality is actually introduced much earlier, in chapter 17.

What if she was always like that. What if her default after her father died was to hold people at arm's length, to never really emote past being polite and friendly. What if Falin was the first person who was able to bring her out of her shell, and when she left, Marcille just went back to how she was.

And when comparing her detached demeanour with someone else...

It's not exact, but wouldn't you say there's a resemblance? Wouldn't you think she might be trying her best to imitate what she saw of her own mother working as an accomplished mage?

It would certainly explain why she's hiding behind her portrait in her nightmare, at least.

We aren't told that Marcille has been distancing herself from everyone around her using a mature and dignified personality she modelled off her mother. But we sure as hell are shown it, I think.

#marcille donato #dungeon meshi #dungeon meshi manga spoilers #dungeon meshi spoilers #this got so fucking long #it was originally just supposed to be 'haha marcille's old coworkers probably know her as the super serious one'#and then i started connecting dots and it was all over for me #anyway babygirl went right back to depressionville after falin left and it's like. wow. falin doesn't even know how long it's been #that's gotta hurt.#dunmeshi panel meta #marcilleposting

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ssahotchnerr · 2 months

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public displays of affection - aaron hotchner x reader

the aaron take on the derek/penelope workplace seminar (episode of reference: 9x12)

cw; bau!reader, established relationship, suggestiveness, small allusions to sex, fluff <3, bau family banter, aaron being mortified😭, references to the episode wc; 1.4k

"penny," you shut one of your files, placing it in your desktop organizer. "you're creating a draft."

"this is bad. oh so very very bad." she stammered, continuing to pace back and forth, "i'm just mentally preparing myself to be humiliated in front of the entire unit. for the second time, may i add. god, who blabbed this time?

"what did you even do?" spencer chimed in, his head lifting from his current read.

"i don't know." she exclaimed, an exasperated breath leaving her. "nothing out of the ordinary, so that means anything is possible. you," she pointed at morgan, who casually was making his way over to the rest of you. "we're in big trouble."

"this could be totally unrelated." jj reassured her. you agreed, giving penelope a nod and a hopeful smile. "there was no footnote on what this meeting consisted of."

"well, there was no footnote last time. and to this day, i still get asked what flarpy blunderguff means." she huffed, crossing her arms and turning towards derek. "i love you my hunk of a man, but this. this is a nightmare."

as two began rolling around, the bullpen filled in anticipation for the seminar, a light hum in the room as conversations were exchanged back and forth in waiting.

in addition, a presence soon stilled beside you. one always familiar, but surprising under the current circumstances.

"what are you doing here?" you looked up to find aaron's gentle eyes. he took a seat on the edge of your desk, just behind your chair.

meetings like these - usually below aaron's pay grade. he hadn't needed to attend the last, infamous meeting for instance, HR meetings were normally things he had prior knowledge of, or simply not worth his valuable time as unit chief.

"i got the email as well." aaron's hand found the back of your neck, his fingers comfortably kneading into your always-tense muscles. every so often, his hand would brush to your shoulder, and then back again.

"oh no," penelope slapped onto derek's arm, the smack covered up by slim buzz within the vicinity. "what did we do?"

"looks like we're about to find out." dave stated, his eyes following the woman who had just entered the bullpen, moving to the front.

the notorious HR lady of the bureau, nancy, sauntered over to the large presentation screen set before the clusters of desks. not wasting a second to get down to business, she turned toward the crowd of eager agents.

"thank you all for your attendance and time, this shouldn't take too long." she started, poised and head held high.

penelope took a deep breath.

"this afternoon's presentation," nancy clicked a button on her remote, displaying the title page. "public displays of affection."

oh no.

aaron's hand, which had continued to smooth out the stiffness in your neck, halted immediately.

"as you all- most are well and should be aware, keeping conduct professional in the workplace is a must to prevent disruptions within the environment. displays of affection - examples upcoming - can cause extreme feelings of uncomfortableness amongst your colleagues, and can be distracting nonetheless. all of which, creates a...."

just as last time, she clicked her remote. and adjacent to penelope and derek's presentation, in big letters across the top:

"hostile work environment."

derek immediately snorted under his breath, inviting others to openly laugh as well. despite the urge to shoot daggers at him, you were utterly incapable of pulling your attention away from the front.

it wasn't a top secret ordeal - everyone could infer the pair this presentation was centered around, and be correct.

"and so," nancy exhaled a breath, her eyes darting in your and aaron's shared direction for a smidge second, causing the heat to grow in your face and body. "i urge everyone to refrain from the following,"

similar to yours, aaron's face burned, comparable in color to his tie. he let out a nearly inaudible, nervous cough from above you.

"sitting on one's lap, while working on caseloads - not appropriate."

more laughter rippled through the division.

"oh god." you mumbled under your breath, uncomfortably crossing a leg over the other as your palm covered the bottom half of your face.

contrary to the present belief, aaron was a stickler on pda.

for the first few months of your relationship, he hadn't dared to touch your arm, back, anything in order to maintain such affection within the field; it was reserved for closed doors at home only. he loved you, but he wanted to uphold his reputable professional nature.

but as time moved forward and your relationship progressed, he hadn't gotten sloppy, per se, but more relaxed or lenient was a better way to put it.

some displays were accidental by habit. if he wanted to give you a quick peck, depending on the situation and setting, he would. seated beside each other, he would lovingly squeeze your thigh under the table, if you needed the encouragement or if you made him proud in some regard. if he were feeling frisky one day - sure he would do something, just to rile you up for later, to each of your benefit. so on and so forth.

and if he was initiating affection, you took that as the all-clear to do the same. in variation, of course.

so more often than not, it was in private. just not... always. and the lock on aaron's office door often came in handy for that.

"prolonged kisses in the bullpen, elevator, not appropriate."

once. you were caught once in a (very) heated kiss in the elevator.

as you and aaron cowered in embarrassment, both dave and morgan looked far too amused for their own good. the rest of the team - raised, entertained eyebrows, tossing glances to one another while trying to constrain their laughter.

nancy swallowed, as if she needed strength to deliver the next point, "grabbing one's behind when going up the stairs, not appropriate."

another mortified cough exited aaron.

she went on, giving more examples of affection aaron and you were completely guilty of. and if just one singular time wasn't enough, she went-forth on the explanation that such displays can cause a barrier within the workplace.

when you thought it would never cease, nancy finally delivered her ending statement, "save it for home people, thank you."

and with that, as well as the screen darkening, everyone disbanded, low murmurs and chuckles filling the room as each went about their usual routine.

you looked up at aaron in absolute horror, whose face was currently in his hand. but even that didn't hide the blush brewing within his face, his ears flushed wildly as well.

you reached up, grabbing his wrist to pry his hand away.

"nuh uh uh," derek grinned as he wiggled his index finger at the two of you, imitating nancy to a tee. "not appropriate."

"you hush." you got to your feet, allowing you to remove his hand more easily. you cautiously prolonged your hold, brushing your thumb across his knuckles before letting it drop. "aaron?"

his brown eyes found yours, full of embarrassment. "that was..."

"humiliating?"

he nodded, his head accelerating in speed with each nod, "yeah. that's the term i would use."

"oh you poor dears." penelope breathed out, the one compassionate member of the team.

"damn." emily chuckled.

derek cackled again, clearly not ready to let this go. honestly, he probably never would. "thought we didn't notice when you pulled the blinds in the office, did ya?"

aaron gave him a pointed glare, putting a very quick end to the conversation. just as the rest, the team carried on with their remaining work for the day - you and aaron remaining frozen in place.

but surprisingly enough, a laugh did escape him, shaking through his chest. "guess i have to tone it down a little, huh?"

"oh thank god," you blurted out and exhaled in relief, a small smile forming on your lips. "i thought this would cause an avoidance arrangement or something." you teased - partially.

"of course not. some reservation, maybe, but not avoidance." aaron laughed quietly again, a sigh escaping him.

"that was bad, wasn't it?" a slightly pinched expression took form on your face, your cheeks tinting once more.

"it wasn't... good." aaron admitted with some hesitation, but his brown eyes still glowed despite the lines of troublesome. his hand found yours - after scanning that no one was paying attention to the two of you - giving it a squeeze. "but hey, out of problems to have, i'd take showing my love for you any day."

#aaron hotchner x reader #aaron hotchner #aaron hotchner fluff #aaron hotchner x you #aaron hotchner x fem!reader #aaron hotch x reader #aaron hotchner imagine #criminal minds #criminal minds x reader #criminal minds x you #criminal minds drabble #aaron hotchner drabble #criminal minds imagine #criminal minds fanfiction #hotch imagine #criminal minds x fem!reader

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nellasbookplanet · 2 months

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Book recs: black science fiction

As february and black history month nears its end, if you're a reader let's not forget to read and appreciate books by black authors the rest of the year as well! If you're a sci-fi fan like me, perhaps this list can help find some good books to sink your teeth into.

Bleak dystopias, high tech space adventures, alien monsters, alternate dimensions, mash-ups of sci-fi and fantasy - this list features a little bit of everything for genre fiction fans!

For more details on the books, continue under the readmore. Titles marked with * are my personal favorites. And as always, feel free to share your own recs in the notes!

If you want more book recs, check out my masterpost of rec lists!

Lagoon by Nnedi Okorafor

Something massive and alien crashes into the ocean off the coast of Nigeria. Three people, a marine biologist, a rapper, and a soldier, find themselves at the center of this presence, attempting to shepherd an alien ambassador as chaos spreads in the city. A strange novel that mixes the supernatural with the alien, shifts between many different POVs, and gives a one of a kind look at a possible first contact.

Nubia: The Awakening (Nubia series) by Omar Epps & Clarence A. Hayes

Young adult. Three teens living in the slums of an enviromentally ravaged New York find that something powerful is awakening within them. They’re all children of refugees of Nubia, a utopian African island nation that sank as the climate worsened, and realize now that their parents have been hiding aspects of their heritage from them. But as they come into their own, someone seeks to use their abilities to his own ends, against their own people.

The Scourge Between Stars by Ness Brown

Novella. After having failed at establishing a new colony, starship Calypso fights to make it back to Earth. Acting captain Jacklyn Albright is already struggling against the threats of interstellar space and impending starvation when the ship throws her a new danger: something is hiding on the ship, picking off her crew one by one in bloody, gruesome ways. A quick, excellent read if you want some good Alien vibes.

Dawn (Xenogenesis trilogy) by Octavia E. Butler*

After a devestating war leaves humanity on the brink of extinction, survivor Lilith finds herself waking up naked and alone in a strange room. She’s been rescued by the Oankali, who have arrived just in time to save the human race. But there’s a price to survival, and it might be humanity itself. Absolutely fucked up I love it I once had to drop the book mid read to stare at the ceiling and exclaim in horror at what was going on. Includes darker examinations of agency and consent, so enter with caution.

Midnight Robber by Nalo Hopkinson*

Utterly unique in world-building, story, and prose, Midnight Robber follows young Tan-Tan and her father, inhabitants of the Carribean-colonized planet of Toussaint. When her father commits a terrible crime, he’s exiled to a parallel version of the same planet, home to strange aliens and other human exiles. Tan-Tan, not wanting to lose her father, follows with him. Trapped on this new planet, he becomes her worst nightmare. Enter this book with caution, as it contains graphic child sexual abuse.

Rosewater (The Wormwood trilogy) by Tade Thompson

In Nigeria lies Rosewater, a city bordering on a strange, alien biodome. Its motives are unknown, but it’s having an undeniable effect on the surrounding life. Kaaro, former criminal and current psychic agent for the government, is one of the people changed by it. When other psychics like him begin getting killed, Kaaro must take it upon himself to find out the truth about the biodome and its intentions.

Do You Dream of Terra-Two? by Temi Oh

Young adult. A century ago, an astronomer discovered a possibly Earth-like planet. Now, a team of veteran astronauts and carefully chosen teenagers are preparing to embark on a twenty-three year trip to get there. But space is dangerous, and the team has no one to rely on but each other if - or when - something goes wrong. An introspective slowburn of a story, this focuses more on character work than action.

The Best of All Possible Worlds by Karen Lord

After the planet Sadira is left uninhabitable, its few survivors are forced to move to a new world. On Cygnus Beta, they work to rebuild their society alongside their distant relatives of the planet, while trying to preserve what remains of their culture. Focused less on hard science or action, The Best of All Possible Worlds is more about culture, romance and the ethics and practicalities of telepathy.

Mirage (Mirage duology) by Somaiya Daud

Young adult. Eighteen-year-old Amani lives on an isolated moon under the oppressive occupation of the Valthek empire. When Amani is abducted, she finds herself someplace wholly unexpected: the royal palace. As it turns out, she's nearly identical to the half-Valthek, and widely hated, princess Maram, who is in need of a body double. If Amani ever wants to make it back home or see her people freed from oppression, she will have to play her role as princess perfectly. While sci-fi, this one more has the vibe of a fantasy.

An Unkindness of Ghosts by Rivers Solomon

Life on the lower decks of the generation ship HSS Matilda is hard for Aster, an outcast even among outcasts, trying to survive in a system not dissimilar to the old antebellum South. The ship’s leaders have imposed harsh restrictions on their darker skinned people, using them as an oppressed work force as they travel toward their supposed Promised Land. But as Aster finds a link between the death of the ship’s sovereign and the suicide of her own mother, she realizes there may be a way off the ship.

Where It Rains in Color by Denise Crittendon

The planet Swazembi is a utopia of color and beauty, the most beautiful of all its citizens being the Rare Indigo. Lileala was just named Rare Indigo, but her strict yet pampered life gets upended when her beautiful skin is struck by a mysterious sickness, leaving it covered in scars and scabs. Meanwhile, voices start to whisper in Lileala's mind, bringing to the surface a past long forgotten involving her entire society.

Eacaping Exodus (Escaping Exodus duology) by Nicky Drayden

Seske is the heir to the leader of a clan living inside a gigantic, spacefaring beast, of which they frequently need to catch a new one to reside in as their presence slowly kills the beast from the inside. While I found the ending rushed with regards to plot and character, the worldbuilding is very fresh and the overall plot of survival and class struggle an interesting one. It’s also sapphic!

Chain-Gang All-Stars by Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah*

In a near future America, inmates on death row or with life sentences in private prisons can choose to participate in death matches for entertainment. If they survive long enough - a rare case indeed - they regain their freedom. Among these prisoners are Loretta Thurwar and Hamara "Hurricane Staxxx" Stacker, partners behind the scenes and close to the deadline of a possible release - if only they can survive for long enough. As the game continues to be stacked against them and protests mount outside, two women fight for love, freedom, and their own humanity. Chain-Gang All-Stars is bleak and unflinching as well as genuinely hopeful in its portrayal of a dark but all to real possible future.

Parable of the Sower (Earthseed duology) by Octavia E. Butler*

In a bleak future, Lauren Olamina lives with her family in a gated community, one of few still safe places in a time of chaos. When her community falls, Lauren is forced on the run. As she makes her way toward possible safety, she picks up a following of other refugees, and sows the seeds of a new ideology which may one day be the saviour of mankind. Very bleak and scarily realistic, Parable of the Sower will make you both fear for mankind and regain your hope for humanity.

Binti (Binti trilogy) by Nnedi Okorafor

Young adult novella. Binti is the first of the Himba people to be accepted into the prestigious Oomza University, the finest place of higher learning in all the galaxy. But as she embarks on her interstellar journey, the unthinkable happens: her ship is attacked by the terrifying Meduse, an alien race at war with Oomza University.

War Girls (War Girls duology) by Tochi Onyebuchi

In an enviromentally fraught future, the Nigerian civil war has flared back up, utilizing cybernetics and mechs to enhance its soldiers. Two sisters, by bond if not by blood, are separated and end up on differing sides of the struggle. Brutal and dark, with themes of dehumanization of soldiers through cybernetics that turn them into weapons, and the effect and trauma this has on them.

The Space Between Worlds (The Space Between Worlds duology) by Micaiah Johnson

Multiverse travel is finally possible, but there’s a catch: No one can visit a world where their counterpart is still alive. Enter Cara, whose parallel selves happen to be exceptionally good at dying. As such she has a very special job in traveling to these worlds, hoping to keep her position long enough to gain citizenship in the walled-off Wiley City, away from the wastes where she grew up. But her job is dangerous, especially when she gets on the tracks of a secret that threatens the entire multiverse. Really cool worldbuilding and characters, also featuring a sapphic lead!

The Fifth Season (The Broken Eart trilogy) by N.K. Jemisin*

In a world regularly torn apart by natural disasters, a big one finally strikes and society as we know it falls, leaving people floundering to survive in a post apocalyptic world, its secrets and past to be slowly revealed. We get to follow a mother as she races through this world to find and save her missing daughter. While mostly fantasy in genre, this series does have some sci-fi flavor, and is genuinely some of the best books I've ever read, please read them.

The Women Could Fly by Megan Giddings*

In an alternate version of our present, the witch hunt never ended. Women are constantly watched and expected to marry young so their husbands can keep an eye on them. When she was fourteen, Josephine's mother disappeared, leveling suspicions at both mother and daughter of possible witchcraft. Now, nearly a decade and a half later, Jo, in trying to finally accept her missing mother as dead, decides to follow up on a set of seemingly nonsensical instructions left in her will. Features a bisexual lead!

The Prey of Gods by Nicky Drayden

South African-set scifi featuring gods ancient and new, robots finding sentience, dik-diks, and a gay teen with mind control abilities. An ancient goddess seeks to return to her true power no matter how many humans she has to sacrifice to get there. A little bit all over the place but very creative and fresh.

The Summer Prince by Alaya Dawn Johnson*

Young adult. Young artist June Costa lives in Palmares Tres, a beautiful, matriarchal city relying heavily on tradition, one of which is the Summer King. The most recent Summer King is Enki, a bold boy and fellow artist. With him at her side, June seeks to finally find fame and recognition through her art, breaking through the generational divide of her home. But growing close to Enki is dangerous, because he, like all Summer Kings, is destined to die.

The Blood Trials (The Blood Gifted duology) by N.E. Davenport

After Ikenna's grandfather is assasinated, she is convinced that only a member of the Praetorian guard, elite soldiers, could’ve killed him. Seeking to uncover his killer, Ikenna enrolls in a dangerous trial to join the Praetorians which only a quarter of applicants survive. For Ikenna, the stakes are even higher, as she's hiding forbidden blood magic which could cost her her life. Mix of fantasy and sci-fi. While I didn’t super vibe with this one, I suspect fans of action packed romantasy will enjoy it.

Babel-17 by Samuel R. Delany

1960s classic. Rydra Wong is a space captain, linguist and poet who is set on learning to understand Babel-17, a language which is humanity's only clue at the enemy in an interstaller war. But Babel-17 is more than just a language, and studying it may change Rydra forever.

Pet (Pet duology) by Akwaeke Emezi

Young adult novella. Jam lives in a utopian future that has been freed of monsters and the systems which created and upheld them. But then she meets Pet, a dangerous creature claiming to be hunting a monster still among them, prepared to stop at nothing to find them. While I personally found the word-building in Pet lacking, it deftly handles dark subjects of what makes a human a monster.

Bonus AKA I haven’t read these yet but they seem really cool

Lion's Blood by Steven Barnes

Alternate history in which Africans colonized South America while vikings colonized the North. The vikings sell abducted Celts and Franks as slaves to the South, one of which is eleven-years-old Irish boy Aidan O'Dere, who was just bought by a Southern plantation owner.

The Sound of Stars by Alechia Dow

Young adult dystopia. Ellie lives in a future where humanity is under the control of the alien Ilori. All art is forbidden, but Ellie keeps a secret library; when one of her books disappears, she fears discovery and execution. M0Rr1S, born in a lab and raised to be emotionless, finds her library, and though he should deliver her for execution, he finds himself obsessed with human music. Together the two embark on a roadtrip which may save humanity.

Womb City by Tlotlo Tsamaase

Lelah lives in future Botswana, but despite money and fame she finds herself in an unhappy marriage, her body controlled via microchip by her husband. After burying the body of an accidental hit and run, Lelah's life gets worse when the ghost of her victim returns to enact bloody vengeance.

Orleans by Sherri L. Smith

Young adult. Fen de la Guerre, living in a quarantined Gulf Coast left devestated by storms and sickness, is forced on the run with a newborn after her tribe is attacked. Hoping to get the child to safety, Fen seeks to get to the other side of the wall, she teams up with a scientist from the outside the quarantine zone.

Everfair by Nisi Shawl

A neo-victorian alternate history, in which a part of Congo was kept safe from colonisation, becoming Everfair, a safe haven for both the people of Congo and former slaves returning from America. Here they must struggle to keep this home safe for them all.

The Splinter in the Sky by Kemi Ashing-Giwa

Space opera. Enitan just wants to live a quiet life in the aftermath of a failed war of conquest, but when her lover is killed and her sister kidnapped, she's forced to leave her plans behind to save her sister.

Honorary mentions AKA these didn't really work for me but maybe you guys will like them: The City We Became (Great Cities duology) by N.K. Jemisin, The Lesson by Cadwell Turnbull, The A.I. Who Loved Me by Alyssa Cole

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