#last year i drew book characters even when i wasn't super into the book

[ninelivesart]

2023 Draw My Reads

Here is a full list of all the books I read in 2023 and links to the art I’ve made for them.

Just a few quick notes. I didn’t make art for everything I read. I also fell off the wagon a bit toward the end and went through an art block. Not sure if I’ll continue this project into 2024 but I might do some variation. We’ll see.

Also, I read some absolutely filthy (and ridiculous) stuff sometimes. So be warned.

*Sequels will have an asterisk. First book in series will be in parenthesis.

January

1. Alpha Wolf* by Caroline Peckham and Susanne Valenti (Caged Wolf)

2. Feral Wolf* by Caroline Peckham and Susanne Valenti (Caged Wolf)

3. Constantine: Distorted Illusions by Kami Garcia and Isaac Goodhart

4. The Ballad of Never After* by Stephanie Garber (Once Upon a Broken Heart)

5. Wicked Beauty* by Katee Robert (Neon Gods)

6. Vicious by V.E. Schwab

7. Hell Bent* by Leigh Bardugo (Ninth House)

Total (so far): 7

February

1. How Y’all Doing by Leslie Jordan

2. Vengeful* by V.E. Schwab (Vicious)

3. A Court of Mist and Fury* by Sarah J. Maas (A Court of Thorns and Roses)

4. The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by V.E. Schwab

Total (so far): 11

March

1. Kingdom of Flesh and Fire* by Jennifer L. Armentrout (From Blood and Ash)

2. The Atlas Six by Olivie Blake

3. Cinder by Marissa Meyer

4. Scarlet* by Marissa Meyer (Cinder)

5. Cress* by Marissa Meyer (Cinder)

Total (so far): 16

April

1. Winter* by Marissa Meyer (Cinder)

2. A Soul to Keep by Opal Reyne

3. Sorcery of Thorns by Margaret Rogerson

4. Lauren’s Barbarian* by Ruby Dixon (Ice Planet Barbarians, spinoff series)

Total (so far): 20

May

1. Harvest House by Cynthia Leitich Smith

2. The Song of the Marked by S.M. Gaither

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

4. Fable by Adrienne Young

5. Bea Wolf by Weinersmith

6. Dead Silence by S.A. Barnes

Total (so far): 26

June

1. A Ruin of Roses by K.F. Breene

2. Veronica’s Dragon* by Ruby Dixon (Ice Planet Barbarians, spinoff series)

3. Willa’s Beast* by Ruby Dixon (Ice Planet Barbarians, spinoff series)

4. Over My Dead Body by Sweeney Boo

5. Window Shopping by Tessa Bailey

6. A Court of Silver Flames* by Sarah J. Maas (A Court of Thorns and Roses)

7. Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros

Total (so far): 33

July

1. Zodiac Academy: Beyond the Veil* by Caroline Peckham and Susanne Valenti (Zodiac Academy: The Awakening)

2. The Bridge Kingdom by Danielle L. Jensen

3. The Traitor Queen* by Danielle L. Jensen (The Bridge Kingdom)

4. The Little Library Cookbook by Kate Young

5. Sheets by Brenna Thummler

6. Cackle by Rachel Harrison

7. The Fellowship of the Ring by J.R.R. Tolkien

8. The Borderlands Princess by Ophelia Wells Langley

9. Bride of the Shadow King by Sylvia Mercedes

10. Vow of the Shadow King* by Sylvia Mercedes (Bride of the Shadow King)

11. Angie’s Gladiator* by Ruby Dixon (Ice Planet Barbarians spinoff series)

12. Legends and Lattes by Travis Baldree

13. Gail’s Family* by Ruby Dixon (Ice Planet Barbarians spinoff series)

14. Hanna’s Hero* by Ruby Dixon (Ice Planet Barbarians spinoff series)

15. Devi’s Distraction* by Ruby Dixon (Ice Planet Barbarians spinoff series)

16. Destination Alien Bride by Dee J. Holmes

Total (so far): 49

August

1. Destination Alien Mate* by Dee J. Holmes (Destination Alien Bride)

2. Gilded by Marissa Meyer

3. The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches by Sangu Mandanna

4. Cursed* by Marissa Meyer (Gilded)

5. Nadine’s Champion* by Ruby Dixon (Ice Planet Barbarians spinoff series)

6. Callie’s Catastrophe* by Ruby Dixon (Ice Planet Barbarians spinoff series)

7. Ice Planet Honeymoon* by Ruby Dixon (Ice Planet Barbarians)

8. Flowerheart by Catherine Bakewell

9. I’m in Love with Mothman by Paige Lavoie

Total (so far): 58

September

1. Cryptid Club by Sarah Andersen

2. Radiant Sin* by Katee Robert (Neon Gods)

3. Ice Planet Honeymoon: Raahosh and Liz* by Ruby Dixon (Ice Planet Barbarians)

4. The Okay Witch by Emma Steinkellner

5. Throne in the Dark by A.K. Caggiano

6. Ice Planet Honeymoon: Aehako and Kira* by Ruby Dixon (Ice Planet Barbarians)

7.  A Soul to Heal by Opal Reyne* (A Soul to Keep)

8. Ice Planet Honeymoon: Rukh and Harlow by Ruby Dixon* (Ice Planet Barbarians)

9. The Barbarian Before Christmas by Ruby Dixon* (Ice Planet Barbarians)

10. Penny’s Protector by Ruby Dixon* (Ice Planet Barbarians spinoff series)

11. Mari’s Mistake by Ruby Dixon* (Ice Planet Barbarians spinoff series)

12. Raven’s Return by Ruby Dixon* (Ice Planet Barbarians spinoff series)

Total (so far): 70

October

1. Bridget’s Bane by Ruby Dixon* (Ice Planet Barbarians spinoff series)

2. Steph’s Outcast by Ruby Dixon* (Ice Planet Barbarians spinoff series)

3. Sam’s Secret by Ruby Dixon* (Ice Planet Barbarians spinoff series)

4. Daisy’s Decision by Ruby Dixon* (Ice Planet Barbarians spinoff series)

5. Flor’s Fiasco by Ruby Dixon* (Ice Planet Barbarians spinoff series)

6. R’jaal’s Resonance by Ruby Dixon* (Ice Planet Barbarians spinoff series)

7. Forged by Magic by Jenna Wolfheart

8. A Song Below Water by Bethany C. Morrow

9.  A Curse for True Love by Stephanie Garber* (Once Upon a Broken Heart)

Total (so far): 79

November

1. The Kaiju Preservation Society by John Scalzi

2. Namesake by Adrienne Young* (Fable)

3. Blackwater by Jeannette Arroyo and Ren Graham

4. Surviving Skarr by Ruby Dixon* (Ice Planet Barbarians Spinoff series)

5. Squad by Maggie Tokuda-Hall and Lisa Sterle

6. Mysteries of Thorn Manor by Margaret Rogerson* (Sorcery of Thorns)

7. Destination Alien Treasure by Dee J Holmes* (Destination Alien Bride)

8. Zodiac Academy: Origins of an Academy Bully by Susanne Valenti and Caroline Peckham* (Zodiac Academy: The Awakening)

9. When She’s Ready by Ruby Dixon

10. When She’s Married by Ruby Dixon* (When She’s Ready)

11. When She Purrs by Ruby Dixon* (When She’s Ready)

12. When She Belongs by Ruby Dixon* (When She’s Ready)

Total (so far): 91

December

1. The Dreaming Forest by LB Black

2. Gold by Raven Kennedy* (Gild)

3. Chained to Krampus by KL Wyatt

4. Once Upon a Dream by Liz Braswell* (Series of standalones)

Total Reads For 2023: 95

My goal was to read 90 books and I beat that by 5. I think I’m going to set my reading goal to just 80 this year. Just to give myself a little more freedom. I did read a lot of really short books just to get my number up and I’d rather just focus on reading whatever I want.

Shortest book read: Ice Planet Honeymoon: Raahosh and Liz by Ruby Dixon

Longest book read: Winter by Marissa Meyer

Current read started in 2023 but will finish in 2024: The Ten Thousand Doors of January by Alix E. Harrow

#drawing my reads #drawing my reads masterlist #drawing my reads 2023 #giving this a full update at the start of a new year #i don't want to give up on this project completely in 2024 #but i might change how i do things #i'm thinking of picking a scene from the books i read and drawing that #but i want to give myself a little more freedom #last year i drew book characters even when i wasn't super into the book #and i don't want people coming to my page expecting more fanart of that book #only to be disappointed when i choose not to continue the series #so that being said #i'm reading ten thousand doors of january right now #i haven't found a scene i particularly want to draw just yet #and i'm currently working on a non book related art piece #so hopefully i can get that one done today while i'm off work

[dethkomic]

On Army of the Doomstar Day - And Remembering Jon Schnepp

Hey Goofballs. I didn't really have anything like this planned until the moment hit me, spontaneously. Today's a very special day, as Dethklok the live band gears up to go on tour, we've been blessed with not only a new Dethalbum, but a conclusion to the whole series. This being a momentous finale, over a decade in the making, I again wanted to take a minute to remember someone, just as I did last year..

Jon Schnepp was a guy you could pick out, even if it weren't for the fact that he was usually the tallest dude in any given crowd. He loved comics, music, good vegetarian food that didn't suck, and loved meeting his sweaty nerd fans. As a comic book artist myself, I had the rare privilege of meeting Jon on several occasions through the years at various comic conventions. We also kept in touch on social media, leaving likes and words of praise on each other's projects. Genuine to a fault, Jon was always the biggest fan of anything his friends were doing. He had impeccable comedic timing too. I'll never forget the message he sent me on Facebook when friends and I attended the first ever 70,000 Tons of Metal Cruise:

"I want to go... :("

For as big a Metalocalypse fan as I've been through the years, Jon absolutely eclipsed me in all ways. He loved the show, loved talking about the show, loved discussing production and animation and the characters, whose likenesses he himself designed. One of my prized possessions is a comic book Jon signed and drew a Murderface on the inside frontispiece of. We all agreed that triangle-hair was the pinnacle of good character art.

When he died in 2018, I remember he was either going to be at, or had recently attended a convention in my former hometown of Columbus, Ohio. I remember letting him know I wasn't going to be able to make it, but promising to catch him on the next one. I never got the chance.

Jon Schnepp left behind a hole in the cartoon and comic industry that has yet to be filled to this day. But he also leaves a hell of a legacy. I've been in comics since the early 2000's and one thing I can guarantee you readers is that the rarest thing in the entertainment industry is this: Getting the ability to see a story through to its conclusion.

As artists, it's a sad fact that we don't always get to see what we create come full-circle. We're extra-super lucky still, to have that circle continue on after we're gone. Regardless of what you believe, I bet it would do Jon proud to know his work lives on, today. I bet he'd love the movie and it's wild animation and incredible art and music and story. I bet he'd be happy to have that closure. I know he'd love hearing how much we all enjoyed it, knowing the wild ride we all took to get here.

Jon, we miss you, man. Brendon, Tommy, writers, artists, animators, and any and all sweaty nerds reading this -- you did it. We the fans love you and we'll see you on the road. Hold your heads high. You carried the torch across that finish line.

We'll take it from here.

#dethkomic speaks #metalocalypse #dethklok #mtl #army of the doomstar #metalocalypse movie #jon schnepp #in remembrance

[rayofmisfortune]

Throwing this ask over for if you ever want to ramble about Bendy ✨/nf (we are getting fed lately, 3 more games??? A movie??? Ink demon at a rave??? What???)

BENDY RAMBLE PERMISSION? OH HECK YEA!!

We are SO getting fed! I can't wait for what the games have in store for us. With The Cage supposed to release some time this year ANS THE MOVIE??? OH DON'T EVEN GET ME STARTED ON THAT!

I love the Bendy series to bits. Like actually

I've been keeping up with it since chapter 3 of BATIM- haven't read any of the books sadly but that can be excused right???

ANYWAY

The Cage is supposed to be a look behind the scenes at what happened on the other side of things while Audrey was busy explaining the concept of personal space to Wilson, if I remembee right? Also supposed to be darker and gorrier SUPER EXCITED FOR THAT

Then... in Secrets of the Machine we get teasers for B3ndy and Bendy Silent Town...

I hope B3ndy's gonna pick up on where BATDR left off, Gent taking away the Ink Machine to GOD KNOWS WHERE??? With Bendy now being out in the real world... it begs the question of who the role of big bad and smiling (traumatized, very much traumatized) will fall on... As for who we may play as.... maybe it could be this Riley Wells (hope I got the surname right) character we found out about in Secrets of the Machine? They ended up being a GENT employee so it's not completely out the question? They were employed at Joey Drew Studios before but- got fired because their ideas were too grotesque and dark for Joey's liking (EXCUSE THEM for having trauma you entrepreneur a-hole).

As for Bendy Silent Town... I feel like that game may be a look at mayhaps the genre of Bendy cartoons Riley had scripted? As I said, their ideas were dark. And what is Silent Town? A complete turn to the left at what Bendy games are. Unsure if the hand in the teaser image is Bendy's but- the char has a revolver named Alice FJFJ does that say anything? I dunno! Fjfjfj Getting to shoot cartoon bad guys in a cartoon tho? Aw heck yea! I suck at shooters but I'm willing to try my hand at one if it's Bendy

This is getting long lmfao

AH I haven't realized, but Secrets of the Machine came out on 4/14 (cuz- not american, use a different date format heh) which is the last loop that took place before Wilson or Audrey right? Some significance there

Oml I'm gonna fall into rambling about Bendy and the Ink Demon aren't I?

When you break all the cutouts in Secrets of the Machine, you get instakilled by the Ink Demon. Which. Deserved. I ended up doing that a lot cuz I didn't KNOW what I was supposed to do??? And destroying the cutouts was the quickest way out nfjfjc sorry Benders I promise it wasn't personal.

Anywho- yea it's been over a year YET I'M STILL NOT OVER HOW THE INK DEMON LITERALLY HAD BEEN TORTURED BY THE KEEPERS??? Like- YOU CAN'T JUST THROW THAT AT ME AND NOT EXPECT ME TO WEEP LIKE A BABY- My man's gone through literal hell even before he's been carelessly thrown into the machine "because he was imperfect" my ass, I bet the worst he ever did while in the Real world was walk around and be curious about everything while the only thing decisively threatening about him was his appearance... WHICH ALSO he had nothing to do with??? That's all on Joey and GENT for fucking up and only looking at the outside and not the inside. Is it obvious how much I need this guy to have a happy life?? He has a chance for that with Audrey now which I'm honestly so damn glad for nfnfnc Poor guy had been forced to follow a predetermined script where he was cast as the villain... tbf.. wouldn't anyone end up embracing that role when they've had to go through it for hundreds of loops?? I'd grow tired of trying to change anything as well.

Can... can you imagine? A little scene with Audrey and Bendy in B3ndy where they're just hanging out with eachother in Audrey's apartment.... PLEASE

Ah this got long hehe nfnfjfb

ALSO still not over Henry. My favorite father figure. Pls be a dad to them I beg

I STILL DUNNO WHAT THE RAVE IS ABT 😭😭 Haven't seen anything abt it YET- BUT AYYYYY

AND OML YEA THE MOVIE PLEASE GIB SOME BEFORE THE INK WORLD SNIPPETS PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE?? Could you imagine? Just- getting to see how the studio was before it all went to hell??? I- GETTING TO SEE THE PROGRESS ON THE INK MACHINE??? MAYBE EVEN BENDY'S CREATION????? And and oml SAMMY before he went "My Lord, My Saviour, coocoo in the head" THE VAST WORLD OF POSSIBILITIES

#answered asks #frens ask #unnamed-proxy #bendy spoilers #bendy and the dark revival spoilers #bendy and the ink machine spoilers #batdr #batim #bendy #bendy secrets of the machine #bsotm

[mdverse]

What are some of your favourite Glee ships and why? I'm thinking like... top five? Or more if you feel like it :)

ooh this is a fun one because anything after my top ship can and will change at the drop of a hat lmao

1: brittana

hopefully this will come as a shock to no one aksdjhfsk,,, brittana is actually a ship i found out about before i watched glee. like i would see all of these compilations on youtube of glee moments out of context, and idk how exactly but it led to seeing clips of brittana. i remember being salty bc some of my friends at the time had seen glee and not a single one of them told me that there was a wlw relationship i would've liked lol.

but yeah there's just something really compelling about getting to see these two girls who start out as background characters with funny one-liners grow into an actual couple that gets happily married in the end. especially because i don't remember really seeing any wlw relationships get any kind of focus or open acknowledgement before brittana? at least not any relationships that lasted more than a couple of episodes? and maybe i just wasn't watching the right shows bc i only started watching glee less than 2 years ago lol but their development on the show, while very flawed thanks to the writers, was just super special for me. and it still is. i have a lot of love for them and even though i haven't drawn much brittana lately, i'd like to think that my love for them shows in some of my older art :)

also? wanting to draw brittana is what got me out of months-long art block and depressive episode where i just did not have any inspiration or motivation to draw anything, and it quickly became the catalyst for so much of the artistic growth i've made over the past almost 2 years. idk if that means much to u guys but to me it really means the world and i don't think i even have the words to explain it asksdhfk i just. i love them a lot.

2: hevans

ok listen to be completely honest, i don't think about hevans that much but once in a while i think about s2 hevans and how that would've been so nice? like,,, s2 sam was so refreshing because he arrived at a time where i was used to seeing the glee boys (finn and puck in particular) being like "oh we get called gay for being in glee club and associating with kurt, a gay kid :( and that's bad :( we don't like the idea of being seen as gay :(" and sam just did not care. he didn't care that singing a duet with another guy might be seen as weird, he didn't care that he might get bullied for it, he just cared that kurt had a lovely voice and he wasn't gonna go back on his promise to sing with kurt. and then we got rumours and kurt not even hesitating to keep sam's secret, even though his friends immediately accused him of cheating on blaine. idk hevans just had this bond in s2 that wasn't explored enough after that, and then sam was dumbed down in s4 and onwards and ugh i miss s2 sam goddammit fuck the writers for turning him into whatever the fuck we got in s4-6

also hevans makes me consider an artist!sam x model!kurt au? like when i drew kurt as the boy with a basket of fruits i could picture sam being a painter and having kurt as his model/inspiration, and i have a second very unfinished wip based on another painting in the same vein. lowkey veering into a picture of dorian grey moment now lol but is that not compelling??? i can't believe i only thought of that just now aksdjhf i love that book,,, also there's yet another painting i'd like to redraw as hevans but who knows when i'll get around to it

3: quinntina

i don't think the writers were ever gonna give us quinntina and idk if there are even many quinntina moments in the show aside from like,,, teeny tiny background moments here and there. also the show butchered them both so i'm not basing this ship in canon at all. i just think they would have an interesting dynamic i guess? popular girl quinn fabray and shy tina cohen-chang possibly wishing they could switch positions for a while because quinn is exhausted from all the pressure she puts on herself and tina wonders what it would be like to be in the spotlight? slowly bonding in glee club because tina realises quinn isn't the bitch tina assumed she'd be, and quinn finds it refreshing to be around a sweetheart like tina? indulging each other's dramatic moments but also keeping each other grounded? the mental image of tina helping quinn dye her hair pink? that time in s6 where we got half a quinntina duet in jagged little tapestry, which for the record, i think would've been a mashup of so far away and ironic? (also, vb au quinntina sharing the brain cells of the friend group?) idk i think it would've been nice and i am once again cursing the writers

4: wildebrams

i don't have much of an actual explanation as to why i like wildebrams because it feels like i haven't seen s4-5 in forever, but iirc their relationship allowed us to see a much softer side to kitty and i really loved that. like,,, kitty being nervous about committing to a relationship but then opening up to the glee club about her feelings for artie? wholesome shit i love it

i can't think of anymore ships rn because i'm not deeply invested in any ships besides brittana but this feels like a solid mini list. i feel like im forgetting a lot of the big ones so feel free to specify any other ships you'd like me to talk about :)

#ask md #backslashdelta #glee thoughts n opinions #brittana #hevans #quinntina #wildebrams #also honourable mentions to the following ships for piquing my interest a bit: #puckurt; partie; quinncedes; marlique; quinntana; potentially others i can't remember rn #oh and kelliott #thank u for the ask bella! twas fun to think about :)

[topherfoxtrot]

Resilience

Here's the third part of my thunderbolts au. Emil Blonsky scaped his long imprisonment but he didn't went after the Hulk. Where did he go? The answer is bellow the cut. There's an original character here too. I'm not kin of OCs but I didn't find any character who would fit the role I wanted. Said oc will only be a part of this episode so consider it a special guest appearance. I've realized I've been writing more and more with each installment. Sorry about that, I'm getting more comfortable with the whole precess and I like to challenge myself. Continuing the trend, this chapter has a widely different vibe from the previous ones. As usual if you enjoyed please like, share or comment something.

Episode one

Episode two

Emil woke up from a nightmare. It was a fight. From as long as he could remember all Emil did was fight. Now even when he's not awake he's still fighting. He sat on the bed breathing heavily. Wait, where am I? He thought.

"You must be confused." A female voice was heard nearby.

Emil looked around looking for it. The cabin was small. The bedroom, the living room and the kitchen were all occupying the same space. There were two doors, one of them was probably for the bathroom. The woman was sitting at the kitchen table. She dressed a knitted sweater and rabbit slippers.

"My name is Charlie Reznik." She pointed at the soup, "Are you hungry?"

"Where am I?"

"Alaska. Three hours driving from Barrow."

Emil sat on the bed. He was naked. He covered himself with the blankets not for modesty but because they were warm.

"You weren't using any clothes when I found you and you don't seem like the kind of person who would wear my clothes. I hope the blankets kept you warm."

"Found me?"

"Yeah. You were screaming a lot. And throwing trees around." Charlie chuckled, "Eventually you got tired and just fell asleep right where you were. I was thinking about calling the police or something but when you started to shrink I decided to bring you here."

Suddenly Emil looked at himself realizing he did indeed shrink. He didn't look like that anymore. Still, the bones in his hands and abdomen were more prominent than they should be. He took his hands to his back to feel his spine was also prominent. That made him think of the super soldier serum, of the Hulk and of the prison he just scaped.

"I need to contact someone." Emil got up only to fall on the ground.

"Are you okay?" Charlie approached him with caution.

"I think I'll have the soap first actually." Emil muttered realizing how weak his body was.

***

The soup made with vegetables reminded Emil of his childhood in Russia. He had almost no recollection of those few years before he moved to England. He mostly remembered the cold and his mother's soap.

"I need to ask you but.. it's gonna sound weird." Emil was at the table tangled with the blankets, "What year is this?"

Charlie looked him in the eyes to decide if he was being serious or not. Emil didn't flinch so nor did Charlie, "It's 2023."

Emil pressed his lips and started to breath heavily. He was sleeping this whole time. They kept him asleep without ever giving him a chance to explain himself. No consent and no agency.

"No one has heard anything about you since 2008 Mr Blonsky and now you show up in the middle of the forest not knowing the year?" Charlie seemed genuinely curious.

"You know me?"

"I didn't recognize you at first. There isn't much footage from big you. But the sketch from witnesses matched pretty well. They call you the Abomination."

"Abomination?" Emil suddenly smashed the wooden table with enough strength to crack it. Charlie quickly moved her left hard to somewhere under the table. They locked eyes. For the first time Charlie didn't seem warm and inviting but rather fierce and absolutely ready to react. Emil closed his eyes a bit before recomposing himself.

"I'm sorry."

"I also think the name is impolite." Charlie brought her hand back, "But no one knew anything about you except you were military assigned to find Bruce Banner. I had to make some phone calls and turns out my guess was right! You are indeed in the accords database. Quite high level threat.

"What accords?"

"Alright." Charlie put her hair behind her ears, "I need you to be honest with me Mr Blonsky. What's the last thing you remember?"

So he said. He fought the hulk on Harlem, fell unconscious and woke up in Alaska. Charlie brought a computer from a big bag under the bed and put it on the table in a way that both of them could see it.

"The world changed a lot since 2008 Mr Blonsky. Put on your seatbelts."

Charlie then gave him a contemporary history class the best way she could while showing videos and pictures whenever she felt necessary. She talked about the avengers assembling in 2012 to stop an alien invasion caused by a norse god. She talked about the genocidal robot destroying a whole country in 2015. She talked about Wanda Maximoff killing those people back in 2016. She talked about the Sokovia accords and how that made the avengers disassemble. She talked about Wakanda opening up to the rest of the world. She talked about the avengers coming together again to fight yet another alien invasion. She talked about the snap and the chaotic years that followed. She talked about the blip and the even more chaotic year that followed it. Emil listened to everything in silence. It was a lot but he was smart.

"They put me to sleep for fifteen years." He whispered.

"I'm so sorry about that. It's unfair."

Emil had finished his soup but he stayed exactly where he was. Thinking about everything.

"I became strong. I became as strong as I could and still... they defeated me with bed time."

"You're being unfair."

"How come?"

"I don't think strength is really what you think it is."

"How would you know?"

Emil looked at Charlie's small stature with unconscious disdain. She picked on that and wore her fierce eyes again.

"With all due the respect Mr Blonsky..." It was possibly to hear the rage under her words, "You have no idea how strong I am. Thanos snapped my whole family! I wasn't even at home when it happened. Do you have any idea how much strength I needed to gather to simply get up every morning? I may not have big muscles like you -in fact no one does Mr Blonsky - but guess what? You could not have went through what I did. I'm sure of it!"

Emil got up aggressively and so did Charlie.

"You're really pulling the trauma card?"

"Wanna compete?"

"I think I do." He showed his teeth.

Charlie walked across the cabin stepping heavely. She sat on the bed. "Enlighten me."

The challenge got Emil off guard. He hesitated.

"I don't need to tell you anything."

"Of course you don't. If you tell me how traumatized you are, I'll tell you how traumatized I am. Then you will have to admit that none of it gives you permission to do the shitty things you did!"

The cabin merged in silence. Outside there was nothing but the cold wind running through the trees.

"I know your type." Charlie continued, a little calmer now, "Though childhood huh? No perspective of a future so you joined the military. Felt good to explode some heads didn't it? It felt powerful."

Emil remained in silence. He still looked mad, but remained in silence. Charlie went to the kitchen and grabbed a photograph from one of the drawers. She gave it to Emil.

"You're military." Emil studied the photo of Charlie and other soldiers smiling inside a tent.

"Used to be. Came back in 2019. The welcoming party wasn't exactly a party as you can imagine. My house was empty. As I said both my parents and my little brother got snapped. That's when I found this cabin."

"It's not yours?"

"Nah. I don't know who it belongs to actually. It was a cold night and I was just driving aimless. I don't know why exactly. Everything just seemed so meaningless back then. I felt weak."

Emil put the photograph on the table and they both locked eyes again. Not with anger this time though.

"It's cold but it's isolated enough. I could cry and scream as much as I wanted without anyone knowing. And did I need to scream! Scream at Thanos, scream at my parents, scream at myself. A part of me wish it could've been me, y'know? Trust me I would give my life for theirs in the blink of an eye! Yet, here I was."

Charlie sat at the table again. The temperature of the cabin went from 20°C to 40°C and then to 20°C again. Emil felt sorry about the table but most importantly he felt sorry for making Charlie mad.

"There's no much to say." He started, "Though childhood. No perspective. Joined the military. After everything I've seen, being strong is honestly the only option. It's survival."

"I get it. I really do. But strength is not on your muscles."

"Don't come with this heartfelt bullshit."

"It's not." Charlie chuckled, "Trust me I won't fall for that bullshit either. It's something else."

She got up and grabbed an old book from the shelf near the bed.

"All those things were already here when I got here for the first time. There was water, gas, energy, the bed, the blankets. It's like whoever lived here had just left. I've known this place for couple more than three years now. No one is ever here except me, yet the feeling never goes away."

The old book was covered with leather.

"Self help book?" Emil asked.

"In a way." Charlie tilted her head, "This book is about the universe. But not like a scientific encyclopedia. This book is about the whole universe, about the energy that comes from different parts of the multiverse and how to harvest and manipulate them. Essencially, magic!"

"Alright it's a self help book. Magic is not real."

"I was honestly hoping you would say that." Charlie smiled, "Check this out!"

Charlie put her hands in front of her and took a deep breath in order to focus. She moved her hands vertically and a orange string appeared from thin air. Charlie's hands drew a circle in the air and the string curved itself in a circumference. Charlie closed her hands as if grabbing something and with another gesture polygonal forms started to draw themselves in the magic circle. Charlie snapped her fingers with both hands and the whole thing started to spin like a magical ferris wheel.

"You discovered magic!" Emil whispered.

"Of course I didn't! People have been studying that for a long time. I just happened to find a weird book." The magical strings disappeared as Charlie stopped focusing so much on them, "You know when you are depressed so you set a simple goal just to give yourself a little achievement?"

"No, actually. But that's seems like solid advice."

"It is!" Charlie chuckled, "Anyways I read this whole book in like two days and I didn't understand shit. But I was super interested and started to dig the internet and beyond for anything related to all the weird concepts I found. I read the book more two of three times after that. Each time I learned something different and gained a new perspective over myself and the universe around me."

"So it is a self help book!" Emil laughed.

"As I said, it is but in a weird way. I mean look around. There's aliens and gods and the multiverse. When you think of all of it don't your problems seem way smaller?"

"I'm not sure."

"Here's how it's gonna be. I go to Barrow buy you some clothes and you think about everything I just said." She grabbed a jacket and wore boots, "But you have to pay me back alright? Otherwise I'm gonna hunt you and I'll find you. Remember: I know magic!"

"Okay, that's fair!"

Charlie grabbed a ring with slot for two fingers in a kitchen drawer. "That was one of the things I found here. Magic becomes weirdly intuitive once you learn some basics."

She made that focused face again and started to draw circles in the air with her right hand. The air in the middle of the cabin heated up and started to sparkle. An orange circle (much like the one she conjured with the hand gestures) appeared but in the middle of it was possible to see an alley.

"What is this?" Emil was shocked.

"Fast travel!" Charlie winked before passing through. The portal was gone as soon as she was gone and Emil found himself alone in the cabin.

***

There was a small mirror in the bathroom. Alone, he could check his own body for the first time. His face looked pretty much the same, he hadn't aged one day in the past fifteen years. Besides his hands and shoulders and spine, his elbows were also abnormally prominent. Was he the Abomination after all?

The power felt good, he remembered. Felt god-like. But the cost was too high. Emil became too dangerous and lost control over his own life for more than a decade. He wanted to blame Ross and Banner but would it be even fair? Emil was the one who accepted to take the serum in the first place. He actually pointed a gun at that scientist. He begged to become as strong as the Hulk is.

Emil left the house still covered in blankets. The cold snow made his feet burn but no enough to bother him. He was strong after all. Or maybe he enjoyed the pain in a sick way of reinforcing his own superiority belief. An orange portal opened nearby after a while.

"Aren't you feeling cold?" Charlie asked coming with a bag of clothes.

"A little."

"Come. See if any of those fit you. They're from the local thrift shop by the way."

"I've wore worse."

Charlie bought a simple jeans, two shirts, a flannel and boots. Really simple stuff just to protect Emil from the cold. It fit well.

"Thank you." He said.

"You're in debt, Mr Blonsky. Don't you forget that."

"You know magic." He chuckled, "I can't allow myself to have you as an enemy Ms Reznik."

They both laughed. Charlie sat at the table and started to type something on the computer.

"The feds are all over town." Charlie commented, "They're looking for you."

"Listen," he said, "I need to ask you a favor but first can I go for a walk?

***

Emil took a deep breath before jumping as high as he could. He could not see above the tall trees so he jumped again but grabbed one of the trees this time. Even with his bare hards, the wood bowed to his will. He kept climbing until he got to the highest part of the tree. From up there he could see the whole forest, including the trees he threw around the day before.

He jumped to the ground again. The snow splattered around him. His hands and knees started to bleed but he didn't care because he would break soon enough. He felt powerful and smiled without realizing it. Not a happy smile, bur rather a challenging one. Hey jumped a little before running in the direction of the destruction he caused. He started slow (more like jogging actually) but quickly escalated to marathon running and super human running. The cold wind cut his face like knifes but he didn't care. He just kept going faster.

When he finally reached the glade he jumped again. Even higher this time. When he landed his feet felt bigger. Breathing heavily he looked at his own hands and realized they were indeed getting bigger and muscled. Without wasting any breath he took off all his clothes and started running again. The cold started to bother him less and less as his body grew in size.

He started to scream so he could liberate his anger. He jumped high and landed with his fists causing the ground to crack bellow him. Emil grabbed a fallen tree and threw it to the air. He picked big boulders and threw them around at will. In the middle of the chaos he also started laughing. He was strong. He could destroy anything he wanted. He was as strong as he could be.

When Emil finally felt satisfied with his own display of power, he grabbed the trees and rearranged them back into the ground as best as he could. He picked the boulders and put them back where they were. So when the glade resembled the glade it once was, Emil sat on the ground next to his new clothes.

He started to think about everything Charlie said. Yes, he was big and could destroy everything is his way. But there were gods and aliens and robots and uncontable planets and entities across the universe. He was big and strong but he was also small and weak.

His strength though wasn't on his muscles but on his ability to survive. He survived his childhood, he survived the military and he survived the Hulk. Just like Charlie survived the snap and the aftermath. Like Charlie found new meaning in magic so could Emil find new paths to follow.

"I'm big and I'm small. I'm strong and I'm weak. I'm still here." Emil whispered to himself.

His body started to shrink calmly. Once he achieved regular size he wore his clothes and walked towards the cabin. Charlie smiled when he entered.

"Had fun?" She heard the screams obviously.

"Yeah actually. Thanks for everything."

"No problem. Remember, you're still in debt! So what favor do you need?"

"I need a portal but I also need an address. I believe you can find the person I'm looking for in the Sokovia accords database."

"Hm alright. What's the name?"

"Ava Starr."

#emil blonsky #thunderbolts #FoxtrotFanfic

[novemberwasgrey]

Can you talk a bit about the character development Silena had throughout the books,or at least your speculations for it?

Little warning: I have very mixed feelings about Silena. I liked her very much, but not everyone will necessarily agree with what follows.

Silena Beauregard was very beautiful but that's something she was extremely conflicted with for most of her life because she thought it was all she had. Her insecurities were due to the fact that people would only see her beauty and not seek for more. Of course she was more than that; intelligent, nice and creative but she quickly realized at a very young age that she could easily obtain what she wanted only because of her appearance and that somehow bothered her greatly.

When she found out she was a half-blood, she thought it was finally the life-change she's been waiting for, that she could finally affirm herself as someone special but then she was directly claimed as a daughter of Aphrodite which only reinforced her pretty girl image.

So she had this need to be super nice and helpful, too much actually, towards everyone to make herself a good girl aside from just an Aphrodite kid. It's like she was always seeking approval from people for them to see her as more than a pretty face.

She was appreciated for that obviously and became one of camp's most popular girl but no one could see how fake it sounded sometimes, how this attitude of a pretty little thing never causing any trouble and always smiling, was just a facade. (if you watch/read Attack on Titan, you see Krista/Historia at the beginning? That's kinda the same thing)

The first person who saw right through that pretending was her sister Drew. Yes, Tanaka isn't perfect but at least she's shamelessly herself and she could see Silena wasn't. She sort of confronted her like "we're always going to be considered less than we are because our mother breaks hearts for a living. So suck it up and show your true colors, hon." And that was a wake up call Silena definitely needed. Drew actually started to help her being more of herself and let it go about what people might think of her. And Silena would help Drew being more compassionate with the others. They were close sisters, and even best friends that I'm sure of.

So all those Silena moments in the books of her threatening the Hunters to defend love, the Stoll holding her chair when she was about to blast or when it was revealed she never hesitated to make criticisms about clean cabins rating; overall just her showing signs of character and passion for the things she cared about? That, was the real Silena. And it's the moment Clarisse actually started to befriend her because she was finally proving how nice and fierce she was and that's something Clarisse definitely admires in a person.

But then all Hades broke loose. Luke happened. He knew how she wouldn't resist to help him if he pretended to understand her, if he made her believe he loved her for more than her appearance and that she was important to him. And all Silena always dreamed of, someone finally seeing her for her, well she indeed didn't resist and accepted to be Luke's spy. He would tell her it's for the sake of all demigods.

Or so she thought. After a year, she realized Luke was fooling her when Beckendorf started showing interest in her: she could see the difference, she could see how he never asked for anything from her in exchange and how he would listen to her about anything she'd say, not because she's pretty but because he cared. When they started dating some time after the fireworks, he told her: "I've always thought you were pretty I guess but it never really hit me until last year when you seemed to spend more time with Drew and Clarisse and you started to be this... Person. Just this, kind, passionate, and honest girl. That's when I realized I was into you. " And it's when she knew she was hopelessly in love with him and that she had royally messed up.

She tried to stop everything but then Luke threatened Beckendorf so she ended up with this big secret and burden and the rest is history.

Headcanons of mine:

- if she had survived the drakon, I would have wanted Clarisse and maybe other people to be mad at her for a while. They would forgive her of course because ultimately she did the right thing but it isn't an excuse. If there's still so much hype about "anti Luke" I don't understand how Silena could be forgiven so easily.

- Also, I love to think that with everything I've said about Drew above here, it's one of the reasons she's so rude about her memory: she knows why Silena did this, how Luke used her and she's mad, she's furious that Silena let her insecurities and this mechanism of her that she thought they had fixed costing so many people's lives and hers. It might be her way to grieve: she misses her so much that she started to despise her.

#silena beauregard #charles beckendorf #clarisse la rue #drew tanaka #aphrodite cabin #percy jackson #percy jackson and the olympians #heroes of olympus #pjo #rick riordan

[toldbymae]

𝐆 𝐑 𝐀 𝐕 𝐈 𝐓 𝐘 ~ 𝐎𝐩𝐞𝐧 𝐇𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐭 𝐀𝐮

C H A P T E R  O N E: BEGIN AGAIN

Fandom; Choices stories you play

Pairings; Ethan Ramsey x Mc (Lucky-Rae Longford)

Summary; Emotions are the luxury you can’t afford as a Doctor, consider this something Ethan Ramsey learned early. When the sun sets, all hope seems lost. That is, until a wide-eyed young intern tumbles, quite literally, into his life and the sun has never shined brighter. 

Warnings; Swearing, Graphic descriptions of injury, Alcohol consumption, NSFW, Character death, Violence, Mentions of stillbirth, Physical abuse.

Word Count; 1.4k (1,467 including this and the above.)

Author Note; This story is an au and starts at the beginning of open heart book one. The storyline won't entirely be the same, some aspects will change eg; Miss Martinez won't end up dying because of mc...instead it'll be because of someone else. In this story, you’ll hate Landry even more.

𝗚𝗿𝗮𝘃𝗶𝘁𝘆; 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗰𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗮𝘁𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗰𝘁𝘀 𝗮 𝗯𝗼𝗱𝘆 𝘁𝗼𝘄𝗮𝗿𝗱𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗰𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗿𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗲𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗵, 𝗼𝗿 𝘁𝗼𝘄𝗮𝗿𝗱𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝘆 𝗼𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿 𝗽𝗵𝘆𝘀𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗹 𝗯𝗼𝗱𝘆 𝗵𝗮𝘃𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗺𝗮𝘀𝘀.

Enjoy!

LUCKY-RAE

After a six and a half hour flight, Lucky got off the plane and made her way through security, grabbing her suitcase and making her way through the crowd of loud and rowdy people. Most of them wore a smile, running into the arms of friends and family, while others were crying and watching as they bid goodbye.

Life is something precious.

It's strong and yet, it's so fragile and easy to take away.

The automatic doors opened and, almost instantly, she was hit with golden rays of the sun. Boston, she smiled and began venturing down the street.

Lucky couldn't wipe the irreplaceable smile off her face, nor did she want to. This is going to be the start of something new. Something good. Something...unimaginable.

The sudden vibration of her phone drew the redhead from her thoughts as she hastily grabbed it out of her pocket.

Landlord guy; 27 Ilford terrace, be there at 3 pm and I'll give you your keys. NO LATER.

Lucky; Sure thing

She tucked her phone safely back in her front pocket and called for a taxi, told him the destination she was heading to, and sat comfortably in the back seat, after putting her luggage in the boot, with the much-needed assistance of the driver.

25 minutes.

The car set off and Lucky leaned her head against the window, watching everything pass her by.

A smile crept back onto her face.

It's happening, it's finally happening. All these years of dreaming, believing, and working hard have led her to where she is right now, where she will be in the future.

Edenbrook Hospital, one of, if not the most, prestigious in the country. Widely known for its efficient and dedicated health care and team.

It hadn't always been her dream to work there, nevertheless, Lucky was determined now more than ever, not to allow the past to cloud her judgment or decisions.

All the people she'd save...all the people she'd be able to help...and those who she can't save...

Seconds descended into minutes which soon felt like hours and the taxi pulled up outside her new home. She thanked him, paid, and dragged her suitcase behind her as she walked up the steps and patiently waited for her landlord to arrive. She spotted him making his way down the road, wearing a blue shirt and loose-fitting black trousers.

"It's nice to finally meet you in person Mister...."

"Just call me Farley." He said delving his hand into his over-sized pocket and fishing for the keys.

"Thank you, I promise to take good care of the property...Mister Farley."

He laughed, "I know you lot will."

She paused, you lot. But there's only one of her...

"What did you mean?" She asked.

"Oh..." He laughed again, "Go inside and you'll see, Doc."

And she did. She unlocked the door and trekked up the stairs and wished there was a lift.

Lucky's breath was instantly taken away. The view was simply spectacular, the apartment was spacious, too spacious.

"This isn't all for me, is it?"

"Turns out you really are as smart as you look." He retorted, turning his head and pointing out all the other bedrooms which would be accommodating other people. Lucky shifted uncomfortably.

"Don't worry." He reassured, "I'm sure you'll get along with them just fine." Without another word, Farley departed leaving Lucky alone.

Her momentary peace was interrupted at the sound of voices and the door flying open. Five people walked in, luggage trailing after them, and meek smiles.

"He really wasn't lying..." Someone moaned, a slim and tall man with wild curly, hazel nut-brown hair, with baby blue eyes.

"I got one can't wait!" The voice of a short, brunette squeaked, smiling from ear to ear. Lucky couldn't tell whether or not she was being genuine.

"What are the odds of us all Woking at ED?" Another woman rolls her eyes and makes her way into the kitchen and raids the fridge.

"Well...I guess I should introduce myself?" The uncertainty in her voice caused Lucky to internally cringe.

"Lucky." She extends out her hand and the small girl, no taller than her, shakes it.

"I call dibs on the largest room." Says the girl whose name Lucky is yet to know, who is currently stuffing her face with a chocolate bar, "I'm Jackie, that's Sienna, Elijah, and Landry."

"Pleasure to meet you." Lucky replies. Sienna smiles at her, "I think we're gonna get along just great and I love your voice, are you, Welsh?"

"Irish, from Killarney."

"Well, is anyone hungry might as well order something." Elijah says getting his phone and looking up nearby takeaway restaurants.

Hours of talking and unpacking later, the interns sat at the table eating pizza and watching TV, feeling nothing except mixture exhaustion and relaxation.

"There's this bar down the road called Donahue’s, wanna go?” Jackie suggests, earning the attention of her new fellow roommates.

Landry shrugged, “I mean I don’t mind...but we’ve orientation tomorrow so...let’s not drinking too much.”

“Alright, let's go.”

...

ETHAN

The bar was still and quiet as the diagnostician drank the last of his whiskey and motioned for the bartender, his long time friend Reggie, to get him another.

"You sure you want another?" Reggie asks, hesitant.

Ethan almost instantly nods and the sound of voices filling the once empty bar drew him from his thoughts.

One in particular caught his eye.

Her laugh sounded like a melody he could listen to every day.

Her eyes, glassy, pure, and ruby green. So beautiful and mesmerizing.

Her hair, long, curly, and auburn shade of red.

Her freckles, as golden as the sun, spread across her face like stars in a midnight sky.

Ethan forced himself to turn away, unable to get the image of her out of his head.

He wouldn't see her again.

Or her dark red lips, so kissable.

He drank the remainder of his drink and decided to call it a night, much to Reggie's relief.

From the corner of his sky blue eyes, he sees her stumbling and about to fall, glass in hand. He catches her just in time and she smiles and drunkenly laughs, before throwing up a river on his green jacket and white top. Ethan sighs and helps her walk over to the nearest booth and sits her down.

“Shit...” She says, “I’m such a lightweight. Sorry, I uh...you know.” Her eyes dart to the ground and her cheeks flush with embarrassment.

“Don’t worry about it. I’ll get you some water.” Ethan walks over to the bar and Reggie gives him a bottle of water, he opens the bottle and passes it to her. Lucky smiles gratefully and drinks it.

“You're a lifesaver...sorry again about your-

“It’s fine, really.”

A hesitant silence falls upon them until Lucky speaks, “I’m not usually like this.”

“I’m really, really, really nervous about tomorrow...”

“What’s tomorrow?” He asks.

“My intern orientation at Edenbook Hospital. Have you heard of it?”

“Yeah, I certainly have. I don’t think you have anything to be nervous about. You're going there for a reason, remember that.”

“...You know exactly what to say. I like that.”

He sits down opposite her, properly able to see her golden freckles in the soft and warm glow of the light.

“I haven’t asked.” He began, “What’s your name?”

She laughs, playfully slapping his knee, “My parents named me something, like, super weird...don’t go laughing okay?”

“You have my word.”

“Lucky. Lucky-Rae to be exact.”

...

The following morning felt like a complete nightmare. Ethan was in the shower and for once, not even lukewarm water could calm him down.

He dreamed about her.

What was wrong with him?

Every time he closed his eyes, he imagined her long red hair tickling his skin as her lips pressed tantalizingly against his flesh, traveling lower and lower...

His eyes darted upwards at the clock and the time was five minutes past six. Ethan didn't bother wrapping a towel around himself and turned the shower head off before getting dressed and making his way to work.

The traffic was even more so annoying than usual.

Cars sped past him and all could hear were the screams of the couple arguing in the car in front and a baby crying in the car behind. Ethan resisted the overwhelming urge to gouge his ears out. Half an hour passed and Ethan was walking in the hallways of Edenbrook, watching the nurses organize patient files.

An hour later the interns arrived and the hospital wasn’t silent anymore. A sudden commotion corrupted, he turns his head and a woman has collapsed and isn’t moving. Without another thought, he rushed over and ushered for space.

Ethan looked around and noticed an intern rushing over, long red hair, dark green eyes...golden freckles. As if this day could get any worse.

#choices #choices stories you play #open heart #pixelberry choices #mc #ethan ramsey x mc #ethan x mc #ethan ramsey #ethan jonah ramsey #Watdafwack

[robertodacosta]

hi! this is a little embarrassing, but I want to start reading comics and I have no idea where to start. I wasn't allowed to read comics growing up so I'm not even sure where to get them. anyway ahh you just seem cool and I like your blog so I hope it's okay that I'm asking you for advice!

i’m so happy to help! when i started reading comics (about 2 years ago, now) i found the amount of comics and the sheer mass of backstory and even just the basics really overwhelming, so under the cut i went through and explained where to get comics, tips for how to start reading, and some recommendations for good comics for folks who are new to comics. if you want specific recs for specific characters, shoot me another ask and i can help with that!

Good luck, and let me know if you have any more questions, or how you like the books I recommended!

first, some basics.

a quick rundown on how comics are sold. new issues are released every wednesday, and new issues can be bought physically in comics shops or digitally. comics run in story arcs, which might be made up of 2 issues, or sometimes as many as 12 issue, depending on the comic. a while after an arc is finished, the collected issues will be released as a trade paperback (tpb). 

where do you get comics?

comic books stores tend to be pretty common, so if you prefer to read physical comics rather than digital. this website will tell you the closest stores to you. comic stores will carry newly released issues, assorted tpbs, and some have large selections of older back issues of comics that you can buy individually.i honestly only went to a comic book store for the first time this summer because i was really intimidated by them, though i’m not entirely sure why, so it’s really easy to read comics, even if you don’t have a store nearby.

you can always buy tpbs on amazon, and i know barnes and noble and some independent bookstores also carry tpbs, though in my experience b&n tends to be pretty heavy on dc/marvel, and heavy on popular characters.

for digital comics, comixology is your best friend. it covers any/all publishers, so i would just skip marvel/dc digital stores and go right here. it’s good to support the creative teams behind comics, but if you can’t afford to buy that many comics, you can read comics for free here, and download them here. comixology also offers a subscription service, comixology unlimited, that allows you immediate access to a library of digital comics, from marvel, dc, and other publishers. marvel offers marvel unlimited, a similar service, but with a wider range of marvel titles. both take a few months to upload new issues, as an incentive to both buy issues and subscribe. it’s worth noting that sales of digital comics and tpbs are counted towards official sale stats, so if you want to support a comic that’s in danger of cancellation, buying the issue at a store is the only way to have your purchase counted.

what to read?

there are so, so many comics, so i’ve recommended a handful of series that are pretty easy to get into for beginners, while still being good reads. i’ve sorted these recs by dc/marvel/indie, and included some quick notes.

full disclosure, i almost exclusively lead comics led by women, so i am not the person to ask for captain america or batman reading recommendations. luckily, most other folks are reading those characters, so it shouldn’t be too hard to find suggestions!

DC

DC rebooted their whole universe with the Rebirth initiative last year, so pretty much everything is 30 or fewer issues in right now. Rebirth was technically a reboot, but some comics do reference earlier continuity from the New 52, their previous reboot (in 2012 i think?). I’ve not read a lot of n52, and i think general consensus is that rebirth titles are much stronger than n52. Aside from these recs, the best thing to do with dc/marvel is find the characters you like, and then go read the current book that they’re in, and see how you like it!

Batwoman (2010)- Kate is a new character, and this is her original solo. There are other character in the book with long histories, but you don’t really need to know them to read it. I’d recommend reading Batwoman: Elegy first.

Batwoman: Elegy- Batwoman was introduced in an earlier comic, but this is her first collected story. 

Batwoman (2017)- I’m not caught up on this, but I would assume you can read this without having read Kate’s earlier series, if you want to start with Rebirth. Otherwise, the only thing you need to read to be caught up for this is the 2010 Batwoman solo.

Black Canary and Zatanna: Bloodspell- This is a team up story that gives you backstory on Dinah and Zatanna’s relationship, and shows them going on a mission together. It’s a graphic novel, so it’s like one very long issue.

DC Comics Bombshells- If you only read one DC comic, I’d suggest this one. It’s an alternate universe where the female heroes of the DCU all came first, as a team of super powered heroes fighting in WWII. Most of DC’s biggest female characters have significant roles, and the comic also introduces you to a bunch of slightly less well known female characters. There’s like 3 men, and almost all of the heroes are confirmed wlw, so it’s a gift, and should be treasured. The series ended earlier this summer, and is now being continued in the sequel, Bombshells United. They’re both digital first comics, which means new issues are released digitally on Fridays, and collected into print editions every third Wednesday.

The Legend of Wonder Woman- This is totally outside of main dcu continuity, and it’s a retelling of Diana’s origins as Wonder Woman in WWII. 

Trinity (2017)- Batman, Superman, and Wonder Woman team up. Other characters guest star, which helps introduce you to the wider DCU. It’s fun and the art is cute.

Wonder Woman (2016)- If you enjoyed the movie, definitely read this. It has 2 storylines running simultaneously for the first 25 issues, one retelling Wonder Woman’s origins, and one set in the present, in which Diana realizes parts of her life have been lies, and sets out to discover the truth. The first few issues might be a little confusing because of this, but more because it’s intended to leave you questioning things, not because it depends on an in depth knowledge of continuity. What’s really brilliant about Greg Rucka’s run on this comic (the first 25 issues) is that WW has the least consistent history of pretty much any character, and Rucka dismissed pretty much all of the inconsistency, and streamlined Diana’s backstory. Also, Diana, Etta, and Steve are the dream team. This has been released in 4 tpbs so far, which organize the book by story arcs, instead of the original release order, which ran multiple arcs on alternating weeks.

Zatanna (2010)- this is pre-n52, but honestly all you need to know about previous continuity is that Zatanna exists. It’s one of maybe 2 solo runs she’s ever gotten, and it’s only 16 issues. It’s fun, easy to read, and Zatanna is so great, and deserves a rebirth solo.

MARVEL

Marvel is in the middle of a reboot right now, and I’m not really sure where they’re going. They’ve been on this cool initiative where a lot of classic heroes are phased out and younger, more diverse heroes take on their titles. But they’ve convinced themselves that nobody likes it and that it’s destroying sales, so they’re doing something weird right now that is very unclear. The entire universe hard rebooted about 2 years ago, following a very confusing event called Secret Wars, which was the culmination of about 3 years of ongoing plots in Avengers, New Avengers, and Fantastic Four. I’m mostly recommending ongoing runs because the hard reboot makes it pretty easy to jump on with any book. Again, for marvel comics, just find the characters you like, and read their current books!

A-Force (2016)- Gone too soon. This is the first ever women-only Avengers lineup, and it pulls heroines from all over the MU. The first couple of issues talk about secret wars (and there was an a-force mini-series during secret wars, that’s really good, but involves some knowledge of the surrounding events), but it’s navigable. It’s a really good team, and a fun comic!

Alias- It’s kind of iconic, and it’s really worth reading. This is Jessica Drew’s very first appearance in the MU, so no prior knowledge necessary. The Purple Man story that the Netflix show used draws on this comic, without replicating it. It’s a dark comic, but super good.

All New X-Factor (2014)- It’s all new, but with old X-Men characters. Character backstory doesn’t matter here, because this is a group of people who’s not really talking about their past if they can avoid it, but pretty much any relevant backstory is contextualized for new readers. This is fun, up until there are multiple crossover events that slow down the plot, but even those are still readable, without reading the main crossover event. It’s interesting, the art is cool, and all the characters are dweebs with superpowers.

America (2017)- America Chavez is such a good character, and this is a really great comic! It’s only 5 issues in, so very easy to catch up. It explains any backstory you might need, and is really witty, and pop-culture savvy.

Astonishing X-Men (2004)- This is the first comic I ever read, and functions really well as an X-Men comic for people who haven’t read X-Men comics before. It’s about 10 years old, and eventually it hits the year or so when there was an X-Men crossover event every 6 weeks, but the first 25-30 issues (the Whedon/Cassaday run) are really good, and will make you love Kitty Pryde forever.

Avengers Assemble- The very best intro to marvel comic. Skip the first 9 issues (written by Bendis) because they are bad, and start when Kelly Sue Deconnick takes over. This has a rotating cast of Avengers, including those in the MCU and those not, and is such a good read. It introduced me to my very favorite character (Jessica Drew), and gives every character depth.

Black Panther (2016)- Get pumped for this movie and read the comic! Ta-Nahesi Coates is such a good writer, and this is a really strong, textured story, that really works on every level. I’ve not read any previous BP comics, and I had no trouble with continuity.

Champions (2016)- This is Ms. Marvel’s team of teen superheroes, coming out of Civil War II, last summer’s marvel crossover disaster. It’s really good and engages with social justice issues in ways that feel about as effective as comic books can be.

Defenders (2017)- It’s literally just the cast of the Netflix Defenders teaming up, for actually the first time ever as a team of 4. It’s still on the first arc, but I’m enjoying it thus far.

Hulk (2016)- So, so, so good! Jennifer Walters (formerly known as She Hulk) takes over the Hulk mantle following her cousin Bruce’s murder in CWII. It’s all about trauma and PTSD and how Bruce’s death and Jen’s own debilitating injury in CWII changed her, and her ability to control her hulk. I wish everybody was reading this, and I think this is probably my favorite ongoing comic from any publisher.

Ms. Marvel (2014) and Ms. Marvel (2015)- This is the thing to read! Kamala was created in this comic, so you can just jump right in! It’s fun and well-written and the art is consistently good, and this is so worth reading!

New Mutants (1983)- This comic is like 30 years old but it’s the best and the New Mutants are my favorite superhero team in any universe. This is part of the X-Men franchise, and is the origin of a handful of characters who now show up all over the place. (Magik is on the main X-Men roster, Sunspot and Cannonball have been Avengers for a few years, Dani Moonstar is a Valkyrie who played an important role in some X-Men events). And there’s a New Mutants movie coming out next spring so might as well get prepared for that, right?

Silk (2015) and Silk (2015-7)- Cindy Moon is the hero we deserve! The first series covers her origins, then it was cancelled due to Secret Wars cancelling everything, then rebooted like a month later. The second series was also cancelled (rip), but follows Cindy as she infiltrates crime rings and tries to track down her missing family. Cindy is a new character, so a great starting point!

Spider Woman: Origin- All about Spider Woman! 5 issue miniseries, giving the character her definitive backstory.

Spider Woman: Agent of SWORD- Kinda backstory heavy (follow up to the Secret Invasion crossover event), but it’s totally possible to follow. Everything you need to know gets explained, but it’s basically Jessica Drew working as a secret agent for an organization that’s like the CIA but for aliens, and hunting down members of an alien race that kidnapped and impersonated her. This and Origins are kind of the essential Spider Woman reading, and I really recommend them both. Jess is the best, and her recently cancelled comic had one (1) good issue.

Storm (2014)- I didn’t recommend a lot of X-Men books because, imo, they’re the hardest Marvel books to start reading, but Storm’s solo is wonderful and incredible and you don’t need to know anything about X-Men to understand it!I

Indie

I don’t read a lot of indie comics, so I’m just going to list some titles I like and you can see what looks good! Indies are inherently easier to understand than marvel/dc books because, for the most part, indie comics stand on their own. But I assumed you were mostly hoping for superhero comics in your ask, but shoot me another ask correcting me if I’m wrong, and I can make you an indie rec list!

Faith

Lady Killer

Ody-C

Paper Girls

Pretty Deadly

Welcome Back

The Wicked and the Divine

#anon #.answered #mailbox #comic recs #Anonymous