#the series a bit wider and exploring more of the world and i loved it!! way more fun than when they walked it back and made everything

[un-pearable]

the hageman brothers every time LEGO renewed their contract:

#text✨ #ninjago #finally got my other bro to watch skybound with me and i love dumb jokes. here we are #seriously though it’s RIDICULOUS how many random bits of worldbuilding this season has. their approach every time was inching the scope of #the series a bit wider and exploring more of the world and i loved it!! way more fun than when they walked it back and made everything #focus on ninjago city. the ninja aren’t american superheros they’re prophecied heroes in a modern fantasy #but hot damn skybound specifically. random bits of worldbuilding trivia EVERYWHERE #ty pirates for giving me all these random locations and names. what do i do with them now #hyperfixate on it obviously.

[branwendaughterofllyr]

Do you have any other fic recs for your poison tree fans 🙏 it's dire out here

Anon, I KNOW. There are very few HoTD fics that I unabashedly like, and even fewer long form political ones.

But there’s some I can recommend.

I recently blitzed through Dragonskin by Missybee303 and it’s one of the few Aemond/OC fics I’ve actually really enjoyed. The premise seemed just a tad far fetched to me at the start but it completely earns it by the end. Jeyne, a farrier’s daughter and secret skinchanger in King’s Landing, encounters Aemond after Vhagar’s saddle breaks, and this changed the course of their lives and the Dance. The author clearly did their homework, and this is one of the few Dance fics that I’ve seen actually tackle the politics and emotions of the Dance based on the barebones F&B gives us, and it does it with grace and style. I loved loved loved the side characters the author built in (special shout out to Jeyne’s dad, Denys, who stole my heart and the show.) and how organically they meshed into canon. This the only long form Dance fic I can pretty unabashedly recommend, especially if you are interested in world building and wider ensembles. (It even avoids the over competent Aemond syndrome trap that so many show fics stumble into.) My one gripe is there is A Lot of smut, to the point that I was like “enough! Get back to the story!” But I know that will be a positive to many people, hahah. It’s almost done so you don’t have to worry about it being abandoned and it’s very long and satisfying.

I’m keeping an eye on Scorched Earth by 0Junebug0 which is a Rhaenyra’s daughter OC/Aemond fic. But wait!! Before you run away at this tired old premise, know that so far this has been primarily been a character study of the Team Black family dynamics, particularly how Rhaenyra would deal with a daughter and how being a Targaryen women is not all it’s cracked up to be. It’s only six (normal length) chapters at the moment but it updates frequently. As of the last chapter, Aemond has finally appeared on the scene, so I can’t speak to how the main pairing is going to play out, but I have high hopes. And the prose is genuinely very gorgeous and atmospheric, so if you are were drawn to “a poison tree” by the writing style, this might just hit the spot for you.

The oddball on this list is Salvation by Targresurgence, which is another Aemond/OC fic. Jeyne Hightower (wow, I really do believe in Jeyne supremacy in HoTD fics), the daughter of Ormund Hightower is sent to KL for Alicent to make her a match. Aemond decides that actually fuck all of that, his mom’s cousin deserves only the best (him) and shenanigans ensue. I like this fic, but it’s sometimes against my better judgement, but when it’s good, it’s good. I respect this fic primarily for the massive mommy issues it gives Aemond and Aegon II, and it’s attempts at worldbuilding that are a little hit or miss (but when it hits, it HITS). It also has one of my personal pet peeves in it, which is killing off Johanna or Elenda to make Jason or Borros into sexual threats to one of the female characters (why this is so popular, I do not know. Drives me bonkers) but that’s my nitpick. It IS a bit of a wonky fic in places, so fair warning on that, and prepare to suspend some disbelief. It is unfinished and hasn’t been updated in a little while, but it’s fanfic. Never give up hope.

If you are interested in more book canon and Alicent centric fics, I really like what we’ve gotten so far of The Heretical Education of Lady Alicent by @aifsaath. It’s part of a larger ongoing series, The Sky is Always Red Above Valyria, exploring various dynamics of book canon, with a heavy focus on Alicent, Aegon II, and Baela, but this one has to be my favourite. It’s also beautifully illustrated, so even though it’s only three chapters long at the moment, for sure check it out.

In the same breath, the joint work Our Father’s Clad in Red by @gwenllian-in-the-abbey and @aifsaath is a book canon Aegon II/Baela fic that explores the aftermath of the Dance and how House Targaryen is to rebuild in a world without dragons. If you like world building, psychological exploration, good prose, and gorgeous illustrations, this may just be the book canon fic for you.

A brief shoutout to signs amidst the starry mirth by xiaolongbaobei, because I know this one is very popular and gets recommended a lot (as it should). This is a fem!Aemond fic with very GRRM-esque writing and the most terrifying and well-thought out Daemon I think I’ve ever seen in a fic. I really love gender-bending fics that really think it through and this one just has a great prose style and is actually addressing the politics of the Dance.

Obligatory witchcraft in your lips by slaymond mention. This is Aemond/Sansa crack treated with deadly seriousness and somehow. It’s really really really good. Great writing style, on point characterization, I’m sure you’ve already seen this fic recommended somewhere.

…. I also kinda vibed with @charmtion’s Daemyra fics? I’m not a daemyra stan by any means, but I’ve loved charmtion since their Jonsa days, and I liked salt more than I thought I would. If you have an inkling of an inclination towards Daemyra as a pairing, check this out. They also have a Helaemond fic, thyme, if that’s more your speed. Charmtion has a very loose, vivid, dreamy style that I have just adored for ages, so I would not count these fics out at all.

And is it even an HoTD fic recommendation list without including the one and only See, What Happened Was… by the legendary @daylander1000? This Aemond/Rhaena fic asks the question “what if the Velaryons actually had plot and character relevance and also what if Aemond and Rhaena had the chance to be weird, slightly murderous children together?” One of my favorite depictions of Alicent and Criston to boot (especially since now Mine Was The Hand You Reached For by HaughtHightower appears to be deleted 😔). It’s not been updated in a while but the author is a very busy person and I’m very happy to let her take her time.

I’ve read a lot of HoTD fics by now and these are the ones that I’m like “other people should read these too actually.”

Oh! An addendum! If you are seriously looking for a long piece of fiction that deals with a succession crisis, you might want to read When Christ and His Saints Slept by Sharon Kay Penmen about the real history of the Anarchy, the civil war between Matilda and Stephen over the English crown that inspired the Dance of the Dragons in the first place. In this time of fandom drought, if you are a fan of “a poison tree,” you should seriously consider giving this book a read. It’s so good.

#branwen answers #a poison tree #fic recommendation

[ellephantseals]

A word on the Lightfury

Since the release of How To Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World in 2019, the Lightfury has not been very popular amongst older fans of the series.

People say she’s “toxically feminine” or “oversexualised” Which, why are you getting down bad for a dragon? She’s supposed to be appealing to an audience, not sexual or anything like that.

I do find this design appealing, i like the animation and i like how she flies, it’s very smooth compared to Toothless, also her scales are alot smoother and nice looking.

“Potentially, she could be very unpopular with our audience, who want to see Hiccup and Toothless together. So we made a big effort to make her charming but not in a way sinister or culpable.”

- Dean Deblois, The art of HTTYD The hidden world

Now, he was right that the Lightfury would be unpopular, but just not exactly in that way. They did however, make a big effort into her being charming for the audience, which is probably where people get the “over-feminisation” from.

Personally, the “she’s overfeminised” or “toxically-feminine” argument doesn’t work for me. How is it toxic for a female character to be… feminine? I don’t know if we watched the same movie, because i didn’t see the Lightfury acting like a Tradwife or a middle aged suburban white lady?

Sure she’s feminine, but is that inherently a bad thing? Another point is that we’ve SEEN other Lightfuries and the only difference i could spot in the movie between male and females are that the males have slightly more jagged wings. Which i don’t exactly get that change either but atleast it’s subtle.

I could be wrong about something here, maybe the people that make these claims have a completely valid point, and i’m just too blinded by admiration and love for this franchise to see it. It’s just hard to agree with these people, when they make no argument over “girl dragon feminine, grrr”

A complaint i’ve also seen is that she “doesn’t have a personality” which is fair, she’s not as well thought out as the other dragon characters… but that’s because she was in a singular movie (and a short special) and is also a wild dragon. She’s not supposed to be near the vikings, the only reason we know Toothless’ or Stormfly’s personalities is because they’re major characters, that are with us throughout the entire franchise, and grow up around humans. (I say “growup” both because this series is set over quite a few years, and also Toothless is said to be as old as hiccup, meaning they were about 15 in the first movie, so i’m assuming the other dragons are also younger)

If you over-analyse everything like me, i’d say she does have a personality, eapecially in “homecoming”

She’s strict and powerful, she’s a bit no-nonsense (towards her kids), she hates humans and being around them, and she has a strong love for her home (the hidden world) and Toothless. She’ll do whatever she wants to get her way (eg; Her throwing Hiccup off of Toothless (could just be her trying to protect the Alpha, but then why didn’t other dragons try this?))

Dean Deblois said “she just knows who she is” she knows what she wants, and that is to go home, and also to bring Toothless with her.

I am not going to deny that the creators intended for her to be purposefully feminine, infact they said this multiple times throughout the art book, but is that so wrong for a female character? Would you not look at Toothless and say “that’s a boy dragon”. were all the female nightfury oc’s people made in 2013 not also slim and smooth and graceful like the Lightfury?

Lightfdragon on Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/lightfdragon/?hl=en)

“We wanted to explore how the Lightfury would walk and how to make her feel like a female, so we referenced lionesses and big cats. For Toothless we looked at panthers, dogs, and bats for flying. He has a lizard in him, so his stance is wider and he walks like a reptile. Compared to Toothless, the Lightfury’s legs are closer together and she walks more elegantly. She is always graceful and controlled.”

- Thomas Grummt, The art of The Hidden World

They’re very clearly not trying to hide this fact at all, so why make it a big deal?

The first thing i think of when people bring up this topic, is that people just don’t like femininity. I would talk about how feminine characters are generally less well-recieved (especially to men), but this post is getting a bit too long.

As i will say with all of these posts, i am open to criticism. And i am not trying to be disrespectful towards people that think this. Nobody is wrong for thinking this, but i just haven’t seen a proper argument as to why the Lightfury is so widely hated by the fandom.

#httyd fandom #httyd #how to train your dragon #how to train you dragon: the hidden world #httyd the hidden world #httyd analysis #light fury #night fury #toothless #media analysis #dreamworks

[steddieunderdogfics]

This week’s writer spotlight feature is:  Sleepingoffyourdemons! They have 6 works posted to AO3 and all of them are in the Steddie tag!

Nevertheless_5 recommends the following works by @punkslovepoints:

in the back of your girlfriend's car

The most that I could give to you is nothing at all

"The A is for Ally"

What Happens at Comic Con Stays at Comic Con

obliterations everywhere (we blaze with scorching heat)

Sleepingoffyourdemons’ fics are character studies, grounded in reality with all the painful angst, real world consequences, and heartwrenching love you could want in your Steddie wish fulfillment. They hurt and heal in equal measure. They feel immersive in a comforting way. I fell in love with the first fic I read, and proceeded to read everything else by the author. Also, the research put into the time periods and info in notes is just icing on the cake. -- Nevertheless_5

Below the cut, @punkslovepoints answered some questions about their writing process and some of their recommended work!

Why do you write Steddie?

I don’t know! I didn’t watch season 4 and immediately think, “These guys are in love.” In fact, during Eddie's first scene, I didn't really even like him. Then, existing on the edge of the wider Stranger Things fandom, I saw a few fics showing up here and there and that was what really pulled me in.

What’s your favorite trope to READ?

I love a good missing scene fic, although I can understand why there aren’t many of those in this fandom, given that staying true to canon leads to a very grisly end to one half of the ship. I also like a slow burn, friends to lovers and a wee bit of angst.

What’s your favorite trope to WRITE?

Honestly, the same that I like to read. I try to write for myself and hope that other people will like it too. As difficult as that can be sometimes, like everyone, I also crave external validation where every comment makes your day.

What’s your favorite Steddie fic?

A Certain Type and the rest of the series by @anniebass. It’s one of those that burrows into your chest and lives there for the rest of your life. There's not a day that goes by that I don't think about that fic.

Is there a trope you’re excited to explore in a future work but haven’t yet?

I’m annoyingly resolute to sticking as close to canon as possible (Eddie dying aside!) so I’ve never really strayed away from that. But have had an idea for an AU for the upcoming Steddie Big Bang that I think I could write with enough connection to canon that it’ll keep the part of my brain that screams ‘that wouldn’t happen!!!’ quiet.

What is your writing process like?

I tend to get an idea then focus on that until it’s done and posted. I don’t write that often, and I obsess over small details. I must have read each one of my fics twenty times or more, just going over and over them before I post.

Do you have any writing quirks?

I don’t know! There’s probably a lot that I’m not even aware of. Most of my fics have a lot of references at the end, even ones that aren’t specifically historical, so that’s probably a dead giveaway that a fic is one of mine. That and going off on tangents for whatever my special interest is that month.

Do you prefer posting when you’ve finished writing or on a schedule?

Definitely when I’ve finished. Although as I’m posting, people’s comments and feedback may inspire me to make small alterations or add scenes here or there in future chapters. I wrote an extra scene into the final chapter of The Most That I Could Give To You… to give an OC a proper send off because of the number of comments I’d had earlier in the fic from people who loved him. I also re-wrote the final scene of “The A is for Ally” the night I posted it because I decided I didn’t like how it ended and changed it. 

Which fic are you most proud of?

Probably “The A is for Ally”, because of the sheer amount of research that I put into it. I wanted to write an exploration of queer history that focused on queer joy in the early 90’s. It can be hard to find that balance, writing queer ships set in less progressive times. Because it wasn’t all sunshine and roses, but, equally, there were moments of joy and communities of real queer people living their lives and fighting for those queer spaces. I wanted to pay tribute to that. [Side note: The title is a joke, the A is not for Ally].

How did you get the idea for What Happens at Comic Con Stays at Comic Con?

As with most of the fics I've written, I wanted to read it, so I wrote it. I was looking for something set at comic con and was shocked when I couldn't find anything, especially with the source material being what it is. I later discovered Descent into the Depths of the Earth (Or at Least Milwaukee) by disastardly on Ao3, but by then I'd written mine. Luckily they are totally different, and I'd highly recommend that one too.

When writing "The A is for Ally", what was something you didn’t expect?

How popular it got! I’m still a small writer, not a big name or anything, but I got so many more comments on that fic compared to all the ones before and @cemeterylight even drew art of it. It was so nice that something I wrote resonated with people.

What inspired in the back of your girlfriend's car?

There’s a song by Lucy Dacus called Christine that has the lines “You're falling asleep on my shoulder in the back of your boyfriend's car” that is a beautiful portrayal of queer longing. Loving somebody who is with somebody else who obviously isn’t right for them. I love Nancy, and wanted to follow that thought: What happens if Steve does win Nancy back, but they’re both different people now? My pitch for the fic is that it's an exploration of trauma and chasing highs, loving multiple people in multiple ways at once, messy relationships and making out in cars. All with a Steddie endgame, of course.

What was your favorite part to write from The most that I could give to you is nothing at all?

Probably the couple of chapters in California. Eddie and Steve have been hooking up on and off for a few years long distance, and after it all blows up, they agree to spend some time getting to know each other without letting sex get in the way. It was fun to write in that space where you have two people who are obviously in love, have a history, but are trying desperately to avoid falling into old habits. That simmering sexual tension.

How do/did you feel writing What Happens at Comic Con Stays at Comic Con?

Really nostalgic for going to comic con! I haven’t been to one in a few years and it just made me miss the feeling of being in a space where everyone is as weird and nerdy as you are.

What was the most difficult part of writing obliterations everywhere (we blaze with scorching heat)?

I hadn’t actually written a proper fic before when I wrote that one. I had written two drabbles over a decade ago and that was it. So just writing it was difficult. At the time, there were next to no fics where Eddie was the one having a bi crisis and Steve was fairly chill in his sexuality (there still aren’t enough in my opinion, it’s a top tier trope) so I just wrote what I wanted to read.

Do you have a favorite scene and/or line from any of your fics?

Probably the whole conversation this snippet is taken from within The Most That I Could Give To You… where Steve has the charm turned up to eleven and Eddie is fighting for his life (figuratively this time). I adore writing the Stobin back and forth dynamic too, so there's this one from The Most That I Could Give To You… where they're talking about Sisyphus and May 29th 1992 from “The A is for Ally” where Robin sees something she wishes she hadn't. I also got a lot of nice comments on this scene from “The A is for Ally” where Wayne mistakenly thinks Steve and Eddie are dating and “Steve didn't correct him, didn't feel the distinction was all that important.”

Do you have any upcoming projects or fics you’d like to share/promote?

I’ve just posted a new one, Pebble and I've got another one that I’m part way through, both of them returning to my roots and featuring Eddie having a bi crisis. I’m also planning on taking part in the Steddie Bang, but obviously can’t talk about that! 

Thank you to our author, @punkslovepoints, and our nominator, Nevertheless_5! See more of Sleepingoffyourdemons' works featured on our page throughout the day!

Writer’s Spotlight is every Wednesday! Want to nominate an author? You can nominate them here!

#steddie #steddie fic recs #steve harrington #eddie munson #steve x eddie #stranger things #writer's wednesday #ao3 writer #steddie writers

[minijenn]

Jen Tortures Herself With Every Dreamworks Animated Movie Ever: How to Train Your Dragon 2

(*screams in insanely high frequencies*) HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON 2 IS ONE OF THE GREATEST THINGS DREAMWORKS HAS EVER MADE AND SOMEHOW EVEN BETTER THAN THE FIRST AND I AM IN SHAMBLES EMOTIONALLY AFTER WATCHING IT BUT I NEED YA'LL TO LISTEN TO ME AS I SCREAM ABOUT HOW IMPORTANT THIS FILM IS TO ME OK?

Woo, ok, calming down a bit. But can you really blame my excitement? How to Train Your Dragon 2 is just... so damn good, it is so damn good ya'll. It takes everything the first movie did, the characters, the story, the animation, the music, and just... perfects it. It is an utterly fantastic ride from beginning to end and it is one of the main factors as to why I am so utterly head over heels for this franchise (well, it and Race to the Edge, again go watch it, its good).

We return to Berk five years after the first movie, with Hiccup under pressure from his father to take on the mantle of chief. However, danger soon arrives in the form of Drago Bludvist, who is amassing a dragon army. While searching for Drago to try and reason with him, Hiccup reunites with his estranged mother, Valka, who, much like him, has a deep affinity and respect for all dragons. From there, well, damn a bunch of stuff happens, in a story that just flows so well and just... slams you with so many emotions, from sheer joy and wonder to crushing despair and grief. It's a roller coaster, to say the least, one that is utterly captivating and at times, utterly heartbreaking. And I adore every last second of it.

Our returning characters are all fantastic, as usual. I especially love the arc Hiccup goes through here, because while the first movie was in ways, a coming of age story for him, this one truly is, with him struggling to figure out who he really is and who he's meant to be. It's a beautiful narrative about responsibility and leadership, one that Hiccup and Toothless experience together in such a beautiful, parallel way. As for our new cast, we have Valka (who I'm in love with btw) and she's just delightful. The way we get to see her bond with Hiccup and rekindle her relationship with Stoick is absolutely beautiful (AT LEAST UNTIL THE DAMN MOVIE TEARS THIS BEAUTIFUL FAMILY APART WHY CANT THEY HAVE ANYTHING NICE FUCK).

However, I do have to say that the weakest link in both this movie, as well as the next installment in this series... is its villain. The first movie didn't have much in the way of an antagonist, and I think it worked well in its favor. Because HTTYD antagonists... are kind of mid to lame. Drago Bludvist is certainly on the more mid side; he's just... ya know, a bad guy. He isn't really a compelling foil to Hiccup, just some crazy guy who wants to use dragons to conquer people and uses violence to get his way. He's not especially interesting, despite his rather cool design. He's just... there.

But that one minor point aside, everything else about this movie is utterly fantastic. The animation is somehow even more stunning than the first, with so many new dragon designs to see and an even wider world to explore. The flying and fight scenes are so mezmerising to watch, and the music FUCKING GOD don't get me started on this score. It is utterly HEAVENLY, just like the first movie's (also For the Dancing and the Dreaming has me in shambles, I'm still crying, don't look at me). What kind of insane magic Dreamworks used to make this movie look and sound as good as it does? The world may never know.

So yeah, this movie clearly has a major soft spot in my heart. I watched it when it first came out in theaters and absolutely loved it then, just like I do now. Every time I review it, I fall more in love, especially now that I've seen the tie in shows, I can appreciate how they led up to this movie and what details were thrown in that to make them serve as something of a prologue to 2.

As for the movie itself, its such a masterful work of art, one that I'll gladly return to over and over again. Aside from Prince of Egypt, it's probably my second favorite Dreamworks movie overall. And considering some of the other contenders on this list, that's saying something. I love it to pieces, always have, always will. It's wonderful.

Overall Rating: 10/10

Verdict: Hiccup's Mom has got it going on

Previous Review (Mr. Peabody and Sherman)

Next Review (The Penguins of Madagascar)

#jen watches #dreamworks watch #how to train your dragon #how to train your dragon 2 #jen tortures herself with every dreamworks animated movie ever #dreamworks

[alexissara]

The Magical Revolution of the Reincarnated Princess and the Genius Young Lady Quick Review

The Magical Revolution of the Reincarnated Princess and the Genius Young Lady or as we'll be calling it for the rest of this review, Magirevo is an amazing yuri anime series. It made a lot of interesting choices in it's adaptation to make the 12 episodes very punchy, fast paced and really get to the heart of the series without spending a lot of time pondering. I do wish the series was longer and we had more time for getting into people's feelings, the lives of the side characters, etc but the 12 episodes we did get are superub. The anime starts a little slow and it's jokes don't land nearly as well as the manga but the comedy in this series is mostly pushed away for action.

It was a really smart choice to turn Magirevo into more of an action yuri in terms of having it reach a wider audience. The action looks very cool and it makes a lot of sense with the ending they were building to with a dramatic fight that decides what will happen with the future of the kingdom. Everything is very intentionally building to the ending and it makes a lot of the choices make a ton of sense.

Our Protagonist Anis is charming, she is funny, she's very relatable to me even as a dumb ass because she feels very real to a lesbian who is living in a fantasy world. Euphy is very much tied into the royalty, nobility, the sense of duty but the show is also super empathic to her plight and her feeling like she had a role and it was taken form her and the grief she felt about it. The side characters Tilty, Lainie and Ilia are both really good side characters whom I really wish got much more attention but at the very least every scene with them in it was a banger, when they get to talk, it's good. A lot of the other characters I found more annoying or like they were serving their role in the story.

I think the show's politics were lacking in the detail and care they needed and it is something I really hope we could see that expanded if the show were to magically gain a second season. As for the first season I think the politics were at play were all there to serve the plot and more important to serve directly as an oppressive structure for Anis who feels like she can escape it only to be dragged in again more and more. We see that system slowly killing her soul and I think that is an effective way to show the problems with the system. The main issue is that our main villain does wish to tear down the system but we aren't given a really appropriate counter weight till like epilogue scenes wrapping up the anime.

I think another place I would have loved just a bit more care in is the queer politics of the show. The anime is explicitly gay, like we get 3 gay kisses in the 12 episode run which I mean I can't say about most other shows ever. Yet, Magirevo kinda plays off Anis's dad's homophobia is a bit, a little joke and it was upsetting to like humanize him without resolving that. We jut kinda hand waved it completely. There is some implication that maybe he is bisexual later but it's all like subtext, there is no exploring that, there is no slow moment of like understanding or whatever. We understand that the politics by the elders is like very heteronormative and we show that as like a traumatic instrument but we don't get a lot of time to really explore the queerness even just on it's own merit.

All that critical stuff said OMG I love it, the animation is so good, it's very gay, the girls are super cute, I do wish Tilly and Anis got together but like that is shipper shit [in a poly waym not in a replacing Euphie way], I the pacing is great, the action scenes are so cool, I love this anime. This is for sure going in my list of favorite animes of all time, for sure.

#Tensei Oujo to Tensai Reijou no Mahou Kakumei #The Magical Revolution of the Reincarnated Princess and the Genius Young Lady #Anime review #yuri review #GL review #lesbian review #lesbian #lesbian anime #gl #yuri #転生王女と天才令嬢の魔法革命 #tenten kakumei #Magirevo

[ilikereadingactually]

The Imperial Radch Trilogy

hoooo boy, do my mismatched covers annoy me! so much that i ordered lightly used copies of each book with its other cover also, and will soon have a full set of each, because i am one of those people.

Ancillary Justice by Ann Leckie

picking up a book that's as exquisitely written as this is like slipping into a warm bath. like i can just relax, because i'm in skilled hands. the amount of trust that precise, compelling prose can win from me in just a few pages is astonishing, and has rarely been misplaced.

and this is one that requires a little bit of trust! like many of my favorite speculative books, there's no soulless infodumping about the world here--background is given when it fits and serves the narrative, and otherwise you learn the world by experience. through the distinct and fascinating experience of Breq, in fact, who used to be the AI of a military spaceship with many ancillary bodies (human bodies that house its consciousness and crew the ship) and now exists as only one lone ancillary on a revenge mission. i love Breq's very specific and unusual perspective; i love jumping back and forth in time to see the past and the present and wonder how they're going to collide; i love weird space politics and religion and the exploration of emotion as a part of sentience. also!! i love many of the side characters!! Breq is really the focus, but everyone else who enters the story, even briefly, is clear and interesting, and some of them made me cry.

and i love the way gender is presented in this book SO MUCH. Breq comes from a society that doesn't distinguish gender, and uses "she" as the default pronoun, which i already love. and the book doesn't give many clear visual descriptions of anyone--so we're fully inside that perspective. Breq does take some notice of class, through accents and clothing, but just isn't at all concerned with markers of gender, and actively has difficulty identifying gender in other languages and cultures she encounters. i think this takes a lot of skill to write, and it's frankly baller to read.

also! i fucking love that the standard of not only beauty but high class and privilege in this society is dark skin!!!!!!!! dark is fashionable! dark is aristocratic!! i mean im never gonna be like "this fantasy imperialist classism is actually the good kind" because that's missing the whole point of the books, but it's so REFRESHING to visualize.

a line i really liked: AI to AI communication

"You still had your ancillaries," said Mercy of Kalr. "Yes." "I like my soldiers, but I miss having ancillaries." That reminded me. "They aren't doing maintenance as they should. The hinges on the airlock door were very sticky." "I'm sorry." "It doesn't matter now," I said, and it struck me that something similar might have delayed Anaander Mianaai's attempts to open the lock on her side. "But you'll want to have your officers get after them."

books 2 and 3 under the cut!

Ancillary Sword by Ann Leckie

LOVE a second book in a series that delights me just as much as the first but in new and different ways!! Leckie's prose is still gorgeous, that's a given. but this book, as with many good speculative series, heightens the stakes and broadens the world. where the first book was a somewhat more intimate story about a few connected characters and the pursuit of a personal goal, the second book brings in more complex political intrigue, addresses more widespread injustices, and introduces an array of excellent new characters. the first book held on to its tension by moving back and forth in time; this book takes advantage of the wider spread and Breq's particular kind of perception to tell multiple stories happening simultaneously, through glimpses at what other characters are doing "offscreen." it's a fantastic tactic!!

it's also clearer in this book how unreliable Breq's narration is, specifically about her own state of being. she thinks of herself as not human, and so as less important--she doesn't take the time to narrate or even notice her own physical state or emotional needs until she's totally overwhelmed, at which point we start to get little flashes of what everyone around her sees: a person of incredible kindness and integrity and intelligence, beloved by those under her care. there's a specific kind of intimacy between characters in these books that fascinates me, i love every acts of service bitch in this bar.

a line i really liked: why is every book series i love actually about grief

"Citizen, I am in mourning." I had not had time to clean the white stripe off my face for the night. And she could not possibly have forgotten the reason for it. "But surely, Fleet Captain," she replied sweetly, "that's all for show." "It's always for show, Citizen. It is entirely possible to grieve with no outward sign. These things are meant to let others know about it."

Ancillary Mercy by Ann Leckie

wow. ok. so. i drafted the section on Ancillary Justice above after finishing just that book; wrote the section on Ancillary Sword after reading all three books and listening to the first two audiobooks; here i am to write about Ancillary Mercy after reading the series once and listening to all the audiobooks twice. so...my descent into obsession will be palpable.

i'm actually a little mad that i didn't have these books on my radar before, but i was deeply embedded in the children's lit world at the time they were coming out, and maybe would not have enjoyed them as much as i did. which is something i loved in this series--the persistent idea that people not only change over time, but that in each moment, all the choices you have made up to that moment have created you specifically, and if you had made different choices, you would be a different person. i'm not the person i was then, five years out of grad school, busting my ass for $10/hour in children's bookstores, reading mostly middle grade because middle grade reliably is not romantic and i did not yet know i was aroace. so, overall, i'm grateful these books have come to me now (thanks to my best friend, who sent me Ancillary Justice for my birthday and kept telling me i would love it).

but let me talk a little about this third book in particular. once again, the stakes are incrementally raised: threats that were at a little distance before finally arrive in a bigger way, or come back again after a tense reprieve; the question of who is a person, what a "person" even is, becomes both more muddied and more crucial than ever. through it all, Breq continues to move doggedly forward with stubborn compassion for everyone but herself, keeps throwing herself in front of danger, and makes a more enormous impact on the world around her than i ever expected. this book is like everything i ever loved about Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (the best Trek don't come at me) but with oodles more gender fuckery.

it's also the really beautiful culmination of my other favorite theme of these books: that you can't know what effects your choices will have, and maybe you'll never know, but the chain of those effects will go farther than you imagine. it's so wild, on a second and third read, to see both the ripples of ruthless and self-centered choices, and the ripples of choices that come from an ethic of care. Even inside a terrible, imperialist system doing terrible, imperialist things, a single compassionate person persistently doing what she feels is right can change the course of someone else's life, and in doing so change the course of the universe.

a line i really liked: everything happening here is a blessing

"Thank all the gods," said Sphene. "I was afraid you were going to suggest we sing that song about the thousand eggs." "A thousand eggs all nice and warm," I sang. "Crack, crack, crack, a little chick is born. Peep peep peep peep! Peep peep peep peep!" "Why, Fleet Captain," Translator Zeiat exclaimed, "that's a charming song! Why haven't I heard you sing it before now?" I took a breath. "Nine hundred ninety-nine eggs all nice and warm..." "Crack, crack, crack," Translator Zeiat joined me, her voice a bit breathy but otherwise quite pleasant, "a little chick is born. Peep peep peep peep! What fun! Are there more verses?" "Nine hundred and ninety-eight of them, Translator," I said. "We're not cousins anymore," said Sphene.

the combo deets

how i read them: i read the first as a physical book (thanks B <3), started the second as an ebook, happened to be at a bookstore and picked up the second and third, and so read them all physical in the end. also, highly rec the audiobooks!! i don't know how they'd go as a first read, but they're extremely fun as a reread. lots of great accents and really interesting tonal choices.

try these if you: dig hard SF and examinations of artificial intelligence and personhood, are weak for self-sacrificing main characters, want that sweet aspec rep, or fuck with gender! or, and this may sound weird, love people bonding with dragons in your fantasy books--there are a lot of relationships here that feel similar to me.

maybe not for you if: you really need to avoid depression/suicidality, drug addiction, or genocide in stories. none of these things are here in a degree that i found too difficult to handle, but i like an uncomfortable read, so ymmv.

i'm reading Provenance, the next book set in this universe, right now! so more Imperial Radch reviews to come.

#books and reading #bookblr #book recs #book reviews #imperial radch #ann leckie #ancillary justice #ancillary sword #ancillary mercy #queer science fiction

[yamatossideboob]

ONE PIECE 1114 SPOILERS!

This week's inspections:

GOOD COVER PAGE!!! ROBIN'S SMILE!!!! I love the Chopper pawns omg... so sad he'll be sacrificed 😔 oh well

somehow the glub blub being the top of Vegapunk's head instead of a big brain is. much grosser lmao

Mars' dialogue seems to support the notion that VP is now like, a ghost in the shell doohickey. he's the internet, a series of tubes perhaps. I'm convinced that Vegapunk isn't truly 'dead', though his mortal form has ceased to be.

VP's gonna hook everyone up with HD video transmission and everyone in the OP world is going to freak out at people's pores.

KAYA!!!! THE USOPP PIRATES!!!!! her outfit is so cute omfg

CROCUS AND LABOON!!!

omg Vegapunk is from Baltimore? can he say Aaron earned an iron urn?

I love that yer one in the Baldimore panel seems to be wearing a Thousand Sunny/Franky mask? is our Franky a techno hero?

"Vegapunk's the father of modern science, but many of his advances are used for weapons." Okay, this right here is something I wish had been brought up more throughout Egghead. As much as I like a lot about VP's character, the fact that he spearheaded, developed and is now partly responsible for so much violence and devastation with his advanced weaponry hasn't been explored enough. This is a tiny part of the wider issue that is famous scientists not having their contributions to massive state-inflicted violence understood, but its a fucking peeve of mine. Mini rant over ugh.

Aaaaaaaaaaaaand yes the snail in this room is a decoy, as practically everyone called lol

Lads the sustained excitement I felt as soon as VP said lets get this started omfg. I still shivered a little seeing it again now.

LETS GO VEGAPUNKS THIS ONES FOR CLOVER POUR ONE OUT OF THAT HOT COFFEE

This is a page of two extremes. The immense, colossal hype of Sanji sweet chin musicing Nusjuro right in his eldritch jaw and the old fuck FEELING it, contrasting with one of the creepiest lines in OP for a loooooooooooong time. what the fuck Oda 🫠

Bozos get bit sorry Sanji rip

the "two sins" VP mentions is most likely alluding to his trespasses against the WG, perhaps his refusal to axe Kuma and his research of the Void Century. its not impossible though that he may be referring to his collaborations... maybe the Mother Flame?

GIANT BONNEY YES GOOD GET FUCKT SKELEPONY

a peek of MADS... what are they cooking...

Big News Morgans with his priorities as always

"Him" okay yeah VP is on about Imu, right? or maybe Saturn since they have that connection? that panel indicates the latter, but we shall see...

AT LAST SOME ROBIN FOCUS! tying this back to Ohara and making that connection MWAH CHEF KISS

I adore this big panel so much. The Strawhats making the barest connection between this spider demon and Robin and immediately going into PROTECT ROBIN mode is immaculate.

"The world as we know it will sink into the sea!"

Vegapunk. WHAT ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT?!?!?

Okay so what could this refer to exactly... The go-to notion for me is that the WG under Imu is planning to use the Mother Flame to flood the world for that 'cleansing' Nusjuro was on about several chapters ago... but could this be a natural phenomenon due to happen anyway? Is this related to what the One Piece is? UGGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH THE MYSTERIES

bluhhhh. and 2 weeks before some answers are revealed... fuck it. we've lasted months before, a fortnight is nathin.

Until next time nakama! Closer and closer to Laugh Tale we're getting! 💪✖️

#op spoilers #live from ohara #move over Blackbeard the real big bad is climate change

[glasswinggames]

Glass! What were the ros like as children?? And who would be likely to have a childhood friends to lovers relationship?

Hello!

Ooooo 👀 okay some may be harder to answer due to spoilers but I'll answer what I can!

Athy: She didn't speak for most of her younger years, and so her parents taught her a form of sign language, and that's how she communicated with everyone. She's always had a fixation with stories and she'd follow any of her three parents around until one of them read to her. She also had a tendency to just go off and explore, which caused some funny moments as this silent child just disappears up a tree every other day.

Cai: Before their mothers' passing, they were actually a very happy child. They took a lot after their mother, Thasinia, the late Sun in personality, because they were very calm and gentle. Though they enjoyed spending time with their Ommah, Alma, the late Moon, and she would teach them all about butterflies (that was her speciality). After their passing, things changed a lot and after several attempts on their life, they adopted the immature personality people now know them for, skipping lessons, causing trouble, which got worse the older they got.

Helios: Okay imagine a kid who thinks he is the most mature in the whole world (his main comparison point were his sisters so I don't fault him really haha), who thinks he knows everything at like the age of 10 because he is already studying magic theory... and then give him the largest pot of materia in the country. It's safe to say there were some disasters as he experimented with magic when he shouldn't have been, and didn't really think of the consequences until after the fact. He always pretends he wasn't as much of a troublemaker as his sisters... but he definitely was just in a different way to them. Though even as a kid he was fiercely loyal to his sisters, he stood up for them on more than one occasion no matter how much older or bigger the other kid was. He also had a tendency to get dragged around by them to play (especially dress up) even despite his protests that he was meant to be studying.

Jed: Didn't have a childhood... there isn't much I can say without spoiling!

Il: I also can't say much about him without giving spoilers, but I can talk about his teen years a little. He was very clumsy as a teen, though it was mainly a series of him trying to figure out who he was, or who he should be. It took time and support from his brother and ma to form his princely personality (there were a lot of cringey stages before that), and they were even more supportive as he decided to transition!

Farren: Farren was adorable as a child, she was raised completely in nature, away from the city with her grandmother Moira, and her skeleton parents Richard and Judy. She was a very freespirited child, having been given a lot of freedom growing up, and she was always wanting to touch and feel every sensation, and the amount of times she gave Judy a heartattack because she'd eaten something random she'd found-- She grew up very loved by those around her, as well as the wider witch and spirit community, and she was the same, giving that same love to everyone she met.

Eos: Eos was a scrappy kid, and was always that leader personality even back then. They led a small group of thieves who stole money and food that they'd all share, and they were fiercely protective of them all. They'd never really had a chance to have a gentle personality, so whilst the rest of the kids trusted them wholeheartedly, they were always very clumsy and awkward if any of them got upset or cried (they still kind of are now), the only way they knew how to comfort someone was giving them a gift, so they'd go out and steal something for them, which meant a lot of odd bits and bobs ended up scattered around.

Noah: He was the popular kid growing up, since he was tall and good at physical activities, like that jock that wasn't too arrogant, even though he was always surrounded by people. He was also a bit of a class clown, and a prankster, especially with his dad, who he'd have prank battles with. He was his dad's biggest fan, and he looked up to him a lot, so it made sense that as his dad was a priest he was more involved in the church, volunteering once a week and becoming even more well known in the community.

As for who would be most likely to have a childhood friends to lovers AU 👀 I think Noah (there is a really specific AU in my head that once his route comes out if someone reminds me I'll write a little something), Farren, Eos or Helios!

Thank you for the question! 🥰

#ask me anything #ever after ask #ever after asks #ever after: twisted secrets #vn #visual novel #amare #dating sim #indie dev #otome #glasswinggames

[animehouse-moe]

Call of The Night Volume 12: Not Your Average Night

You know what Call of The Night is? A damn good series, that's what. Transitioning from a desire to be a vampire that sparks a romance, to kickass vampire fights, it seamlessly moves between the two thanks to its rock solid core in its exploration of characters and how the "Night" and vampires have affected their lives.

Right away, we stick close to home with Anko's investigation of Mahiru. Not a real surprise, but I really like how they contextualize it through a nonverbal fashion before Anko puts it into words.

Mahiru doesn't have a home to return to, he doesn't have someone waiting for him at home. It's not just that his brother's dead, it's that Mahiru's still alive. It's a great piece, and really explains just how losing that coping mechanism he has in Kiku has thrown him off the deep end.

Also, just commenting on it now because it will continue on later, Kotoyama's paneling is really great. You might think, "oh, it's just rectangles, it's nothing special.", and you'd be partially correct. Plain old rectangles is nothing special. What is though, is how they use them. How they frame things with that limited space and ratio, and how they use it to sell movement and emotion. Panel one, Anko is stewing over what it is she just came across. Panel two, it's her coming to the conclusion that she defeatedly states with the third panel. It's really great stuff that tells an effective (and pretty) story, even if confined by standard limitations.

One more also. Man, Kotoyama's use of that skewed FOV is amazing with the vampires. It adds a degree of separation in comparison to humans, and kicks the style up a notch. It makes it feel wider, faster, like the pace of the world itself changes in the presence of a vampire.

So anyways, this dude shows up to knock Nazuna and Ko on their asses and run off with Anko and Akira in tow, and Ko isn't having any of it. Nothing really special, but I just love how they go through the trouble of setting up the vampire to question if Ko's human, and then show that in the heat of things he's grown fangs in his pursuit.

The chase continues for a bit, Ko's powers wane, and things overall mellow out enough for Nazuna to make a surprise attack so that Anko can question the glasses man.

I really liked this part, mostly because of how it challenges the concept of how someone turns into a vampire and how Kiku sees humans. Azami explains his backstory of how he was a gangster, and that he had originally died attempting to save Kiku from getting killed. Blah blah blah, what's interesting is that Azami never states that he had any explicit "love" for Kiku. All he ever says was that his boss said to treat Kiku like a sister. And to make things even more complicated, Azami wakes up to Kiku telling him this.

Kiku believes, that because Azami stood in front of her to take a bullet, that he loves her. A completely baseless conjecture. So what does this tell us? At least one thing, maybe two. The potential options are this: the definition for love isn't just romantic, or that love isn't fully required from both sides. I think it's a really interesting reveal. Either, because Azami viewed her as a sibling and shared that form of love with her, he was able to turn, or because Kiku truly believed Azami loved her he could turn.

Whatever the outcome, it's a great piece in further understanding what it is Kiku seeks out from humans and love. Ever searching for someone that makes her feel more than the previous person. Someone that will devote themselves to her, be hers. But when the playing field levels out and those feelings weaken, she's gone to the wind.

Anyways, as Anakin once said, "This is where the real fun begins". Anko's little chat with Azami is interrupted by a very scary (but equally cute) vampire with a vengeance. And man, vampire combat is so cool. That blown perspective and the space afforded to the scenes really sells the pace and power of vampires. And the posing? Flawless, the personality that drips from the nonchalant stances mixed with intense acrobatics is so good.

Even through this kickass stuff though, we don't lose sight of what it is this story stands for. Human-Vampire vs Vampire-Human, it exposes the different approaches and methods of each, and how humanity can slip from your fingertips if you're not careful. The fresh challenger stating that they'll kill both Kiku and Anko because of the trouble caused, while Azami refuses the deaths of either. I really like it, it doesn't bury the responses or approaches under an essay on morality, but rather builds upon what we know of each character. We've gotten time with Azami, we've seen how they act and what their story is, so being sympathetic and understanding of their side makes sense. The challenger here, on the other hand, is far more foreign and opaque, so she comes off even more disconnected and apathatic.

Anyways, Azami inevitably loses against this overpowered vamp, and she begins to track down Nazuna and co, producing this really fun sequence. Nothing too crazy, but I just love how they use the pages here.

Enough waffling, onto vampire Ko! Nazuna, well, she gets yeeted, and that pisses off Ko. So much so to the point that he's able to phase through a whole bunch of floors to make it up to the roof of the building like it was nothing. He surprises this vampire to no end, even when his arm's taken off. Yeah, you read that right. His arm gets ripped off, and it gets real. Regular Ko with a bit of blood or a gunshot? Pretty damn strong and quick. Already half vampire Ko getting his arm taken off? That power level's over 9000, easy.

Now, you're probably thinking, "aw man this is no fun, why is Ko so overpowered now?". Allow me to answer. There's lots of reasons why, actually. There's so little we know about vampires that there's not a surefire response. Could it be because of the half human in Ko? Could it be because Nazuna was born a vampire? Could it be her lineage from her mother? Could it be a form of multiplication in regards to his bloodlust? Could it be that Ko's feelings for Nazuna are that strong and that directly influences a vampire's abilities in the moment? As I said, lots of potential reasons, and I think all of them are very interesting. There's a huge amount of mystery surrounding vampires, and with this type of progression it seems we're aimed at finding out more about them.

So yeah, Call of The Night 12, a story and volume I would have never seen coming from even the first three volumes of Call of The Night. Kotoyama's running wild with this series, and it's paying off in spades. Incredible how fluid and malleable the surface of this story has been while preserving its core of exploring the people of the night and how they choose to live their lives.

#call of the night #yofukashi no uta #よふかしのうた #nazuna nanakusa #ko yamori #akira asai #anko uguisu #manga recommendation #manga reccs #manga review #anime and manga #manga

[rustandruin]

The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes by Suzanne Collins

Wednesday, 29 March, 2023

Where to begin?

What a thrill it was to return to this world again. I’d been a bit hesitant because given the state of the world at large, I really didn’t feel like exploring the ways in which a figure like Snow justified himself into the version of him Hunger Games fans are most familiar with. To her credit, Collins — an tremendously skilled and deft writer — was able to make Snow a sympathetic enough character that you’re willing to ride out a whole novel with. Not that it absolved him of his sins. Far from it, in fact.

Snow is a complicated character who finds himself in the kind of circumstances the most people will empathise with or relate to. As a result you find yourself rooting for him somewhat, along with a few other more noble characters. This is an excellent choice because it really highlights several aspects about Snow, specifically, his inability to imagine a world unlike the one he lives in. And it becomes a recurring theme throughout the book, because, I think, Collins has very cleverly observed that a lot of the people who are in power and display the kind of casual cruelty also have a lack of imagination. Or what’s worse, they fear anything too different and seek to snuff it out. As Snow observes within the novel: it’s all about control.

But let’s back it up a bit. The story, which picks up during the now-10th annual Hunger Games, sees the monstrosity in its nascent stages, long before it becomes the mega behemoth that Katniss and Peeta go on to compete in. As a result we see how Snow had a hand in helping shape the games into what they become and just how much more depressing and barbaric the games ever were — which is really saying something. This is one of the smarter choices of Collins. Most readers will already be familiar with the games. This means she not only now has the space to introduce them again in this new form, without having to rehash either Katniss’ story or any of the other victors’ tales from Catching Fire, while also still putting us through a whole terrible competition, opening this world and it’s history up wider. (As someone who wants an anthology set within this world, this truly thrilled me.)

As with the Hunger Games series, Collins writing is relentless and addictive. What started as a quick skim through the first chapters ended with me having finished this book a few days later. Honestly, what is in these words??? They have to be laced with something… or maybe it’s that almost every chapter ends on a cliffhanger or reveal that propels you to the next as she plays with your expectations. It was just a joy to be able to experience that again. Again, I must stress that she is a master.

This, of course, makes her themes really resonate too. For me, it was the power that art and music and storytelling can have in our lives. They give us a chance to imagine a different, better world and to communicate that vision to others in the hopes of helping achieve it. There are several instances where we see Snow struggle with this, mentally rejecting any possibility of a world free from the Capitol or the Games. It’s more sad than anything else, and it’s a choice made deliberately because it sets him up for the man he is to become. He understands power and exerting control, but never what it might be to simply live and thrive without having to make these tough choices.

Snow may land on top within the novel and wishing his future, but as Collins keeps asking within the book: at what cost? What good is living without love? What good is an existence without our humanity.

⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️

#rust and ruin reads #the ballad of songbirds and snakes #hunger games #Suzanne Collins #book #books #book stuff #book review #reading tracker 2023

[gealach-in-a-misty-world]

With the plot against them foiled and the city of Qi-Katai in safe hands, Velasin and Caethari have begun to test the waters of their relationship. But the wider political ramifications of their marriage are still playing out across two nations, and all too soon, they’re summoned north to Tithena’s capital city, Qi-Xihan, to present themselves to its monarch. With Caethari newly invested as his grandmother’s heir and Velasin’s old ghosts gnawing at his heels, what little peace they’ve managed to find is swiftly put to the test. Cae’s recent losses have left him racked with grief and guilt, while Vel struggles with the disconnect between instincts that have kept him safe in secrecy and what an open life requires of him now. Pursued by unknown assailants and with Qi-Xihan’s court factions jockeying for power, Vel and Cae must use all the skills at their disposal to not only survive, but thrive – because there’s more than one way to end an alliance, and more than one person who wants to see them fail.

"We are not tragedies". Foz Meadows' All the Hidden Paths is the surprise sequel to last year's A Strange and Stubborn Endurance, an excellent exploration of abuse and healing that became one of my favorite books of 2022. The first book seemed to be a standalone novel and resolve everything, although it left some threads; these threads are explored beautifully in this sequel, where the question is pretty simple: what next? After facing one's fears and coming out, what is next?

The answer is that of course not everything is finally and magically solved; one has to work through one's issues. Vel struggles for the most part of this novel with his dark thoughts, pulled forth by the turmoil Cae himself is feeling after the events of the first novel. They need to learn to know each other and trust each other, and most importantly, communicate. This novel features a constant push and pull between Velasin's trauma and Caethari's sense of inadequacy that isn't perfectly resolved, setting perhaps the stage for a third book. I would love a final volume in this series; the news of this one sequel had taken me completely by surprise. One can see that there's still material to explore, if the author wanted to.

The mystery is more enticing than the one in the first novel's, less straightforward and thus exciting as the duo, with the help of Vel's valet friend and a reluctant ally, attempt to find the name behind an unnerving number of murder attempts. The appearance of many new characters makes the narration vibrant and well-rounded, with a sharp focus on the intricate politics of the new court setting, building on the rich world-building of the first novel. Caethari and Velasin don't know who to trust, and we are left spinning with possibilities as they navigate such unfamiliar grounds at the same time as they attempt to navigate their relationship and overcome the hurdles coming their way. It's refreshing to see that even despite the conflict building, we never doubt their love for each other. This novel is also definitely spicier than the first, with a good number of sex scenes that range from being intimately sweet to exceedingly intense. Once again, one can only be grateful for the author's decision to put trigger warnings at the beginning of the novel.

Onto the elephant in the room, or rather, the new POV that dominates a few interludes: the character's journey was compelling and his plight made one sympathize with him, but there was perhaps an issue of pacing, where a few more interludes might have been needed to better appreciate his story and how it entwined with the main characters'. As things stand, one finds oneself wanting for more, and his ending especially feels a bit abrupt.

All the Hidden Paths is a stunning sequel that builds on the lovely foundations of the first novel.

✨ 4.5 stars

.

📚📚📚 IF YOU LOVE THIS, YOU MIGHT LIKE:

* A Taste of Gold and Iron, by Alexandra Rowland

for: anxiety, politics

[You can find more of my reviews about queer speculative fiction on my blog MISTY WORLD]

#foz meadows #all the hidden paths #lgbtq books #queer lit #queer books #queer #sff #sff books #queer sff #books #book reviews #reading #gealach reads #gealach writes

[ecoamerica]

Watch the American Climate Leadership Awards 2024 now: https://youtu.be/bWiW4Rp8vF0?feature=shared

The American Climate Leadership Awards 2024 broadcast recording is now available on ecoAmerica's YouTube channel for viewers to be inspired by active climate leaders. Watch to find out which finalist received the $50,000 grand prize! Hosted by Vanessa Hauc and featuring Bill McKibben and Katharine Hayhoe!

#ACLA24 #ACLA24Leaders #youtube #youtube video #climate leaders #climate solutions #climate action #climate and environment #climate #climate change #climate and health #climate blog #climate justice #climate news #weather and climate #environmental news #environment #environmental awareness #environment and health #environmental #environmental issues #environmental justice #environment protection #environmental health #Youtube

[jurassicparkpodcast]

‘Hidden Adventure’ Is A Return To Form For Camp Cretaceous – Non Spoiler Review

Jurassic World Camp Cretaceous: Hidden Adventure is just around the corner – providing an interactive adventure which immerses us within the camper’s time on Isla Nublar after the fall of Jurassic World. Despite my initial cynicism about how an interactive Jurassic story would work, I was surprisingly impressed with the production quality and in-depth decisions which go into making this a compelling story which feels like a return to form for the highs of Season 1, 2 & 3 which I really enjoyed.

Join me as we go a little bit deeper into how the interactive adventure works, and also how it connects to other parts of the show. Don’t worry - we’ll keep it non-spoiler for this article!

Before we dive into another story with the Campers themselves, I think it is really important to acknowledge just how well the interactive components of this story work. As someone who consumes most of my media through my Xbox, I was slightly hesitant about how well optimized the interface would be for this experience – but it was flawless. The episode is explored from the perspective of Darius Bowman – and the direction does a really good job of making it clear when you are about to be prompted to make a decision by zooming into a first-person view from his perspective. I was really impressed by how much thought has gone into making the decision making in Hidden Adventure immersive and engaging – and I can imagine younger fans having a lot of fun going through and making different decisions at different points throughout the story to see what else may unfold.

Moving onto the story itself – it is fair to say that this is more of what we have come to expect from Camp Cretaceous – but in a good way! Set between the events of Season Two and Season Three, this story explores how the campers continue to fight to survive on Isla Nublar as they wait for an opportunity to escape the island. I loved how this episode really grounded itself in the Season One & Two themes of the show – really feeling like this is a return to form for the show before the inclusion of Mantah Corp in later seasons. Don’t get me wrong – there isn’t perhaps as much connection to the other areas of the story here as there could be, but as a standalone adventure it fits well within the pre-established structure of the show and is a welcome return to the remnants of Jurassic World.

There are some interesting connections to the wider Jurassic universe in this short – with some fun nods to the history of Jurassic World and also a couple of cool easter egg moments packed in throughout. I really enjoyed the fact that we got to explore new locations on Nublar which felt a little more grounded with the theme park aesthetic I had been longing for. This is something which I wish we had got more of in the original run of Camp Cretaceous – so getting it in the short was a welcome divergence from the familiar locations we see in the first three seasons of the show. Don’t get me wrong – there are a lot of familiar locations again in the new short, but I think they are well balanced with new areas and a story which keeps itself moving at a decent pace. It would also be remiss for me to not mention the new ‘big bad’ dinosaur – which plays an interesting role in the Hidden Adventure. I enjoyed its inclusion and think that although it adds another new animal to the roster of Nublar, it works pretty well in this instance.

Overall, I think Hidden Adventure is a fun opportunity to revisit the Isla Nublar era of Camp Cretaceous. The story is well-rounded, the set-pieces grounded enough to be believable, and it does a good job of exploring some additional areas of the island with some fun nods to the wider franchise thrown in. Hidden Adventure fundamentally has all the components of what I feel makes a good Camp Cretaceous episode – and that’s why it’s a successful way to round out the series in my opinion!

Camp Cretaceous Hidden Adventure arrives on Netflix on November 15th.

Huge thanks to Dreamworks and Netflix for providing us with early access to the episode to produce this review.

Written by: Tom Jurassic

#article #jurassic world camp cretaceous #camp cretaceous #jurassic toys #jurassic collecting

[screadingchallenge]

Behind the Keyboard Volume 18

Behind the Keyboard is a series of interviews with different Schitt’s Creek fanfic authors. The series will last as long as there is interest (from authors) and capacity (from me). If you are an author from the Schitt’s Creek fandom who would like to participate, send a DM to this account.  

Each author was given ten questions. The first five questions are the same for every author, the last five will vary.

Let’s meet our next author:

@simplymarleycat​ / marleycat

How many fics have you written?

48

When did you publish your first fic on AO3?

End of April 2020

Describe your writing process from “Oh, I have an idea” to pushing publish on AO3. 

I usually start with some sort of inspiration for an idea in my head. From a thread I want to tug on from canon, a song lyric that gives me an idea, or some AU set up that I think would work (or sometimes, all three or more!). I will open a fresh GoogleDoc and take some very rough notes. I honestly get to writing things out very quickly chronologically for the fic and just keep going from there.

If I come up with something that I want to include further along, I will jot some more notes, but they are very basic. Sometimes it will just be a few phrases to outline or if I come up with a sentence/dialog that rounds things out/makes a connection back, etc. Most of my process happens in my head honestly and comes out pretty fully formed. If anything, I add more later versus making drastic cuts, but things may get moved around slightly. 

I also edit a lot as I go and afterwards for grammar, sentence structure, continuity, and published look. Shoutout to the GoogleDoc “Post to AO3” formatting doc that saves me much time and consternation to get things how I like. I also usually read my fics aloud either as I am going or when I am done. I do not usually use a beta, but have run ideas by fic friends or if I do need some eyes on it, I can find someone, but I am usually pretty anxious once I feel it is done to get it out into the world.

Tell me about your most recent fic? What do you love about it? Is there anything you think you could have done better?

My most recent fic is Like if Thunder Had a Color which is one I came up with the idea for about two months after the show ended and a little over a month after I started publishing fic. It is all about Patrick’s introspection on the day of their wedding once David (and Stevie) leave to get ready after the infamous happy ending until the Brewers show up to take Patrick to Town Hall. 

I mention in the notes how I kept adding to it, but I never really caught the bug of finishing it or knowing exactly where I wanted it to go until recently. I would often revisit it to add bits and pieces which is not really how I ever approach things, but I guess it all needed to marinate in my head a little longer!

I really love that I was able to focus on Patrick and the variety of emotions he was feeling between the excitement/stress of the wedding but also as a wider view of the progression of David/Patrick’s relationship as well as Patrick’s journey in his sexuality. Patrick is often seen (especially when David can spiral out, or have the potential to) as the steadfast one, but we get glimpses that day of him being more than a little on edge (in the rain under the canopy at the motel as the town members figure out what to do and when he finds out about the happy ending), so I really wanted to explore that once he finally had a moment with no one around and no crises to solve, what he would be thinking about on this monumental day.

I’m not sure there is anything I would say I wish I had done better per se. It would have been interesting to have Patrick suddenly realize that even amongst the chaos of the day, that it never felt heavy or suffocating like his engagement to Rachel. Overall, I like the idea of it never crossing his mind because everything was so different and he was very focused on David. Some writers are very good at integrating Rachel, but that isn’t an area I usually look to explore. 

Okay, maybe my one regret is not having him do a last minute practice of singing “Always Be My Baby” 😆

What advice would you give to someone who’s thinking about publishing their fic for the first time?

I still get excited when sharing and usually just want to get my words out into the world, but I recommend taking your time to review and make sure it is exactly what you want so you aren’t hung up on things after pressing “post”. I also suggest starting smaller (see: not what I did!) with one-shots to craft your voice and practice the process of writing, editing, formatting, etc. But, if your brain is just thinking in long-fic/multi-chapter format, that is okay too. I’d probably recommend getting most of it down before you start publishing so that you can edit and go back and just have a feel for how you function within the process. Personally, I started coming up with stuff that would have worked great to make a connection in later parts, but I had to work around it as I already had published my first chapter or two.

Whatever it is, read through it, let it sit, come back to it, and freshen it up. If you want to share with someone, that is great! But if you aren’t ready for that or aren’t sure, don’t think you have to have a beta, or take all of their advice/suggestions. 

In the end though, don’t agonize over things too much and celebrate what you have accomplished! I love the quote from Dan Levy about getting the words down and completing something, because regardless of whether you deem it ‘good’ or ‘bad’, you have a fully formed and finished product which many people can not say they have done.

Would you rather write smut or crack?

Definitely smut

What’s one question you would like to ask Dan Levy about writing?

I would ask Dan how much of his writing he just completely throws out once it is on the page. Be it scenes, characters, entire plot lines, or full concepts. And I wonder if from that, how much he keeps around in case he eventually wants to come back to it or if instead he needs to declutter and toss cast-offs physically or digitally.

What’s one thing that you’d like to say to your favorite Schitt’s Creek character?

Truely, it has always been a tie for favorite between David and Patrick for me. So I would ask them what is the best thing about their husband and just melt from the sweetness and/or giggle from the trolling. 

What are your three favorite tropes?

Mutual pining and closely related friends-to-lovers, there-was-only-one-bed/hotel room, domestic bliss

In your mind, what’s the most important element of good writing?

The most important element to me of good writing is a clear and coherent voice. I want a fic, regardless of length, to draw me in without making me think I missed a crucial detail or one where I scroll forward to estimate how much I have to “get through” to reach some sort of resolution.

I come from the world of music, and much like with that, a lot depends on the transitions and connections between scenes, characters, and situations. It takes time to build those bridges naturally, but the best way is to just keep writing to hone that skill, reading good examples from other writers, and making exacting choices in what to add or cut in the editing stages. 

#behind the keyboard #meet the authors #sc fic reading challenge #sc reading challenge #sc fanfic #schitt's creek #schitts creek

[twd-obsessed-bitch]

Is it just me or does 6 episodes not feel like enough for the amount of story building they were tryna do. I feel like a lot of things went unanswered and like I know thats the point of a cliff hanger and that we're getting a season two but

Spoilers

We barely know who this woman is that the Croat took Negan too, we met her TWICE one of the times being when Negan met her.

And yet we're supposed to be concerned and scared of her, and the hold she has on Hershel, even though she cut off his toe?? And kept it???

Like I can see her becoming like the other mother in Coraline and playing a part of a doting woman who cares solely for Hershel, and how that would make Hershel kinda stockholmed into liking her etc. But you can't start that by cutting off his toe. Actually cutting off his toe at any part during the process would kinda fuck it up, would it not???

Speaking of Hershel, he's so angsty, and I love it to an extent but like where's the background for it? Where's the reasoning why he feels so cut off from his mom to borderline hate her for everything she does, including saving him?? Why does he feel the way he does. He's got about as much development as RJ in the main series and just is coming across as a whiny teen to me, I might be reading his character wrong but it's my opinion atm

And then you got new Babylon, and we have literally no explanation about them, barely even spoken exposition being like "oh yes new Babylon the people who are trying to bring back the old world and it's rules and are succeeding" like there's just barely that. That's all we know about them.

It doesn't help that pretty much the whole of episode 5 was just them walking through the sewers and not really doing much else, and that was mostly just to kill off Tommaso and Amaia, and to see the walked king. It was an hour long EP that got like a good 25 minutes of anything done besides walking.

So they basically wasted it.

And like don't get me wrong, I did enjoy the series, this isn't me saying I hated it or anything. Im just... Underwhelmed? Like it's been so hyped up as something newer than the main series, in a city that nobodies explored, that they made to be an epicenter for the whole thing. And its just kinda the same plots as the main series done a little bit differently by giving the viewer less knowledge of what's going on.

Like we kept getting that flashback to when the croat took Hershel, and he's screaming for Maggie and Maggie is screaming for him, and I thought they'd give us more, show us the conversation they had or something along those lines. But the extension of the scenes is just a wider angled shot of Maggie looking upset. It's underwhelming

And maybe that's on me for expecting more from AMC than what they've given us, and maybe I need to rewatch it to pick up on the things I might've missed the first time around. But like, overall, I'm underwhelmed and wished they used the 6 episodes more to their advantage or greenlit them for some more episodes in the season.

Cause like season one of the main series, that was 6 episodes, and every single episode was stuffed full of story telling and character building and exposition. It threw you into the world from minute one. Dead city is kinda just relying on you knowing the characters and their backstory and using that without expanding any further even though we have no idea who the Croat and his people are, who the marshals of new Babylon are, no clue who Hershel has grown into, or what happened in the time jump with Negan and Annie and their son.

This is really long, so anybody that's read it thanks lol, it's all kinda just word vomit so I hope it made sense.

#twd #the walking dead #twd dead city #negan smith #maggie rhee #dead city #tl:dr im underwhelmed with the use of the 6 episodes #and im a little upset that i know vaguely more than i did when the series started rather than 6 hours more of information

[mechanicalinertia]

STMPD Recommends Bubblegum Crisis Fanfiction: The Works of Jeanne Hedge

Ho ho ho ho ho, it's time to bring out an easy recommendation, or rather a series of recommendations, one I'm honestly surprised I haven't done before.

I mean, come on. It's Jeanne Hedge, baby. She didn't write much longer stuff compared to Innpchan or Ben Hutchins, but she wrote really good, really focused stuff. Moreover, the record of the sheer number of 90's-era fic writers who reference her suggest that she was the Carrie Fisher of alt.fan.bgcrisis, a real script doctor for everyone. Whatta character. Pity she died from pneumonia in 2020 - I would have loved to invite her to the more modern corners of BGC fandom, like the subreddit and the discord. Learn from the old masters, yeah? Yeah.

Here's Hedge's old website. For the more convenience-minded among us, here's her FF.net page.

So: Hedge. Sysop of a CompuServe anime and manga forum from 1985 to 2005. Mod for the old Fanfiction Mailing List. Moderator for the fanfiction panel at Anime Central (ACEN) from 2001-2006. In other words, a superfan from a time when Crunchyroll was a ripping site, Funimation wasn't Sony's pawn, when anime was an eccentricity among eccentricities on the old 'World Wide Web'. Incredible, no?

Oh, yeah, and she was a pretty good writer, too! Her writing style isn't particularly fancy, and her topics are usually more light-hearted explorations of the series save for two instances. We'll go through the short stuff first, then the two biggies.

Dear Mom: Not even two thousand words, a gag where some gaijin girl is living in an office building across the way from the LADYS633 and is navigating dealing with the locals while hunting for an apartment. The punchline is that it takes place between OVA 8 and Crash, so of course she sees the Knight Wing launch from the building, and when she brings it up at the LADYS big reopening party, Sylia is all 'whatever are you talking about' and promptly makes sure this woman gets an apartment across the city. "You'd almost think they couldn't wait to get me away from here!" is what's said in the last bit, which is funny as hell. Written, apparently, on a dare.

We Just Want To Help You: Jeanne is transported to what appears to be the BGC Universe, but is, in fact, not. Her attempts to convince Sylia otherwise don't go well. Another one-note gag, but in my mind not as funny as the other one.

Spin Cycle: Linna's power goes out, she needs to do some laundry, goes to a laundromat with a laundry-dispensary Boomer, said Boomer goes rampant and starts terrorizing people, Linna must evade the Boomer and help other customers. Short, silly, charming, and does a nice job of outlining the wider world of Megatokyo, the normalcy of life in the world's mightiest megacity, where clothes still need to be cleaned.

10 Questions: This is a weird one, since it's one of Priss's great-grandchildren asking her about an interview with her she found in the attic. Ten easy questions about what happened to Priss in her public life - the Reps broke up, she started a new band, she started a record company that eventually got to sign Vision, she lost both her legs during the last great Boomer Rampage - hold on, wait, what the fuck?

Yeah, despite Hedge saying in an afterword that she wanted this to be the fic where Priss got to have nice things, she still loses her legs, Linna, and Sylia. The last quarter of the fic, in fact, is her just musing about all the different choices she could have made when Sylia pulled her over back during the fateful night played out in Asu E Touchdown... and I think it's implied Sylia, in the end, walked into GENOM Tower with a suitcase nuke. So... happiness? Even then, it's an elusive thing...

Okay, that's the small stuff. The warmup. Now for the big 'uns.

Into The Shadows: Probably Hedge's most famous work, 19K words detailing, from multiple perspectives, the origins of the Knight Sabers, from Dr. Raven talking Sylia into recruiting other members, to those other members being recruited, and so on. It was cowritten with Andy Skuse of Raven's Garage, which... is kind of a detriment to its quality? I've been rereading Skuse's own multichapter epic, Bubblegum Cross, and it's Not Very Good. I'll probably review it soon.

Anyway, it's part mess of flashbacks, part training montage, part this, that, and the other. Each chapter is fairly short - shorter than I would have written, in all honesty - but there's a good bit where Nene is cool with her EW, where even Linna is scared for a short bit, where Priss is as violent and unhinged as you'd expect her to be. The characterization is really on point here, I think, at least for a certain rendering of the Sabers in their early days. I quite like this one.

True Love: Priss can't catch a break, can she? In canon or in fanon. I mean, holy shit, this fuckin' piece. It's good, but... damn.

It's mostly, Priss's story, a bridge between Crisis and Crash in the darkest sense. See, she's trying to finally get the Reps signed, right? Reasonable, even if the sleazy-producer cliche is coming into play even before Priss's stint at idoldom in Crash. It's not going well. She gets forced into a bad contract by 'Oomori-san' (geddit?) someone's stalking her - and then said stalker shoots her in the throat. Her voice is gone (explaining the change in voice to Ryoko Tachikawa in Crash), she's in protective custody, and... ugh. Look, I don't want to go any further, because probably the best way to describe this fic is a) disturbing (stalkers are creepy people!) and b) depressing (Everyone's mental state gets seriously altered by what's going on here). The other part of the bridge from Crash is that Nene kills said stalker, just picks him up in her Motoslave and drops him into the canyons, and that's kind of the lead-in to her being much more aggressive in Crash as well.

I don't want to spoil more, because this is a 'darkfic' in the best way, a deeply, perfectly uncomfortable way. It's the way that best shows what Hedge was capable of as a writer, and why her death was a tragedy in the truest sense. Read any or all of these, because they're all excellent.

#stmpd reviews bgc fanfic #bubblegum crisis #bgc #fanfic rec #fanfiction

[ecoamerica]

Watch the 2024 American Climate Leadership Awards for High School Students now: https://youtu.be/5C-bb9PoRLc

The recording is now available on ecoAmerica's YouTube channel for viewers to be inspired by student climate leaders! Join Aishah-Nyeta Brown & Jerome Foster II and be inspired by student climate leaders as we recognize the High School Student finalists. Watch now to find out which student received the $25,000 grand prize and top recognition!

#ACLA24 #ACLA24HighSchoolStudents #youtube #youtube video #climate leaders #climate solutions #climate action #climate and environment #climate #climate change #climate and health #climate blog #climate justice #climate news #weather and climate #environmental news #environment #environmental awareness #environment and health #environmental #environmental issues #environmental education #environmental justice #environmental protection #environmental health #high school students #high school #youth #youth of america #school