#i love reading one star reviews of my favorite books
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okay yes it's often bad and hard and sometimes i am so anxious my whole body feels like it's vibrating but also at the same time the gps took me a different way on my drive and i got to see more of the river than i usually do and yesterday the sun was still above the horizon after 7pm and that was amazing and the whole sky turned an orange-gold like how they try to make ice cream taste; you know, one of those evenings that just tears you open no matter how jaded you get. it's warm for the first time here and people had lined up against the water just to stand outside and watch the sunset
and yeah it's tax season no i haven't done mine yet but when i mentioned it offhand in a single side-comment three days later my friend sent me a list of helpful tips and followed up to see if i'd need help on them
there's this parking lot for a walking trail near where i live and one of the two google reviews is my actual favorite: love it here. there were so many beautiful parking spots but sadly we could only take one. and no this person isn't going to go viral and probably the only people navigating to this spot are extremely local - but there's something so precious to me about someone taking the time to write something that will make strangers in their community laugh, even though there's no way for me to tell them good one! directly
yes i am not doing well sometimes i'm doing even very-badly but recently i have been given enough breathing room to say okay, this situation is bad, but then it will be over, and you will be moving onto the next thing and it's true that i need to get groceries and pay rent and argue with my health insurance but it is also true that in the absolute stress and anarchy of my life today someone recognized my dog before they recognized me and was so excited because "they tell everyone about the greyhound in the area and didn't get a picture before so can they take a picture now please"
in class we all stand in a circle and are all grown adults and for a moment while the teacher is figuring something out, we all hold hands, just to be silly and connected. for no reason at all at 8pm on a thursday my friends and i start breaking out the dance moves to high school musical. my coworker gchats me during a meeting about the book he recommended to me and i'm enjoying reading
i help a high school set up for a star-themed dance and while putting up streamers i find graffiti that says if you're reading this, i love you, and we're both going to get out of here right next to fuck everyone, live out of spite, don't let the fuckers make you die. on the bridge where i walk my dog someone has written i love you and on the sidewalk in chalk someone has written i love you and on the side of the water tower someone has written i love you
at the bottom of a text post an internet poet says - i love you, i love you, i love you. i've never met you, i love you because you exist and we exist together. and isnt that enough for now. just for this moment, i mean. like, if you just close your eyes and breathe - somewhere, across this world, i love you, because you're here with me.
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Kickstarting the Red Team Blues audiobook, which Amazon won't sell (read by Wil Wheaton!)
Red Team Blues is my next novel, a post-cyberpunk anti-finance finance thriller; it’s a major title for my publishers Tor Books and Head of Zeus, and it’s swept the trade press with starred reviews all ‘round. Despite all that, Audible will not sell the audiobook. In fact, Audible won’t sell any of my audiobooks. Instead, I have to independently produce them and sell them through Kickstarter:
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/doctorow/red-team-blues-another-audiobook-that-amazon-wont-sell
If you’d like an essay-formatted version of this post to read or share, here’s a link to it on pluralistic.net, my surveillance-free, ad-free, tracker-free blog:
https://pluralistic.net/2023/03/21/anti-finance-finance-thriller/#marty-hench
Audible is Amazon’s monopoly audiobook platform. It has a death-grip on the audiobook market, commanding more than 90% of genre audiobook sales, and every single one of those audiobooks is sold with Amazon’s DRM on it. That means that you can’t break up with Amazon without throwing away those audiobooks. Under the 1998 Digital Millennium Copyright Act, I can’t give you a tool to convert my own copyrighted audiobooks to a non-Amazon format. Doing so is a felony carrying a five year prison sentence and a $500,000 fine for an act that in no way infringes anyone’s copyright! Indeed, merely infringing copyright is much less illegal than removing Amazon’s mandatory DRM from my own books!
I’ve got amazing publishers who support my crusade against DRM, but they’re not charities. If they can’t sell my audiobooks on the platform that represents 90% of the market, they’re not going to make audio editions at all. Instead, I make my own audiobooks, using brilliant voice actors like Amber Benson and @neil-gaiman, and I sell them everywhere except Audible.
Doing this isn’t cheap: I’m paying for an incredible studio (Skyboat Media), a world-class director (Gabrielle de Cuir), top-notch sound editing and mastering, and, of course, killer narrators. And while indie audiobook platforms like Libro.fm and downpour.com are amazing, the brutal fees extracted by Apple and Google on app sales means that users have to jump through a thousand hoops to shop with indie stores. Most audiobook listeners don’t even know that these stores exist: if a title isn’t available on Audible, they assume no audiobook exists.
That’s where Kickstarter comes in: twice now, I’ve crowdfunded presales of my audiobooks through KS, and these campaigns were astoundingly successful, smashing records and selling thousands of audiobooks. These campaigns didn’t just pay my bills (especially during lockdown, when our household income plunged), but they also showed other authors that it was possible to evade Amazon’s monopoly chokepoint and sell books that aren’t sticky-traps for Audible’s walled garden/prison:
https://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/columns-and-blogs/cory-doctorow/article/90282-we-wrote-a-book-about-why-audible-won-t-sell-our-book-and-snuck-it-onto-audible.html
And today, I’m launching the Kickstarter for Red Team Blues, and even by the standards of my previous efforts, I think this one’s gonna be incredible.
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/doctorow/red-team-blues-another-audiobook-that-amazon-wont-sell
For starters, there’s the narrator: @wilwheaton, whose work on my previous books is outstanding, hands-down my favorite (don’t tell my other narrators! They’re great too!):
https://wilwheaton.net/
Beyond Wil’s narration, there’s the subject matter. The hero of Red Team Blues is a hard-charging forensic accountant who’s untangled every Silicon Valley finance scam since he fell in love with spreadsheets as as a MIT freshman, dropped out, got his CPA ticket, and moved west. Now, at the age of 67, Marty Hench is ready to retire, but a dear old friend — a legendary cryptographer — drags him back for one last job — locating the stolen keys to the backdoor he foolishly hid in a cryptocurrency that’s worth more than a billion dollars.
That’s the starting gun for a “grabby next-Tuesday thriller” that sees Marty in between three-letter agencies and international crime syndicates, all of whom view digital technology as a carrier medium for scams, violence and predation. Marty’s final adventure involves dodgy banks, crooked crypto, and complicit officials in a fallen paradise where computers’ libertory promise has been sucked dry by billionaire vampires.
It’s a pretty contemporary story, in other words.
I wrote this one before SVB, before Sam Bankman0Fried and FTX — just like I wrote Little Brother before Snowden’s revelations. It’s not that I’m prescient — fortune-telling is a fatalist’s delusion — it’s that these phenomena are just the most spectacular, most recent examples in a long string of ghastly and increasingly dire scandals.
Red Team Blues blasted out of my fingertips in six weeks flat, during lockdown, when technology was simultaneously a lifeline, connecting us to one another during our enforced isolation; and a tool of predatory control, as bossware turned our “work from home” into “live at work.”
The last time I wrote a book that quickly, it was Little Brother, and, as with Little Brother, Red Team Blues is a way of working out my own anxieties and hopes for technology on the page, in story.
These books tap into a nerve. I knew I had something special in my hands when, the night after I finished the first draft, I rolled over at 2AM to find my wife sitting up in bed, reading.
“What are you doing?” I asked.
“I had to find out how it ended,” she answered.
The next day, my editor sent me a four-line email:
That.
Was.
A! Fucking! Ride!
Whoa!
Within a week, he’d bought Red Team Blues…and two sequels. I finished writing the second of these on Monday, and all three are coming out in the next 22 months. It’s gonna be a wild ride.
Kickstarter backers can get the usual goodies: DRM-free audiobooks and ebooks, hardcovers (including signed and personalized copies), and three very special, very limited-run goodies.
First, there’s naming rights for characters in the sequels — I’m selling three of these; they’re a form of cheap (or at least, reasonably priced) literary immortality for you or a loved one. The sequels are a lot of fun — they go in reverse chronology, and the next one is The Bezzle, out in Feb 2024, a book about prison-tech scams, crooked LA County Sheriff’s Deputy gangs, and real-estate scumbags turned techbros.
The third book is Picks and Shovels (Jan 2025), and it’s Marty’s first adventure after he comes west to San Francisco and ends up working for the bad guys, an affinity scam PC company called “Three Wise Men” that’s run by a Mormon bishop, a Catholic priest and an orthodox rabbi who fleece their faithful with proprietary, underpowered computers and peripherals, and front for some very bad, very violent money-men.
Next, there’s three Marty Hench short story commissions: the Hench stories are machines for turning opaque finance scams into technothrillers. While finance bros use MEGO (“my eyes glaze over”) as a weapon to bore their marks into submission, I use the same performative complexity as the engines of taut detective stories. Commissioning a Hench story lets you turn your favorite MEGO scam into a science fiction story, which I’ll then shop to fiction websites (every story I’ve written for the past 20 years has sold, though in the event that one of these doesn’t, I’ll put it up under a CC license).
Finally, there’s a super-ultra-limited deluxe hardcover edition — and I do mean limited, just four copies! These leather-bound editions have Will Staehle’s fantastic graphic motif embossed in their covers, and the type design legend John D Berry is laying out the pages so that there’s space for a hidden cavity. Nestled in that cavity is a hand-bound early draft edition of The Bezzle, the sequel to Red Team Blues. The binding is being done by the fantastic book-artist John DeMerritt. Each copy’s endpapers will feature a custom cryptographic puzzle created especially for it by the cryptographer Bruce Schneier.
I often hear from readers who want to thank me for the work I do, from the free podcast I’ve put out since 2006 to the free, CC BY columns I’ve written for Pluralistic for the past three years. There is no better way to thank me than to back this Kickstarter and encourage your friends to do the same:
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/doctorow/red-team-blues-another-audiobook-that-amazon-wont-sell
Preselling a ton of audiobooks, ebooks, and print books is a huge boost to the book on its launch — incomparable, really. Invaluable.
What’s more, helping me find a viable way to produce popular, widely heard audiobooks without submitting to Amazon’s DRM lock-in sets an example for other creators and publishers: we have a hell of a collective action problem to solve, but if we could coordinate a response to Audible demanding the right to decide whether our work should have their DRM, it would force Audible to treat all of us — creators, publishers and listeners — more fairly.
I’ll be heading out on tour to the US, Canada, the UK and Germany once the book is out. I’m really looking forward to as many backers in person as I can! Thank you for your support over these many long years — and for your support on this Kickstarter.
Today (Mar 22), I’m doing a remote talk for the Institute for the Future’s “Changing the Register” series.
[Image ID: A graphic showing a phone playing the Red Team Blues audiobok, along with a quote from Booklist, 'Jam-packed with cutting-edge ideas about cybersecurity and crypto. Another winner from an sf wizard.']
#pluralistic#wil wheaton#drm#chokepoint capitalism#Monopoly#audible#amazon#audiobooks#sf#science fiction#post cyberpunk#cyberpunk#technothrillers#thrillers#heists#cryptocurrency#red team blues#marty hench#kickstarter
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Spirk shippers ahoy!
You're probably already aware of this book, but HOLY SHIT, have you actually read 'The Price of the Phoenix' by Sondra Marshak and Myrna Culbreath???
Rambling review with passages included below (mild spoilers)
I heard this was gay but I really had no idea. This is GAAAAYYYY. A big Strong man has kidnapped and cloned Kirk to use/sell as a punching bag/sex slave and Spock must rescue him with the help of the Romulan Commander from 3x02.
I really love the way the Romulan Commander was portrayed, let me say. She deserved to get to kick some ass after being screwed over in The Enterprise Incident. She gave Kirk and Spock so much grace in this book while maintaining her authority and I loved it!
Now, on to the good stuff:
If you like erotic mind melds, whump, hurt/comfort, and Kirk in skimpy outfits, this book is for you. It's very romantic and almost overtly sexual.
It was suspenseful and enthralling.
At times the writing style could leave something to be desired, but mostly in differentiating between the POV of original Kirk and clone Kirk in one particular fight scene. It gets easier when clone Kirk starts being referred to as James.
Here are some of my favorite passages:
Here, Jim Kirk's body has just been recovered (seemingly)
Oh god my heart
Yes. Kiss him awake, Spock
Spock is Heaven to Jim. Canon.
THIS WHOLE SEXY ASS MIND MELD (during which, Jim is completely naked btw)
Spock is the best man in the Galaxy to Jim
Kirk on his knees for Spock
Jim flirting with Spock psychically and picturing him in a sexy outfit (also calling him his Vulcan)
Eyes only for each other
In conclusion: Get thee to a used bookstore and find a copy.
You can find most Star Trek books on thriftbooks.com
#tos#spirk#star trek#star trek the original series#star trek tos#star trek: tos#star trek: the original series#st tos#kirk/spock#k/s#kirk x spock#star trek books
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hello all, and welcome to your favorite book rec series! :) here are my favorites of the first quarter of 2024. it was, as always, a tough choice, and several 5-star books had to be left out. to see all of my book reviews/follow my reading life, add or follow me on goodreads (and check out my forthcoming novel on goodreads and storygraph while you're at it). I also recommend all kinds of media on my newsletter, which a couple hundred people seem to like!)
with that, here are my top 9 books (in no particular order) of jan-march 2024!
Raja Shehadeh, Palestinian Walks
Dorothy Allison, Bastard Out of Carolina
Megan Milks, Margaret and the Mystery of the Missing Body
Hiromi Goto, Chorus of Mushrooms
Carla Sofia Ferreira, A Geography That Does Not Hurt Us
Sam Sax, A Guide to Undressing Your Monsters
C Pam Zhang, Land of Milk and Honey
Mikhail Bulgakov, The Master and Margarita
Ulrich Jesse K Baer, Deer Black Out [I was lucky to get an ARC of this one; it drops in April!]
tagging people who are or might be interested below - but feel free to do this for yourself and tag me, i read every single one i'm tagged in and update my tbr accordingly! thanks for reading & loving this series as much as i do :3
@heavenlyyshecomes @communicationissues @fluoresensitive @gwenderqueer @capricornpropaganda @discworldwitches @stephen-deadalus @materialisnt @boykeats @growtiredofpublicvulnerability @flameswallower @closet-keys @fatehbaz @trans-axolotl @bioethicists @aldieb @petesdragon @passerea @lesbianlizzybennet @slowtides @felgueirosa @sadhoc @sawasawako @candiedsmokedsalmon @tirragen @punkkwix @feypact @abstractlesbian @crippleprophet and anyone who wants to!
#lots of tags omg but i know i missed some ppl#so please do your own and pretend i tagged you. i tag everyone in my heart#mine#book rec#id in alt text#my description#described
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My Favorite New Manga and Graphic Novels I Read in 2023
It's time to take a look at the comics and manga I read this year! I read a whopping 78 manga and graphic novels in all. Here's a link to my Goodreads year in books (the manga is at the beginning, the novels start with Siren Queen) and my storygraph wrap up.
I also read 36 novels! If you want to see my favorites, check out my reviews here!
And finally, I've got the continuing manga series I've enjoyed this year here, so check that post out too!
The Magic Fish by Trung Le Nguyen
This is a tale about a first-generation Vietnamese-American boy struggling with coming out to his mother. He connects with his mother through fairytales-- she uses them to express her journey as an immigrant, and he uses them to explore his queerness and identity as a Vietnamese kid growing up in America. It's an absolutely gorgeous book full of Trung Le Nguyen's signature stunning art. The fantastical, ethereal fairy tales are weaved beautifully into the lives of the characters. The book explores how fairy tales can form connection, can express culture, can tap deeply into something real and true, and can offer tragedy and catharsis. The protagonist uses fairy tales to write his own story, and the ending is lovely and moving.
Exit Stage Left: The Snagglepuss Chronicles by Mark Russell and Mike Feehan
You may know Mark Russell from his darker, socially aware re-imagining of the Flintstones, which made quite a splash on Tumblr with this post. Well, I had pleasure of meeting him at a local convention, and I finally got his comic re-imagining of Snagglepuss, also of Hanna-Barbera. He re-imagines the titular pink puma as a closeted gay playwright in the 50's dealing with McCarthyism. It's as wild as it sounds,but also really digs into the politics of the time, the struggle of standing against oppression and how art fights through suppression and censorship. It's tragic, hopeful, poignant and full of historical references. I enjoyed it ! Definitely be cautious if you're deeply disturbed by homophobia and suicide.
The Summer Hikaru Died by Mokumokuren
A story about a teenage boy, Yoshiki, who realizes that his best friend and crush Hikaru has died and been replaced by a strange eldritch being who is imitating him. But, missing his loved one and desperate to cling to any piece of him, Yoshiki decides to keep on having a relationship with this mysterious entity. This book's horror is visceral and sublime, especially the bizarre, creepy, beautiful body horror involving the being who replaced Hikaru. It's an exploration of anxieties involving grief, relationships, and sexuality that hits just right, and the atmosphere layered with dread is top notch. I love me some messed up relationships and unknowable queer monsters, and this book delivers.
Chainsaw Man, Look Back and Goodbye Eri by Tatsuki Fujimoto
Chainsaw Man needs no introduction, but I did end up really enjoying the story of the doggy-devil boy hunting other devils. It got so tragic and intense at the end, with lots of great surreal horror imagery and darkly funny moments. I'm impressed it went so hard, though the random powers that kept piling up made what was happening hard to follow at times, especially in fights. I'm also enjoying the current weird arc starring a class-A disaster girl and the demon sharing her body.
Look Back
I really do enjoy how Fuijimoto writes messy pre-teen/teenage girls. They ring so true. The manga follows the fraught friendship between two girls as they create manga, exploring the struggle of art mixing with real relationships, and how someone keeps creating after tragedy. It's a little hard to follow at times (especially since I have to differentiate the leads based on hairstyle), but it's a good read.
Goodbye Eri
Probably my least favorite of the three, but it's a fun read- a weird ride that examines the thin line between fiction and reality in art and makes good use of Fujimoto's cinephile background and signature gaslight gatekeep girlboss characters.
Is Love the Answer? by Uta Isaki
The story follows a teenage girl, Chika, who has always struggled with not being attracted to anyone. When Chika enters college, she meets queer people all across the spectrum of asexuality, and starts exploring her own identity. As an ace, this is the best story about asexuality that I've read. It was a nuanced look at asexuality and queerness and all the variations. Chika's journey and how she found her community was moving and poignant. It's a honest, moving look at relationships and identity, and how complicated and hard to define both of those things can be. I loved the moments of Chika imagining herself as an alien to explore and cope, and how she bonded with people through magical girl shows and other geekery. My favorite new manga of the year, it really connected with me!
The Girl that Can’t Get a Girlfriend by Mieri Hiranishi
Oh girl, I've been there. This is a fun autobiographical comic about a butch4butch lesbian's struggles finding a partner in a word that favors butch/femme, and it's just an honest look at the messiness of loneliness and relationships. I also appreciate that crushing on Haruka in Sailor Moon and becoming a HaruMichi stan was the beginning the author's queer awakening because uh...same! She has taste, and is truly relatable.
Qualia the Purple: The Complete Manga Collection by Hisamitsu Ueo and Shirou Tsunashima
See my review of the light novel here for my general thoughts on the story, since it's adapted pretty faithfully. I do think the manga is overall the best experience though, because the illustrations break up the detailed explanations of quantum mechanics a bit, and it includes a bit of extra content that fleshes things out, especially withthe ending.
The Single Life: 60 year old lesbian who is single and living alone by Akiko Morishima
Just like it says on the tin, this focuses on a 60-year-old single lesbian. And definitely the shortest thing on here, since only one 30 page chapter is out. It's a grounded story about a woman looking back on her journey to finding her identity, touching on sexism in the workplace and other challenges. It paints a portrait of a proudly gay elder who's still perfectly content being single and feels fulfilled by the life she had rather than regretting past relationships. I definitely want to see more.
Daemons of the Shadow Realm by Hiromu Arakawa
Arakawa's latest, the story is about a boy who lives in a small village with his little sister is imprisoned and has to carry out a mysterious duty...but then the village is attacked, supernatural daemons awaken, and everything he knows might be wrong. I'm enjoying this fun romp so far! It delivers an really nice plot twist right out the gate (and an excellent subversion of the usual shonen "must-protect-my-saintly-sister" narratives). It boasts Arakawa's usual fun cast and interesting world (and cool ladies). There's some slight tone and pacing issues in the first part- there's so much time spent explaining mechanics the lead doesn't really get to react to his life turning upside down. But it starts smoothing out by the second volume. I'm excited to see what's next!
Superman: Space Age by Mark Russell and Michael Allred
This is a retelling of Superman set throughout the late fifties to early eighties that has Superman interact with the political and social upheaval of the time and question his own role in things. It explored the Superman mythos through a lot of cool new angles, and has a good Lois (why yes she would break Watergate) which is how I always measure a Superman adaptation. My one complaint is, while I liked some of the things it did with Batman, the ending with the Joker was pretty weak. The ending of the overall comic will also be bizarre for anyone not uses to how weird comics can get, but I think I dug it.
#DRCL by Shin'ichi Sakamoto
A manga retelling of Dracula that focuses on Mina as the protagonist and imagines the characters at an English prep school. It adds a lot of diversity to the characters and has exquisite, evocative art. I'm curious where it will go and what it intends to do with all it's changes (especially Lucy), because right now it's mostly vibes and creepiness and the direction isn't clear.
#year in comics#manga#yuri#the summer hikaru died#the magic fish#chainsaw man#superman#daemons of the shadow realm#drcl midnight children#is love the answer?#superman: space age#goodbye eri#snagglepuss#my reviews#drcl#the girl who can't get a girlfriend#the single life#trung le nguyen#qualia the purple#tatsuki fujimoto#hiromu arakawa
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STAR WARS CONTENT CHECK IN TIME. Primarily focused on The High Republic for now, but if anyone's been reading any of the OT or PT or ST books or Legends books or whatever, please come talk to me about those, too!
MAIN STORYLINE NOVELS - PHASE I:
The High Republic: Light of the Jedi
The High Republic: A Test of Courage
The High Republic: Into the Dark
The High Republic: The Rising Storm
The High Republic: Race To Crashpoint Tower
The High Republic: Out Of The Shadows
The High Republic: Mission to Disaster
The High Republic: The Fallen Star
The High Republic: Midnight Horizon
MAIN STORYLINE NOVELS - PHASE II:
The High Republic: Path of Deceit
The High Republic: Convergence
The High Republic: Quest for the Hidden City
The High Republic: Cataclysm
The High Republic: Quest for Planet X
The High Republic: Path of Vengeance
MAIN STORYLINE NOVELS - PHASE III:
The High Republic: The Eye of Darkness
The High Republic: Escape from Valo
The High Republic: Defy The Storm
MAIN STORYLINE COMICS - PHASE I:
The High Republic (2021) - 15 issues
The High Republic Adventures (2021) - 13 issues
The High Republic: The Monster of Temple Peak - 4 issues
The High Republic: The Edge Of Balance - 2 manga volumes
The High Republic: Trail of Shadows - 5 issues
The High Republic: Eye of the Storm - 2 issues
MAIN STORYLINE COMICS - PHASE II:
The High Republic: The Blade - 4 issues
The High Republic (2022) - 10 issues
The High Republic Adventures (2022) - 8 issues
The High Republic: Edge of Balance: Precedent - 1 manga volume
The High Republic Adventures: The Nameless Terror - 4 issues
MAIN STORYLINE COMICS - PHASE III:
The High Republic: Shadows of Starlight - 4 issues
The High Republic (2023) - 6 issues [ONGOING]
The High Republic Adventures (2023) - 5 issues [ONGOING]
The High Republic - Saber for Hire (2023) - 1 issue [ONGOING]
MAIN STORYLINE AUDIODRAMAS - PHASE I:
The High Republic: Tempest Runner
MAIN STORYLINE AUDIODRAMAS - PHASE II:
The High Republic: The Battle of Jedha
ONESHOT COMIC ISSUES - PHASE I:
Star Wars Adventures (2020) #6 - “The Gaze Electric”
The High Republic Adventures: Free Comic Book Day 2021
The High Republic Adventures Annual 2021
The High Republic Adventures: Galactic Bake-Off Spectacular
Star Wars Adventures (2020) #14 - “A Very Nihil Interlude”
The High Republic Adventures: Free Comic Book Day 2023
ONESHOT COMIC ISSUES - PHASE II:
The High Republic Adventures: Quest of the Jedi
ONESHOT COMIC ISSUES - PHASE III:
The High Republic Adventures: Crash Landing
ANTHOLOGY NOVELS - PHASE I:
Star Wars: The High Republic: Starlight Stories
Life Day Treasury
ANTHOLOGY NOVELS - PHASE II:
Star Wars Insider: The High Republic: Tales of Enlightenment
ANTHOLOGY NOVELS - ALL PHASES:
The High Republic: Tales of Light and Life
EVERYTHING ELSE:
Star Wars: Young Jedi Adventures - 25 episodes
I'm this close to being finished with Phase I and II and being completely ready to start Phase III, be proud of me! I finished three different anthology books and, to be honest, they're not my favorite, they're about the non-Jedi characters primarily, aside from Tales of Light and Life, which had a really good Bell Zettifar story and a really good Rooper Nitani story. Mostly I'm here for the Jedi, I know what I'm about, etc. (Oh, Life Day Treasury was a very quick read but it had a great Stellan story that I am sooooooo eager to pull details out because CORUSCANT HOLIDAY INFO it will be super useful for fic writers!)
SOME BRIEF NON-SPOILERY REVIEWS:
The Eye of Darkness: I'm about an hour into The Eye of Darkness and I'm already loving it, it feels like each book that starts off any give Phase is usually one of my favorites and Mann's writing can sometimes be a little soft for me, but I feel like this one is hitting pretty hard. There was an immediate banger section on the Jedi saying fear is a natural emotion, it's just one they have to learn to master, which I definitely raced to transcribe so I can shove it at everyone who will listen to me, so that bodes well.
Cataclysm: I enjoyed this one so much more than I thought I was going to and I think part of that is that Zoraida Cordova's writing focuses more on romance than I'm interested in. Her Black Spire book (the Batuu tie-in novel) was very focused on the main couple, Convergence was very focused on the Xiri/Phan-tu relationship and leaned heavily on the Axel/Gella flirting and she's a perfectly good writer! Just that her id doesn't match up with mine all that well. Meanwhile, Lydia Kang was writing all this crunchy stuff with Axel and his mother which oooooh that was much more my jam. The plot felt more hard-hitting and continued the characters' story arcs nicely, I felt like it really earn its punch. Honestly, this one felt like it packed more punch for me as an ending for Phase II almost, that's how much I liked the way it felt like it earned its ending with me.
The Edge of Balance: Precendent: I also read the latest manga volume and I think it's my favorite of the series because it felt like it really tied into everything that was happening both in the major battle on Dalna and while Starlight Beacon was falling. The previous volumes are prettier and Lily Tora-Asi is the best fleshed out character from the series, but this one had this tiny little grandma Jedi who was BADASS and I want her and Jocasta to meet up in the Force one day and sit around drinking tea and reminiscing about all the dumbass villains they kicked the ass of while being little old aunties. It also had some very solid backstory for a character that I know will show up in Phase III, making it feel more connected to the main plot, which I liked. It's a very quick read, but thoroughly satisfying, I highly recommend it if you're interested in the Phase II stuff.
Which reminds me, I had a lovely question asked the other day, about how important the comics are to the story, or if it's fine to just read the novels? My answer: Bare minimum, you can totally get away with even just reading the adult novels. It won't be the full experience, but the context they give you will be enough to have a satisfying read, if that's what you're really into. And if you read just the adult novels + YA novels, you'll be really good.
For me, I think the comics are fun, but almost all the Phase I comics are reasonably self-contained and are great additions (Keeve Trennis is a great character and I would recommend The High Republic 2021 series just for her), but aren't directly part of the story. You could probably even skip the audio drama Tempest Runner if you're going to stick to just the novels (it's the story of where Lourna Dee came from and what happens to her after she's caught, but I don't think I'd say it impacts the books' storyline much--it's very good! just not vital to the books' storyline imo), but that changes for me once getting into Phase II.
All the Adventures comics have been really fun, but not vital to understanding the main story, they're sort of off doing their own thing that occasionally intersects with the books, so if you really don't like reading comics, you don't have to. But I do think The High Republic 2022 series (the Phase II one) is really helpful to getting a good feel for the battle that takes place on Jedha and for understanding a lot of the tensions and battles in the story. The audiodrama The Battle of Jedha is pretty vital to the main story as well imo.
Basically, I would say you can skip most of the comics, except The High Republic 2022 and Shadows of Starlight and Edge of Balance: Precedent. The mini-series comics and anthology stories books are fun, the Adventures series are fun, they're really useful if you want to feel a sense of the world being fleshed out and giving a better sense of all those moving parts, plus they generally go pretty quickly, but if you're pressed for time or really don't like reading comics, those can be cut out. I would personally recommend reading them, but I'm trying to be objective about how much time anyone has to devote to a project like this.
I can't speak to much about Phase III, but Shadows of Starlight felt pretty important (maybe not vital, but important) to doing connective tissue work, Tales of Light and Life is important for learning the fate of some of the characters post-Phase I, but as always, this is just one person's opinions and is trying to make this as easy for people as I can.
(Seriously, don't be afraid to read things out of order, I've been doing a ton of that and it's pretty easy to keep track of what goes where. As long as you generally read in order of the novels' progress, you shouldn't have any problems.)
How's everyone else's progress on Star Wars stuff going?
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Two mini reviews for the price of one today! 😊
Sandry’s Book:
It’s been a very, very long time since I last reread this book and it did not disappoint. It was like coming home and snuggling under a warm blanket. There were so many things that I had forgotten! But getting to meet these characters again? It was so much fun! I loved getting reacquainted with all the kids, and somehow at 30-years-old I feel like I connected more with them than I did when I was 12 or 15. I can also see where my love of found family’s came from. I love the way the Pierce wrote the kids because they got to be actual kids and learn and make mistakes and grow into who they’re meant to be. Sandry’s book is getting a solid five stars, both for the nostalgia and for being a fantastic book that really stands the test of time.
Tris’s book:
Tris’s Book has always been one of my favorites in this series. It’s were these kids really get their start as actual mages and dig into their studies more. I love that they have these mentors that are with them every step of the way and are encouraging them in everything that they do. It’s really nice, especially in a YA book where most adults are usually absent. I just really loved being back in this universe and I could gush about it endlessly, but I won’t. This is getting a solid five stars!
Reading Challenge Prompt Fills:
PopSugar 2023: a book you read more than 10 years ago
PopSugar 2023: a book you wish you could read for the first time again
#circle of magic#tamora pierce#booklr#book review#reading#books#read#mini book review#book#bookish#bookworm#lgbtq+ books#queer books#middle grade books#fantasy books#high fantasy books
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hey, not sure if you already made one or like doesn’t wanna do it, but I will ask anyway:)
could you want to recommend some merthur fanfics? because I wanna read some but there are so many to choose from and I just want something good to start with:))
Sorry this took so long, I was on vacation when I got this ask and was exhausted after I got home.
You're in for a treat though! I've been wanting to make a Merthur fic rec list so this was a good motivator to get myself to finally do it :)
The Book of Merthur
Dower the Stars
There Are No Gays in Football
Whereat the Two Swore On the Field of Death a Deathless Love
And Time and the World Are Ever in Flight
Favorite
The Beltane Cycle series
The Court of Avalon
We Begin Again series
Shadowlord and Pirate King
Sorcerer’s Bane
The Crown of the Summer Court
The Student Prince
Coffeeshop Muffins
Tangled Up in Your Bedsheets (and in Your Arms)
Inside the Pendragon Institute
Outside the Pendragon Institute
These aren’t in any particular order and they’re just some of my bookmarked favorites that I actually remember the plot of and really enjoyed reading :)
I wanted to add a review for each one but I just keep putting it off since I have so much I’d like to say for each fic so I’ll just post it and maybe edit it later.
#bbc merlin#merlin#fanfic rec#ao3 fanfic#merlin fanfic#merthur#Arthur pendragon#Merlin emrys#merlin bbc#merlin x arthur#merlin and arthur
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Queer Normal-World in SFF Books
Here are five books where being queer is the norm, aka there is no homophobia or transphobia at all! Not all these books are fluffy though -- most of them have heavy conflicts and a bunch of shit going down, but at least no one has a problem with anyone being gay!
These are my favorite kind of books and I have so, so many recommendations, so let me know if you ever want more of these :) And I can also absolutely do only fluffy queer books, too!
The Genesis of Misery, by Neon Yang
Mx. Yang's books are perfect for this type of prompt. The Genesis of Misery is their most recent, and the premise is absolutely killer. It follows Misery Nomaki (she/they), who is haunted by an apparition of an angel. While she is convinced she is mentally ill like her mother, and that her visions are a symptom, people around her seem more and more certain that she is actually some sort of messiah.
I have my issues with The Genesis of Misery, but it’s a very creative sci-fi that’s worth the read. It includes mecha, interesting depictions of religion, which permeates the entire story, and, of course, excellent queer rep. We have characters who use neo-pronouns, a polyamory situationship and most characters are queer. Not to mention, it’s written by a queer and non-binary author, which is always a plus. It’s part of an on-going series, though, so be prepared to wait a little while for the sequel!
Plus, The Locked Tomb fans might be interested to know that there’s a very cavalier-necromancer dynamic in this, and that Rebecca Roanhorse (who wrote Black Sun) described it as Joan of Arc meets Gideon The Ninth.
Yep. You wanna read it, don’t you?
(Also, if for some reason you’re like: “gee, I really wish there was a black-and-white silent movie with a killer score that touched on these same themes”, then you should probably watch The Passion of Joan of Arc (Carl Theodor Dreyer, 1928). It’s not explicitly gay, but it is queer in my heart. And it rocks.)
The Locked Tomb Series, starting with Gideon The Ninth, by Tasmyn Muir
Since I mentioned it, I guess I might as well include The Locked Tomb in here! This is a Tumblr favorite, and with good reason, because The Locked Tomb fucking rocks. It’s hard to pitch it to someone without ruining the whole point of the series, but the first book follows a necromancer, Harrowhark and her sworn swords-woman, her cavalier, the butch-as-hell Gideon, as they’re summoned to the First House to compete to become Lyctors, the companions of God.
Yeah, I know that’s a lot, and, to be honest, it’s probably not gonna make much sense to you at many points throughout the story, but that’s the point of The Locked Tomb - everything is confusing, and it’s about sapphics in space!
The thing about this series is they’re the most unique books you’ll ever read. Every volume has a different approach to telling its story. There’s so many mysteries and it’s almost impossible to understand all the intricacies without sitting down and doing some work. The magic system is also the wonkiest, coolest thing - it involves eating people, sometimes, y’know. And, I promise, you’ll love every single second of it. Especially because there’s absolutely no homophobia or transphobia in any of it, and almost every character is queer as fuck - especially after the second book, when gender starts getting a little funky!
Winter’s Orbit, by Everina Maxwell
I love this book so much, and so know that it comes highly, highly recommended! I have a whole five star review on it you can check out here. (Do check trigger warnings, though! You should always, but especially for this one. I didn’t and they really got me!).
Winter’s Orbit features my absolutely favorite trope - queer arranged marriage. (Nothing better - those three words and you know it’s gonna be a queer normal world, have some politics and probably be really fucking sweet.) This one is probably one of only ones out of this list where the romance is very predominant and serves as an important B plot. It’s also a standalone, but has a companion book in the same universe, called Ocean’s Echo, which rocks, too!
This one follows Jainan, a recent widower who is rushed into an arranged marriage with Prince Kiem in order to keep the alliance between their homelands intact. Together, they must navigate court intrigue I’m trying my best not to spoil and investigate Jainan’s ex-husband’s death, which might not have been an accident, after all...
In this sci-fi fantasy world, being queer is completely normal, and their system when it comes to gender is absolutely fascinating. People will wear little gender signifiers, like a wodden token for female, for instance, so that others know how to refer to them. It’s super cool to see these kind of things incorporated into the world-building, and it’s something you really only get when queer authors are behind the helm.
(Also, this was originally written online, and it was actually picked up and traditionally published! Which is so cool! Queer fics becoming traditionally published books is so rare, it’s so nice to see it actually happen!)
The Teixcalaan Series, starting with A Memory Called Empire, by Arkady Martine
This is another one of my favorites! I read it last year and it blew me away - so much so that I’ve been itching to re-read it ever since I finished the second book.
The Teixcalaan Series is a political sci-fi duology focusing on the themes of language, empire and cultural domination through imperialism. It’s amazing, and I wrote about it in a full-length review, here, if you wanna take a look!
It follows Mahit Dzamare, from the tiny Lsel Station, who becomes the ambassador to the huge Teixcalaan Empire, whose culture she’s been in love with for ages. The problem? Something happened to the Lsel ambassador, and the Empire’s control over the Station has been growing ever bigger. To make matters worse, Mahit’s imago machine - the cerebral implant full of her predecessors memories and experiences - doesn’t seem to be working properly, leaving her with a ghost of her predecessor inside of her head...
With all the problems the Teixcalaan Empire has, it’s not homophobic or transphobic, which is a plus for us gays who want to read in peace. Mahit has a charged relationship with her cultural liason, Three Seagrass (yes, that’s her name; yes, there’s an in-world explanation; no, I won’t tell you what it is, you’ll have to read it and find out), not to mention all the hijinks she finds out her predecessor was up to. And none of it needs to be justified or explained at all - people are just gay, and that’s fine!
On A Sunbeam, by Tillie Walden
This graphic novel has a stunning art style, and, listen closely sapphics, absolutely no men at all. Yep. Literally there’s only women and non-binary people in this comic!
And guess what? It’s available to read for free, here. Thank you, Ms. Walden!
Here, romance is also an important plot point. On A Sunbeam follows Mia, who starts working for a crew of repair-people who rebuild broken down structures. In another timeline, we flashback to her experiences at her boarding school, and to her relationship with a new student.
What’s most unique about On A Sunbeam - apart from the fact that there are no men at all - is it’s unique version of outer space. It’s almost historical, with huge sprawling marble structures decaying, surronded by trees. The ships are shaped like huge fish. You can feel the whimsy in your bones from the colors and the art style that Ms. Walden uses, here.
This standalone is definitely worth a read. And if you like it, you should definitely check out the rest of Ms. Walden’s work - it’s all as beautiful as this is, if not more. Her The End of Summer was one of my favorite reads, last year.
That’s all I’ve got, guys, but lemme know if you want more of these - I have so many, I can definitely recommend you more! Drop me an ask if you have specifications, too - I’m always happy to do some digging :)
#booklr#book recommendations#book recs#queer books#sapphic books#lgbtq books#book review#queer sff#sff books#the locked tomb#the genesis of misery#neon yang#gideon the ninth#winters orbit#a memory called empire#teixcalaan#on a sunbeam#tillie walden
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Book Review 43 - Even Though I Knew The End by C. L. Polk
Oh this was fun. Never would have heard of it if it hadn’t been nominated for a Hugo, and devoured it in the course of a computer-less Sunday afternoon. It wasn’t exactly reaching for the stars, but it knew what it was about and it executed it well; there’s a real virtue to that. Also I adore slightly cheesy but self-serious noir and the early 20th century really is the ideal setting for classical urban fantasy.
The story follows Helen, a private investigator and warlock in 1930s Chicago. Ten years prior to the story, she sold her soul to a demon to resurrect her younger brother from a car crash that would have otherwise killed her entire family – for her trouble, she was cast out from the magical brotherhood training her as a mystic and forced to make a living as a cut-rate diviner and gumshoe in Chicago. The plot kicks off three days before the deal comes due and her soul’s forfeit, and she takes one last consulting job to add a bit more to the nest egg she’ll be leaving for her girlfriend Edith when she’s torn from the mortal coil. And then, of course, she finds out that a) her employer is a demon, b) the case she’s consulting on is someone ritually murdering other poor souls who’ve made deals, days before they come due, and c) if she solves it she’ll get her soul back, along with enough money to make to San Francisco with Edith and start a new life free and clear.
So this is not a book that sets out to surprise the reader. The storytelling is efficient and the foreshadowing is reasonably honest – you can guess just about every twist well ahead of time with even the slightest bit of effort. I’d say the book isn’t trying to break any new ground, but actually it’s the only example I can think off hand of this sort of genre emulation period piece that both has a queer protagonist and doesn’t either elide or edit out the homophobia of the their environment, so there is that. Anyway, ‘genre emulation’ is the right term I think – snappy, tightly written noir plot that doesn’t outlast its welcome (this was absolutely a novella-sized story).
I really don’t know the author or their work well enough to know how intentional it is, but the ending very much felt like a comment on the whole Bury Your Gays/Tragic Lesbian trope. Essentially, Edith gets herself heroically sacrificed saving Helen’s life in the climactic showdown. Then, once the dust has settled and Marlow (her demonic client) has given Helen her soul back she…immediately sells it again to bring her back. Better ten years of Californian bliss with her true love then an eternity in heaven (and besides, that brother she’d saved the first time had just killed an angel, so someone’s going to need to keep him company in hell). The book’s title is in no way subtle or metaphorical, it is a line of the protagonist’s internal monologue.
The story’s universe is a folk-Christian one, and it is absolutely imperative that when reading it you don’t poke at the underlying metaphysics at all. Angels and demons are real and magicians are the distant descendants of Nephilim and some of the Grigori still haunt the earth, and we have it on good authority that God doesn’t actually care about being gay and everyone seems very frightened of the idea of summoning the Archangel Michael to earth, but start asking any followup questions about angels and world events during the Roosevelt Administration and you’re ruin the story for yourself. Just don’t worry about it.
As a final note, I really did love Marlowe – or properly, she’s one of my favorite types of demons in these sorts of stories. Epitome of high class beauty, lives in a palatial penthouse waited upon handed and foot by layers of servants, eats the best food and wears the best clothes and has the best lovers, even a generous employer and creditor as long as you do what she wants and give her what she’s owed. The sort of demon who seems like falling out of heaven was worth it, and one you can imagine actually convincing someone to sell their soul. She’s fun!
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What are your top picks for your favorite Good Omens fanfics? 👀
-AnnTickwittee
Oh my dear AnnTickwittee, THANK YOU for this ask. There are a bunch of great ones out there but here are some I've loved recently! Also, everyone PLEASE feel free to leave more recs in comments or reblogs or tags! I LOVE a good fic!
Weirdly, most of my faves were written before S2 premiered - PLEASE recommend me some good S2 stuff, and ones you'd consider staples in the GO fandom - I've missed out on a LOT of great content - help me find it/catch up! (Note: All fics listed below are COMPLETE and feature happy endings.)
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1. The Rose and the Serpent by @brightwanderer | Rating: M | Status: Complete | Chapters: 12 | Word Count: 55,795 | Published: 2020-05-31 | Completed: 2020-08-15
Summary: AU, retelling of “Beauty and the Beast”. Quite honestly, sending Aziraphale off into the forest to be held hostage by a giant snake in a cursed castle isn’t even the worst thing Gabriel’s ever done to him, and at least it means a change of scene. But then neither the snake nor the castle turn out to be quite what he’s expecting…
My Review: Fave fave FAVE at the moment! I discovered this one from this tiktok, fully thinking it was going to be a silly little romp and was instead met with beautiful prose, adorable banter, and moments that literally made me go "AWW" out loud (which I NEVER do). I meant to read a few chapters per night before bed and then accidentally read the whole thing in one go. I stayed up until 4am reading and then woke up 4 hours later STILL thinking about it. Aziraphale is the perfect lead in this one, with Crowley as the wily yet lovable snake that lives in a cursed/enchanted castle with some familiar faces. CLASSIC pining ensues. The author does a great job of world building and character development and I find myself wishing I could read it again with fresh eyes. It's beautiful and adorable and I can't recommend it enough. Favorite quote: "'I love him,' he said. 'Let me in.' And the gates swung open before him."
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2. a lighthouse (burning) by @books-and-omens | Rating: M | Status: Complete | Chapters: 12 | Word Count: 108,477 | Published: 2022-03-26 | Completed: 2023-06-13
Summary: In good weather, one can see the lighthouse at the Rock from the shore: a dot on the horizon, a distant star flashing red and white and red again. It’s been dark for a fortnight, of course—ever since the incident that every newspaper had breathlessly written about, that the paper-boys on the corners had shouted themselves hoarse over. This is where Aziraphale is headed: it is his duty, after all, to find out what happened, to make sure that the beacon can be safely lit once again. He does not expect Crowley to follow him to the windswept isle, to the lonely lighthouse at what could just as well be the edge of the world. Crowley follows him anyway.
My Review: THIS ONE! This one is a good old fashioned mystery! The humans believe this lighthouse is haunted, especially since its last three keepers vanished without a trace, but Aziraphale and Crowley know that can't possibly be the case. As such, they decide to investigate for themselves. It's an adorable slow burn period piece that had me weeping at certain points with twists and turns abound, and I really liked how the author handled the mystery and lore! Deep lore is tough to do convincingly and I found myself believing everything the author said. I can't tell you how thrilled I was when I KIND OF clocked what the author was going for with their mystery. Their explanation for everything was far better than anything my monkey brain could have come up with. Also that S2 ep of OFMD that featured a lighthouse in the beginning came out after I read this fic and I got all giddy thinking about Aziracrow here. I literally don't think I'll ever see a lighthouse again and not think of this gorgeous fic. EDIT: Also, here's a YouTube video that appeared in my recommended shortly after I read this. It's super interesting that disappearances like this have happened in real life 😱
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3. If We've Got Nothing (We've Got Us) by @kedreeva | Rating: G | Status: Complete | Chapters: 4 | Word Count: 19,897 | Published: 2019-06-17 | Completed: 2020-03-02
Summary: Two months after the failed apocalypse Aziraphale finds the first dark feather growing in his wings. A story about middle grounds, ineffable plans, and what happens when the world doesn't end.
My Review: Another fic I found on Tiktok. The edit itself was so gorgeous I decided to give it a go and was not disappointed. It was written before S2 was even announced so it takes some liberties with fanon (Crowley was Raphael in the canon of this world, etc), but it's a lovely, relatively quick read. Crowley and Aziraphale are on their own side, finally, and soon, others join their ranks. All while God watches from afar. The prose is beautiful and I come back to the tiktok all the time (I saved it onto my phone lol). It was also fun to go back and rewatch the tiktok after reading and realize that the editor stitched together parts from each chapter into something new and amazing. It's not a romantic fic, not in the way the others are; it cares more about the aftermath of an apocalypse and shades of gray and how the universe came to be in the first place. I love the POV of God reminiscing on creation and thought it was very well written. Absolutely loved this one! (@anntickwittee, this was the fic I was referring to in the tags of this post, which is probably what prompted you to leave this ask in the first place! 😊)
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4. All That's Best of Dark and Bright by @hope-inthedark | Rating: T | Status: Complete | Chapters: 1 | Word Count: 5,648 | Published: 2020-06-22
Summary: When Crowley drops a bomb on a church, Aziraphale falls in love with him. This should be a secret, but unfortunately, Aziraphale's never been much good at keeping them.
My Review: A one-shot expanding on the 1941 minisode (2019) BEFORE the S2 minisode canonically expanded on it. Recap: Aziraphale's just realized he's in love with Crowley (thank you Michael Sheen for that AMAZING acting choice) and this fic is the author's interpretation of what might have happened after the show cut away from the burning church. I was floored by how many parallels made it from this fic into the actual show both directly and indirectly (Aziraphale says "Not as such" at one point and I'm pretty sure I burst into tears and/or yelped loudly). It's got a good bit of angst to it, the same kind from S2 that makes you scream "WHAT ARE YOU DOING! HE'S RIGHT THERE!" with a happy ending that helped heal my shattered heart. I definitely cried reading this one (affectionate). It's extremely fluffy at the end which EYE LOVE, so if that's your thing, I highly recommend! Favorite Quote: "'I’m afraid I’m quite terribly in love with you,' Aziraphale said unceremoniously. Crowley, who had been in the process of sitting up, promptly fell off the sofa."
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5. the two shepherds of uruk by lupinely | Rating: E | Status: Complete | Chapters: 1 | Word Count: 24,963 | Published: 2023-10-09
Summary: After Aziraphale goes back to Heaven with the Metatron, Crowley reflects. And 4,400 years ago in 2407 BC, in the city of Uruk in ancient Sumer, he and Aziraphale fall in love with humanity, and each other. - “What are you doing here?” asked Aziraphale. Crowley lifted an eyebrow and felt himself start to smile. “I should ask you the same. What are you thinking, coming here with your wings out and the blessed light of Heaven raining down upon you? You’re scaring the mortals.” Aziraphale blushed. Crowley dutifully looked away. It felt disrespectful not to.
My Review: This one-shot is a love letter to history and humanity. I think I found it on twitter? Unfortunately I don't have a link to the tweet or the author's tumblr. What I really love about this one is that the author adds footnotes like the original Good Omens book does. You can absolutely feel the love and care that went into writing and researching for this particular fic, which I can really appreciate as a fellow writer. (For all my Bildad the Shuhite stans out there, this story takes place after, but the vibes are VERY SIMILAR. If you even care.) Crowley and Aziraphale are in Uruk to keep an eye on the humans as they try to build a structure tall enough to reach God (the Tower of Babel). Theoretically, they can both return to their respective sides, but opt to stay on earth (with each other) for 10 years to watch the construction unfold. Pining ensues, NSFW ensues, and as the author puts it, "now featuring Aziraphale as a little country girl tending her sheep ♥" I highly recommend if you want to be sucked into another time period/biblical story and feel MANY different feelings (with a happy ending!)
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I have more bookmarked that I could absolutely recommend if anyone is interested, but these 5 are just the ones that have stuck out to me the most recently!! Believe me, I could go ON, but this post is long enough for now.
If you DO read any of these, please chat with me about them, I'd love to hear your thoughts! Happy reading!
#i've been WAITING to make something like this#thank you SO MUCH#my blog isn't OFFICIALLY a good omens account but I've wanted to post fic recs for such a long time#please please PLEASE send me fic recs if you have them!#i've got a fever and the only prescription is more good omens fics#anntickwittee#thanks for the ask!#good omens#fic rec#good omens fic rec#crowley#aziraphale#ineffable husbands#aziracrow#anonymous#answered#mine#emma blabs#long post#ao3#archive of our own#great show#love them#:)#you ever wish you were more articulate#you ever wish you could convey to someone else how badly you need them to consume this particular piece of media#and feel the exact same things that you did#and then maybe they could help articulate the wistful longing you're filled with after consuming that particular piece of media#yeah#that
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Book Review: The Narrow Road Between Desires by Patrick Rothfuss
I'm not gonna lie, I was worried I would not enjoy this book. I read The Lighting Tree about 7 or so years ago and never revisited it as it left a bad taste in my mouth and made me dislike Bast. So even though this was an updated and expanded version, I was very worried. Nevertheless, I knew I would regret not buying this book and I am so glad I did.
This was pretty fun. And one of my main concerns was updated in this version (I think). That was the lack of consent and the aspect of voyeurism by Bast specifically. From what I recall, there was no specific addressing consent of Emberlee in The Lighting Tree and Rothfuss does directly address it here. It still feels very male gaze-y but there was more awareness around the subject, so it did not greatly impact my enjoyment.
I was over the moon at Bast being confirmed as bisexual (and polyamorous???) as well as the inclusion of trans people in Temerent. They were small moments but they felt very significant, considering current events.
The chapter art was amazing, although I found the full pages to be less my style. They were by no means bad but do not bring me the joy the art from Slow Regard does.
As always, I'm sure this will serve rereading well as there are a lot of details I am sure I missed. I also am curious to reread the original and see what was changed. . .. And Pat's writing is so intricate and beautiful that I always love seeing what callbacks I can find to other moments.
My favorite part, however, was the second to last scene when Bast and Rike are talking. It was really beautiful to me, a call back to the start of the story and to the end of The Name of the Wind. I teared up and thought it was thoughtful and lovely and powerful.
This is absolutely worth picking up if you are a fan of the series, especially if you are a fan of Bast. 4/5 stars for me and I had a blast reading this! I liked Bast a lot more after this updated story!
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Reviewing all Rise Of The Guardians related media
I found as much media in this franchise that I could (I know there’s some more that aren’t available anymore, like the apps) and I’m here to give my opinion on all of them. Even if I gave something a low rating, I still love and cherish it as a part of my collection!
There’s four sections: movie tie-in books, online comics, Guardians Of Childhood, and miscellaneous pieces of media I can’t sort easily
Movie tie-in books
The Art Of Rise Of The Guardians
Setting - 4 stars
Plot - 3 stars
Engagement - 5 stars
Characters - 5 stars
Style - 5 stars
Enjoyment - 5 stars
Overall rating - 5 stars
Recommendation - 5 stars
I love the concept art book so much. I find it very interesting to see how movies are made, especially animated ones. All of the different details and story elements and decisions are so cool. I had to do a double take on them calling Jack a 'hunk' that's so funny. And the art is just so gorgeous!
Guide To The Guardians
Setting - 3 stars
Plot - 2.5 stars
Engagement - 4.5 stars
Characters - 5 stars
Style - 3.5 stars
Enjoyment - 5 stars
Overall rating - 3.5 stars
Recommendation - 4 stars
I love fun facts so much! Each guardian gets a section w/ information, and an activity to do. I really like it! It's my second favorite of the movie-tie in books! Has trading cards with even more fun facts! (I found high quality pictures of the cards from GoldenDragon on DeviantArt, if you wanna take a peek at them.)
Hidden Truths and Other Stories
Setting - 3.5 stars
Plot - 5 stars
Engagement - 5 stars
Characters - 5 stars
Style - 4.5 stars
Enjoyment - 5 stars
Overall rating - 5 stars
Recommendation - 5 stars
It has two original stories:
Monty and Jamie discussing their experiences with the Guardians before the events of the movie
How the elves came to work for North!
Getting something from this world that I haven't seen before was so fun and exciting! My favorite of the movie tie-in books!
Hidden Truths:
The story of Jamie and Monty is really cute. Jamie keeps a book to keep track of the magical things that he sees. Monty shares a time when he was at a boys scout camp and got attacked by a stray dog, only to see ice appear out of nowhere.
With Friends Like These:
The elves are funny, and North and the yetis reaction to them is hilarious. They help North, and he decides to let them stay.
Worlds Of Wonder
Setting - 2.5 stars
Plot - 1.5 stars
Engagement - 4 stars
Characters - 3 stars
Style - 3.5 stars
Enjoyment - 4 stars
Overall rating - 3.5 stars
Recommendation - 3 stars
I actually really like this. The play-set is cute and the little booklet gives some information about all the characters. It's something that I would've adored as a kid. It’s got a mixed rating bc it’s a pop-up play-set with mini paper cutouts of the characters, not a story. It’s a bit hard to rate with all the others.
Rise Of The Guardians: Movie Novelization
Setting - 3.5 stars
Plot - 3 stars
Engagement - 3.5 stars
Characters - 4 stars
Style - 3 stars
Enjoyment - 3 stars
Overall rating - 3.5 stars
Recommendation - 3.5 stars
It's not as well written as I hoped it would've been, but it isn't a terrible read. Overall, I like it, but it does change, add, and exclude lines that were in the movie. Some changes I like, some I don't. It's not bad, not good.
Just meh. If you're a fan of rotg, you'll enjoy it well enough.
Jamie To The Rescue!
Setting - 3 stars
Plot - 3.5 stars
Engagement - 3 stars
Characters - 3 stars
Style - 3.5 stars
Enjoyment - 3 stars
Overall rating - 3 stars
Recommendation - 3 stars
It's a cute illustrated version of Jamie's view of the events of the movie. It’s a picture book for children, I can’t really enjoy this in the way it was intended to be read, because I’m not a kid. I like it, but it's not my favorite by a long shot.
The Story Of Jack Frost
Setting - 3 stars
Plot - 3.5 stars
Engagement - 3 stars
Characters - 3 stars
Style - 3.5 stars
Enjoyment - 3 stars
Overall rating - 3 stars
Recommendation - 3 stars
It's another cute illustrated version of Jack's view of the events of the movie. I like it, but it's in the same category as Jamie To The Rescue! in terms of kid books that an adult is reading.
Rise of the Guardians: A Deluxe Pop-Up Book
Setting - 4.5 stars
Plot - 3 stars
Engagement - 3.5 stars
Characters - 3 stars
Style - 2.5 stars
Enjoyment - 3 stars
Overall rating - 3 stars
Recommendation - 3 stars
It's fun to see the events of the movie in an interactive book! But some of the art is... just not very good? It's fine for the most part, but then Jack's eyes are suddenly in two different places and the characters look uncanny. Overall, I like it but the art leaves much to be desired.
Made In The North Pole
Setting - 2.5 stars
Plot - 2 stars
Engagement - 3 stars
Characters - 3 stars
Style - 2.5 stars
Enjoyment - 2.5 stars
Overall rating - 2.5 stars
Recommendation - 2 stars
It's fun, but it's just screenshots from the movie and pngs with related text
Not a lot of effort was put into this as other books and it shows. It's cute tho, definitely a kids book meant for children.
Rise Of The Guardians: Mix & Match
Setting - 2 stars
Plot - 2 stars
Engagement - 3 stars
Characters - 3 stars
Style - 4 stars
Enjoyment - 2 stars
Overall rating - 2.5 stars
Recommendation - 2.5 stars
Not my favorite but I can recognize that I am not the target audience for this kids book. Probably my least favorite personality. It would be fun for a kid though, the interactive element is good but overall it's not the best. It's just not for me.
Online comics
Learning To Fly
Setting - 4.5 stars
Plot - 5 stars
Engagement - 5 stars
Characters - 5 stars
Style - 5 stars
Enjoyment - 5 stars
Overall rating - 5 stars
Recommendation - 5 stars
I like how he sees how the world works and learns from it. It shows how smart he actually is, and how much he had to learn in those 300 years. I also really like the panel where he is looking up at the birds. Very cool. Just Jack flying with a flock of birds is really cool.
Spring 1968
Setting - 4 stars
Plot - 4.5 stars
Engagement - 5 stars
Characters - 5 stars
Style - 5 stars
Enjoyment - 5 stars
Overall rating - 5 stars
Recommendation - 5 stars
This art is just GORGEOUS. Short and sweet, although I do wish we got to see more about the blizzard of '68. You just know Jack is laughing in the background somewhere. I seriously cannot get over how pretty this comic is. I want this art tattooed on my SOUL
Cat Nap
Setting - 4 stars
Plot - 5 stars
Engagement - 5 stars
Characters - 5 stars
Style - 5 stars
Enjoyment - 5 stars
Overall rating - 5 stars
Recommendation - 5 stars
This is so adorable I can't even. Sandy's attempts to entertain the cat and the cat just not having it. Short and sweet and it's Sandy and a cat. What's not there to love?
The art is gorgeous. So cute!
Winter Spirit
Setting - 3.5 stars
Plot - 5 stars
Engagement - 5 stars
Characters - 5 stars
Style - 5 stars
Enjoyment - 5 stars
Overall rating - 5 stars
Recommendation - 5 stars
Jack making snowmen for a group of kids. Adorable. Also, new Jack outfit besides his colonial one and modern one. I love how the snowmen glow with Jack's magic it's such a cool detail. Jack making things fun for a group of bored kids is so on brand. Very cute and fun!
Pitch Black
Setting - 5 stars
Plot - 5 stars
Engagement - 5 stars
Characters - 5 stars
Style - 5 stars
Enjoyment - 5 stars
Overall rating - 5 stars
Recommendation - 5 stars
Pitch gets offered to be a Guardian, but he refuses and takes offense to it. It's so interesting to see Pitch being more friendly to the Guardians, especially because this is the moment that started their fight. I love the different lore here. The books by William Joyce would've never had this happen. (Also ties in super well with Johane Matte's unofficial comics. I recommend reading those as well. This is her tumblr and this her deviantart)
Guardians of Childhood
The Man In The Moon
Setting - 4 stars
Plot - 4 stars
Engagement - 4 stars
Characters - 4 stars
Style - 5 stars
Enjoyment - 4 stars
Overall rating - 4 stars
Recommendation - 4 stars
Very cute. The drawings are amazing. The story is obviously simple, but it's a bit awkward trying to fit Pitch and the lore in there when the story is mostly about MiM making a smile on the moon’s surface and balloons.
The Sandman
Setting - 4 stars
Plot - 4 stars
Engagement - 4 stars
Characters - 4.5 stars
Style - 5 stars
Enjoyment - 4 stars
Overall rating - 4 stars
Recommendation - 4 stars
Different from the novels, but still good. Very cute, and the art is gorgeous. Golden Age/Pitch stuff was less sudden and awkward.
Jack Frost
Setting - 4 stars
Plot - 4 stars
Engagement - 4 stars
Characters - 4 stars
Style - 5 stars
Enjoyment - 4 stars
Overall rating - 4 stars
Recommendation - 4 stars
Very cute! Pretty art. Less confusion about the Pitch/Golden Age stuff, mostly because it was at the beginning as set up rather than just shoved in the middle as a long paragraph on one page.
Nicholas St. North And The Battle Of The Nightmare King
Setting - 4.5 stars
Plot - 5 stars
Engagement - 3 stars
Characters - 5 stars
Style - 3.5 stars
Enjoyment - 3 stars
Overall rating - 4 stars
Recommendation - 4 stars
Cute, whimsical. We see the very beginning of the Guardians- hints at Santa and Mother Goose. Start of the relics, the macguffins of the series (more on that later.)
E. Aster Bunnymund And The Warrior Eggs At The Earth's Core!
Setting - 4.5 stars
Plot - 5 stars
Engagement - 3.5 stars
Characters - 5 stars
Style - 3.5 stars
Enjoyment - 3.5 stars
Overall rating - 4 stars
Recommendation - 4 stars
I liked this book more than the first one. We set up Emily Jane, we get more characters, and the world is expanded on. I liked how Bunny is a dork, how Pitch's weapons absorb light, how Pitch touching Nightlight turned his hand human. I do wish there was more on Bunny's negative feelings towards Pitch, seeing as he did kill Bunny's people, rather than Bunny not really caring at all.
Toothiana Queen Of The Tooth Fairy Armies
Setting - 4.5 stars
Plot - 5 stars
Engagement - 3.5 stars
Characters - 4.5 stars
Style - 3 stars
Enjoyment - 3 stars
Overall rating - 4 stars
Recommendation - 4 stars
I wish we had more on Tooth's character. I love her so much. This book frustrates me because all of the other Guardians’ homes get exact locations, but Tooth's is just "Asia." Like where? Tooth's home is only implied, and it sucks. Plus, she's the only POC in this cast, and she's a bird. The book itself was okay (ignoring the orientalism). I liked some of Tooth's backstory and the build up to meeting Emily Jane.
The Sandman And The War Of Dreams
Setting - 4.5 stars
Plot - 5 stars
Engagement - 4.5 stars
Characters - 5 stars
Style - 4.5 stars
Enjoyment - 5 stars
Overall rating - 4.5 stars
Recommendation - 4.5 stars
I liked the full backstories and the pay off for Emily Jane, Nightlight, and the relics. It feels tied with the previous books. I don't like how rushed Sandy's parts are. Also the kiss thing is just weird. I love Emily Jane's character, wish we got more of her as Mother Nature. I liked how Sandy got blisters from the nightmare shield, it's reminiscent of his death in the movie. I liked it. Favorite book in the GOC series.
Jack Frost The End Becomes The Beginning
Setting - 4 stars
Plot - 3 stars
Engagement - 3.5 stars
Characters - 3 stars
Style - 3 stars
Enjoyment - 3 stars
Overall rating - 3.5 stars
Recommendation - 3.5 stars
This book is a WILD ride. But definitely a better read if you aren't expecting it to be like the movie at all. The ending was good. I liked Shadowbent. It's inconsistent with the other books, it retcons a bunch of things. Like the relics. They aren’t important anymore just because. This book has unnecessary details and tangents that could be cut out (or even just shown, rather than told) because they do not add anything to the story. Joyce should stop using real historical figures in this book. Jack's staff is alive, btw. I'm still not over that. Or that Tumblr sexyman Jack Frost, Elsa's boyfriend or whatever, is besties with Winston Churchill (????????????????)
Miscellaneous pieces of media I can’t sort easily
Rise Of The Guardians: The Video Game (3DS version)
Setting - 3.5 stars
Plot - 3.5 stars
Engagement - 3 stars
Characters - 2.5 stars
Style - 3 stars
Enjoyment - 3.5 stars
Overall rating - 3.5 stars
Recommendation - 3.5 stars
I'm gonna be completely honest here: this game is a low effort cash grab. It’s a movie video game, my expectations are low and it met them. It's enjoyable if you like beating things up, but the gameplay gets repetitive quickly. I liked it well enough played it twice even but I wouldn't say it's the best. The game looks much better (better graphics, gameplay, voice acting, and multiplayer) on Wii/PS3/Xbox 360, I just don't have those consoles.
The Man in The Moon (2005 short film)
Setting - 3.5 stars
Plot - 4 stars
Engagement - 3 stars
Characters - 3 stars
Style - 3.5 stars
Enjoyment - 3 stars
Overall rating - 3.5 stars
Recommendation - 3.5 stars
The art style is a 3D version of William Joyce's art style (which is fine but gives me Coraline book cover vibes.) The bowler hat is apparently the boogeyman's, which is hilarious (because Joyce wrote the book that became Meet The Robinsons.) VERY early concept of this universe, used to pitch the idea to Dreamworks. It's funny how the core concept is there, but how different it is to both the movie and the books. It's alright, I do find it more interesting than entertaining, because of how much the concept changed. Can't have William Joyce without the robots.
#rise of the guardians#rotg#jack frost#pitch black#sanderson mansnoozie#e. aster bunnymund#toothiana#nicholas st. north#guardians of childhood#Goc#rotgoc#william joyce#Peter Ramsey#Johane matte
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tuesdaypost year in review
this year brought to you by viewers like you. thank you! i still do not know how to thank everyone for their incredible generosity during the Late July/Early August Moving Catastrophe Badtimes and im still feelin some kinda way about it. thank you.
took eight weeks completely off, more than any other year so far
overnight traveled for work for the first time
moved cross country with Mack to face dangers untold and hardships unnumbered
bought an actual for-real couch and not a futon
got Phil
(unrelated to Phil) i got spayed after almost ten years of begging and pleading various medical professionals, (also unrelated) got covid and RSV back to back
listening
fallow weeks: 8. i almost always have a tuesdaysong bc i am almost always listening to something. all of the tuesdaysongs are here:
particular favorites were Peel Me A Grape (Anita O’Day), top spotify song of the year Yeah Yeah Yeah (Blood Orchid), Yeah Yeah Yeah’s Wolf remixed by Sextile, Father Finlee (Spence Hood), A Minha Menina (Os Mutantes).
the very last tuesdaysong of the year is Sugar Rum Cherry by Duke Ellington, one of the few christmas songs i tolerate.
special shoutout to the austin underscore walker universe of podcasts, bc i mainlined A More Civilized Age (clone wars/star wars rewatch) while packing, and devoured P/alisade (the newest scifi season of F/riends at the Table) this month.
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reading
fallow weeks: 11. pleased that i am killing the invisible rules in my head and including more articles instead of feeling guilty about Not Reading A Real Book!!! every week when i sit down to write the tuesdaypost. read a fuckton earlier this year bc i was procrastinating moving prep, have not read much since i moved.
article sources:
inoreader (the best free RSS feed/app imo)
The Markup (gold standard usage of data to show how various technologies are being used to harm the public good: you may have heard of the recent American bills to equalize internet service and fix organ donation grift. that was them)
Web 3 Is Going Just Great (crypto disasters)
404 Media (technology reporting, internet culture, also break a lot of data/legal/privacy scandals)
Remap (formerly Vice's video games division Waypoint, more active on podcasts and twitch but do have great personal essays about gaming longreads)
Retraction Watch (an important academic service but platformed a particularly virulent transphobe and let the comments devolve into a free for all. yes im still mad about this)
Krebs on Security (~once a month extremely long and thoughtful infosec writeups)
Data Colada (cover academic data whoopsies, currently being sued for their journalism)
the two authors i spent the most time with this year were Alexis Hall (romance novels and novellas) and Raymond Chandler's noir detective novels. i read 90% of Raymond Chandler's work in march and went insane about yet another sad bisexual man. Philip Marlowe the cat is named after his pet detective, the human Philip Marlowe.
march was kind of a banger for this category bc in one of what i consider the best tuesdayposts this year, i tried to break down why i fucking hated Frank Miller's Sin City comics so much.
other comics, but ones i loved: Spy X Family, Berserk, weird noir DC miniseries The Human Target.
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watching
fallow weeks: 10
notable stuff i watched for the first time (according to letterboxd) that will stick in my head for a bit. some (The Night of the Hunter) i am so glad i watched once but do not feel the need to revist. some (Slipstream) fascinate me with how good they could have been. some (Twilight. all of them) were fun bc of the people i watched them with. the two i went particularly deranged over are The Big Sleep and Day of Anger. still feel very normal about them.
very heavy on crime and courtroom films this year!
television: very excited for s2 of Blue Eye Samurai, Interview With The Vampire, Spy X Family.
youtube
i should loop back and finish Black Lagoon, Adventure Time (completely forgot i rewatched most of that this spring), and The Big O. that last one is throwing me a little bc (since i last checked) there is no freely available version with subtitles (i cannot find subtitles Period) and i'll be damned if i have to import a dvd. i can find the dub with subtitles but! i want to hear spike spiegel as mecha-batman :(
sort of lukewarm eh-i'll-get-around-to-it about s/tar wars shows. i have not watched a/hsoka At All or wrapped up the animated Resistance show. i'll pay attention when ando/r is airing again.
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playing
fallow weeks: 10. way fewer than i would have guessed!
the trouble with this category is that it is exceptionally hard to find new good games (either ones i already own or ones that are free). it is almost completely prohibitively exhausting to trawl through the free category on steam. there's simply a lot of cruft out there. a very good thing (but also incredibly timeconsuming thing) i started this year was throwing games into various folders so the eight bajillion libraries i have are less overwhelming. i can safely ignore 80% of my epic games library, for example. the itch.io library is a whole separate weekend project i think.
got back into genshin for good or for ill, which took up most of the back half of the year.
youtube
go play ABZU. i am no longer asking.
i would like to go back and finish the RPG Gamedec, un-softblock myself in the RPG Weird West, and finish the visual novel Dead Man's Rest. i think i stalled out in Call of Juarez: Gunslinger bc there was a mexican standoff that my reflexes are simply not fast enough for/too much to pay attention to. i am excited to pick up that spooky fishing simulator DREDGE when i have fun money again.
completely forgot i spent most of jan/feb/march being annoyed at fallou/t 4 but having some fun in Far Harbor, also forgot i spent an entire month playing through Wolfenstein: The New Order but i am not compelled to play through it again. it was fun! but like many games after one playthrough my time with it is done!
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making
fallow weeks: 17 (unsurprising, pretty low energy year as a whole as i recovered from covid rounds 1 and 2 and the frankly insane stress of moving).
wrote exactly one fic: some matters at the heart of cowboy western snap shirts: why they are so and some of the implications of their being so, i would like to write more next year but i don't really have the brainpower. i hope this changes soon.
the baby blanket i started last year is still not done but the baby is still under a year so i have a very narrow window of time.
dyed some couch covers im still very pleased with
wrote an extremely long but very well received gallery wall guide
recipes: 12. sort of shocked by this? i am becoming an incrementally better cook and slowly finding recipes i both like and can successfully execute. found the fortitude to caramelize onions, for example. quick pickled red onions, for another thing. big year for protein or greens on top of beans and rice. faves included: cuban-style pork shoulder, hellofresh peruvian chicken, red lentil soup, white bean/kale/rice bowls
i would like to be less terrified about cooking fish. i would like to eat more fish.
and of course, the biggest project of all, acquired Phil. here is my very favorite photo ive ever taken of a cat
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Hey! I hope it isn't rude or anything, but I wanted to ask your opinion on the Psychoanuts Art Book. I'm thinking of getting it for myself but the price tag hurts a bit, and Im wary of buying something this expensive without having an idea of how good it is.
Ps. I don't really care about spoilers, so whatever you want to say about the book will be helpful, part of me really wants to know if there's concept art for PSI King's Sensorium bc it's my favorite level
Thank you for your time!
definitely not rude at all!! I'd be happy to give a brief review of the book as is
first of all, this is quite possibly the biggest art book in my whole collection, page count AND size wise. I'm not sure if it's because most of my other art books are for movies & tv shows, while this is a video game, but a lot of the former cap out at around 200 pages
this book has 400 pages, and a lot of those pages are almost just exclusively showing off the art so you get a lot of really satisfying 2 page spreads
it's really thick tall and heavy with a solid, cool looking hard cover, nice binding & good quality paper, looking at the art itself is really pleasing
honestly one of my only complaints is that reading it is a bit annoying physically bc i have to find a good position to comfortably put it in 😂 its so heavy!! and if you do get it be sure to find a tall bookshelf for it, mine just barely fits so it is possible
the contents themselves are basically all I'd been hoping for, there's soooo much artwork and a lot of commentary both from the author herself + loads from the development staff.
notable example that i liked a lot: the folks double fine had consulted for the mental health sensitivity provide commentary for the new mental enemies, very illuminating stuff!
also do NOT worry, they have Psi King Sensorium concept art!
The contents they cover here are really thorough, there's a little bit here for everyone!
5 stars, I only mind a little bit that it got delayed a few times because I think the book itself is 100% worth the price if you're invested in this game and interested at all in video game development
[side note: having watched the psychodessy is not necessary but makes reading the art book extra interesting bc I recognize a lot of the development team's names now! shout out to gigi's super cute art style i love those tiny raz's]
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Author!Dabi; Part Two
Part One here!
.
Dabi pretended to forget about the book after a while. Hawks never really brought it up again, though Dabi caught him reading it every now and then.
Sometimes he called Dabi "Raven," to which Dabi replied, "Songbird," but that was it. He never confirmed or denied that it was his book, that he wrote, that contained dozens of poems that were dedicated to his hero. He didn't want to, nor did he need to, so he didn't say anything when he spotted even more books by T. T. Arrow show up on Hawks' bookshelf.
He did watch, though. Watched as the first book- Starless Night and Other Poems- was read again, and again, and again. Dabi watched the spine crack, the page corners get dog-eared, the dustcover begin to tear at the edges.
All from repeated rereads.
"Read any good books lately?" He asked Hawks casually as he saw the hero glancing at the worn tome again.
Hawks hummed, smiling to himself. "Yeah, been thinking about rereading my favorite, though."
His favorite. Not even the five stars and essay-length, raving reviews from critics gave Dabi the same warm, fluttery feeling as that simple statement.
Finally, on a rainy afternoon that had him cooped up in Hawks' apartment while the hero was napping, Dabi got up and approached the bookshelf. He tipped the book towards himself with a finger and pulled it out of its place, carrying it with both hands back to the couch.
He retook his seat and flipped it open, searching the front page for… something. A sign, maybe. A reason, an explanation as to why it was Hawks' favorite.
The pages whispered against each other as he turned to the first poem; Mountainside of Embers was the title. His eyes completely passed over the printed words, so nearly packed into their stanzas, as they zeroed in on the messy scrawls along the sides.
"I'm so sorry." It was written in Hawks' slanted, curly handwriting, next to the paragraph lamenting how hard it was to breathe with lungs full of ash.
"I would have dug you out of the ashes and carried you home." Was scribbled at the end, that compared the mountainside to a graveyard for a single child.
Dabi flipped to another poem quickly; Sleepyhead.
"I wouldn't have left your side." Hawks' pen strokes promised next to the story of a sleeping, yet lonely boy.
"And he woke alone, so alone.
Second, he thought of hunger, but firstly thought of home."
The whole line was highlighted, underlined, with a scrawled note beside it: "Come home with me!"
That fluttering back in his stomach, Dabi turned the pages with trembling fingers. Poem after poem was highlighted, underlined, scribbled, and doodled by. Notes and comments filled the margins, filled Dabi's vision and chest.
He turned to the first poem he'd written for Hawks, Origami Butterflies, and quickly scanned to one of the middle stanzas:
"Take my sharp edges and fold me together.
Make me something beautiful, something that lasts forever.
Tuck me safe into your pocket,
Into your heart, into your bag, or your locket.
Cradle me in work-worn hands,
Promise never to let go again."
Next to it, in red ink and in all capital letters, Hawks wrote, "I PROMISE!"
Swallowing against the tightness in his throat now, Dabi looked through a few more before he finally dared himself to look at their poem, Cage of Bone.
The first page was blank.
As was the second.
The third page, where the story of the raven and the songbird ended, only had a single note by the final stanza:
"Begging forgiveness, as towards dawn they flew,
The raven sobbed,
"I love you,
I love you,
I love you.""
The poem ended there, in black, printed ink. But the note, written in blue, added on:
"The song bird settled into raven's chest,
into his cage, into his nest,
And began to sing into the sunrise,
"It's alright, raven, dry your eyes.
I am swift, and I am strong,
And it was always you who heard my song.
My wings do ache, my back is sore,
So I will rest with you a little more.
Don't weep, dear raven, for you see,
When I'm in here, I am free.
I will stay in this cage of bone,
So you and I are not alone.
Be my wings, and I'll be your heart,
Because from you, dear raven, I wish never to part.
So you start the song, and I take my cue,
To sing on for forever,
"I love you,
I love you,
I love you, too.""
Dabi closed the book like it would fall apart in his hands, carrying back to the shelf and slotting it into its place with the reverence due a holy scripture.
Wiping the blood from his cheeks, he headed for the bedroom, to do just as his songbird, his heart, had said.
He never fully figured out why it was Hawks' favorite book. But when he looked down at his hero, asleep, his head on Dabi's chest, he realized he didn't need to.
Not when the sound of their heartbeats, the sound of their breathing, the sound of Hawks' wings fluttering and the sheets shuffling and bloody tears pattering off Dabi's chin-
Not when they made a symphony, a song, all their own, that sang more than a raven and songbird ever could.
End.
#conans writing#dabihawks#dabi#hawks#keigo takami#touya todoroki#mha dabi#toukei#mha hawks#bnha hawks#bnha dabi#long post#poetry
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