#I really had fun making the designs and figuring out what fit them as steampunk themed | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

jasminedragonart · 1 year

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We're gonna do Treasure Planet because I love Treasure Planet.

Okay, first off, we all know this is based off Treasure Island so the plot is quite well known and, honestly, Disney knew that once the muppet version was released they could do nothing to compete against it so they had to go a different route which is how we got this beautiful movie.

I love the steampunk vibe. It's giving dystopian, it's amazing and you can really see the animators were having fun with experimenting with the character design.

We'll start with Silver. I liked his character design. In a lot of movies and adaptations they make Silver very capable and very mobile. They don't do this in Treasure Planet. Like you can tell this is a disabled man (cyborg) He has a very dog looking face, which is interesting in terms of symbolism because we could say he's like a dog with a bone, he won't give up until he gets this treasure but he's deteriorated along the way. You can tell that this quest has taken a lot out of him, not only his mind but his physical appearance. Like this man is half machine at this point and he doesn't shy away from that. Again, we see him struggle with his leg, he needs to take breaks which means, to the audience, that we don't expect a lot out of him physically. This is why we're quite surprised that he is very mobile when he needs to be such as when he's fighting Jim for the treasure. Mainly, however, Silver is made like this because we need to appreciate his mind rather than his physicality. We listen to Silver because he has very little else to offer in terms of character design, his words are what are important here not his strength. This is shown by him taking a leadership role when the mutiny occurs. Very rarely do we see Silver fight, again, he talks, he connives, he looks after Jim. And I did love that we saw Jim and Silver bond. Like you feel their connection in this film, they didn't gloss over that, they made it a struggle for him and it pays off, we are sympathetic to Silver at the end of the movie.

We'll move onto Jim. Why did they have to give us that song when his father goes off to sea? I feel like weeping every time I hear it, it's so sad and powerful and fits so well with the story because you can see this is a moment in time that has really affected Jim, he really loved his father and he wanted to go to sea with him, he's desperate for that paternal relationship. That's not to say he doesn't love his mother either. Like you can tell he does, he loves his mother so much but he's acting out because he's hurting and she doesn't know what to do with him. She doesn't have time because she needs to keep him safe by keeping a roof over his head. I love the parallel of his surf board thing being a hinderance in the beginning of the movie and then coming in handy at the end. I loved that. I thought it was poetic and it shows us as an audience that Jim isn't stupid. Like he has potential, but he's wasting it by getting into trouble. He made that board by himself, he literally attempts to fix Billy Bones's ship by himself and succeeds. Jim is actually really smart and it's quite nice to see that we can pick up on that within the first couple of minutes into the film. It makes the rest of the film, how Jim figures out the map and how the portal works actually plausible because Jim is capable of figuring things out, he's, again, not a stupid protagonist and we're shown this from the offset. It's very interesting that Jim's one of the only 2 humans in this film as well. They could have went full alien, but instead they made Jim human so he relates more to those at home who might also be feeling the way he does, aka abandoned and out of place in the world. It's also interesting because it does help to show just how alone Jim is. He literally only has his mother, there are no other humans but her in this film. It's very isolating.

Onto the professor and the captain. I liked them together. I liked the joke. You know, he's a dog, she's a cat, they're fighting like cats and dogs, it's funny. I liked all the star trek jokes they slid in there too 'I'm a doctor Jim!' like it works. It was great, their mutant babies were kind of cute, I liked it.

The crew was very interesting too. Like this film did a great job in making you feel for when the characters died. That guy who died, I don't remember his name but his rope was cut, I felt that, I really did. The sense of loss in this film is amazing. Like it is not easy to get an audience to empathise with characters, especially minor characters who die. But you feel it because it was a completely unnecessary and preventable death. It was murder, and that spider guy? Terrifying. I felt fear when he was on the screen, which is props to the colour and character design. He's red, which is our first immediate warning. Red is usually a colour associated with danger and blood so when he stands out and we see him we know that he's a bad guy. Also, he's a spider. A lot of people aren't fond of spiders and by creating this monster of a guy, like, yeah, I was scared when he was hiding in the ceiling, I still can't watch Jim looking for the map on the ship without feeling apprehension at what's going to happen. It's such good framing and storytelling, like it was an actual scary sequence.

The plot, again, we love it because it's Treasure Island and they did a great job in adapting it. You know it's a good film when you feel happy at the ending, and Jim ending up at the Naval Academy, Silver's constellation in the sky? It was great, I loved it. I love this movie, it's so good.

#treasure planet #disney

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texasthegreatdestroyer · 2 years

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Ya know... I pick fun at dumb people on the internet, but uh... I don’t pick a lot of fun at myself. I think it’s time to change that...

What kind of post is this? For once, not a Sims 4 post bitching about how custom content creators are scummy, because oh my gosh Tex, how many times can you actually bitch about shit most the people who follow your blog already know? What can I say? I’m a broken record. No today, I’m doing another art drop, this time doing an art before and after, poking fun at the old piece I did over a month ago in comparison to a brand new piece I finished up just a little while ago.

(oh muh god, the cute cheak swirlies~ I do not know what eldritch Lovecraftian abomination possessed me to leave the adorable swirly cheekies out of the first design, but it’s fucking blasphemy, I am an uncultured swine! :’) )

For context, I own a role play server that is steampunk oriented of about 100 plus people, and I write for a range of characters ranging from my own original characters, to characters from other fictional works. This here is a steampunk/Victorian adaptation of Marlya Noel from the anime, Fairygone.I finished this about an three hours ago and oh muh god. She beautiful! She majestic! Her uh... grip on the rifle could be better, but at least her hands look nice, All around, the sketch was done so much better and it really shows through on this piece. (Fellow artists. The sketch matters. Never dial it in on a sketch, because while you can fix minor errors in a sketch later on down the line, you cannot fix the foundation of it without having to pretty much redo the whole thing. Put effort into sketches, don’t make the same mistake I did and have to go back and eventually redesign a piece you absolutely despise.) That and thinking back now, I could have probably done good with a black lace headband for the goggles considering how light her hair is and I might fix that since I didn’t merge all my layers, But I really love this piece, it did justice towards a lot of the issues I had with my last version of this, which I’ll go into soon. My biggest accomplishment? Her body size. I’m used to drawing very busty women, hell, my tumblr account persona is based on my main original character who is a very busty woman, so believe me when I say this character was a challenge, because I don’t draw a lot of super petite women, and uh... here’s the original piece of reference art of who I am drawing.

Uh yeah. She a stick. She a cute stick, but still a friggin stick. As you can figure, there’s a reason I made this 2nd redesign. I did not do well at portraying her body type, and there were also quite a few anatomy errors/mediocre portrayal. Allow me to just post that train wreck now and promptly tear it apart.

Right off the bat, a bunch of issues.

MUH’LADY, YOUR HAND IS BACKWARDS! WTF??? That thumb do no go there! Hands do not work like that! That do not do the thing that your thing is doing! God, she must have an awful time using that hand for ANYTHING. I’m so sorry queen, what did I do to you???

I absolutely failed at adapting to my paper texturing, and it shows, because everything is darker than it should be, and it’s awful. That thing I mentioned about a black lace head band in comparison to the beige one? Yeah, woulda done me sooo much better to use the beige one for THIS piece, because Marlya’s hair was made so fuckin dark that you can’t hardly tell that her goggles are put on a lace head band. And don’t get me started on the hair’s shading, it’s fuckin abysmal. What’s the point of doing lighting if it’s gonna look so damn dull and hardly there, that and it’s one flat, boring color? Her eyes, although coloring wise, I do like them, are not accurate to the actual original reference, even then though is a bit dull, and neither is her hair or skin, because I failed at adapting to the texture I frequently use to make things look nice and soft. Oh! And those boots? YEAH! THEY’RE FUCKIN STUPID :D I wanted to go the route of a lacy, curve fitting dress, with some sleek, skin tight, modern looking elements to it, so uh YEAH! LET’S JUST ADD SOME BULKY ASS, HIDIOUS, BROWN BOOTS! :D Tex, what the actual fuck were you thinking??? You’ve just committed an act of mental torture to yourself and all who bear witness to this atrocity and over all to the name of fashion... The legs are cringe. Yall don’t have weird pointy spots sticking out of the side of your right leg? BAGH! BLASPHEMY!

“SCREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE-”

Ma’am, you look quite perturbed and a little dead inside. It’s okay, I am too. I’ve been dead inside since I found out that Sims 4 builders think they’re entitled to money for building houses out of other people’s cc, oh and also since I found out that MAP supporters actually exist. :D

Jokes aside, her expression really isn’t that terrible, it just doesn’t work in the context of what I was drawing, but it is accurate for the type of art I was making, It’s a character ref, and I don’t want the character I’m trying to show off to be overly expressive, as I want a clear as possible image of the character I’m portraying, but like... The pose I tried to do just doesn’t work for the minimal expression. A pose like what I was doing requires more facial expression to not make the pose look super forced and stiff. It just looks really uncanny and awful. As a result of that, she legit looks fuckin dead inside. Me too Marlya, me too. The pose for the redo looks so much better, because it doesn’t require a whole lot of expression to work, that and in this AU I put her in, someone I role play with frequently expressed interest in the rifle she was using, because I described it as having a mahogany butt, and they’re like “Sounds super old, antique, and cool AF” so I’m sure he’ll be pretty stoked to see the actual rifle in question. So yeah, definitely if I’ma do a pose like I did in the 1st drawing again, it needs to be a lot more expressive. I cannot stress this enough. The FUCKIN AUDACITY to leave out the swirly cheekies. It’s a signature part of my art style at this point, and even the dudes have them, which is saying something because I try to reserve more cutesy traits for women or feminine appearing individuals, and I didn’t put it on a woman??? What crack was I on when I made the artistic decision to leave it out? Cause I need to steer clear from that shit.

As I mentioned before actually posting this shite ass pic, there was some struggles with the body type I was trying to draw. My biggest issue was that the image I was referencing made her look like she had relatively curvy hips, and so I tried to heavily emphasize those hips to make it stick out, but by doing this, she ended up bustier than she actually canonically is, and I’m trying to make a reference piece for her, not prep her for fuckin r/34. So yeah, she ended up with tigger ol biddies than she actually has, and wider hips than she actually has. Also doesn’t help that the dress I made for her does emphasize the chest a little, so I knew breast size wise, she was going to look bigger than she is, but it’s really obvious that I over did the curves in an attempt to not overdue the curves, and clearly the dress is not THAT impactful, because I managed to pull it off in the 2nd redesign. So uh, yay me for being absolutely friggin counter productive! GOLD STAR! :D

What actually really ended up helping me is that I stopped focusing so heavily on the hips and just tried to get down the basic, general, slim yet curvy feel and just left out the usual effort that I put in like when I do with drawing bustier women, and that helped significantly, so in short, I learned not to overthink it. I need to put in as much effort as there is mass. Bigger girls need more effort, smaller girls need not as much effort. I really friggin hated the first piece I did. I just pushed through it in using it what it was made for because I didn’t feel like making another one at the time, and then the thing that actually set me off and made me redo it was that hand, like that’s a fuckin rooky mistake for myself, someone’s actively been doing art every day and seriously practicing to improve since I was 7 years old and really awakened myself to my potential skill. 5 year old me be like: “Ooo! Pretty colors neat scribbles!” 7 year old me: “Oh hey! I semi drew anime! I think I can keep going with this!” and did. I’m an adult in my 20′s now. I’ve doing art for awhile, so that piece REALLY bugged the shit out of me, especially because these pieces are again a month apart. I could understand if maybe the piece was a few months ranging to a year old, but a single month?... I expect much better from myself than the garbage fire that was that first picture. That and I could tell I really got tired of that image towards the end of drawing it, because I really just fuckin threw in the towel. The Shading was so basic bitch, and the details were non existent. where as this recent one had a lot of details, the dress was made to look so much better, so much prettier and working very well with the style I was trying to go for, and you could really tell I gave a shit about what I was drawing there. There’s still some mistakes in it, I mean, no piece is ever perfect, but still, I love it for what it is, and it’s not only a testament that I can always do better, but it shows a difference between me when I’m passionate about a piece and when I’m not. If yall got any criticisms for either pieces, feel free to leave em, because contrary to some people’s beliefs, I actually am very capable of taking criticism when it’s legit actual good, well informed, criticism. But also, while I won’t be a dick about it, if I do see criticism that isn’t the best, I’ll do my best to explain why it’s not the best, because as much as some people don’t want to admit, there is such thing as trash criticism, but if it’s legit criticism, I will take it to heart and try to better myself. Ya don’t have to worry about me being a butt hurt bitch over it, OBVIOUSLY because I’ll sit here and tear my own shit apart without the help of someone else.

Oh, and I went ahead and swapped out the beige band for the black since it works for her hair color now and doesn’t get overshadowed by how dark her hair is. Feel free to tell me which one ya like better.

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scifrey · 7 years

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Get To Know The Writer

Get to Know the Writer Tag

Rules (always post the rules): answer the questions given to you, write ten questions of your own, tag ten people.

@rosecorcoranwritessaid anyone who wants to do it can, and it looked interesting.

1.) Where did the title(s) of your latest project(s) come from?

The titles for The Accidental Turn Series were sort of decided by a committee of my agent, my editor, my publisher and me. I’m rubbish at naming books, so through a series of emails a list of about a hundred throw-them-out-there titles were whittled down (mostly by Googling them and seeing if any other book had that title already) to a few themes. From there we narrowed down and named the first book (The Untold Tale, where I had been calling it That Feminist Meta Thingy), and then the other two books dominoed into place after that (The Forgotten Tale, and The Silenced Tale.)

These titles are because in book #1, the fantasy is being told from a side character who in fantasy-novel tropes is often overlooked. In book #2, other fantasy stories start vanishing, forgotten by the readers, and in book #3,someone is trying to silence the writer of these fantasy books forever.

City By Night, one of my novellas, is also being reissued next month. Its original title was The Dark Side f the Glass, which was both an allusion to Alice Through The Looking Glass, as it’s about a woman who falls into a TV instead of through a mirror, and a tip of the head to the song of the same title from the soundtrack of one of the television shows the novella satirizes, Forever Knight. However, my agent thought the reference was too obscure, and after another big round of back-and-forth, it was decided to name the novella after the fake-TV show I made up for the story.

The titles of the to books in The Skylark’s Saga (#1 The Skylark’s Song, and #2, The Skylark’s Sacrifice) are because I do love alliteration when I can get away with it! These are the only titles of the recent projects that I decided on my own and the rest of my team liked! Score!

2.) Do you have any rhyme or reason behind your character names?

Sometimes yes, sometimes no. For the Accidental Turn Series fantasy books, I stole a lot of street names or snipped letters out of traditionally “European” names, like Kintyre, Forsyth, and Bevel to make them look suitably fantasy-esque on the page. But when the characters come to the “real world” I made a point of surrounding them with characters who had distinctly non-white, no-European names like Ahbni, Ichiro, and Juan just to really emphasize how much more diverse the “real world” is over traditional fantasy.

In Triptych, every friend who helped me with edits got a character named after them. And in The Skylark’s Saga I got a bit silly - the Sealies all have surnames inspired by pagan gods, the Saskwayins are colors, and the Klonn are plants.

3.) What is your writing routine, if any?

When possible, I like to write at night, in silence, and with only my desk lamp on. I try to keep my desk area very tidy, too, with only notes about the project I’m immediately working on written on my whiteboard wall. I need the only mess to be what’s in my head.

I’m more of a pantser who has, by virtue of writing series, been forced to learn how to plan. But even then, my planning is pretty rudimentary. I often do this in a notebook on transit (I tend to come up with ideas when I’m in liminal spaces), and run that by my editor. If she approves the vague outline, then I often write whatever scene is foremost in my mind - whichever has really grabbed my imagination, and allows me to figure out who my characters are, what the voice is, who the narrators are.

From there I often write chapter one, and then usually skip straight to the climax of the book and write that. This way I know where I’m aiming before I properly knock the arrow. Even if the target eventually shifts, I still have a sense of its shape and location.

From there I tend to skip all over the narrative and write whatever arrests me or I have in the front of my mind. Once that’s done, I go back to the start and begin the process of filling in the gaps. If I get another idea, I’m always happy to jump ahead and do that.

Using Scrivener has made this process a thousand times easier than when I had to scroll-scroll-scroll through Word.

When I don’t have to go to my dayjob, I try to write about 4000 words per day. When I do, I am for 500-1669, which keeps me limber for NaNoWriMo.

4.) Where is the weirdest place you’ve ever written?

I actually wracked my brains on this one, and I was going t say something like “a 400 year old house on the top of a mountain in Japan” or “in the shadow of the Great Pyramids in Giza”, but honestly, the real answer is on my BlackBerry while high off my face on morphine in the emergency room. Apparently I wrote a GREAT short story, which I emailed to all my friends, and emailed them. Without telling anyone that I was in hospital with Organ Death ™. And without remembering at all that I’d done it.

5.) Do you prefer to write by hand or type?

Typing, hands down. I type way faster than I handwrite, and I get frustrated that my pen can’t keep up with my brain. If I get an idea when I’m away from the computer, I usually only jot down enough to remember the scene/idea/mood/exchange without writing it out. I despise having to do the work twice, and that’s what transcribing from paper to computer feels like.

6.) Ideally, where would you like to see your writing take you in five years?

I’d like to break this barrier there seems between me and the Big 5. My agent and I have been working at it, but there seems to be some strange gap. Lots of editors at the Big 5 like my work, but no one seems to want to sign it. I get compliments on my voice, on my word crafting, but no contracts. It’s so frustrating to be so close to the possibility of working with a team with more resources than I have so far.

7.) Which character is most fun to write and why?

Now that Triptych is complete and being serialized on Wattpad, any opportunity to revisit Kalp is a delight. I love looking at the world through his eyes. Olly, from The Maddening Science was a lot of fun too, again because of the way I have to shove aside my own assumptions about how and why the world works and see it through the lens of his own intelligence and lived experience. And Bevel will never not be a hoot, because there’s something just so great about getting to be that crass, and to come up with dirty jokes that fit in a fantasy world.

8.) What advice would you give writers just starting out?

Read widely outside of the genre you want to write in. If you want to write fiction, read non-fic, pop sci, and academic papers. Read the news. Read blogs. Read things that are in your wheelhouse, but then randomly grab something from the library that looks cool. You never know where the next idea will come from. Let your imagination wander.

9.) Do you have any “writing heros”? (This could be published writers or non.)

Anyone giving it a go! It’ hard, and it’s disheartening when people don’t love something you’ve put so much work and heart into. It’’s easy to give up on. Don’t.

Otherwise, I love Dianne Wynne Jones’ blatant subversion of stereotypes and tropes, which has really informed my writing, an Jane Austen’s ability to create such diverse, thoughtful, and complex characters.

I also super appreciate fanfic writers, cause they do it out of sheer love, and work for years to hone their craft. Among my faves are @bendingsignpost @sheafrotherdon, and @madlori.

10.) Tell me about your work-in-progress.

Oh lord, is this a can of worms you really want to open?

The Silenced Tale & The Accidental Collection - books #3 and #4 of The Accidental Turn Series are done. They just need to be line-edited and then the editor can lock the manuscript and it’s out of my hands and into the typesetter/designer’s. (And then of course I need to ramp up to marketing machine.)

Book #3 is the conclusion of a trilogy of books about a secondary character in fantasy epic who becomes self-aware and slips the pages of his book.

The Skylark’s Saga - The two books are written, but one of the relationships is changing dramatically and I need to go in and shift that. I have no idea how much writing/rewriting this is going to entail. However, I do know that I want to get it done by the end of the year. As soon as the manuscript for The Silenced Tale is locked, I’ll be moving onto this.

This duology is a steampunk-adventure-romance book about a girl vigilante and her ornery rocketpack who gets trapped behind enemy lines after being shot down in a dogfight.

The Austen Hollywood AU - I’ve written the first book of the series, and my agent is shopping it now. It’s possible that it may only get signed as a one-book deal, but ideally I’ve developed it as a six-book series (one for each of Austen’s). At some point I’d like to write the first three chapters of the remaining five books, to demonstrate what the voice and tone of each is gong to be like. (Possibly for NaNoWriMo this year??)

These books are modern adaptations of Austen’s work, but they will all intertwine as characters from different aspects of the entertainment industry cross paths, work together, and as they do in the originals, find love and contentment.

The Maddening Science - at some point I’d like to develop my short story of the same name into a full-length novel, but it would take a lot of research on my part, and a lot of buy-in on a publisher’s. I’m not quite ready to tackle this one yet, though I have pitches and synopsizes and the like written.

Henrietta - This idea is relatively new idea, born from watching a documentary and then reading the non-fic biography that inspired it (see, reading outside your genre helps!), but I think I’d really like to take a swing a writing a historical romance based on the life of a certain historical mistress, something like The Other Boleyn Girl. It would take a massive amount of research as well, but I think would be really interesting and engaging. The woman’s life was fascinating.

The Neridis - I wrote this book about four years ago and it’s been trunked. I’d like to pull it back out and give it a spit-polish and a steam-up, then self publish it sometime next year under my erotica pseudonym. It’s a time-travel lesbian romance story that can easily be punched up into erotica.

And of course, there are three other books that are sort of hovering in the back of my mind, but I’m not ready to write them, or even really a pitch for them yet. The vampire one might be a screenplay instead, I’m not sure.

Oh, and I am looking to place a script, too - I wrote it under spec for a company that later decided not to shift from distribution into development any more, so I’m not sure what do with 228 pages of cute lesbian comic-book creators falling love over lattes and superheroes. I keep thinking that it would make a great webcomic/graphic novel, but I have no idea how to find an artist willing to commit to like a 500-page graphic novel, and more importantly, find the money to pay them.

I tag whomever wants to jump in. No pressure.

#get to know the writer #writblr #bookblr #jmfrey #the accidental turn series #triptych #kalp #forsyth turn #kintyre turn #bevel dom #writing #words for writers

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bffhreprise · 7 years

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Entry 163

Maxine Montgomery… even Alma thought of her as a villain. Mila would help me look into her and confirm her misdeeds. I had to admit that something about her set me on edge even before I knew she was a villain. Was she actually blind? I saw the cane and sunglasses indoors, but those could be part of a cosplay, right? I had my doubts. If she were blind, could she really be much of a villain?

I sighed. There were people who thought a deaf girl couldn’t be a superhero, and I certainly showed them otherwise. I just didn’t understand how someone could manage overseeing crime without their eyes. What was hearing like?

When I was little, Mama Vera tried explaining sound to me. I remembered her talking about being able to hear me coming and constantly telling me I needed to “be quieter”. She taught me to move carefully and pointed out the differences in vibrations, my bare feet feeling her music through the floor. The idea of shutting my eyes and still knowing what was happening around me still seemed strange, like most of the world had a superpower which I did not. They could sense the vibrations in the air with ease. A blind girl might be capable of being a supervillain…

I was surprised by James suddenly moving away from me. Alma was holding up a hat with gizmos on it. James looked at the hat for a moment and then put it on over his costume’s wig. Seeing Aaliyah and Alma take out their phones, I was confused for a moment.

<Pictures!> signed Aaliyah.

Oh. Oh! I had a phone now too. I quickly joined them in snapping some pictures of James. Other people seemed to like the idea as well, but that was how things worked here. If someone in costume posed for a picture, everyone who liked the costume would stop to get a picture. We all had many pictures taken of us this weekend.

Seeing Aaliyah and Alma start trying on hats for pictures too, I decided to join them. Though many of the gears didn’t even turn, I could easily imagine them having a purpose, like a superhero’s gadgets. I could use some gadgets…

After several minutes of posing and pictures, James bought a hat for each of us and a cane for himself. My hat was large with a broad brim. Metal bands stretched across one side with interlocking gears leading to an antenna going up the top. I couldn’t imagine where I would wear the thing, but I appreciated the thought. We started walking along to revisit more shops. The others had many things they wanted to get, but I could tell what was being said.

I tapped James’ sleeve to get his attention and asked what was being said.

James explained “Alma and Aaliyah want to dress up in steampunk next convention. Aaliyah’s planning on fixing our hats to actually function first. Alma wants to design some clothes.”

I nodded, easily imagining how they could look. What did a blind girl imagine? Darkness? Worries over Maxine hadn’t left me. Someone Alma considered a villain was probably very dangerous. Did Maxine have an army of minions carrying out her diabolical schemes? What if she had incredible magical powers? I needed information.

When we left the show floor to go to a panel, I considered leaving. “The Dances of Ancient Tribes of Earth” panel certainly didn’t need me, but I ended up staying to watch. I was tempted to try them, but I could barely feel the music and didn’t have lights to follow this time. Maybe James would be willing to show me the dances later. I enjoyed dancing with him.

More shopping soon came after the panel finished. James seemed pretty excited when we reached the artists. He talked with many and bought a number of pictures, but the shopping came to an end for me too soon. Aaliyah and I needed to get back for another shift at the booth.

,,,^._.^,,,

“Man-slave!” I called, finally spotting James as he entered the suite. “I’ve been looking everywhere for you. We’re at a convention together, and yet we’ve hardly spent any time together, other than working. You and I are doing some shopping.”

I could see by his bags that he had been doing some shopping without me. It was fine. I mean, sorta fine. I wasn’t totally okay with him shopping without me, but he was in high demand and our shifts didn’t line up well for us.

“Sure.” he replied. Then he turned to the others and asked “Are you all up for more?”

“Sorry, boss-man, sir, but Portentia and I have a shift.” replied Aaliyah.

I picked her up and gave her a big hug before letting her escape to work. She was soooo adorable! Watching Portentia walk away wasn’t so bad either. That girl had a body, and she seemed sweet too.

“Was there somewhere particular you were looking to go?” asked Alma.

One glance, and I was certain; Alma was hotter. I didn’t just mean in the “I can burn the world!” sense either. She seemed surreal in her beauty, like an incarnation of beauty from another dimension that just happened to look more-or-less human. I never got tired of looking at her.

After both of them deposited their bags, I took their arms and pulled them to the elevator. We were going to buy all the things!!!

“There’s this suuuper cute store with some really frilly dresses I wanted to visit. Alma needs to try some things on too.” I insisted, pulling them along.

I imagined them fighting back, easily lifting me in the air for a second. They easily could do it even if I fought. Alma wasn’t beatable, and James was beyond me with magic and martial arts these days. That boy was freaky good at picking stuff up. Well, maybe not compared with Jarod. I still couldn’t believe Jarod had only started martial arts months ago. He was straight up dangerous now.

“Ta da! What do you think!? Aren’t these the cutest?” I asked when we arrived.

Alma’s face was unreadable, but she definitely seemed to be checking the dresses out. James seemed amused.

“Try one on with me!” I insisted, taking Alma’s hand.

She didn’t look amused.

“I’ll look forward to seeing them.” stated James.

Alma was in! She totally didn’t play fair though. Claiming that she didn’t trust the booth’s fitting room, she used a number of spells. Suddenly, I was isolated in a some black field. Totally. Not. Fair. Alma was sooo bashful.

She still beat me changing even though I was certain she took her time. James’ eyes were locked on her when I stepped out. He did notice me eventually, blushing when I grinned at him. I loved his blush.

I bought my dress and a pair of killer heels that matched them. Alma was all “Where will I ever wear this?” at first. After a bit of convincing, she purchased a dress too. By convincing, I totally pulled the James card, pointing out how much he seemed to like her in the dress. Win for me. We could totally be gamer princesses together in the house if nothing else. She didn’t have to worry about money.

I was surprised when James insisted on going to a shop of his choosing next. He was really getting into this. We pretty much took turns, though I cheated a little. We all purchased enough that Alma had to call someone to take our bags to the room. I had been on the verge of suggesting we head up to drop things off. James was doing all the carrying and looked overburdened.

We continued shopping until the show floor was closing. Even Alma and I ended up carrying a couple bags to manage everything, but we had a blast. I was going to make a shrine to this day in my room. I sighed, thinking of Regina. She would have been a blast here. I missed her, painfully aware of the vacant floor above me.

“What’s wrong?” asked James in the elevator.

“Wrong? We can’t do anymore shopping until tomorrow, and then I might not even catch you because of shifts and things! One evening just wasn’t enough!” I insisted, not wanting to mention Regina. I knew he still missed her too.

James laughed and said, “I’m sure we’ll get some fun.”

Once settled in the suite, everyone gathered to watch a couple movies before crashing. None of us were prepared for Sunday. All of us were scheduled from the start. We had a long work day with no time for goofing off at other booths. There were children everywhere, little cuties in costume as often as not. I wanted to hug them all!

Aaliyah was easily stealing the show. In the name of her company, we were getting children involved in numerous games, helping them design their own action figures, and getting them organized for quizzes and prizes. No child was left without at least one free toy, and many of the parents were talked into buying more. Global Princess Entertainment dominated children’s day, and the convention was over all too soon.

#Best Friend For Hire Reprise #Best #Friend #For #Hire #Reprise #Jovial Times #Jovial #Times #Fantasy #Fiction #Story #Aaliyah #Alma #Emma #Portentia

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alternativesaga · 7 years

Note

1-170

Oh dang. Okay I’ll have them answered underneath the cut!

1: How tall or short do you wish you were?

-I’d at least like to be 5′5

2: What’s your dream pet? (Real or not)

-Real I would like a husky cause they’re adorable, but for a mythological one I’d love a dragon cause why not, right?

3: Do you have a favorite clothing style?

-Gosh, well that’s a bit hard. I don’t really know the names for clothing styles, but I guess an example could be some jeans and a t-shirt, nothing too fancy with a beanie.That’s just the casual look. Or I could say an actual style like steampunk which I adore since it’s so different! 4: What was your favorite video game growing up?

-Sonic the hedgehog is something for sure. 5: What three things/people do you think of most each day:

-1. My family 2. How things are in other parts of the world and what could happen if something changed 3. Friends

6: If you had a warning label, what would yours say?

-”Warning: I could seem intimidating or just seem like a total weirdo, but do not mistake me just for another person. There’s a lot more about me than you’d expect” 7: What is your opinion on [insert person/thing here]?

-I don’t really know how to answer this so how about mainstream stuff?

One thing that bugs me is when people talk about others in a rude way for being “strange”,”weird”,”ugly” (nothing I’ve heard personally for myself, I’m just talking on a neutral standard level here), etc. and the people saying these things wear some sort of shirt saying “I’m just a type of crazy” sorta shirt. Like, you’re saying all these rude things, but you wear those shirts yet don’t even know what it’s reflecting on just being “weird is the new cool” in a sense. I don’t know, it’s just a thought.8: What is your Greek personality type? [Sanguine, Phlegmatic, Choleric, or Melancholic]

-Just did a test and it says I’m Phlegmatic. Surprisingly, it fits really well. 9: Are you ticklish?

-Maybe.10: Are you allergic to anything?

-Nope.11: What’s your sexuality?

-Straight/Heterosexual12: Do you prefer tea, coffee, or cocoa?

-I prefer tea, but I don’t mind cocoa. And for coffee, I prefer it iced.13: Are you a cat or dog person?

-Both. But I prefer dogs since I’m used to them more.14: Would you rather be a vampire, elf, or merperson?

-Elf. Vampire sounds interesting, but I want to be out in the sun too. And merperson isn’t my type. Elf would be something interesting and a variety.15: Do you have a favorite Youtuber?

-Hm, I don’t watch a lot of youtubers to be a big fan, but I do like to watch Markiplier’s videos when I can!16: How tall are you?

-5′3 17: If you had to change your name, what would you change it to?

-Wouldn’t know. I don’t really think my name now doesn’t fit me well either. Lol I’m one of those oddballs in a group. At least I think so. I like unique names that you don’t hear often, so my name doesn’t help me with that at all. 18: How much do you weigh? [Only ask this if you know the user doesn’t mind!]

-We’re just gonna leave this blank.19: Do you believe in ghosts/spirits?

-Yes I do.20: Do you like space or the ocean more?

-Space even though the ocean has yet to have more discoveries.21: Are you religious?

-In a sense that I have a religion, yes.22: Pet peeves?

-Gosh I know I have some, but nothing that’s coming to mind.23: Would you rather be nocturnal or diurnal [opposite of nocturnal]?

-Diurnal.24: Favorite constellation?

-Little dipper.25: Favorite star?

-Not really. Unless you count the northern star.26: Do you like ball-jointed dolls?

-I don’t like dolls in total.27: Any phobias or fears?

-Dolls, being betrayed, dying, losing everything and everyone I cared for, feeling nothing, etc.28: Do you think global warming is real?

-It is. It’s sad people are ignoring or denying it, but it’s there. Just because you(I’m saying those who oppose it’s not true) don’t feel the affects, it doesn’t mean others aren’t either.29: Do you believe in reincarnation?

-I do. 30: Favorite movie?

-District 9 or The Little Prince31: Do you get scared easily?

-Not really, but it’s possible.32: How many pets have you own in your lifetime?

-About 11? I used to have chihuahuas because of my grandma and her dogs and I used to have a bunch of birds, but they flew away somehow when the cage was open.

33: Blog rate? [You’ll rate the blog of the one who’s asking.]

-Can’t answer this since there’s no blog.34: What is a color that calms you?

-Blue. It’s a calming color indeed and just looking up at the sky and the clouds when in time of stress just relieves time itself and feels as if it just slowed down just for you to look at the clouds.35: Where would you like to travel and/or live?

-I’d like to stay in California, but would like to go upstate. Knowing my personal business right now, I wouldn’t see that much happening anytime soon. Though I’d like to travel to Australia, Japan, and Chicago.36: Where were you born?

-Somewhere in SoCal.37: What is your eye color?

-A really dark brown. They used to be completely black but that changed overtime. 38: Introvert or extrovert?

-Ambivert. So meaning sorta both. Maybe more of an Introvert now.39: Do you believe in horoscopes and zodiacs?

-I like them for fun. Do I always believe them? To a certain point, no. Sometimes it’s for comfort or my own use.40: Hugs or kisses?

-Hugs. 41: Who is someone you would like to see/visit right now?

-Not at the moment, no.42: Who is someone you love deeply?

-I’ll rephrase it as someone I care for as my little sis.43: Any piercings you want?

-Nah, though if I had to, just like another on an ear.44: Do you like tattoos and piercings?

-I was never allowed to usually even wear the fake ones as a kid lol Well sometimes I did, but still. However, although I like the designs at times, no, not for myself at least.45: Do you smoke or have you ever done so?

-Nope. The scent is horrible.46: Talk about your crush, if you have one!

-Tall person, mostly a silent type at first.47: What is a sound you really hate?

-Garbage trucks in the morning.48: A sound you really love?

-The sound of rain.49: Can you do a backflip?

-Lol heck no.50: Can you do the splits?

-I don’t feel like breaking anything so no.51: Favorite actor and/or actress?

-Don’t have one.52: Favorite movie?

-There’s two questions just as the same..? I’ll just put it again. District 9 and Little Prince53: How are you feeling right now?

-Tired, but alright.54: What color would you like your hair to be right now?

-I like my hair color but it would be cool to have it completely black and some blue highlights on the tips.55: When did you feel happiest?

-I’m not sure.56: Something that calms you down?

-Drawing, reading, listening to music, writing57: Have any mental disorders? [Only ask this if you know the user doesn’t mind!]

-Never checked so I don’t think so.

58: What does your URL mean?

-I put it as my own definition so that it’s: different and that there’s always options and pathways to everything59: What three words describe you the most?

-Weird, creative,strange60: Do you believe in evolution?

-Yes.61: What makes you unfollow a blog?

-Less activity over a long period of time or sometimes now inappropriate things on there62: What makes you follow a blog?

-If it’s something that interests me like art, memes, and tutorials63: Favorite kind of person:

-Someone kind, interesting, different from how others I see usually are64: Favorite animal(s):

-Panda, raccoon, red panda, wolf65: Name three of your favorite blogs.

- @silvur-trash @krystalia-productions @mangofritter66: Favorite emoticon:

-Don’t have one.67: Favorite meme:

-I’ve been loving these videos lately: https://alternativesaga.tumblr.com/post/15751787827868: What is your MBTI personality type?

-Last time I checked I was INFP69: What is your star sign?

-Libra70: Can your dog roll over on command, if you have a dog?

-Sometimes when he’s not being a butt.71: What outfit out of all your clothes do you like to wear the most?

-Some black jeans and a random t-shirt with my black Route 66 sweater.72: Post a selfie or two?

-HAHAHA no not today 73: Do you have platform shoes?

-What are those??74: What is one random but interesting fact about yourself?

-I’m a lefty75: Can you do a front flip?

-Heck no lol76: Do you like birds?

-Yep.77: Do you like to swim?

-Heck yeah, when it’s summer of course.78: Is swimming or ice skating more fun to you?

-Swimming is fun. Ice skating I’m REALLY a beginner, so I guess swimming.79: Something you wish didn’t exist:

-Segregation based on looks or class.80: Something you wish did exist:

-Don’t know.81: Piercings you have?

-None.82: Something you really enjoy doing:

-Drawing.83: Favorite person to talk to:

-I don’t just have one haha84: What was your first impression of Tumblr?

-A complicated, but sophisticated website. Whoops.85: How many followers do you have?

-220.86: Can you run a mile within ten minutes?

-Last time I checked, it was 11 minutes.87: Do your socks always match?

-Yeah when I find all the pairs.88: Can you touch your toes and keep your legs straight completely?

-Yep.89: What are your birthstones?

-Opal and Tourmaline.90: If you were an animal, which one would you be?

-Panda or raccoon91: If a flower could aesthetically represent you, what kind would it be?

-Wouldn’t know.92: A store you hate?

-Don’t know.93: How many cups of coffee can you drink in one day?

-Never tried to figure it out so I don’t know.94: Would you rather be able to fly or read minds?

-Read minds.95: Do you like to wear camo?

-Eh, not really my type, but I wouldn’t mind it.96: Winter or summer?

-WINTER97: How long can you hold your breath for?

-45 sec-1 minute.98: Least favorite person?

-Don’t have one.99: Someone you look up to:

-My parents.100: A store you love?

-Hot Topic 101: Favorite type of shoes

- I just wear what I have.102: Where do you live?

-California103: Are you a vegetarian or vegan? If so, why?

-I’m none of those. 104: What is your favorite mineral or gem?

-Is it bad if I say I forgot the name? haha105: Do you drink milk?

-Yep.106: Do you like bugs?

-I don’t really mind them, but what I really despise is maggots107: Do you like spiders?

-Mostly, no I don’t.108: Something you get paranoid about?

-Sudden sounds that appear out of silence.109: Can you draw:

-Doesn’t have an option as to what, but I do draw.110: Nosiest question you have ever been asked?

-Oh gosh, well I’m not going to mention that here.111: A question you hate being asked?

-I don’t really mind questions, so I don’t really have an input. It really depends to me on who’s asking.112: Ever been bitten by a spider?

-BOI I SHOULDN’T HAVE LAUGHED AT THIS BUT YES I HAVE WHEN I WAS YOUNGER. USED TO GET SICK CAUSE OF IT AND NOW HAVE A GREAT IMMUNE SYSTEM. THOUGH SERIOUSLY DON’T LET SPIDERS BITE YOU JUST CAUSE OF THE IMMUNE SYSTEM. IT DEPENDS ON EVERYONE I WAS JUST LUCKY ENOUGH TO GAIN THE BETTER IMMUNE SYSTEM.113: Do you like the sound of waves at the beach?

-Yes114: Do you prefer cloudy or sunny days?

-Cloudy115: Someone you’d like to kiss or cuddle right now:

-lol no one116: Favorite cloud type:

-I just like them regular clouds117: What color do you wish the sky was?

-Nothing than blue. It’s just so calming. Though I also love its sunset colors.118: Do you have freckles?

-Nope119: Favorite thing about a person:

-All goes down to their personality.120: Fruits or vegetables?

-Fruits121: Something you want to do right now:

-Get some Chinese food. Like, I don’t know that just what I want right now.122: Is the ocean or sky prettier?

-Sky123: Sweet or sour foods?

-Hmm that’s hard. I’m neutral on both actually.124: Bright or dim lights?

-Dim lights. 125: Do you believe in a certain magical creature?

-Nothing that’s coming to mind right now.

126: Something you hate about Tumblr:

-Nothing much that’s so drastic to say I hate it.

127: Something you love about Tumblr:

-It’s randomness.

128: What do you think about the least?

- Don’t know exactly.

129: What would you want written on your tombstone?

-”Remember me for who I was, not as to how I am now. And don’t cry or else I’ll come out of my grave to slap you.”

130: Who would you like to punch in the face right now?

-No one for the moment being.

131: What is something you love but also hate about yourself?

-My behavior that can change drastically at times. It’s not me exactly, I can be really positive at times, but throughout the day I just slink back to some bad mood for no reason at times which can cause me anxiety. I only find this good because when I’m positive, I have a good set view on life. And when I’m down, I can think more to myself and situations much more efficiently despite it all. What’s bad about this can be implications or situations when I’m in a down mood.

132: Do you smile with your teeth showing for pictures?

-Not much. Rarely I do. I get nervous or just forget how to?? If that makes any sense haha

133: Computer or TV?

-Computer. I don’t watch much TV

134: Do you like roller coasters?

-Yeah

135: Do you get motion sickness or seasickness?

-Never been out in the sea like that and motion sickness no. I’m not really sensitive to movement

136: Are your ears lobed or attached?

-What??

137: Do you believe in karma?

-Yes

138: On a scale of 1-10, how attractive would you say you are?

-4? I guess? I don’t know. I’m not very good at rating things especially when it comes to looks.

139: What nicknames do you have/have had?

-Saga(username/online), Jess, Jessie, Jess-Jess, Jeff, Idaho, etc

140: Did you have any pretend or imaginary friends?

-Nah. Though sometimes I picture my characters in situations or when I have anxiety and wonder what they’d do or say.

141: Have you ever seen a therapist/shrink?

-Nope.

142: Would you say you are a good or bad influence to others?

-Good. I’ve seen and had....bad influences, but have never given in to them. Overall I seem to be a good influence, but have my ever so rare moments of doing something really stupid.

143: Do you prefer giving or receiving gifts/help?

-Giving, but I’m really bad at it haha

144: What makes you angry

-Bullying, constant lying, others messing with others stuff, denial(I’m a hypocrite. I know. But I mean when it’s something so severe and affecting so many things irl like the economy, but still don’t do anything to fix it), etc.

145: How many languages do you speak fluently?

-English, really. I speak Spanish too, but little of it. For some reason I can understand, somehow write and read it, but I can’t talk back very much? I have a hard time forming complex sentences or even simple ones sometimes

146: Do you prefer boys, girls, and/or non-binaries?

-As someone I would like romantically? Boys. However as friends I don’t mind any.

147: Are you androgynous?

-Nope.

148: Favorite physical thing about yourself:

-Don’t really have much favorites on anything physical for anything usually, but I guess my eyes? I just like dark colors when defined.

149: Favorite thing about your personality:

-Can create the randomest of things in an instant even if I stutter or mess up my words when I say them lol

150: Name three people you would like to talk to right now in person.

-The Silvur child, Jazz child, and I guess my little sis.

151: If you could go back into time and live in one era, which would you choose?

-I’ve thought about this for the skeletons cause history class sometimes gets to me. Though for myself, I’d say the early 19th century even if it were 1890. The last part of the Industrial Revolution is still going on so that means I could see what inspired the style of steampunk and hey, women have gained rights before this time already and just in time!

152: Do you like BuzzFeed?

-Eh, my sis does. I don’t mind it, but the videos can sometimes be unnecessary to a certain degree and their rules that whoever work there that if they make an individual, it immediately belongs to BuzzFeed which I don’t really see as fair.

153: How did you meet your spouse/girlfriend/boyfriend/partner? [If you have one.]

-My skeleson wanted to reenact Shakespeare.

154: Do you like to kiss others’ foreheads or hands for platonic reasons?

-I’m not really one for much affection in a sense. I sometimes feel awkward or uncomfortable when coming to affections. However, I’m getting used to that so personally, no, although I have some friends hold hands platonically sometimes, but I prefer hugs.

155: Do you like to play with others’ hair?

-Sometimes when I’m bored lol

156: What embarrasses you?

-Very personal intimate talks in public places with another, stuttering in the easiest of words, etc

157: Something that makes you nervous/anxious:

-Past memories, sudden noises or lights, the future, if I’m doing anything wrong in the present, etc

158: Biggest lie you have ever told:

-Haha wouldn’t you like to know?

159: How many people are you following?

-305.

160: How many posts do you have on your blog(s)?

-Not sure on how to check that.

161: How many drafts do you have on your blog(s)?

-Just this one I’m currently working on.

162: How many likes do you have on your blog(s)?

-Not sure.

163: Last time you cried and why:

-Don’t remember.

164: Do you have long or short hair?

-Short hair/medium hair

165: Longest your hair has ever been:

-When I was like 7.

166: Why do you like, dislike, or have neutral feelings about religion?

-I believe in a number of things from the Bible, but some things I don’t which I feel don’t make sense in accordance to events and false claims. This isn’t I don’t really want to get into online.

167: Do you really care how the universe and world was created?

-I do, but I don’t want it to make me subject my life to just that one topic.

168: Do you like to wear makeup?

-No, not really. Whenever I do, it’s the simpler things like lipstick/lipgloss, and maybe mascara.

169: Can you stand on your hands or head for more than thirty seconds?

-Nope.

170: Did you answer the questions you were asked truthfully?

-For the most part, I think so.

#ask

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capsulereview · 7 years

Text

Read in 2017: July - November (39 - 86)

39. The Stone Sky (N.K. Jemison): Jemison uses the last book in the series to pull it all back together and make sense of it. I highly, highly recommend this series.

40. Hunger: A Memoir of My Body (Roxane Gay): there’s so much ambivalence and so much realness in this book, things about living in a woman’s body, in a larger body, in a black body. Roxane Gay is really, really remarkable, and it’s powerful to read her wrestling with the different ways the world we live in treats her because of the body she’s in.

41. The Rise and Fall of D.O.D.O. (Neal Stephenson and Nicole Galland): Makes time-travel seem plausible, comes up with a new and interesting set of ideas about why time travel is problematic, and is a super fun and dorky procedural. I hope there’s a sequel; I’ll read the hell out of it.

42. The Spider’s War (Daniel Abraham): A fitting conclusion to the Dagger and the Coin series, which has so many of my favorite characters.

43-45. Behind the Throne, After the Crown, Beyond the Empire (K.B. Wagers): A princess who had run away from her family and found her place as a gun runner is forced to come home, become empress, and learn that her criminal skills are actually pretty helpful in destroying the people who are trying to destroy her empire. I will never not be here for a space opera with a strong female protagonist.

46. Provenance (Anne Leckie): Set in the same universe as Imperial Radch, but in a completely separate area of that universe. I love how Leckie handles the idiosyncrasies of cultures and individuals and how the way we decide what matters seldom makes a lot of sense.

47. This is Just My Face (Gabourey Sidibe): Based on this book and every interview I’ve heard of her, Sidibe is smart as hell and a delight to be around. It was fun spending a couple of hours with her.

48. Magic for Nothing (Seanan McGuire): I [heart] the InCryptid series more than any of McGuire’s other series, under any of her pseudonyms. The plot just rollicks along, the characters are enjoyable, and Aeslin mice might be my favorite fictional creature ever. This is the one at the carnival.

49. Turtles All the Way Down (John Green): Perfectly good, but didn’t transcend the teenageriness like some of Green’s previous books.

50. Moonglow (Michael Chabon): Chabon’s work always feels weirdly autobiographical, despite the fact that it’s fantastical. This book that feels like a family history even if it isn’t, really, doesn’t fall too far from the tree. I loved adding to my Yiddish vocabulary.

51. Everybody Lies: Big Data, New Data, and What the Internet Can Tell Us About Who We Really Are (Seth Stephens-Davidowitz): Really accessible book, well-described by its title.

52. Scurvy: the Disease of Discovery (Jonathan Lamb): The kind of popular non-fiction I really enjoy, this time on the topic of scurvy.

53-56. Quarters series (Tanya Huff): There are adventures to be had in a country where bards can usually convince elemental spirits to do their bidding, and more adventures at the borders of countries that don’t have bards. Competent world building and characterization, strong positive (and negative) characters of all genders and orientations, enjoyable overall. The four books are Sing the Four Quarters, Fifth Quarter, No Quarter, and the Quartered Sea.

57-59. Bel Dame series (Kameron Hurley): Three books (God’s War, Infidel, Rapture): The author describes this series as bug punk, which I love. Super violent, super weird, unlike other things I’ve read (I mean, insect-based technology?). Not so much feminist as equally hateful of every kind of person. But still SUPER compelling.

60. Rich People Problems (Kevin Kwan): More misadventures from insanely rich, insanely entertaining Singaporean families.

61. A Peace Divided (Tanya Huff): I can never get enough of former Gunnery Sergeant Torin Kerr and her multi-species band of lovable, capable mercenaries. This is the one where they free hostages taken during an archeological dig.

62-67. Jacqueline Carey’s D’Angeline Books. Two series, Kushiel’s Legacy (Kushiel’s Dart, Kushiel’s Chosen, Kushiel’s Avatar) and Kushiel’s Legacy (Kushiel’s Scion, Kushiel’s Justice, Kushiel’s Mercy) based in a culture that is explicitly sex-affirming but also chock full of political machinations. Very enjoyable light reading, also pretty silly. But fundamentally better written than some of the other light reading; the world building character development remained internally consistent, which I appreciate.

68. The Girl with All the Gifts (M.R. Carey): At least it was a new way to do post-apocalyptic zombie fiction, and the plot roared along at pace.

69-70. The Furthest Station and Foxglove Summer (Ben Aaronovitch): I really enjoy this series about the secret section of the London police force that deals with the supernatural. It’s well done and fun. With the branching off into graphic novels, it’s a little too hard to keep track of everybody and everything without referring to a reading order guide and doing way more legwork to track down graphic novels.

71. Sorceror to the Crown (Zen Cho): A solid effort from a newer writer; I love a novel set in a world analogous to past eras of our world. Kind of reminded me of Marie Brennan’s Lady Trent series.

72-73. Graceling and Fire (Kristin Cashore): Solid YA. Both are basically variations on a main character with super strong powers has self-doubts, but ultimately works through them. In Fire, she also finds romance and incidentally helps save the kingdom in which she lives.

74. Downbelow Station (C.J. Cherryh): I read this because I wanted to figure out whether I could get into this series, and I couldn’t. It’s space opera with martial law, double-crossing, and mysteriously altruistic aliens. Maybe it was just too 1982 for me to really love in 2017.

75. The Book of Joan (Lidia Yuknavitch): I don’t think I really understood what was going on in this book, but it was definitely dystopic AF.

76-77. Dragonsbane and Dragonshadow (Barbara Hambley): Kind of a fantasy dystopia with dragons and demons; I could relate to the exhausted exasperation of the main characters, but I just don’t need to add the darkness of the Winterlands to the darkness in the real world.

78-79. The Witchlands Series (Susan Dennard): These two books (Truthwitch and Windwitch) feel like allegories for the mysterious power of teenage girls living in a world that seems designed to crush that power. Solid effort, consistent world building, interesting characters, just maybe a little too much teenness for me.

80. Daggerspell (Katharine Kerr): Some people love this book with it’s jumping around in time reincarnation style; it turns out, it didn’t make much of an impression on me in the sea of fantasy and space opera I’ve been reading, so I might not spend more time in this world.

81. All Grown Up (Jami Attenburg): A series of vignettes about what a bummer it can be to try to figure out how to be a halfway decent person in the real world.

82. Assassin’s Fate (Robin Hobb): Mostly, I keep reading this to see things through to the end. More plot twists, more people screwing up other people’s lives because they can’t communicate, dragons, magic, mystery. Perfectly serviceable. It feels like Hobb crammed too many books in this world into too short a time. I think I can stop reading series set in this world now.

83. Al Franken, Giant of the Senate (Al Franken): I really enjoyed this when I read it, but the newly emerging allegations of Al Franken’s habit of inappropriately touching women now just make me sad.

84-85. Queen of the Tearling and Invasion of the Tearling (Erika Johansen): I enjoyed the first book enough to read the second, but I felt like I missed a book where a lot of the development of characters made 90 degree turns. The world building got very incoherent; I believe that the intent was suspense, but it didn’t work for me and I don’t think I’ll bother with the third.

86. An Alchemy of Masques and Mirrors (Curtis Craddock): The world-building had too many ideas crammed into a magical steampunk world; the chunks of religion, magic and science didn’t really hang together coherently, and characters’ motivations were implausibly all over the place.

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