#TANA - Catnip

[tanalogyosc]

A bountiful start of the month

Made 6 ocs with deep lore already

[jesncin]

Hi,

I'm not a Pacific Islander so I can't talk about the accuracy, but so far I've been enjoying your most recent comics a lot.

I have a question. As far as I know no one really knows Tana Moon, or if they do, they don't talk about her. And while the issues with King Shark aren't always subtle, it has been forgotten about.

So, I guess my question is, how do you recognize these stories as ones needing expanding on? Even if they aren't specifically part of the culture you grew up in?

To clarify I'm not saying that it is impossible to connect to a culture other than your own, as there are parallels there in life experience. But it is definitely harder to recognize when those life experiences aren't exactly the same. For example, I relate to Superman because of his cultural disconnect, but I didn't relate to him for a long time because I never really thought about it in those terms before, even though I knew he'd been separated from his home planet as a baby and didn't remember it.

Anyway, yeah, that's basically my question.

Hi! This is a very interesting question (and thank you so much for enjoying my comics)! Any character is honestly up for grabs when it comes to re-imagination. My comic prof always said "there's no such thing as a bad story, just a good story that's not finished yet", and that's my mindset whenever I'm tackling characters that make people go "but why that one though?". I love niche characters because of the freedom I get in expanding a character with limited iterations, and wondering what is it I can bring out of them that DC hasn't yet.

My answer is essentially somewhere in your "to clarify" part of your ask: where yes it's definitely not impossible to connect to characters who have different cultural experiences than your own, but also the second part about "I didn't relate to Superman for a long time because I didn't see him as someone culturally disconnected even when that's a part of his lore" (pardon my paraphrasing).

For the first half, it's pretty obvious on my blog that I have strong biases for twin characters, diaspora narratives (immigrant experience is my catnip), and queer stories. While I'm not Native Hawaiian, I relate by proxy to experiences surrounding cultural genocide, assimilation, and colonization + gentrification through tourism as an Indonesian. Along with a love for qpoc culture both modern and pre-colonial, it's not that hard for me personally to connect to characters like Nanaue and Tana Moon/Taonui Mun.

But human experiences are vast and there's bound to be things I can't relate to or understand fully. That's where the second half comes in. I too never saw Superman as an immigrant or diaspora. It wasn't until Gene Yang -with his own life experiences and opinions- made Smashes the Klan that I saw Superman differently and couldn't see him any other way again. My aim is to bring about that feeling for others in my AU.

It helps to supplement your own knowledge with other people's perspectives. I'm sure you've heard the whole research spiel before! But I don't think enough people talk about how much empathy you develop from it. I finally committed to consistently learn ASL for Ma'al (building upon what I've already learned from Deaf people and their history), and that in turn informed my criticism of Noah Ikumelo's portrayal in Hellblazer. While working on Don't Call Me Superboy, I'm reading "From A Native Daughter" by Haunani-Kay Trask to inform my take on Tana/Taonui. "Cultural people have to become political… Our culture can’t just be ornamental and recreational." are words from her that are never going to leave me now haha.

I consider it a necessity in media criticism to not just bring in your own unique perspective to inform your reading, but to supplement it with the knowledge of others to expand your worldview. The best thing about art is its ability to broaden your empathy for people from real and non-existing backgrounds. But empathy is a skill that requires work and challenging your own preconceived notions.

That's how I "recognize these stories as ones needing expanding on". It's another reason why I love niche characters, people don't give them a chance or see little point in them but there's always a story to tell. Creativity's only limit is what you believe is the limit.

[cromulentbookreview]

Die Doppelgängerin

Dopplegängers are weird. I mean, the idea that there’s someone out there who looks almost exactly like you, even though you’re not related in any way whatsoever is just a little bit creepy. The whole concept is so weird, of course we have to use the German word for it. Just smush together the verb doppeln = to duplicate and gänger which isn’t it’s own word by itself, but a Vorgänger is a predecessor, and a Fußgängerzone is a pedestrian area, so assume it refers to a person. I suppose you could translate it as “goer” so your Doppelgänger is your double goer...yeah the original word sounds way better. And if you want to make it female, make the article Die and add -in. Voila! Female Doppelgänger.   

Anyway, Doppelgängers are like catnip for fiction - remember how I was just talking about Tana French’s The Likeness? Or Edgar Allan Poe’s short story William Wilson? Or Fyordor Dostoevsky’s The Double? I mean, what would you do if you discovered there was someone out there who, despite not being related to you by blood, looked exactly like you?

Which leads me to: Mirage by Somaiya Daud!

I’m pretty sure I don’t have a doppelgänger out there anywhere. If I do, I feel so bad for that person. Sorry you have the misfortune to look just like me. But you have to wonder: what if you have some sort of Twinstranger or Evil Twin out there? What happens if you see them? What if you meet at summer camp and discover you’re actually long-lost twins and have to get your divorced parents back together? What if Evil Twin is out there committing crimes and framing you for them? What if your double is the president and you have to impersonate him, with hilarious results?

What if someone from history is your doppelgänger? I probably don’t have a living doppelgänger, but if I had to figure on my historical doppelgänger, I’d say it was Anne of Cleves. Don’t knock Anne of Cleves, of all of Henry VIII’s wives, she got the best deal: money, court precedence, castles, not having her head chopped off, not having to be married to Henry VIII anymore and outliving all the other wives. Pretty sweet deal for a woman in the 16th century. 

Fuck yeah, Anne of Cleves. Even if that portrait is an exaggeration, she was definitely better looking in real life than I am currently.

Anyway!

Mirage goes the “my living doppelgänger is a person in power” route. Amani lives in a Star Wars-esque system of planets controlled by the cruel Vathek empire. Amani and her family are just trying to keep their heads down and not get killed or tormented by their Vathek overlords. During the “majority day” celebrations (the day you, and all the other girls your age officially turn 18 and become adults) Vathek droids crash the party and start scanning girls’ faces. They get to Amani and, lo and behold, they’ve found what they’re looking for, and they drag her away, leaving her family with zero idea why she’s been taken, where she’s going, or anything. We learn pretty quickly though that Amani is being taken to the royal court because she’s a dead ringer for the half-Vathek princess Maram, whom everybody hates. Maram doesn’t really go out of her way to seem like a very nice person - I mean, the first thing she does to her  doppelgänger Amani is sic an attack bird on her. Anyway, being so disliked by other Vathek and the people of their conquered star system alike, Maram is in danger of being assassinated, so Amani gets the superfun you-have-no-choice task of being Maram’s body double. 

Noncompliance is not an option, by the way. 

So Amani gets the fun of being forced to mimic Maram exactly, and, after the literary equivalent of a training montage, Amani is ready to appear in public as Maram. With Maram’s appropriately named fiance, Idris. 

Not exactly Idris Elba, but, hey, go ahead and picture book Idris as Idris Elba. It’s pretty great.

Maybe the rest of this review should just be Idris Elba gifs. I mean. Why not?

I’m sorry, what were we talking about? Oh, yeah, Mirage and the use of doppelgängers in literature as a representation of our fears of what we’re capable of...

Idris Elba...

No. I can focus! I can avoid looking at Idris Elba gifs for five more minutes. 

Alright.

Anyway, Amani gets all tangled up in Vathek politics, a burgeoning rebellion against the Empire, and her growing feelings for Idris, the fiance of the person she’s pretending to be. All while maintaining her own identity, though she has to essentially become Maram. And potentially be killed in her place.

Mirage is really, really, really quite good. If you’re into an exploration of identity with doppelgängers in a Star Wars-esque Moroccan and North African-inspired sci-fi world, then seriously, read it. Not just to picture 18 year old Idris Elba in your head every time the fiance is mentioned. Though that is a huge bonus. The only downside is that Mirage is another one of those YA books that is meant to be the first in a series. So it ends kind of abruptly, with lots of loose ends to be tied off in future books. 

How come I seem to never be able to find standalone books? Will I be doomed to be waiting for sequels forever? 

Eh, worth it.

RECOMMENDED FOR: Fans of YA sci-fi, YA fans of Star Wars, anyone looking for some awesome diverse YA featuring droids, blasters and a complex exploration of the self in light of meeting your doppelgänger in a world inspired by North Africa and the Middle East. 

NOT RECOMMENDED FOR: Non-YA fans, people who insist on sci-fi being exclusively white and male, identical twins, people employed to act as body doubles.

RATING: 4.5/5 

RELEASE DATE: August 28, 2018 (ha! I finally got the point of an “advanced” review!)

ANTICIPATION LEVEL FOR SEQUEL: Chhogori

IDRIS ELBA:

[rudejasper]

Top Ten Books for 2017

So I wrote half of this post yesterday, saved it as a draft and Tumblr must have eaten it. SO, it is with some vague annoyance and many fewer words that I list my favorite books of the year. These are books I read this year so they were not necessarily published this year.  I’m a backlist reader kind of gal mostly.  Also the list is in no particular order.

1) Pawn in Frankincense (Lymond Chronicles #4) by Dorothy Dunnett

I re-read this best-of-all-historical-fiction-series this year for the first time in 20 some years.  It was just as breathtaking and heart-stealing as it was the first go round.  Book 4, Pawn in Frankincense is my favorite.

2) Cormoran Strike Series by Robert Galbraith

Yep, I’m including series as one item, so sue me:).  I started this mystery series by J.K. Rowling’s alter ego and absolutely fell in love and proceeded to read all of them in quick fashion.  Now the wait.... My favorite in the series was the most recent, Career of Evil.

3) Lockwood and Co. Series by Jonathan Stroud

I flew through this middle-grade season about three young teens that fight ghosts in an alternate version of London.  I gave three out of the five books in the series 5 out of 5 stars.  It has great characters and relationships, mysterious and adventurous plots, a great sense of humor and terrific world building.  

4) The Watchmaker of Filigree Street by Natasha Pulley

This was the biggest dark horse for me this year. I bought it on a whim when it was on sale on Audible and I hadn’t heard any chatter about it.  It utterly delighted me though.  It’s a mysterious, lightly speculative with psychic abilities and delightful clockwork, romantic and witty.  It reminded me a little bit of The Night Circus in tone and atmosphere. 

5) Ordinary Grace by William Kent Krueger

I am a greedy reader and like when books do many genres well. This mystery is also a strangely lovely coming of age tale set in Minnesota in the 1950s.  The writing is beautiful and a lot of the sentiment really spoke to me.  I will definitely be reading more of Mr. Kruger’s books.

6) The Veronica Speedwell Series by Deanna Raybourn

This series, which currently only has 2 books, has been instrumental in my finding a new favorite author.  Deanna Raybourn’s blend of plot-heavy mystery/suspense with romamce is my catnip.  I love her characters and how she writes romance - slow-burn and secondary to fun plots.  She’s also great with the witty banter.  I can’t wait for the next book in this series!

7) Shrill: Notes from a Loud Woman by Lindy West

I loved Ms. West’s funny and unapologetic voice in this series of essays about being a woman in the world, especially one that doesn’t conform to societal norms, and being proud and comfortable in one’s skin.

8) Six of Crows series by Leigh Bardugo

I positively inhaled this duology series; I couldn’t put them down.  I absolutely adored all the characters and was thrilled by all the heisty goodness.  Definitely my favorite YA of the year!

9) All Systems Red (The Murderbot Diaries) by Martha Wells

This short but perfectly well-rounded science fiction novella had my favorite narrative voice I encountered this year.  That plus the fact that it was a neat and complete story in a short package made it one of the most satisfying reads of the year. SO glad this is going to be a series!

10) The Likeness (Dublin Murder Squad #2) by Tana French

If characters are your thing than you can’t do much better than Tana French. Her mysteries are engrossing and unique story wise but it is the characters that put her books in a class of their own.  This book focuses on Cassie as she goes undercover, impersonating a dead girl who had stolen the identity of one of Cassie’s previous undercover personae.  The writing is also just beautiful.

So that’s my top ten! There are, of course, a few others that got really close which I’ve listed below. It was a good, if not terribly profound, reading year!

The Gentleman’s Guide to Vice and Virtue by Mackenzi Lee

The City of Mirrors (The Passage #3) by Justin Cronin

The Seven Realms Series by Cinda Williams Chima

The Long Way to a Small Angry Planet by Becky Chambers

The Dark Days Club by Alison Goodman

The Jane Austen Project by Kathleen Flynn

[cuteness--overload]

I'd like to introduce everyone to my kitty, Tana. I've had her for about 5 years. She's roughly 6. She was a drop off at my boss' house and I took her in. She enjoys her catnip ball and laying on warm laps. She's still trying to figure out if her tail is a friend or foe and she's my best friend.

Submit your cute pet here | Source: http://bit.ly/2wtmeV6

[totesacceptable]

I was tagged by @myloveforclexaisunreal yo what uuuuuuup

Rules: Answer 20 questions and tag 20 followers you would like to get to know better Name: Tanner  Nickname: Tan tan, tana, terner bernerner, squirrel (i could never shake that one) Zodiac Sign: libruh   Height: 5′8 Ethnicity: Native American (chee ennit)   Orientation: pots and pansexual with a schedule (with strong preference for ladies)  Favourite Fruit(s): grapes, strawberries, pomegranate, pear

Favourite Season: rainy season/winter, i wanna be drneched or freezing

Favourite Book(s): LOTR, The Hobbit, Uglies series Favourite Flower(s): Bird of paradise and statice Favourite Animal(s): cats, cats, cats, cats, cats w/o tail, mean cats, scaredy cats, chill cats, catnip upped cats, cats. wolves. Favourite Beverage: water, pepsi, and tea. Average Hours of Sleep: 5! if im lucky, more if I chug zquil. I love sleep Favourite Fictional Characters: Kara Damnvers, Lena Luthor, Lexa, Black widow, Diana Prince, and probably a lot more but like im kind of zquiled up rn so i cant think haha Number of Blankets You Sleep with: Three! soon to be one! its getting hot here... Dream Trip: Anywhere thats rainy as hell and green Blog Created: Idk, I think in like april? 2013-2014? I had another one before this but thats irrelevant lol Number of Followers: 387

@slightly---obsessed @aechwoods @jennserr @c--and--b @sunflower-coloredgirl @imstrangeandlikeable @cuteharmony16 @sleepsidebyside @itsbitterbabyanditsverysweet @guidedbydragonflies also @bringthebiggergun fuck yooooooooou, but legit yo, and anyone who else wants to do it. (CHALLENGE MODE! do it while on zquil or something similar cuz man, this was fun. sooooo many typoes that i fixed and this tooke me a better half of a half hr hahahaha fuck)